InterMat Staff

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The #17 York College wrestling team captured a 27-6 triumph over host Lycoming Wednesday evening in Williamsport, Pa. With the win, the Spartans improve to 3-1 on the young season while the Warriors fall to 1-1. Jimmy Ciampi put the Green and White on the board with his 7-2 triumph at 131 pounds. Ciampi is off to a tremendous start with the Spartan program as he now stands at 6-1 in his first season with York. Chris Gugliotti began a Spartan run that would go through the rest of the dual. At 149 pounds, Gugliotti posted another 7-2 decision as the junior improves to a strong 8-2. Drew Spector followed at 157 pounds and gave the Green and White a lead they would not relinquish. An 8-0 major decision, Spector's first of his college career, put the Spartans in front 10-6. York's run continued as Trent Bond secured his seventh victory of the year. Bond's tight 6-5 win at 165 pounds pushed the Spartan lead to 13-6. Senior captain Matt Heisey followed that triumph with a 12-2 major decision at 174 pounds. Heisey, who is now 5-1 on the year, picked four more points for the visitors. Fellow senior captain Alex Martocello, currently ranked #2 in Division at 184 pounds, continued his early season success with a strong 14-3 major decision. Martocello now stands at a flawless 8-0 on the young season. Kyle Minogue and George Saliba each snagged victories for the Green and White in the 197- and 285-pound classes, respectively. Minogue ups his season mark to 7-3 with an 8-5 triumph at Lycoming. Saliba, another senior captain, posted a 10-2 major decision to improve to 7-2 this season and complete Wednesday's Spartan victory. The Spartans are back in action on Saturday, November 19, when they travel to Messiah College. In Grantham, Pa., the Green and White is slated to take on the host Falcons, currently ranked #29 in Division III, as well as Waynesburg and Lake Erie. The wrestling action is slated to begin at 12:00 pm. 125 Stephen Hinton (LYCO) dec. Nick Rea (YCP), 7-3, 3-0 LYCO 133 Jimmy Ciampi (YCP) dec. Zachary Finn (LYCO), 7-2, 3-3 141 Caleb Willey (LYCO) dec. Landry Badman (YCP), 9-3, 6-3 LYCO 149 Chris Gugliotti (YCP) dec. Lucas Wisniewski (LYCO), 7-2, 6-6 157 Drew Spector (YCP) maj. dec. Brian Watkins (AI), 8-0, 10-6 YCP 165 Trent Bond (YCP) dec. Greg Wetzel (LYCO), 6-5, 13-6 YCP 174 Matt Heisey (YCP) maj. dec. Joshua Gochnauer (LYCO), 12-2, 17-6 YCP 184 #2 Alex Martocello (YCP) maj. dec. Tyler Cunningham (LYCO), 14-3, 21-6 YCP 197 Kyle Minogue (YCP) dec. Russell Korbul (LYCO), 8-5, 24-6 YCP 285 George Saliba (YCP) maj. dec. Samuel Batchelor (LYCO), 10-2, 28-6 YCP YCP minus one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct Exhibition Matches 133 Chuck Glatz (YCP) maj. dec. C.J. Conger (LYCO), 11-3 157 Dylan Giandalia (YCP) dec. Patrick Reynolds (LYCO), 7-0 165 Dan Bennett (LYCO) dec. Jake Siegfried (YCP), 7-5 285 Patrick Cassidy (YCP) dec. Chris Geisel (LYCO), 5-1

MITCHELL, S.D. -- In their first dual meet of the season, the St. Olaf wrestling team topped No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan 24-15 Wednesday night at the Christen Family Recreation/Wellness Center. The Oles (1-0) picked up wins in six of the ten weight classes. Winning for St. Olaf were Wesley Azariah at 125, Ryan Timmerman at 141, Collin Jergenson at 165, James Roach at 174, Andrew Rudd at 184, and Elliot Courchain at 197. Azariah and Rudd won courtesy of pins, while the other four earned decisions in their favor. Azariah pinned Zach Nelson at 2:11 to put the Oles on top 6-0. After Trever DeVestern pinned St. Olaf's Alex Evan at 157, DWU took a 12-9 lead but the Oles proceeded to win four straight weight classes to take a 24-12. Despite Nick Hopkins dropping a 3-2 heavyweight decision, St. Olaf picked up the win. The most lobsided decision for the Oles was Timmerman's 7-0 decision over Dusty Paulsen at 141. The Oles head to Minneapolis on Saturday for the Auggie/Brute/Adidas Open all day event. Results: 125 lbs. Wesley Azariah (SO) pinned Zach Nelson, 2:11 SO 6-0 133 lbs. Richard Rios (DWU) dec. Ian Peppel, 7-5 SO 6-3 141 lbs. Ryan Timmerman (SO) dec. Dusty Paulsen, 7-0 SO 9-3 149 lbs. Ray Rickenbach (DWU) dec. Thomas Mork, 8-5 SO 9-6 157 lbs. Trever DeVestern (DWU) pinned Alex Evan, 2:38 DWU 12-9 165 lbs. Collin Jergenson (SO) dec. Kyle Gerlach, 7-4 12-12 174 lbs. James Roach (SO) dec. Tyler Sarringar, 9-6 SO 15-12 184 lbs. Andrew Rudd (SO) pinned Kyle Hoisington, 2:47 SO 21-12 197 lbs. Elliot Courchain (SO) dec. Ross Hoksbergen, 5-4 SO 24-12 Heavyweight Eric Gruis (DWU) dec. Nick Hopkins, 3-2 SO 24-15

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- Thanks to outstanding performances from several freshmen, the Waynesburg wrestling team upset Shippensburg, the number-20 team in Division II, by a 21-15 final score on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets (1-0) won the opening match of their dual season over the Raiders, despite missing four regular starters for various reasons. It was the third-straight victory for Waynesburg over Shippensburg, which started out with junior 125-pounder Alex Crown receiving a forfeit. The Jackets' lead was short-lived, however, as Shippensburg bounced back with a decision win at 133 and a pin at 141 to take a 9-6 lead. Waynesburg's first big freshman victory came at 149 pounds, where Chris Milligan earned a 6-2 triumph over James Reilly to tie the match at 9-9. The Jackets added a crucial win at 157 pounds where senior Garrett Johnston defeated Kenny Stank 4-0 to put his team up 12-9. Sophomore Sam Lombardo added to the Jackets' advantage with a wild 18-14 win at 165 pounds to push the Jackets' lead to 15-9. After Shippensburg trimmed the deficit back down to three points with a decision victory at 174 pounds, the visitors put the match out of reach with back-to-back wins at 184 and 197 pounds. Junior Cody Catalina made it 18-9 Waynesburg with a 10-4 victory over Tyler Zittle and freshman 197-pounder Patrick Jennings came up huge with a hard-fought 2-0 triumph over Daniel Fultz. Shippensburg ended the night with a decision win at 285 pounds, but it was too little, too late for the Raiders. Waynesburg will look to continue its winning ways on Saturday, Nov. 19, when they will face three tough opponents in 17th-ranked York, 29th-ranked Messiah and a solid Division II team in Lake Erie College at a quad-match hosted by Messiah. Results: 125 Crown (W) by forfeit 6-0 133 Cody Myers (S) 3-0 over Colton Blumer (W) 6-3 141 Simon Rice (S) by pin 1:47 over Jake Vitolo (W) 6-9 149 Milligan (W) 6-2 over James Reilley (S) 9-9 157 Johnston (W) 4-0 over Kenny Stank (S) 12-9 165 Lombardo (W) 18-14 over Neil Grudi (S) 15-9 174 Luke Etter (S) 7-2 over Ryan Walters (W) 15-12 184 Catalina (W) 10-4 over Tyler Zittle (S) 18-12 197 Jennings (W) 2-0 over Daniel Fultz (S) 21-12 285 Dan Estricher (S) 8-3 over Marty Kisla (W) 21-15

The Lions' wrestling team came away with a shutout Wednesday night in their dual with Muskingum College. The Lions pummeled the Fighting Muskies into submission with a 40-0 victory. The Mount is back in action this Saturday competing in the Harris Open at Ashland University. The Lions compiled three tech falls, two pins, one major decision, and three decisions against Muskingum. The Lions were also victorious in their lone exhibition match with Anthony Catanzarite (Wooster, OH/Wooster) defeating Ryan LeMasters, 6-4. Joe Conrad (Hamilton, OH/Ross), Cory Disbennett (Bethel, OH/Bethel-Tate), and Tommy Fehring (Amelia, OH/Glen Este) all won by tech fall. Conrad won 22-5, Disbennett won 20-5, and Fehring won 16-1. Bobby Grogan (Cincinnati, OH/Elder) and Wayne Black (Indianapolis, IN/Pike) got the job done quickly and pinned their opponents shortly after their bouts began. Grogan pinned Steve Van Vliet in 1:27 and Black pinned Cody Moeglin iin 1:30. Freshman Eddie Sanders (Hamilton, OH/Hamilton Badin) won with a major decision of 11-2 over Patrick McKernan. Results: 133: Edward Sanders (Mount) won by major dec. over Patrick McKernan (Muskingum), 11-2. 141: Wayne Black (Mount) won by pin over Cody Moeglin (Muskingum), 1:30. 149: Joseph Conrad (Mount) won by tech fall over Kyle Rohrig (Muskingum), 0:00, 22-5. 157: Thomas Fehring (Mount) won by tech fall over Michael Frasure (Muskingum), 0:00, 16-1. 165: Cory Disbennett (Mount) won by tech fall over Ronald Hepner (Muskingum), 0:00, 20-5. 174: Nicholas Manning (Mount) won by dec. over Mitchell King (Muskingum), 11-4. 184: Justin Meineke (Mount) won by dec. over Walter Bluhm (Muskingum), 8-2. 197: Logan Andriot (Mount) won by dec. over Brian Barnhart Jr. (Muskingum), 6-5. 285: Robert Grogan (Mount) won by pin over Steve Van Vliet (Muskingum), 1:27. Exhibition match Anthony Catanzarite decisioned Ryan Lemasters, 6-4.

PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- Plymouth State University won eight of the 10 bouts Wednesday evening to defeat Norwich University, 33-6, in a New England Wrestling Association dual match at Foley Gymnasium. Leading the way for the Panthers was senior Dan Curley, who pinned his opponent at 174 pounds. PSU also recorded three decisions, three major decisions and a forfeit victory. The Panthers, ranked fifth in New England, improve their dual meet record to 2-3. After PSU senior Josh Huber received a forfeit win at 125 pounds, Norwich got on the board with a decision by freshman Alex Stewart at 133. The Panthers won the next six bouts, including victories by freshman Josh Thornton at 141, senior Mike Willey at 149, junior Femi Wheeler at 157, junior James Matlack at 165, Curley at 174, and senior Rob Phillips at 184. Freshman Nick Moore broke the Panther streak with a win for Norwich at 197 pounds, and PSU senior Jake Gagnon wrapped up the match with a victory in the 285-pound weight class. Plymouth State recognized its 10 seniors prior to the match; the seniors include Curley, Huber, Willey, Phillips, Gagnon, Tom Paolera, Zac Giovanetti, Kyle Graham, Nick Lanchester and Jimmy Tarpey. Both teams will be in tournament action this weekend, PSU traveling to the Doug Parker Invitational at Springfield College and Norwich competing at the Red Dragon Invitational in Oneonta, N.Y. Results: 125 Josh Huber (PSU) won by forfeit 0-6 133 Alex Stewart (NU) def. Tom Paolera (PSU), 3-1 3-6 141 Josh Thornton (PSU) def. Tyrell Carstarphen (NU), 11-9 (OT) 3-9 149 Mike Willey (PSU) def. Josh Kernan (NU), 14-3 3-13 157 Femi Wheeler (PSU) def. Nick Smith (NU), 15-5 3-17 165 James Matlack (PSU) def. Cody Gladstone (NU), 6-4 3-20 174 Dan Curley (PSU) pinned Charles Constantino (NU), 1:40 3-26 184 Rob Phillips (PSU) def. Jacob Towse (NU), 14-6 3-30 197 Nick Moore (NU) def. Zac Giovanetti (PSU), 5-2 6-30 HWT Jake Gagnon (PSU) def. Anthony Joyce (NU), 5-3 6-33

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- In the second home match of the 2011-12 season for the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team, the Ducks shutout Yeshiva University, 53-0, on Wednesday night, November 16, in Walker Gymnasium. Stevens recorded five victories by way of fall, including the last three bouts of the night. With the win, the Ducks improve their dual record to 4-0 this year and also have a tournament win to their credit. Stevens began the dual with six points awarded to freshman Anthony Geiger (South Amboy, N.J.) at the 125-lb. weight class with a forfeit victory. Fellow freshman Mike Polizzi (Montville, N.J.) tallied the first pin for the Ducks, taking down Gedalia Romanoff in 18 seconds in 133. Sophomore Michael DiLiello (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) went all three periods with Amichai Levy and scored a 12-2 major decision victory at 141. At 149, fellow sophomore CJ Caserta (Mt. Alrington) registered the second fall for Stevens, pinning Samuel Lamm in 2:42. Another forfeit win went to junior Ryan Owens (Fallston, Md.) at 157, before freshman Mike Otsuka (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) came away with a hard-fought 6-1 decision against Eli Fuld in 165. In the 174 showdown, junior Ryan Dormann (Mickleton, N.J.) took down Michael Alpert four times in the first period en route to a 13-3 major decision triumph. The final three bouts all went to the Ducks with pins by junior Jason Nowakoski (Jackson, N.J), and freshmen Chris Florek (Mendham, N.J.) and Tyler Maher (Raleigh, N.C.). Nowakoski took care of Boris Shulkin at 184, just before the first period ended in 2:57, while Florek scored his fall over Jacob Fiskus in 0:56 at 197. Maher wrapped up the match for Stevens with a 31-second pin of Jacob Novikov in the heavyweight bout. The Ducks will travel to Springfield, Mass. to take part in the Doug Parker Invitational on November 19. Stevens will look to win its second straight tournament of the early season before returning back to Castle Point on the 30th for a dual against Hunter College at 7 p.m. Get all the latest news and updates at www.stevensducks.com and “like” Stevens Athletics on Facebook.

John Carroll started fast and never looked back, taking the first nine matches to roll to a 47-3 season- and home-opening win over Case Reserve Wednesday night at the DeCarlo Varsity Center. After defeating CWRU by a decisive match score of 32-13 last season, the Blue Streaks would again look to not only defeat the rival Spartans once more, but to also ring in the new season with a win. With plenty of experienced returners to the roster, JCU had high expectations for themselves coming into the season. Already ahead 18-0 due to forfeits at 125, 133 and 141 pounds, sophomore Ken Locsei started the season and the meet off on the right foot for the Blue Streaks, as he defeated Spartans freshman Christopher Crane in the 149 pound match, winning the match with a pin. Freshman Terner Gott followed up Locsei's performance with a win of his own, recording his first collegiate win by defeating Spartans senior Kyle Weaver by a final score of 9-4. From there, the Blue Streaks didn't skip a beat. Senior Sean Gill, junior Bryan Steinmetz and senior Drew Place all picked up needed wins and important team points for the Blue Streaks in the next four matches, adding on to JCU's lead. JCU led 47-0 before Case averted the shutout with a 3-2 win at 285 pounds. Results: 125 - Holy (J) win by forfeit 133 - Nycz (J) win by forfeit 141 - Hayes (J) win by forfeit 149 - Locsei (J) pinned Crane, 3:21 157 - Gott (J) dec. Weaver, 9-4 165 - Gill (J) maj. dec. Snyder, 8-0 174 - Gaydosh (J) win by forfeit 184 - Steinmetz (J) maj. dec. Novisky, 9-1 197 - Place (J) pinned Pyciak, 4:10 285 - Harter (C) dec. Barker, 3-2

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford head coach Jason Borrelli and his staff have signed eight promising high school seniors to wrestle for the Cardinal next year. The class of 2016, which was announced by Borrelli today, includes Colton Dempsey (Greenwich, Conn.), Peter Galli (Lutherville, Md.), Matt Garelli (Elmhurst, Ill.), Max Hvolbek (West Hills, Calif.), Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, Ill.), Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), Peter Russo (Sherwood, Ore.) and Jim Wilson (Lodi, Calif.). Combined, the group has won six state championships, three national titles and collected 15 All-America honors. "I am very excited about our incoming class as they bring in a plethora of accolades on both the state and national levels," said Borrelli. "It is arguably the most accomplished class that we have brought to The Farm. We have very high expectations for all of them. Each one will play a vital role in taking our program to the top of the collegiate wrestling ranks. We expect to see many of them push for starting spots and All-American honors as true-freshmen next fall." Dempsey, out of Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts, finished fifth at the National Prep Championships in 2010-11. The son of former Cardinal wrestler Burke Dempsey ('84), he is a two-time New England Prep Champion who is projected to compete at 149 pounds next season. Galli is the No. 13 ranked senior at 152 pounds out of St. Paul's School in Maryland. He is a National Prep and Preseason National runner-up. He finished fourth and fifth at National Preps as a freshman and sophomore. He will add depth to the Cardinal roster at 157 or 165 pounds next fall. A standout at Fenwick High School, Garelli is the No. 3 ranked senior at 113 pounds. He is the 2010-11 Illinois state champion and a two-time freestyle national champion. He will push for time at 125 or 133 pounds in the Cardinal lineup. Hvolbek is ranked No. 14 overall at 126 pounds and is a National Prep runner-up out of Blair Academy in New Jersey. He is also a NHSCA All-American and a two-time national freestyle All-American. He is projected to compete at 133 or 141 pounds for the Cardinal. Ranked No. 1 overall at 220 pounds, Marchok is the No. 53 overall recruit in the nation out of Schaumburg High School. He is a 2010-11 Illinois state champion after finishing third as a sophomore. He also holds five freestyle and two Greco-roman All-America honors. Marchok will compete for the starting heavyweight spot in the Cardinal lineup next fall. Nevills is a standout at Clovis High School and the No. 6 ranked senior at 170 pounds. He is the No. 62 ranked recruit overall and finished fifth, second and third at the California state tournament. He will add depth to the upper weights for the Cardinal in 2012-13. Russo is the 2010-11 Oregon state champion and a standout at Newberg High School. He is ranked No. 25 at 132 pounds and is projected to compete at 133 or 141 pounds for the Cardinal. Wilson is ranked eighth at 160 pounds out of Ronald McNair High School. E finished fourth as a sophomore and junior at the California state championships. He is also a NHSCA national champion and a national freestyle All-American. He will likely wrestle at 165 pounds for Stanford.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Appalachian State's Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./ Mount Tabor) has been named Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all competitions through November 15. Trotman's Wrestler of the Week selection is his sixth of his career following honors received in 2008 and pair of selections in each of 2009 and ‘10. Trotman cruised to a 4-0 performance at the Hokie Open on the opening weekend of the season to earn the 184-pound title, improving on his sixth-place showing from last season. The Winston-Salem, N.C., native defeated wrestlers from Old Dominion, North Carolina and Virginia Tech before defeating Newberry's Mitch Brown, 10-3, in the championship match. The senior then routed Belmont Abbey's Jerami Bartley with a 22-6 (5:41) technical fall on Appalachian's opening day of duals. After earning a preseason rank of 14, Trotman has climbed to No. 11 nationally in weekly rankings compiled by InterMat Wrestling. Along with his fellow Mountaineers, Trotman is expected to head to Philadelphia, Pa. for the 2011 Keystone Classic, hosted by University of Pennsylvania on Sunday, Nov. 20.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano announced today the signing of five current high school seniors to National Letters of Intent to wrestle for NU beginning in 2012. This year's recruiting class has multiple state titles amongst them and spans the country as Dominick Malone (Granby, Conn./Wyoming Seminary), Garrison White (Concord, N.C./Jay M. Robinson), Matt Greene (Slingerlands, N.Y./Columbia), Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) and Ben Sullivan (Eagle River, Alaska/Apple Valley) and are set to join the Wildcats. "The student athletes in this recruiting class represent the character and attitude that we want within our program," Pariano said. "Each individual has demonstrated the ability to excel at Northwestern and at national level competitions. "I credit my staff with securing this talented class. They worked tirelessly to attract top-level talent to Northwestern and we will continue to recruit the best in the nation in the coming years. "The five individuals in this class will help us reach our future goals. In addition, I expect each of them to push each other during their time at Northwestern. Creating a highly-competitive environment in the room is always a priority of mine and with this class, I am sure that we have added intensity to our training environment." Below is a look at each individual wrestler's bio. Dominick Malone Granby, Conn. • Wyoming Seminary 125 lbs. High School: Three-time Pennsylvania state champion (103 lbs., 112 lbs., 119 lbs.) ... Three-time All-American ... Ranked 45th overall and ninth for 126 lbs. by InterMat ... Ranked 43rd overall recruit on DIcollegewrestling.net and No. 3 national prospect at 125 lbs. by TheOpenMat.com ... National Prep Champion at 119 lbs. in 2010, runner-up in 2009 at 112 lbs. and third in 2008 at 103 lbs. ... Runner-up Ironman at 119 lbs. in 2010, fifth in 2009 and third in 2008 ... Placed third at the Beast of the East at 119 lbs. in 2010, fifth in 2009 and third in 2008 ... Won high school's most team points scored award in 2011 ... Had 21 pins in 2011 ... Part of Wyoming Seminary team that won three state championships (2009, 2010, 2011) ... Four-year letter winner and team captain ... Has a 143-17 career record ... Also wrestled eight years for the Northeast Elite club team ... Active in Wyoming Seminary's student government and is a Blue Key member ... Levi Sprague Fellowship honoree. Personal: Born Dominick Malone ... Son of Keith and Vicki Malone ... Mother, Vicki, was an All-American softball player at the University of Connecticut ... High school teammates with current NU heavyweight Mike McMullan ... Chose Northwestern over Virginia, Illinois and North Carolina ... Plans to major in communications at Northwestern. Garrison White Concord, N.C. • Jay M. Robinson 125/133 lbs. High School: Two-time 3A State Champion ... Won 2010 state title at 112 lbs. and 2011 title at 125 lbs. ... Three-time state finalist ... Three-time all-region and all-conference honoree ... Two-time all-state ... Three-time Charlotte Observer All-Metro honoree ... Team MVP ... Ranked 18th at 119 lbs. by TheOpenMat.com ... Wrestled for the club team Arrichion ... FILA Cadet All-American, placing second at 54 kg at Freestyle Nationals ... Ranked eighth by WIN Magazine in 2011 at 119 lbs. ... Has career record of 163-7 with 114 wins by fall ... 2009 North Carolina Freshman of the Year ... 2010 North Carolina 3A Most Outstanding Wrestler at individual state tournament ... Also ran cross country as a freshman ... Was a Junior Marshall. Personal: Born Everette Garrison White ... Son of Deneen and Merritt White ... Chose Northwestern over Stanford and Penn. Matt Greene Slingerlands, N.Y. • Columbia 133/141 pounds High School: 2011 state runner-up ... 2011 All-Section 2 second-team honoree ... Three-time sectional place finisher ... Has 112-27 high school record ... Columbia High School team ranked in top 10 for Division 1 in New York in 2011 ... High school team won Virginia Duals ... Competed for the club team Journeymen Wrestling ... Team finished sixth in the nation at Pop & Flo Duals ... National Honor Society member and student government representative ... Also played lacrosse in high school. Personal: Born Matthew Greene ... Son of Patrick K. Greene and Ellen Sax ... Father was a four-year starter and NCAA qualifier on the wrestling team at Syracuse ... Plans to major in finance or economics at Northwestern. Jason Tsirtsis Crown Point, Ind. • Crown Point 141/149 pounds High School: Three-time state champion at Crown Point High School ... Has 129-2 overall high school record ... Team captain as a senior ... Ranked No. 1 at 145 lbs. and listed as No. 2 recruit in the nation by InterMat ... No. 2 overall ranking by D1collegewrestling.net and No. 1 national prospect at 141 lbs. by TheOpenMat.com ... 2011 Junior National Freestyle Champion at 140 lbs. ... 2011 FloNationals Folkstyle champion at 135 lbs. ... Competed at 2011 FILA Junior Nationals and placed sixth at 132 lbs. ... Placed third at 2011 Junior Nationals (135 lbs., freestyle) ... 2010 Cadet Junior Regional, FILA Cadet Nationals and FloNationals champion ... Runner-up at 2009 Super 32 Challenge and at Cadet Nationals for freestyle ... Champion at 2009 Cadet Nationals (folkstyle) and FILA Cadet Nationals (freestyle) ... Wrestled for Region Wrestling Academy ... Post-Tribune and Northwest Indiana Times Wrestler of the Year for northwestern Indiana in 2011 ... Attended the same high school as current Northwestern wrestler Marcus Shrewsbury ... Honor roll student throughout high school. Personal: Born Jason Tsirtsis ... Son of Marino and Dawn Tsirtsis ... Great grandfather attended Northwestern ... Brother Alex was a four-year starter and All-American wrestler at Iowa ... Chose Northwestern over Oklahoma State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota ... Plans to major in biology at Northwestern. Ben Sullivan Eagle River, Alaska • Apple Valley 165/174 pounds High School: Two-time Alaska state finalist ... 2011 Alaska state champion ... Has 83-5 career record ... Ranked No. 17 for 160 lbs. by InterMat and No. 118 overall recruit by DIcollegewrestling.net ... JJ Classic Champion in 2010 and runner-up in 2011 ... NHSCA All-American in 2009, 2010 and 2011 ... Transferred to Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley, Minn., and will wrestle there as a senior ... Apple Valley was ranked the No. 1 high school team in the nation in 2010-11. Personal: Born Benjamin Michael Sullivan ... Son of Rodger and Brenda Sullivan ... Chose Northwestern over Minnesota, Wyoming, Binghamton and Old Dominion ... Intends to major in engineering at Northwestern.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team and head coach Scott Hinkel continued to try and keep Indiana's best talent instate this week, picking up signed national letters of intent from three of the state's best in Kyle Ayersman, Devon Jackson and Tanner Lynde. All three have impressive high school credentials heading into their senior seasons and they feature a combined record of 416-22 over the last three years. “We're very excited about this group,” said Hinkel. “They bring an enormous amount of talent to our team and we feel they all have the ability to be incredibly successful at Purdue. I don't think I can express how happy we are with this year's class.” “It's very important that we try and keep our state's best close to home,” Hinkel continued. “We've had a lot of success with Indiana guys, and when we sign guys like Kyle, Devon and Tanner we'll continue to have success.” Ayersman is a Boilermaker legacy, following in the footsteps his uncle Jeff Ayersman who wrestled for the Old Gold and Black from 1986-89, and heads into his career with a long list of rankings and accomplishments. He's already won a pair of Indiana state titles at Lake Central High School, taking the 112-pound crown in 2010 and the 119-pound championship in 2011, and has a career record of 141-2. He also placed third as a freshman in high school at 103 pounds. He was named the No. 78 overall recruit in the country by InterMat Wrestling and their No. 12 prospect at 126 pounds, and has been tabbed 14th in the nation at 126 pounds by The Open Mat after earning mention in their Top Prospect Report for potential 125-pounders. IndianaMat.com recognized Ayersman as the No. 2 senior in the state heading into his final season and the top-ranked wrestler in Indiana at 126 pounds. “It's fantastic to see Kyle coming to Purdue,” said Hinkel. “His uncle was one of my teammates in college, and I've been close to his family for a very long time. I've always wanted Kyle to come here and wrestle for the Boilermakers.” Jackson becomes the second Yorktown High School product to sign with the Boilermakers in the last four years, following current Purdue sophomore Kyle Mosier to West Lafayette. He's on pace to become the Tigers' career leader in over 10 statistical categories, heading into his final campaign with a career mark of 142-7, and has been an Indiana state runner-up in each of the last two seasons. He placed second at 135 pounds last season, and was the silver medalist at 130 pounds in 2010. Jackson also qualified for the state championships as a freshman at 112 pounds. Ranked one of the nation's best at 138 pounds this season by several publications, Jackson is No. 8 at InterMat Wrestling, No. 11 at The Open Mat and No. 15 in W.I.N. Magazine. He's also been named the No. 7 senior in the state by IndianaMat.com and the top Indiana wrestler at 138 pounds. Jackson has had a wealth of successes in national tournaments and competitions, earning a pair of All-America honors at FloNationals, four All-America awards at the Scholastic Disney Duals and most recently runner-up honors at the Super 32 Tournament. He was eighth at FloNationals as a sophomore and third as a junior, and he owns a flawless 39-0 record at the Disney Duals, including a perfect 11-0 mark and the Outstanding Wrestler Award last season. “The sky is the limit for Devon,” said Hinkel. “He has so much natural talent and his ability to pin people at any time makes him a very dangerous opponent. I know he will be a tremendous asset to the Boilermaker lineup for years to come.” Last and certainly not least, Lynde is the second Boilermaker in the last three seasons to commit from nearby Delphi High School, joining previous and future teammate Braden Atwood. Set to wrestle at 182 pounds in 2011-12, Lynde has a career mark of 133-13, including a pair of Indiana state placewinning performances. He was third last season at 171 pounds, suffering his only loss of the season in the state semifinals, and fifth in 2010 at 152 pounds. He qualified for the state championships as a freshman as well, competing at 140 pounds. W.I.N. Magazine tabbed Lynde as the nation's No. 17 grappler at 182 pounds, while IndianaMat.com has him as the top 182-pounder in the state and on the watch list of Indiana's top seniors. “Tanner has been around our program and room for several years now and we're excited about being a part of the next step in his life and wrestling career,” said Hinkel. “He's an exceptionally talented wrestler and we see great things for him here at Purdue.” The Boilermakers continue their season this week, hosting Indianapolis Friday at 7 p.m. for the home opener.

PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh redshirt junior Matt Wilps was named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week for his performance in a pair of dual meets this past weekend. The returning national qualifier from Pittsburgh, Pa. earned the award after posting wins in two Panther victories, including an upset of No. 6 Lehigh, 18-16, on Saturday, Nov. 12, and a 25-13 win over Drexel the following day. With Pitt leading 15-10 against Lehigh, Wilps, ranked seventh in the nation at 197 pounds by InterMat Wrestling, came through with a thrilling come-from-behind win over the ninth-ranked Kennedy to clinch the match for the Panthers. Kennedy looked poised to avenge a 2-1 overtime loss to Wilps in the semifinals of the Buffalo Open. The Lehigh senior scored a third-period takedown to take a 3-1 lead. But a late flurry resulted n an escape and a double-leg takedown by Wilps for the win. “That's what you expect out of an upperclassmen and a guy who wants to be on the podium at the NCAAs this year,” said Pitt coach Rande Stottlemyer following the match. Wilps improved to 6-1 on the season with an 8-5 decision over Brandon Palik of Drexel on Sunday. The Panthers (2-0) are on a seven-match winning streak dating back to last season and are ranked No. 17 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. They will look to make it eight in a row in their home opener against No. 8 Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 19. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Former Bucknell wrestler Kevin LeValley has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which will be held April 21-22 in Iowa City, Iowa. LeValley, who is one of 88 athletes that have earned spots in the Trials, qualified based on his third-place finish in the 66kg/145.5-pound weight class at this past weekend's New York Athletic Club International. LeValley, who graduated from Bucknell this past May as the program's all-time wins leader (127), was a two-time All-American during his Bison career. A freestyle wrestler, LeValley is one of six athletes in his weight class to have already secured spots in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Currently a member of the Minnesota Storm Wrestling Club, LeValley is taking graduate classes at the University of Minnesota and helping coach the No. 3-ranked Gophers. LeValley, as a senior in 2010-11, became just the second Bucknell wrestler to claim an EIWA individual title when he won the 149-pound bracket in Sojka Pavilion. He posted a 76-11 record over his final two campaigns and those 11 losses were by a combined 21 points. A three-time EIWA placewinner and NCAA qualifier, LeValley is one of just five Bucknell wrestlers to post at least two 30-win campaigns and his 42 victories in 2009-10 established a new school record. He was 20-10 against ranked foes his junior and senior years, while also becoming the first grappler at Bucknell to win an individual Midlands Championships crown and win at the NWCA All-Star Classic. LeValley climbed as high as No. 2 in the national rankings as a senior. He finished his career with 59 dual wins, a 22-8 EIWA dual mark and nine career pins.

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling program received three national letters of intent Tuesday. Highly sought-after recruit Destin McCauley, from the high school class of 2011, inked with the Cyclones after a year of training at the U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs. Iowa natives Gabe Moreno and Kyle Larson also became official Cyclones from the high school class of 2012. Destin McCauley: Apple Valley, Minn. (Apple Valley) Projected weight: 149 pounds Rank after high school: No. 1 (152 pounds) McCauley, one of the most sought-after recruits in the country, is from Apple Valley, Minn., and projected to be a 149-pounder for Iowa State. As a prep standout, McCauley ranked No.1 nationally at 152 pounds and posted a Minnesota state record 286-7 record in high school. McCauley's five state titles is a record in the state of Minnesota. He earned his first state title as a seventh grader in 2006, becoming the youngest Minnesotan to win a state title. After a decorated high school career, McCauley took a year off from school to chase his dreams by training at the U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs. "He is a proven performer," Jackson said. "He's been nationally-ranked for a long time, he's competing with the best guys in the country at the senior level now and he's ready to step right in and perform at the very highest level. For us to actually capture an athlete like Destin shows that our program is moving in the right direction and we have athletes and parents that see the potential that we have here to be the very best team we can possibly be and contend for national titles and individual titles. It's exciting when you have the No. 1 ranked kid in the country join your program and we're happy to call him a Cyclone." In McCauley's interview with Intermat Wrestling Nov. 3, he spoke about why Kevin Jackson is the coach he chose to compete for. "He was one of the only coaches I felt like I can really communicate well with," McCauley said. "We just clicked and I can tell him anything. We get along really well and I know his knowledge of freestyle is amazing. I know he's going to get me where I want to be in my freestyle career and collegiate career. He's trained the best and I'm hoping I can be another one of the best that he's trained." Gabe Moreno: Urbandale, Iowa (Urbandale) Projected weight: 149 pounds Entering his fourth year at Urbandale, Moreno holds a 117-8 career record with three state medals. As a freshman, Moreno placed fourth in Class 3A State. In 2010, Moreno placed third in both Class 3A State and at the NHSCA Sophomore national competition. Moreno has continued to improve each year with the J-Hawks. Last season Moreno was the 2011 FILA Cadet Freestyle National runner-up as well as the Iowa 3A State Runner-Up. Moreno placed sixth overall at the Junior National Freestyle meet last season. Becoming a Cyclone means continuing a tradition within the Moreno family. Gabe's father, Mike, was an All-American at Iowa State in 1992. His older brother Michael is currently a redshirt freshman for the Cyclones at 157 pounds. Moreno will likely begin as a 149-pounder for Iowa State, but has the possibility of moving up to 157 to add depth in the weight class. "Gabe is a passionate young man and a great add to our program," Jackson said. "He's a nationally-ranked wrestler and I think he's capable of beating the best guys in the country. I would expect him to continue to improve when he gets here. We expect him to be a starter at Iowa State." Kyle Larson: Des Moines, Iowa (Valley) Projected weight: 125 pounds Larson caught the eye of Jackson and his coaching staff late last year. Although Larson has yet to claim a state title in Iowa, the Des Moines native did compete at Fargo in the 2011 Junior National Championship, finishing four overall. After qualifying for the 3A Iowa meet in 2009, Larson has improved each year with a fifth-place finish in 2010 and a fourth-place finish last year at the Class 3A State meet. Larson will add depth to the 125-pound spot for the Cyclones. "I like Kyle's style of wrestling," Jackson said. "I think he's a tough, strong kid and he hasn't achieved his goals of being a state champion or a champion in Fargo. He motivates and brings a 'prove it to me attitude.' I like wrestlers with that mindset. He's going to prove it to me and I think he's right there with us."

"On the Mat" will air live from Joe's Night Hawk in Waverly, Iowa, this Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. CST. This special one hour show will be broadcast during Fight Night: an annual preseason wrestling event for high school and college coaches. Jim Miller (Wartburg), Eric Keller (Wartburg), Tom Brands (Iowa), Kevin Jackson (Iowa State), and Doug Schwab (Northern Iowa) will headline the event. Wrestling greats Dan Gable, Ed Banach, Chuck Yagla, Tolly Thompson, Mark Schwab, Jim Gibbons, and Bob Siddens are scheduled to attend. “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 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.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University wrestling team begins both the home and dual-match portion of its 2011-12 schedule on Friday. Nov. 18, hosting the IU Quad. The Hoosiers will welcome Central Missouri, Lindsey Wilson and Calumet College of Saint Joseph to University Gym for a round-robin competition. Wrestling action will start at 5 p.m. EXPECTED COMPETITION SCHEDULE Round 1 (5 p.m.) - Indiana vs. Calumet College of Saint Joseph; Central Missouri vs. Lindsey Wilson Round 2 (approx. 10 minutes after Rd. 1) - Indiana vs. Central Missouri; Calumet College of St. Joseph vs. Lindsey Wilson Round 3 (approx. 10 minutes after Rd. 2) - Indiana vs. Lindsey Wilson; Calumet College of Saint Joseph vs. Central Missouri Match-by-match updates for IU will be posted live on Twitter (@IUWrestling1). The Hoosiers are coming off back-to-back weekends of competing in the state of Michigan to start the season, wrestling at the Eastern Michigan Open and Michigan State Open. Indiana's Matt Powless remains undefeated (4-0) and ranked fifth nationally at 197 pounds while redshirt freshman Taylor Walsh joined him in the nationally rankings this week at No. 19 (149 lbs.) after taking home a title in the Michigan State Open last Saturday.

NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion University wrestling signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent Wednesday, head coach Steve Martin announced. Jack Dechow, Kevin Beazley, Micah Barnes, Lenny Richardson and Joe Jessen will join the Monarchs in the fall of 2012. "The first thing we look at is if they're a good fit in the system, and good not just on the mat, but off the mat as well, and these guys fit that," Martin said. " They're all hard workers and love to wrestle. I think overall the class is outstanding, upper weights are difficult to recruit but we're very satisfied with the class." Jack DeChow (184, Richmond, Illinois) Martin on Dechow "Jack fulfilled a big need at the upper weights for us, he's a big guy. He is very athletic but also a good football player. We're very excited to get him, he's a true athlete, if you're an athlete at those upper weights you can do very well." • Two-time Illinois State runner-up • Career record of 108-10 • Ranked No. 49 in TheOpenMat top-100 rankings and No. 80 by InterMat • Ranked No. 6 in weight clas by InterMat and No. 8 by WIN-Magazine • Took third place at the 2010 Cadet Freestyle National Championships • Earned a sixth place finish at the 2011 Junior Freestyle Championships Kevin Beazley (174, Novi, Michigan) Martin on Beazley "For this recruiting class, we needed guys at 197 and 285, and that's what he can give us. He proved himself on the national level, once he grows into his body I think he's going to be scary." • Career high school record of 142-21 • Sits at No. 71 in TheOpenMat.com rankings • Ranked in the top-10 by both TheOpenMat.com (No. 7) and W.I.N. Magazine (No. 8) • Two-time Flo National All-American, earning a fifth place in 2010 and second in 2011 • Three-time state qualifier, state runner-up as a junior • Finished seventh at the 2011 Super 32 Challenge Micah Barnes (165, Simely, Minnesota) Martin on Barnes "He is a tenacious worker, great athlete. On the mat he's physical, a nasty wrestler. We're very excited about his ability." • Two-time Minnesota state runner-up • Ranked No. 93 by TheOpenMat.com and No. 9 at his weight class by WIN-Magazine • Career record of 95-18 • Two-time section champion and three-time All-Conference honoree • Earned All-American honors with a seventh place finish at Junior Freestyle Championships Lenny Richardson (149, West Orange, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) Martin on Richardson "He's more of a folkstyle wrestler. He is an unbelievable athlete and another kid that will be scary in college. We feel very good about him." • Ranked No. 4 at 145 pound weight class by InterMat • Won the 2011 NHSCA Junior National Championship • Three-time New Jersey state qualifier • Finished second at the 2011 Super 32 Challenge Joe Jessen (197, Winchester, Virginia) Martin on Jessen "Joe's a kid we've had on our radar for a couple of years. He is a very hard worker, a fighter in the match. He'll probably be around 197 for us." • Two-time Virginia state qualifier, taking second as a sophomore and first as a junior • Currently ranked No. 16 by TheOpenMat and No. 14 by USA Wrestling Magazine • Took fifth at the 2011 Super 32 Challenge • Took fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and fifth at the Super 32 last year

The college wrestling community took a collective sigh of relief Tuesday when it learned that the University of Maryland was no longer considering cutting its wrestling program from the school's athletic offerings. The decision made sense. Over the past several years the Terrapins have become a powerful presence in the Mid-Atlantic region, winning two of the last three ACC titles and head coach Kerry McCoy has been awarded an equal number of ACC Coach of the Year honors. Robin Ficker (Photo/Morgan Hennessy)The school's final decision and the board's motives for their recommendations will not be known for some time, but fans can conclude that much of the reason wrestling was saved has to do with the program's forward momentum. The Terrapins have been successful on the mat, with three All-Americans in 2011 and have also proven to be one of the most active social networking teams in the country. The program has also attracted the loudest fan in the wrestling nation: former Washington Bullets heckler Robin Ficker. On-the-mat success, networking and an active fan base lead the Terrapins to this rarest of wrestling success stories. However, the fight for amateur wrestling's cultural recognition will not be cemented with the preservation of one program through traditional means. The wrestling world needs to extract broader lessons from the Maryland case and understand that proactive measures had already been taken to make the team more solvent and more salient, but that more will have to be done to protect it for the next decade. Wrestling has long been dogged as a welfare sport. While I believe colleges and universities should provide athletics to their student body as part of creating a diverse student experience regardless of financial implications, I am very much in the minority. Administrators are trending negative in 2012, having to process depressing bottom lines, pay-for-play scandals and moral battles they never imagined. All this turmoil means there is opportunity for change at the administrative level and for college programs to create capital in conjunction with the rapidly expanding MMA marketplace. The wrestling community (an idiom loosely fashioned to any of several groups, including coaches, fans, media and influential alumni who converse on internet boards and occasional drink specials) is the most eagerly entrepreneurial of any of the other traditional sports threatened by budget cuts. Any wrestling-focused Facebook user has 30 T-shirt brands to choose from and an equal number of apps, camps, and instructional videos. But when it comes to running our programs like a business, we tend to collapse under administrative pressures and lack of potential financing. We do not do a good job creating vertical monetization of our most unique and valuable commodity: wrestling matches. Frankie Edgar (Photo/FrankieEdgar.com)I understand that the wrestling community is split on its feelings about mixed martial arts and the influence it can have on college and international wrestling. One argument stands that the increased cage success of former wrestling stars like Dan Henderson, Ben Askren, and Frankie Edgar attracts potential international wrestling stars away from their Olympic pursuits. Other camps believe that MMA provides incentive for young kids interested in MMA to become involved in the sport from a young age. Both arguments make sense, but the effort against MMA is fundamentally irrational -- the sport will not be harnessed or stopped (as New York is now finding out) it can only be capitalized upon. Wrestling is already late, but with a proactive approach from the sport's leaders it can make full use of the sport's crossover potential. Wrestling's key issue with programmatic security has always been its inability to create revenue from ticket sales, clothing sales, and other traditional market-based solutions. To fill the gap we have created a co-opt of funds brought together by independent philanthropic endeavors and individuals to pay our bills in the short term. (Perhaps not shockingly the independent financing of traditional wrestling is not an American problem -- we actually support wrestling better than most countries.) The financial support of individuals is wonderful to those who can attain it, but wrestling now is positioned to accept increased financial support from its professional sporting cousin, mixed martial arts. Last weekend's UFC on FOX debut pitted former two-time Arizona State heavyweight All-American Cain Velasquez against undefeated Brazilian striker Junior dos Santos. By now most of you have seen the results in the cage and UFC fans made audible groans at the length of the fight -- all perceived to be major setbacks for the promotion. However, as the numbers became more certain, the media realized two important stats. The first was that the fight, which aired against a BCS-impact game and lead-in to a Manny Pacquiao fight, pulled 5.7 million viewers making it the most-watched UFC fight in history. The fight also captured the second-highest male 18-34 demographic (the most coveted in advertising) of the sporting season, more than baseball, football, or any other single athletic event save the recent No. 1 vs. No. 2 football game between LSU and Alabama. The target demographic is important to understand; 18-34 has always been recognized as the age when men start to develop brand loyalty which they'll likely retain well into their earning years. For companies it's clear: get 'em now and you'll be paid handsomely for years to come. To own this demographic advertisers pour money into athletic events because viewers tend to watch them live rather than risk having the results ruined by Twitter or a friend with a bent towards schadenfreude. The UFC and FOX have aligned for a 7-year, $700 million deal because the network realized that the UFC held this key demographic and that advertisers would be desperate to seek space during events like this weekend's. All of the advertising interest makes for a large pot of MMA money, and what sport feeds MMA more than any other? College wrestling. So why is there not more bleed over in terms of dollars? A lack of creativity, community of complacency and the misguided belief that wrestling as a consumer product can't be profitable. Crossover companies already exist. Clinch Gear and Cradle Gear have wrestling and MMA gear, but its product-only right now -- the cash is not filtering to college teams in any measurable result. One reason is that the content schools could sell (i.e. matches, behind-the-scenes and techniques) are being handed over for free to sites like Flowrestling. Flo's model is based on clicks, so a school's content gets coupled with advertising and that once-free content is now profitable to nobody but Flo. How and why that model still exists without competition is perplexing considering the amount of money they are making from any of their major sponsors, including dominant MMA brand TapouT. In a normal content partnership, like the UFC on FOX, the content is paid for in advance, giving the purchasing party the ability to make revenue from the advertising. No such model currently exists in college wrestling and until it does Flo has every right (as capitalists) to continue to profit from the free content. Colleges across the country have to improve their revenue streams by promoting their product in a system that allocates advertising dollars back to their programs. Mat decals, short commercials, sponsored segments with athletes and other market-based solutions are all currently available to schools willing to control their content and MMA is the resource connecting the sport to an enormous, culture-changing pot of money. The MMA world has realized the potential of college wrestlers and college wresting, what's sad is that because of misplaced modesty or ineffectual leadership the reverse can't be said. In addition to the content currently available for sale, the major conference representatives (Big Ten and Big 12) need to influence the rules and regulations governing the advertising capabilities of college wrestling programs. Ideas are needed, but what about teams with sponsored singlets (already do this with Nike, adidas, etc.)? Or matches that are competed in fight shorts and shirts, giving advertisers the incentive to reach out to the 4 million-plus members of the wrestling community with marketable consumer wears? I certainly wouldn't mind an amendment to the current NCAA rules that would allow for on-the-mat decals during the ESPN broadcast of the NCAA finals (maybe the funds could be distributed to at-risk teams?) These are just throw-away, top-of-the-dome ideas, but with the backing of MMA there is no limit to the growth and earning potential for individual programs and business owners. By creating a marketplace that's attractive to MMA advertisers college wrestling can enjoy financial stability and re-certify itself as a major component of the modern sporting world. We do not have to live in a world where we're waiting for bad news every March, a culling of the first order. We can be leaders if we just believe that we have something to sell and take the initiative to make those moves. If we do not, we will continue to disappear, continue to fail and continue a complete, total and irreparable downward spiral into financial instability and cultural irrelevance. That is unless leaders are willing to recapture their content, sell it and embrace the financial potential of the cage.

OREM, Utah -- University of Wyoming 165-pound senior Shane Onufer (Auburn, Wash./Auburn HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week by the league on Tuesday after an outstanding performance on the mat last week. In his first action of the season, Onufer went 4-0 at the Cowboy Open, winning his weight class at the event for the fourth-straight year. He started the tournament by pinning Jorge Benitez of Western State at the 6:30 mark and followed that up with a 5-0 decision over Jordan Larsen of Colorado School of Mines. He then defeated Tyler Juby (unattached) with an 11-0 major decision, and beat Steve Vasquez (Cal Poly) 5-1 in the championship bout. Onufer allowed just one point to his four opponents over the course of the tournament. The conference award Onufer's first of the season and fifth of his career. The Wyoming grappler is currently ranked second in the nation by InterMat at 165 pounds. The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its sixth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other Nominees: North Dakota State: Steven Monk, 157 pounds, Sophomore (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West HS) Northern Iowa: David Bonin, 157 pounds, Junior (Broussard, La./Comeaux HS) South Dakota State: Dillon Reid, 165 pounds, Freshman, (Red Bluff, Calif./Red Bluff HS) Utah Valley: Brian Chamberlain, 197 pounds, Freshman (Moses Lake, Wash./Moses Lake HS) 2011-12 WWC Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 9 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Third-ranked junior Josh Asper has been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week after earning co-Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and capturing the 165-pound championship at the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational. Asper, a four-time recipient of the award, improved to 7-0 after posting four wins in the event including a 6-0 decision over sixth-ranked Scott Winston of Rutgers in the 165-pound final. The Parkton, Md., native opened the draw with 17-0 technical fall over Rutgers' Doug Hamann and followed the victory with two more by decision before defeating Winston. Asper opened the season on Nov. 6 with three victories including a pin of Johns Hopkins' Walt Mayfield 1:13 into the match. Of Asper's seven wins, two are by technical fall along with one major decision and one pin. The Terps are back in action on Nov. 26 at the Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y. Eleventh-ranked Maryland will take on Bucknell, 23rd-ranked Central Michigan and Northern Iowa.

THIS WEEK IN MINNESOTA WRESTLING The Golden Gophers hit the road for two very important, early season dual matches. First up is a contest against No. 5 Cornell on Friday Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. CST, followed by a matchup with the No.1 and defending NCAA National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions. Fans can access the Cornell match a couple different ways. One option is 1160espn.com, which will provide free audio for the dual. The second option is on Cornell's website where you can purchase a one-time event fee, which will provide a video feed of the dual. The dual may not be set up online until later in the week. The match against the Nittany Lions will be broadcasted LIVE on the Big Ten Network. Tim Johnson will have the play-by-play, while Jim Gibbons will be the analyst. Free audio will also be provided by Theopenmat.com WRAP UP FROM THE BISON Minnesota opened the season at the 41st annual Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. The Gophers brought home nine titles from Zach Sanders (125), David Thorn (133), Nick Dardanes (141), Dylan Ness (149), Jake Deitchler (157), Cody Yohn (165), Kevin Steinhaus (184), Sonny Yohn (197) and Tony Nelson (Hwt). A LOOK AT THE BIG RED Cornell is coming off 2010-11 with a record of 13-1 and were crowned Ivy League Champions after a perfect 5-0 run. The Big Red finished second at the NCAA Championships and were the 2011 National Dual Champions. Cornell defeated the Gophers 20-16 at the National Duals. FAMILIAR FACE AT CORNELL Former Gopher and two-time NCAA champion Damion Hahn is entering his sixth season on the Cornell bench. Hahn finished his Gopher career a 118-21 record, which included a 33-1 mark during his senior season in 2003-04. Hahn became the third wrestler in school history to capture two NCAA titles when he won back-to-back crowns in 2003 and 2004. A LOOK AT THE NITTANY LIONS Penn State comes into the season as the returning National Champions from a year ago. Last season the Gophers and the Nittany Lions tied (18-18) at the Sports Pavilion. DEITCHLER IS BACK Redshirt Sophomore Jake Deitchler is back in the Gopher lineup for this season at 157 lbs. Last week at the Bison Open he finished 4-0. The former 2008 US Olympic Team member will square off with Cornell's Kyle Dake, who is ranked No. 1 by InterMat, while Deitchler is No. 8 SANDERS MOVING UP THE CHARTS Senior All-American Zach Sanders currently sits at No. 30 on the all-time career wins list for the Gophers. Sanders has 106 wins in his career. FOUR ALL-AMERICAN CAPTAINS The four returning All-Americans from last season have been named as team captains for the 2011-12 season. Sanders is joined by fellow senior Sonny Yohn and sophomores Kevin Steinhaus and Tony Nelson to guide the team. At the NCAA Championships last season Sanders finished 5th (125 lbs.), Yohn 7th (197 lbs.), Steinhaus 8th (184 lbs.) and Nelson 7th (Hwt.) GOPHER COACHING STAFF Minnesota's coaching staff is led by the legend J Robinson, who enters his 26th season at the helm. Longtime assistant Joe Russell left over the summer to take the head coaching job at George Mason University. Now, Brandon Eggum has moved up to Head Assistant Coach, while Luke Becker is a full-time assistant. Former National Champion Jayson Ness has also joined the staff as an assistant for the Gophers. WITH ONE WIN ... Head Coach J Robinson needs one win to bump his career record at Minnesota to 375 wins. Robinson's current record for the Gophers is 374-126-4, which is just 18 wins shy of tying the all-time record, which is currently held by Wally Johnson, whose record is 392-209-11. GOPHERS INNER CIRCLE Make sure to check out the Minnesota Wrestling Blog (Gophers Inner Circle) for news, features, videos etc. LIKE US AND FOLLOW US Find Gopher Wrestling on Facebook at Golden Gopher Wrestling and make sure to follow the Golden Gophers on Twitter. Just search @GopherWrestling on Twitter and you can be a follower.

Five wrestling recruits signed their National Letter of Intent to the University of Northern Iowa. Here's a look at who Head Coach Doug Schwab and his staff nabbed: Dylan Peters, 125 Denver HS (Denver, Iowa) InterMat Ranking: 7 3-time finalist, 2-time state champ (Class 2A); 3rd at USA Junior Nationals (2010) Coach Doug Schwab's impressions: "He came to our club practices quite a bit, so we got a real good idea of how he competes in the practice room and how he fights for everything. He takes of his grades, takes care of his social life. He's the right kind of guy to help build our program with. You're going to see his name for the next five years with UNI Wrestling." Zach Witte, 145/152 Cedar Rapids Prairie HS (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) InterMat Ranking: 10 (152) 2nd place at state as freshman; undefeated state champ as junior Coach Doug Schwab's impressions: "I got to see him last year at the state tournament. He beat a guy in the semis who was the defending state champ. Then he wrestled (Gabriel) Moreno in the finals, and it was a good match. I guess the thing that I noticed is that he kept wrestling, he kept attacking. Those are the kinds of guys that we want. Then you find out more about a guy. You find out how he trains. And it might be very basic, but basic wins at the highest level." Curt Maas, 152 Medford HS (Medford, Minn.) InterMat Ranking: NR State qualifier as 8th grader, 2nd place as freshman, two-time state champ as sophomore/junior Coach Doug Schwab's impressions: "He's got a twin brother, and usually twins are pretty tough, because they've been beating up on each other all the way up. We just heard a lot of good things about him -- heard about the type of attitude that he has. Sometimes you can't explain -- you like the look in the guy's eyes or you like the things that he says back to you. Sometimes guys just tell you what you want to hear, but this guy -- he believes it." Cooper Moore, 160/170 Jackson County Central HS (Jackson, Minn.) InterMat Ranking: 11 (170) 4th at state as freshman, state champ as sophomore, injured at state tournament last season Coach Doug Schwab's impressions: "You want to get everybody on your radar, but there's a couple of guys that you got to get. And he's one of them -- for weight class need, but more importantly, his mentality. He's got some great leg attacks, and that excites me as a coach. He wanted to be at UNI, and that's one thing that's good about all the guys that we got this year. He wants to be here, and he's excited to get here. And that's what we need with this program." Jared Bartel, 195 Mason City HS (Mason City, Iowa) InterMat Ranking: 10 2nd at state as junior, USA Pre-Season Nationals champion Coach Doug Schwab's impressions: "He's raw, but that's a good thing, because you can always build skills in a guy. I got to watch him wrestle in Waterloo a few times, and he wrestled hard. That's what catches my eye in a guy. It's not necessarily if he's flashy with his skills, but that he wrestles hard, keeps attacking, and he keeps rushing back to the center. And that's what he does."

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma wrestling coach Mark Cody recently signed four high school seniors to National Letters of Intent, all four rank in the top-20 nationally in their respective weight classes. “I feel this recruiting class has great potential," Mark Cody said. "I have to give most of the credit to my assistant coaches for doing their homework on each of the individuals we have signed. We hold high standards for our student-athletes on the mat and in the classroom and it takes a special individual to live up to those standards. We feel each of the guys we have signed holds these qualities." Leading ranked recruits is Clark Glass from Brandon, Fla., ranked No. 6 nationally among 160 pounders by InterMat. Glass is a four-time Florida state champion, 2011 NHSCA Junior Nationals champion and finished second at the 2011 USAW Junior Nationals. The future Sooner is ranked as high as No. 3 by Amateur Wrestling News (170 pounds) and is the No. 36 high school wrestler in the country by CollegeWrestling.net. Brad Johnson , a product of Homer Glenn, Ill., won the 2011 Illinois state crown, is a three-time All-State selection and is ranked No. 9 among 195 pounders by InterMat. In addition, he is a five-time FILA/ASICS All-American in freestyle. WIN Magazine ranks Johnson the fourth-best high school wrestler at 220 pounds and CollegeWrestling.net pegs him as the No. 49 overall recruit nationally. Choctaw, Okla., native Kyle Garcia holds three Oklahoma state titles. Garcia is No. 15 among 126 pounders and is the 91st-overall recruit nationally by InterMat. Amateur Wrestling News ranks Garcia at No. 13 in the 126 pound weight class. Greg Wilson, ranked as high as No. 14 among 195-pounders by Amateur Wrestling News, rounds out the Oklahoma class. Wilson is a two-time Texas state champion and concluded the 2010-11 season with a 64-0 mark. Cody said, "They are all very solid wrestlers and strong academically. What we want, not only with this class but going forward, is to make sure that every student-athlete we bring into OU realizes that it is student first and athlete second.”

Former University of Iowa wrestlers Ryan Morningstar and Phil Keddy have qualified to compete at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, April 21-22. Both athletes earned their Olympic Trials position based upon their finishes at the New York Athletic Club International in New York City last weekend. Morningstar placed fourth at 74 kg/163 lb, while Keddy won the 74 kg/ 185 lb division. Former Hawkeyes Brent Metcalf (66 kg/145.5 lb), Steve Mocco (120 kg/264.5 lb) and Mike Zadick (60 kg/132 lb), and Hawkeye Wrestling Club member Lloyd Rogers (74 kg/163 lb) had previously qualified for the Olympic Trials event.

Robert Hamlin enjoys his intimidating nickname. After all, what wrestler wouldn't want to be called the "Vermonster?" Robert Hamlin celebrates after winning his NCAA semifinal match (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)But the Lehigh 184-pounder would much rather be known as Vermont's first-ever national champion. And his second-place finish in the NCAA tournament last year proves it's no tall tale. It wasn't always that way. When Hamlin made the seven-hour trip south from Jonesville, Vt., to Bethlehem, Pa., he entered a new wrestling world. Gone were the sparsely attended state tournaments where the two dozen or so schools that had wrestling teams gathered to crown Vermont's best -- no qualifiers needed. He was now in the wrestling-mad Lehigh Valley, where the Mountain Hawks' wrestleoffs routinely attract 1,000 or more fans. Not only that, the competition in the Lehigh wrestling room was far different than what he had faced at Mount Mansfield Union, where he went 168-3 with four Vermont titles and three New England Championships. Now, he was struggling just to compete with his practice partners. "When I first got to Lehigh, all the guys around my weight -- our '65, our backup '65, our '74 and our '84 -- I was at '74 at the time -- I don't think I scored on any of those guys until like the spring of my freshman year," Hamlin recalled. "It was a big change from high school to college. And I really didn't have as much competition as some of these kids coming from Pa. and stuff. I feel like if I wrestled myself back then now it would be just so easy." Pat SantoroOf course, even those from wrestling-rich states often face a difficult transition from high school to college. "That happens to a lot of freshmen coming in," Lehigh coach Pat Santoro said. "Some freshmen lose more during their first semester than they did all through high school, and it gets them down. It didn't matter to him. He was trying to figure out how to get better every day and what he needed to work on. When you have that type of attitude, you're not focused on wins and losses (and) you get really good really fast. And that's what he's done." Even while he struggled in the Lehigh wrestling room, Hamlin was shining outside of it. He went 30-6 wrestling unattached at 174 pounds in open tournaments during his redshirt season. He was named the outstanding wrestler at the Wilkes Open in December and won the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open the following month. Somewhere along the way, he started pushing his teammates more and more in practice. "Even though, in the room, he couldn't get a takedown for awhile, he was wrestling some pretty good kids coming in," Santoro recalled. "(But) he just never stopped wrestling. You keep coming up, you're going to get better. You get taken down, come back. By the end of the year, he was pushing those people. A year later, he earned the starting spot. A year after that, he's the national runner-up." He went 18-12 in his first season in the Lehigh lineup and qualified for the NCAA tournament at 174 pounds, which gave him confidence heading into his redshirt sophomore season. But even he didn't expect the kind of year he had last season. He bumped up to 184 pounds and went 32-3, boasting wins over some of the top names in the sport. He placed third at Midlands in December. In January, he beat then-No. 1 ranked Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming. And he notched three victories over another eventual All-American, Cornell's Steve Bosak. "I tried to tell myself the whole season "I'm going to win nationals. I'm going to win nationals. I'm going to win nationals,'" Hamlin said. "But there was a part of me that really didn't believe I'd even be an All-American. "If you'd have told me at the beginning of the season ‘You're going to be a finalist,' I would have thought, ‘Man, that's awesome.' But now that I was that close … It's hard being that close and not getting it." Just how close Hamlin came to winning the national title is evidenced by the fact that he beat Penn State's Quentin Wright -- the eventual champ -- earlier in the season. A 4-3 winner in their dual meet, Hamlin lost 5-2 in the all-important rematch. Robert Hamlin fell to Penn State's Quentin Wright in the NCAA finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"That was definitely a little frustrating," Hamlin said. "I know he had a great tournament and he had a slow start to the season. I was wrestling a totally different person in the national finals than I was at the beginning of the season." Like Hamlin, Wright and six of last year's eight All-Americans return at 184 pounds. That should make for an interesting season. "It should be a fun time," Santoro said. "He's going to see Quentin Wright, probably Dec. 9 (in a dual meet at Lehigh's Stabler Arena), but he can't worry about him. He's got to worry about (his next match). That's kind of his approach. He doesn't get too far ahead of himself." Focus has not been a problem for Hamlin. He was named to the NWCA All-Academic Team last season -- no small feat for a chemical engineering major. When Hamlin initially chose Lehigh, he wasn't sure he'd wrestle all four years, as he thought his course load might become too difficult to continue his athletic career. Not only has he made it work, he's excelled. "That's one of the things Lehigh preaches -- you can do both," Santoro said of academics and athletics. "You can excel in the classroom with real majors and you can excel out on the mat. He's done that. He's been the epitome of what Lehigh wrestling is all about. That's why he's been a fan favorite, because everything he does is one hundred percent." He's not just a fan favorite; he's also a coach's dream. "If you had 10 of him, as a coach, you'd be very happy," Santoro said. "He's that kid that does things right across the board. He does it academically, he does it athletically, he does it socially. He's very well-liked. He's the type of kid you'd let your daughter date." Robert Hamlin edged Cornell's Steve Bosak three times last season, including a 4-2 win in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)But he's not necessarily the type you want to see across from you at the start of the first period. Physically imposing and aggressive, he wants to put pressure on his opponents from start to finish. "I try to score a lot of points," Hamlin said. "I just try to keep attacking the whole time. That's what Coach always pushes -- even if you're winning, try to build a lead, keep going and break your opponent. I try to wrestle the whole time, the whole seven minutes." Problem is, Hamlin has had to do most of his scoring from the neutral position. He's much more comfortable on his feet -- where he has a slick high crotch that he can hit to either side -- but he's working to become a stronger mat wrestler. Despite piling up 80 victories, Hamlin had just one pin in each of his three seasons. He matched that number at the UB Open in Buffalo on Nov. 6, where he used legs and a power half for a first-period fall over Gannon's Dylan Martin. In all, Hamlin went 3-0 and won the 184-pound title, beating Pitt's Andy Vaughan, 9-3, in the finals. Santoro said the tournament gave Hamlin a chance to work on his ability to work from the top position. "It was a great opportunity for that," the coach said. "Once our dual-meet season hits, pretty much every weekend is a battle. We don't know the outcomes. It's not like we have any easy matches. Every match usually goes down to 6-4 or 5-5 with bonus points. That's just the way our schedule is set up, but we do that (to get ready) for the national tournament. This was a nice opportunity for him to get a couple of matches and work on some new things." As Hamlin sees it, improving his ability to score from the top position is all about helping the team. While he readily admits it would be nice to be able to pick up a riding-time point here or a cheap set of backpoints there in a close match, he knows that those skills mean even more in dual meets. Robert Hamlin is looking to become Vermont's first NCAA champion (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"You can still win a national title without turning anybody, but it's so much harder to score bonus points," he said. "The one thing I want to try to do for the team is definitely score more bonus points -- get pins and tech falls. In our duals, I want to contribute a little more." After a 19-1 record in dual meets last year, it's hard to imagine anyone associated with the Mountain Hawks demanding too much more out of Hamlin. Well, except maybe Hamlin himself. When they first met, Hamlin told Santoro -- a two-time national champion in his own right -- that his goal was to become the first wrestler from Vermont to win NCAA gold. After falling just short last year, Hamlin isn't about to give up on that dream. In fact, he's hoping that he can achieve his dream and possibly spur more Green Mountain State youngsters to take up the sport. Maybe one day, they'll even take over the Vermonster moniker. "What I like about it is, when I'm done, it can be kind of passed on," he said of the nickname. "I know programs in Vermont, some of the clubs, want to know, who's going to be the next Vermonster? I think it's awesome. I'd like to pass that nickname on and hopefully someone else can take it in the next few years." And maybe they'll have to aspire to be Vermont's second national champion.