InterMat Staff

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 3 Penn State continued a lengthy January road trip with a 38-3 win at No. 17 Northwestern on Friday night. The Nittany Lions got a key win out of the gates from true freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) at 125 and rolled to nine wins in ten bouts. Megaludis, ranked No. 10 at 125, got Penn State off to a fast start, posting a convincing 7-3 win over No. 7 Levi Mele in the dual's opening bout. Sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) followed that up with a sound 10-4 win over Jameson Oster at 133 and the Nittany Lions quickly bolted out to a 6-0 lead. Junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) was leading Colin Shober 4-2 at 141 in the second period when Shober was forced to take an injury default, giving Pearsall the win at the 3:18 mark and putting the Lions up 12-0. No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) then posted a dominating 10-0 major decision over Kaleb Friedley at 149. The All-American's major put Penn State up 16-0. In one of the dual's marquee match-ups, Nittany Lion freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) faced off against No. 3 Jason Welsh of Northwestern at 157. Alton gave the undefeated Wildcat all he could handle before dropping a 2-1 decision on riding time. Penn State led 16-3 at intermission. Top-ranked David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) continued Penn State's roll with a 20-5 technical fall over Pierce Harger at 165. The All-American got the tech at the 7:00 mark with 4:45 in riding time. Second-ranked Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) then posted perhaps the night's most dominating win, posting an 18-3 technical fall over No. 9 Lee Munster at 174. The All-American got the tech at the 5:37 mark. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), also ranked No. 2, pinned NU's Marcus Shrewsbury at the 2:41 mark in the first period before Nittany Lion true freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 12 at 197, downed Wildcat senior John Schoen 6-4. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, closed out the 38-3 win with a sound 6-3 victory over No. 19 Mike McMullan. Penn State improves to 6-1 overall, 2-1 in the Big Ten with the win. Northwestern falls to 5-2, 1-2 in the conference. The Nittany Lions owned the takedown battle as well, posting a 22-4 advantage. Penn State notched 11 bonus points off an injury default, a pin, two tech falls and a major. Penn State continues its Big Ten road swing at Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. (Eastern). Penn State's next home dual is on Sunday, Jan. 22, when Iowa invades Rec Hall for a 2 p.m. dual that is already sold out. The Nittany Lions then host Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. Fans can purchase a limited number of `standing room only' tickets for the Ohio State dual by calling 814-865-5555. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased per person. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (670 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events and further affiliates may be added soon. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #10 Nico Megaludis PSU dec. #7 Levin Mele NU, 7-3 3-0 133: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Jameson Oster NU, 10-4 6-0 141: Bryan Pearsall PSU inj. def. Colin Shober NU (Inj. Def.; 3:18) 12-0 Pearsall leading 4-2 at the time of injury default 149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU maj. dec. Kaleb Friedley NU, 10-0 16-0 157: #3 Jason Welsh NU dec. #9 Dylan Alton PSU, 2-1 16-3 165: #1 David Taylor PSU tech fall Pierce Harger NU, 20-5 (TF; 7:00) 21-3 174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU tech fall #9 Lee Munster NU, 18-3 (TF; 5:37) 26-3 184: #2 Quentin Wright PSU pinned Marcus Shrewsbury NU (WBF; 2:41) 32-3 197: #12 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. John Schoen NU, 6-4 35-3 285: #6 Cameron Wade PSU dec. #19 Mike McMullan NU, 6-3 38-3 Attendance: 719 Records: #3 Penn State (6-1, 2-1 B1G), #17 Northwestern (5-2, 1-2 B1G) Up Next for Penn State: at Wisconsin, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2 p.m. (Eastern) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 125, met No. 7 Levi Mele in one of the dual's most anticipated match-ups. Mele gained control of Megaludis' head early but the Lion freshman worked out of trouble and shot low for a quick takedown attempt of his own. But Mele scrambled out of trouble twice and forced a stalemate at the 1:55 mark, still scoreless. Another low single by Megaludis off the reset gave the Lion a 2-1 lead at the 1:41 mark after a quick Mele escape. Megaludis got in on another low single with a quick shot off the reset, forcing a scramble in the center circle. But Mele once again forced a stalemate with Megaludis up 2-1 at the :32 mark. Megaludis forced Mele into a stall warning and then notched a takedown at the buzzer to lead 4-1 after one. Mele chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 4-2 deficit at the 1:36 mark. Nico used another low ankle pick for his third takedown off a reset and led 6-2 at the midway point of the second stanza. A Mele escape at the :52 mark cut into that lead, but Megaludis continued to connect on low singles. Mele forced a stalemate on a potentially dangerous hold and action resumed with Megaludis up 6-3 at the :27 mark. Megaludis chose down on the reset but Mele was able to ride the Lion freshman out to end the period. Megaludis chose down to start the third period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 7-3 lead at the 1:38 mark. Mele got in on his first real scoring attempt off a reset at the 1:10 mark, but Megaludis was able to force a scramble that worked the clock down to the :30 mark before the reset. The Lion freshman then used a low double to force Mele into defense for the rest of the bout and the Lion posted the 7-3 win. 133: Sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) faced off against Wildcat Jameson Oster at 133. Martellotti notched the first takedown by using a single leg to pull Oster onto the mat, finishing off the move at the 2:19 mark. The Lion sophomore then put together a strong ride, maintaining control of Oster for over a minute while forcing the Wildcat into a first stall warning. Martellotti tried to turn Oster for back points, got caught and reversed as time wound down, then immediately reversed the Wildcat for his own two points and then nearly pinned him at the buzzer. The five point flurry gave him a 7-2 lead after one period. Martellotti chose down to start the second stanza but could not break free of a solid Oster ride. Oster worked off Martellotti's riding time advantage first and then finished off the ride out. Trailing 7-2, Oster chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 7-3 deficit at the 1:18 mark. The duo battled evenly until Martellotti gained control of Oster's body and tossed him to the mat for another takedown and, with the riding time point, notch a 10-4 win (Oster escaped late). 141: Junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) went to battle at 141 against NU' Colin Shober. Shober had the first scoring chance of the bout but Pearsall was able to fight off the move and force a stalemate at the 1:59 mark. The tandem battled through the next minute-plus looking for an opening to score with each man's defense equal to the task. But Shober broke into the scoring column, rolling Pearsall to the mat for a takedown at the :23 mark to lead 2-0. Pearsall spun out of Shober's control at the buzzer and was awarded an escape to trail by one after the opening stanza. Pearsall chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. He then got in on a single leg, took Shober down and the Wildcat was unable to continue due to an injury. The injury default win for Pearsall came at the 3:18 mark. 149: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) put his undefeated record on the line against Northwestern's Kaleb Friedley at 149. Molinaro gained control of the match quickly with an early takedown, tacking on a solid ride to build up over 2:00 riding time while looking for a chance to turn the Wildcat to his back. Friedley was able to hold off on giving up any back points, but the ride out gave Molinaro a 2-0 lead with 2:15 in riding time after one. Molinaro chose down to start the second period and Friedley worked off a minute's worth of time before Molinaro rolled through Friedley's control for a reversal and a 4-0 lead at the :58 mark. The Nittany Lion All-American maintained control of the Wildcat for the rest of the period to lead 4-0 with 2:17 in riding time heading into the third period. Friedley chose down to start the third period but this time Molinaro was able to turn the Wildcat to his back for two near fall points and a 6-0 lead with 1:28 left to wrestle. The Lion senior then reset himself, turned Friedley to his back for three more back points and moved out to a 9-0 lead. Molinaro continued to dominate Friedley, riding the Wildcat out to post the 10-0 major with 4:17 in riding time. With the win, Molinaro moved to No. 17 on Penn State's all-time wins list (106) and 13th on its all-time dual meet victories list (48). 157: Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 9 at 157, met No. 3 Jason Welsh, who carried a 13-0 mark into the bout, in another key bout. Alton quickly got in on a single leg and forced Welsh into a scramble that ended with a stalemate at the 2:10 mark. Alton countered a Welsh shot with 1:38 left, forcing a stalemate with the score still 0-0. The duo continued to scramble, trading quick shots for the next minute, with each man holding firm defensively. Scoreless after one period, Welsh chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Welsh looked to get in on a single leg at the :50 mark, but Alton was able to push the move aside, although he picked up a first stall warning in the process. Down 1-0, Alton chose down to start the third period. Welsh was able to control Alton long enough to build up a minute's worth of riding time. Alton then scrambled for a reversal but the Wildcat junior was able to maintain control of the Lion freshman until Alton escaped with just a second left. The brief 1-1 tie was short-lived as Welsh had 1:55 in riding time and got the hard fought 2-1 win. 165: No. 1 David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) looked to continue his unbeaten start to the season against Northwestern's Pierce Harger at 165. Harger notched the first takedown of the bout, taking a 2-0 lead at the 2:22 mark with a solid high double. Taylor quickly escaped and then used his low ankle pick to take a 3-2 lead at the 1:51 mark. The Lion All-American then controlled Harger for over a minute, looking to turn him to his back for near fall points. The Lion rode Harger out to lead 3-2 with 1:37 riding time after one period. Harger chose neutral to start the second period and Taylor quickly upped his lead to 7-3 with two takedowns (cutting Harger once in the process). Taylor cut Harger loose at the :54 mark, countered a Harger shot and took him down once more to lead 9-4 with :44 left. Another Taylor cut led to a late Taylor takedown with :06 left, giving the Lion sophomore an 11-5 lead after two periods. Taylor chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly reversed Harger to lead 13-5. He added three near fall points to up his lead to 16-5 with 1:18 left. A near cradle led to three more back points and a 19-5 lead with :47 on the clock. With the riding time point clinched, Taylor rode Harger out and got the 20-5 technical fall at the 7:00 mark with 4:45 in riding time. 174: No. 2 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) also looked to remain unbeaten at 174 in a marquee match-up against No. 9 Lee Munster. Ruth took a quick 2-1 lead with a single leg to takedown and then nearly scored on another quick shot. Munster fought off Ruth's effort but the Lion All-American quickly took him down again at the 2:00 mark to lead 4-1. He then locked in on a cradle and picked up three near fall points to lead 7-1 with 1:30 on the clock. Two more back points gave Ruth a 9-1 lead before Munster escaped with :55 on the clock. Ruth tacked on yet another takedown with :20 left in the opening period and, with the ride out, led 11-2 after one period. Munster chose down to start the second stanza, but Ruth maintained control of the Wildcat freshman. Ruth cut Munster loose with :38 on the clock and quickly gained control of the Wildcat for another takedown in front of the Penn State bench. Ruth added two near fall points in the final seconds and carried a 15-3 lead with 3:17 riding time (clinching the point) after two. Ruth chose down to start the third period and fought off a quick Munster turn effort before escaping to a 16-3 lead. A final Ruth takedown gave the Lion a convincing 18-3 tech fall over the ninth-ranked Wildcat at the 5:37 mark. 184: No. 2 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) met Marcus Shrewsbury at 184. The defending National Champion quickly took control of the bout with two early takedowns to lead 4-1 at the midway point of the opening period. Wright then turned Shrewsbury to his back for three near fall points and a 7-1 lead with :40 left in the first period. The All-American then turned Shrewsbury to his back, adjusted, and picked up the pin at the 2:41 mark. 197: True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 12 at 197, met Wildcat senior John Schoen. The duo battled evenly for the first half of the opening period, with neither man finding an opening to score early. McIntosh countered a Schoen shot, moved behind the Wildcat and got the bout's first takedown at the :37 mark. A quick Schoen escaped halved the lead and action resumed in the center circle. Trailing by one, Schoen chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Schoen broke the tie open with a takedown at the :40 mark, taking the 4-2 lead. McIntosh quickly escaped and trailed by one with :25 left in the middle period. McIntosh chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-4 tie. The duo continued to battle for position for the bulk of the third period. Schoen tried to score on a high double but the Lion true freshman was able to back out of trouble, keeping the bout tied 4-4 at the :22 mark. McIntosh scrambled off a Schoen shot, powered the NU senior to the mat and got the winning takedown at the :02 mark, posting the 6-4 win. 285: Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, took on No. 19 Mike McMullan. McMullan shot first, forcing Wade to counter and get a reset out of bounds. The duo then battled for position in the center circle. Wade shot low on McMullan but slipped to the mat, allowing the Wildcat to work around the Nittany Lion for a takedown and a 2-1 lead after a quick Wade escape. Wade chose top to start the second stanza, Wade turned him for two back points and McMullan escaped to a 3-3 tie, all before :20 had elapsed in the period. Wade turned a low single into a scramble and a takedown with :48 on the clock to take a 5-3 lead. The Lion senior then rode McMullan out to lead 5-3 after two periods. McMullan chose top to start the third period, looking for a chance to turn Wade. Wade got called for a stall warning at the :54 mark then escaped to a 6-3 lead with :30 left in the bout. A late scramble led to no scoring and Wade posted the 6-3 win.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- No. 19 Central Michigan controlled the middle weights on its way to its sixth straight victory, 21-12 at Eastern Michigan Friday night. The Chippewas improved to 11-2 overall, 3-0 in the Mid-American Conference with their 21st straight dual meet victory over EMU. The host Eagles fell to 7-4 overall, 1-1 in the MAC. The victory also was CMU's 69th in its last 72 MAC duals and the Chippewas' 15th in their last 16 duals against in-state opponents. Eastern Michigan led Friday's matchup, 6-3, before the Chippewas reeled off three straight wins at 149, 157 and 165 pounds. True freshman Joey Kielbasa tallied a bonus point with an 11-3 decision at 149 pounds that put CMU in front for good. Junior Donnie Corby and freshman Mike Ottinger followed with decisions at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, that extended CMU's lead to 13-6. The Eagles drew within 13-9 when Phillip Joseph claimed a 7-6 decision over Craig Kelliher at 174 pounds, but Ben Bennett secured the victory for CMU with a 15-0 first-period technical fall at 184 pounds. Bennett improved to 19-2 overall on the season with the victory. Sixteen of his 19 victories have accounted for bonus points: three major decisions, six technical falls, six falls and one forfeit. Eastern Michigan cut the Chippewas' lead to 18-12 with a decision at 197 pounds, but Peter Sturgeon locked up the victory for CMU with a 4-2 decision over Wes Schroeder at heavyweight. Sturgeon scored a takedown in the second sudden victory period to earn his 21st victory of the season. The dual's lone matchup between ranked competitors came in the night's opening bout at 125 pounds, when No. 17 Joe Roth (CMU) earned a 12-6 decision over No. 18 Jared Germaine. Roth improved to 25-6 with the victory, his second in as many matches against Germaine this season. CMU is back in action next Friday at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Northern Illinois in a MAC dual at McGuirk Arena. Results: 125: No. 17 Joe Roth (CMU) dec. No. 18 Jared Germaine, 12-6; CMU 3-0 133: Andrew Novak (EMU) dec. Zach Horan, 8-4; Tied 3-3 141: Corey Phillips (EMU) dec. Scott Mattingly, 7-4; EMU 6-3 149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) maj. dec. Jaylyn Bohl, 11-3; CMU 7-6 157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Aaron Sulzer, 3-2; CMU 10-6 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Lester France, 10-3; CMU 13-6 174: Phillip Joseph (EMU) dec. Craig Kelliher, 7-6; CMU 13-9 184: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Michael Curby, 15-0 at 3:00; CMU 18-9 197: Nick Whitenburg (EMU) dec. Chad Friend, 4-1; CMU 18-12 285: No. 14 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Wes Schroeder, 4-2 SV2; CMU 21-12

Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Event: UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes Venue: HSBC Arena (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Date: Jan. 14, 2012 The UFC Monster had a feast with UFC 141's card, winning $378 for those who followed my advice. The UFC 142 card offers some upset potential, as well, but the deck may be stacked in favor of the Brazilians, fighting in front of their rabid crowd. Some of the best fighters in the world will be on display, headlined with the UFC Featherweight (145 pounds) title fight (5 rounds), featuring Jose "Scarface" Aldo (20-1, with 12 KOs) defending his belt against undefeated Chad "Money" Mendes (11-0 with 7 decisions). One is a finisher. The other not. Aldo is considered by most to be a top-five pound-for-pound contender, who's impressive resume includes winning 13 straight, and KO'ing 7 out 8 opponents in his WEC career. He is 2-0 with 2 decisions in the UFC. Mendes is a former Cal. Poly./SLO NCAA runner-up to J Jaggers, a very memorable match for the UFC Monster, who cashed a ticket on Jaggers to win the NCAA title at odds of 22:1. But, that was then, and this is now. Beating Aldo on his home turf will be an improbable task for Mendes. But I see it happening at underdog odds of +240. Wrestler over striker. It is a matter of Mendes minimizing the kicks and strikes he absorbs on his way to taking Aldo to the mat and grinding out a G-n-P victory. Endurance may come into play (I'll take the wrestler every time), and Chad's brute strength and determination will need to overcome the vicious strikes of a proud and hungry champion, looking for a flashy finish. This has fight of the night (FON) written all over it, but at +200 odds, there is no value there. Mendes grinds out a narrow victory at +240, as the angry crowd lynches the judges. DISCLAIMER: Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort (20-9, with 14 KOs) is one of my all-time favorite fighters. That means I often bet on him with my heart at the expense of my wallet. But not recently. Ol' 34-year old Vitor has won 6-of-his-last-7 fights, losing only to the UFC's best, Anderson "Spider" Silva. He once ruled the light-heavyweight (205 pounds) division. His opponent, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (10-3 with 7 KOs) has been fighting as a welterweight (170 pounds) and is making his middleweight (185 pounds) debut tonight. Once two weight classes apart, Vitor opened the betting as a mild favorite and was bet up to -160 before late money came cascading in on Johnson to drive the current betting line to about even. Belfort's best odds are now at -105, a real bargain to me. This should be a toe-to-toe wild swinging affair with either fighter capable of catching the other with a "lights out" punch. But I think Belfort is bigger, slightly quicker still, and much more experienced. If he can't take Rumble out early, rumor has it that he will go for the takedown and control his opponent on the mat. Either way, I like Vitor to win by 2nd round TKO. Lay the small price. As Vitor praises God for his win, I will head to the winner's window. Been there. Done that. Welterweight Ricardo "Golden Boy" Funch (8-2) will try to stay on the UFC roster with an upset win over journeyman veteran, Mike "Quicksand" Pyle (21-8-1 with 16 submissions). Why is this fight on the main card? Or am I missing something here? Strange indeed. Pyle has a vast experience edge, and he has submitted Brazilian black belt, Ricardo Almeida, as well as Britain's J. Hathaway. He even has a career opening win over Jon Fitch as a notch on his belt. I like Pyle here to win by 1st round submission, but the -450 price tag is too steep for me to play. I'll PASS on this wager, but would consider Pyle for submission of the night. I haven't seen those odds posted yet. Lightweights (155 pounds) Thiago Tavares (16-4-1, with 11 submissions) and Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout (17-6-1 with a draw with Joey Clark and 9 KOs on his resume) offer two contrasting styles. Stout is all about stand-up striking, while Tavares is a boa constrictor snake at home in the weeds. He lives on the mat, tho' he is coming off an improbable KO of Spencer Fisher. Go figure that one out … Ironically despite his nickname, Stout has had only one KO in his eleven fight UFC career! Maybe the nickname should go? Another Brazilian wins in front of the hometown folks as Tavares locks up a lanky rear-naked choke to end this late in the first round. Lay the -125, we have another cheap winner! I have high hopes for Brazilian lightweight Edson Barbosa (9-0 with 6 KOs). His striking is crisp and accurate, and he has moves that nobody else has, spinning and kicking from angles that Lyota Machida would envy. His mission tonight is to find a way to beat the lanky veteran, Terry Etim (15-3 with 12 submissions). Again, a contrast in styles, as Barbosa wants to bang and Etim wants to grab a limb, like a Venus Fly Trap eating its prey. Another FON candidate here, this one should be entertaining. Home cookin' prevails. Barbosa at -285 wins a three-round decision. Who's next? Now let's take a quick look at the five-fight undercard. Two Brazilians will battle when Erick Silva (13-1 with 7 subs) takes on grizzled veteran Carlo Prater (29-10-1 with 16 subs). Prater is no easy out, but up-and-coming Silva should win this decision. No value at -550 tho' so another PASS is in order. Brazilian featherweight, Yuri Alcantara (26-3 with 11 KOs and 12 subs), is on a tear, winning 18-of-his-last-19 fights, including winning his UFC debut. Michihiro Omigawa (13-10-1) is another Japanese fighter who has disappointed UFC fans. And, turning that around on hostile soil just ain't going to happen. Lay the -190 on Alcantara to win a unanimous decision. Two more Brazilians face off with heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga (12-6) trying to stop unbeaten 6'7" Edinaldo Oliveiera (13-0-1 with 8 KOs), making his UFC debut . Gonzaga will forever be remembered for his highlight reel head kick of Mirco Cro Cop, that started the demise of the Croatian. Gonzaga is that rare breed of heavyweight, whose submission game is as good as it gets. His only losses are to elite fighters like Randy Couture, Junior Dos Santos, and Fabricio Werdum. Gonzaga wins by 2nd round key-lock submission. Why is Gonzaga only -125? Middleweight Rousimar Palhares (13-3 with 9 subs) is a chiseled, muscular speciman. He is a gorilla-built limb breaker. Losses to Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson are about all that blemishes his resume. Mike Massenzio (13-5) was submitted by Brian Stann, a striker. That spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E here. Palhares wins by first round heel hook submission. Very predicable result, and that's why the odds are so steep at -550. I'm a bridge jumper. And finally, I'll take a chance on +175 underdog, Brazilian Felipe Arantes (13-4) to win a close decision over Canadian Antonio Carvalho (13-4). Both have 6 KOs in 13 wins and are mirror images of each other. Quality of competition and value in the betting line anchor my thoughts. Now, let's take a look at what we can do with our fictitious $1000 bankroll. Please wager only with money you can afford to lose! There is no such thing as a "sure bet" in mixed martial arts fighting. So gamble at your own risk. Here we go: Let's lay $100 to win $240 on Chad Mendes shocking Aldo's Brazil. Let's lay $105 to win $100 on Vitor Belfort stopping Rumble. Let's lay $125 to win $100 on Thiago Tavarez choking out Sam Stout. Let's lay $168 to win $60 on Edson Barbosa's magic. Let's lay $145 to win $100 on Yuri Alcontara's streak continuing. Let's lay $150 to win $120 on Gabriel Gonzaga's pedigree. Let's lay $165 to win $30 on a ridiculous Rousimar Palhares joint breaker. Let's lay $40 to win $70 on home town underdog, Felipe Arantes. And, we'll PASS on Pyle/Funch and Silva/Prater. That's 6 favorites, 2 underdogs, and 2 no plays. In total we are risking $998 to win $820. We'll save the remaining $2 for a rainy day. But does it ever rain in Brazil? Don't forget to give part of your winnings to your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow's champions are born. Enjoy the fights. I know I will.

David Taylor (Photo/Bill Ennis) The 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis are only eight weeks away, which means excitement and talk about which wrestlers are earning what for the end-of-the-year awards. Here is a look at the candidates for 2012 InterMat Wrestler of the Year, an award voted on by InterMat writers and executives. Dark-Horse Candidates Ed Ruth (Penn State, 174) He may get overshadowed by No. 1-ranked Nittany Lion teammates Frank Molinaro and David Taylor, but he has put up impressive numbers this season. The sophomore is 17-0 and has yet to meet a serious challenge. He recently won his second straight Southern Scuffle title, where he went 6-0 with three pins, a technical fall, and a major decision. Left in his way: Nick Amuchastegui of Stanford, who beat him at last year's NCAA tournament. Zach Sanders (Minnesota, 125) The three-time All-American is winning now, but can he make the push through a difficult NCAA tournament? If he beats Matt McDonough and finishes as an undefeated NCAA champion, he could slide himself into the voting. Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State, 285) Big Z has already shown he's not afraid to lateral drop a fool. As of Jan. 13 he's sitting behind Ryan Flores of American in the heavyweight rankings, but a run at NCAAs could also land the Russian in the final voting, especially if he beats defending NCAA champion Zack Rey of Lehigh. Top Contenders Kendric Maple (Oklahoma, 141) To borrow a quote from the movie Zoolander, "(Kendric) so hot right now. (Kendric)." You may not have heard of him before this season, but by know you should be familiar with Kendric Maple of Oklahoma. The redshirt sophomore is exciting fans with his aggressiveness and ability to turn a sure two-point takedown, into a probable five-point move. He's the only undefeated wrestler at 141 pounds, and has been crushing his competition; currently 16-0 and ranked No. 1 at 141 pounds. Of his 16 wins, eight have come by major decision, three by technical fall, and two by pin. Most notably he won the Midlands Championships with a victory over NCAA runner-up and two-time All-American Montell Marion of Iowa. Despite the objective dominance, the most attractive aspect of Maple is his ability to score in bunches and give fans the type of action they pay to see. The comparisons to 2009 NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State are easy; both finish shots with dominance and defend with creativity. Should Maple run the table and earn his first NCAA title, he'll also be a lead candidate for InterMat's Wrestler of the Year. Frank Molinaro (Penn State, 149) There was a moment in Molinaro's Nov. 20 match versus Minnesota's Dylan Ness where it seemed he might be in trouble. After Molinaro built a 6-0 lead (with a guaranteed riding-time point) heading into the third period, the funk-master Ness put together a late surge to make it interesting before Molinaro closed out a 16-10 victory. He later won the rematch in the Southern Scuffle finals by major decision, 8-0. Frank The Tank's takedowns are consistent. His top game scores points, and he seems to have worked on bottom in the offseason. Overall, the New Jersey native's game is tight. Where he gets hurt in consideration as 2012 InterMat Wrestler of the Year is his lack of dramatic opposition; a ying to his yang. Were he able to bump up in weight and rematch and defeat Cornell's Kyle Dake, a revenge that might tip the subjective scales in his favor, he'd be in higher contention with some of his fellow teammates. However, with nobody outside of Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks challenging him for more than a period, Molinaro seems to be a long shot for end-of-the-year hardware (Apologies to Air Force's Cole Von Ohlen, who is having a great year and who owns the second-best name in college wrestling behind Cashe Quiroga of Purdue.) I guess there is at least one scenario in which Molinaro could earn Wrestler of the Year. Tied 1-1 in the NCAA finals and having given up thirty seconds of riding time, Frank The Tank once again chooses bottom ... And escapes. Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro, 197) Chris Honeycutt has become the bigger, badder version of his 2011 self, adding 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason on top of his already impressive physique. So far this season he's won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and a Midlands title, rattled off 25 wins and as of yet hasn't been in any one, two or three-point matches. He's simply been dominant. Why not Cornell's top-ranked Cam Simaz? Mostly because he didn't compete in the finals of the Body Bar Invitational or Southern Scuffle, presumably due to injury. That lack of finishing power hurts his overall accolades and raises at least some suspicion about durability heading into the NCAA tournament. Should he meet a healthy and happy Tim Flynn-coached Honeycutt on Day 3 on the NCAA tournament, one can imagine the outcome. Kyle Dake (Cornell, 157) Kid Dynamite! The baby-faced grappler for Cornell would make NCAA history this season if he's able to win an NCAA title at 157 pounds, as it will be the first time a wrestler has won the national title in consecutive seasons at progressively higher weight classes. Perhaps nobody, ever, has been better than Dake? It's too early to tell, and unlike Cael Sanderson, The Kid has taken a few regular season losses in his career (not this season), but what separates the New York native is where he's been collecting his trophies. Sanderson and Pat Smith each won their four titles at the upper weight classes, where there it's typically less scoring and fewer fresh faces to challenge a returning champ, whereas the lower weights are more transient and lend to new bodies every season. Dake has been blowing up those more competitive low and middleweights, which have typically been the domain of the country's most talented stars. The Cornell junior's season is littered with pins and technical falls. His closest match was against Penn State's Dylan Alton, a 3-0 decision in the finals of the Southern Scuffle, where Dake was never challenged. Kid Dynamite is the best athlete in the sport, showcasing incomparable balance and strength, even if he has a gas tank that draws the ire of some fans. He could be on pace to be the best-ever, a consideration when it comes time to cast ballots. Oh, and he's also pretty good on top. David Taylor (Penn State, 165) The Chosen One. Wrestling's Tom Brady. Cael 2.0. Who else could possibly sit atop the list? David Taylor is without question the most dominant wrestler of the 2011-2012 college wrestling season. He's won 12 of his 15 matches by pin or technical fall, two by major decision, and one by decision. He's aggressive on top, fluid on his feet and unshakable on bottom. Nobody else in the sport has shown as much talent or determination as the Nittany Lion sophomore. Save a cradle in the NCAA finals, Taylor was arguably the most talented and dominant wrestler in the country last season. The lanky-armed Ohio native has moved up a weight class for this season's campaign, but has retained his undersized Gumby-like appeal. As with the Heisman, some of the InterMat Wrestler of the Year is rewarded for the intangible qualities a wrestler possess. Though Taylor is part of one of college wrestling's most-talented three-weight runs (David Taylor-Ed Ruth-Quentin Wright), it's been Taylor's handling of the pressure that has seemed to inspire his teammates -- no doubt aided by the wisdom of head coach Cael Sanderson. Taylor is just better than his competition and for now, and for the next two seasons, seems to be growing increasingly difficult to catch.

EDMOND -- Dustin Reed's upset at 133 pounds sparked Central Oklahoma to an early lead and the No. 6-ranked Bronchos pulled out a bevy of close wins to knock off No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney 25-6 Thursday night at Hamilton Field House. Nine of the 10 matches were decided by two points or less and UCO won seven of those, including Reed's 6-4 win over No. 7-rated Stephen Weimer and overtime victories by 184 Tanner Keck and heavyweight Cody Dauphin. Casy Rowell had the only bonus-point win of the night with a 12-3 major decision at 141 to cap a dual-opening three-match winning streak that staked the Bronchos to a 10-0 lead and UCO answered back-to-back UNK wins by taking the final five weights to end a three-match losing streak to the Lopers. “Obviously we're very excited and happy that we won the match,” head coach David James said. “I anticipated it to be a tough dual tonight and it was. I liked our effort tonight, our guys were really determined and looked like they had a strong desire to win.” Ryan Brooks gave UCO a lead it would never relinquish with a tough 3-2 win in the opening match at 125 pounds, scoring the deciding takedown with 42 seconds left in the second period. Reed followed with his upset of Weimer, collecting two first-period takedowns for a 4-2 lead and then riding Weimer the entire second period. He escaped early in the third to make it 5-2 and gave up two late penalty points while adding a riding time point. Rowell dominated Kazuhiro Fujinawa at 141 to up UCO's lead to 10-0, racking up five takedowns and more than three minutes riding time. UNK came back to take the next two matches, with second-ranked Raufeon Stots topping Ky Corley 8-6 at 149 and No. 2 T.J. Hepburn edging No. 4 Cory Dauphin 5-3 at 157. That pulled the Lopers within 10-6, but UCO quelled any thoughts of a UNK comeback by winning the final five bouts. Chris Watson started the dual-ending streak with a gutsy 6-5 win at 165, overcoming a 5-1 deficit against Islam Abitov in the process. Watson – who was pinned by Abitov in an early-season tournament – pulled within 5-3 on a takedown with 1:34 remaining, tied it on a two-point near-fall at 0:22 and won it with a riding time point. The Bronchos picked up another 6-5 win at 174 when Kelly Henderson took an early 4-0 lead and then held off Brock Smith down the stretch, with the second-ranked Keck topping No. 8 Ross Brunkhardt 3-1 on a takedown 38 seconds into the one-minute sudden-victory period. UCO ended the dual with two more close wins, getting a 2-0 triumph from Jarrett Edison at 197 and a 3-2 tiebreaker victory from Cody Dauphin at heavyweight on a takedown at the buzzer in the first tiebreaker period. Results: 125 – Ryan Brooks, UCO, dec. Jordan White, 3-2. 133 – Dustin Reed, UCO, dec. Stephen Weimer, 6-4. 141 – Casy Rowell, UCO, major dec. Kazuhiro Fujinawa, 12-3. 149 – Raufeon Stots, UNK, dec. Ky Corley, 8-6. 157 – T.J. Hepburn, UNK, dec. Cory Dauphin, 5-3. 165 – Chris Watson, UCO, dec. Islam Abitov, 6-5. 174 – Kelly Henderson, UCO, dec. Brock Smith, 6-5. 184 – Tanner Keck, UCO, dec. Ross Brunkhardt, 3-1 (SV). 197 – Jarrett Edison, UCO, dec. Nick Bauman, 2-0. Heavyweight – Cody Dauphin, UCO, dec. Nick Bauman, 3-2 (TB).

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 8 Ohio State wrestling team defeated the Purdue Boilermakers, 27-10, to improve to 2-2 in the Big Ten Thursday night at St. John Arena. The Buckeyes moved to 8-2 overall as Purdue fell to 6-6 (1-2 Big Ten). The night began with the 125-pound bout as Bo Touris, a redshirt senior from West Chester, Ohio, defeated Luke Schroeder, 15-6, in his first match of the year. This grabbed the Buckeyes a 4-0 early lead. About a minute later the score would be 10-0 as No. 4 Logan Stieber (17-1 overall, 8-1 dual) pinned No. 8 Cashe Quiroga. Stieber's 10th pin of the year improved his record to 22-4 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten. Adding to the lead was Logan's brother, Hunter Stieber as he earned a decision, 4-2, over the Boilermaker's Nick Lawrence. The No. 7 ranked wrestler at 141 pounds earned the win with a late takedown in the second period to push the score to 4-1. The freshman improved to 3-1 in the Big Ten on the season. Consecutive decisions for Purdue would trim the Buckeye lead to 13-6. Redshirt freshman Alex Gordon (149 pounds) suffered a 7-2 defeat at the hands of No. 13 Ivan Lopouchanski and redshirt sophomore T.J. Rigel (157 pounds) lost a 9-6 bout to No. 20 Tommy Churchard in the final minute. Freshman Derek Garcia (165 pounds) brought the Buckeyes back to the win column, beating Kyle Mosier 8-4, and giving the Scarlet and Gray a 16-6 lead. Garcia earned three points in the third period to give him a commanding lead. A major decision, 15-6, by No. 8 Nick Heflin over Drake Stein put the Buckeyes up 20-6 and sealed the Boilermakers fate. Heflin earned two takedowns in the last four seconds of the second period to push a commanding lead. Heflin moved to 9-1 in dual matches this season. Purdue would earn four points in the 184 pound match as No. 19 Braden Atwood defeated Ohio State's Craig Thomas 9-1. Andrew Campolattano would rebound the Buckeyes in a big way, earning a major decision, 18-6, over Purdue's Justin Dinius. This was Campolattano's sixth dual win on the year and he improved to 2-2 in the Big Ten. The last match of the evening saw No. 17 Pete Capone defeat Purdue's Roger Vukobratovich in overtime by a score of 4-2. Capone moved to 2-2 in the Big Ten this season. The Buckeyes pick up some much needed momentum heading into their Jan. 20th showdown with No. 2 Iowa. The match vs. Iowa will be held at St. John Arena at 7 p.m. and will air live on BTN.com. Results: 125 Bo Touris DEC Luke Schroeder 15-6 133 No. 4 Logan Stieber PINNED No. 8 Cashé Quiroga 141 No. 7 Hunter Stieber DEC Nick Lawrence 4-2 149 No. 13 Ivan Lopouchanski DEC Alex Gordon 7-2 157 No. 20 Tommy Churchard DEC Joe Grandominico 9-6 165 Derek Garcia DEC. Kyle Mosier 8-4 174 No. 8 Nick Heflin DEC Drake Stein 15-6 184 No. 19 Braden Atwood DEC Craig Thomas 9-1 197 Andrew Campolattano DEC Justin Dinius 18-6 HWT No. 17 Peter Capone DEC Roger Vukobratovich 4-2 Postmatch Quotes Logan Stieber, redshirt freshman 133-pounder On his pin “I am good at that arm bar move and I took my time in getting it. Once I got it locked up, it was just a matter of time until I got him to turn over.” On the team tonight “We wrestled well, we wrestled hard and we wrestled tough. We still have a lot to work on. It was good to come back after last week and get a big win tonight. On preparing for Iowa next week “It helps to get this win. We have another hard week of practice and Iowa is going to be really tough. Hopefully we can keep rolling.”

BLOOMSBURG -- The 10th-ranked Bloomsburg University wrestling team posted its biggest shutout victory since the 1984-85 season when it beat Millersville University 54-0 on Wednesday night at the Nelson Field House. The Huskies were in control of the match from the start as Millersville forfeited the 125, 133 and 174 pound weight classes. In addition, Bloomsburg won four matches by fall, one by technical fall and one by major decision and decision. Among the wins was a victory by fall for Bloomsburg's Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney), ranked 6th/8th in his weight class. Hickman's win was the 21st of the season and his 19th straight on the year. The 54 points scored by Bloomsburg were the most for the Huskies since beating Delaware State 55-0 back in the 1984-85 season. The total was also the fourth highest in a dual meet ever for Bloomsburg with the record being 59-0 in a win over Hampton in 1977-78. Bloomsburg has now won 10 straight matches and is 12-3 on the season. The Huskies host Pitt on Sunday at 2 p.m. in an EWL-matchup. Admission is free for all fans as part of Bloomsburg's Huskies for the Community promotion. Match-By-Match Summary 125—Bloomsburg's Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) wins by forfeit 133—Bloomsburg's Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) wins by forfeit 141—BU's Shingara got a takedown just 15 seconds into the match to go up 2-0. Millersville's Aaron Trimpey got an escape before Wilcox had another takedown to lead 4-1 after one period. In the second period Shingara recorded three takedowns to lead 11-3 after two. In the third Shingara got three takedowns then got Trimpey on his back and recorded the win by fall in 6:16. 149-Millersville's Steve Hess took down BU's Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) early in the match. Busler escaped just seconds later. Busler then grabbed control of the match getting three takedowns, the third putting Hess on his back. Busler then picked up the win by fall in 2:16. 157-#6 Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) led 2-0 over Zac Wawrzyniak-Bush with a first period takedown. In the second Hickman escaped to start the period, then worked a takedown on the edge of the mat. Hickman picked up two near fall points right at the close of the period to lead 7-0. Hickman then got a takedown to start the third and picked up the win by fall in 5:21. 165-Chris Smith (Mineral, Va./Chancelor) and Brandon Vernalli were locked in a scoreless battle when Smith got Vernalli on the edge of the mat and was able to sit on his shoulders to record the win by fall in 2:15. 174-Bloomsburg's Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) wins by forfeit. 184-Bloomsburg's Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) completely dominated Millersville's Ryan Nielsen. In the first period Shirey had five takedowns and two, three-point near falls to lead 16-4 after one period. In the second period Shirey escaped to start the period, then ended the match with a takedown and with riding time had a 20-4 win by technical fall. 197—Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) picked up two first period takedowns to lead 4-1 after one period over Joel Suter. Perry got two more takedowns in the second period and led 8-3 after two. In the third period got three more takedowns and with riding time won 15-5. 285-The final bout of the match was close throughout. BU's Zac Walsh (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) got the first points of the night with 51 seconds left in the first period when he got a takedown. Millersville's Brad Ladd then worked a reversal and quickly turned that into a two-point near fall to lead 4-2. Walsh though escaped to end the period. I the second Ladd took down and escaped to lead 5-3. Walsh then got Ladd on one leg and tripped up his opponent for a takedown to tie the score at 5-5. Ladd though escaped the takedown late to lead 6-5 going to the third period. Walsh took down and escaped to tie the score at 6-6 with 1:30 to go. Walsh then scored a takedown with 50 seconds left to go up 8-6. With under 30 seconds to go Ladd escaped but Walsh held of his scoring attempts to win 8-7. Results: 125 Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) (Bloomsburg) won by forfeit 133 Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) (Bloomsburg) won by forfeit 141 Derek Shingara (Shamokin/Shamokin) (Bloomsburg) won by pin over Aaron Trimpey (Millersville) 6:16. 149 #30 Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) (Bloomsburg) won by pin over Steve Hess (Millersville) 2:16. 157 #6/8 Frank Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/E.A. Laney) (Bloomsburg) won by pin over Zac Wawrzyniak-Bush (Millersville) 5:21. 165 Christopher Smith (Bloomsburg) won by pin over Brandon Vernalli (Millersville) 2:15. 174 #33 Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) (Bloomsburg) won by forfeit 184 Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) (Bloomsburg) won by tech fall over Ryan Nielsen (Millersville) 3:19 20-4. 197 #31 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (Bloomsburg) won by major decision over Joel Suter (Millersville) 15-5. 285 Zachary Walsh (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Bradley Ladd (Millersville) 8-7.

NORFOLK, Va. -- Nine Old Dominion University wrestlers came out victorious on Wednesday evening at the Ted Constant Convocation Center as the Monarchs smothered Bucknell, 33-3. Wrestling at home for the first time in 2012, ODU (5-4) wasted little time jumping on Bucknell (2-7) early and often, as the first eight wrestlers of the evening were all winners for the Monarchs. In a dual meet for the first time this season, redshirt freshman Jerome Robinson used a late surge and held on with a riding time point to defeat Bucknell's Austin Miller, 10-9 to start things off at 125 pounds. Then at 133 pounds, sophomore Scott Festejo pinned his second opponent in as many home duals this season when he took down Shawn Armato at the 2:11 mark to give the Monarchs an early 9-0 team lead. Moving to 141 pounds, redshirt sophomore No. 25 Justin LaValle was in control of his match against Derrik Russell as he earned a 6-2 victory for his team-leading 21st victory of the season. Redshirt junior Brennan Brumley then put on the most exciting win of the night for ODU at 149 pounds as he was deadlocked with Bucknell's John Regan for most of their match. He rode out Regan in the first part of overtime before escaping while down in the second overtime and fending off the Bucknell grappler to earn a 2-1 win. Redshirt sophomore No. 30 John Nicholson blistered Ray Schlitt at 157 pounds in the final match before intermission with a 17-6 major decision victory as the Monarchs led 19-0 at the half way point. Out of the break, sophomore Tristan Warner kept the momentum going for ODU as he earned a thrilling late takedown in the third period of Corey Lear to earn a 4-2 win at 165 pounds. After a slow start for No. 17 Te Edwards at 174 pounds, the senior cruised late to overpower Stephen McPeek with a 17-6 major decision. Redshirt sophomore Billy Curling also had to work for his win at 184 pounds put eventually cruised to a 10-2 major decision win over Jamie Westwood. Bucknell got on the board at 197 pounds in a tight affair as Joe McMullan's late takedown of senior Joe Budi doomed the Monarch as he narrowly fell, 6-5. Redshirt freshman Matt Tourdot has no problems closing things out at heavyweight for ODU as he blanked Tyler Lyster, 7-0. The Monarchs return to action on Friday as they open the annual Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum at 11 a.m. against Arizona State. Results: 125: Jerome Robinson (ODU) dec. Austin Miller (Bucknell), 10-9 133: Scott Festejo (ODU) fall Shawn Armato (Bucknell), 2:11 141: No. 25 Justin LaValle (ODU) dec. Derrik Russell (Bucknell), 6-2 149: Brennan Brumley (ODU) dec. John Regan (Bucknell), 2-1 SV1 157: No. 30 John Nicholson (ODU) major dec. Ray Schlitt (Bucknell), 17-6 165: Tristan Warner (ODU) dec. Corey Lear (Bucknell), 4-2 174: No. 17 Te Edwards (ODU) major dec. Stephen McPeek (Bucknell), 17-6 184: Billy Curling (ODU) major dec. Jamie Westwood (Bucknell), 10-2 197: Joe McMullan (Bucknell) dec. Joe Budi (ODU), 6-5 285: Matt Tourdot (ODU) vs. Tyler Lyster (Bucknell), 7-0

Barring an upset that would make Larry Owings' victory over Dan Gable in the NCAA finals seem like a tossup match, No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., and No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, will meet in the championship match of the NHSCA High School Wrestling Festival on Saturday at Pleasant Valley High School in Brodheadsville, Pa. The finals match is slated to begin at 5:15 p.m., and there will be a free live broadcast exclusively on NHSCA.com, with an archive on the High School Television Network (HSTN) for future viewing. The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the battle for number one in the nation. 106: Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy) vs. L.J. Bentley (St. Edward) This match features a pair of freshmen, both of whom are somewhat undersized for the weight class. However, it is Kutler who has had the better season to date, with a seventh place finish at the Beast of the East, while going 2-2 but failing to place at the Walsh Ironman and POWERade. Bentley was two-and-out at the Ironman, but has shown signs of progress since then reversing his second Ironman loss in a dual meet the next week and going 3-3 at the Clash including a tight loss to nationally ranked Coy Ozias. If the Eagles are to have any chance of poaching the dual meet, this is a match they probably need to win; however, look for Blair to win a tight decision. Team: Blair 3-0 113: No. 3 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy) vs. Alex Moore (St. Edward) McKenna is the obvious favorite in this match, having outplaced Moore at the Ironman (second vs. fourth) and possessing the greater resume. This past summer, McKenna was a Cadet National double All-American in Fargo, winning the Greco-Roman tournament for a second consecutive year. Against common opponent Aaron Assad, McKenna possesses 4-3 and 5-0 victories in the Ironman and Beast semifinals, while Moore beat Assad 3-1 in overtime in the consolation semifinals at the Ironman. Expect McKenna to earn a somewhat low-scoring but decisive decision result. Team: Blair 6-0 120: No. 19 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy) vs. Colin Heffernan (St. Edward) Klee is the more proven commodity in this match, though both have been adversely affected by logjams in their area of the lineup during their careers. Last year, Klee (and also Max Hvolbek) was stuck behind the since graduated pair of Evan Silver and Caleb Richardson at 112 and 119 pounds; while Colin Heffernan was forced to wrestle up at 130 pounds due to the presence of Dean Heil and Markus Scheidel at 119 and 125. Prior to his freshman year, in the summer of 2010, Klee was a Cadet freestyle All-American, while last spring he earned All-American honors in freestyle at the FILA Cadet Nationals. This season, he placed sixth at the Ironman and second at both the Beast and POWERade. Heffernan is a complete wild card, as he has wrestled in limited competition due to making the slow descent to this weight class, since Heil and Edgar Bright occupy the weight classes above. He is dangerous, as shown by productive runs this past off-season at the FILA Cadet Nationals and Cadet National Duals in freestyle. The safe pick here is Klee in a close decision, though this is a match St. Edward can hope to poach. Team: Blair 9-0 126: No. 15 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy) vs. No. 2 Dean Heil (St. Edward) While this is listed as a showdown between nationally ranked wrestlers, it is also a match where there resides a clear favorite. During the course of this season, Heil has a 5-1 record against wrestlers ranked in the top 12 of their respective weight classes, while Hvolbek is 0-5 with all matches being rather non-competitive. In fact, against common ranked opposition (Jimmy Gulibon, Brandon Jeske, and Joey Dance), Heil is 4-0 and Hvolbek 0-4. The one chance Hvolbek may have to win this match is to score points in the top position, though a more likely (but not probable) scenario could involve Heil extending this out to a major decision. Team: Blair 9-3 132: No. 2 Mark Grey (Blair Academy) vs. No. 8 Edgar Bright (St. Edward) This is probably the most anticipated individual matchup of the whole dual meet, with two of the most talented and impressive wrestlers of the early season going toe-to-toe. At the Walsh Ironman, Bright placed second while Grey placed fourth; in fact, Bright beat Alex Cisneros in the semifinal, who beat Grey for third place. However, in the championship match, Bright was upended by Randy Cruz, and Grey was able to avenge that loss in the Ironman semifinal the next week in the Beast of the East final. In other matches since then, Grey added a POWERade title to the Ironman title, and Bright has split matches against nationally ranked competition (losing 3-1 in overtime to Kevin Norstrem and beating Joey Ward 3-1; Grey beat Ward 5-3 in the Ironman quarterfinal). Based on their overall careers, it is not a good proposition to predict against Mark Grey, and I will not be doing so here; however, fans of St. Edward winning this match should mark this down as one they need/want to get. Team: Blair 12-3 138: No. 4 Todd Preston (Blair Academy) vs. Nick Barber (St. Edward) On paper, this appears to be a mismatch. Preston is a two-time National Prep champion and two-time Junior National freestyle All-American, while Barber has placed fourth at the state tournament once and had a poor Junior freestyle tournament last summer going 1-2. However, more relevant to the match on Saturday is what has happened this season. At the Walsh Ironman, Preston placed third to Barber's fifth, including a 1-0 head-to-head victory for Preston in the consolation semifinal. Additionally, both wrestlers have wrestled Nate Skonieczny this year; Barber losing a tight 3-2 decision in a dual meet, while Preston earned a 2-1 victory in the tiebreaker in the finals of the POWERade. The safe pick here is Preston in a close match, but one where the outcome is clear. Team: Blair 15-3 145: No. 9 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy) vs. Markus Scheidel (St. Edward) The sophomore Milonas has been one of the breakout stars of the early season winning titles at the Ironman and Beast of the East after failing to place at either of those tournaments last season. Additionally, he was a runner-up at the POWERade, and in all has a 6-1 record against nationally ranked wrestlers this season after dominating his way to a Cadet freestyle title in which he did not give up a single point. Though he is the underdog in this match, Scheidel is a pesky and dangerous opponent. He does have a consolation win at the Walsh Ironman over Reno TOC champ Joey Lavallee, and extended the sensational Mark Hall to overtime at the Clash before falling just short. The pick here is for Milonas to win by decision. Team: Blair 18-3 152: Russ Parsons (Blair Academy) vs. Matt Van Curen (St. Edward) Other than 106 this is one of two matches of the dual meet in which neither team presents a nationally ranked wrestler. That does not mean the match is unimportant, nor that the wrestlers here lack talent. Parsons is clearly the more consistent performer, as shown by top four placements at his three major tournaments season to date (fourth at the Ironman, second at the Beast, and champion at POWERade). In order to intelligently predict how Van Curen will perform in any match -- heck during any moment of the match -- one would need powers unknown to mankind. He has incomparable talent, as shown by throwing Felipe Martinez and Bo Jordan to their backs during matches over the years; however, more commonplace has been disappointment, as shown by two 0-2 state tournaments followed by failing to make the state tournament last year. These two wrestlers met in the quarterfinals at the Walsh Ironman, with Parsons winning 7-4. For the sake of sanity, let's pick a similar outcome this time around; however, the universe of possible outcomes is completely undefined. Team: Blair 21-3 160: Patrick Coover (Blair Academy) vs. Jacob Davis (St. Edward) And this is the other match that does not feature a nationally ranked wrestler for either team; however, both wrestlers have strong resumes of success. Coover has placed in all three major tournaments this year -- seventh at Ironman, fifth at Beast, and fourth at POWERade; while Davis out-placed Coover at the Ironman with a sixth place finish, which included a semifinal appearance. Against common opponent Dylan Reel at the Ironman, Davis split matches (winning in the quarterfinal, losing for fifth place), while Coover suffered a 6-2 setback in consolation wrestling. The prediction here is for Davis to win a close decision; however, if Coover can pull the upset here, this would be an indication that things are not going to go anywhere close to St. Edward's way. Team: Blair 21-6 170: Jack Wedholm (Blair Academy) vs. No. 5 Mark Martin (St. Edward) Wedholm did not wrestle for Blair at either the Ironman or the Beast of the East, but did place sixth at the POWERade after a season-ending injury to Addison Knepshield at the Beast of the East. Martin was champion at the Walsh Ironman this season, and was a Junior National freestyle All-American and FILA Junior National freestyle champion this past off-season. In the semifinal of the Walsh Ironman, Martin and Knepshield wrestled, with Martin earning a 10-2 major decision. Look for a similar type of outcome here, with fans of the Eagles hoping Martin can muster additional bonus with a pin. Team: Blair 21-10 182: Michael Mocco (Blair Academy) vs. No. 11 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward) Though not known as a world-beater, Mocco has been solid for Blair this year going against a tough schedule, placing fourth at the Ironman, fifth at the Beast, and fourth at the POWERade. However, Abounader is on a different plane, having won state as a sophomore in 2011, being a two-time Cadet National freestyle All-American, and finishing as runner-up in this year's Walsh Ironman. When the two wrestlers met at the Ironman, Abounader earned a 7-1 semifinal victory. However, in last year's dual meet, Abounader was able to pin Mocco. In this match, Abounader is the clear favorite and looking for big bonus points; however, the prediction here will be a compromise of sorts, a major decision for Abounader. Team: Blair 21-14 195: No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy) vs. No. 20 James Suvak (St. Edward) Though this is a showdown of nationally ranked wrestlers, it is lower than one might think on the food chain of interest in this dual meet. Of course, that is a testament to how talented both squads truly are. Mattiace placed third at National Preps last year in the 189 pound weight class, while Suvak was third in Ohio's big-school division at 189. In last year's dual meet Mattiace was able to muster a victory, while at this year's Ironman, Mattiace was champion and Suvak third. Against common opponent Seth Calvert, Mattiace won by 6-1 decision with Suvak losing 4-0. The pick here is for Mattiace to replicate the decision from last year's dual meet, though St. Edward fans are marking down this as a match that can be reversed. Team: Blair 24-14 220: David Farr (Blair Academy) vs. No. 14 Ty Walz (St. Edward) These two wrestlers met in the fifth place match at the Walsh Ironman, with Walz exiting as a 10-5 victor. Remember, that was coming off a disappointing afternoon session for Walz, as he lost an overtime match in the semifinals to A.J. Vizcarrando before being upset by Chalmer Freauf in the consolation semifinal (he avenged that loss to Freauf this past week). This past off-season, Walz was a FILA Cadet National freestyle runner-up and Junior National freestyle All-American. The pick here is for Walz to win the match by a convincing decision, while fans of St. Edward will be hoping for some sort of bonus points. Team: Blair 24-17 285: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy) vs. No. 4 Greg Kuhar/Joe Belford (St. Edward) Kuhar was runner-up at the Ironman to Black, losing by 3-1 decision, and has never beaten Black when counting two prior in-season dual meets and multiple freestyle matches. This segment was going to be optimistic for Kuhar, as he came into the Ironman off only two weeks of practice from the football playoffs, and he just capped off a tremendous Clash, which included a 6-2 victory over Nick Nevills. However, he did not wrestle this past weekend at the State Duals, and there are questions to if he will wrestle on Saturday. Black is the obvious number one in the country, and has controlled/dominated opposition this year in winning the Ironman, Beast, and POWERade. If Black wrestles Kuhar, Black by decision; if it's Belford, Black by pin or major. Team: Blair 28-17 Final thoughts: As can be seen here, the on-paper matchups for Blair. However, the potential for bonus points resides more in the St. Edward camp. The dual meet as presented here was 9-5 in matches for Blair. If the Eagles can somehow flip a net total of two outcomes, I would favor them to win in a 7-7 match scenario. Of the fourteen predictions, I can see St. Edward reversing outcomes at 106, 120, 132, and/or 195; while I could see Blair reversing the outcome at 160. The unexpected always plays a critical dynamic in dual meet wrestling, as does momentum. Wrestling fans everywhere should look forward to an awesome dual meet in the early evening on Saturday, and one that should do high school wrestling proud. Other details of the event: Blair Academy will wrestle three preliminary pool matches against Framingham, Mass., Palisades, Pa., and Cedar Cliff, Pa. The Buccaneers can most certainly substitute liberally in those three dual meets and dominate the opposition. Two potential matches against Cedar Cliff could be somewhat relevant, though clearly Blair wins -- Grey against Chris Vassar at 132, and Preston against Max Good at 138. St. Edward will wrestle three preliminary matches against Benton, Pa., Souderton, Pa., and No. 46 Bergen Catholic, N.J. Again, the Eagles can substitute liberally without problem and dominate. However, a couple of matches against Bergen Catholic could pique fan interest -- Bright against Connor Melde at 132, and Davis against No. 13 Johnny Sebastian at 160. Assuming Blair wins their pool, they would face the winner of either Pool B or Pool C in a semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Pool B is anchored by Don Bosco Prep, N.J. -- featuring Beast of the East champion at 152 pounds, No. 17 Sal Mastriani; eighth place finisher at 195 Razohn Gross; and freshman sensation Zack Chakonis, who placed sixth at 220. Pool C could be won by either Timberlane, N.H., or Mifflinburg, Pa. Timberlane features 2009 Beast of the East champion Zach Bridson (112), while Mifflinburg features Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Cole Walter (120) and Super 32 placer Ty Walter (160). Assuming St. Edward wins its pool, they would face the winner of either Pool D or Pool E in a semifinal at that same 3:30 p.m. time. Pool D is anchored by Germantown Academy, Pa., which features National Prep champion Chris Yankowich (138), Beast of the East third place finisher Nick Grossi (220), along with Ironman and Beast placer Chuck Boddy (285). Pool E is anchored by Northampton, Pa., which is led by two-time Beast of the East placer Jason Stephen (138). Link to pools and schedule: http://www.nhsca.com/images/files/2012%20Festival%20Pools%20&%20Schedule.pdf

Rousimar Palhares (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) UFC veteran Rousimar Palhares is better known throughout Brazil and the jiu-jitsu world by his nickname, "Toquinho" the Portuguese word for "twist." It's a fitting moniker for a grappler that men of mat and cage have started to fear for the quickness and ferocity with which employs brutal, career-ending heel hooks and knee-bar submissions. The 31-year-old fighter has been tearing three-letter ligaments since joining the Brazilian Top Team gym. The story of Palates' arrival -- which has by now been stripped of reality and succumb to the hyperbolic nature of legend -- is that he camped outside the entrance to BTT for three weeks until head trainer Murillo Bustamante allowed him to train. Once inside, the legend continues, he made short work of his new teammates. By most accounts, Palhares was humble as he rose through the ranks of Bustamante's gym and attached himself to the teachings of the former UFC champion -- treating him as both father and coach. In return, Bustamante transitioned his star pupil from a life on the mats into a life in the cage. The fights started simple enough; an arm bar submission here, some ground and pound there, but things got twisted at the 2007 Fury FC Middleweight Grand Prix in Brazil when Palhares submitted consecutive opponents by heel hook in the first round. Toquinho made a smooth transition to the big money and bright lights of the Octagon at UFC 82, where he earned a Submission of the Night bonus for an arm bar of Ivan Salaverry. Next was a three-round decision loss to Dan Henderson. Palhares won two more fights by decision before entering the cage against the largely unheralded Tomas Drwal. The heel hook returned, but instead of letting go when Drwal submitted, Palhares held tight on the submission until the referee forced him to finally relinquish the hold. In less than two minutes Toquinho had earned himself a reputation, and a 90-day suspension. Maybe it was the suspension that rattled loose the mortar supporting the modesty and sportsmanship within Palahares, or maybe he's always been a little crazy, but in his return to the Octagon in September of 2010 the Brazilian was again out of sync with reality and in conflict with the referees. Facing off against fellow top contender Nate Marquardt, Palhares dropped to the leg for what he believed to be a sure-fire heel-hook submission. The crowd gasped, but Marquardt responded correctly and turned away from the action to gain separation. Palhares was left sitting on the mat in disbelief, but instead of protecting himself from the charging Marquardt, Palhares began to complain to the referee that he believed Marquardt had greased his leg (Would you have blamed him?). Marquardt took the opportunity to unleash hell on the Brazilian's head and secured a first-round TKO. Marquardt would later be cleared of any wrongdoing and Palhares would apologize for his behavior, but yet again the Brazilian had shown odd behavior inside the cage, giving fans and other fighters pause to question his emotional stability. Since their fight, Marquardt has been released from the UFC, while Palhares has continued to be quirky and controversial, even on the jiu-jitsu mat. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) is the most prestigious no-gi jiu-jitsu tournament in the world. Fighters who win their weight class can earn as much as $20k, and Palhares, sniffing an opportunity to employ his twisting maneuvers on a set of men unable to strike him back, joined the 2011 competition. He strolled through the first round of competition, his opponent tapping the moment that Palhares grabbed his leg from the standing position -- apparently having seen some of the damage Toquinho has caused to other fighters in recent years. Palhares next faced well-regarded David Avellan of Miami. The fight was progressing as normal until Palhares reached for a heel hook and earned the submission while going out of bounds. However, as they stood up to shake hands Palhares landed a hard head snap to Avellan, which he later claimed was an attempt to give the fallen competitor a hug. The referees granted Avellan a restart (Why is somewhat unclear, but Avellan's brother claims that the referee yelled "Stop!" before Palhares' submission attempt) and repositioned Palhares with a heel hook in the middle of the mat Avellan accepted the restart and after a quick spin-out attempt by the American Palhares switched into a knee bar and cranked, hyper extending the leg of the former ADCC bronze medalist. Palhares lost to Andre Galvao in the finals, a man who had no patience for leg locks and who frustrated the fighter enough to even cause a point deduction for improper clubbing of the head. At UFC 134 in August, Palhares was again out-of-whack when he assumed his fight against Dan Miller was over after several seconds of ground and pound and straddled the cage in celebration. Of course the fight wasn't over, and referee Herb Dean was forced to pull Palhares down and restart the action. He'd eventually earn the unanimous decision victory. None of this bodes very well for Mike Massenzio. The New Jersey native is a salty striker and good wrestler, but was once submitted via triangle choke by Brain Stann. He probably hasn't felt the strength and speed of a heel hook like that of Palhares, and even if he has, nothing outside of the world's greatest grappler may be able to stop a motivated Toquinho. Should the Brazilian lock up the submission lets hope that Massenzio feels the position fast enough to tap, and that Toquinho has the sense to let go. Otherwise Massenzio might be the next man to be retired by a twist of fate. The Rise of Toquinho from stuart cooper Films on Vimeo.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 22 Northwestern (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) has arguably one of the toughest weekends of competition on the horizon as the Wildcats host the defending NCAA and Big Ten champions, and currently top-ranked, Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Then, less than 48 hours later, the 'Cats take on this year's Midlands champions, and fourth-ranked, Iowa (7-1, 2-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. This weekend, a total of 19 wrestlers ranked by InterMat are probable to take the mat; four for Northwestern, eight for Penn State and seven for Iowa. Fans can watch both matches this weekend on the Big Ten Digital Network, which airs on Wildcat All-Access on NUsports.com. Friday Night Promotions Friday is Family Fun Night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, presented by Coke Zero, where families will enjoy free hot dogs courtesy of Vienna Beef and free Coke Zero in a color-changing Northwestern wrestling mug. Fans are invited to stay after the match to get your Northwestern Wrestling schedule poster signed by the team at the post-match autograph session. Pariano to Appear on Takedown Radio This Saturday Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano will be a guest on the Takedown Radio broadcast airing this Saturday. Pariano is scheduled to be on the show in the 10 a.m. hour and fans can listen to a live streak online at www.takedownradio.com. Northwestern wrestling fans in the Des Moines, Iowa, area can listen live on 1460 WXNO. Scouting the Nittany Lions Penn State is currently the top-ranked team in the country according to InterMat, and WIN Magazine polls. The Nittany Lions are 5-1 in dual action, losing their lone match of the season on Nov. 20, 23-14 to Minnesota. Since then, PSU has won four-straight duals, including a 50-0 shutout of Lock Haven and most recently, a 36-6 win over Michigan State last weekend. The Nittany Lions also won the team title at the Southern Scuffle with four individual champions. Eight Nittany Lions are currently ranked, including No. 10 Nico Megaludis (125), No. 1 Frank Molinaro (149), No. 9 Dylan Alton (157), No. 1 David Taylor (165), No. 2 Ed Ruth (174), No. 2 Quentin Wright (184), No. 12 Morgan McIntosh (197), No. 6 Cameron Wade (Hwt). Penn State has four returning All-Americans on this year's roster (Molinaro, Taylor, Ruth and Wright). Scouting the Hawkeyes Iowa won the team title at the 49th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena and is out to a 7-1 record in dual action. The Hawkeyes saw their 84-dual unbeaten streak come to an end Saturday night against Oklahoma State. Despite splitting 10 matches, the Cowboys outscored the Hawkeyes 54-51 in match points to earn the 17-16 victory. Iowa visits Nebraska Friday before hosting the Wildcats on Sunday. Like Penn State, Iowa has a number of ranked wrestlers in the latest InterMat poll, including No. 2 Matt McDonough (125), this week's Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, No. 2 Tony Ramos (133), No. 3 Montell Marion (141), No. 2 Derek St. John (157), No. 9 Mike Evans (165), No. 11 Ethen Lofthouse (174), No. 19 Grant Gambrall (197) and No. 8 Bobby Telford (Hwt). All, with the exception of St. John, are listed as probable starters for Sunday. How Do You Rank? Depending on what wrestling poll you look at, Northwestern is wrestling either the No. 1 or No. 3 team in the country Friday night and then the No. 2, or No. 4 team Sunday. Either way, this weekend brings tough competition for the Wildcats, who come in ranked as high as 17th and are also tabbed at No. 22 in two other polls. Here's a breakdown of the InterMat, WIN Magazine and USA Today/NWCA Coaches Polls. InterMat WIN NWCA Northwestern 22 22 T17 Penn State 1 1 3 Iowa 4 T2 2 Probable Starters Weight Northwestern Penn State Iowa 125 #7 Levi Mele #10 Nico Megaludis #2 Matt McDonough 133 Jameson Oster Frank Martellotti OR Derek Reber #2 Tony Ramos 141 Colin Shober OR Pat Greco Bryan Pearsall #3 Montell Marion 149 Kaleb Friedley #1 Frank Molinaro Mark Ballweg OR Mike Kelly 157 #3 Jason Welch #9 Dylan Alton Nick Moore 165 Pierce Harger #1 David Taylor #9 Mike Evans 174 #9 Lee Munster #2 Ed Ruth #11 Ethen Lofthouse 184 Robert Kellogg OR Marcus Shrewsbury #2 Quentin Wright Jeremy Fahler OR Vinnie Wagner 197 John Schoen #12 Morgan McIntosh #19 Grant Gambrall OR Tomas Lira Hwt #19 Mike McMullan #6 Cameron Wade #8 Bobby Telford *InterMat rankings used Last Time Out Last weekend, the Wildcats opened up the 2011-12 Big Ten dual campaign, hosting No. 7 Michigan and then visiting Wisconsin. The Wolverines escaped Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 28-9 win, but Northwestern bounced back with a 33-9 victory over the Badgers on Sunday. Northwestern relied heavily on bonus points in its bout on Sunday with three major decisions and two pins. Despite all of the wins by bonus points, redshirt freshman Pierce Harger recorded the biggest win of the weekend for the 'Cats, upsetting Wisconsin's No. 8 Ben Jordan 4-2 at 165 lbs. Juniors Levi Mele and Jason Welch both went 2-0 on the weekend. Mele got the 'Cats out to a 6-0 lead vs. Michigan by pinning Grant Pizzo in 3:36 and then added a major decision to his record, defeating Wisconsin's Austin Hietpas 14-1 on Sunday. Welch won his 11th and 12th bouts of the season, knocking off Michigan's Brandon Zeerip 2-0 on Friday and then pinned his third opponent of the season, Shawn Perry from Wisconsin, in 3:41 Sunday. With the wins, Mele improves to 19-2 on the season and Welch is a perfect 12-0. Have We Met? Friday's match will be the first time Northwestern has wrestled Penn State at any event this year, but the Wildcats and Hawkeyes are somewhat familiar with one another as Midlands featured a number of bouts between the two teams. Three exciting rematches could take place Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye at 174, 197 and heavyweight. In the Midlands finals at 174 lbs., No. 5 seed Lee Munster met second-seeded Ethen Lofthouse and the NU redshirt freshman defeated the Hawkeye 7-3 to win the title. Two other matches featuring the Wildcats and Hawkeyes went to overtime at Midlands. At the 197 lbs. seventh place match, unseeded John Schoen was edged 3-1 in sudden victory by No. 7 seed Grant Gambrall and No. 10 seed Mike McMullan also lost a close 4-2 overtime match against No. 3 seed Bobby Telford. In the Bonus This year, Northwestern is racking up the bonus points, as 71 of its 152 wins have been by either major decision, technical fall or fall. Individually, Levi Mele and Jason Welch also have a number of wins with bonus points. Mele has scored extra points in 11 of his 21 matches (or 52.4 percent of his bouts this year) while Welch has eight bonus point wins in 12 bouts (66.7 percent). Northwestern has 37 pins, 26 major decisions and eight tech falls on the season. Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!

An undisclosed injury has forced Mike Stumpf out of UFC 143. In his place goes undefeated welterweight prospect Stephen Wonderboy Thompson, who fights Justin Edwards at the Super Bowl weekend event, UFC officials today announced. UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Read Story

Sean Sherk, UFC Hall of Famer? With the UFC entering a new era and veterans such as Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn and Rich Franklin in the homestretch of their careers, former UFC lightweight champ Sherk is hoping to cement his place in a crowded field of HOF candidates. Inactive since a September 2010 win over Evan Dunham, the oft-injured Sherk now is planning for a spring or early-summer return to the octagon. Read Story

For the first time since 2008, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed to the Peach State. It was announced on Tuesday's new edition of FUEL TV's UFC Live that Atlanta's Philips Arena will play host to UFC 146, which takes place April 21. MMAjunkie.com has since confirmed with sources close to the event that the city's Philips Arena will host the card. Read Story

Stockholm's own light heavyweight Alexander Gustfasson will take on Brazilian veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the main event of UFC Sweden, the UFC announced Tuesday. UFC Sweden (also known as UFC on FUEL TV 2), the promotion's debut in Sweden, takes place Saturday, April 14 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm. Sweden has been on our radar for a long time and on April 14, we're excited to finally bring the UFC to Stockholm, UFC President Dana White stated Tuesday ...

It's not secret that the UFC wants to do a giant event with Anderson Silva in Brazil this summer, but Dana White recently all but confirmed that would happen if a rematch with Chael Sonnen comes alive. Read Story

Photo/Forza LLC via Getty Images Chances are that if you know nothing else about women's MMA, you know that there was once a very scary-looking Brazilian woman with a nickname reminiscent of RoboCop. Until last Friday, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos was the face of women's MMA. Her six year, 10-fight win streak made her the class of the Strikeforce 145-pound division and forced Scot Coker and other executives to cultivate one competitive, or marketable matchup for her every six months. Last month it was jiu-jitsu ace and Japanese legend, Hiroko "Cat's Eye" Yamanaka, a fighter that at least a few pundits thought could give Cyborg a test -- maybe bloody the champ's nose, or threaten with a submission. Yamanaka was unconscious in 16 seconds, the latest victim of Cyborg's right hand. But then came last week's announcement that the reigning pound-for-pound women's champ had tested positive for stanozolol, a steroid metabolite banned by nearly every professional sporting league in the world. Cyborg went on to release a statement that the drug found her way into her supplements, but as many doctors and nutritionists have pointed out, those explanations are somewhat fantastical. Dana White, speaking on behalf of Zuffa Inc., has indicated that in the wake of Cyborg's suspension he would likely shudder the 145-pound women's division. It's a decision he says is based in a lack of attractive and available talent. Cyborg was the face of the organization and in his opinion few names remained to carry the burden. Of course it's difficult not to cry foul when White, a vocal opponent of female MMA, is the one announcing the decision. Unfortunately, there is a belief among fight executives that at least two things are true. First, that both men and women don't want to pay to see pretty women batter each other with their fists; and second, that women should not be fighting in the first place. The marketability of women fighters is only starting to be understood. It's ironic that the organizations governing MMA would detect a lack of marketability on the women's side in the same month that former MMA superstar Gina Carano begins her movie career by starring in a big budget Steven Soderbergh film, "Haywire." The movie isn't small peanuts, it's cast is potentially the biggest of 2012; Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, and Antonio Banderas are just some of the top-billed actors. People will go to theaters and they will see a former MMA superstar alongside "The American President" and "Zorro." The popularity of "Haywire" should spark at least some interest in female MMA. However, since the Cyborg drug test and subsequent response from Zuffa, any Google search for "women's MMA" is likelier to pull up stories of contraction, than stories of celebration. Were the organizations even-handed (as they are with the men -- all the recent rape jokesters are still employed) they'd instead have pushed to celebrate the impressive resumes and insane marketability of Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate, who are scheduled to fisticuff March 3 in Columbus, Ohio. The two fighters have even been falling into the Zuffa model by embroiling themselves in a Twitter war that has earned thousands of new followers for the fighters. Another major concern is the lingering culture of female protectionism that informs the decision-making of executives in charge of female sports, and those with involvement in any type of female contact sport (wrestling, judo, MMA, rugby). Women are not fragile; they are not all concerned with their periods and the health of their nail beds. Most of the women who are flocking in record numbers to jiu-jitsu gyms and rugby fields are searching for the same catharsis -- the same physical release from the stresses of the day -- as their male counterparts. The paternalism inherent in limiting the contact sports opportunities of women at both the amateur (NCAA) and professional (MMA) level should be met with disgust. Women have a place in the cage no matter if it disagrees with the antiquated gender roles imagined by a few knuckle-dragging troglodytes. Fans want to see talented and motivated fighters battle each other for 15-25 minutes inside a cage, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender. MMA executives should take note that not unlike their male counterparts, the majority of the women who populate the ranks of MMA are witty, attractive and marketable, which means given the platform they'll be able to sell their fights to the fans. The dissolution of the 145-pound class would also mean that fight fans won't get to see the most exciting new talent in women's MMA, undefeated 2004 Olympic silver medalist wrestler Sara McMann. She's currently fighting in ProElite, but to think that she could possibly face off against former Olympic judo medalist Ronda Rousey is enough to make a true MMA fan half-giddy. Talented, professionally trained fighters is exactly what the MMA world enjoys. Fans and pundits love a contrast of styles, especially when performed by two of their best practitioners. Even though a 135-pound title might be in her future, Rousey hasn't been in the cage for longer than 57 seconds and has ended each of her eight fights with an arm bar submission. When it comes to dominance, gender shouldn't be a factor, especially when it's a matchup that could generate enormous viewership. Women fighters deserve a chance to see their sport grow. It was only six years ago that the UFC was struggling to turn a major profit on its male side -- now the company has a $700 million television deal with FOX and the most talented pool of any MMA organization. Given time and incentives fight fans will see an equal access to talent on the women's side with more former Olympians bringing their talents to the cage. Former MMA stars like Carano and even the embattled Cyborg brought the sport of women's MMA mostly by encompassing polar opposites of the female fighting spectrum, the former a beautiful burgeoning movie star, the latter an intimidating almost comical impersonation of fitness. The future of women's MMA doesn't exist in these boundaries, it's square on the shoulders of well-trained super-athletes who are attractive and marketable and at least somewhat normal. The women have done the work, now it's time for the promotional leaders of the sport to recognize and reward that growth, rather than destroy it out of pettiness or gender bias.

Detroit Catholic Central Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team updated on Jan. 4 and individual updated today). Preview items use the new team and individual rankings. Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals Date: Saturday, Jan. 14 Location: Detroit Catholic Central High School (Novi, Mich.) Dual Meet Schedule: 10:00 a.m. -- No. 28 Montini Catholic, Ill. vs. No. 3 St. Johns, Mich.; No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. vs. Bedford, Mich.; Richmond, Mich. vs. Clarkston, Mich.; Dundee, Mich. vs. Solon, Ohio 11:45 a.m. -- No. 28 Montini Catholic vs. Bedford, No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central vs. No. 3 St. Johns, Richmond vs. Solon, Dundee vs. Clarkston 1:30 p.m. -- Dundee vs. Richmond, No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central vs. No. 28 Montini Catholic, Clarkston vs. Solon, Bedford vs. St. Johns 3:15 p.m. -- No. 3 St. Johns vs. Richmond, No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central vs. Solon, No. 28 Montini Catholic vs. Dundee, Bedford vs. Clarkston Top Wrestlers (Note -- Michigan uses the "old" weights): 103: Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic), Trevor Zdebski (Detroit Catholic Central), Drew Wixson (St. Johns) 112: No. 13 (at 113) Zac Hall (St. Johns), Mitch Rogaliner (Bedford), Brandon Thompson (Solon), Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic), Myles Amine (Detroit Catholic Central) 119: Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic), Stephen Ireland (Richmond), Logan Massa (St. Johns) 125: Jacob Schmitt (St. Johns), Michael Sepke (Montini Catholic), Dustin Pitcel (Richmond), T.J. Fagan (Detroit Catholic Central) 130: Ken Bade (Detroit Catholic Central), Doug Rojem (Dundee) 135: Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic), Brant Schafer (St. Johns), Malik Amine (Detroit Catholic Central), Devin Skataza (Richmond) 140: Josh Pennell (St. Johns), Drew Vrbenec (Montini Catholic), Garrett Edwards (Richmond), Brody Whitman (Dundee) 145: No. 2 Ben Whitford (St. Johns), No. 11 Anthony Collica (Solon), Logan Marcicki (Detroit Catholic Central), Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic), Liam Grantham (Dundee) 152: No. 19 (at 145) Alec Mooradian (Detroit Catholic Central), Travis Curley (St. Johns) 160: No. 20 Jordan Wohlfert (St. Johns), Justin Kresevic (Solon), Nick Mason (Detroit Catholic Central), Todd Olson (Dundee) 171: No. 1 (at 170) Taylor Massa (St. Johns), Andrew Garcia (Detroit Catholic Central), Connor Winel (Montini Catholic) 189: Kevin Beazley (Detroit Catholic Central), Payne Hayden (St. Johns), Brandon Sunday (Bedford) 215: Brian Smith (Bedford), Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic), Greg Sebastian (Richmond), Conrad Domiguez (St. Johns) 285: Logan Rimmer (Bedford), John Marogen (Dundee), Scott Devos (Clarkston), Jaleel Johnson (Montini Catholic) A perfect hundred Now ranked No. 6 in the nation at 126 pounds, junior Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) won his 100th career match without a loss on Monday night with a 15-4 major decision victory over Jake Balesteri (Franklin Regional, N.J.) in dual meet competition. Ashnault, also a two-time champion at the Super32 Challenge, won state titles during his first two years of high school competition. He joins Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook/Ohio State) and Scott Winston (Jackson Memorial/Rutgers) as the lone wrestlers to start their careers with at least 100 wins without losing. Campolattano won his first 100 matches before losing to Michael Evans in the finals of the Bethlehem Liberty Hurricane at 189 pounds in December 2009, during his junior December; going on to finish his career 175-1. Winston is the lone wrestler to finish his career undefeated, as he went 137-0, but did not compete in the state tournament series his freshman year due to injury. Ashnault seeks to become the third four-time state champion in New Jersey history, joining Campolattano and Mike Grey (Delbarton/Cornell), who went 158-2 in his career; but the first to do so without a loss. The Apple finds the Cheese … barely Given an event with 24 teams, and seven of them ranked, one would expect to see a very balanced and hotly contested tournament. This past weekend's Cheesehead Invitational was that and more, with no team in the field coming home with more than two weight class champions, and the highest number of championship finalists for a given team was four. When it was done, even though No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn., did not have No. 4 Mark Hall with them for much of the tournament at 145 pounds, they still were able to muster the team title with 565 points, which was four more than No. 11 Bettendorf, Iowa. In fact, it was the nine points that Hall scored in the tournament -- a bye advancing into the top 16, and a pin in the preliminary round-robin -- which one could argue made the difference. Apple Valley was one of four teams to have a pair of weight class champions -- Malou Woiwor (106) and No. 11 Dakota Trom (132). The Eagles also had a runner-up finish from No. 6 Brandon Kingsley (160), and eight other top-eight finishers -- one in third, fourth, seventh, and eighth; and a pair each taking fifth and sixth. Second-place Bettendorf was anchored by a championship from Fredy Stroker (113) along with runner-up finishes from Connor Ryan (138), Bryan Levsen (182), and No. 18 Nate Shaw (220). The Bulldogs had six additional top-eight finishers -- one each in fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth; with a pair in fifth, while an additional wrestler placed ninth. Even without two-time state finalist Kyle Gliva (113/120), No. 10 Simley, Minn., was able to finish in third place with 521.5 points anchored by the effort of their four finalists -- No. 5 Jake Short (145) and No. 10 (at 182) Micah Barnes (170), who won titles, while Nick Wanzek (152) and Matt Kadrlik (285) finished in the runner-up position. Six additional wrestlers for Simley finished inside the top eight -- one in fifth and eight, while a pair each took fourth and seventh. Finishing fourth in the standings was No. 14 Southeast Polk, Iowa, with 508.5 points. The Rams were anchored by six top three finishers among their eight wrestlers finishing in the top eight. Winning titles were No. 3 Cory Clark (126), who stayed undefeated for his career, and No. 3 Willie Miklus (220); No. 2 Alex Meyer (170) took second; while Dylan Blackford (160), Bud Smith (195), and Bryce Fisher (285) each took third. Additional placers were fifth and seventh. Despite the absence of No. 14 Jack Bass (138), No. 19 Allen, Texas, earned a fifth-place finish with 445 points keyed by seven top-eight finishers anchored by a championship effort from No. 8 (at 160) Oliver Pierce (152). Bo Nickal (145) finished as runner-up, Jarrod Trotter (126) was third, a pair of wrestlers in fourth, while single wrestlers finished fifth and eighth. Despite no champions, and the absence of No. 20 Kevon Powell (120), No. 28 Montini Catholic, Ill., finished in sixth place with 411.5 points. The Broncos were anchored by runner-up finishes from Jordan Laster (113) and Chris Garcia (132), as well as five other top eight placers -- one each in third, fourth, and eighth, while a pair finished in sixth. The seventh and eighth place squads finished with six placers each. In seventh was No. 45 Luxemburg-Casco, Wis., with 403 points, anchored by a championship from Newton Smerchek (285) while other wrestlers finished third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh; two additional wrestlers placed ninth. Anchored by a pair of champions -- Shaun'Qae McMurtry (160) and No. 5 Brad Johnson (195), Lockport, Ill. finished with 390.5 points. It was the second straight championship final upset victory for McMurtry, as he beat No. 16 Justin Koethe of Iowa City West at the Dvorak, and now beat Kingsley 12-6. Other placers for Lockport took second, fourth, seventh, and eighth. Rounding out the weight class champions were Mitch Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.) at 120 pounds, Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) at 138, and Ian Johnson (Milton, Wis.) at 182. Direct link for all result information -- http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=28775009 Virginia Duals -- National High School Division Dates: Friday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 14 Location: Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Va.) Bracket and Schedule: http://virginiaduals.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-National-high-school-bracket.pdf (championship rounds -- Friday at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) Top Teams: No. 9 Canon McMillan, Pa. (1st seed); No. 13 Christiansburg, Va. (2nd seed); No. 36 McDonogh, Md. (4th seed); No. 44 South Plainfield, N.J. (3rd seed); Timber Creek, N.J. (5th seed); and Nazareth, Pa. (6th seed) Top Wrestlers: 106: No. 14 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), Tyrone Klump (Nazareth, Pa.), Brendon Price (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Gabe Gibson (Cox, Va.) 113: No. 10 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.), Dalton Macri (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.), Ray Jazikoff (South Plainfield, N.J.) 120: No. 9 Conner Schram (Canon McMillan, Pa.), No. 11 Troy Heilmann (South Plainfield, N.J.), Kaleb LeMaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.), Ricky Carter (Timber Creek, N.J.), Kyle Dulaney (Christiansburg, Va.) 126: No. 5 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 6 Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), No. 7 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), Colton Shorts (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.), Chase Zemenak (Nazareth, Pa.), Kyle Smith (Chantilly, Va.) 132: Brandon Keller (Timber Creek, N.J.), C.J. Jablonski (Cox, Va.), Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.), Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.), Dallas Smith (Christiasburg, Va.), Trey Gregory (New Kent, Va.) 138: Tyler Hunt (South Plainfield, N.J.), Austin Fuller (New Kent, Va.), Gabe Lumpp (Christiansburg, Va.), Isaiah DeGuzman (Timber Creek, N.J.) 145: No. 8 Solomon Chishko (Canon McMillan, Pa.), No. 15 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), Corey Stasenko (South Plainfield, N.J.), Robert Janis (St. Christopher's, Va.), Stephen Jackson (Caesar Rodney, Del.) 152: Dario Dobbin (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Bryce Shade (Timber Creek, N.J.), Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.), Devontae Fitzgerald (New Kent, Va.) 160: No. 8 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.), Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.), Justin Altice (Franklin County, Va.), Nolan Shultz (New Kent, Va.) 170: No. 3 Cody Wiercioch (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Tyler Miles (Christiansburg, Va.), Robert Shade (Timber Creek, N.J.), Tyler Patrick (McDonogh, Md.), Gunter Dickson (Cox, Va.), Pierce DeMarreau (Caesar Rodney, Del.) 182: Eric Wolak (Nazareth, Pa.), Ryan Wade (Christiansburg, Va.) 195: Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.), David Wilke (Nazareth, Pa.) 220: Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.), Alex Campbell (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Marshall Hollerith (St. Christopher's, Va.), Brandon Taylor (Christiansburg, Va.) 285: No. 14 Cody Klempay (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Greg Webb (Timber Creek, N. J.), Roman Braglio (McDonogh, Md.), Brandon Lance (Nazareth, Pa.) Awesome field at the Doc Buchanan but Clovis still unkind hosts What's a tournament field that has eight nationally ranked wrestlers win championships? Loaded. How about when six of the finals feature nationally ranked wrestlers going head-to-head? Electric. That was what the Doc Buchanan Invitational featured this past weekend. For all the intensity and excitement within the individual weight classes, it was that boring in the team landscape, where No. 6 Clovis, Calif., scored 205 points to almost double the next three teams in the standings. The hosts Cougars had a tournament-high three champions -- Jonas Gaytan (120), Dakota Gordon (195), and No. 4 Nick Nevills (285). Nick Nevills was named the Outstanding Wrestler for upper-weights after defeating No. 20 Johnny Schupp (Vacaville, Calif.) 10-8 in overtime. No. 4 Zach Nevills (170) finished in second place after losing 11-5 to No. 2 (at 160) Joey Davis (Santa Fe, Calif.). With that performance, Davis was selected as the tournament's overall Outstanding Wrestler. Clovis had ten weight classes with a place-finisher, eleven wrestlers in all inside the top eight. Other medalists were a pair in fourth, sixth, and seventh; while their non-scoring placer also took sixth. Second in the standings was No. 22 Bakersfield, Calif., with 115 points, primarily coming from five placers, all inside the top four. The Drillers were anchored by runner-up finishes from No. 9 (at 138) Natrelle Deminson (145) and No. 6 Coleman Hammond (152), while it was an additional wrestler in third and another pair in fourth. Deminson was upended in the final 6-4 by Willie Fox (Gilroy, Calif.), while Hammond fell to No. 3 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 8-4 in a match featuring two of the nation's elite junior class wrestlers. Tied for third were No. 17 Poway, Calif., and Roseburg, Ore., with 111.5 points. The Titans placed wrestlers in eight weight classes, nine in all; however, none of the Titan grapplers placed above fifth. A pair placed fifth and seventh, while four wrestlers placed sixth; and the non-scoring wrestler placed eighth. Their anchor wrestler, No. 18 Connor King (170) placed sixth, losing an 8-6 overtime decision in the semifinals to Zach Nevills and then an 8-4 decision to No. 18 Silas Nacita (Bakersfield) in the consolation semifinal. Roseburg had five placing wrestlers, anchored by the second place finish from Javier Mandera (160), who fell in the finals by 10-2 major decision against No. 11 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.). Reed Van Anrooy (145) and Hector Mandera (152) placed third, while other wrestlers placed fifth and seventh. Three other championship matches featured nationally ranked wrestlers going head-to-head. At 106 pounds, No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) beat No. 3 Paul Mascarenas (Cleveland, N.M.) 6-4 in the tiebreaker. At 113 pounds, No. 12 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.) earned the Outstanding Wrestler honor for lower-weights with a 14-3 major decision victory over No. 4 Micah Perez (Central Union, Calif.). Finally, up a weight class, No. 2 (at 132) Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.) beat No. 19 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.) 4-3 in the tiebreaker. This came after Villareal avenged a Reno TOC finals loss to No. 17 Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) with a pin at the 2:59 mark. Additional weight class champions were Javier Gasca (Kingsburg, Calif.) at 132 pounds, No. 2 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.) at 182, and Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.) at 220. The rest of the week that was … No. 2 St. Edward dominated their way to yet another OHSWCA Division I State Duals championship. The Eagles beat Kettering Fairmont 54-16 in the opening round and Wadsworth 49-12 in the semifinal before upending No. 16 Cincinnati Moeller 44-13 in the championship match. The Eagles won 11 of the 14 weight classes, including a pair of matches featuring one vs. two matchups in the big-school division; No. 9 Edgar Bright scored a second period takedown in upending No. 12 Joey Ward 3-1 at 132 pounds, while No. 14 Ty Walz beat Chalmer Freauf 6-4 with a go ahead takedown late in the match. The Crusaders advanced to the championship match with a 33-29 victory over No. 27 Massillon Perry in the semifinal round. No. 20 Broken Arrow, Okla., won the nation's oldest wrestling tournament -- the 68th annual Geary Invitational -- with 143.5 points. They were led by a trio of weight class champions -- No. 12 Markus Simmons (106), No. 8 Chase Ferman (138), and Tanner Bailey (145). The team placed eight other wrestlers, including a pair in second and third. Second in the standings was No. 18 Tulsa Union, Okla. with 138 points, led by a pair of champions in Brian (132) and No. 4 Kyle (182) Crutchmer and nine other placers. Third place was Tuttle, Okla. with 114.5 points, led by their lone champion No. 10 Zach Beard (170) and seven other placers. The final at 152 pounds featured a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, with No. 16 Keilan Torres (Altus, Okla.) defeating No. 10 Kyle Ash (Tulsa Union) 7-4. Two dual meets this past weekend featured a pair of nationally ranked teams battling head-on. In the finals of the Gateway to the Best Duals hosted by Lindenwood College, No. 41 Christian Brothers, Tenn. upended No. 30 Blue Springs, Mo., 35-19; while also on Saturday afternoon, No. 48 Carl Sandburg, Ill., won eight of the 14 matches, including all three decided by a single point, to defeat No. 47 Glenbard North, Ill., 25-24. Winning eight of fourteen matches, including the final four -- two of those in overtime -- St. Peter's Prep, N.J., was able to pull off the 29-28 upset victory over No. 32 South Plainfield, N.J., on Friday night. Furthering the surprise was that No. 12 Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep) was upset 7-3 by Corey Stasenko in the match immediately preceding the end of match run for St. Peter's Prep. An additional upset over a nationally ranked team happened in the Chicago area, where Hinsdale Central, Ill., won eight of 14 matches to defeat No. 46 Marist, Ill. 34-20. The rest of the coming week … Dual meet state tournaments are being conducted in Georgia and Texas this weekend. No. 17 Allen, Texas, seeks to defend the single class dual meet title (an invitational tournament, not sanctioned by the state association); No. 25 Collins Hill and No. 38 Collins Hill will battle it out for the Class 5A (big-school) title in Georgia, while No. 49 Jefferson is a prohibitive favorite for Georgia's Class 2A title. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., and No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, are very likely to battle it out for the NHSCA Festival championship at about 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday at Pleasant Valley High School in Broadheadsville, Pa. Also present in the 20-team event is No. 46 Bergen Catholic, N.J. A separate preview of the potential Blair Academy vs. St. Edward dual meet will appear later in the week. No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn., No. 30 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., and Marmion Academy, Ill., travel to No. 21 Iowa City West, Iowa, on Saturday for a quadrangular in which all four teams will wrestle one another. Three key matches of ranked wrestlers competing head-on are probable in this dual meet: No. 12 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy) against No. 20 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West) at 113 pounds, No. 12 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley) against No. 15 Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West) at 132, and No. 11 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley) against No. 16 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West). No. 5 Clovis, Calif., No. 18 Poway, Calif., and No. 22 Bakersfield, Calif., headline a second consecutive showcase tournament for the Golden State and west of the Rockies wrestling as a whole. This time, they anchor the Temecula Valley Invitational Tournament on Friday and Saturday. There are five weights where nationally ranked wrestlers could collide -- 106 pounds with No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) and Johnson Mai (North Torrence, Calif.); 113 with No. 4 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.) and No. 9 Micah Perez (Central Union, Calif.); 138 with No. 11 Natrelle Deminson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and No. 13 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.); 152 with No. 3 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) and No. 6 Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield, Calif.); and 170 with No. 2 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 18 Silas Nacita (Bakersfield, Calif.), and No. 19 Connor King (Poway, Calif.). No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio, and No. 27 Massillon Perry, Ohio, anchor the field at the Top Gun Invitational hosted by Alliance (Ohio) High School this Friday and Saturday. The lone weight with a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers is 152, where No. 1 Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham) and No. 12 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry) are present; however, seven other nationally ranked wrestlers do populate the field. No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Pa., and No. 42 Wantagh, N.Y., are among approximately 100 teams slated to compete in the 10th annual Eastern States Wrestling Classic this coming Friday and Saturday on the campus of SUNY-Sullivan in Lake Sheldrake, N.Y. There is a possibility of nationally ranked wrestlers meeting at 170 pounds, with No. 7 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary) and No. 16 Burke Paddock (N.Y.) present in the field. No. 12 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 37 Colonial Forge, Va., anchor the 32-team Escape the Rock Wrestling Tournament hosted by Council Rock South High School outside of Philadelphia, Pa this coming Friday and Saturday. This year, the event is also a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Three weight classes have the potential for showdowns between nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 11 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) against No. 13 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.) at 106 pounds, No. 2 (at 106) Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) against No. 11 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South, Pa.) at 113, and No. 7 Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pa.) against No. 17 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) at 160 pounds. No. 23 Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., will be hosting No. 48 Glenbard North, Ill., as part of a quadrangular meet this coming Saturday.

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Oklahoma, ranked No. 12 nationally, downed 24th-ranked Binghamton 20-15 inside the West Gym in Vestal, N.Y., on Tuesday night. The Sooners (5-2-0, 2-1-0) earned five wins on the night, three of which led to bonus points, as Oklahoma handed the Bearcats (8-1) their first loss of the season. “This dual came down to exactly what I thought it would,” Mark Cody said. “I'm happy with the win, but definitely not satisfied. There were a few matches that we had, but we lost them with seconds to go.” OU's eighth ranked Jarrod Patterson gave the Sooners their first bonus points of the night after he devastated Binghamton's Derek Steeley, 19-6. Patterson led 10-2 after the first period and added nine additional points due to a reversal, three takedowns and 3:39 of riding time. With the Sooners leading 4-0 Jordan Keller, ranked No. 11, collected a 7-2 win over Patrick Hunter in the 133 pound matchup. Keller had a takedown and nearfall in the first and ended with an escape and riding time. Kendric Maple racked up his second-consecutive pin in dual action after he earned a fall in 1:42 against the Bearcat's Joe Bonaldi. Prior to the fall, Maple earned three quick takedowns. The fall gave OU a commanding 13-0 lead over the Binghamton going into the 149 pound bout. The Bearcats got on the board after fourth-ranked Donnie Avery defeated OU's Nick Lester, ranked No. 7. Avery earned three takedowns and riding time, while Lester's only points came on two escapes. Twin brother Matt Lester suffered the Sooners' second loss of the night after he dropped an 8-6 decision to Binghamton's eighth-ranked Justin Lister. Lister opened the bout with a takedown, but Lester earned an escape and takedown to lead 3-1 going into the second. Lister earned a takedown, which Lester later reversed. Leading 5-4, Lester gave up a reversal and a 2-point nearfall. The Sooners led 13-6 when Bubby Graham earned the Sooners final bonus points of the night after he earned a major decision victory over Binghamton's Joe Chamish, 14-4, at 165 pounds. In the bout, Graham had six takedowns, an escape and riding time to run away with the victory. Binghamton earned a win in the 174 pound bout after Nate Schiedel downed OU's Marcus Armato, 13-7. Schiedel had four takedowns, while Armato had four escapes. The Bearcat added two more takedowns and riding time in the third. Armato finished with six escapes. OU led 17-9 heading into the 184 pound matchup between OU's 20th-ranked Erich Schmidtke and Binghamton's Nate Schiedel. Schiedel took a 7-5 lead into the third period where Schmidtke posted an escape and earned a takedown with 0:30 remaining to take an 8-7 lead; however, Schiedel earned a reversal with 0:07 remaining to take the match, 9-8. Keldrick Hall clinched the match for the Sooners after he downed Binghamton's Cody Reed, 7-6. In the bout, Hall earned two takedowns, two escapes and a point via a stalling penalty to give OU a 20-12 advantage. OU's Kyle Colling fell shy of his third straight win Tuesday when Binghamton's Nick Gwiazdowski defeated him, 7-6. Colling trailed 4-2 after the first period, but had three escapes and a 2-point nearfall to bring the bout within one. However, the Bearcat hung on for the win. “It has been a long road trip, but I am proud of the way the guys competed,” Cody said. “Now we are ready to move forward.” Up next, the Sooners head down I-35 to take part in the Lone Star Duals on Saturday, Jan. 14, in Arlington, Texas. Results: 125 –No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (Okla.) major dec. Derek Steeley (BU), 19-6 133 –No. 11 Jordan Keller (Okla.) dec. Patrick Hunter (BU), 7-2 141 –No. 1 Kendric Maple (Okla.) pinned Joe Bonaldi (BU), 1:42 149 – No. 4 Donnie Vinson (BU) dec. No. 7 Nick Lester (Okla.), 7-2 157 – No. 8 Justin Lister (BU) dec. No. 14 Matt Lester (Okla.), 8-6 165 – Buddy Graham (Okla.) major dec. Joe Chamish (BU), 14-4 174 – Matt Kaylor (BU) dec. Marcus Armato (Okla.), 13-7 184 – Nate Schiedel (BU) dec. No. 20 Erich Schmidtke (Okla.), 9-8 197 – Keldrick Hall (Okla.) dec. Cody Reed (BU), 7-6 Hwt – Nick Gwiazdowski (BU) dec. Kyle Colling (Okla.), 7-6

Jacob Volkmann

Jason Bryant and Nick Mitchell will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Jan. 11. "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 www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Bryant is the coordinator of grassroots and social media for USA Wrestling. Bryant, twice named national wrestling writer of the year, will provide an update on the National Duals and the Virginia Duals. Mitchell is in his fourth season as the head wrestling coach at Grand View University. As a competitor, he was a three-time All-American for Wartburg. His team recently won the NAIA portion of the National Duals held in Springfield, Ill.

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Senior Austin Trotman made ASU history, becoming the program's winningest wrestler, as Appalachian State wrestling earned a pair of dual meet wins, defeating Cleveland State, 31-6, and Southern Conference foe Campbell, 37-6, on Monday evening at the Pope Convocation Center. The Mountaineers (6-2, 2-0 SoCon) have now won their last three duals, while CSU (3-8, 0-1 EWL) and Campbell (8-9, 2-1 SoCon) are not as fortunate. Austin TrotmanNo. 9 Trotman (184 pounds) entered the night two wins shy of the Appalachian career wins record and took care of business with a 0:20 pin against Cleveland State and a 18-3 technical fall (7:00) over Campbell's TeShaun Johnson. He now stands atop the leaderboard with grappler Scott Ervin (2003-08)-both wrestlers tallying 114 wins in Black and Gold. Trotman looks to take the outright lead on Saturday, when he could have as many as four chances to steal outright first place. His first-match pin is the team's second-fastest of the season, behind only John Blakely's 15-second pin at the Wolfpack Open. No. 15 Kyle Blevins (165 pounds) also made strides on the ASU career wins list. After his earlier accomplishment of becoming the fourth Mountaineer to crack 100 wins, the senior's two wins on Monday moved him to third on Appalachian's career wins list, leapfrogging Jeramy Hart's mark of 108 (1996-2001). Blevins began the day with a 5-2 decision against Cleveland State and earned his 109th victory with a pin over Campbell's Daniel Luty in 3:23. In other action, 125-pound senior Tony Gravely picked up two victories, including a 9-3 decision against Cleveland State and a first-period fall against Campbell. Junior Brett Boston led with a 0:39 pin, the team's fourth fastest, against Cleveland State, and pulled out an 11-8 decision against his Fighting Camel foe. Senior Mike Kessler earned seven team points for the Apps, picking up a 5-1 decision against CSU before cruising to a 12-0 major decision versus Campbell. At 149 pounds, sophomore Russ Benner took the honor against the Vikings and racked up an 11-0 major decision. Senior Savva Kostis entered the third period with a 9-1 advantage over Campbell's Mark Hartenstine, but the Fighting Camel notched eight-straight in the final stanza to close the gap to 11-9 before time expired on a 12-9 decision for Kostis. Appalachian State Career Wins Name Years Wins T1. Scott Ervin (2003-08) 114 T1. Austin Trotman (2007-12) 114 3. Kyle Blevins (2008-12) 109 4. Jeramy Hart (1996-01) 108 5. Mark Fee (1998-03) 98Senior Chip Powell squeaked out a 3-2 decision at 157 pounds against his Viking combatant. Powell and Campbell's Nick Rex battled to a scoreless regulation before Rex scored a 2-0 sudden victory win midway through the first minute of extra time. After suffering a 5-2 loss at 174 pounds, junior Carter Downs rebounded to earn a 13-5 major decision against Campbell's Paul Duggan. Freshman Paul Weiss made the jump to 285 pounds against Cleveland State and picked up a 10-6 win in his first heavyweight appearance. He returned to 197 for his latter bout, a 1:27 pin of John Weakley from Campbell. After ASU defeated Cleveland State, the Vikings fell to the host Fighting Camels, 30-10, before Appalachian and Campbell squared off in the day's final match. The Mountaineers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14 when they head to Grand Prairie Texas for the Lone Star Duals. ASU is scheduled to face Brown, Harvard, No. 9 Oklahoma and Utah Valley in action beginning at 9 a.m. Central. Appalachian State (5-2) 31, Cleveland State (3-7) 6 125: Tony Gravely dec. Ben Wileford, 9-3 (ASU 3-0) 133: Brett Boston pinned Nick Flannery, 0:39 (ASU 9-0) 141: Mike Kessler dec. Josh Palivoda, 5-1 (ASU 12-0) 149: Russ Benner major dec. Tyler Green, 11-0 (ASU 16-0) 157: Chip Powell dec. Brandon Sommers, 3-2 (ASU 19-0) 165: No. 15 Kyle Blevins dec. Corey Carlo, 5-2 (ASU 22-0) 174: Aric Thurn dec. Carter Downs , 8-4 (ASU 22-3) 184: No. 9 Austin Trotman pinned Corbin Boone, 0:20 (ASU 28-3) 197: Nick Anthony dec. Jesse Johnson , 12-6 (ASU 28-6) 285: Paul Weiss dec. Garry Yarborogh, 10-6 (ASU 31-6) Appalachian State (6-2, 2-0 SoCon) 37, Campbell (8-9, 2-1 SoCon) 6 125: Tony Gravely pinned Grabiel Soto, 1:51 (ASU 6-0) 133: Brett Boston dec. Tanner Bidelspach, 11-8 (ASU 9-0) 141: Mike Kessler maj. dec. Jorge Gavillan, 12-0 (ASU 13-0) 149: Savva Kostis dec. Mark Hartenstine, 12-9 (ASU 16-0) 157: Nick Rex dec. Chip Powell , 2-0 SV1 (ASU 16-3) 165: No. 15 Kyle Blevins pinned Daniel Luty, 3:23 (ASU 22-3) 174: Carter Downs maj. dec. Paul Duggan, 13-5 (ASU 26-3) 184: No. 9 Austin Trotman tech. fall TeShaun Johnson, 18-3 (7:00) (ASU 31-3) 197: Paul Weiss pinned John Weakley, 1:27 (ASU 37-3) 285: Joe Nolan dec. Joe Cummings, 3-2 (ASU 37-6)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina opened its ACC season in impressive fashion Monday night as the Tar Heels downed rival Duke 30-5. Freshman Evan Henderson earned his team-leading 19th victory of the year as he was one of seven different Tar Heels to claim a win. Sophomore Brian Bokoski opened the dual with a narrow 4-3 decision over Peter Terrezza as he was able to get a late takedown to extend his lead to 4-2 before keeping Terrezza at bay during the final period. After a Duke forfeit at 133 pounds the Tar Heels were in the driver's seat with a 9-0 lead. No. 16 ranked Evan Henderson picked up his 19th victory of the year at 141 pounds as he battled Duke's Tanner Hough to a 5-2 decision win. The decision upped Carolina's lead to a commanding 12-0 margin. Freshman Nick Heilmann dropped a 10-4 decision to senior A.J. Guardado at 149 pounds as Duke picked up its first points of the night narrowing the the margin to nine (12-3). Junior Jon Burns who was forced to move up to 157 pounds responded for the Tar Heels as he quickly registered a take down of Duke's Immanuel Kerr-Brown before overpowering the Blue Devil for a pin in just 1:01. Burns' six points upped Carolina's lead to 18-3. Senior Kyle Kiss followed with a physical 8-3 win over Ryan Harding at 165 pounds and moved Carolina to a 21-2 advantage after Harding was called for unsportsmanlike conduct docking his team a point. Freshman Alex Utley continued his impressive freshman campaign at 174 pounds with a 3-1 win over fellow freshman Randy Roden of Duke to lock up the match as Carolina led 24-2. Senior Thomas Ferguson earned win number ten on the year at 184 pounds as he claimed a 12-8 decision over arguably Duke's best wrestler in Diego Bencomo. Zac Bennett held Brian Self scoreless to claim a 5-0 decision at 197 pounds in just his second appearance of the season. Freshman Frank Abbondanza moved up to heavyweight to take on Duke's Andrew Fulk and fell by a 7-0 margin to provide the final tally of 30-5. The win is Carolina's eighth straight over the Blue Devils and improves the Tar Heels to 1-7 overall and 1-0 in the ACC this season. Up next for the Tar Heels is a trip to Hampton, Va. for the Virginia Duals. Carolina will open competition Friday morning at 11 a.m. against Rider and will face either Drexel or Edinboro in the second round. Results: 125 - Brian Bokoski (UNC) wins 4-3 dec over Peter Terrezza (Duke) - 3-0 UNC 133 - Brock LiVorio (UNC) wins by forfeit - 9-0 UNC 141 - #16 Evan Henderson (UNC) wins 5-2 dec over Tanner Hough (Duke) - 12-0 UNC 149 - A.J. Guardado (Duke) wins 10-4 dec over Nick Heilmann (UNC) - 12-3 UNC 157 - Jon Burns (UNC) pins Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) in 1:01 - 18-3 UNC 165 - Kyle Kiss (UNC) wins 8-3 dec over Ryan Harding (Duke) - 21-3 UNC (one point deducted from Duke for unsportsmanlike conduct) - 21-2 UNC 174 - Alex Utley (UNC) wins 3-1 dec over Randy Roden (Duke) - 24-2 UNC 184 - Thomas Ferguson (UNC) wins 12-8 dec over Diego Bencomo - 27-2 UNC 197 - Zac Bennett (UNC) wins 5-0 dec over Brian Self (Duke) - 30-2 UNC HWT - Andrew Fulk (Duke) wins 7-0 dec over Frank Abbondanza (UNC) - 30-5 UNC

The night before stepping on the scales at the 49th annual Midlands wrestling tournament, I went to a low-key dinner at a Mexican-fusion restaurant down the street from my Chicago apartment. My best friend and former teammate was visiting from out of town, and a dinner with mutual friends seemed appropriate for his arrival. I'm not a monk, and as promised in an earlier article, I drank a few glasses of red wine. My meal was equally indulgent, as I took down healthy portions of chips, salsa, and a lime-cooked ceviche appetizer. Glasses were clinked; jokes were told. T.R. Foley gets ready to competeThe next morning I arrived at Welsh-Ryan Arena fifteen minutes before weigh-ins. In the back room of the complex I was reminded of the less-playful realities inside a collegiate weigh-in: gaunt-faces, sallow skin and the constant thwacking of jump ropes. Some of the Northwestern wrestlers I've come to know over the years paced by me, most shirtless and shoeless, each holding their phone manically checking the time and texting loved ones their current condition. Their faces looked soured, lips purple. I was wearing jeans, some boots, and a sensible winter sweater. In line I found a moment to take mental snapshots of the competition, most had a heat coming from behind their eyes -- their competitive urges mixing together with a dash of desperation. Whatever their motivation, the stress of it all was being worn on each of their faces -- an unsettling sight for someone intent on a good-natured scuffle. My weight class seemed full and with few exceptions I was the shortest member, and at 182 pounds likely the lightest. I hadn't cut weight or changed my diet in any significant way and felt that my 'old man strength' -- the tensile toughness retained in grip and good positioning -- would equalize their impressive physiques. Either way, my mood seemed so much better than my opponents' that I wondered if a psychological victory wasn't impossible. I had spent the past year in jiu-jitsu rooms, with my wrestling background making me an exception among the other grapplers. Most of that separation came from a physical tenacity instilled by training in an NCAA room for five years. There are several similarities between wrestling and jiu-jitsu, but one of the main differences (outside of submissions) are the common breaks inside a jiu-jitsu match, where back exposure isn't harshly penalized and where competitors take brief moments to recompose their breathing. Of course wrestling does not offer easy-outs or breaks inside a typical seven-minute match. Those moments of composure would ultimately be what separated my collegiate opponents from their middle-aged competitor. I came to compete out of my lifelong passion for the sport and interest in re-calibrating my own career and experiences. They came to win. I was given a bye in the first round when my opponent from North Dakota State either did not make weight, or possibly duffed skin checks. The break should have meant that I would retain the limited energy I had for the day, but it would also leave me confront my pre-match anxieties (jitterbugs, if you will) against the fifth-seeded Braden Atwood from Purdue University. The match started well. We danced a bit before I hit a slide-by and scored a quick two. Once on top I was able to throw-in a half, scissor the body, deepen the half and wait for the fall call. I waited ... and waited ... and waited. Eventually Braden turned his chest back towards the mat. He would later earn an escape and late slide-by takedown of his own to end the period. The age difference was beneficial for my comparative skill level, but a noticeable hindrance for conditioning. As Braden jogged back to the circle, I noticed that my head began to pound hard enough that I wondered if skull was being softened from the inside-out. T.R. Foley talks to referee Kevin TannThe referee would caution me three times at the beginning of the second for something I was told by many of my friends looked like a stall technique. It was genuine confusion. Apparently -- and this was not made clear to me until the third caution which resulted in a point -- there was now a "set" in front of the starting whistle. To my friends: I maintain my innocence; To Kevin Tann: You really should have given me the heads up after the first caution. Where I do plead guilty (and where I deserve some lashings) was in taking an injury time to start the second, during which I'm pretty confident I heard Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel scream, "He's not injured, he's just tired." I'd argue that the most damage done to my body -- as further evidenced by my now-lingering cough -- was to my lungs, which were woefully over-expanded and which left my torso stiff for days. Also, lungs are a vital internal organ and I would classify any distress/misery/failure to them as an "injury" of the highest order. The break did not help and I was not able to recapture any wind for the start of the third period. The gasping began to extinguish my spirit ("Why am I doing this?"). Despite what my coaches told me growing up, death I was certain did come before passing out. My eyes had begun to cross, and my head - once filled with great ideas for late-match techniques -- was as jumbled as a snow globe. A bad locked hands call (Kevin!) and subsequent reversal sealed my fate. Next came the enthusiastic bar arm of the Boilermaker, which reminded me that rehabbing a torn rotator cuff wasn't in my five-year plan. I lost by fall. T.R. Foley attempts an inside tripI have an incredible amount respect for the hard work of the 19-year-old Atwood. He showed incredible resilience in climbing back from an early hole. He was physically strong, in excellent condition, and while he was no doubt encouraged by my inability to take a breathe without muttering an impish, "Dear, God ..." He wrestled with balls. After I recovered from the severe physical trauma caused to my lungs (imagine an over-filled inner tube, lumpy and threatening to explode) I picked up my phone and listened to a voicemail from my former boss, Cal Poly head wrestling coach Brendan Buckley, "Foley ... No time to be sulking. You're a wrestler ... get back up ... alright?" It was the correct motivation for the moment. I had entered a wrestling tournament, and while the first match had felt like being tied to an anchor in the middle of maelstrom, I had signed up to compete. I would not default. I won my next match by slowing the pace and earning a reversal and an escape. My opponent, perhaps wisely, chose to stay off bottom, but was close to earning the win after almost finishing a gutsy last second high crotch. T.R. Foley gets put to his backThe final match of the day was against an Iowa wrestler who felt freakishly strong, and with Jon Jones-like reach was able to keep me well away from his legs. My luck turned bad when a roll-through chin lock attempt (lazy man's technique) landed me on my back in the first period. However, my fate was sealed in the second when an attempted turn from top ended with me being reversed AND throwing what was likely the tournament's only jiu-jitsu arm bar submission. It's not too much to say that by the end of my wrestling night, 10:30 p.m., I was running on the atomic remnants of the fumes in my gas tank. I was tuckered. Where did it all go pear-shaped? I would argue it didn't, really. If were I to compete again I would have wrestled more live in the weeks leading up to the event. I had worked on timing and reorienting myself to funky situations, but failed to ever set the clock to seven minutes and let loose. It's difficult, if not impossible, to get a full seven-minute match against collegiate competition without stepping into a college room. You can run and lift, drill and sweat, but when it comes to the 10-percent more required by college wrestling, you just have to be in that room, surrounded by guys whose mission it is to win an NCAA title. The negative takeaway is the popularity of American wrestling will always be limited by the level of conditioning it asks from its competitors. I know the justification and the pride behind such things, the mantras of "Iowa Style," "extending your lead" and "breaking your opponent." Those have paid off nicely for our warriors in MMA, but from a stability standpoint it's impossible to ask the same of athletic adults who value time with their family and their health, more than they do a total commitment to self-hating forms of conditioning exercises. It's why so many former wrestlers have moved over to jiu-jitsu -- sustainability matters. In Mongolia many of the older men still compete in the summer wrestling festival of NaadamCould there be room for organizations that allow the growing wrestling community to compete in much the same style as before, but with less chance of injury, and a lesser need for good conditioning? Takedown rules and room for breathers wouldn't be a bad start. Upright-only wrestling is the most popular form of wrestling in the world, and excellent examples of cultures exist where octogenarians suit up for competition. After this weekend there is plenty I would like to see changed in college wrestling, but nothing more than the new rules around calling for an injury timeout. My belief is that the rule will eventually be overturned, likely as a result of a parent complaining that a coach risked the wrestler's health rather than give up a positional advantage or point. It's not barbaric, but it intentionally values the perception of toughness over the reality of injury. Already this season I've seen wrestlers risk a greater threat to their body rather than succumb to the necessary and healthy decision to stop action and evaluate the extent of their injuries. I agree that injury timeouts like the one's I took against Atwood aren't agreeable, but making the health decision for a wrestler is a dangerous, perhaps even liable alternative. Wrestling is in our blood. For most fans and competitors it frames our worldview for the rest of our adult life. I was unhappy, moody and cantankerous as a collegiate wrestler. This past weekend I wrestled with contentment about my journey and with an eye towards picking up on details I might have missed in the past -- none more significant than the realization that I value my older self's relative emotional and psychological stability more than I value the ability to showcase athletic talents. American collegiate wrestling asks more of its competitors than any other sport, and that should remain, philosophically, unchanged. But wouldn't it be nice if we could share the complexity of our sport with more people -- bring them closer to the world we have grown to love and appreciate? I think so, and I'm willing to keep trying. And in the future, if I decide to enter the 50th Midlands, the World Team Trials, or a Kushti tournament in Lahore, I'll remind myself that the miserable part is over and that this is fun. Because this is supposed to be fun, right?

J Robinson On the team's performance ... On Logan Storley's win over Nick Heflin at 174 pounds ... On Logan Storley's progression ... On why David Thorn did not wrestle at 133 pounds ... On what Chris Dardanes' win over Logan Stieber means ... On Dylan Ness getting pinned at 149 pounds ... On whether Zach Sanders has taken over more of a leadership role as a senior ... On whether the Gophers are a team that can contend for an NCAA title in March ...