InterMat Staff

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Tyler Smith scored three third-period takedowns to come back to defeat No. 13 Rick Durso at 141 pounds and Bucknell totaled four bonus-point victories as it picked up its first win of the season by a 33-3 score Friday at Franklin & Marshall. The Bison won nine of the 10 bouts to improve to 1-1 overall and 1-1 against EIWA competition on the young season. The Diplomats fell to 1-3, 0-2 EIWA. Smith, a 2015 NCAA qualifier who suffered a disappointing loss last week against Lehigh, bounced back in grand fashion against Durso, a three-time NCAA qualifier and former All-American who is ranked 13th nationally according to Intermat. Durso held an advantage entering the third period, but Smith totaled an escape and three takedowns in the period, including one late in the clock for an 11-10 decision. Bucknell built a 27-0 lead by winning each of the first seven bouts, four of which were for bonus points. No. 14 Paul Petrov posted an easy 16-3 major decision at 125 pounds to open the match, while Grim Gonzalez improved to 2-0 this year with an 8-2 decision at 133 pounds. Smith's win then made it 10-0. No. 19 Victor Lopez held off Jason Bing, 6-5, at 149 pounds before Logan Kerin (157), Robert Schlitt (165) and Rustin Barrick (174) followed with easier victories. Kerin and Schlitt won by major decision by a combined 17 points, while Barrick posted a pin of Colin Gironda just before the buzzer. Barrick held a commanding 9-1 lead at the time of the fall. Tyler Greene and Chuck Boddy finished off the match with decisions for the Bison. Greene came one point shy of a major decision, while Boddy's first career dual victory was by a 4-1 score over Antonio Pelusi. Bucknell's lone loss was a close one was freshman Nick Stephani fell by a 3-2 decision at 184 pounds. The Bison have now defeated Franklin and Marshall in six of the last seven meetings, including each of the last two years. Bucknell won last year's match in Lewisburg by a 33-6 score. The Bison still have more wrestling on the schedule for the weekend. They will travel to East Lansing, Michigan, for Sunday's Michigan State Open. Results: 125: No. 14 Paul Petrov (B) maj. dec. Edgar Garcia (F&M), 16-3. 133: Grim Gonzalez (B) dec. Scott Stevens (F&M), 8-2. 141: Tyler Smith (B) dec. No. 13 Rick Durso (F&M), 11-10. 149: No. 19 Victor Lopez (B) dec. Jason Bing (F&M), 6-5. 157: Logan Kerin (B) maj. dec. Andy Francos (F&M), 17-8. 165: Robert Schlitt (B) maj. dec. Gordon Bolig (F&M), 11-3. 174: Rustin Barrick (B) pinned Colin Gironda (F&M), 6:59. 184: Anthony Mancini (F&M) dec. Nick Stephani (B), 3-2. 197: Tyler Greene (B) dec. Charles Kerkesner (F&M), 15-8. 285: Chuck Boddy (B) dec. Antonio Pelusi (F&M), 4-1.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team opened up the 2015-16 season with a resounding 50-0 win over visiting Lock Haven on Friday night. A sell-out crowd of 6,356, the 27th straight home sell-out for Penn State, watched as Penn State won all ten bouts. Penn State notched bonus points in eight of the ten bouts, including four pins, two of which came from All-Americans returning after red-shirt campaigns. The dual began at 125 where All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally, returned to action after a red-shirt season by pinning Lock Haven's Jake Field at the 6:07 mark. All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 133, rolled to a 19-4 technical fall with riding time at the 7:00 mark to put Penn State up 11-0 early. All-American Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at his new weight of 141, posted a strong 3-1 win over No. 12 Dan Neff in the dual's marquee match-up. All-American Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at his new weight of 149, mirrored Megaludis with a pin, getting the fall over Kyle Hammond at the 2:15 mark. The first of three straight red-shirt freshmen making their Penn State dual meet debuts followed as Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 157, rolled out to a big lead over Aaron McKinney before getting the fall at the 2:42 mark. The pin put Penn State up 26-0 at intermission. Classmate Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) followed at 165 with a win over Dillon Gavlock. Rasheed was up 2-0 in the first when Gavlock took an injury default, putting Penn State up 32-0. Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 14 at 174, was the third straight red-shirt freshman up and the Texas native rolled to a 21-6 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 184, notched Penn State's fourth fall of the night. McCutcheon was up big when he pinned Tristan Sponseller at the 5:56 mark. All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, rolled to a 13-2 major over LHU's Phil Sprenkle to give the Lions a 47-0 lead with one bout left. True freshman Jan Johnson (Mohnton, Pa.), who joined the Nittany Lions in mid-October, secured the shut-out victory and thrilled the sold out crowd with a rousing 3-2 win over Lock Haven junior Brad Emerick at 285. Johnson turned a second period takedown into a victory and Penn State posted the 50-0 shut-out. The Nittany Lions dominated the dual from start to finish, rolling to a 36-1 takedown advantage. Eight of the ten bouts featured bonus points: four pins, one injury default, two technical falls and one major, giving Penn State 20 bonus points. The shut-out was Penn State's first since a 35-0 win over Michigan State last year on Feb. 1, 2015. Penn State is now 1-0 on the year while Lock Haven falls to 0-1. The Lions trek to Blacksburg, Va., for a 1 p.m. dual at No. 7 Virginia Tech on Sunday. The dual meet can be seen live online via ESPN3. With season tickets once again sold out in advance of the campaign beginning, Penn State is giving fans more opportunities than ever to see the Nittany Lions compete, including Penn State's next home dual meet on Dec. 13. Fans may purchase singles to Penn State's two BJC Duals (Wisconsin on 12/13 and Ohio State on 2/5) online at www.GoPSUsports.com/accountmanager or by calling 1-800-NITTANY. BJC Dual public tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for youth (12-and-under). Group tickets for the BJC Duals are now available as well, allowing fans to purchase 20 or more tickets at only $8 per ticket. Group tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY. With the five Rec Hall duals already at seated capacity, a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets (SROs) can be purchased for each of those five duals as well. Rec Hall SROs may only be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY and are $15 per person. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2015-16 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU pinned Jake Field LHU, WBF (6:07) / 6-0 133: #8 Jordan Conaway PSU tech fall Bobby Rehm LHU, 19-4 (TF; 7:00) / 11-0 141: #2 Jimmy Gulibon PSU dec. #12 Dan Neff LHU, 3-1 / 14-0 149: #2 Zain Retherford PSU pinned Kyle Hammond LHU, WBF (2:15) / 20-0 157: #6 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Dillon Gavlock LHU, WBF (2:42) / 26-0 165: Shakur Rasheed PSU inj. def. Dillon Gavlock LHU, inj. def. :35 (up 2-0) / 32-0 174: #14 Bo Nickal PSU tech fall Tyler Wood LHU, 21-6 (TF; 7:00) / 37-0 184: #14 Matt McCutcheon PSU pinned Tristan Sponseller LHU, WBF 5:56 / 43-0 197: #1 Morgan McIntosh PSU maj. dec. Phil Sprenkle LHU, 13-2 / 47-0 285: Jan Johnson PSU dec. Brad Emerick LHU, 3-2 / 50-0 Attendance: 6,356 (27th straight home sell-out) Records: Penn State 1-0, 0-0 B1G; Lock Haven 0-1, 0-0 EWL Up Next for Penn State: at No. 7 Virginia Tech, Sunday, November 15, 1 p.m. (ESPN3) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Senior All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, took on Lock Haven's Jake Field. Megaludis scored quickly, taking a 2-0 lead just :20 seconds into the bout. Field escaped to a 2-1 deficit and action resumed with Megaludis looking for control on the edge of the mat. The Lion finished the move and led 4-2 midway through the opening period. Megaludis dominated the rest of the first period, tacking on two more takedowns and two near fall points to lead 10-3 heading into the second. Megaludis chose down to start the second, quickly escaped to an 11-3 lead, and took Field down and to his back for two near falls and a 15-3 lead. Field escaped to a 15-4 score, but Megaludis quickly took him down to up his margin to 17-5 after cutting the Bald Eagle loose. Megaludis picked up a quick takedown to up his lead to 19-5. He rode Field out to carry that lead and over 2:00 of riding time into the third period. Field chose down to start the third. Megaludis worked his way into control Field's arm and worked his way to a pin at the 6:07 mark. 133: Senior All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 133, met Bald Eagle senior Bobby Rehm. Rehm picked up a quick takedown to lead 2-1 after Conaway escaped. The Lion senior then took a 3-2 lead with a takedown of his own at the 1:00 mark. He then controlled Rehm for the rest of the period to lead 3-2 with 1:10 in riding time after one. Conaway chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. He upped his lead to 6-2 with a strong single leg with just over a minute left in the period and controlled the Bald Eagle senior for the rest of the period. Conaway turned Rehm for four near fall points and led 10-2 after two. Rehm chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 10-3 score, but Conaway countered a Rehm shot and upped his lead to 12-4 at the 1:06 mark with another takedown. Conaway tacked on another takedown and four more near fall points to lead 18-4 with :20 left. 3:24 in riding time gave Conaway a 19-4 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. 141: Junior All-American Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met Lock Haven senior Dan Neff in the dual's marquee match-up. Neff entered the dual ranked No. 12. Gulibon and Neff traded early shots and the match was scoreless midway through the opening stanza. Neither wrestler could break through the other's defense over the opening three minutes and the bout moved to the second period scoreless. Gulibon chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Gulibon continued to shoot and Neff was able to play defense for the rest of the second period. Trailing 1-0, Neff chose down to start the third period and quickly tied the score at 1-1 with an escape. Gulibon continued to press for a takedown and broke through Neff's defense to lead 3-1 at the :55 mark. The Lion All-American then tripped Neff back to the mat after the Bald Eagle tried to escape multiple times to ride Neff out. The strong third period gave Gulibon a 3-1 decision. 149: Sophomore All-American Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 149, took on Lock Haven's Kyle Hammond. Retherford notched the match's first takedown early in the period and then gained control of Hammond's waste with his legs. Steadily turning Hammond to his back, Retherford quickly worked his way into a pinning position and got the fall at the 2:15 mark in the first period. 157: Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 157, made his Nittany Lion dual meet debut against Lock Haven senior Aaron McKinney. Nolf wasted no time notching his first Penn State takedown, using a low single to take McKinney down. Nolf cut the Eagle loose, adding a second takedown and led 4-2 less than 1:00 into the bout. Putting on an early takedown clinic in his Rec Hall debut, Nolf added a third takedown and then turned McKinney for four near fall points to lead 10-3 after cutting him loose. Nolf countered a takedown attempt by McKinney, rolled through a takedown and turned a nearside cradle into a takedown at the 2:42 mark. 165: Red-shirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 165 against Bald Eagle junior Dillon Gavlock. Rasheed notched the first takedown and then Gavlock injury defaulted quickly. The injury default victory for Rasheed came at the :35 mark. 174: Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 14 at 174, made his Nittany Lion dual meet debut against Lock Haven junior Tyler Wood. Like the two freshmen before him, Nickal notched the bout's first takedown early, leading 2-0 just :30 into action. Nickal cut Wood loose and nearly had another takedown on the edge of the mat but action slid out of bounds. Nickal used a fast low double to take a 4-1 lead at the 1:00 mark and then built up a 2:05 riding time edge with a ride out to lead 4-1 after one period. Nickal chose down to start the second stanza, quickly escaped, and then blew through a high double to take wood down for a 7-1 lead at the 1:33 mark. Wood escaped only to be taken down by Nickal once again and the Lion freshman led 9-2 with a clinched riding time point (3:30 in time) after two periods. Wood chose top to start the third and Nickal quickly escaped to a 10-2 lead. Nickal added another takedown and cut Wood loose to lead 12-3 with 1:16 left in the match. Continuing his takedown clinic, Nickal used a low single to lead 14-3 at the :55 mark. Wood escaped, Nickal took him down and cut him loose with :12 left and the finished off the tech fall with a takedown at the :06 mark. The late takedown gave Nickal a 21-6 tech fall at the 7:00 mark with 4:15 in riding time. 184: Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 184, took on LHU freshman Tristan Sponseller. McCutcheon notched the first takedown early and led 2-1 less than a minute into the bout. McCutcheon added two more quick takedowns and on the latter, added four near fall points to lead 10-2 with :30 left. He continued to press offensively and added another takedown to lead 12-3 one period. McCutcheon chose neutral to start the second period and took Sponseller down for a 14-3 lead. McCutcheon cut Sponseller loose and then took him down again to lead 16-4. The Lion sophomore tacked on one more takedown and led 18-4 with 2:55 riding time after two. Sponseller chose down to start the third and escaped, but McCutcheon turned a high takedown into a quick fall, getting the pin at the 5:56 mark. 197: Senior All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, faced off against Bald Eagle senior Phil Sprenkle. McIntosh and Sprenkle battled evenly for the opening three minutes, with neither wrestler working through for a takedown. Tied 0-0, Sprenkle chose down to start the second period and McIntosh made him pay. McIntosh forced him into two stall warnings and then the Lion senior turned Sprenkle to his back for four back points, nearly getting the fall as the period ended. Leading 5-0, McIntosh chose down to start the third period, escaped to a 6-0 lead, and then tacked on another takedown to lead 8-0. McIntosh notched another four point near fall but action ended on an illegal hold by McIntosh, forcing a reset with the Lion up 12-1. Sprenkle added a late takedown but McIntosh's 3:18 in riding time allowed him to post a 13-2 major. 285: True freshman Jan Johnson (Mohnton, Pa.) made his Penn State wrestling debut after joining the team in October against Lock Haven junior Brad Emerick. Johnson worked offense early with Emerick fighting off the early shots. With Johnson trying to control action up high, Emerick was able to work the clock down to zeroes and the bout moved into the second period scoreless. Tied 0-0, Johnson chose down to start the second period. Johnson worked to his feat repeatedly looking to escape, and Emerick pushed him out of bounds each time. Johnson picked up the escape to lead 1-0 with Emerick having only :28 in riding time. The Lion freshman then turned a low single into a takedown in front of the scorer's table to lead 3-0 with 1:01 left in the middle period. Emerick escaped to a 3-1 score and action resumed in the center circle with :50 on the clock. Emerick worked ion on a low shot and Johnson rolled into a scramble that lasted the final :20, killing the clock and maintaining his 3-1 lead heading into the third period. Emerick chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 score. The duo battled evenly for the final seconds and Johnson posted a thrilling 3-2 win in his Penn State debut.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New faces, same results for the fifth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team. On a night when the Buckeyes honored their 2014-15 Big Ten and national championship team with the unveiling of four new banners from the rafters of St. John Arena, wins by three newcomers to the starting lineup keyed a 34-6 rout of No. 23 Virginia. Three redshirt freshmen - Micah Jordan, Cody Burcher and Jake Ryan - won consecutive matches to open a 20-0 lead after five bouts and Ohio State (1-0) never looked back. Jordan and Burcher won in dominant fashion, while Ryan came from behind with a last-second takedown to upset 19th-ranked Andrew Atkinson at 157 lbs. Prior to the match, the program officially unveiled new banners commemorating individual national championships from Nathan Tomasello and Logan Stieber along the team Big Ten and NCAA titles. Tomasello then got the match started with a 14-6 major decision over Nick Hermann in which he had three first period takedowns to jump out to a 7-3 lead. In the second period, he racked up four more points with two takedowns and led 11-5 entering the third period. Johnni DiJulius, ranked fifth nationally, followed that up with a dramatic 8-7 win over 10th-ranked George DiCamillo. Trailing 5-2 late in the third period, DiJulius fought back to cut the deficit to 5-4 on a takedown and then scored four near-fall points with just over 1:00 remaining. A staling point for UVA and riding time made the final 8-7, but for DiJulius it was his fifth win of the season and 102nd in his career. Micah Jordan scored early and often in his St. John Arena debut, getting four takedowns and an escape in the first period to jump out to a 9-4 lead over UVA's Zach Watson. An escape, takedown and two-point near fall in the second made the score 14-5 and Jordan cruised to the major decision from there. Burcher got the crowd on its feet with his fall over TJ Miller at the 4:06 mark of the match. A native of Gnadenhutten, Ohio, Burcher improves to 7-0 on the year. He led the match 4-2 at the time of his pin. With the Buckeyes ahead 17-0, Ryan scored one of the most exciting wins of the night when he overcame a late 1-0 deficit but getting an escape and then finishing a takedown with just four seconds remaining in the third period. Ryan's win, his first this year over a ranked opponent, improves his record to year to 7-0. Garrett Peppelman of Virginia got the Cavaliers on the scoreboard with a 5-3 decision over Justin Kresevic at 165 pounds, but reigning All-American Bo Jordan looked to be in midseason form in the next match at 174, earning a 17-2 tech fall over highly-touted freshman Fox Baldwin. Jordan, ranked No. 1 nationally, scored two four-point near falls in the first period in addition to two takedowns. He ended the match in the second with two takedowns and an escape. Another reigning All-American, Kenny Courts, outlasted Tyler Askey at 184 pounds, earning an 11-5 decision. Courts scored two takedowns in each of the first two periods and is now 5-1 on the year. No. 10 Zach Nye defeated Matthew O'Hara by decision at 197, but Nick Tavanello put an exclamation point on the night when he pinned Patrick Gillen in 5:45. It was Tavanello's third fall of the season, tying him with Micah Jordan for the team lead. The Buckeyes return to action on Sunday, Nov. 15 when they take part in the Michigan State Open. Results: 125: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) major decision over Nick Herrmann (UVA) 14-6 | OSU 4, UVA 0 133: No. 5 Johnni DiJulius (OSU) decision over No. 10 George DiCamillo (UVA) 8-7 | OSU 7, UVA 0 141: No. 19 Micah Jordan major decision over Zach Watson (UVA) 19-8 | OSU 11, UVA 0 149: Cody Burcher (OSU) won by fall over Thomas Miller (UVA) 4:06 | OSU 17, UVA 0 157: Jake Ryan (OSU) won by decision over No. 19 Andrew Atkinson (UVA) 3-2 | OSU 20, UVA 0 165: Garrett Peppelman (UVA) won by decision over Justin Kresevic (OSU) 5-3 | OSU 20, UVA 3 174: No. 1 Bo Jordan (OSU) won by tech fall over Fox Baldwin (UVA) 17-2 | OSU 25, UVA 3 184: No. 5 Kenny Courts (OSU) won by decision over Tyler Askey (UVA) 11-5 | OSU 28, UVA 3 197: No. 10 Zach Nye (UVA) won by decision over Matthew O'Hara (OSU) 10-6 | OSU 28, UVA 6 285: No. 18 Nick Tavanello won by fall over Patrick Gillen (UVA) 5:45 | OSU 34, UVA 6 Post Match Quotes Head coach Tom Ryan On Starting of the season "It was just great to get back on the mat. The preseason was long and grueling. It's just nice to get back into the competition and learn about our guys and how they compete." On the crowd "We like it raucous. People need to know that this is a very challenging, physical sport and it helps when you scream and yell. There's no question it has an impact on the athlete." Redshirt freshman Jake Ryan On coming back in his match "In the third period I went down and he maybe had 50 seconds of riding time. I heard the crowd growing nuts. So I hit a switch and finally got out and it turned out well." On confidence going forward "We have a lot of tough guys in the room, the best guys. Training with them every day gives you a gauge on how well you are doing and coming in here and getting a close win always helps." Redshirt freshman Cody Burcher On his pin "I was super nervous walking out on the mat the first time. I was just trying to get my cradle the whole time but he was getting out, but whenever I got that cross face I felt his back bend and felt it was over."

This week, the World Anti-Doping Agency issued a report, alleging that Russian athletes, coaches, trainers, doctors and institutions were involved in various schemes to create a state-sponsored doping program for amateur sports. While the focus of the just-released report -- weighing in at more than 300 pages -- centered on track and field athletes and events, WADA has suggested that similar doping violations existed in other amateur sports, including wrestling. In June 2015, WADA released data it compiled in 2013, covering 115 countries and 89 sports. Russia had the highest number of violations -- 225 across 30 sports, accounting for 11.5% of all violations in the world. In that study, wrestling placed third of all sports in terms of the number of violations committed by Russia, with 32 ... behind track and field with 42 violations, and powerlifting, with 35, the New York Times reported. By comparison, the United States ranked eleventh in the June 2015 WADA study. The U.S. had 43 violations across all sports, accounting for 2.2% of the world's total violations. WADA issued its latest report on the Russian doping scandal a week before the organization's executive committee and foundation board meet in Colorado Springs. At that meeting, WADA is expected to consider lifetime suspensions for five Russian track athletes, the stripping of accreditation of the Russian anti-doping lab and suspension of the Russian athletics federation, which has implications to all Olympic-type amateur sports including wrestling for the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The WADA report urged the International Olympic Committee not accept any entries from the Russian athletics federation until that organization has been declared compliant with its rules. "Timely action" by Russian authorities "should mean that no significant competitions will be missed," said WADA. Failing that, however, Russian wrestlers and other athletes could be kept out of next summer's Olympics. Dick Pound, founding president of the World Anti-Doping Agency and co-author of the report, said that a potential ban of Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics would be the "nuclear weapon" which could be used against the Russian sports federation. In other words, Russia cleans up its act, or its athletes would not be able to participate at the 2016 Summer Games. Travis Tygart, who heads up the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said, "If Russia has created an organized scheme of state-supported doping, then they have no business being allowed to compete on the world stage." "This level of corruption attacks sport at its core," said Richard H. McLaren, a Canadian lawyer and co-author of the report. "Bribes and payoffs don't change actual sporting events," referring to recent scandals involving FIFA, the world federation of soccer. "But doping takes away fair competition." Wrestling will have a significant place at the table as WADA determines its next steps regarding the Russian doping allegations. As InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley reported this week , United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic has accepted an appointment to be the IOC representative to the WADA Commission and Foundation Board. "I'm honored to be involved with WADA," said Lalovic. "The organization does a wonderful job of educating our athletes about how to compete at the international level without the assistance of doping. I trust that I will be able to help further their initiatives and look forward to the work."

Live Blog Virginia at Ohio State

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State wrestling team (3-1) opened the 2015-16 home slate with a 21-14 victory over Northern Colorado (0-1) on Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. Opening the match at 125 pounds, the Sun Devils dropped the opening bouts before sophomore Robbie Mathers got ASU on the board with a 12-8 decision win over Sonny Espinosa, cutting the team deficit to 8-3. Senior Matt Kraus picked up four points for the Sun Devils with a 12-3 major decision, his second major of the season, over Timmy Box before the Bears picked up a win at 157 pounds to stretch their lead over the Sun Devils to 11-7. After the intermission, ASU won four of the final five bouts, starting with sophomore Jacen Petersen taking a 9-4 win over Joe Grable at 165 pounds and cutting the deficit to one. Freshman Zachary Smith gave ASU its first lead of the night as he picked up a 6-4 decision win over Horacio Vialpando, and redshirt senior Blake Stauffer made it 16-11 in favor of ASU with a 3-1 decision win over Dylan Gabel. After dropping a close decision at 197 pounds, and with ASU holding a two-point lead over the Bears, freshman heavyweight Tanner Hall used a 16-0 tech fall victory over Jack Kuck to clinch the 21-14 victory. The tech fall is both Hall and ASU's first on the year. Mathers, Petersen, Stauffer, and Hall all remain undefeated on the year with individual records of 4-0. Up next, the Sun Devils trek to Champaign, Ill., on Sunday to take on SIU-Edwardsville at 11 a.m. MT/Noon CT and Illinois at 12:30 p.m. MT/1:30 p.m. CT at Huff Hall. Updates throughout both bouts will be available on Twitter by following @ASUWrestling. Results: 125: Trey Andrews (UNC) def. Mikel Perales (ASU): Dec 8-2 (ASU 0, UNC 3) 133: Rico Montoya (UNC) def. Cord Coronado (ASU): Tech (15-0) (ASU 0, UNC 8) 141: Robbie Mathers (ASU) def. Sonny Espinosa (UNC): Dec 12-8 (ASU 3, UNC 8) 149: Matt Kraus (ASU) def. Timmy Box (UNC): Maj 12-3 (ASU 7, UNC 8) 157: Eleazar De Luca (UNC) def. Oliver Pierce (ASU): Dec 5-4 (ASU 7, UNC 11) 165: Jacen Petersen (ASU) def. Joe Grable (UNC): Dec 9-4 (ASU 10, UNC 11) 174: Zachary Smith (ASU) def. Horacio Vialpando (UNC): Dec 6-4 (ASU 13, UNC 11) 184: Blake Stauffer (ASU) def. Dylan Gabel (UNC): Dec 3-1 (ASU 16, UNC 11) 197: Trent Noon (UNC) def. Josh DaSilveira (ASU): Dec 3-1 (ASU 16, UNC 14) HWT: Tanner Hall (ASU) def. Jack Kuck (UNC): Tech 16-0 (ASU 21, UNC 14)

For many wrestling fans last week's Bill Farrell International at the NYAC was their first experience with how exciting freestyle wrestling has become. Setting aside past scandals, past rule changes and lots of chatter, what happened on the mat last Saturday was by every account fair and thrilling. There have been plenty of other freestyle wrestling matches over the past few years, but none included this number of popular American wrestlers. That concentration drove viewership and positive replies on social media. Hopefully it will also drive more change in folkstyle. First, you have to credit NYAC tournament director Hooman Tavakolian with bringing in FloWrestling for greater distribution, and for working with USA Wrestling to make the tournament the first qualifier for the Olympic Team Trials. That combo helped to ensure that many of the nation's best showed up in the Big Apple. But the real star of the event was the wrestling itself. Even as the sport's A-List wasn't on hand, the action never lulled and the matchups felt naturally compelling. Little hype was necessary. Speaking (I think) objectively, most of the wrestlers on the mat will never earn an international medal, but didn't matter much to the fans because the action -- and the sport of wrestling -- was well served by rules that promoted action and kept eyeballs on the mat. The NCAA had to have seen some of this wrestling, but it's unlikely that they will care to recognize what they saw, but the truth is out there --enforcing a firm boundary and not allowing self-exposure helps create high-scoring matchups. Thanks to the Bill Farrell International more wrestling fans have seen what a lack of action can mean for the sport. My hope is that the NCAA sees the benefit of positive change and makes the necessary changes this season, because unlike in their matches, there is no time to waste. To your questions … Q: Will Mark Hall win six NCAA titles for PSU? Or am I underestimating him? -- @alliseeis_ Foley: You are very much underestimating his ability. Given the hype he will most likely retire in 2026 as the all-time winningest NCAA wrestler in history. He'll have never been defeated, have won nine national titles and three Olympic gold medals. This is fact. Of course, there is a slight chance that he is a two-time NCAA champion and is among the top 100 that have competed in the sport. Though to be honest, I don't think you can assume even one NCAA title for a wrestler until he's had a college match. The NCAA history books are riddled with high school wrestlers from which everything was expected and yet nothing materialized. All the hyperbole and doubts aside, I think that Mark Hall is a great wrestler and entering the best wrestling program in the nation. Best of luck to the kid. Q: Replace the singlet. Establish a stepout rule. Sorry no questions -- @ShogunOfSonoma Foley: Um, hallelujah. Though I would never have though this five years ago, I think we are going to see a grassroots movement to the two-piece uniform, and a lot of the momentum will pick up after the Rio Games. Q: Any idea what the world record is for largest attendance at a wrestling meet? -- Andrew H. Foley: Well, kinda. Actually, it's really difficult for many record-setting institutions to distinguish between professional wrestling and amateur wrestling. Guinness currently states that Ric Flair (USA) vs. Antonio Inoki (Japan) was the most well-attended wrestling match in history with over 190K fans packed into a stadium in North Korea. Major Senegal matches typically draw 60K or more fansWhen you look at other nation's wrestling tournaments you would see that Senegal typically draws 60K-plus for major wrestling matchups -- a number that can also be seen in The Gambia and other West African nations. I once attended a match in Chad that seemed to have well more than 20K fans present for the opening rounds. By the finals I was told there were more than 30K fans. And that was Chad. The match at Kinnick would definitely be the record-breaker for NCAA wrestling, though even there I'd be hesitant to jump in with both feet since I could imagine a scenario in which some 1920s era program packed some stadium. But I have no proof of any Gatsby-era opulence in the wrestling ranks so for now the Hawkeyes and Cowboys seem to have captured a sliver of history. Oh, and by the way, Muhammad Ali was in attendance … MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME The Inoki vs. Flair Match in North Korea ("Wrestling diplomacy at its best!") Q: If we move in the direction that you are saying we should then why not just convert all of America to freestyle? I'm not opposed to this by the way. I personally enjoy folkstyle more but that is what I was raised on. If the rules were changed and back exposure was strictly penalized and there was a pushout rule then you have two competition types that are so similar they might as well merge into one (freestyle) and we can join the rest of the world. Do you want to do away with American folkstyle? If rules like these were created then you basically would be, because what would remain would look nothing like the folkstyle of the last 80 years. (You may say that is a good thing.) You refer to the proposals as modest but I feel that is a major understatement. It would be a huge change. -- Dustin K. Foley: The rules of folkstyle have already been adapted so many times, and changed to benefit safety and other norms that wrestlers of 80 years ago would hardly recognize what is on the mats. Freestyle is simply a better product. Fans who have never seen the sport before can be impressed by big moves and a lot of action, while newcomers to NCAA wrestling simply have to watch a couple of guys look like they're trying to hump a doorknob. That's extreme, of course, but the styles are already very similar and yet Americans are losing on both ends: less compelling product at home and failure to realize potential at the international level. Traditions are important, but isn't one of America's most important traditions that of being globally dominant in sports? Adaptation and innovation? Those seem like the more important American traditions, not the bastardized NCAA rules that matured from late 19th century catch-as-catch can rules. Be nostalgic, but stay clear-minded. Q: Is Andrew Long the best 141-pound wrestler in the country this year? -- @Robbybobbi Foley: Absolutely not. Wishing him the best at Grand View, but by no means do I think he is outperforming Dean Heil, Jimmy Gulibon or Joey McKenna. By the way, McKenna … Wow.

Vienna, W. Va. -- The Fighting Scots took on the Golden Bears of West Virginia University Tech on Thursday night in the Snyder Actvity Center. Ohio Valley improves to 2-0 as they defeated WVU-Tech 27-15. In the 125lbs. weight class, Anthony Tripke fell to his opponent in an upsetting 5-13 major decision as WVU Tech jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Levi Congleton (133lbs.) defeated Gomez in an impressive 14-2 victory allowing OVU to even the score up 4-4. In the 141lbs. face-off, Maverick Meeks defeated his opponent in 9-2 regular decision to help OVU take the lead. Powerhouse Sam Phillips domniated his opponent with a hard slam to the mat followed by a pin (9-1/3:57). Nicholoz Varazashvlvilli (157lbs.) struggled to control his opponent as he fell short in 3-1 loss. Williamstown native Dalton George (165lbs.) defeated his opponent by technical fall (19-2/7:00). In the 174lbs weight class, Austin Antill flew passed his opponent in 14-7 triumph giving Ohio Valley a 21-7 lead headed into the 184lbs matchup. Newbie Zach Willard fell to his opponent 18-2. WVU Tech battled their way back as Nance (197lbs) won in a sudden death overtime match against Tyler Koreski to allow the Golden Bears to close OVU's lead to 6 points. With a pin, WVU Tech would achieve 6 points and tie up the team scores, but it was Dane Mills (HWT) who pinned Boarman to give Ohio Valley 27-15 win. The Scots will participate in the Mount Union Invitation on Saturday November 14 at 9 a.m. in Alliance, Ohio. Results: 125lbs. Tristan Bean (WV Tech) Major Decision Anthony Tripke (OVU) 13-5/7:00 0-4 133lbs. Levi Congleton (OVU) Major Decision Dennis Gomez (WV Tech) 14-2/7:00 4-4 141lbs. Maverick Meeks (OVU) Regular Decision Dennis Marmalyukov (WV Tech) 9-2/7:00 7-4 149lbs. Sam Phillips (OVU) Pin Caleb Barley (WV Tech) 9-1/3:57 13-4 157lbs Conrad Lacey (WV Tech) Regular Decision Nicholoz Varazashvlvilli (OVU) 3-1/7:00 13-7 165lbs. Dalton George (OVU) Technical Fall Giovane Lins (WV Tech) 19-2/7:00 18-7 174lbs. Austin Antill (OVU) Regular Decision Bryan Overton (WV Tech) 14-7/7:00 21-7 184lbs. Colton Rowe (WV Tech) Technical Fall Zach Willard (OVU) 18-2/5:34 21-12 197lbs. Terry Nance II (WV Tech) Regular Decision Tyler Koreski (OVU) 2-1/7:33 21-15 HWT. Dane Mills (OVU) Pin Jon Boarman (WV Tech) 6-2/1:38 27-15

PEMBROKE -- Dustin Smith got the UNC Pembroke wrestling team started with a tight 1-0 decision in the opening bout of the night at 133 pounds, but the Braves had little trouble the rest of the way out, using four pins and a trio of forfeits to cruise past Spartanburg Methodist, 53-0, on Thursday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. It was the 14th win in the last 17 dual meets for the Braves (2-0) who will not see their home floor again until a mid-January matchup with U.S. 74 rival St. Andrews. Spartanburg Methodist (1-1) has now dropped all six series matchups with the Black & Gold since the series began in 2006-07. Jake Smith (141 pounds), Faris Teia (165), seventh-ranked Blaze Shade (174) and Stuart Nadeau (285) all posted pins in the outing, while Eric Milks had finished off a 21-4 technical fall at 149 pounds by the 10-second mark in the second period. Smith and Dakota Roberts both registered victories via decision, while Josh Brown (125), Casey Malloy (157) and Mikey Thomas (184) all won via forfeit. Malloy and Thomas both also won exhibition matchups. Malloy posted a first-period pin (2:24) of Alexander Alecxih, while Thomas turned in a 17-0 technical fall over Nicholas Siniard. The Braves will be back in action again on Saturday when a handful of wrestlers head to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the UCF Open. The full squad will return to action on November 21 when it makes the short trip to Raleigh to compete in the Wolfpack Duals. Results: 125: Josh Brown (UNCP) forfeit No Entry (SMC) For 133: Dustin Smith (UNCP) dec. Maurice Williams (SMC) D 1-0 141: Jake Smith (UNCP) pinned Efrain Tello (SMC) F 2:06 149: Eric Milks (UNCP) tech. fall Lontay Greene (SMC) TF 21-4; 3:08 157: Casey Malloy (UNCP) forfeit No Entry (SMC) For 165: Faris Teia (UNCP) pinned Zorrie Green (SMC) F 5:50 174: No. 7 Blaze Shade (UNCP) pinned Tanner Chambers (SMC) F 1:43 184: Mikey Thomas (UNCP) forfeit No Entry (SMC) For 197: Dakota Roberts (UNCP) dec. Austin Thompson (SMC) D 11-8 285: Stuart Nadeau (UNCP) pinned Onassis Williams (SMC) F 2:49 Exh (157): Casey Malloy (UNCP) pinned Alexander Alecxih (SMC) F 2:24 Exh (184): Mikey Thomas (UNCP) tech. fall Nicholas Siniard (SMC) TF 17-0; 4:11

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Davidson wrestling team posted seven pins as the Wildcats defeated Greensboro College, 51-3, Thursday night. The Wildcats took nine of the 10 bouts to secure the win. The dual started at 125 pounds with freshman Zachary Jones taking on Gabe Wilson. With the score even at two, Wilson registered an escape with less than 30 seconds in the third period before scoring a takedown as time expired to take the bout, 5-2. Sophomore Dustin Runzo put Davidson on to the board with a dominant performance at 133 pounds. The sophomore registered his first fall of the season over Andrew Moorefield at the 4:02 mark. Billy McClelland extended Davidson's lead with his first collegiate pin. McClelland pinned Jonathan Bennett at the 1:08 mark. At 149, Aidan Conroy registered his first collegiate pin in just 14 seconds. Conroy took down Isaac Burt to push Davidson's margin, 18-3. Tony Palumbo padded the Wildcats' lead with another pin at 157 pounds. The rookie took down Ricardo Cunha. At 165, Zach Colangelo registered an 8-3 decision over Andrew Chappell. Colangelo registered a reversal, two takedowns and the riding time point in the victory. Nathaniel Powers recorded his first pin of the year at 174 pounds, taking down AJ Palmer 1:04 into the match. After a forfeit at 184, Ryan Devlin took the mat at 197 pounds. Devlin tallied a pin in the third period at the 5:58 mark. In the final bout of the night, Will Cooley pinned Thomas Propst. Davidson is back in action Nov. 22 as the Wildcats will compete at the Wolfpack Open. Results: 125: Gabriel Wilson (Greensboro) decision over Zachary Jones (Davidson), 5-2 133: Dustin Runzo (Davidson) fall over Andrew Moorefield (Greensboro), 4:02 141: Billy McClelland (Davidson) fall over Jonathan Bennett (Greensboro), 1:08 149: Aidan Conroy (Davidson) fall over Isaac Burt (Greensboro), 0:14 157: Tony Palumbo (Davidson) fall over Ricardo Cunha (Greensboro), 2:49 165: Zach Colangelo (Davidson) decision over Andrew Chappell (Greensboro), 8-3 174: Nathaniel Powers (Davidson) fall over AJ Palmer (Greensboro) 184: Konner Pritchard (Davidson) win by forfeit 197: Ryan Devlin (Davidson) fall over Emmanuel Garcia (Greensboro) 5:58 285: Will Cooley (Davidson) fall over Thomas Propst (Greensboro) 2:05

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Pins in three bouts helped the Lycoming College wrestling team post a convincing 28-15 win over McDaniel College in the team's opening meet of the 2015-16 season, helping 23rd-year head coach Roger Crebs earn his 350th career match on Thursday night, Nov. 12. Crebs improved to 350-118-2 (.746) in his career, as he joined the legendary Budd Whitehill (1956-93) in the 350-win club with the Lycoming wrestling program, as Whitehill went 374-175-7 in 37 years as head coach. The Warriors (1-0 overall) won their season opener for the fifth year in a row, while the Green Terror fell to 0-1. Lycoming took control of the match with bonus points in three of four bouts from 149-174 to take a commanding 22-6 lead. Junior Seth Lansberry (Klingerstown, Pa./Line Mountain) started the run with a first-period takedown that turned into a pin of Benjamin Mitchell at the 2:43 mark of the 149-pound bout. After McDaniel earned points at 157, junior returning All-American Nolan Barger (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield Area) added an 11-2 major decision against Luke Yox at 165 pounds and sophomore Brandon Conrad (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg Area) followed with a pin of Ronald Wuest in 1:44. The Green Terror won the next two matches, but senior Max Lamport (Califon, N.J./Voorhees) closed out the match with his first win since 2013 when he pinned Mathew Meager in 55 seconds. Sophomore Kyle Drick (Allenwood, Pa./Montgomery Area) kicked off the match with a 9-2 win over Nathan Frantz at 125 pounds and freshman Andy Aguilar (Muncy, Pa./Muncy Area) followed with a 10-4 win over Michael O'Boyle at 133, giving Lycoming a 6-0 lead to start the meet before a loss at 141 set up Lycoming's big run. The Warriors get back on the mat on Monday, Nov. 16, when they head to Centenary (N.J.) for a 7 p.m. dual meet. Results: 125: Kyle Drick (LYCO) over Nathan Frantz (MCDA) (Dec 9-2) 133: Andres Aguilar (LYCO) over Michael O`Boyle (MCDA) (Dec 10-4) 141: Ryan O`Boyle (MCDA) over Joseph Santomarco (LYCO) (Dec 9-4) 149: Seth Lansberry (LYCO) over Benjamin Mitchell (MCDA) (Fall 2:43) 157: Wade Bishop (MCDA) over Christian Felstedt (LYCO) (Dec 5-3) 165: Nolan Barger (LYCO) over Luke Yox (MCDA) (MD 11-2) 174: Brandon Conrad (LYCO) over Ronald Wuest (MCDA) (Fall 1:44) 184: Nicholas Cross (MCDA) over Brandon Rudy (LYCO) (Dec 5-2) 197: Jake Pooton (MCDA) over Loc Long (LYCO) (Fall 2:08) 285: Max Lamport (LYCO) over Mathew Meagher (MCDA) (Fall 0:55) Exhibition Matches: 165: Walter Fox (Lycoming) over Ronald Mattox (McDaniel) (Dec 10-4) 174: Justin Hommer (Lycoming) over Ricky Tisinger (McDaniel) (Fall 1:14)

AMES, Iowa -- The No. 18 Iowa State wrestling team (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) kicked off the weekend with two wins over Midland University (0-1) and Boise State University (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12). The Cyclones defeated the Warriors in the opening dual, 51-0 and followed that up with an emphatic 34-3 victory over the Broncos. On the night, Iowa State recorded seven falls, six of which came in the opening dual against Midland. ISU's 51 team points against the warriors are the most in a dual since Dec. 13, 2008 when they defeated Dickinson State, 52-0. The last time that Iowa State recorded six or more falls in a dual was on Dec. 5, 1998. The Cyclones took down Cornell College, 48-6 in that contest. Iowa State vs. Midland All together, the Cyclones put up eight bonus-point victories on the Warriors. Six falls, one tech-fall and a major-decision bolstered Iowa State's high output in this one. The match got rolling with redshirt junior Kyle Larson at 125-pounds. He took on Hugo Perez. Larson cruised to an 8-2 dec. with 2:40 of riding time. From there, the Cyclones would go on to record four-straight first period falls. It started with senior Earl Hall. The Homestead, Fla., native was dominant in his matchup against Joe Berg. He took a 10-1 lead into the final minute, and then locked it up for the fall in 2:26. The win was Hall's 50th career victory. Next up was redshirt junior John Meeks. Midway through the first, Meeks scored and brought Daniel Martinez to the mat for a takedown, stretching his lead to 6-2. He then was able to secure a cradle, turn Martinez and get the fall in 1:35. Redshirt sophomore Blayne Briceno drew Luis Sifuentes of Midland in the 149-pound matchup. Briceno dominated this one, racing out to a 14-0 lead. It looked as though he would get the tech-fall in the first, but Briceno was able to bring Sifeuntes' shoulders to the mat in 1:42 for the fall. Redshirt freshman Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer capped off the string of pins for Iowa State. He downed Midland's Tyler Willis in 1:05. At 165 and 174 pounds, Tanner Weatherman and Lelund Weatherspoon also earned bonus-points for the Cyclones. Weatherman defeated Cooper Self by 22-6 tech-fall (4:24) and Weatherspoon won by maj. dec., 14-1 over Tyler McMichael. Redshirt sophomore Dane Pestano got Iowa State's pinning streak back on track. In the second period, he led 3-1 over Asaiah Dyer before scoring six points for the Cyclones with a pin in 3:58. The fastest fall of the dual came at the hands of redshirt sophomore, Duke Egli. The Fort Dodge, Iowa, product wasted no time in taking Adam Ball to the mat and getting the pin in a mere 0:32. Heavyweight Joe Scanlan put the finishing touches on the dual, racking up 2:34 in riding time to get a 6-0 dec. over Aaron Rafalko. Iowa State vs. Boise State The Cyclones closed out the night winning nine of 10 matches to defeat the Broncos, 34-3. Earl Hall scored bonus in this one for the Cyclones, shutting out Boise State's Josh Newberg via a 13-0 maj. dec. Hall garnered 3:07 of riding time in the 133-pound matchup. Sophomore Dante Rodriguez's return to the mat in 2015-16 played out the way many of his matches did last season; it ended with a pin. Off the first whistle, Rodriguez was on the attack. He threw Boise State's Jake Velarde to the mat and secured a front head lock for the fall in 0:28. Redshirt junior Gabe Moreno also made his return to the mat tonight. Moreno was slotted against No. 9 ranked Geo Martinez. The 149-pound bout was tightly contested. At the end of the second period though, Moreno gained his advantage. As time was winding down, Moreno took Martinez to the mat to take a 3-2 lead into the third. He tacked on an escape and fended off a furry of Martinez attacks to take the match by 4-2 dec. Redshirt freshman Logan Breitenbach also provided some excitement for the 1,633 Cyclone faithful on hand. As time dwindled in the third period, Breitenbach was tied 4-4 with Chris Castillo. With two seconds on the clock, Breitenbach connected on a last-second shot and secured two points to win the 157-pound matchup. The call would be reviewed and later confirmed by the official. Iowa State would go on to win the 165, 174 and 197-pound matchups handily. Boise State did not send a 184-pounder and forfeited that weight. Junior Quean Smith wrapped it up for Iowa State. Smith defeated Gaylen Edmo by 8-3 dec. and 1:26 of riding time. Up Next…
 Iowa State has a quick turn around as they are set to host the annual Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Sunday, Feb. 15. Doors to Hilton Coliseum will open at 8 a.m. and wrestling will begin at 9 a.m. Iowa State 51, Midland 0 125: Kyle Larson (ISU) dec. Hugo Perez (MU), 8-2. (2:40 RT) 133: Earl Hall (ISU) fall. Joe Berg (MU) (2:26) 141: John Meeks (ISU) fall. Daniel Martiniez (MU) (1:35) 149: Blayne Briceno (ISU) fall. Luis Sifuentes (MU) (1:42) 157: Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (ISU) fall. Tyler Willis (MU) (1:05) 165: Tanner Weatherman (ISU) tech-fall. Cooper Self (MU), 22-6. (4:24) 174: Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) maj. dec. Tyler McMichael (MU), 14-1. (1:30) 184: Dane Pestano (ISU) fall. Asaiah Dyer (MU) (3:58) 197: Duke Egli (ISU) fall. Adam Ball (MU) (0:32) 285: Joe Scanlan (ISU) dec. Aaron Rafalko (MU), 6-0. (2:34 RT) Iowa State 34, Boise State 3
 125: Rami Haddadin (BSU) dec. Kyle Larson (ISU), 5-4. 133: Earl Hall (ISU) maj. dec. Josh Newberg (BSU), 13-0. (3:07 RT) 141: Dante Rodriguez (ISU) fall. Jake Velarde (BSU) (0:28) 149: Gabe Moreno (ISU) dec. Geo Martinez (BSU), 4-2. 157: Logan Breitenbach (ISU) dec. Chris Castillo (BSU), 6-4. 165: Tanner Weatherman (ISU) dec. Taylor West (BSU), 10-5. (1:26 RT) 174: Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. Austin Dewey (BSU), 6-1. (1:59 RT) 184: Colin Strickland (ISU) win by forfeit. 197: Dane Pestano (ISU) dec. Harley DiLulo (BSU), 8-3. (1:15 RT) 285: Quean Smith (ISU) dec. Gaylen Edmo (BSU), 8-3. (1:26)

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. -- The West Liberty University wrestling team bounced back from an early deficit and pulled away to a 20-13 victory against Waynesburg (Pa.) Thursday night at the ASRC. It was the home opener and the first dual meet win for the Hilltoppers (1-3) and their first-year head coach Mitch Smith, a former West Liberty All-American. Zach Brown got WLU off to a good start with a 3-2 decisions at 125 pounds but Waynesburg (0-2) countered with back-to-back wins at 133 and 141 to grab a 7-3 lead. West Liberty's Anthony Craig knotted the score at 7-7 with a 14-6 major decision against Dennis Grindle at 149 pounds and David Schlieper put the hosts ahead to stay with an 8-0 major decision shutout of Nick Kusich at 157. Decisions by DeMadre Turner and Daniel Carpenter at 165 and 174, respectively, gave the Hilltoppers a 17-7 edge. Ryan Shank kept Waynesburg's hopes alive with a win at 184 but Nate Dawson clinched it for West Liberty with an 11-6 romp past Joshua Sneeringer at 197. The Hilltoppers have little time to celebrate as they hit the road on Friday night for a 7 p.m. match at No. 6-ranked Pitt-Johnstown. Results: 125: Zach Brown (WLU) d. Tristan Buxton, 3-2 133: Zach Swarrow (Way) d. Johnathan Spence, 6-1 141: Filippo Crivelli (Way) md. Josh Cornell, 16-5 149: Anthony Craig (WLU) md. Dennis Grindle, 14-6 157: David Schlieper (WLU) md. Nick Kusich, 8-0 165: DeMadre Turner (WLU) d. Landon Lohr, 7-1 174: Daniel Carpenter (WLU) d. Mike Millero, 11-8 184: Ryan Shank (Way) d. Doug Sizemore, 8-3 197: Nate Dawson (WLU) d. Joshua Sneeringer (Way), 11-6 285: Jacob Evans (Way) d. Tyler Dodd, 9-5

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin wrestling team kicked off the 2015-16 season with a bang, Thursday, at the UW Field House, as the Badgers defeated in-state foe UW-Whitewater by a score of 43-0. En route to a lopsided victory, the Badgers picked up bonus points in six of the 10 matches. Johnny Jimenez set the tone early, pinning Logan Hanselman 4:41 into the 125-pound match. At the time of the fall Jimenez led 6-0 thanks to two takedowns and a two-point nearfall. Jens Lentz rivaled Jimenez's performance with a 16-5 major decision in the 133-pound match. He scored the first five points before surrendering one point to Brandon Peshek by escape. Lentz went on to outscore Peshek, 11-4, to finish out the match. "It feels good getting out there for the first dual of the year, getting my takedowns and riding tough on top," Jimenez said. "I had a lot of fun out there." The 141-pound matchup proved to be the most competitive, as Luke Rowh needed a sudden victory period to defeat NCAA Division III All-American and national runner-up Matthew Adcock. Rowh got out to a two-point lead before Adcock responded with two escapes to knot the score at two after the second period. There was no scoring in the third period. Coming out aggressive in overtime, Rowh needed just 11 seconds to finish off Adcock with a takedown. "It was a close match," Rowh said. "I knew it was going to be within a couple of points. I wrestled him (Adcock) last year and it was a close match. I ended up scoring early and didn't score until late but I'm just happy I won." Andrew Crone extended the Badgers' lead to 19-0 with a pin in the second period of the 149-pound match against Isaiah Vela. The Delafield, Wisconsin, native was up, 5-0, at the time of the fall. The 157-pound tussle featured TJ Ruschell and Brandon Arteaga. Ruschell registered two takedowns and a two-point nearfall, while giving up an escape to lead, 6-1, after three minutes on the mat. The junior escaped the hold of Arteaga in the third period to win, 7-1. Seth Liegel faced off against Thomas Gerszewski at 165 pounds. Gerszewski had the most wins for UWW last season, posting a 33-9 record and taking the WIAC championship at 157 pounds. Liegel had no problem with the conference champion, though, as he went up, 2-0, early on and never looked back. The Spring Green, Wisconsin, product won by a score of 10-3. With Isaac Jordan and Ryan Taylor not participating, Ricky Robertson was the Badgers' only ranked wrestler competing. He comes in at No. 10 on both FloWrestling and InterMat's top-20 rankings. In the 174-pound matchup, Robertson allowed Connor Price to score just three points, as the sophomore won, 8-3. Jake Stilling picked up Wisconsin's third pin of the night, defeating Christian Dischler at 184 pounds. The fall occurred in the second round with Stilling leading, 14-0. Eric Peissig held Bowen Wileman scoreless until the third period in the 197-pound match, winning by major decision, 9-1. Wrapping up the meet, Broth Horwath won, 16-0, by technical fall over Jordan Festege in the heavyweight scrap. In all, Horwath gathered two takedowns, two two-point nearfalls, two four-point nearfalls and two stalling points. The Badgers are now 6-0 all-time against Whitewater, dating back to the schools' first meeting in 1968-69. Wisconsin will take a break from team competition until Nov. 21 when it takes part in the Navy Classic, but select wrestlers will compete in the Michigan State Open on Sunday at Jenison Fieldhouse in East Lansing, Michigan. The event will include up to 250 participants. "I'm ready for some more competition and the opportunity to keep battling out there with my brothers," Jimenez said. "We have a lot of good competition coming up this weekend (at the MSU Open) so this (tonight's meet) was just a little preview of what we're all about." Results: 125: Jimenez wins by pin over Hanselman, 4:41 133: Lentz (WIS) wins by MD over Peshek (UWW), 16-5 141: Rowh (WIS) wins by Dec. over Adcock (UWW), 4-2 149: Crone wins by pin over Vela, 4:31 157: Ruschell (WIS) wins by Dec. over Arteaga (UWW), 7-1 165: Liegel (WIS) wins by Dec. over Gerszewski (UWW), 10-3 174: Robertson (WIS) wins by Dec. over Price (UWW), 8-3 184: Stilling wins by pin over Dischler, 4:31 197: Peissig (WIS) wins by MD over Wileman (UWW), 9-1 Hwt: Horwath (WIS) wins by TF over Festege (UWW), 16-0

Devon Berry, a multi-sport high school athlete in Georgia who has cerebral palsy has accepted a scholarship to wrestle at 2015 NCAA Division II team title winner St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday. Devon BerryCerebral palsy -- a disease which impairs muscle control -- has weakened Berry's legs to the point where he uses a walker to stand. Yet the senior at Hampton High School wrestles, throws the shot put and discus for the track team, and played football ... and has earned a 3.7 overall grade point average. "I don't think there's anything this kid can't do," St. Cloud State head wrestling coach Steve Costanza told the Constitution-Journal Wednesday. "He's one of the most incredible people I've ever met." Costanza wasn't the only one who was impressed with Berry. When the Georgia scholar-athlete visited SCSU earlier this year, he won over his future teammates. "Our guys said, 'Coach, you've gotta have that kid,'" Costanza said. "He inspires me and all of those he's around." According to his wrestling recruiting profile at NCSAsports.org , the 5'3" Berry currently weighs 120 pounds, and plans to wrestle at 125. Berry, a defensive end for the Hampton High football team, created a social media sensation back in September when a player from an opposing team went to shake his hand. The mother of the rival player posted the photo on Facebook which went viral. Berry suddenly received hundreds of Facebook friend requests. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did an upbeat profile of the athlete. Local TV stations and ESPN came to cover Berry. Although he's not a starter, Berry won the right to wear the uniform because he faithfully practices with his team, and reports to the weight room every morning at 6:45. "He's done everything everyone else has done," Hampton head football coach Chad Ashley said. Two months ago, Berry said, "I don't like to brag, but I want to be an inspiration." To that end, in September Berry said he plans to study broadcast journalism at SCSU with hopes of being a sportscaster ... or perhaps run a company that makes products that help others with similar disabilities. In another article, Berry also said he hoped to earn a minor in theology so that he could reach out and inspire others. Right now, the future St. Cloud State wrestler would appear to be on Cloud 9. "Today was probably my best day in my life besides giving my life to Christ," Berry posted on his Facebook page Wednesday.

For Donny Wichmann, a former Augsburg College All-American wrestler and longtime assistant coach, the summer of 2015 was coming to a close like every other summer, biking in the mountains of Colorado. Donny Wichmann was inducted into the Augsburg Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 (Photo/Augsburg College)It has become an annual, late summer pilgrimage for Donny and his wife Mindy. The married couple bikes in the mountains, and finishes their trip by biking from Idaho Springs to the top of Mount Evans. It's a 28-mile climb that reaches 14,000 feet. Mount Evans is considered to be the highest paved road in North America. Donny felt sick during this year's ride up Mount Evans, which was a little strange considering that he had never previously had a problem with altitude sickness. He couldn't keep his left hand on the handlebars. It kept slipping off. At about 11,000 feet he came down with a bad headache. "I knew something was really funky that day," said Donny. Less than two weeks after returning from his trip to Colorado, Donny went for his regular Thursday night bike ride on a 70-degree night in the Twin Cities. It's a 37-mile trip that he usually bikes with Mindy, but that day she biked earlier because of a commitment that night, so Donny biked solo. With about 14 miles left, Donny felt the left side of his body go tingly as he biked down Summit Avenue in St. Paul near Macalester College. The 49-year-old Minnesota native eased over to the side of the road. A short time later the tingly feeling went away and Donny biked home. When he returned home he told his wife what had happened. Mindy thought it would be a good idea to go to the emergency room and get it checked out. Donny Wichmann and his wife Mindy at Mount EvansDonny and his wife headed to the emergency room around 7:45 p.m. He explained his symptoms and was taken to the front of the line. Initially, the doctors suspected a possible heart attack or stroke. A CAT scan that night revealed a golf ball size mass on the right side of his brain. He was admitted to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, Minnesota, that evening, and an MRI was scheduled for 1 a.m. The mass in Donny's brain turned out to be a cancerous brain tumor called glioblastoma, which is considered to be the most aggressive brain tumor. It spreads into other parts of the brain quickly. Two days later, on Sunday, ninety-five percent of the brain tumor was removed through surgery. Small town to big city Donny Wichmann grew up in the small southwestern Minnesota town of Marshall, and started wrestling when he was in third grade. As a high school wrestler at Marshall High School, Donny qualified for the state tournament three times, and placed third in the state tournament as a senior at 119 pounds. He finished his high school wrestling career with a record of 102-13-1. After high school Donny was ready to leave Marshall and had his sights set on Minneapolis. "I was definitely heading to Minneapolis," said Donny. "I had to get out of the small town. I was going to Minneapolis whether it was Augsburg or the U of M. Those were the two schools I looked at besides obviously Southwest [Minnesota State University], which was right in town. But I was leaving that small town and heading to the big city for sure." In 2007, Jeff Swenson was named National Coach of the Year by the NWCA, the sixth time he has earned the honor in his 25-season career (Photo/Wyatt Schultz)Jeff Swenson, who became Augsburg's head wrestling coach in 1980, first met Donny in the spring of 1984, Donny's senior year of high school. "When I watched him at the state tournament I just loved the fact that he kept going after people," said Swenson, who now serves as Augsburg's athletic director. "He was this long, string bean of a wrestler." Donny ultimately decided to attend Augsburg and wrestle for the Auggies. However, when he arrived on campus, Swenson was no longer the coach. Swenson left Augsburg to become a wrestling coach at Rosemount High School, which is located 35 miles southeast of Minneapolis. Brian Arvold took over for Swenson in 1984 and remained Augsburg's head wrestling coach for two seasons. Donny won a conference championship as a sophomore in 1986. But that spring he was ready to leave Augsburg. The program had fallen on hard times. Augsburg went from an NCAA runner-up finish in 1984 to 16th place in 1986. "I was just going to leave Augsburg, leave wrestling and go to Arizona State, go to school down there and enjoy the nice weather," said Donny. Around that time Swenson was getting calls about returning to Augsburg to become the head wrestling coach again. Swenson, while weighing his decision, met with Donny. "I told Donny if he stayed with the program that I was going to come back as the head coach," said Swenson, a national champion wrestler at Augsburg in 1979. "That's the kind of respect that I had for Donny." Both Donny Wichmann and Jeff Swenson made the decision to return to Augsburg. "We shook hands and it's a handshake that lasted 30 some years," said Swenson. Building a Division III wrestling powerhouse in Minneapolis The Augsburg wrestling program saw immediate results when Swenson returned as head coach. Donny and Mindy Wichmann at Augsburg wrestling's pig roast in August of 1986"Recruiting was totally different," said Donny. "Top-notch wrestlers were coming in. He had a really good reputation from being at Rosemount. The program was making a 180. That's when we started charging forward." Within two seasons Swenson had the Augsburg wrestling program back in the top 10. In 1989, Donny earned All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at 150 pounds in his senior season, and Augsburg finished third at the NCAAs as a team. After graduating, Donny was hired on Swenson's staff as an assistant wrestling coach at Augsburg. "I wanted to stay competitive in wrestling, and the way to do that was through coaching, plus I had a strong passion for Augsburg wrestling and I wasn't ready to leave yet." Swenson knew that Donny was the perfect fit to join the coaching staff. "I knew that he was the glue that I needed in order to come back and lead the Augsburg wrestling program after I had left it after my first four years," said Swenson. "It was always a special relationship." Augsburg continued its ascent up the Division III wrestling ranks, finishing runner-up in 1990. In 1991, Augsburg won its first national championship in wrestling. Donny Wichmann earned All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at 150 pounds in 1989 (Photo/Augsburg College) "That was one of the goals we had as a coaching staff, to win a national championship," said Donny. "It finally became a reality. That was a dream just to win one title." From 1991 through 2008, Augsburg's wrestling program captured 10 national championships and finished in the top four every season during that span. "In my time we won 10 national championships, and I don't think it's any coincidence that Donny was part of every one of those 10 national championships," said Swenson. Donny spent 18 years on the Augsburg wrestling coaching staff. "We had some unbelievable teams, just a great coaching experience with Swenson, [Scott] Whirley, Bobby Adams. I learned so much from those guys," said Donny." Those are definitely high times in my life for sure." In 2010, Donny was inducted into the Augsburg Athletics Hall of Fame for his wrestling accomplishments. Wrestling apparel business In 1995, Donny started a wrestling apparel business called DW Wrestling Products. The idea for a wrestling apparel company came about while driving with Swenson on a recruiting trip to La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Augsburg wrestling team was sponsored by Brute, and Swenson put Donny in touch with Tom Sculley of Brute. "Tom helped me out, got me going that first year with wrestling gear," said Donny. "The rest is history after that." Donny has become a staple at youth and high school wrestling events in Minnesota. He sells at wrestling tournaments virtually every weekend, Saturdays and Sundays, from the first weekend of November through May. He also sells at wrestling practices. "He loves people, and people love him back," said Swenson, who compiled a career record of 321-44 (.879 winning percentage) as Augsburg's head wrestling coach. "Even though it's work and it's sales, I think it's something he really enjoys. And they really enjoy him. You think about seeing Donny at a youth wrestling tournament, or seeing Donny walk into your high school wrestling room to sell wrestling equipment, what's the first thing you think about? You think about that big old smile and some great warm greeting that he's going to give you. He makes everybody feel good about themselves." Support, battle and outlook Donny has had a strong cancer support team that includes family members and close friends ever since he was diagnosed with brain cancer in August. Donny Wichmann leaving the hospital after surgery"We were a team together," said Swenson, who has attended every one of Donny's appointments and taken notes, "whether it was in the waiting room waiting for him to get out of brain cancer removal surgery, or going down to Mayo [Clinic] to get second opinions, or to look at clinical trials. It was really kind of an important bonding time for us as a group, and also for a support group for Donny and Mindy." Donny started chemotherapy and radiation 10 days after he was released from the hospital following his tumor removal surgery. He had 30 days of radiation treatments, and then had 42 days of chemotherapy. Radiation was Monday through Friday, and chemotherapy was by pill every night, including weekends. Donny has continued biking and working throughout his treatments. The end of radiation wore him down, and the last two weeks he stopped biking and working out to save his energy levels. He was taken off his treatments until another MRI. Those that have battled cancer -- or known people who have -- understand that the cancer battle can be a rollercoaster of emotions. The battle can be filled with positive news and negative news. Donny recently received some positive news when it was discovered through pathology results that his tumor is methylated, which means it reacts better to chemotherapy and radiation. "Considering my situation that's like the best news you can possibly hear right now," said Donny. Friends, family members and supporters wore Team Wichmann T-shirts at Augsburg's homecomingLast month during Augsburg's homecoming Donny arrived to a bean bag tournament on campus that included 250 people wearing shirts bearing his name in support of him and his battle. "Donny will fight this thing with all of his might, but Donny needs our help," said Swenson. "One thing I've found out about cancer is you don't do this alone. Donny really, really needs all of our help, our support." Donny has been blown away by the support he has received since he was diagnosed in August. "The Minnesota wrestling community has been unbelievable," said Donny. "I've received lots of support. Lots of people are calling me, sending me text messages. It's been unbelievable." Swenson considers Wichmann one of his best friends and said his battle helped him better appreciate the adage to live every day like it's your last and live every day to its fullest. Donny Wichmann and wife Mindy in Salt Lake City, Utah"Donny Wichmann is not only the toughest person I know, but he's also the most generous person I know," said Swenson. "He's generous with his time, with any kind of resources he has. He's one of a kind. He's just a wonderful guy, and I'm so fortunate to have him in my life and to be able to call him one of my best friends ever." Donny says he's taking it day-by-day to prolong his life as long as he can. "I won't even allow a doctor to tell me how many years of my life I have left," said Donny. "We don't talk like that at all. I don't want to talk like that. It's just day-by-day. What do we have to do today? What do we have to do tomorrow? I'm just going to keep fighting this thing and live for every day right now. That's all I'm doing." A GoFundMe page has been created to help support Donny Wichmann in his battle against cancer. This story also appears in the November 13 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Junior heavyweight Camden Stoops (East Prospect, Pa./Eastern York) posted a first-period pin to seal a 26-17 victory for Gettysburg College over Elizabethtown College in a non-conference wrestling match inside Bream Gym Wednesday night. Gettysburg (1-0) jumped out with three consecutive victories. Sophomore Lenny Ogozalek (Summit Hill, Pa./Panther Valley) scored a takedown in the third period and held off Philip Torresani for a 7-6 win at 125 to begin the contest. In the next bout at 133 pounds, sophomore Barrett Connor Glenside, Pa./Germantown Academy) used his longer reach to score a pair of first-period takedowns against Bryan Pflanz. Pflanz pulled to 6-5 at the end of the second frame, but Connor closed strong with an escape and a takedown in the final period to win 9-5. Sophomore Jake Bracken (Chatsworth, Calif./Harvard-Westlake School) dominated his match at 141 pounds as he finished with a technical fall (15-0) with 52 seconds left in the third period. After Elizabethtown (1-0) managed a pin and major decision at 149 and 157, respectively, the Bullets picked up a forfeit win at 165 to pull in front 17-10. Senior Tyler Cunningham (East Berlin, Conn./Xavier) won a shootout in the 174 bout, piling up three takedowns in the final period to clinch a 16-10 win over Quinn Ruble. The Blue Jays pulled within three points in the team scoring with a major decision and a decision at the next two weight classes. Stoops wasted no time grabbing advantage in the heavyweight bout, using his size advantage to take down Eric Eckstein. He rolled Eckstein's shoulders to the mat with 34 seconds remaining in the first period. Gettysburg competes in the Fall Brawl at Ursinus College this Saturday, Nov. 14. Opening matches are set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Results: 125: Lenny Ogozalek (GC) dec. Philip Torresani (EC), 7-6 GC 3-0 133: Barrett Connor (GC) dec. Bryan Pflanz (EC), 9-5 GC 6-0 141: Jake Bracken (GC) tech. fall Tim Miranda (EC), 15-0 (6:08) GC 11-0 149: Adam Smith (EC) pinned Quinn Merrigan (GC), 3:49 GC 11-6 157: Chris Kummerer (EC) major dec. Ryan Gallagher (GC), 12-0 GC 11-10 165: Crawford Oswald (GC) won by forfeit GC 17-10 174: Tyler Cunningham (GC) dec. Quinn Ruble (EC), 16-10 GC 20-10 184: Rocco Hladney (EC), major dec. Brandon Casamassima (GC), 14-3 GC 20-14 197: Luke Fernandez (EC) dec. Anthony Puca (GC), 14-12 GC 20-17 285: Camden Stoops (GC) pinned Eric Eckstein (EC), 2:26 GC 26-17

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island College senior Shawn Giblin (Cranston, RI) and junior John Georges (Cranston, RI) each earned wins by fall to lead the Rhode Island College wrestling team to a 37-9 victory over Daniel Webster in the Anchormen's home opener held at The Recreation Center on Wednesday night. Giblin started the night strong for the Anchormen (1-0), earning a victory by fall over DWC (0-1) freshman Dylan LaFountain (Bennington, VT) at the 1:31 mark in the battle at 149 lbs. Following a quick takedown, Giblin quickly pinned his opponent to put RIC up 6-0. The Anchormen took a 12-0 lead when junior Sam Comfort (Woodville, MA) picked up a forfeit victory at 157 lbs. RIC sophomore Vincent Drago (Hauppauge, NY) put the Anchormen out to a 15-0 lead when he topped freshman Wilson Pellot (Nashua, NH), 7-6, at 165 lbs. The Eagles got on the board at 174 lbs. when junior Seth Carter (Hudson, NH) beat senior Chris Kelly (Franklin, MA) by fall at :47 seconds of the first period to make the score 15-6. The 184 lbs. match proved to be the most thrilling of the night with senior Brandon Conrad (East Bridgewater, MA) earning a 5-4 sudden victory decision over junior Devin Visconti (North Reading, MA) in extra time. A Visconti penalty in overtime gave Conrad the point he needed to capture the victory and put RIC up 18-6. DWC freshman Richard Bilodeau (Londonderry, NH) cut the deficit down to nine, 19-8, with a 6-0 victory over junior Victor Zabalu (Hudson, MA) at 197 lbs. Bilodeau scored a takedown in the first, earned one point with an escape in the second and finished the scoring in the third with a takedown and point for riding time. Georges put RIC up, 24-9, at 285 lbs. when he scored a pin at 3:24 over freshman Alex Kane (Wakefield, MA). Following a takedown and four-point near fall in the first, Georges notched a reversal in the second before earning the pin. RIC sophomore Brennen Liebel (Feeding Hills, MA) scored an 8-2 victory over freshman Jo-Jo Morse (North Reading, MA) at 125 lbs. Liebel recorded three takedowns, one in each round, an escape in the second and a point for riding time to earn his eight points. Morse registered a two-point reversal in the second period. RIC sophomore Stephen Masi (Cumberland, RI) earned a forfeit at 133 lbs. to put RIC up 33-9. RIC rounded out the scoring in the match with junior Jake Dorman (Foxboro, MA) earning a 16-4 major decision victory over freshman Orlando Rojas (Haverhill, MA) at 141 lbs. to close out the match. Results: 149 lbs: Shawn Giblin (RIC) pinned Dylan Lafountain (DWC) at 1:31 157 lbs.: Sam Comfort (RIC) won by forfeit 165 lbs.: Vincent Drago (RIC) dec. Wilson Pellot (DWC), 7-6 174 lbs.: Seth Carter (DWC) pinned Chris Kelly (RIC) at :47 184 lbs.: Brandon Conrad (RIC) dec. Devin Visconti (DWU), 5-4 SV 197 lbs.: Richard Bilodeau (DWC) dec. Victor Zabalu (RIC), 6-0 285 lbs.: John Georges (RIC) pinned Alex Kane (DWC) at 3:24 125 lbs.: Brennen Liebel (RIC) dec. Jo Jo Morse (DWC), 8-2 133 lbs.: Stephen Masi (RIC) won by forfeit 141 lbs.: Jake Dorman (RIC) major dec. Orlando Rojas (DWC), 16-4 In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will participate in the Doug Parker Invitational, hosted by Springfield on Saturday, Nov. 13.

PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- The Norwich University wrestling team won six of the 10 wrestling bouts over Plymouth State University Wednesday night but needed a victory in the final match to pull out a 21-20 victory over the Panthers in the season opener at Foley Gymnasium. Plymouth State opened the night with three points in the 125 bracket before the Cadets responded with three straight wins, all in decisions, for the 9-3 lead. Freshman Sean Randles (Las Vegas, Nev.) picked up a 12-5 decision over Greg Zaw at the 133 pound showing before classmates Zach Morris (South Glen Falls, N.Y.) and Dakota Lewis (Rockdale, Ga.) defeated their opponents in the 141 and 149 pound class, respectively. Norwich would pick up six points on a Plymouth forfeit at the 157 pound bracket before the Panthers picked up six points of their own in the 165 class when Clay Callahan pinned Norwich's Dylan Gifford (Sidney, N.Y.) to trail by just six points. Freshman Steve Briganti (Trumbull, Conn.) would pick up a 7-2 decision over Justin Montgomery in the 174 bracket before Plymouth picked up 11 points on back-to-back wins on a pin and a technical fall for the 20-18 lead. With the meet down to the final match of the night, the heavyweight 285 pound bracket, featuring Plymouth's Travis Hughes and Norwich's Frank Girolamo (Stoughton, Mass.). After three periods, Girolamo would pick up the 7-3 decision to give the Cadets' the three team points for the 21-20 final score of the night. Norwich will compete in the Roger Williams Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 14. The first match is set for 10:00 a.m. Results: 125: Joey Aumann (PLST) over Jacob Forsman (NORW) (Dec 12-8) 133: Sean Randles (NORW) over Greg Zaw (PLST) (Dec 12-5) 141: Zach Morris (NORW) over Zac Cassidy (PLST) (Dec 14-11) 149: Dakota Lewis (NORW) over Nick Simeti (PLST) (Dec 8-6) 157: Taylor Jacobs (NORW) over (PLST) (For.) 165: Clay Callahan (PLST) over Dylan Gifford (NORW) (Fall 2:19) 174: Stephen Birganti (NORW) over Justin Montgomery (PLST) (Dec 7-2) 184: Bruce Mclee (PLST) over David Rogers (NORW) (Fall 2:51) 197: Christopher Perreault (PLST) over Bryan Giblin (NORW) (TF 18-3 5:21) 285: Frank Girolamo (NORW) over Travis Hughes (PLST) (Dec 7-3)

HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- The Cobras wrestling team opened its dual meet competition with a 33-9 win over St. Andrews on Wednesday (Nov.11) at its first ever "Art Meets Art" event. Highlighted in the win were major decisions from Charlie Huff (13-4, 125), RaSean McArthur (15-6, 141) and closed out with a gritty 17-4 major win from Austin Akins at 285 pounds. Coker also earned two wins by fall in the victory. Derrick Nelson zipped his way to a first period pin at the 1:53 mark. Derrick Booth caught his second wave when he pinned his opponent just 17 seconds into the third period. Huff's major decision and Nelson's pin put Coker out to a quick 10-0 lead before McArthur's win and Jordon Tague collected a win by forfeit to give the Cobras 20 unanswered team points. Temaris Dixon also gutted out a 7-4 decision. The Cobras will hit the mats again on Nov. 22 when they travel to Bristol, Tennessee for the King Open. The tournament begins at 8:00 a.m.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Citadel wrestling team improved to 2-0 in the 2015 season with a non-conference win over Anderson on Wednesday evening 35-13. "We had some good individual performances," head coach Rob Hjerling said. "But as a team we have a lot to work on in this week-and-a-half break before the Wolfpack Open. It will be very good for us and hopefully we can work on some things to improve on before heading to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational." The Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-0 lead after Caleb Smith (7-2) won by forfeit at 125 pounds. Andrew Clayton (0-4) then lost to Derek Bohle by major decision to make the score 6-4. Heading into the 141 matchup The Citadel took control after Ty Buckiso (2-0) won by a 15-0 tech fall, giving the Bulldogs five points. The Citadel added to their lead after Matt Frisch (2-0) and Aaron Walker (2-0) both pinned their opponent in 1:55 and 1:18, respectively. Anderson mounted a comeback in the next three matches beginning at 165 pounds as Zach Appleby (2-3), Timothy Knipl (5-2) and Sawyer Root (6-1) all took loses to make the overall score 23-13. Marshall Haas (2-0) sealed the win for the Bulldogs though at 197 pounds after earning the pin at the 1:12 mark. Joe Bexley (2-0) followed suit with a pin over Ty Williams 2:45 into the first period to give The Citadel its second win of the season. Next up for the Bulldogs will be the Wolfpack Open on Nov. 22nd in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is an all-day event. Results will be available at CitadelSports.com upon completion of the day's proceedings. For more information on The Citadel wrestling, follow @CitadelWrestle or visit CitadelSports.com.

With today being the first day of the early National Letter of Intent signing period for wrestling, among other sports, many commitments have been made public. Four of those come from wrestlers that appear in the national weight class rankings released this morning. Dante Jiovanetta (Coral Shores, Fla.), a Junior National champion in Greco-Roman this summer at 285 pounds, committed to the University of Missouri. Ranked No. 14 in the country at 285, he projects as a 285-pound wrestler in college. In addition, he won state during his junior season of high school, and was undefeated in the AAU Scholastic Duals district all-star division this summer. State champion, and three-time state place-winner, Montorie Bridges (Altus, Okla.) committed to the University of Wyoming. Bridges opens the season ranked No. 19 at 126 pounds, and in the most recent Class of 2016 rankings, held the No. 91 overall position. He placed third and second as a freshman and sophomore, before winning state as a junior, and was a Junior National freestyle All-American in the summer of 2014. Two-time National Prep placer Kevin Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) switched his commitment from the Naval Academy to Ohio State. He has placed eighth and fifth the last two seasons at the National Prep tournament, and is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, finishing third ten days ago after taking eighth last year. Snyder is ranked No. 17 overall at 195 pounds, and projects to compete as a 184/197. Yes, he is the younger brother of 97 kilogram freestyle world champion Kyle Snyder. Lastly it is Landon Pelham (Tecumseh, Mich.), who committed to Central Michigan. Pelham is a three-time state placer, earning sixth, fifth, and third place the last three seasons. The projected 197-pound wrestler in college placed at the Flo Nationals in 2014, and was a UWW Cadet double All-American that same spring.

The wait is finally over. On the first day of the early signing period for high school wrestlers, the nation's No. 1 wrestling recruit Mark Hall announced his college intentions. Mark Hall gets a pin on his way to his fifth InterMat JJ Classic title (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The Apple Valley (Minn.) senior declared that he will be attending Penn State and wrestling for Cael Sanderson. "Going out to Penn State, it just felt like a home to me," said Hall. Hall chose Penn State over Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Arizona State. "It was a weight off my shoulders when I got off the Penn State campus," said Hall. Just having to hold it in and keep it kind of secret so no one else would find out was kind of hard. That was probably the hardest part." Hall, a five-time state champion and Cadet World champion in freestyle, is the third top-15 ranked wrestler in this class to commit to Penn State, as he joins No. 2 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) and No. 15 Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). "Any wrestler will say they want to be a four-time national champion and they want to be a part of four national championship teams," said Hall, who has a high school career record of 229-4. "I think at Penn State I have the best opportunity to make it happen. Coach Cael [Sanderson), Coach Casey [Cunningham], Coach Cody [Sanderson] , all those guys, I truly believe that will help me win four national titles and they will help me become a World and Olympic champion," said Hall. Hall starts the season as the top-ranked wrestler in the country at 170 pounds. He has a chance to become Minnesota's first six-time state champion. "I would like to be remembered as the face of Minnesota wrestling," said Hall. "That's a big thing to put on myself. But I truly believe with the coaches that I have, with my teammates, my family, I'll take that opportunity and I'll seize it with everything that I have." This past Sunday Hall won his fifth straight InterMat JJ Classic title and earned Outstanding Wrestler honors. He was a UWW Junior National champion in freestyle at 74 kilos, and won the World Team spot in the Trials. This came one year after winning a UWW Cadet World championship in freestyle at 76 kilos. He projects as a165/174-pound wrestler in college.

Rankings: Individual | Fab 50 Team The middle of November is upon us. With that, the offseason is done, and the major national caliber preseason tournaments have come and gone. Preseason practice has officially commenced in many areas of the country, and where it hasn't started yet, it will very soon. On that note, it is time for InterMat to officially unveil the preseason national rankings, both for the individual weight classes as well as the Fab 50 team rankings. Blair Academy coach Brian Antonelli (Photo/Rob Preston)Sitting in the catbird seat atop the Fab 50 team rankings is Blair Academy, N.J., winners of the national title at the end of the 2012-2014 seasons. In the second season with Brian Antonelli at the helm as head coach, the Buccaneers are anchored by five nationally ranked wrestlers: Michael Colaiocco (106), Requir van der Merwe (132), Ryan Karoly (160), Brandon Dallavia (170), and Chase Singletary (182). Right on their heels are National Prep rivals Wyoming Seminary, Pa. The Blue Knights are ranked second nationally, led by six nationally ranked wrestlers: Trent Olson (132), Mason Manville (152), Chris Weiler (170), Nick Reenan (182), Christian Dietrich (195), and Will Hilliard (220); Reenan is ranked first in the country at his weight classes. The teams are in one common regular season tournament, the Walsh Jesuit Ironman; have a head-to-head dual meet at the end of January; and will compete at the National Prep Championships in the end of February. Rounding out the top five are a trio of teams with four nationally ranked wrestlers each: Bergen Catholic (N.J.), St. Paris Graham (Ohio), and Clovis (Calif.). Teams from 19 states populate the Fab 50 national team rankings. Illinois leads the way with seven schools from the Land of Lincoln appearing in the rankings. Next in line with six each are Ohio and Pennsylvania, along with five schools from New Jersey and California. Other states with multiple teams in the nationally rankings are Minnesota and Michigan with three, while Iowa, Oklahoma, and Indiana have two each. In terms of the individual rankings, 46 of the 280 ranked wrestlers compete for high schools located in Pennsylvania. Three states are next in line with 25 ranked wrestlers each, Illinois, New Jersey, and Ohio. California sits fifth on the ladder with 21 weight class ranked wrestlers. Additional states with more than ten ranked wrestlers include New York with 15, Minnesota and Michigan with 13, Iowa with 12, and Indiana with 11. Below is an overview of the No. 1-ranked wrestlers. 106: Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) The freshman has appeared in the high school state final each of the previous two years in the 99 pound weight class, winning the title last year. In addition, Busiello won the Super 32 Challenge ten days ago in this weight class, having won the middle school division in this event the previous three years. 113: Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.) The sophomore was an undefeated state champion last season in high school, and is now a two-time UWW Cadet national champion in freestyle. 120: Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.) The Iowa State commit won state last year as a sophomore, and has had many successes in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. During the 2015 off-season, he was a Junior National freestyle All-American in Fargo, and also placed at both the UWW Cadet and Junior levels in freestyle. It should be noted that upon return from injury, most likely after the first of the year, Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) will take over the top position in this eight class; Lee was a UWW Junior world champion in freestyle this summer at 50 kilos, after winning a UWW Cadet world title the previous summer in the same weight class. 126: Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) The Penn State commit has yet to lose an in-season match on his way to being a three-time state champion. In addition, Suriano is a two-time Super 32 Challenge champion and three-time finalist. 132: Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) This Nebraska commit is also a three-time state champion, and has yet to lose a match in his high school career. During the 2014-15 scholastic season, he won the Super 32 Challenge prior to the start of the season, and the Flo Nationals after the season was over. 138: Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) The Cornell commit has already won three state titles entering his junior season of high school. Ten days ago, he just won a third consecutive Super 32 Challenge title, and was also a UWW Cadet world champion this summer at 58 kilos. 145: Jared Verkleeren (Belle Vernon, Pa.) He has won the UWW Cadet national title in freestyle each of the last two years at 63 kilos, and this summer won a UWW Cadet world title in the weight class. Additional domestic accomplishments include a Cadet National freestyle title in the summer of 2014, and a Super 32 Challenge placement in the fall of 2014. 152: Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) Twice a state champion, White was undefeated during his junior season last year, which included a Walsh Ironman title. He also has two Fargo freestyle titles on the resume, one at the Junior level in 2014, while he was a Cadet champion in 2013. 160: Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) The Iowa commit is a three-time state champion, and three-time Walsh Ironman finalist, which includes winning that tournament last season. 170: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) The nation's top Class of 2016 prospect is seeking a sixth state title this season. In addition, Hall made the UWW Junior World Team in freestyle at 74 kilos this summer, after winning a UWW Cadet World title in freestyle at 76 kilos in 2014. 182: Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Since winning a National Prep championship in February, he has shown dominant form in major competitions. Reenan was champion at the Flo Nationals, a Junior National double champion this summer in Fargo, and a Super 32 Challenge champion ten days ago. 195: Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.) This three-time state champion was a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion during the spring, and a Junior National double runner-up at 195 pounds in Fargo. Also on the resume are three Greco-Roman titles in Fargo, one of which was at the Junior level. 220: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) Earned a state title during his freshman season, which ended before his 15th birthday occurred. Then, he qualified for the UWW Cadet world championships in freestyle on the weekend of his 15th birthday with a win over the returning silver medalist in the semifinal round; Steveson would go on to win a UWW Cadet world title at 100 kilos. 285: Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore.) The two-time state champion has verbally committed to play football at UCLA along the defensive line. He is also a two-time Fargo champion in freestyle, winning a Junior title this summer after winning at the Cadet level last summer.

PEMBROKE -- The UNC Pembroke wrestling team racked up 21 takedowns and used seven bonus-point victories to cruise past visiting Belmont Abbey, 43-6, in the Eastern College Athletics Conference (ECAC) opener for both teams on Tuesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. It was the 13th victory in the last 16 dual meet outings for the Braves (1-0, 1-0 ECAC) who improved to 13-1 all-time in the series with the Crusaders. Belmont Abbey (1-1, 0-1) had its series losing skid stretched to eight with the result. The historic win kicked off the league schedule for the seven-team ECAC, whose formation was announced in mid-September. Josh Brown needed just 58 seconds to give the Braves an early 6-0 advantage with a pin in the 125-pound match, but Troy Gregor evened the team score back up moments later with a first-period pin of his own at 133 pounds. That would be all the points on the night for the visitors, however, as the Braves sliced through the remaining eight matches like a hot knife through butter. Ryan Blackwell (decision) and Eric Milks (pin) pushed the team advantage out to 15-6 with a win at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, before the Crusaders forfeited their first match of the night at 157 pounds. A major decision by Faris Teia at 165 pounds, coupled with a dominant technical fall victory by seventh-ranked Blaze Shade at 174 pounds, would put the night out of reach for Belmont Abbey. Brach Walker picked up a forfeit win at 197 pounds to push the team score out to 40-6, and Danny Berrier finished the night off the Black & Gold with an overtime victory in the heavyweight matchup. UNCP will close out a six-day stay at home on Thursday when the Braves suit up to host Spartanburg Methodist (1-0) in a 7 p.m. dual meet at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Admission to all 2015-16 UNCP wrestling home dual meets is free. Results: 125: Josh Brown (UNCP) pinned William Rees (BAC) F 0:58 133: Troy Gregor (BAC) pinned Dustin Smith (UNCP) F 1:38 141: Ryan Blackwell (UNCP) dec. Kane Price (BAC) D 4-2 149: Eric Milks (UNCP) pinned Grant Finkbeiner (BAC) F 4:13 157: Hayden Fry (UNCP) forfeit No Entry (BAC) For 165: Faris Teia (UNCP) maj. dec. Joseph Cross (BAC) M 12-3 174: No. 7 Blaze Shade (UNCP) tech. fall Tyler Maclain (BAC) TF 17-2; 4:03 184: Mikey Thomas (UNCP) maj. dec. Brandon Dills (BAC) M 12-3 197: Brach Walker (UNCP) forfeit No Entry (BAC) For 285: Danny Berrier (UNCP) dec. Chass Delgado (BAC) SV 3-1