InterMat Staff

Rudy Yates wrestling Minnesota's Mitchell McKee in Fargo (Photo/David Peterson) Sean Stender and Rudy Yates will be guests on this week's edition of the On the Mat wrestling broadcast today. Stender, a three-time NCAA All-American and 2005 NCAA finalist for the University of Northern Iowa, and Yates, currently a freshman for the UNI Panthers, will be interviewed by guest host Jeff Bradley. On the Mat is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com.

Gable Steveson claimed his second Cadet world title earlier this year (Photo/Alireza Akbari) With the major preseason tournaments all but done, and official scholastic season practices either having started already or about to start, it is now time for the presentation of the preseason national high school weight class rankings. The top 20 wrestlers in each weight class are recognized, with the most elite wrestler named as the No. 1 wrestler in the country. To start the 2016-17 season, here are the top ranked wrestlers in each weight class. 106 pounds: Malik Heinselman (Castle View, Colo.) The junior has already won three Fargo freestyle titles, two at the Cadet level and this past summer at the Junior level. In addition Heinselman has competed for the United States at the UWW Cadet World freestyle championships the last two years, at 42 kilograms in 2015 and 46 kilos in 2016. He was state champion this past high school season at 106 pounds. 113 pounds: Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) The sophomore finished last season as the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 106 pounds after winning a second high school state title (he was champion at 99 pounds as an eighth-grader). Busiello won a second straight high school division title at the Super 32 Challenge last month, and is also a two-time Cadet National freestyle All-American. 120 pounds: Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) The sophomore is a two-time Cadet National freestyle champion in Fargo, and a two-time placer in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals, including a runner-up finish this year at 54 kilograms. Most notable though was a win at the Who's Number One event over Gavin Teasdale, a Junior National freestyle champion and two-time UWW Cadet World team representative in freestyle. 126 pounds: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) The University of Iowa verbal commit is the nation's top overall senior, and has yet to lose an in-season high school match on the way to three state titles. Lee is also a three-time world freestyle champion at 50 kilograms, winning at the Cadet level in 2014 before winning at the Junior level the last two years. 132 pounds: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) The three-time state champion is a two-time world freestyle bronze medalist, earning that status at the Junior level competing in the 55 kilogram weight class this summer and also last summer at 54 kilograms as a Cadet. Fix is also a two-time Fargo freestyle champion, winning a Cadet title in 2013 and a Junior title in 2015. 138 pounds: Vitali Arujau (Syosset, N.Y.) Another three-time state champion was a UWW Cadet world freestyle silver medalist this summer at 58 kilograms, and won the Super 32 Challenge last month. The Cornell commit was also third at the Super 32 Challenge in the fall of 2015 and a Cadet National freestyle champion that summer in Fargo. 145 pounds: Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) The four-time state champion, and another Cornell commit, is also a two-time UWW Cadet world freestyle champion. He won those titles the last two years at 58 and 63 kilograms respectively. Diakomihalis is also a three-time Super 32 Challenge champion, and ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 1 at 138 pounds. 152 pounds: David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio) The junior has already won three state titles, winning his eighth grade state title in the state of Kentucky. This fall he was a UWW Cadet world bronze medalist competing at 69 kilograms. Carr also won the Super 32 Challenge in the fall of 2015 and was champion at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman in December 2015. 160 pounds: Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) The Penn State commit is a three-time state champion. He also won the Super 32 Challenge last month, and competed at the UWW Cadet world freestyle championships last year at 69 kilograms. 170 pounds: Kaleb Romero (Mechanicsburg, Ohio) The three-time state champion is a verbal commit to Ohio State. He was all-state first team in football last year at the quarterback position, and is likely headed to that status this fall, with possible Offensive Player of the Year honors within his division statewide. The two sport star was also undefeated at the AAU Scholastic Duals this summer. 182 pounds: Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, Pa.) The junior has twice made the finals at the National Prep Championships, winning the title last year at this weight class. He also was a UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up this spring at 86 kilograms. Beard also finished as runner-up at both the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Beast of the East last December. 195 pounds: Jacob Warner (Washington, Ill.) The two-time state champion, three-time state finalist, was also a UWW Cadet world bronze medalist in freestyle this summer at 86 kilograms. Warner was champion in both styles at the Cadet Nationals in Fargo during 2015, along with winning a UWW Cadet National title in Greco-Roman this spring in addition to the title in freestyle at 86 kilos. 220 pounds: Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.) This Ohio State verbal commit is a two-time National Prep finalist, winning the title this past season at 195 pounds over defending champion Nick Reenan. During the 2015-16 season, he was champion at the Walsh Ironman; while this summer he went undefeated at the AAU Scholastic Duals. 285 pounds: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) The nation's top overall junior is a two-time UWW Cadet world freestyle champion at 100 kilograms. Steveson is also a two-time state champion at 220 pounds, and was a state runner-up at 195 pounds in eighth grade. Additional USA Wrestling tournament titles for Steveson include a Junior folkstyle title at 220 pounds this spring and a Cadet freestyle title at 220 pounds in the summer of 2015. Wrestlers ranked by state (high school attending), 36 states in all: 40: Pennsylvania 29: New Jersey 28: Ohio 19: California 18: Illinois 14: Florida, Iowa 11: Colorado, New York 10: Minnesota 9: Indiana, Michigan, Missouri 7: Georgia, Oklahoma 6: Wisconsin 4: Maryland, West Virginia 3: Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia 2: Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire 1: Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

There is a proverbial saying, "when it rains, it pours." That statement has to be 100 percent true when it comes to the 2017 recruiting class for the University of Oklahoma. Election Night saw a sixth and now seventh top 100 commit for the Sooners in this class, as No. 60 Jake Boyd (Smithville, Mo.) verbally committed. Boyd was a finalist in both styles at the Cadet Nationals last summer in Fargo at 195 pounds, winning the title in freestyle. He also was a state champion this past high school season at 195 pounds; and was a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American this spring, when he placed fifth at 86 kilograms. He projects to compete collegiately at 197 pounds.

Three-time state placer, and 2015 state champion, Kevin Vough (Elyria, Ohio) verbally committed to Boise State University on Tuesday evening. The nation's No. 15 overall Class of 2017 prospect was also a Junior National freestyle runner-up in 2015 and a Flo Nationals champion in 2014. Other notable distinctions for the projected 285 pound wrestler are a third place finish at the Flo Nationals in 2015, a Cadet Greco-Roman national title in 2014, and championships in both styles at the UWW Cadet Nationals in 2015.

A most excellent haul of recruits in the 2017 class continues for new Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lou Roselli. The latest is the verbal commitment on the evening of Election Night from Matthew Waddell (Gilmer, Ga.), who is currently ranked No. 85 overall in the class. A projected 184 pound wrestler, Waddell was a Junior National double All-American this past summer at 182 pounds, third in Greco and fifth in freestyle. He also was a Junior Greco All-American in the summer of 2015. On the folkstyle side of things, Waddell is a two-time state champion, and placed third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals this spring in the 182 pound weight class. He also placed sixth at 182 pounds in the Super 32 Challenge last month. Waddell joins No. 22 Dominick Demas (Dublin Coffman, Ohio), No. 32 Anthony Mantanona (Palm Desert, Okla.), No. 33 Kyle Lawson (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), No. 52 Tanner Litterell (Tuttle, Okla.), and No. 90 Jake Woodley (North Allegheny, Pa.) in this class for Oklahoma.

What do former Ohio State wrestlers do once they've hung up their scarlet and gray singlets? Some find success in international competition ... while others share their knowledge and experience with the next generation of wrestlers as high school and college coaches. Still others translate that experience in the wrestling room and on the mat to excel in the fiercely competitive world of business. Three recent Buckeye wrestlers -- Mike Manuche, Josh Whitt, and Joe Grandominico -- have charted a completely different path by creating Conquering Columbus -- a podcast that celebrates successful individuals with ties to the city that is home to Ohio State. InterMat first learned of the Conquering Columbus podcast when it saw a link to its recent interview with Mike Pucillo, 2008 NCAA Division I champ for Ohio State who revealed in a March 2015 interview with Jason Bryant that he is gay. The sixty-minute segment on the Conquering Columbus podcast was an engaging, in-depth conversation between Pucillo and the Conquering Columbus principals (they are friends, as evidenced by the interviewers referring to the former Buckeye champ as "Mikey"). Wanting to know more, InterMat contacted Conquering Columbus ... and learned more about the trio of Buckeye matmen who started the podcast, and their purpose for creating it. Meet the Conquerors Yes, Manuche, Whitt and Grandominico all wrestled for Ohio State ... but each former Buckeye brings a unique background to Conquering Columbus. A walk-on for the Ohio State wrestling team at 133 pounds, Mike Manuche came to Central Ohio from San Diego, Calif. in 2011. In his bio at the Conquering Columbus website, Manuche said, "I am asked why someone would leave a place as beautiful as Southern California to come to the Midwest for school, and then decide to stay in Columbus after finishing my degree. The simple answer is the people. I knew that, although it would be uncomfortable and much more difficult than going to UC Santa Barbara, I would be the best version of myself coming to Ohio State to train with the Buckeyes ... Today, I work in the business world instead of on the mat. Conquering Columbus was started for the same reason I came to Ohio State to wrestle: to learn from the best. We hope to bring the stories and experiences of our guests to our listeners so we can all understand what it takes to reach our potential." Like Mike Manuche, Josh Whitt was also a walk-on at Ohio State who wrestled 133. The Toledo native graduated Summa Cum Laude and Academic All Big-Ten honoree. Whitt now works full-time at Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) and, in addition, helps out at Rudis, the Columbus-based wrestling gear and athletic wear supplier. In a phone interview, InterMat asked Manuche and Whitt about their original career goals ... and whether getting into communications (as in creating a podcast) was part of the plan. "I wanted to be a dentist, until I talked to a dentist," Manuche disclosed. "I studied theoretical mathematics," said Whitt. "You can imagine the career opportunities there." That said, the two have some broadcast experience, with Manuche doing color commentary for BTN (Big Ten Network) wrestling telecasts ... and Whitt accompanying him at the mic for a dual. Serving as webmaster and IT guy for Conquering Columbus is Joe Grandominico, who wrestled for Ohio State at 149 and 157 pounds. He was a three-time varsity letter winner and Academic All American as a Buckeye, and graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Business Administration, specialization in Management Information Systems, and a minor in Spanish for Business. Since graduating, the Westerville, Ohio native has been building his professional career at Ohio-based Owens Corning. Wrestling ... and a whole lot more To be clear, Conquering Columbus is NOT specifically a wrestling podcast ... but realizing that three Ohio State mat alums built it, and that a number of the guests have amateur wrestling backgrounds, it would be easy to draw that conclusion. "We focus on incredible individuals centered in the Columbus community," Mike Manuche told InterMat. "We do have a few other interviews with former wrestlers, including Tommy Rowlands and Mike Novogratz, Wall Street guru and Beat The Streets founder ... "Many of our interviewees also have wrestling ties, not because we intentionally seek out wrestlers, but we have an easier time landing them as a guest if we have some sort of connection to them," Manuche continued. "James Lawrence, who ran 50 IronMan competitions in 50 days in 50 states; Kevin Harrington, former Shark on ABC's "Shark Tank", and Robert Hatta, talent partner at Drive Capital) all have wrestling somewhere in their backgrounds and we have interviews with them on our site as well." In looking at the roster of recent Conquering Columbus guests from the past month or so, another wrestling-related name came up as the subject of an interview: Commander Dominic Gorie, retired U.S. astronaut who was just announced as the Outstanding American honoree of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2017 who will be welcomed into the Stillwater, Okla. based hall in June 2017. Then again, it's not all wrestlers who make up the Conquering Columbus guest list. In recent weeks, the podcast has interviewed Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo ... the entrepreneur who created Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Jeni Britton Bauer ... as well as "health blogger" Sara Grandominico on the importance of diet in living a healthy lifestyle. How it got started The idea for launching Conquering Columbus came early this year. The first podcast was posted in June 2016 ... with nearly two dozen podcasts already available for listeners to access. What was the thinking behind the Conquering Columbus podcast? "Josh and I saw all of the individuals working every day to make Columbus better, and we knew someone had to capture their story," Mike Manuche wrote on the Conquering Columbus website. "We wanted to learn from everyone doing amazing work around Columbus -- from business and athletics to science, medicine, social work, and beyond -- and bring their ideas and dreams to others with the hope that we could make our city more connected then it has ever been." The three creators see their Conquering Columbus podcast as the way to achieve these goals. They research and interview those across Columbus and beyond who have achieved success in a wide range of endeavors. "We're genuinely curious about serious people," Josh Whitt told InterMat. "We want to let our interview subjects present their stories in a straightforward, relaxed, conversational setting." As for timing ... the goal is to have a new podcast up each week, usually posted at 4 p.m. Eastern time Sunday afternoons. Most interviews run from 40-60 minutes each. Want to know more about Conquering Columbus? Visit their website, where you'll find a list of available podcasts for listening (complete with links) ... complete bios of the three podcast founders ... and more, including a way to be alerted by email when new podcasts are available.

Romero Cotton, three-time NCAA Division II wrestling champ at University of Nebraska-Kearney, has signed with Bellator, the mixed martial arts organization announced Monday. Cotton, who was granted an eleventh semester of eligibility by the NCAA one year ago, is currently working on completing his psychology degree at Nebraska-Kearney, but hopes to make his professional MMA debut in 2017, competing as a middleweight (185 pounds), according to Bellator. Romero Cotton (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)A native of Hutchinson, Kan., Cotton was a four-time NCAA Division II championship finalist for the UNK Lopers, winning three consecutive titles at 197 pounds in 2014, 2015 and 2016, making him the first three-time champ in the 111-year history of the school. Cotton compiled an overall record of 66-10 record at Kearney, earning NCAA All-American status four times. He also played football for the school where the team co-captain rushed for 309 yards this year, and 1,866 yards over the past three seasons. "Having an opportunity to be part of a promotion like Bellator so early in my MMA career is one that I am thankful for,' Cotton said. "Being that I'm just starting out in the sport I thought it would be two or three years of grinding and working my way up the ladder before reaching a company of this magnitude." The 26-year-old Cotton joins a growing roster of athletes with impressive amateur wrestling credentials who have signed with Bellator in the past year or so, including Aaron Pico, Joey Davis, Jarod Trice, Tyrell Fortune and Ed Ruth. Just this past weekend, Fortune and Ruth both made successful debuts at Bellator 163 in Connecticut, each winning his first pro MMA bout by TKO within the first round. Cotton is eager to make a similar positive first impression in MMA, and build a successful career with Bellator. "Having seen how Bellator's recent string of wrestlers have been treated and performed, I'm honored to be the latest and there's nothing I'm looking forward to more than showing the world my skills that I've acquired throughout my life not only as a wrestler, but as an athlete," said Cotton. "Now, I move onto the next phase of my career and will continue to develop into a well-rounded fighter."

Dale Anderson with his book "A Spartan Journey: Michigan State's 1967 Miracle on the Mat" Quick question: Which Big Ten wrestling program was the first to win an NCAA Division I team title while a member of that conference? No, it wasn't University of Iowa. Nor was it Penn State. Or Ohio State. Nope, not University of Minnesota, either. While all these current members of the Big Ten can claim at least one NCAA team championship, the school that did it first was none other than Michigan State, at the 1967 NCAAs at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Dale Anderson was a member of that history-making Michigan State wrestling team that helped propel the Spartans to that team title nearly a half-century ago after having been a struggling, cellar-dwelling squad just three years earlier. Now he tells that story -- along with what he describes as "a travelogue of my (wrestling) life" that intersects with a number of familiar names in the sport -- in his brand-new book "A Spartan Journey: Michigan State's 1967 Miracle on the Mat." Meet Dale Anderson Dale AndersonDale Anderson was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa -- birthplace to legendary college wrestling champ and coach, the late Bill Koll -- exactly nine months after Japan surrendered at the end of World War II. His family moved around the state, for a time settling on a farm in Humboldt, Iowa, hometown for Frank Gotch, who won the world professional wrestling championship in 1908, and whose fame and superstar status helped fuel amateur wrestling in high schools and colleges throughout the U.S. in the early 20th century. Anderson's family eventually settled in Waterloo, Iowa, a community known internationally as the home of Dan Gable. Dale Anderson and Dan Gable both wrestled at Waterloo West High School for Bob Siddens, one of the giants in prep wrestling coaching; Anderson was a senior when Gable was a sophomore. ("There was very little intersection with Dan Gable, but a lot with his dad," Anderson told InterMat.) Dale Anderson won two Iowa high school state titles at Waterloo West ... then headed east to Michigan State, where, wrestling for Grady Peninger and the late Doug Blubaugh, he tallied three Big Ten championships and back-to-back NCAA titles in 1967 and 1968. The path to write 'A Spartan Journey' Anderson started writing "A Spartan Journey" with one purpose in mind ... only to eventually widen the scope of the story. "Originally I was going to tell only about the 1967 team title," Anderson told InterMat. "As I was working on it, I expanded it to make it more autobiographical ..." That said, Anderson's book is very much a wrestling memoir that concentrates on his mat careers at Waterloo West and Michigan State. In fact, "A Spartan Journey" pretty much ends after that championship season ... without any coverage of his life and career since 1967 which has focused on the law, as a lawyer, prosecutor, instructor and author of a number of law books. In the preface of his "A Spartan Journey," Anderson cites fellow Michigan State alum Magic Johnson, member of the 1979 NCAA championship basketball team, in a speech to the 2000 title-winning Michigan State basketball squad, saying, in essence, they would not fully appreciate what they had done for a long time, perhaps 50 years. "As I relax in front of my fireplace, I begin to feel that way about our NCAA championship team of 1967 -- now some 50 years ago. That's one of the main reasons I wrote this book. This is a story I only later in life am beginning to fully appreciate ..." In that preface, Anderson said a motivating factor for taking on this assignment was reading "The Dream Team of 1947" by Arno Niemand, about the wrestling program at tiny Cornell College of Iowa defeating much larger mat powers of the time such as Oklahoma State, Lehigh and University of Illinois to win the team title at the 1947 NCAA championships. However, Anderson originally had no intention of writing about the 1967 Michigan State "miracle on the mat" himself. "I tried to induce many great authors to write this story," Anderson revealed in his preface. After having no takers, the two-time NCAA champ set about writing it on his own. "It took about three years to write what ended up being ten drafts," Anderson told InterMat. "A lot of people think you can just drink a six pack and the book is done." "As anyone who has even attempted to write a book, it's a much tougher undertaking," Anderson added. "But I loved the journey." Intersecting with giants of the sport Reading Dale Anderson's "A Spartan Journey" and you can't help but notice that his mat career crossed paths with many iconic figures in wrestling. In fact, it's easy to think of Anderson as being somewhat like Zelig and Forrest Gump -- two movie characters who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time with historically significant individuals. So many big-name wrestlers and coaches were significant in Anderson's life ... and not just Dan Gable, his high school teammate. Anderson's coach at Waterloo West High was Bob Siddens, one of the all-time great prep wrestling coaches in the nation. Siddens' positive influence on Anderson is mentioned by example throughout Anderson's book in the form of endearing -- and enduring -- sayings that helped propel the former Wahawk mat champ through some challenging times at Michigan State. One expected benefit of Anderson's decision to write about more than that Spartan championship of 1966-67 is his detailed description of his college recruiting process that is eye-opening, and at times perhaps even jaw-dropping. His recollections of his dealings with two of the most successful collegiate coaches of the Sixties -- Oklahoma State's Myron Roderick, and Iowa State's Harold Nichols -- make for a fascinating peek into the recruiting process a half-century ago. After initially selecting Iowa State, Anderson had a change of heart and decided to transfer to Michigan State. It was at the East Lansing school that Anderson's wrestling journey crossed paths with two legendary coaches with deep roots within the state of Oklahoma: MSU head wrestling coach Grady Peninger, and assistant coach Doug Blubaugh. (As Anderson pointed out in his book's dedication to Blubaugh, the former Oklahoma State NCAA champ and 1960 Olympic gold medalist is the only individual affiliated with the team-title-winning Spartans of '67 to have passed away. Blubaugh died in a motorcycle accident in his northern Oklahoma hometown in May 2011.) Refreshingly disclosing One of the strongest aspects of Dale Anderson's wrestling memoir is in its refreshing honesty. The two-time NCAA champ provides clear, honest portraits of his coaches, opposing coaches, his teammates, and his rivals. Wrestlers and coaches who weren't alive in 1967 will recognize many of the names sprinkled throughout "A Spartan Journey" but even those who remember '67 will be surprised by some of the revelations Anderson provides. (His recollections of the 1964 murder of Dan Gable's sister Diane, including insights into her killer, and what the crime did to the Gable family, are among the most powerful I have read about that tragedy.) That said, Anderson is arguably most revealing in presenting himself, on the mat -- and off. "I went into the zone before a match," Anderson said. "I had a crazy, berserker attitude ... In about my junior or senior year (of high school) I started making it work for me." Moments later, Anderson told InterMat, "I don't think I had a high level of self-awareness. I never thought of myself as competitive. I only came to that conclusion after it was pointed out to me." Anderson takes readers inside the Michigan State mat program, into practice sessions and actual matches, with clear recollections as if the incidents he described took place last week. He also provides sharp portraits of his Spartan teammates. Perhaps most refreshing, however, is that Anderson is very open and honest about his own struggles with serious illness and injuries, making weight, and off-the-mat challenges in making the transition from high school and living at home with family, to being alone far from home, getting accustomed to life at a large Big Ten school. Anderson has done a masterful job in telling his wrestling story. "A Spartan Journey" provides uncanny insights into the world of amateur wrestling in the 1960s. It serves up a behind-the-scenes look at Waterloo West, one of the nation's high school powerhouses of that time, as well as at Michigan State, a college program that went from the cellar of the Big Ten to penthouse (1967 Big Ten and NCAA champs) in three short seasons. And it provides fascinating reading on coaches and competitors who remain well-known a half-century later. Anderson's clear description of the 1966-67 championship season at Michigan State would have made for a compelling book on its own. However, by expanding his focus to go beyond that magical year to become a truly personal "wrestling memoir" crafted with candor, Anderson has made "A Spartan Journey" even more powerful reading for coaches, wrestlers and fans of all ages and locations. This writer is thankful Anderson made the decision to expand his story and share it with the wrestling community with such honesty, and to do it on his own, rather than have another author write about him and his team. To learn more about "A Spartan Journey" and purchase the book, visit the official website: www.67spartanbook.com.

NCAA champion wrestlers Tony Gizoni, Cary Kolat, Andre Metzger and Chuck Yagla are among the Class of 2017 inductees named by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Tony Gizoni In addition to these Distinguished Members, other honorees to be welcomed into the Stillwater, Okla. wrestling hall include Meritorious Official Mike Hagerty, Outstanding American Commander Dominic (Dom) Pudwill Gorie, Order of Merit Greg Hatcher and Medal of Courage Thomas Green. Honorees will be welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony during the 41st Annual Honors Weekend on June 2-3, 2017 in Stillwater, Okla. Kolat and Metzger were chosen as Distinguished Members for the Modern Era while Gizoni and Yagla were selected by the Veterans Committee. All nominee selections were approved a Hall of Fame Board of Governors meeting in Kansas City on Oct. 27. Distinguished Members In its announcement, the Hall described a Distinguished Member as "a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition; a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and who has compiled an outstanding record; or a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport." Meet the members of the Class of 2017: Tony Gizoni wrestled for Washington High School in Washington, Pennsylvania, where he became the fourth wrestler in state history to win three state championships, capturing the title at 101 pounds in 1946, at 103 pounds in 1947 and at 112 pounds in 1948. He won back-to-back NCAA Division I championships for Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, being voted Outstanding Wrestler after winning at 121 pounds in 1950 and defeating Bill Borders from the University of Oklahoma in 1951. He was ineligible to compete in the NCAA tournament as a freshman and was declared ineligible as a senior due to competing in dual meets and tournaments that were not approved by the NCAA Rules Committee. He finished his college career with a 52-0 record, and his overall record for high school and college was 120-3-1 with the three losses and the tie occurring in his freshman year of high school. Gizoni did not lose during his final three years of high school and four years of college, winning 108 consecutive matches. He served in the Korean War and earned a Bronze Star in 1956. Gizoni is a member of the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Washington-Greene and the Helms Foundation Wrestling Hall of Fame. Cary Kolat was a four-time state champion for Jefferson-Morgan High School in Green County, Pennsylvania, compiling a 137-0 record. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state tournament every year, an honor that no other wrestler had achieved even twice. He wrestled two seasons at Penn State University, reaching the Big Ten finals as a freshman before winning the title and being named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year as a sophomore. He reached the NCAA finals as a freshman and finished third as a sophomore. After transferring to Lock Haven University, he won back-to-back NCAA Championships in 1996 and 1997, finishing 25-1 as a junior and 25-0 as a senior. He also won two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles and back-to-back Eastern Wrestling League Championships where he was named Outstanding Wrestler both years. He finished his college career with a 111-7 record and 53 falls. He was a member of the United States Men's Freestyle team from 1997-2001 and won a silver medal at the World Championships in 1997 and a bronze medal in 1998. He won gold medals at the World Cup in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and at the Pan American Games in 1999 and 2000. He was a silver medalist at the World Cup in 2001 and finished ninth at the Olympic Games in 2000. He was the University National Freestyle champion in 1995 and the U.S. Open champion in 1997, 1999 and 2000. Kolat is currently the wrestling coach at Campbell University after being an assistant coach at Lehigh University, the University of Wisconsin, West Virginia University, Lock Haven and the University of North Carolina. Andre Metzger is one of the greatest technicians in amateur wrestling history, and he wrestled and won more matches than anyone, competing in over 2,000 matches and winning 1,870 for an estimated winning percentage of 93.5 percent. He was a state champion at Cedar Springs High School in Michigan and was the first wrestler to win five junior national titles, capturing three freestyle and two Greco-Roman championships. Before beginning his career at the University of Oklahoma, he wrestled in the 1979 World Championships and won a bronze medal to become the youngest American to medal in the World Championships at 19 years old. He was a two-time NCAA champion and a four-time All-American for Oklahoma, winning titles in 1981 and 1982 after finishing second in 1980 and fifth in 1979. Metzger was the United States Senior Greco-Roman champion in 1980 and a five-time U.S. Freestyle Champion, winning titles in 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1987. Metzger won gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1979 and 1987 while capturing silver medals at the World Cup in 1980, 1986 and 1988 and at the World Games in 1986. He was an alternate to Distinguished Member Nate Carr on the 1988 Olympic Freestyle team and defeated at least six Olympic gold medalists during his career. He returned to the mat 2012 at the age of 52 and competed for a spot on the U.S. Greco-Roman team. Metzger was an assistant coach at Indiana University, University of North Carolina and Villanova University from 1983-88 and currently is the head coach at the University of North Texas as well as a member of the coaching staff for the Bombers of Frisco Wrestling Club. Chuck Yagla was a three-time All-American, a two-time national champion and the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1976 NCAA Championships for the University of Iowa. He was an alternate on the 1976 Olympic team and earned a spot on the 1980 team but did not compete when the United States boycotted the Olympics in Moscow. Yagla was a four-time National Open champion and won gold and silver medals at the World Cup while also placing second at the prestigious Tbilisi tournament in Russia. He stopped competing but did not step off the mat, as he began a career as an NCAA official in 1983. He earned the respect of coaches and competitors while working NCAA Division I Championships from 1996-2007, including five finals matches. Yagla officiated six NCAA Division II Championships and worked the Big Ten and Pac-10 Championships for over 20 years, working as head official for each conference four times. He refereed two National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star meets and was selected to work the National Duals 12 times. He stepped off the mat following the 2007 NCAA Championships, but continued to be involved in officiating as Coordinator of Wrestling Officials for the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences. Yagla received the Meritorious Official award from the Hall of Fame in 2009 and was inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa in 2004. Outstanding American The Outstanding American award recognizes individuals who have used the disciplines of the sport to launch notable careers after concluding their wrestling career. Past recipients have included individuals who have excelled in science, technology, business, industry, government, military, and arts and humanities, according to the Hall. Receiving the 2017 Outstanding American honor is Commander Dominic (Dom) Pudwill Gorie. He began wrestling in junior high school and competed for Miami Palmetto High School in Florida where he had a career record of 41-9-1. He wrestled four years at the United States Naval Academy for coach Ed Peery (Class of 1980 Distinguished Member honoree), finishing with an 8-15-2 record. Gorie received his Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering from the Naval Academy in 1979 and his master's degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee in 1990. He was designated as a naval aviator in 1981 and piloted fighter jets aboard the USS America, the USS Coral Sea and USS Roosevelt from 1981-92, accumulating more than 600 carrier landings while also flying 38 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. Gorie was ordered to United States Space Command in 1992 and was selected as an Astronaut Candidate in 1994. He reported to Johnson Space Center in 1995. Following a year of training and evaluation, Gorie was assigned to work safety issues for the Astronaut Office. Gorie served as a spacecraft communicator in Mission Control for numerous Space Shuttle flights and was chief of the Astronaut Shuttle Branch. In June of 1998, his career in space took flight with the first of two shuttle missions as a pilot, followed by two more as Mission Commander. Gorie, who retired from NASA in 2010, has logged over 49 days in space. He has received five Medal of Citation honors including the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1992 and 2010, the Defense Superior Service Medal in 1999, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal in 2000 and the Legion of Merit from 1995-2002. Gorie is now an active volunteer and board member with Combat Wounded Veterans Challenge, a national organization that provides a spectrum of adventures to wounded veterans while focusing on rehabilitation research. Medal of Courage The Medal of Courage recipient is a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges, providing inspiration to others. Receiving the Medal of Courage for 2017 is Tom Green. His life changed on May 15, 1997 in a workplace accident when a pipe burst and sprayed potassium hydroxide in his face. Blind from the accident and his face badly burned, Green, who had also been working as a referee, underwent a series of surgeries. He had a procedure to increase the size of his mouth, which had healed so small that he couldn't put his thumb in, and a cornea transplant, as well as another rare eye surgery that required a donation from his brother that eventually helped him regain his sight. With the help of his wife, Mary, and his two sons, Caleb and Cormac, Green has stayed positive while enduring more than 40 surgeries, including reconstructive retinal surgery and a synthetic cornea implant. One year after the accident, he returned to wrestling as a volunteer assistant coach, helped start a youth program and eventually took over as head wrestling coach for the Port Byron Central School District in Port Byron, New York. Green has led Port Byron to the Patriot League title the last six seasons while being named Coach of the Year seven times. He is the all-time wins leader at Weedsport High School, and he qualified for nationals at Cayuga Community College and earned all-state honors at SUNY Cortland. Order of Merit The Order of Merit is presented to an individual that has made a significant contribution to the sport of wrestling, but who is not an athlete or a coach. This year's honoree, Greg Hatcher, was a nine-letter winner and one of the last athletes to play three varsity sports for four years at Alma College in Michigan. He was captain of the wrestling team and was named first-team All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1982-83. Hatcher helped the wrestling and baseball teams each capture three MIAA titles while also lettering in soccer. He was inducted into the Alma College Athletic Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2007, and he was a member of three Hall of Fame wrestling teams and two Hall of Fame baseball teams. Hatcher was president of his junior class and served as president of the student body as a senior. He co-founded and was president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and also served as sports information director from 1981-83. He was Alma College's Top Senior Graduate in 1983 and also was chosen Tau Kappa Epsilon's national Top TKE. He started The Hatcher Agency in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1990 with a loan from the bank, an assistant and 500 square feet of office space. At the end of the first year, Hatcher had outgrown the office space and had seven employees while producing more insurance than any agent in Arkansas. The Hatcher Agency was named Arkansas's Small Business of the Year in 1993 and has led the state in health insurance every year since its founding in 1990. Arkansas Business named it the Most Philanthropic Company in 2006, and it has been chosen as the Best Insurance Agency every year. Hatcher founded the Arkansas Wrestling Association in 2005 and is proud that now more than 4,000 kids are wrestling in Arkansas. He was instrumental in Arkansas becoming the 49th state to institute the sport at the high school level. He helped start programs and purchased wrestling mats for 65 high schools, a wrestling academy and 10 college programs while also funding the Hatcher Wrestling Center at both Ouachita Baptist University and Lyon College in Arkansas and the Hatcher Wrestling Room at his alma mater. USA Wrestling and WIN Magazine have named Hatcher Man of the Year, and he received the Distinguished Alumni and the Certificate of Merit from the Arkansas Activities Association. He was presented the Outstanding American award from the Arkansas Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014. Hatcher was named Arkansas' Philanthropist of the Year in 2015 and was the March of Dimes Citizen of the Year in 2005. He wrote 55 Steps to Outrageous Service, a book outlining the service that The Hatcher Agency delivers every day to its clients, and Between The Ears (How to Think Like a Champion), sharing 110 hard-earned lessons learned from nearly 25 years of coaching. Hatcher serves on the board of the United States Wrestling Foundation and is also on the Alma College Board of Trustees. Meritorious Official The Hall describes the Meritorious Official award as recognizing "outstanding service as a referee, judge, or pairing official." Mike Hagerty has been selected to receive this honor in 2017. Hagerty has 25 years of experience as an NCAA Division I official and has worked the NCAA Division I Championships from 2003 to present, including 11 finals matches. He has officiated 14 NCAA Division II Championships and has served as the head official four times. Hagerty has refereed 16 Big 12 Championships and seven Pac-12 Championships while also officiating two National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star matches. He has also worked two NAIA Championships and has officiated NCAA Division III Championships. Hagerty founded the Inter-Collegiate Wrestling Officials Association in 2015 and continues to serve as Executive Director. He was president of the NCAA National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1989 and was a member of the Board of Directors from 1996-2001. Hagerty works as a coach for USA Wrestling and was an Olympic Team Camp coach in 2012 and 2016. He has been a USA World Team coach six times. He recently coached the United States World University Team, which won the first USA University World Championships in 2015. Hagerty has been named USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year twice and was chairperson of Missouri USA Wrestling from 1983-89. He coached Central Missouri for seven seasons and had two national champions, 10 All-Americans and 25 national qualifiers while being named Midwest Regional Coach of the Year twice. Hagerty has been coaching at Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri, for the past 24 years. He has coached the team to three state championships and seven other Top Three finishes while being named Missouri Coach of the Year five times. He wrestled at Higginsville High School in Higginsville, Missouri, where he was 87-6-1 and was a Scholastic Wrestling News Honorable Mention All-American. Hagerty qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships at Central Missouri State University where he was a Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion as well as team captain and Outstanding Wrestler. Hagerty is also a member of the Missouri Wrestling Association Hall of Fame and the Missouri USA Wrestling Hall of Fame. Hagerty was inducted into the Central Missouri Hall of Fame in 2015 and is also a member of the Central Missouri Hall of Legends. Hagerty's son, Keenan, was a state champion for Blue Springs and a three-time All-American at Maryville University. "The Class of 2017 features truly remarkable individuals who have been successful on and off the mat," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "We look forward each year to honoring those who have not only made contributions to our sport, but also those who have taken what they learned in wrestling to excel throughout their life." About the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Located just steps from the Oklahoma State campus at Hall of Fame Avenue and Duck Street in Stillwater, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame reopened in June following a $3.8 million renovation that included a complete demolition and rebuild of the interior. The museum now features interactive exhibits and electronic kiosks, as well as the opportunity to watch NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to present day. The museum is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for military veterans and seniors (65 and older), $3 for students and $15 for a family. Children 5 and under and active military with an ID are free. For more information about the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and its annual Weekend Honors program, visit www.nwhof.org or call (405) 377-5243.

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- In their first tournament of the season, the Sun Devils earned four individual tournament championships, the most of any participating school at the Daktronics Open hosted by South Dakota State. "Overall, it was a good performance for us, said head coach Zeke Jones. "I think we were the best conditioned team in the tournament and overall wrestled really hard and competed tough." ASU led all teams with four tournament champions followed by Nebraska (3), South Dakota State (2), and Minnesota (1). The Sun Devils also had two finalists at both 149 and 165 for six total wrestlers in finals bouts. At 125 lbs., Josh Kramer battled back through three consolation rounds prior to the third place match after Nebraska's Kris Williams bested him in the quarterfinals. Ali Naser also made a comeback to the third place match after originally advancing to the semifinals of the main bracket at 133 lbs. In similar fashion, Josh Shields earned a third place finish (157 lbs.) after falling in the semis and working his way through the consolation bracket. Josh Maruca and Oliver Pierce emerged as finalists at 149 lbs., with Maruca winning a 9-4 decision for first place and Pierce earning a second place finish. Anthony Valencia and Jacen Petersen ended in a tie for first at 165 lbs. "Although it was a successful weekend, I am cautious because we still made mistakes and need to clean up several technical and tactical things. It's all part of the process of getting better." Zahid Valencia (174 lbs.) and Tanner Hall (HWT) would finish the team's significant scoring with a pair of first place finishes to round out the Sun Devils' performance on the day. Each won four straight matches to earn the titles. "I think we're ahead of schedule for November but certainly not the team we need to be in March. It'll be time to go back to work this week and get ready for New York next weekend." Next weekend, the Sun Devils split between the Bearcat Open in Binghamton, NY and the Journeyman Classic in Troy, NY on Sunday, Nov. 13. ASU returns home to host top-five Ohio State in their regular season home opener on Saturday, Nov. 19 (1 p.m.).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Live Blog NWCA All-Star Classic

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

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