InterMat Staff

DECORAH, Iowa-- Top-ranked Wartburg (10-0 overall, 2-0 IIAC) defeated seventh-ranked Luther 36-3 Thursday night. Notes: Camacho earned his 100th career win. Anderson's streak was halted at 51 straight bouts. Pinero picked up his fifth pin and Upah got his second pin of the year. Wartburg's overall winning streak moves to 46 straight matches. The Knights have now won 167 consecutive duals against Iowa Conference opponents. Results: 125 #3 Gilberto Camacho - W Maj. Dec. 12-1 #6 Garrett Wangsness – L 0 4 133 #5 Evan Obert - L Dec. 3-1 SV #1 Kenny Anderson - W 3 4 141 Jace Lopez - W Maj. Dec. 10-0 Dakota Gray - L 3 8 149 Mark Pinero - W Fall 0:36 Cody Orr - L 3 14 157 Nick Michael - W Dec. 8-4 Blake Letney - L 3 17 165 #4 Cole Welter – W Dec. 10-4 Javier Reyes – L 3 20 174 #1 Landon Williams - W Maj. Dec. 8-0 Nick Jazdzewski - L 3 24 184 #9 Sam Upah - W Fall 1:48 #6 Jayden DeVilbiss - L 3 30 197 #5 Punahele Soriano - W Dec. 7-4 Nick Pearch - L 3 33 285 #2 Ryan Frank - W Dec. 6-0 #10 Conner Herman - L 3 36 # National Ranking as of 1/15/2014

ASHLAND -- The sixth-ranked Southern Oregon University wrestling team kept its home record perfect Thursday night, wrapping up its 38-9 dumping of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical (Ariz.) in a tidy 57 minutes at Bob Riehm Arena. The Raiders grinded out wins in six of eight contested weight classes and were awarded forfeits in the other two. Top-ranked wrestlers Taylor Johnson (Redmond, Ore./Redmond) (197 pounds) and Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater) (174) came through with a pin and a technical fall, respectively, and Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash./Castle Rock) (157) threw in one more win by fall. SOU, which will face Air Force at 5 p.m. Saturday in Corvallis, improved to 5-2 in duals and 4-0 at home. Seventh-ranked Jacob Stigall (Hubbard, Ore./North Marion) started the night with an 8-4 decision of Gilbert Martinez in the 125-pound match, racking up all of his point in the first period for his eighth win of the season. Trevor Hancock (Pendleton, Ore./Pendleton) (133) followed with a win, taking down Nick Oliver with 27 seconds left to clinch his 6-3 decision. After Johnathon Gay (Clovis, Calif./Clovis) (141) dropped a 6-5 decision to Robbie Workman on riding time, Tyler Cowger (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home) (157) picked up a 5-4 win over Colin Merkley thanks to a tiebreaking escape with 1:25 remaining. Cowger is now 13-5. "Despite the score, it was a good dual and there was some good wrestling going on for both sides," SOU coach Mike Ritchey said. "They have a legit style; they wrestle hard and we had to overcome some adversity to pull out some matches, so it was a good test for us." Patrick led Matt Coultas 11-2 after two rounds and finished him off with 1:09 left, upping his record to 8-7. Gutches is 18-3 overall after his manhandling of Jose Cruz, who fell behind 7-0 after the first minute and was down 22-4 when the match ended with 43 seconds on the clock. Gutches has notched bonus points in all but three of his wins this season. "Brock looked really tough again," Ritchey said, "but that's what we expect from him." Johnson -- who is now 4-0 in dual action and 8-4 overall -- put an abrupt end to the night with his pin of Troy Kilgore 1:10 into the contest. Three of his four dual wins have been by fall and the other by technical fall. Garrett Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon) (165) and ninth-ranked Clayton Burtis (Colton, Ore./Colton) (285) were awarded SOU's forfeit victories. Urrutia's recod stands at 8-6 and Burtis' at 7-3. Johnathan Wiley went home with a pin at 184 pounds for Embry-Riddle's other victory. In the Eagles' previous visit to Ashland on Nov. 5, 2011, they knocked off the Raiders, who were ranked No. 1 at the time. SOU now leads the all-time series 18-3. Results: 125: Jacob Stigall (Hubbard, Ore./North Marion), SOU dec. Gilbert Martinez, ERAU, 8-4. 133: Trevor Hancock (Pendleton, Ore./Pendleton), SOU, dec. Nick Oliver, ERAU, 6-3. 141: Robbie Workman, ERAU, dec. Johnathon Gay (Clovis, Calif./Clovis), SOU, 6-5. 149: Tyler Cowger (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home), SOU, dec. Colin Merkley, ERAU, 5-4. 157: Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash./Castle Rock), SOU, p. Matt Coultas, ERAU, 5:51. 165: Garrett Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon), SOU, wins by forfeit. 174: Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater), SOU, t.f. Jose Cruz, 22-4 (6:17). 184: Johnathan Wiley, ERAU, p. Jacob Abrams (The Dalles, Ore./The Dalles-Wahtonka), SOU, 2:37. 197: Taylor Johnson (Redmond, Ore./Redmond), SOU, p. Troy Kilgore, ERAU, 1:10. 285: Clayton Burtis (Colton, Ore./Colton), SOU, wins by forfeit.

HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- Coker won three of the first four individual bouts of the night in forging an early 16-3 lead, but the visiting and 25th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team took five of the final six matches en route to grabbing a 28-19 win over the first-year Cobras on Thursday. The triumph helped the Braves (7-4) extend their winning skein out to six duals and match the longest win streak since the 2002-03 club won its first nine dual meets of the season. It was the fourth loss in the last five outings for Coker (5-4). Mikel Nelson (125 pounds) and Kevin Thompson (149) turned in bookend pins to help the Cobras build a big lead through four individual matches, but the Black & Gold got three-straight pins from Justin Pencook, Reggie Allen and Blaze Shade to storm ahead for good. Brach Walker pushed UNCP's lead out to 25-16 with a 16-3 major decision over Shane Carpenter at 184 pounds, while Stuart Nadeau capped the scoring for the Braves with a 4-3 comeback decision over Robert Parland in the 197-pound bout. Austin Akins registered a 2-0 decision over newcomer Danny Berrier to give the Cobras a victory in the nightcap. The Braves will return to action on January 24 when they make the trip to southwest Virginia for a rematch with Ferrum (4-2) inside Swartz Gym. Wrestling action is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. UNCP was a 28-13 winner over the Panthers at the Virginia Duals on Saturday. Results: 125: Mikel Nelson (Coker) pinned Gabe Roberts (UNCP) F 0:54 133: Charlie Huff (Coker) maj. dec. Cole Murray (UNCP) M 16-4 141: Tyler Ross (UNCP) dec. Rashad Cunningham (Coker) D 14-7 149: Kevin Thompson (Coker) pinned Eric Milks (UNCP) F 6:56 157: Justin Pencook (UNCP) pinned Johnathan Dykes (Coker) F 5:52 165: Reggie Allen (UNCP) pinned Philip Burrows (Coker) F 2:36 174: Blaze Shade (UNCP) pinned Zach Dicus (Coker) F 3:45 184: Brach Walker (UNCP) maj. dec. Shane Carpenter (Coker) M 16-3 197: Stuart Nadeau (UNCP) dec. Robert Parland (Coker) D 4-3 285: Austin Akins (Coker) dec. Danny Berrier (UNCP) D 2-0

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. -- The Ohio Northern wrestling team swept all nine bout and posted a 37-6 victory at Manchester (Ind.) Thursday night. The Polar Bears improve to 8-5 overall, while the Spartans fall to 2-7. After forfeiting at 125 pounds, ONU won the nine contested weight classes to register the victory. Senior Michael Pawlitz and freshman Gennar Feucht each had pins to lead the Polar Bears. Pawlitz won by fall in 1:08 at 197 pounds and Feucht won by fall in 1:18 at 149 pounds. Sophomore David Woolley posted a major decision at 184 pounds, winning 8-0. ONU won the other five weight classes by decision. The Polar Bears will return to action Tuesday with a dual meet at Muskingum in the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both teams. Results: 125: Alan Moch (Man) won by forfeit 133: Cole Cochran (ONU) dec. Kalib Jackson, 7-5 141: Ryan Fowler (ONU) dec. Josh Juarez, 8-4 149: Gennar Feucht (ONU) pinned Bryce Roberts, 1:18 157: Kyle Brezovec (ONU) dec. Collin Wise, 6-3 165: Colt Lovejoy (ONU) dec. Dylan Lauffer, 4-2 174: Tyler Gargano (ONU) won by forfeit 184: David Woolley (ONU) maj. dec. Brian Clark, 8-0 197: Michael Pawlitz (ONU) pinned Tyler Webster, 1:08 285: Cody Lovejoy (ONU) dec. Dustin Kult, 1-0

MANKATO, Minn. -- Pins from freshman Blake Bosch and junior Conner Monk propeled the Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling team to a 24-16 win over Minnesota State, Mankato, in a dual meet Thursday night in Mankato, Minn. MSUM improved to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with the win, while Mankato, which was ranked in the top 20 earlier this season, fell to 2-5 overall and 2-1 in the league. It is the first time the Dragons have beat Minnesota State since Head Coach Kris Nelson took over the program in 2009. "I'm really happy with this win. They've got a young team and have had some injuries, which we also have dealt with," Nelson said. "We both have young teams. It was good to get the win." "It's a big deal," said senior Connor MacGregor, who earned a key win at 149 pounds for MSUM. "The last time we beat Mankato I wasn't even in school. It feels good to be a part of it and have contributed." Bosch set the tone for MSUM at 125 pounds. He gradually built an 8-0 lead and in the third period, finished off a pin in 6:10 to give MSUM a 6-0 lead in the dual. Bosch is now 12-8 on the year. "That got us going with that pin," Nelson said. "Blake wrestled a great match." MSUM won by forfeit at 133 pounds to stretch the lead to 12-0. Mankato got on the board at 141 as Alphonso Vruno beat Dragon redshirt freshman Isaac Novacek, 13-8, bringing the Mavericks within 12-3. MacGregor's big win came at 149. He trailed 7-5 against Weston Droegemueller in the second period but scored six straight points -- four coming on a pair of takedowns -- to take an 11-7 lead. Droegemueller scored a reversal to climb within 11-9, but MacGregor followed with an escape and takedown to secure a 14-9 win, pushing the MSUM lead to 15-3 in the dual. "He got a shot and wound up putting me on my back," MacGregor said. "We got a scramble and I ended up reversing him and putting him to his back, and I started riding him...I felt like I had a lot of presence." "Connor went out there and got us a win," Nelson said. "That was one of the bigger matches of the night. It got the guys on the bench excited." Wins by decision at 157 and 165 brought Mankato within 15-9. Monk then helped MSUM regain the momentum for good. The junior from Wausau, Wis., scored a takedown, and then got Darick Vancura -- who entered the match with a 22-7 record to his back and recorded the fall in just 37 seconds to push the MSUM lead to 21-9. "My strategy was to go in with a more defensive approach," Monk said. "The guy ended up shooting in on me and we sprawled and I ended up getting a cradle right away. He took the shot and that worked out perfect for me." Senior Matt Lewellen continued his good season, beating Scott VanDeLoo by a 3-1 decision at 184 pounds to give the Dragons an insurmountable 24-9 lead. "Matt wrestled a good match. He wrestled hard and got us the win," Nelson said. Mankato won by decision at 197 and by major decision at 285 to climb within 24-16 at the end. MSUM will look to continue the momentum off of its big win at No. 10-ranked Upper Iowa on Friday. The match begins at 7 p.m. in Fayette, Iowa. "It means a lot," Monk said of beating Mankato. It definitely helps our team with our confidence. We need to refocus and hit it hard at Upper Iowa."

CHADRON -- For the second consecutive night the Chadron State College wrestling team cruised to a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference dual victory. The Eagles won seven matches and defeated New Mexico Highlands 30-9 in front of a large crowd Thursday at the Nelson Physical Activity Center. On Wednesday, Chadron State, now 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the conference, upended CSU-Pueblo 28-6. "This group of guys is special and they believe in what we're doing and they want to succeed," Chadron State head coach Brett Hunter said. "It was a great win and most of all, a great home atmosphere to wrestle in." The Cowboys won the opening match at 125 pounds but the Eagles took the reins, beginning with Dustin Stodola's emphatic pin of Tre Humphrey late in the third period at 133 pounds. Stodola, the fourth-ranked grappler at 133, is now 15-0 this season. Following Stodola, the Eagles won four-straight matches. Jay Stine cruised to a 6-2 decision over Orlando Guerra at 141, Jacob Anderson won by injury default at 149, CJ Clark earned a 5-1 decision over Juan Alvarado and Tyler Smart pinned Manuel Sedillo at 165. The Eagles and Highlands split the final four matches. Chadron State's Jordan DeBus claimed a 3-0 decision at 184 and Michael Hill reversed Cody Marquez late in the second period and made it stand up for a 2-0 decision. Chadron State will wrestle four duals at the University of Nebraska-Kearney dual tournament Saturday. Results: 125 – Erick Rangel, NMH, dec. Taylor Summers, 9-8 133 – Dustin Stodola, CSC, pinned Tre Humphrey, 6:39 141 – Jay Stine, CSC, dec. Orlando Guerra, 6-2 149 – Jacob Anderson, CSC, won by injury default 157 – CJ Clark, CSC, dec. Juan Alvarado, 5-1 165 – Tyler Smart, CSC, pinned Manuel Sedillo, 4:35 174 – Easton Hargrave, NMH, dec. Caleb Copeland, 10-7 184 – Jordan DeBus, CSC, dec. Igor Gomzin, 3-0 197 – Justin Rockhill, NMH, dec. Devan Fors, 6-5 285 – Michael Hill, CSC, dec. Cody Marquez, 2-0

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The Adams State University Wrestling team won their first conference dual meet of the season defeating Colorado State University-Pueblo, 26-19. The Thunderwolves got on the board first, winning the first three matches. At 184 pounds, freshman, Nevada Bencomo was defeated by Augie Desantis 10-8 in overtime. Bencomo scored a takedown and two reversals. Next up for the Grizzlies, Amer Tipura wrestled at 197 pounds and lost a close, 5-2 decision. The 285 pound match up was back and forth. Freshman, Tuli Laulu was ahead after two periods, 1-0. A late takedown gave the match to Niko Bogojevic, 3-2. Freshman, Ian Wingstrom won by forfeit at 125 pounds. The Grizzlies won the next two matches by pin. First at 133 pounds, sophomore, Martin Ramirez scored two, three point near falls before pinning Tim Urenda at 1:31. No. 1 at 141 pounds, redshirt senior, Ryan Fillingame earned the second pin and his second in consecutive dual meets. He pinned Richard Razo at 1:08. Redshirt senior, Max Ortega won the fourth consecutive match for the Grizzlies, beating Jimmy Chase 6-0. Earning his second technical fall in consecutive dual meets at 1:52, redshirt senior, Daniel Kelly, beat Larry Schmueser, 18-2. At 165 pounds, Ray Hall from Pueblo won by forfeit. The last match of the evening was at 174 pounds. Redshirt junior, Mark Mabry, Jr. was defeated by major decision by Trevor Grant, 9-1. The Grizzlies will travel to Kearney, Nebraska on Saturday for the Kearney Duals. Adams State will wrestle four duals beginning with San Francisco State at 9 a.m.

HAYS, Kan. -- Casy Rowell had a key second-period fall and Jordan Basks rolled to an easy major decision to spark No. 5-ranked Central Oklahoma to a tough 22-16 victory over No. 6 Fort Hays State here Thursday night. The Bronchos led 16-7 before the Tigers won three straight weights to tie it going into the final match, but FHSU’s lone heavyweight was out with illness and eighth-ranked Cody Dauphin picked up a forfeit to give UCO the victory. “We’re pretty fortunate to win the dual,” head coach David James said. “We gave up a lot of silly points in some matches that hurt us and we did just enough to win the match.” Cory Dauphin and Chris Watson also won for the Bronchos, who improved to 5-2 heading into Saturday’s Midwest Duals in Kearney, Neb. Where UCO will take on No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney, No. 9 Western State and California Baptist. “Casy looked stellar tonight and picked up a big fall for us,” James said. “Jordan did what we needed him to do in getting a major decision, Cory wrestled a smart match against a tough kid and Chris won a gritty, physical match that we had to have.” Rowell had four takedowns and a near-fall in opening up a 10-3 first-period lead against Symon Seaton at 133 pounds and got another takedown early in the second before picking up his second fall of the season at the 4:39 mark. FHSU led 7-6 going into the 149-pound match when the top-ranked Basks racked up three takedowns and three near-falls in a 15-1 major decision for his 17th bonus-point win of the season to put the Bronchos in front. Cory Dauphin followed with his 33rd consecutive win as the top-rated senior star used two first-period takedowns to take control en route to a methodical 6-3 victory over Mitchell Means 6-3 in improving to 15-0 on the season. Watson capped the three-match winning streak, using a third-period escape and takedown to break a 2-2 tie and trim Bradley Little 5-2 as the No. 1-ranked junior moved to 19-0. That gave UCO a 16-7 lead, but the Tigers won the next three matches to tie it and set up the anticlimactic finish. Results: 125 – Lawson Ludwin, FHSU, dec. Josh Breece, 8-2. 133 – Casy Rowell, UCO, pinned Symon Seaton, 4:39. 141 – Charles Napier, FHSU, major dec. Dustin Reed, 11-3. 149 – Jordan Basks, UCO, major dec. Joey Dozier, 15-1. 157 – Cory Dauphin, UCO, dec. Mitchell Means, 6-3. 165 – Chris Watson, UCO, dec. Bradley Little, 5-2. 174 – Josh Rodriguez, FHSU, dec. Zach Aylor, 6-2. 184 – Jon Inman, FHSU, dec. Znick Ferrell, 6-4. 197 – Zack Grimes, FHSU, dec. Garrett Henshaw, 4-2. Hvy – Cody Dauphin, UCO, won by forfeit.

The sporting world was taken by surprise last February when the Executive Board of the IOC recommended that wrestling be eliminated from the 2020 Olympic Games. Though the IOC absorbed criticism from the media and fans of sport, wrestling leaders around the world decided to act and helped launch the campaign to Save Olympic Wrestling. The wrestling community was given seven months to correct their mistakes and lobby itself back into the Olympic Games. In the states, Bill and Jim Scherr established the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW) as a place for businessmen to raise money, PR agents to develop a global strategy, and politicians to collaborate their lobbying efforts. There were dozens of similar efforts launched around the world, which helped FILA vote in new leadership and motivated the wrestling community to be outspoken in their support of the sport's claim to Olympic legitimacy. Like many of my peers, I spent much of the seven months doing what I could to help promote the sport and improve the coverage of relevant events. To commemorate the efforts of the worldwide wrestling community, I'd been working for the past few months on a book to commemorate wrestling's improbable Olympic comeback. "Full Circle: The 209 Days That United the World and Saved an Olympic Sport" is a hard cover coffee-table book that puts into focus the worldwide campaign to Save Olympic Wrestling. The book utilizes photography from around the world and tells the story of the remarkable people and events that went into the largest sport re-instatement campaign in Olympic history. It's 112 pages, and thanks to the hard work of photographer Tony Rotundo and designer Cliff Fretwell the finished product looks pretty sweet. Sales started today at www.trfoley.com/fullcircle and books will be mailed from the printer on Feb. 12 -- the one-year anniversary of the IOC's announcement. Please feel free to email me with any questions about the book, and thanks in advance for your support of the sport. To your questions ... Q: What happened to Olympic Training Center top recruits Destin McCauley and Pat Downey? I noticed that they are no longer listed on the roster for Nebraska. -- Jason H. Foley: Not sure what happened, but I can tell you that Destin McCauley is now on the Nebraska-Kearney roster. Pat Downey moved to Oregon. He is training for the U.S. Open and plans to pursue an MMA career. Q: Did Foxcatcher get pushed to the end of 2014 so that it can contend for the 2015 Oscars? -- Nick Foley: Director Bennett Miller is a known perfectionist and from the rags it seems he chose to push the movie back so that he could perform more edits. It's unclear if he didn't like the movie in its final form, or if he was motivated by the draw of awards season. You have to assume both were a factor. There is no updated release date for the movie, but unless he holds it until November, it won't be an intentional nominee for the Oscar. Those movies are almost always back-loaded in the calendar year. Summer is for blockbusters and the holidays are for award movies. However, given the tone of the trailer and the mood of the movie he will either release by March or hold it for the second half of next season. The one benefit of the story is that there is no time hook, so it'll be relevant at any time, and with an ensemble cast it'll garner a bunch of attention. Q: If things continue as they have and Andrew Howe and David Taylor remain undefeated and each wins their second NCAA championship, who would you say was the best recent two-time NCAA champ out of Howe, Taylor, and The Renegade of Funk, Ben Askren? -- Curt H. Ben Askren (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: The Renegade of Funk is a superb title for Mr. Askren. Bravo. I'm going with Askren, mostly because he was an innovator in the sport. Taylor would be second, because without Kyle Dake, he's a three-time champion. Howe is impressive, but the length of his career took some steam out of his career. I can't form a solid argument for anyone outside of Askren. He was offensive, entertaining and dominant. Howe can't score the same amount of points and though Taylor does, the Dake-driven interruption of his dominance made him human. When Askren was rolling, it was difficult to imagine any wrestler challenging him for seven minutes. Q: How common is it for a true freshman, like Adam Coon, to get ranked No. 1 at heavyweight? -- @R_Curl Foley: I'm not sure it has ever happened. My brain is throbbing from an exhaustive and inconclusive search so let's get to answering the heart of your question: Stud freshman heavyweights are exceedingly rare, and top-ranked true freshmen almost non-existent. Adam Coon is doing something unique, and though he hasn't beaten Tony Nelson or Mike McMullan, he's shown the ability to beat anyone and everyone else. Coon is rare. He's athletic enough to scramble and big enough to use weight. More importantly he seems intelligent enough to know when to utilize each. He'll need that decision making against Nelson and McMullan, the former a monster who never gets in bad position, and the latter an exceptionally talented scrambler. He's prone to making mistakes, and though he gets away with them now, those two might find a way to capitalize where others have failed. Coon's ascendancy might also indicate that Michigan's infusion of talent is starting to pay off. Add in another All-American or two this season, and then welcome back some redshirts, and the Wolverine program could be in good shape, and come 2106 they might sneak onto the team podium. We should start getting some answers this weekend when Coon faces Nelson in a Big Ten dual. Q: So it's a Friday night and the two most storied teams in all of NCAA wrestling are set to face off ... and it's not televised. I know you can stream it on BTN2Go and they will probably show it on delay, but what kind of world are we living in where Michigan State vs. Ohio State hockey gets the starting spot over Hawkeyes vs. Cowboys, the greatest rivalry in college wrestling and one of the best in college sports, and what can we do to change this? -- Sean M Foley: Keep watching. Keep tuning in. Keep supporting the sport. Hockey is a professional sport and those schools have fans who will watch them on television. Right now wrestling can't match that popularity, even if it is Okie State and Iowa. All Big Ten hockey is just going to get better numbers live. Wrestling fans also have a tendency to watch their sport on DVR. Other sports have this as well (namely baseball), but when a sport is known to be watched on tape delay the network doesn't feel the urge to show it live when a tape delay might garner the same audience. Keep calm and watch on. We're growing. Q: I have a question. Is belt wrestling (as seen in the Russian belt wrestling federation) in which a fixed grip must be taken upon the belt at all times, the original form of wrestling in your opinion? Or are the loose hold styles (kushti, etc,) the oldest forms of wrestling? -- Nolan P. Foley: Assuming that man began life unclothed and that all athletic competitions started from necessity and leisure time, I'd guess that loose hold styles were more likely to have occurred first. Supporting this idea is that the first written document is a wrestling technique book that seems to be instructing non-belted wrestlers. Cave scrawling also depicts naked, or thinly clothed wrestlers. Of course the Ancient Greek Olympics wrestled in the nude. Belt wrestling seems to have started in the Northern Europe, the Caucuses and Mongolia, almost certainly as an answer to the conditions, which prompted the use of jackets. In fact, as you move south from these areas the clothing gets shed. In Chinese Shuaijiao competitors in Hebei-style will wear a short sleeve gi jacket and shorts. Of course in India you get back to only superhero shorts. Wrestling has found a variety of avenues to popularity. In Mongolia it came as part of training for battle and social interaction. In India, a way to honor the God Hanuman and for poor boys to get off the street. Here in America it filtered down from an imported Irish brand of collar and elbow wrestling that later splintered into professional wrestling -- the sport was a form of entertainment and used for keeping youth out of trouble. As I'm sure you've read before, Wrestling is Everywhere, but defining where it started and when is often a fool's errand. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME New video from Minnesota wrestling Garrett Lowney Link: Basketball is a JOKE Surfing is RAD Q: Should the Big Ten wrestling conference follow football's formula? Separate into two divisions o seven teams and have a conference championship dual meet. I would also add that at that conference championship match all the schools attend and have cross-bracket dual or two. The dual title now is settled by conference record, but all teams do not wrestle each other. Right now they have nine duals/dates in the Big Ten. This new format would only take seven dates, thus giving more flexibility to the school on their schedules. IE. (Penn State @ Boston U, Iowa @ Bucknell, Michigan @ Utah Valley) ... I think it would give the premier wrestling conference another showcase event and help other programs to have a showcase home event. The two divisions as I see them ... East: Penn State Ohio State Maryland Rutgers Purdue Michigan State Michigan West: Iowa Minnesota Illinois Wisconsin Nebraska Northwestern Indiana Your thoughts? -- Joe P. Foley: Absolutely great idea. The Big Ten would make a ton more money off that one match! There are always hurdles to bettering the competition schedule, and the first would be the NCAA allowing the Big Ten to add a date to their calendar. Right now there are 16 dates on the official team schedules. A Big Ten championship dual would mean going over that number. To adjust the entire NCAA could move up a slot, allowing a 17th date of competition at the discretion of the schools, or institute a special week for any dual team championship a conference would like to sponsor. The bigger problem is that most wrestling fans and advocates haven't embraced the idea that dual meets are a proper way to title a team championship. The NCAA has announced plans to gradually work those championships into the team competition in March, but it's too slow, and doesn't go far enough. The NCAA team champion should be decided by a team competition. Though wrestling is an individual sport the outcome of the team competition needs to be settled by team competition. The distinction will provide tremendous revenue potential for the sport by affording the casual fan an easy entry point to the sport. Unlike pro sports, loyalty within college athletics isn't pieced together. Fans of Kent State football tend to be fans of Kent State women's basketball. Colleges work off name identification and brand loyalty, and it's important that wrestling take advantage of that process. Your idea for a Big Ten dual meet championship is an example of that loyalty to school and conference. Though the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are widely regarded as a commercial success, should a system be created that allows for a team champion, it would soon play second fiddle to the team race. Why? Because fans can follow one bracket made up of identifiable teams much easier than they can ten brackets of 33 wrestlers. Simplicity helps with branding, media and ticket sales. Individuals can still pursue their individual titles, and now they can do so without the team race providing that constant and dull distraction. The media can focus on individual characters and their accomplishments, rather than giving half-attention to a team race. The individual tournament provides drama because you can see the wrestler win and lose NCAA championships in plain sight. The NCAA team race is calculated by math league geniuses and is often decided without an immediate celebration. Penn State won the 2012 team title BEFORE the finals. At the NCAA level a three-week dual meet format would allow for the creation of Cinderella teams and do so in a time of year when basketball doesn't provide direct opposition. I'd be thrilled to see my Virginia Cavaliers make the bracket. What if they upset a team like Minnesota in the first round on their way to the final eight, or four? That would be huge news at the university and among alumni. Live sports sell and there are plenty of sports channels to air the matches. This is wrestling's next great opportunity, and we shouldn't sit back and allow the leadership to tiptoe into change. Q: I had to snap a pic of this middle-schooler at a middle school wrestling tournament I hosted last weekend. I also couldn't help but notice more than one or two boys who chose to wear a long sleeve Under Armour-type shirt under the short sleeve rash guard uniform top. These guys were both a little chubbier than the others and were certainly more comfortable wearing the fight shorts and rash guard instead of a singlet. We started at 10 a.m., had 330 bouts, finished by 4:15 p.m., and the middle school halves and headlocks seemed to be unaffected by the extra material on their uniform. -- Andrew F. Foley: This kid, and you, are my heroes! What does a little extra fabric matter? That kid looks good, and if he's a little chubby now he can hide that behind his shirt and shorts. Is our well-dressed teenage wrestler's act of protest the first shot into the shiny walls of flimsy Fort Spandex? COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Ryan L. When I first heard about the NCAA starting to use video review in wrestling in some venues, I thought it would possibly be a great idea because it is always disappointing when the outcome is altered by a wrong call. Having witnessed the rule in action on multiple occasions, I now strongly oppose it. Here's why: 1. Delay. Whatever the outcome, a significant delay results. In a sport that conditioning is so important, any delay can impact the momentum of the match and give guys a chance to rest. A coach could even potentially make a frivolous challenge just to cause a delay. 2. Outcome. The outcome of the challenge can have unusual impacts. Lofthouse's most recent loss to Ruth had a challenge in the first period that resulted in awarding a takedown to Ruth during a scramble that wasn't initially called, then adding over one minute of time back on to the clock. This event brings up two concerns. First, things look different in review than in real time. I don't know if they use slow-motion or regular speed, but a view of one or two frames could give the impression of control when a scramble is still occurring. Second, setting the clock back to the moment of the takedown caused over a minute of wrestling to not count. That's pretty crazy. I have even seen the video reviews turn out to be inconclusive. I think it was good that this was attempted for a couple of years, but the results are in. Video reviews are bad for wrestling. To improve accuracy of calls, a second official should be required for all Division I matches.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh associate head wrestling coach John Hughes is in recovery following an accident at his parents’ farm in Benton, Pa., this past Monday. Hughes suffered an injury to his left forearm, including tendon, nerve and artery damage. He underwent nearly five hours of emergency surgery and is now facing extensive physical therapy with an expectation toward full recovery. A national champion and former assistant coach at Penn State, Hughes is in his sixth season on the Mountain Hawks’ coaching staff and his third as associate head coach under Pat Santoro. The Mountain Hawks return home to face EIWA rival Navy Friday night at 7 p.m. before heading to the Pacific Northwest for duals at Oregon State and Boise State next weekend. Hughes’ status for Lehigh’s upcoming duals remains uncertain.

From the Brute Studios, Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling Radio. Takedown is proudly presented by Kemin Agricultural Products! Join Scott Casber, Dan McCool, Steve Foster, Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET live from Clear Channel's KXNO studios in Des Moines, Iowa. This week's guests: 9:00 a.m. Luke Becker 9:20 a.m. Jeremy Spates 9:35 a.m. Todd Shumacher 9:50 a.m. Christian Payne 10:00 a.m. Geno Zannetti 10:20 a.m. Luke Eustice 10:40 a.m. Jeff Murphy 10:50 a.m. Amy Ruble Fans, athletes, coaches: This is your sport. Join in the conversation live. Ask questions. Call 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app. (Click on KXNO under Sportsradio.)

With a comfortable match lead and the dual seemingly in control, Northwestern's Diego Angelo Quintana turned the tide by pinning Kyle Robison and winning the 125-pound tilt. The win pulled the Red Raiders to within one (20-19) with one match remaining. Northwestern won that final match, 12-4 and the dual, 23-20. Sonny Gulesian (141) and Skylar Weber (149) got the Chargers off to a solid start by picking up a decision (7-3) and a tech. fall (3:20), respectively. The Red Raiders bounced back with wins at 157 and 165, before the Chargers earned a pin by Anthony Pike at 174 and a come from behind decision by Dan Harvey at 184. The Chargers are now 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the GPAC, while the Red Raiders have won two-straight duals and are 2-3 overall and 2-2 within the league.

The Belmont Abbey wrestling team claimed eight wins in ten dual matches-three by fall, two major decisions and a technical fall-as the Crusaders won their second-straight dual with a convincing 40-8 win over the visiting Anderson University Trojans this evening inside the Wheeler Center. The Crusaders dual meet record improves to 4-8. Belmont Abbey began the match leading 6-0 as Anderson forfeited at 285. Patrick Mestrez increased the lead to 9-0 at 125 as he and Cory Monteforte battled to a 2-2 stalemate, but Mestrez earned a riding time point to claim a 3-2 win. Mark Almeida recorded the first of three Abbey pins as he put away Keenan Simmons just 2:52 into the 133 pound bout, which upped the Crusader lead to 15-0. Anderson halted the Abbey momentum with a Zachary Hale pin of Clemente Narviaz at 4:19 in the 141 bout, but Sean Webb countered that with a pinfall of Sean Turner just 2:08 into the 149 match, which upped the Crusader lead to 21-5. The Trojans recorded their final win of the night at 157, as Zane Newton, trailing 9-8, escaped Jake Glunt's hold with three seconds left in the third period to literally escape with a 10-9 win. The Crusaders dominated the last four matches, as all were decided by either a pin, major decision or a technical fall. Daniel Callahan dominated Ian Harper by a 15-7 score at 165, followed by a Joseph Maumoynier 11-0 shutout of Eric DeAngelis at 174. That major decision win increased the Abbey's lead to 29-8. Marcus Dwaileebe finished off Taylor Dorsett by a 19-2 score just 6:34 into the 184 match for a technical fall victory, and Kelly Baker puncutated the 40-8 triumph with a pinfall of Robert Johnson just 6:45 into the 197 match. The Crusaders are back in action Tuesday night when they go on the road to face Coker. Results: 125: Patrick Mestrez (BAC) dec. Cory Monteforte (AU), 3-2 (BAC 3-0) 133: Markus Almeida (BAC) pinned Keenan Simmons (AU), 2:52 (BAC 9-0) 141: Zak Hale (AU) pinned Clemente Narviaz (BAC), 4:19 (BAC 9-5)* 149: Sean Webb (BAC) pinned Sean Turner (AU), 2:08 (BAC 15-5) 157: Zane Newton (AU) dec. John Glunt (BAC), 10-9 (BAC 15-8) 165: Daniel Callahan (BAC) maj. dec. Ian Harper (AU), 15-7 (BAC 19-8) 174: Joseph Maumoynier (BAC) maj. dec. Eric DeAngelis (AU), 11-0 (BAC 23-8) 184: Marcus Dwaileebe (BAC) tech. fall Taylor Dorsett (AU), 19-2 (6:34) (BAC 28-8) 197: Kelly Baker (BAC) pinned Robert Johnson (AU), 6:45 (BAC 34-8) 285: Thomas Turpin (BAC) won by forfeit (BAC 40-8) *Point deducted from referee

Coming off the Cusatis Open at Hastings College on Saturday, Jan. 11, where 11 wrestlers placed, the Bethany College wrestling team hosted their first home dual of the season against Bacone College on Wednesday, Jan. 15. The number 14 nationally ranked Swedes defeated Bacone College 43-3. "This was a solid team performance tonight with each guy stepping in and feeding off a great atmosphere," said Head Coach Jacob Marrs. "We really want to make each of our dual meets a special event and it is good to see us perform at a high level at home. We couldn't be more grateful for our fans, administration, and the college in helping create that environment. We'll look to keep sharpening through the week for the Midwest Duals and hope to see many of you back in the stands on the 28th against the 10th ranked York Panthers!" The Swedes return to action on Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Midwest Dual Tournament in Kearney, Neb. Bethany squares off against Doane College at 9 a.m., Dakota Wesleyan University at 11:30 a.m., Hastings College at 2 p.m., and Southwest Minnesota State University at 4 p.m. Results: 125: Freshman Quinton Harrison lost 7-4 to Chase Martinez. (Bacone 3-0) 133: Sophomore James Lohman defeats Abel Mejia 9-5. (Tie 3-3) 141: Junior Colt Rogers defeated Gabe Boynay 11-6. (Bethany 6-3) 149: Junior Colby Crank pinned Preston Steen at 5:16. (Bethany 12-3) 157: Freshman Jonathan Blackwell defeated Andres Perez 7-2. (Bethany 16-3) 165: Junior Jordon Ward defeated Josue Terrones 7-5. (Bethany 19-3) 174: Freshman Zach Eaton pinned Thomas Pegues at 1:20. (Bethany 25-3) 184: Freshman Spencer Wilson pinned Jose Hernandez at 1:50. (Bethany 31-3) 197: Junior Taylor Baird pinned Vincent Opuiyo at 4:35. (Bethany 37-3) 285: Junior Zach Anderson pinned Fernando Herrera at 1:15. (Bethany 43-3)

PUEBLO, Colo. -- The Chadron State College wrestling team won eight matches en route to its 28-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference dual victory at Colorado State University-Pueblo Wednesday. The Eagles, who have won four consecutive duals, never trailed the ThunderWolves during Wednesday's match thanks to a strong start. Jacob Anderson got things going by earning a 10-3 decision over Jimmy Chase at 149 pounds. CJ Clark then picked up a tough 2-0 decision at 157 over Larry Schmueser and the Eagles led 6-0. The ThunderWolves, who received votes to be ranked among the top 20 teams in Division II in the latest poll, won two decisions to make things interesting but Chadron State rallied off six consecutive victories to put the dual away. Seventh-ranked Jordan DeBus cruised to a 12-3 major decision over Augustine DeSantis and fourth-ranked Dustin Stodola improved to 14-0 this season with his 7-2 decision over Tim Urenda at 133. Also for Chadron State, Jay Stine pinned Richard Razo in the first period at 141. Three of the Eagles' victories were close, beginning with Devan Fors' 3-1 decision over Riley Argyle at 197 pounds in sudden victory. Not to be outdone, heavyweight Michael Hill nipped nationally-ranked Niko Bogojevic 2-1 in a tiebreak. Taylor Summers earned the final CSC victory with his 6-4 decision over Alex Baca at 125. Chadron State, now 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the RMAC, will host New Mexico Highlands tonight (Thursday) in a conference dual. The first match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Admission is free to the event. Results: 149 - Jacob Anderson, CSC, dec. Jimmy Chase, 10-3 157 - CJ Clark, CSC, dec. Larry Schmueser, 2-0 165 - Ray Hall, CSU-P, dec. Tyler Smart, 3-1 SV 174 - Trevor Grant, CSU-P, dec. Dylan Fors, 3-2 184 - Jordan DeBus, CSC, major dec. Augustine DeSantis, 12-3 197 - Devan Fors, CSC, dec. Riley Argyle, 3-1 SV 285 - Michael Hill, CSC, dec. Niko Bogojevic, 2-1 125 - Taylor Summers, CSC, dec. Alex Baca, 6-4 133 - Dustin Stodola, CSC, dec. Tim Urenda, 7-2 141 - Jay Stine, CSC, pinned Richard Razo, 2:35

BRISTOL, TENN. -- Limestone wrestling (6-5) pulled out a nail biter at rival King (1-2) in a Super Region II matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the King University Student Complex Center. While the Tornado earned four pin falls on the night, the Saints took six overall matches including a big major decision from senior Tanner Saraceno (Wallkill, N.Y.) to take the win, 22-21. Both teams traded decisions in the first two bouts of the night. First, sophomore Alexander Battaglia (Apex, N.C.) earned an 8-4 decision over Reed Jacks in the 125-pound contest. The Tornado responded with Cullen King's narrow 4-3 victory over freshman Kyle Lowe (Belton, S.C.). LC then took the next two bouts before King earned their first pin fall of the night at the 157-pound bout. Junior Mel LaVergne (Lake Charles, La.) captured a 5-2 decision over Frank Yatooni in the 149-pound tilt, and the Tornado forfeited the 141-pound contest. With only a 12-9 advantage, Limestone got a big boost from their next two wrestlers. First, senior Ryan Buchanan (Newport News, Va.) got a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Jordan Reece. Then, Tanner Saraceno rattled off a dominant 14-3 major decision over Travis Edwards in the 174-pound bout. After King's second pin of the night, the Saints got the match-deciding decision from sophomore Justin Tribble (Stafford, Va.) in the 197-pound contest. Tribble held of off an upset minded Eldon Valery in a narrow 2-0 decision. Limestone will return to action next weekend as they head to the Super Region II Duals on Saturday, January 25. The Saints will face Shippensburg, Tiffin, Indianapolis and Findlay on the campus of Newberry College. Results: 125: Alexander Battaglia (LC) dec. Reed Jacks (KU), 8-4. 133: Cullen King (KU) dec. Kyle Lowe (LC), 4-3. 141: Taylor Wickett (LC) wins by forfeit. 149: Mel LaVergne (LC) dec. Frank Yatooni (KC), 5-2. 157: JA Jones (KC) pinned Storm Nelson (LC), 2:40. 165: Ryan Buchanan (LC) dec. Jordan Reece (KU), 3-2. 174: Tanner Saraceno (LC) major dec. Travis Edwards (KU), 14-3. 184: Blaike Henry (KU) pinned David Kieta (LC), 4:33. 197: Justin Tribble (LC) dec. Eldon Valery (KU), 2-0. HWT: Garrett Fosdyck (KU) pinned Jeremiah Parker (LC), 2:30.

WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. -- The 12th-ranked Mercyhurst University wrestling team jumped out to a 21-0 lead after the opening five matches and cruised to a 31-9 victory at West Liberty on Wednesday night. The Lakers have won three straight to improve to 8-1 on the season. The Hilltoppers dropped to 2-2 overall on the year. Mercyhurst jumped in front 21-0 after earning victories in each of the first five matches before West Liberty stopped the Laker run in the 165-pound bout to cut the advantage to 21-6. Mercyhurst claimed victories in the next two bouts to extend the lead to 28-6, preceding wins by each team in the final two matches of the night for the final margin. It marks the sixth time in nine duals this season that Mercyhurst has kept its opponent to single digits in team scoring this season. Redshirt junior Ryan Bohince got the ball rolling in the 125-pound match with a 3-0 blanking of West Liberty's Zach Brown to give the Lakers a 3-0 lead. Redshirt sophomore Kody Young followed with a 9-6 win at 133 to extend the Laker lead to 6-0. At 141 pounds, sophomore Dylan D'Urso, ranked seventh in the country at the weight, pinned Joe Wagstaff of West Liberty 30 seconds into the second period to give the Lakers a 12-0 lead. D'Urso improved to 16-2 on the season and 9-0 in dual matches. The sophomore from Greenville, Pa., has won 25 consecutive dual matches after losing his first collegiate bout at Ashland as a freshman. Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Landowski earned an easy six points for the Lakers with a forfeit win at 149 pounds. Redshirt freshman Francis Mizia extended the lead to 21-0 with a 5-2 decision in the 157-pound match. West Liberty stopped the bleeding in the 165-pound match when Mike Emery pinned redshirt senior Clint Schaefer ten seconds into the third period. The win by Emery cut the Mercyhurst lead to 21-6. Redshirt sophomore August Mizia followed the win by West Liberty with a 12-0 major decision victory at 174 pounds over Eric Antesberger. Freshman Dakota DesLauriers picked up three more points for the Lakers with a 3-1 win in the 184-pound match. Danny Doyle of West Liberty and freshman Andrew Welton of Mercyhurst exchanged three points in their matches at 197 and 285 to close out the scoring. The Lakers will return home to square off with Lake Erie College on Saturday, January 18 at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Results: 125 - Ryan Bohince (Mercyhurst) decision over Zach Brown (West Liberty), 3-0 133 - Kody Young (Mercyhurst) decision over Bryce Gainer (West Liberty), 9-6 141 - Dylan D'Urso (Mercyhurst) pinned Joe Wagstaff (West Liberty), 3:30 149 - Jeremy Landowski (Mercyhurst) won by forfeit 157 - Francis Mizia (Mercyhurst) decision over Bryan Skoff (West Liberty), 5-2 165 - Mike Emery (West Liberty) pinned Clint Schaefer (Mercyhurst), 5:10 174 - August Mizia (Mercyhurst) major decision over Eric Antesberger (West Liberty), 12-0 184 - Dakota DesLauriers (Mercyhurst) decision over Doug Sizemore (West Liberty), 3-1 197 - Danny Doyle (West Liberty) decision over Brian Beattie (Mercyhurst), 3-1 285 - Andrew Welton (Mercyhurst) won in tie breaker 1 over Aaron Silverio (West Liberty), 4-2

The Lindenwood wrestling team had a great win over No. 13 McKendree 23-16 on Wednesday night at Hyland Arena. The night started with the 125 weight class as Marco Tamayo got the ball rolling with a 7-4 decision victory. Terrel Wilbourn dominated his opponent who was ranked as the No. 8 in the 149 weight class as he drew close to a pin multiple times throughout the first period and finished with a 14-6 major decision. Derrick Weller had one of the most exciting matches of the night going back and forth with the No. 7 wrestler in 157 Josh Ballard. With the scored tied at 7-7 in the final period Weller took control and pinned Ballard at the 6:39 mark for the late victory. John McArdle had a big second period to take a wealthy lead and an eventual 18-7 major decision to give the Lions a 20-13 lead heading into the last two matches. Kenny Breaux fell 5-1 to No. 5 Julian Smith in a hard fought match. Steven Butler closed out the match with a 3-1 decision for a Lindenwood victory 23-16 over No. 13 McKendree. Results: 125 - Marco Tamayo (LU) won by decision over Jose Torres (MU) 7-4 133 - Brenden Murphy (MU) won by decision over Matt Katusin (LU) 3-0 141 - Kyle Webb (LU) won by decision over Ryan Strope (MU) 6-3 149 - Terrel Wilbourn (LU) won by major decision over Kyle Williams (MU) 15-6 157 - Derrick Weller (LU) won by pin over Josh Ballard (MU) 6:39 165 - Nick Haferkamp (MU) won by pin over Luke Roth (LU) 3:54 174 - Luis Alba (MU) won by major decision over Tyler Sexton (LU) 14-5 184 - John McArdle (LU)won by major decision over John Vogt (MU) 18-8 197 - Julian Smith (MU) won by decision over Kenny Breaux (LU) 5-1 285 - Steven Butler (LU) won by decision over Ross Janney (MU) 3-1 *The dual started at the 125 weight class.

DAVIDSON, N.C. --The Runnin' Bulldogs won six of the first seven matches, including No. 30 Austin Trott’s (Kingsland, Ga.) seventh straight win and a pin by Alex Bennett (Franklin, Tenn.) en route to a 35-15 win over Davidson College in Southern Conference action Wednesday evening. Gardner-Webb (6-9, 2-2 SoCon) was awarded the first two matches at 125 and 133 pounds by forfeit, giving the Runnin’ Bulldogs a 12-0 advantage before Ryan Mosley (Stone Mountain, Ga.) pushed the lead to 17-0, dominating Davidson’s (4-7, 0-1 SoCon) James McCord, 17-2, for a tech fall victory at 141 pounds. A pin by Davidson’s Kevin Birmingham at 149 pounds got the Wildcats on the board, and cut the lead to 17-6 before Cole Graves (Owings, Md.) won by a 4-2 decision against Nick Pappayliou at 157 pounds to give Gardner-Webb a 20-6 lead. Bennett added six points at 165 pounds, pinning Patrick Devlin in 6:42, before Trott pushed his streak to seven wins with a 15-8 decision against Nathaniel Powers at 174 pounds, giving the Runnin’ Bulldogs a 29-6 advantage. Davidson closed the gap to 29-15 with a pin in 4:08 at 184 pounds and a 7-2 decision at 194 pounds, before Justin Kozera (Taneytown, Md.) pinned Eddie Isola in 5:33 in the heavyweight bout to give Gardner-Webb the 35-15 victory. Gardner-Webb is back in action on Sunday in the nation’s capital, traveling to Washington, D.C. to take on Columbia University at 10 a.m. and American University at 12 p.m. Results: 125 – Phillip Anderson (GWU) by forfeit – 6-0 133 – Robbie Golde (GWU) by forfeit – 12-0 141 – Ryan Mosley (GWU) tech fall. James McCord (DC), 17-2 – 17-0 149 – Kevin Birmingham (DC) pinned Tyler Ziegler (GWU), 3:51 – 17-6 157 – Cole Graves (GWU) dec. Nick Pappayliou (DC), 4-2, 20-6 165 – Alex Bennett (GWU) pinned Patrick Devlin (DC), 6:42, 26-6 174 – No. 30 Austin Trott (GWU) dec. Nathaniel Powers (DC), 15-8, 29-6 184 – Scott Patrick (DC) pinned Aaron Rabin (GWU), 4:08, 29-12 197 – Michael Moore (DC) dec. Zach Bennett (GWU), 7-2, 29-15 HWT – Justin Kozera (GWU) pinned Ed Isola (DC), 5:33, 35-15

The 2014 Top Gun Wrestling Tournament has the potential to be one of the best editions of the event in its history. Complimenting what is year-to-year an excellent field is No. 4 Clovis (Calif.), three-time defending state champions in single-class California. The Cougars are that state's perennial power having finishing in the top five each of the last seven years, and thirteen of the last fifteen. Nick Nevills (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)However, it is no guarantee that Clovis will travel into Ohio and walk away with the Top Gun title, as two other Fab 50 teams are in the field: No. 8 Massillon Perry, runners-up in the Division I state tournament nine of the last eleven years; and No. 29 Claymont, the tournament's defending champion. Other teams with a shot at a top-five finish in the event are Uniontown Lake, Marysville, Nordonia, Sandusky Perkins, and Akron SVSM. This tournament field has historically featured some star individuals, for example Nathan Tomasello (CVCA/Ohio State), Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham/Ohio State), Johnni DiJulius (Walsh Jesuit/Ohio State), David Taylor (St. Paris Graham/Penn State), Ben Jordan (St. Paris Graham/Wisconsin), and Colt Sponseller (West Holmes/Ohio State). That pattern does not change this year with the presence of Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), a Penn State commit, who is ranked No. 1 nationally at 285 pounds and the No. 4 overall prospect in the Class of 2014. Despite no nationally ranked wrestler present in the 138-pound weight class, that weight class is projected to have the most depth. Eight returning state place-winners and two other state qualifiers could be present in this field. The group is anchored by a pair of three-time state placers, defending Top Gun champion Cody Burcher (Claymont) and returning state runner-up Ryan Skonieczny (Akron SVSM). Two-time state placer, and current favorite for the Division I state title, Michael Kostandaras (Walsh Jesuit) is also here as are the following additional state placers: Nick Boggs (Painesville Riverside), David Sparks (Marysville), Andy Dobben (CVCA), Dashawn Haynes (Buckeye Valley), and Josh Weber (Loudonville). Returning state qualifiers from the joint team favorites are also present, Lane Barnes (Clovis, Calif.) and Nick Steed (Massillon Perry). Multiple nationally ranked wrestlers are present in both the 106 and 113-pound weight classes. At 106 pounds, it is No. 2 Tyler Warner (Claymont) and No. 11 Justin Mejia (Clovis, Calif.). Additional contenders include NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Thomas Genetin (Massillon Perry), along with state qualifiers Anthony Jagel (Middletown) and Dante Ginnetti (Poland). The 113-pound weight class is led by No. 3 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry), who is returning from missing a month of competition due to an injury sustained at the Ironman. He is joined by defending Top Gun champion Dustin Warner (Claymont), who is ranked No. 12 nationally; along with No. 19 Hayden Lee (Marysville), who is a two-time state placer. Others to note include returning state placer Corey Simpson (Field), along with Tristan Gilliland (Clovis, Calif.) and Garrett Lambert (Strongsville). Nevills, a two-time state champion in single class California at 285 pounds, is the obvious favorite in that weight class. Others in the field include state placer Drek Brumley (Akron SVSM), as well as state qualifiers in Hayden Bottorff (Miami Trace), Logan Sharp (West Branch), and Josh Rohrbacher (Sandusky Perkins). Other contenders are Nate Conti (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.) and Chris Crumb (Olentangy). The other two nationally ranked wrestlers in this tournament field are from Massillon Perry, No. 15 Casey Sparkman at 152 and No. 12 Tony Dailey at 160. Sparkman anchors a weight class that has six others with state tournament experience: two-time state placer Jeff Hojnacki (CVCA), Andrew McNally (Uniontown Lake), Dominic Kincaid (Clovis, Calif.), Heath Phillibert (Nordonia), Dalton Hartshorn (Minerva), and Tristan Stallard (Carrollton). The only other wrestler with state experience in the weight class of defending Top Gun champion Dailey is Josh Hokit (Clovis, Calif.) A key weight class to watch in the team race dynamic is the one at 126 pounds, which features three-time state placer David Bavery (Massillon Perry) and returning state placer Khristian Olivas (Clovis, Calif.). three others in the field have state experience: Alec Cotton (Uniontown Lake), who took Bavery to overtime in the opening dual meet of the season, along with returning state placers Greg Brusco (Delaware Hayes) and Colton Ullman (Loudonville). A pair of freshmen here could make some noise: Matt Steer (West Branch) and Andrew Sams (LaSalle). Four returning state placers are present in both the 120 and 132-pound weight classes. The 120-pound weight class features four such wrestlers, led by two-time placers in Julian Gaytan (Clovis, Calif.) and Ryan Bennett (CVCA); Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit), a Cadet National freestyle All-American and the tournament favorite, as well as Trent Duffy (Miami Trace) have also appeared on the podium. Additional contenders here are two more Cadet National freestyle All-Americans in freshman sensation Corey Shie (LaSalle) and Medina Invitational champion Jake Newhouse (Massillon Perry). The 132-pound weight class is led by two-time state placer Isaiah Hokit (Clovis, Calif.). Other such state placers are Nolan Whitely (Walsh Jesuit), Justin Shirkey (LaSalle), and Garrett Carter (Akron SVSM). Returning state finalist Zac Carson (Uniontown Lake), who also placed at the FloNationals, lead the field at 145 pounds. He is joined by two-time state placer Taleb Rahmani (Marysville), along with four other returning and/or previous state qualifiers in Mike DeCesare (Nordonia), Walter Gibson (Akron SVSM), Austin Phillips (Massillon Perry), and Caden Herron (Claymont). Returning state qualifier Matt Dennis (Claymont) is back to defend his Top Gun title at 170 pounds, where the lead challenger is two-time state placer Isaac Bast (Massillon Perry), who was a runner-up in last year's Top Gun at 138 pounds. The other wrestler with state experience here is Brody Brand (Clovis, Calif.), while three other state alternates are in this weight class. The 182-pound weight class features defending state champion Aaron Adkins (Akron SVSM), along with defending Top Gun champion Nate Hall (Olentangy), who was a state qualifier last year. Others to watch are A.J. Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), state alternate Colt Crall (Claymont), along with returning state qualifiers in Mike Audi (Poland) and Shawn Johnson (Delaware Hayes). Three wrestlers with state experience are present at 195 pounds, led by state placers Ryan Weber (Loudonville) and Tyler McClellan (CVCA), along with Tyler Dodd (Carrollton). Lastly, it's the 220-pound weight class, which is led by four state placers. Most notable among them is returning Top Gun runner-up Austin Pfarr (Marysville), who placed second at the Ironman and was champion at SWOWCA and Brecksville this year. Joining Pfarr as state placers are Alex Woicehovich (Nordonia), Harrison Hoppel (Minerva), and Kordell Chaney (Sandusky Perkins). Matt Weiss (Clovis, Calif.), a champion at four tournaments this year including the Doc Buchanan Invitational, joins Austin Bentley (Carrollton) and Stefano Millin (Massillon Perry) as additional state qualifiers in this weight class. Also worth watching is returning state alternate Garrett Harding (Claymont), champion at Medina at the end of last month. Wrestling starts at 10 a.m. Eastern on both Friday and Saturday, while the top six placement finals are slated for a 5 p.m. start on Saturday at Alliance High School.

OREM, Utah -- Former two-time All-American wrestler Cyler Sanderson has joined head coach Greg Williams' staff as a volunteer assistant. The former Iowa State Cyclone and Penn State Nittany Lion will coach middleweights at Utah Valley. "We are very excited to have someone of Cyler's experience working with our guys," said Williams. "He brings a positive energy and winning attitude into our room that will be great for our guys to be exposed to. We are very fortunate to have him with us. "With his background wrestling for his dad, Steve, at Wasatch HS, and his brothers Cael and Cody at Penn State and Iowa State, he will be able to add training philosophies and various technique options that we welcome here in the UVU wrestling program." Sanderson is the younger brother of current Penn State head coach and former Olympian Cael Sanderson as well as Cody Sanderson, the current associate head coach for the Nittany Lions and UVU's first head wrestling coach. Cyler wrestled three seasons under his older brothers' tutelage at Iowa State before following his brothers to State College to finish out his collegiate career. Cyler is a two-time All-American as he placed seventh at 157-pounds during his sophomore season at ISU (2007-08) and sixth during his senior campaign at PSU (2009-10). The four-year national qualifier also won titles in both the Big Ten as well as the Big 12 during his tenure and ended his collegiate career with a 114-33 career record with 18 pins, 25 major decisions and seven technical falls. "This is a great opportunity for me and I'm excited to help build wrestling in the state of Utah," Cyler Sanderson said. "I'm specifically looking forward to helping these wrestlers achieve their goals of becoming National Champions at the Division I level. I plan on helping as many of them as I can as well as the program as a whole, and I am really looking forward to working at Utah Valley.” Cyler hails from Heber City, Utah, where he was a three-time Utah State Champion at Wasatch High School. The new Wolverine coach won a National Junior Championship at 140-pounds and went 163-8 while in high school. He was also a 2005 First-Team Asics All-American and an Amateur Wrestling News Second-Team All-American. Cyler was ranked first in the nation at 140 pounds in 2005 by both the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and Amateur Wrestling News (AWN) as he won the National High School Coaches Association Championship that same season. Cyler received his Bachelor of Arts degree in fine arts from Penn State University in 2010. Cyler — who recently returned home from serving a mission for the LDS Church in Austria, Germany and Switzerland — is currently continuing his education at UVU in business.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The George Mason wrestling team has added transfer students Patrick Davis and Konbeh Koroma to its roster as officially announced on Tuesday. Davis, a sophomore transfer from NC State, wrestled as a true freshman at 174lbs for the Wolfpack last season where he finished with a record of 13-14. Davis was a two-time Delaware state champion in 2011 and 2012 and was a fourth place finisher at NHSCA Senior Nationals. He is projected to wrestle at 174lbs. for the Patriots. “Patrick has been successful at the high school and NCAA Division 1 level,” commented Coach Joe Russell. “We are excited for him to compete for George Mason University.” Koroma comes to Mason with sophomore eligibility status from Old Dominion University. The Springfield, Va. native wrestled at Robert. E. Lee High School, placing at the Virginia state meet in 2011. He is projected to wrestle for Mason at 149lbs. “Having Northern Virginia wrestlers on our team is important for us at George Mason. We want local kids to grow up wanting to be Patriots. We are excited for Konbeh to wear the George Mason uniform." “We are excited to have these two student-athletes join the team," continued Russell. "Both have worked hard to gain admission to George Mason University and it has been enjoyable to get to know them and see their efforts to become Patriots. We have high hopes for both of them on and off the mat.” Mason returns to competition this Sunday at 5p.m. when the Patriots host the Virginia Military Institute at the RAC.

Breaking down midweek UFC fight cards isn't our cup of tea. So this week on the MMA Outsider podcast, it's time to break down the World Series of Fighting. Justin Gaethje should cruise to victory and win the organization's lightweight title. But the rest of the card is fairly competitive, in some cases for slightly bizarre reasons. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

The individual bracket tournament heavy month of December is long gone, and the mid-January halfway (or beyond) point of the scholastic wrestling season is here. A good mix of individual events and dual meet competition mark the week-to-week docket with perceptions of who is (close to) the best in each state on the line. Don Bosco Prep wins Virginia Duals, but has multiple tests this week Coming into the past weekend with some uneven performances in the first four weeks of their season, Don Bosco Prep, N.J. traveled to the Virginia Duals looking to establish order. Last year's state runner-up at 106 pounds as a freshman, Kyle Bierdumpfel returned to the mats for the Ironmen. Even though not at an optimal weight class, his presence at 126/132 pounds is still an asset. In the semifinals, Don Bosco Prep upended fellow Fab 50 member McDonogh, Md., by a 47-18 score, as they won nine of the fourteen weight classes; while in the final, they upended another Fab 50 squad -- Nazareth, Pa., 32-20, winning nine matches yet again. Those performances moved the Ironmen up fourteen spots in the Fab 50 to No. 23 nationally. However, there is no time for Don Bosco Prep to rest of their laurels, as they have major competition in a home quadrangular meet on Saturday afternoon. They will host No. 25 Bound Brook, defending Group 4 (big-school public) state champions Brick Memorial, and Newark Academy. Then, on Monday, they travel to No. 21 St. Peter's Prep for a dual meet. Here are the projected lineups for Don Bosco Prep, Bound Brook, and St. Peter's Prep. 106: Evan Deluise (DBP), Anthony Lopez (BB), Alec Kelly (SPP) 113: Avery Shay (DBP), Gonzalo Limenza (BB), Nicholas Santos (SPP) 120: Luis Gonzalez (DBP), Stephen Glasgow (BB), Michael Russo (SPP) 126: Kyle Bierdumpfel/Sam Cali (DBP), Craig De La Cruz (BB), Isaiah McGowan (SPP) 132: Bierdumpfel/Cali/Andrew Roszenweig (DBP), Mekhi Lewis (BB), Sonny Simonetti (SPP) 138: Roszenweig/Bruno Gerardi (DBP), Nicholas Accetta (BB), Connor Burkert (SPP) 145: Joe Napolitano (DBP), Sean Glasgow (BB), Ryan Burkert (SPP) 152: Ryan Forero (DBP), Andrew Gombas (BB), Manny Ramirez (SPP) 160: Jeremy Soto (DBP), Josh Ugalde (BB), Stephen Kellner (SPP) 170: No. 18 Luke Farinaro/Jeff Lombardi (DBP), Isaiah Soto (BB), Luke Leonard(SPP) 182: Farinaro/Lombardi (DBP), Abraham Saavedra (BB), Danny Sblendorio (SPP) 195: Eric Chakonis (DBP), Ronald Picado (BB), Christian Colucci (SPP) 220: No. 16 Zack Chakonis (DBP), Aaron Saavedra (BB), Jordan Fox (SPP) 285: Kevin Feder (DBP), Mike Johnson (BB), Armond Cox (SPP) Runner-up Nazareth did not have the best of weeks, as they lost ten bouts in a 40-17 defeat against fellow Fab 50 member Bethlehem Catholic, Pa this past Wednesday. The Blue Eagles were without state alternate Sage Karam at 145, but that still doesn't rationalize the defeats. As a result, Nazareth drops five spots to No. 19 in the Fab 50, while Bethlehem Catholic jumps seven spots to No. 17. Additionally, McDonogh compounded their semifinal loss to Don Bosco Prep by getting blown out in their next dual meet against St. Anthony's, N.Y. The Eagles only won five weight classes in a 44-26 loss. Even with multiple wrestlers up in weight classes, it was still baffling. As a result, McDonogh drops seventeen spots to No. 32 in the nation. Their performance in particular at the Beast of the East keeps them as a nationally ranked team. St. Edward to dual Fab 50 team for third straight weekend Perennial Ohio power St. Edward continues its rigorous January schedule this Saturday with a home dual meet against No. 5 St. Paris Graham at 2 p.m. For the third of four straight Saturdays, the Eagles will compete in a dual meet against a fellow Fab 50 squad. This past weekend, they upended No. 30 Marmion Academy, Ill., 36-27. Despite losing the dual meet, the visiting Cadets won seven of the nine contested bouts, but had to forfeit at 145, 160, and the last three bouts of the dual meet (220, 285, and 106). Two weekends ago, Marmion Academy had wrestlers compete at 145 and 160 pounds, and both placed at the Dvorak Memorial Tournament. Also of note is that St. Edward won the two most contested matches of the meet: at 113 pounds, No. 11 L.J. Bentley upended No. 15 Anthony Bosco 3-0, while Gabe Dzuro defeated Nathan Traxler 7-6 at 182. The residual of this is that St. Edward drops five spots to No. 26 nationally. The following are projected lineups for Saturday's dual meet between St. Paris Graham, who is after their 14th consecutive Division II state title; and St. Edward, who has won 16 of the last 17 titles in Division I (big-school). 106: Justin Stickley/Tanner Smith (G) vs. Allan Hart (SE) 113: No. 16 Eli Stickley (G) vs. No. 11 L.J. Bentley (SE) 120: Mario Kastl (G) vs. Mason Daugherty (SE) 126: No. 14 Eli Seipel (G) vs. Isaac Collier (SE) 132: Brent Moore (G) vs. Hunter Ladnier (SE) 138: Kyle Lawson (G) vs. Jack Conway/Joey Ciacchi (SE) 145: No. 1 Micah Jordan (G) vs. Ray Barr (SE) 152: Garrett Jordan (G) vs. D.J. Williamson (SE) 160: No. 7 Alex Marinelli (G) vs. Adam Wukie (SE) 170: Lane Thomas (G) vs. Kevin Khoma (SE) 182: Hayden Bronne (G) vs. Gabe Dzuro (SE) 195: Josh Couchman/Kanan Sarver (G) vs. Mike O'Malley (SE) 220: Brandon Hays (G) vs. Parker Knapp (SE) 285: Dylan Nave (G) vs. Ralph Nichols (SE) Wyoming Seminary gives No. 1 Blair Academy a scare, face Bergen Catholic next In the championship match of the NHSCA Final Four Festival of Wrestling, Wyoming Seminary competed against No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. After the match was done the Blue Knights let the nation know that a disappointing Walsh Jesuit Ironman was far, far back in the rear view mirror. They won seven of the fourteen weight classes in the dual meet, but lost 27-24. Tossup matches started going in favor of Wyoming Seminary with a second match 5-4 victory from Tyler Ponte against National Prep runner-up Walker Dempsey at 145 pounds. However, Blair Academy was quick to respond with a 7-1 victory in a potential swing bout at 152 pounds, as No. 8 Mason Manville defeated No. 10 Nick Reenan. No. 20 Chris Weiler capitalized on the hole left in Blair Academy's lineup at 160 pounds due to the absence of No. 3 Dylan Milonas, as he earned a fall in 3:20 over Jimmy Stillerman to tie the dual meet at 9-9. The teams would trade decisions in four straight bouts -- No. 16 Brandon Dallavia (170) and David Showunmi (195) winning for the Buccaneers, while the Blue Knights got victories from Greg Kleinsmith (182) and Matthew Doggett (220). Two further consecutive decision victories from Jake Scanlan (285) and John Busiello (106) would give Wyoming Seminary a 21-15 heading to a crucial turn in the dual meet. For the second straight week Requin van der Merwe came up with an important victory for Blair Academy, this time earning a 7-2 victory over Trent Olson at 113 pounds. An 11-3 major decision from No. 17 Chaz Tucker would give Blair Academy a 22-21 lead, one they would keep as the teams split the last two bouts of the meet; No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik earned a technical fall for Blair at 126, while Will Verallis of Wyoming Seminary upended Alex Rinaldi 2-0 in a battle of returning National Prep placers at 132 pounds. The rest of giving Blair Academy a close call is that Wyoming Seminary moves up one spot in the national rankings to No. 6, as they swap spots with now No. 7 Bergen Catholic, N.J. The Blue Knights and the Crusaders will compete in a 5 p.m. dual meet on Friday night at the University of Pennsylvania. Here are the projected lineups for that match. 106: John Busiello (WS) vs. Evan Quinn (BC) 113: Trent Olson (WS) vs. No. 2 Nick Suriano (BC) 120: Jimmy Overheiser (WS) vs. Tyler Casamenti (BC) 126: Aaron Kliamovich (WS) vs. Peter Lipari (BC) 132: Will Verallis (WS) vs. J.P. Ascolese (BC) 138: Danny Boychuck (WS) vs. Lauren Anghelina (BC) 145: Tyler Ponte (WS) vs. Zack Spira (BC) 152: No. 10 Nick Reenan (WS) vs. Joe Grello (BC) 160: No. 20 Chris Weiler (WS) vs. Jordan Pagano (BC) 170: Ryan McMullan (WS) vs. Kevin Mulligan (BC) 182: Greg Kleinsmith (WS) vs. No. 2 Johnny Sebastian (BC) 195: Mike Rogers (WS) vs. Conner O'Brien/Danny DeLorenzi (BC) 220: Matthew Doggett (WS) vs. Christian Jenco (BC) 285: Jake Scanlan (WS) vs. Joe Caggiano (BC) Bergen Catholic impressive at Garden State Duals The one spot drop in the Fab 50 for Bergen Catholic, N.J., comes despite their impressive showing at the inaugural Garden State Duals held on the campus of Rutgers University this past Saturday. The Crusaders dominated their three matches in preliminary competition, as they went 31-9 in terms of bouts during victories over Shawnee (45-21), Passaic Valley (54-9), and Holy Cross (55-18). On the other hand, it was a bit more trying for their championship match opponent, No. 21 St. Peter's Prep, N.J. The Marauders won ten bouts each in victories over River Dell (47-21) and New Milford (48-18), but split the fourteen weight classes in a 32-29 victory over Delbarton, needing a technical fall from Christian Colucci (195) and a pin from Jordan Fox (220) in the last two bouts to win the meet. The championship match started with the Crusaders' ace in the hole Nick Suriano batting leadoff, and the nation's No. 2 113 pound wrestler earned an 18-6 major decision over freshman Nicholas Santos. State placer Michael Russo would respond for St. Peter's Prep with a 5-3 decision over Tyler Casamenti at 120, before a pair of wins from Peter Lipari (126) and J.P. Ascolese (132) extended the lead out to 13-3. State placer Connor Burkert (138) was able to cut into the lead with a 6-3 decision victory. However, five consecutive victories for the Crusaders -- all but one coming with bonus points -- sucked the life out of the dual meet. Notable among those wins was the 5-1 victory at 152 pounds for Joe Grello against returning state placer Ryan Burkert, though Burkert was up one weight class from normal. An 8-0 major decision for No. 2 in the nation Johnny Sebastian at 182 concluded the barrage. St. Peter's Prep would close the dual meet with four consecutive victories, including a last match forfeit at 106 pounds to make the score respectable at 34-21 in favor of the Crusaders. Sooner State journey for supremacy The Geary Invitational, which is the nation's oldest high school tournament, celebrated its 70th edition this past weekend. It was a show fitting of the occasion, as the two highest ranked teams in Oklahoma waged a tight battle all the way to the end. No. 13 Broken Arrow won the tournament with 149.5 points despite having only two champions -- No. 12 Markus Simmons (120) and No. 16 Davion Jeffries (126) -- because of their tournament-high ten placers, including eight inside the top three. Three additional wrestlers for the champion Tigers placed second and third respectively. Runner-up finishes were earned by Shea Conley (138), Tanner Bailey (145), and Paden Bailey (152). For the formerly ranked Tanner Bailey, he was upset 3-1 by Will Steltzen of Collinsville in the final. Third place finishes were earned by Damon Hail (113), Zack Edwards (132), and Isaiah Page (170). Finishing razor close in second place was No. 11 Edmond North with 147.5 points, despite missing returning state placer Cy Trindle (120). The Huskies were led by five weight class champions: No. 13 Paxton Rosen (106), No. 10 Joel Dixon (182), No. 5 Derek White (195), No. 13 at 170 Lance Dixon (220), and No. 11 at 220 Andrew Dixon (285). White was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler, while Andrew Dixon earned most falls in the least time. Zach Walton (160) finished in second place, while only two other wrestlers earned placement honors. Finishing in third and fourth place were Tuttle (111.5) and Collinsville (108.5). Despite having only Dakota Head (152) win a weight class title, No. 31 Tuttle had the tournament's second-most placers, as nine earned a podium finish. Of note was a runner-up finish by Riley Fielder (220) and third place finishes from Noah McQuigg (106), Beau Guffey (120), and Blake Dauphin (126). The fourth place finish, led by weight class titles from No. 9 Gary Wayne Harding (138) and Will Steltzen (145), was enough to propel the Cardinals back into the Fab 50 at No. 47 nationally. Three additional wrestlers earned runner-up honors, Nate Keim (106), No. 10 Christian Moody (113), and Roc Robbins (182). Rounding out the weight class champions were Montorie Bridges (Altus) at 113 pounds; Cub Yeager (Locust Grove), who upset previously ranked Jacob Rubio (Canyon Randall, Texas) 2-0 in the final at 132 pounds; Levi Berry (Norman North) at 160; and Drake Pilgrim (Tascosa, Texas). This coming weekend will be the Sand Springs Tournament, where Broken Arrow and Edmond North will be joined by No. 14 Stillwater. Those three teams will be in the same event, something that will also happen a couple times in February, as the teams contest for both the dual meet and individual state titles in Class 6A (big-school). Quick hitters from the past weekend No. 35 Clovis West, Calif. won the Eastern States Tournament in New York State this past weekend with 129 points, which was 30-plus points more than their closest challengers, Springfield Central (Mass.) and Hauppauge (N.Y.). The Golden Eagles had five placers -- which were led by a second place finish from No. 17 Michael Knoblauch (126), as well as third place finishes from Chris Garcia (145) and Cortes Morales (220). Seven nationally ranked wrestlers won weight class titles: No. 13 Vitali Arujau (Syosset) at 113 pounds, No. 5 Nick Piccinnini (Ward Mellville) at 120, No. 15 Travis Passaro (Eastport-South Manor) at 126, No. 14 Burke Paddock (Warsaw) at 170, No. 13 Christian Dietrich (Greene) at 182, No. 11 Levi Ashley (Shenendehowa) at 195, and No. 15 Richard Sisti (Monsignor Farrell) at 220. Of note is the tournament from Passaro, who was previously unranked, but jumps into the rankings are wins over two nationally ranked wrestlers. No. 9 Franklin Regional, Pa., was a dominant host of the 17-team Westmoreland County Coaches Association Tournament this past weekend, as six Panthers won weight class titles while six others finished inside the top four as well. Winning weight class titles were No. 3 Devin Brown (106), No. 1 Spencer Lee (113), No. 2 Tyler Smith (132), No. 2 Michael Kemerer (138), Josh Maruca (145), and No. 11 Josh Shields (152). Lee upended National Prep runner-up Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) 9-5 and Smith beat No. 3 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area) 3-2 in rematches of finals from the POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament. The Panthers amassed 290.5 points, more than 100 points ahead of Kiski Area (187) and No. 42 Greater Latrobe (186.5). Deterring Greater Latrobe from more points was the need for No. 19 Dom Scalise (160) to default from the tournament down to a sixth place finish after making the semifinals. That squad had No. 1 Luke Pletcher (120) and No. 5 Zack Zavatsky (182) win weight class titles, with Pletcher's coming by a 4-2 score over No. 8 George Phillippi (Derry Area) in a rematch of the Super 32 Challenge final. In a battle of the top two teams in the state of Iowa, Bettendorf beat Southeast Polk 37-27 on Sunday morning before Iowa State's dual meet against Oklahoma at Hilton Coliseum. The Bulldogs won eight of fourteen weight classes, and move ahead of the Rams in the national rankings. Bettendorf moves up five spots to No. 22, while Southeast Polk drops two spots to No. 27 in the country. Bettendorf will be one of three nationally ranked teams attending the Geneseo Bi-State this coming Friday and Saturday in Illinois. Joining the Bulldogs in attendance will be fellow Iowa squads, No. 38 Waverly-Shell Rock and No. 48 Cedar Rapids Prairie. A recap of the Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals, which featured six Fab 50 teams in the field and nine dual meets directly involving both of those teams, was published on InterMat Sunday morning. Oak Park River Forest, Ill. remains No. 3 nationally after sweeping four Fab 50 opponents; Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. moves up two spots to No. 18 after going 3-1, including two wins over Fab 50 squads; Montini Catholic, Ill. dropped nine spots to No. 20 after going 1-3 against a quartet of Fab 50 teams; Brecksville, Ohio dropped one position to No. 24 after splitting four dual meets; Davison, Mich. dropped two spots to No. 28 after splitting four dual meets; St. Johns, Mich. moved up one position to No. 37 despite losing to a pair of Fab 50 teams (both were ranked higher) on Saturday. Also on tap for the weekend ahead The Top Gun Wrestling Tournament will be held in Alliance, Ohio on Friday and Saturday. There is a trio of Fab 50 teams in the field: No. 4 Clovis (Calif.), No. 8 Massillon Perry, and No. 29 Claymont. A separate preview for that event will be posted on Thursday. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. travels to the Escape the Rock Tournament this Saturday and Sunday at Council Rock South, which is located outside of Philadelphia, Pa. Two additional Fab 50 squads join the Buccaneers in the field, No. 17 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. and No. 36 Robinson, Va. Also in the field is defending tournament champions Parkland, Pa. From an individual standpoint, it is an extremely strong field anchored by No. 1 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) at 138, No. 2 Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.) at 285, and No. 3 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) at 126. Both No. 20 Montini Catholic, Ill., and No. 30 Marmion Academy, Ill., will seek to bounce back from short-comings of the past weekend in a triangular meet on Saturday at Marmion Academy. The teams will dual meet each other and Westerville North, Ohio. It will be interesting to see what type of lineup each can muster. Two major showcase tournaments in the Golden State are this coming weekend, the Clinch Gear Battle of the Belt at Temecula Valley and the Five Counties Invitational hosted by Fountain Valley. A pair of Fab 50 squads, No. 39 Pleasant Grove (Utah) and No. 45 Centennial (Idaho) will be at the Rocky Mountain Rumble this weekend in Orem, Utah. Defending champions Maple Mountain (Utah) will also be in attendance. The nation's biggest showcase of below high school wrestling is also this weekend, the 2014 Tulsa Nationals kick off on Thursday and end on Saturday. Results will be available via Track Wrestling.

The backbone of the college wrestling season is not the dual meet, but it's the home-and-away dual meet. There's a reason why Minnesota drew 1,000 more fans for their home dual meet against Oklahoma State in December than they did for the NWCA Division I National Duals Finals in February, when the championship dual was the identical Minnesota against Oklahoma State, and you had Iowa and Missouri wrestling in the background, and, presumably, the teams and fans of Cornell, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech were milling around the Minneapolis area waiting for their flights home. The 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen Division I National Duals, known as Mat Mayhem, took place at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. (Photo/Austin Bernard)I do support the idea of a National Duals championship, even as earning pre-allocated points towards the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. (I don't feel it detracts one iota from the traditional tournament, other than the fact that Air Force coach Joel Sharratt can't look at the team scores before the event starts Thursday morning and say that he's in first place!) But I feel we have the wrong way of going about it. I would much more easily support a format sort of like what the NCAA College Cup uses, with single home-and-away matches until the Final Four at a neutral site. Here's my suggestion for what we can do in this regard, in what would (in my opinion) be a much better plan, that builds up fan interest (all dates are 2016): Schedule Friday-Sunday, Feb. 5-7 Dual Meet Conference Tournaments (presumably) Monday, Feb. 8 Dual Meet Selection Monday Friday, Feb. 12 NCAA Dual Meet First Round, at home sites Sunday, Feb. 14 NCAA Dual Meet Second Round, at home sites Saturday, Feb. 20 NCAA Dual Meet Quarterfinal, at home sites Friday-Saturday, Feb. 26-27 NCAA Dual Meet Final Four, at neutral site Wednesday, March 2 Individual Conference Allocations announced Friday-Sunday, March 4-6 Individual Conference Tournaments Wednesday, March 9 Individual Selection Wednesday Thursday-Saturday, March 17-19 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships While this might be a short-term cash drain, I think this would drum up attendance and fan interest throughout the championships in a way no proposal I have yet seen would. I also think this would, over the long term, be most beneficial to both our sport and the NCAA financially. Concerns Meet contraction: While most teams use their full 16-date allotment, those that have attended National Duals in recent years have not. I would greatly prefer going to 12 dates, with the current two two-day tournament exemption, and also having single home-and-away duals on a given date count as a half-date, to encourage more of them. (This would obviously require companion legislation, as would my next point.) Gap between dual meet conference tournaments and individual conference tournaments for non-qualifiers: I suspect that his could be filled in by exempting one open tournament per team that took place during this period. Student-athlete welfare: Having all of these competitions might be a concern, with this much time spent away from campus. That being said, it's early enough in the semester where that probably wouldn't be a problem at most schools, and further, you're talking about single duals, with all three being on weekends, and two of the three being on a holiday weekend. However, all of this time cutting weight may take its toll on the student-athlete. Short-term budgetary impact: Yes, there probably would be one. That being said, I feel like this is the best way to grow the sport in the long term. Also, drawing 3,000 to a single two-hour dual meet held at a campus site would be much easier than drawing that number to a six-hour multi-dual event. What it would look like ... Based on last year's dual results ranking and conference alignment as of Feb. 11, 2013, but dates used are 2016, the first year this could possibly take effect: Round 1: Friday, February 12, 2016 Old Dominion (CAA champion) at Navy Bloomsburg (EWL champion) at Illinois Chattanooga (SoCon champion) at Virginia Boise State (Pac-12 champion) at Iowa State Wyoming (WWC champion) at Oregon State Rutgers at Purdue Edinboro at Cornell (EIWA champion) Penn at Nebraska Round 2: Sunday, February 14, 2016 Penn-Nebraska winner at No. 1 Oklahoma State Chattanooga-Virginia winner at Ohio State Wyoming-Oregon State winner at No. 4 Minnesota Rutgers-Purdue winner at Central Michigan (MAC champion) Boise State-Iowa State winner at No. 2 Iowa (Big Ten champion) Bloomsburg-Illinois winner at Missouri Edinboro-Cornell winner at No. 3 Penn State Old Dominion/Navy winner at Virginia Tech (ACC champion) Quarterfinals: Saturday, February 20, 2016 Sites to be determined on Sunday night, national seeds to host if they advance, if not higher seed remaining hosts, if neither team is seeded NCAA chooses): Oklahoma State winner vs. Ohio State winner Minnesota winner vs. Central Michigan winner Iowa winner vs. Missouri winner Penn State winner vs. Virginia Tech winner Semifinals: Friday, Feb. 26 Finals, Saturday, Feb. 27 Wednesday, March 2 Individual Conference Allocations announced Friday-Sunday, March 4-6 Individual Conference Tournaments Wednesday, March 9 Individual Selection Wednesday Thursday-Saturday, March 17-19 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Team scoring would be based on a combined scoring from the dual championships and the tournament championships (as discussed at the NCAA Convention in August). Teams 17-24: 12.5 points for NCAA tournament Teams 9-16: 26 points for NCAA tournament (13.5 advancement for those wrestling a first-round dual) Advancement to quarterfinals: +9 (35 total) Advancement to semifinals: +6 (41 total) Advancement to finals: +4 (45 total) Dual-phase champions: +5 (50 total) Seeding for the team tournament would have the top four be seeded on a national basis, 5-8 banded together and assigned to quarterfinal sites for ease of geography, 9-24 banded together and assigned to first and second round sites for ease of geography. While the first round would have five flights (only Old Dominion, Chattanooga, and Edinboro would be able to drive), the second round would only have one flight to be taken on that Saturday between the first and second rounds (Oregon State-Wyoming winner to Minneapolis). Britt Malinsky can be reached at setonhallpirate1@aol.com.