InterMat Staff

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team improved to 4-0 on the season with shutouts over Chattanooga (47-0) and Cornell College (43-0) Friday night in Mount Vernon, IA. Iowa scored 66 takedowns during the two duals, while allowing only four, in front of 1,475 fans at Cornell College's Small Multi-Sport Facility. Chattanooga defeated Cornell in the first dual of the night, 35-3. The Hawkeyes, who are ranked seventh in the most recent NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, opened the night with a 47-0 win over Chattanooga (4-5). Five Hawkeyes - senior Jake Kerr (165-2:19), junior Blake Rasing (Hwt.-1:05), sophomores Mark Ballweg (141-4:42) and Jeret Chiri (149-3:47), and redshirt freshman Ethen Lofthouse (174-0:52) - pinned their opponents, while sophomore Matt McDonough scored his 40th career victory with a decision at 125. Sophomore Nate Moore (133) and Chiri (149) made their first dual appearances of the season. Moore scored four takedowns to post a 9-5 win over Cody Hood to collect his 15th career victory. Chiri trailed Dean Pavlou 4-2 midway through the first period before scoring a takedown and three nearfall points to take the lead before scoring his second-period fall. Senior Luke Lofthouse (197) recorded nine takedowns in his 21-8 major decision over Robert Prigmore. Sophomore Grant Gambrall (184) scored a second-period escape, a third-period reversal and a point for riding time to score a 4-0 decision Chattanooga's Jason McCroskey, who is ranked in the top 20 nationally. Redshirt freshman Derek St. John accumulated over four minutes of riding time in his 13-2 major decision over Dan Waddell. Iowa extended its school-record dual winning streak to 65 matches overall and 43 on the road with its 43-0 win over Cornell College (4-2). McDonough, Ballweg, Ethen Lofthouse and Gambrall all recorded technical falls, with Ballweg scoring 12 nearfall points in his 15-0 match with Kevin Donahue that ended in 3:09. Senior Aaron Janssen (165) and redshirt freshman Tony Ramos (133) each made their first dual appearances of the season, with both recording major decisions and Janssen collecting his 30th career victory. Rasing also scored a major decision at heavyweight, while Luke Lofthouse pinned Robert Widmer in 1:17. Chiri and St. John both recorded decisions to preserve their unbeaten records. "I feel good," said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. "Have we been tested yet? No. We haven't. There is a lot still unknown. (Derek) St. John did a good job with his emotions against Cornell. That match was a good test for him." The Hawkeyes will put their undefeated record on the line when they host #17 Iowa State (4-0) Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. and Michigan State (3-0) Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. Both duals will be held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Iowa-Iowa State dual will be aired live on Mediacom Connections, and both duals will be streamed live on bigtennetwork.com. The Iowa-Iowa State dual is scheduled to be a "Black Out", where fans are encouraged to wear black attire to the event. It is also the fifth event of the 2010-11 Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Iowa State currently holds a 6-5 lead in the series. #7 Iowa 47, Chattanooga 0 125 - Matt McDonough (I) dec. Prescott Garner (UTC), 7-1 133 - Nate Moore (I) dec. Cody Hood (UTC), 9-5 141 - Mark Ballweg (I) pinned Shawn Greevy (UTC), 4:42 149 - Jeret Chiri (I) pinned Dean Pavlou (UTC), 3:47 157 - Derek St. John (I) maj. dec. Dan Waddell (UTC), 13-2 165 - Jake Kerr (I) pinned Brandon Wright (UTC), 2:19 174 - Ethen Lofthouse (I) pinned Levi Clemons (UTC), 0:52 184 - Grant Gambrall (I) dec. Jason McCroskey (UTC), 4-0 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) maj. dec. Robert Prigmore (UTC), 21-8 Hwt. - Blake Rasing (I) pinned Matt Lettner (UTC), 1:05 #7 Iowa 43, Cornell College 0 125 - Matt McDonough (I) tech. fall Timothy Hood (C), 18-3 in 5:47 133 - Tony Ramos (I) maj. dec. Tigue Snider (C), 14-5 141 - Mark Ballweg (I) tech. fall Kevin Donahue (C), 15-0 in 3:09 149 - Jeret Chiri (I) dec. Jacob Schwebke (C), 9-4 157 - Derek St. John (I) dec. Nicholas Loughlin (C), 4-2 165 - Aaron Janssen (I) maj. dec. Joe Hambleton (C), 13-5 174 - Ethen Lofthouse (I) tech. fall Derek Munsey (C), 24-9 in 6:53 184 - Grant Gambrall (I) tech. fall Andrew Roberts (C), 22-7 197 - Luke Lofthouse (I) pinned Robert Widmer (C), 1:17 Hwt. - Blake Rasing (I) maj. dec. Wyatt Bauman (C), 11-1

Under the leadership of Frank Popolizio, Journeymen Wrestling has transformed upstate New York from wrestling-afterthought into one of the nation's premier locations for amateur wrestling. Upstate New York is best known for political scandals and horse racing, but increasingly amateur wrestling is finding its way into the homes of denizens. Two decades after losing the collegiate wrestling programs at Albany and Syracuse, Frank Popolizio and his Journeymen Wrestling Club are leading a wrestling revival in upstate New York that features the best upcoming collegiate, Olympic and even MMA talent. Originally from Schenectady, 39-year-old Popolizio wrestled at Niskayuna High School before setting off for college at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), where he started their NJCAA program and was elected student body president. Though the program was eventually dropped, Frank had moved onto Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he began his career as a coach, helping with his little brother and cousins. He opened the Journeymen Wrestling Cub in 1999. Though his brother Pat, the head wrestling coach at Binghamton, was a more successful collegiate grappler, it's Journeymen that has been getting kudos and hands-on attention from coaches around the country. The motivation for Journeymen came from watching his brother compete for the Cowboys. "I saw what they were doing with wrestling in the Midwest and knew that the Capital Region, upstate, could do the same," said Popolizio. "Not only that, but we needed to do something because we didn't have any college programs left in the area to help us create the interest." Frank Popolizio with Frankie EdgarPopolizio transformed his devotion to wrestling and leveraged it with his charm and connections to sell the Journeymen brand through clubs, clinics, camps, and competitions. His list of friends and associates from New York reads like a who's who in college wrestling, each loyal to a man who shows his devotion to the promotion of amateur wrestling. According to Virginia coach Steve Garland, who knows Popolizio from his high school wrestling days in Middletown (Section 9), the secret to Popolizio's success is his energy and ability to sell a wrestling competition as a must-see event. "What Frank's been able to do is generate interest and excitement in the sport and people are coming to watch," said Garland. "I grew up there, trust me, it's not like all these people in New York were waking up and saying, 'Let's go watch wrestling today,' Frank's made it relevant and people are trying to make it interesting. It's awesome to see it taking off right now. One of Popolizio's gifts has been his ability to understand what motivates participation in youth wrestling. "Like it or not, one of the biggest influences among high school kids is mixed martial arts," Popolizio said. According to a recent survey in Esquire, MMA ranked as the second most popular American sport among 20-year-old men, second only to American football. Understanding that the growth of MMA can mean higher participation at the youth and high school level, Popolizio has sought out the top former wrestlers in MMA to host clinics upstate. Former UFC light heavyweight champion and Michigan State wrestler Rashad Evans was scheduled to put on a clinic today, but informed Ppolozio on Thursday that he will not be coming. Evans, an upstate New Yorker who wrestled at Niagara Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, is exactly what Popolizio wants his young wrestlers to emulate: motivated, highly-successful role models who, at their root, simply love for wrestling. "We bring in Faber, or Rashad and the kids get it that, 'Hey, I give everything I have to wrestling and maybe in a few years I can be fighter,' but we have others who have coaches like [Jeff] Blatnick and think, 'Hey, I want to be an Olympian.' Point is: they're wrestling." Whether it's finding fighters to be role models, hiring Olympic coaches or creating megawatt tournaments, Popolizio has been in front of the resurgence of wrestling in upstate New York, selling himself and the sport to the community he loves. "Frankie Pop is hitting it one hundred percent of the time, from sunrise to sunset," said Garland. "He loves wrestling, which is why I love going to his tournaments and recruiting his wrestlers. He's got the best thing going." Featured Dual Meets at the 2010 Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals Round 1: Pittsburgh vs. Penn The cross-state rivals are both heading into this season with high expectations. The Panthers, under long serving coach Rande Stottlemyer, are defending EWL Conference champions and ranked 20th by InterMat. The team is led a trio of skilled upperweights Ryan Tomei at heavyweight, Zac Thomusseit at 197 pounds, and Ethan Headlee at 174 pounds. Penn is led by fifth-year senior Rollie Peterkin at 133 pounds, returning All-American Scott Giffin at 174 pounds, and Zach Kemmerer at 141 pounds. The matchup of the dual meet will no doubt be Giffin vs. Headlee. Round 2: Virginia vs. Lehigh Virginia coach Steve Garland is once again facing Pat Santoro, former coach at Maryland. The two have a lot of respect for each other, but when they meet in the day's second dual meet, expect there to be fireworks. Chris Henrich, the No. 2 wrestler at 174 pounds, will be facing off against Popolizio-trained Austin Meys, who is off to a solid start this season. The Mountain Hawks have a talented roster. The Cavaliers, coming off last season's first conference title in 33 years and top 15 placing at the NCAAs, have a lot of confidence and some new faces at the lower weights. The two teams are evenly matched. Don't be surprised if the winner is decided by who can amass more bonus points. Round 3: Stanford vs. Binghamton Binghamton is the model for program resurgence. Jason Borelli, coach of the Stanford Cardinal, would love if his team could mimic the Bearcats success. The best way to get there? Beat the Bearcats. That might be a tall order considering Pat Popolizio's team is essentially wrestling a home dual meet. The best individual performers for Stanford are 174-pounder Nick Armusteguchi, ranked fourth nationally, and Justin Lister for the Bearcats, who is the eighth-ranked grappler at 157 pounds Round 4: Missouri vs. Maryland After several years of top ten finishes at the NCAA tournament, Missouri coach Brian Smith is in what some have called a rebuilding year. However, with second-ranked heavyweight Dom Bradley and 14th-ranked 165-pound freshman Zach Toal on the roster, it would be difficult to see this Tiger team being anything but powerful. The Tigers lost a close dual meet to Illinois at the start of the month but nearly swept the Central Oklahoma Open the following week. Kerry McCoy (upstate New York) will hope to keep his talented lineup healthy throughout the day so that they can challenge the Tigers from start to finish, with top wrestlers Josh Asper (165) and Mike Letts (174). United States vs. Russia The USA Wrestling freestyle team will also be competing against the Russians in a dual meet held at intermission. The Ruskies, fresh off another dominating performance at the World Championships, have sent over a young squad of grapplers, most of who have either won Junior Worlds or placed in significant international tournaments. The Americans, fielding one of their best teams, are led by former World Team members Les Sigman and Jake Varner.

The 2010 Northern Quad is set to take place on Saturday at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minnesota. The four-team field includes Minnesota, Central Michigan, North Dakota State, and Appalachian State. The event is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. CT. The Central Michigan-Minnesota dual, which is slated for approximately 3 p.m. CT, is without the question the showcase dual of the event. Central Michigan has four ranked wrestlers, while Minnesota has seven. The two teams met last season at the NWCA/Cliff Keen Nationals Duals, with Minnesota coming out on top, 25-9. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown with predictions for the dual. 125: Kyle Waldo (Central Michigan) vs. No. 4 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) Sanders, a two-time All-American, has been a steady performer for the Gophers over the past two seasons. He's quick, aggressive, and can score with a variety of offensive attacks. He started the season by winning the Bison Open, but is coming off a bad loss in the NWCA All-Star Classic to Anthony Robles of Arizona State. Robles scored four three-point nearfalls to go up 14-0 on Sanders in the first period, before earning a technical fall, 20-2, in the second period. Waldo, a four-time state champion who started his collegiate career at Nebraska, comes into the event with a 12-6 record on the season. His biggest win this season came over 19th-ranked Frank Perrelli of Cornell on Nov. 19. Bottom Line: Minnesota will be looking for bonus points here. Waldo has yet to give up bonus points this season, but hasn't faced a wrestler as skilled as Sanders. Don't be surprised if Waldo keeps it close early, but look for Sanders to push the pace and eventually pull away and win convincingly. Prediction: Sanders major dec. Waldo (Minnesota +4) 133: No. 6 Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) vs. No. 18 David Thorn/Thane Antczak (Minnesota) Sentes, a two-time NCAA qualifier and 2009 All-American, has started the season 5-0 after winning the Body Bar Invitational. He's very tough on top and that has been one of the keys to his early success at CMU. His main focus has been getting better on his feet. He was scoring off his shots at the Body Bar Invitational, and when he's doing that he's tough to beat. Minnesota has three very capable wrestlers at this weight class in Thorn, Antczak, and Reiter. Antczak saw some action in the lineup last season, while Thorn and Reiter are coming off redshirt seasons. Antczak appears to have the upper hand on Reiter after beating him head-to-head at the Bison Open and placing ahead of him at the Kaufman-Brand Open. Thorn, who is ranked 18th, is the most credentialed of the three, but has yet to see action this season. Bottom Line: Sentes will certainly be favored regardless of which wrestler Minnesota sends out. Bonus points aren't out of the question, especially the way Sentes has been wrestling. But all three of Minnesota's wrestlers can battle and don't give up positions easily, which is why I'm not giving Sentes bonus points in this one. Prediction: Sentes dec. Thorn (Central Michigan +3) 141: Scott Mattingly (Central Michigan) vs. No. 5 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) Thorn, a returning All-American and Big Ten champion for the Gophers, has a wide open style and loves to put points on the scoreboard. He has the ability to win an NCAA title this season if he puts together a strong tournament. Mattingly, a redshirt freshman, comes into the event with a 7-8 record on the season. He was a three-time Ohio state placewinner and Junior Nationals freestyle All-American, which shows that he's very skilled and has a lot of potential. However, it's experience that he lacks. Mattingly is a serviceable Division I starter at this point and should continue to improve throughout the season. Bottom Line: Thorn has made a habit of crushing unranked wrestlers, like Mattingly. Look for Thorn to score early and often and cruise to a technical fall victory ... or possibly stick Mattingly. Prediction: Thorn tech. fall Mattingly (Minnesota +5) 149: Donnie Corby (Central Michigan) vs. Danny Zilverberg/Pat Smith (Minnesota) Corby is strong, solid wrestler. He went 16-13 last season and has started this season 4-3. His most impressive performance this season came in a loss to 2010 NCAA champion Kyle Dake of Cornell. Corby was very close to pinning Dake in the second period and led 2-1 after two periods. But Dake battled back in the third period, scoring a reversal and nearfall points to win 6-2. Much like the 133-pound weight class, this is another weight class that has not been solidified for Minnesota. Zilverberg, though, appears to have the upper hand based on his early-season performance. Zilverberg opened a lot of eyes when he won a FILA Junior Nationals title in freestyle this past spring, which included victories over the Alton twins, Andrew and Dylan, two of the nation's top recruits in 2010. (Andrew Alton is currently ranked No. 12 at 141 pounds as a true freshman at Penn State.) Smith is a University Nationals champion in Greco-Roman and went 11-4 as a redshirt. Bottom Line: This is a pivotal match in the dual and one that could go either way. Corby did lose to Minnesota's Joe Grygelko, 3-2, last season, but is down a weight class and seems to be wrestling at a higher level. I'll take Corby in a close one, but won't be shocked if it goes the other way. Prediction: Corby dec. Zilverberg (Central Michigan +3) 157: Eric Cubberly (Central Michigan) vs. Alec Ortiz/Brian Peterson (Minnesota) Cubberly, a two-time Ohio state champion, is coming off a solid season in which he went 15-7 at 165 pounds and placed at the Midlands. He dropped down a weight class this season and has started 5-2, which includes a third-place finish at the Body Bar Invitational. With 2008 Olympian Jake Deitchler being ineligible for the first half of the season for accepting prize money from USA Wrestling, Minnesota will turn to Alec Ortiz or Brian Peterson. Ortiz, a three-time Oregon state champion, redshirted last season and compiled a 15-6 record. Peterson has seen limited action in the lineup over the past two seasons. Bottom Line: Cubberly is the favorite based on experience and collegiate production. Prediction: Cubberly dec. Ortiz (Central Michigan +3) 165: No. 3 Mike Miller (Central Michigan) vs. No. 10 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) Miller, who is ranked No. 3, has moved down two weight classes this season after competing at 184 pounds last season. He beat two-time NCAA finalist and 2008 NCAA champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State at the NCAAs last season, but failed to place after an injury-riddled season. He was an NCAA runner-up at 174 pounds two seasons ago. Miller had shoulder surgery in the spring and has been yet to step on the mat this season. Yohn, an NCAA qualifier last season, has been steadily improving over the past two seasons at Minnesota. The 165-pound weight class in the Big Ten was a meat grinder last season and Yohn took his lumps, but battled several of the nation's top wrestlers tough. He has started this season 7-1. His only blemish on his record this season came in the finals of the Kaufman-Brand Open when he was pinned by Oklahoma State freshman Dallas Bailey. Bottom Line: This is one of the more intriguing matchups of the dual. Miller comes in with the higher ranking and better college wrestling resume, but the fact that he hasn't stepped on the mat this season leaves some uncertainty on how he will perform. If Yohn can beat Miller, it would be the biggest win of his young college career and serve as a big confidence booster. Expect this match to be competitive regardless of which way it goes. Prediction: Miller dec. Yohn (Central Michigan + 3) 174: No. 6 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) vs. No. 10 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) This is a battle of two of the nation's top 174-pounders. The two met twice last season and split those matches. Glasser won the first meeting at the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals, but Bennett came back to avenge the loss at the NCAAs en route to becoming an All-American. Bennett has started this season 3-2, but both losses have come at the hands of No. 1 Mack Lewnes of Cornell. Glasser has started this season 6-1. He won the Bison Open and reached the finals of the Kaufman-Brand Open before losing to Oklahoma State's Mike Benefiel. Bottom Line: This is one of the premier matchups and one that could determine the outcome of the dual. These two are very evenly matched. Glasser was one of the most consistent performers in the Big Ten last season, but had an NCAA tournament that he would just as soon forget, failing to place as the No. 5 seed. Will Glasser come back and win the rubber match? Or will Bennett make it two in a row over Glasser? Flip a coin. Prediction: Glasser dec. Bennett (Minnesota +3) 184: Chad Friend/Dillon Kern (Central Michigan) vs. Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) Steinhaus, a redshirt freshman for the Gophers, has looked very impressive in the early part of the season. He won the Bison Open in dominating fashion and reached the finals of the Kaufman-Brand Open, losing a one-point match to Oklahoma State freshman sensation Chris Perry. Friend got the nod for Central Michigan in their only dual this season, a match he lost 4-0 to fourth-ranked Steve Bosak of Cornell. Friend did not compete at the Body Bar Invitational. Kern was the starter for the second half of last season for the Chippewas at 184 pounds, replacing the injured Mike Miller, and finished with a 7-11 season mark. He competed at the Eastern Michigan Open this season, but failed to place. Bottom Line: Based on the way Steinhaus has been wrestling this season, it's hard to envision him losing to Friend or Kern. He has picked up bonus points in over half of his matches this season. I expect the Gopher freshman to win this one, but don't expect bonus points. Prediction: Steinhaus dec. Friend (Minnesota + 3) 197: Craig Kelliher/Jeff Beebe (Central Michigan) vs. No. 5 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) Yohn has his sights set on winning an NCAA title this season after earning All-American honors last season by placing eighth at the NCAAs. Yohn won the Bison Open this season, but dropped a match at the NWCA All-Star Classic to Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State. Central Michigan has a couple options in Kelliher and Beebe. Kelliher, an Apple Valley, Minnesota native who comes from a successful wrestling family, wrestled in the dual against Cornell and was pinned by then-No.1 Cam Simaz. He has compiled a record of 8-7 this season after redshirting last season. Beebe is coming off a 2-2 performance at the Body Bar Invitational. Bottom Line: Yohn is one of the nation's top 197-pounders and will be facing a freshman who is still trying to find his way in Division I wrestling. Look for Minnesota to get bonus points here. Prediction: Yohn major dec. Kelliher (Minnesota + 4) 285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) vs. No. 10 Tony Nelson/Ben Berhow (Minnesota) Trice, a returning All-American, is a skilled big man who began the season ranked No. 2 before losing to American's Ryan Flores in the NWCA All-Star Classic. "Doughboy" started his collegiate wrestling career mostly as a hand fighter, but developed some leg attacks last season and became very tough to beat. He was a Midlands champion last season, which included a victory over 2010 NCAA champion David Zabriskie of Iowa State. He placed eighth in Greco-Roman at the 2010 University World Championships in Italy. Minnesota has a longstanding tradition of producing top heavyweights. Only Oklahoma State has produced more NCAA heavyweight champions. This year the Gophers have two very capable heavyweights in Nelson, a talented freshman, and Berhow, a three-time NCAA qualifier. These two could be battling for the spot all the way up until the Big Ten Championships. Nelson might have a slight edge over Berhow at this point based on his early-season performance. Bottom Line: it will be interesting to see who Minnesota sends out for this match. Berhow lost two one-point matches to Trice last season, including a 6-5 tiebreaker loss in the match to become an All-American at the NCAAs. A case can be made for Berhow or Nelson getting the call. I'll predict that Nelson gets the opportunity ... and I'll take "Doughboy" in a tight one. Prediction: Trice dec. Nelson (Central Michigan +3) Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 19, Central Michigan 15

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hello Wrestling Fans! Scott Casber will be LIVE in TDR's home based Brute Adidas studios for another 2 hour show this week for this weeks show brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! This weeks show airs LIVE, 9 AM to 11 AM. Listen on radio or on the computer or your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeartRadio App. Our Guests Include: (All times Central) * 9:01 Frank Romano- Head Coach Notre Dame of Ohio * 9:20 Tom Borrelli- Head Coach Central Michigan * 9:40 Mike Denny- Head Coach U of Nebraska Omaha * 10:01 Ken Kraft- Northwestern with The Midlands Report * 10:20 Jeff Murphy- Kemin's Big 10 and Big 12 report * 10:50 Amy Ruble- Wildrose Resort

The Adam Frey Foundation has announced "The Adam Frey Challenge," which invites wrestling teams to match Oklahoma State Head Coach John Smith's bid to purchase 25 copies of "Adam Frey: A Collection of Blogs & Stories" and distribute them to his team to read. Any teams interested in matching Smith's offer and purchasing multiple copies the book should contact Adam Frey Foundation president Cindy Frey at pawrcoa@aol.com and will be listed as challenge participants on AdamFreyBook.com. The book contains the stories of Adam Frey, a gifted college student and wrestler at Cornell University, who passed away at age 23 after a 21-month battle with cancer. During his struggle, Adam kept a remarkable blog that became a daily inspiration for thousands and won him fans around the world. His blog entries – which chronicle his experiences as a young cancer patient and eloquently reveal Adam's faith, humor and spirit – are the core of the book. They are intertwined with numerous first-hand tales from Adam's life as told by some of those closest to him. All proceeds of the book benefit the Adam Frey Foundation, an organization created by Adam himself before he passed away, which provides cancer patients with gifts and support to make their treatment experience a more enjoyable one. The book is co-authored by Adam Frey and fellow Cornellian James Moffatt, who has written three other books of wrestling stories: A Turning Point (with Roger Olesen); Wrestlers At The Trials; and STROBEL: Stories From A Life With Wrestling. Amateur Wrestling News recently selected Moffatt as the 2010 Bob Dellinger Award winner naming him ‘The National Wrestling Writer of the Year.' For more information on "Adam Frey: A Book of Blogs and Stories," visit AdamFreyBook.com, and for more information on the Adam Frey Foundation which it benefits, visit AdamFrey.Us. Book Critiques: "Adam Frey: A Collection of Blogs and Stories is not just about wrestling. Nor is it merely about cancer. It's a book that transcends both issues in a way reminiscent of the classic movie Brian's Song about Brian Piccolo of the Chicago Bears. Both share the same theme of athletes battling courageously, supported by family, friends and faith, to provide a story that is, yes, tragic, but, ultimately uplifting." -Mark Palmer, InterMat "This book will touch all readers. It's a raw behind-the-scenes look into Adam's life, his pain, his sport, and his loves. Adam, in many ways, was the man behind the curtain, pulling the levers and strings on the hearts of those he loved. Buy this book and help make Adam's dream become reality." - Scott Casber, Takedown Wrestling Media

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- No. 3 Augustana took eight of 10 matches from Augsburg to cruise past the Auggies 25-6 Wednesday night in both teams' season-opening dual in Sioux Falls. Augustana improves to 1-0, while Augsburg, the top-ranked team in Division III, falls to 0-1. The Vikings rattled off wins in the first six matches of the dual, building themselves an 18-0 lead. Action started at 157 pounds, where Marcus Edgington scraped out a 3-2 decision over Jon Priess. Gavin Nelson pushed his squad's advantage to 6-0 by taking a 6-1 decision from Josh Kohler at 165 pounds. Carl Serck followed with a 12-5 decision over Brandon Bahr at 174 pounds, and Brandon Schultz edged Jackson Mboma 3-2 at 184 pounds. At 197 pounds, Ty Copsey picked up the Vikings' fifth straight win of the night by defeating Brad Baus 6-2. Lance Peters extended Augustana's winning streak to six with his 6-3 win over Niko Bogojevic in the heavyweight bout. His victory put the Vikings up 18-0. The Vikings suffered their first loss of the evening at 125 pounds as Augsburg's Josh Roberts posted a 7-6 win by decision over Al Meger. Augustana picked up wins in the two ensuing matches after Cody Lensing put together a 13-2 win over Cody Madsen at 133 pounds and Jay Sherer, the defending national champion at 141 pounds, was a 10-8 winner over Nathan Lexvold. Augustana's Nate Herda was defeated in the final bout of the night at 149 pounds, falling to Tony Valket 4-0. Augustana returns to action next Wednesday when the Vikings host cross-town rival the University of Sioux Falls.

Tennessee-Chattanooga head wrestling coach Heath Eslinger and Cornell College head wrestling coach Mike Duroe will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, November 24. “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 5:05 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Eslinger is in his second year as the head wrestling coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga. He led his team to an 11-7 dual meet record last season. Eslinger’s team won the Southern Conference title and sent two wrestlers to the NCAA tournament. Duroe is in his sixth year at the head wrestling coach at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon. He was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year last season. His team will face the University of Iowa and Tennessee-Chattanooga in a double dual on Nov. 26 at Cornell.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Notre Dame (Ohio), the reigning national champion, earned the No. 1 ranking in the first regular season edition of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Falcons tallied 154 points to spend their eighth consecutive week on top of the poll, dating back to Nov. 24, 2009. McKendree took over at No. 2 with 77.5 points and is followed by third-ranked Great Falls (Mont.) with 76.5 points and fourth-ranked Missouri Valley with 75 points. Cumberland (Tenn.) rounds out the top-five teams with 66.5 points. The Falcons had nine grapplers garner a ranking in their respective weight class, five of which are ranked No. 1. Owning the top-ranking are Jeffrey Pelton at 149 pounds, 157-pounder Thomas Straughn, Cody Butzer at 174, Derek Foore at 197 and heavyweight Orlando Scales. All five individuals were tabbed No. 1 in the preseason poll. Three weight classes have a new wrestler taking over the top spot. At 125 pounds, Menlo’s (Calif.) Jason Moorhouse reigns at No. 1 after being listed second in the preseason poll. The national champion at 133 pounds last season, Campbellsville’s (Ky.) Tommy Pretty bumped up to 141 pounds and also bumped up to No. 1 in the individual rankings. Shane Bennett of Dickinson State (N.D.) is the other new No. 1, owning the top spot at 165 pounds. The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the groupings. The next poll will be announced on Dec. 7. Rank School Total Team Points 1 Notre Dame (Ohio) 154 2 McKendree (Ill.) 77.5 3 Great Falls (Mont.) 76.5 4 Missouri Valley 75 5 Cumberland (Tenn.) 66.5 6 Campbellsville (Ky.) 61 7 Grand View (Iowa) 56.5 8 Lindenwood (Mo.) 51.5 9 Dickinson State (N.D.) 50.5 10 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) 50 11 Southern Oregon (Ore.) 41.5 12 Oklahoma City (Okla.) 41 13 Menlo (Calif.) 30 14 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 28 15 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 24.5 16 Hastings College (Neb.) 21 16 Morningside (Iowa) 21 18 Jamestown (N.D.) 18.5 19 Missouri Baptist 15.5 20 Midland (Neb.) 12 Others receiving votes: Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 9; Briar Cliff (Iowa) 5.5; Northwestern (Iowa) 5.5; Cumberlands (Ky.) 4.5; William Penn (Iowa) 4; Waldorf (Iowa) 3; Calumet St. Joseph (Ind.) 2.5; Shorter (Ga.) 1. Top-Ranked Individuals 125 – Jason Moorhouse, Menlo (Calif.) 133 – Wade Lowe, McKendree (Ill.) 141 – Tommy Pretty, Campbellsville (Ky.) 149 – Jeffrey Pelton, Notre Dame (Ohio) 157 – Thomas Straughn, Notre Dame (Ohio) 165 – Shane Bennett, Dickinson State (N.D.) 174 – Cody Butzer, Notre Dame (Ohio) 184 – Michael French, Great Falls (Mont.) 197 – Derek Foore, Notre Dame (Ohio) HWT – Orlando Scales, Notre Dame (Ohio)

The much discussed O'Town Showdown did not live up to expectation of having a matchup between defending state champions in the final. Brandon, ranked fourth nationally, more than lived up to its part of the bargain, going 8-0 during the course of the competition. This included a 74-6 quarterfinal victory over Space Coast in the quarterfinal and 64-15 victory over Winter Springs in the semifinal. Though there were some mitigating circumstances, 17th ranked-Oviedo did not live up to its part of the showdown. After a dominant string in the first six matches of preliminary competition, and a 61-15 victory over Citrus in the quarterfinal, they fell short in the semifinal round. South Dade earned a 34-25 upset victory. However, keep in mind that Jay Taylor -- ranked 7th nationally at 215 pounds -- has left the program (moved to Burrell, PA) and 189 pound starter Lee Wildes, a Junior National All-American in Greco-Roman was out of the lineup due to injury. They did bounce back to finish third place with a 56-16 victory over Winter Springs. In the championship final, Brandon won 12 of the matches to defeated South Dade 54-12. South Dade won by forfeit at 103 pounds, and 14th-ranked Earl Hall earned a pin at 119 pounds. Still Kings of the Hill Despite the loss of three state champions, including a pair of NHSCA Senior Nationals finalists in TJ Mitchell and Joel Smith, 50th ranked Collins Hill entered the season as the dominant team in the state of Georgia. The Eagles also graduated four other state placers (two third's, a fourth, and a fifth). Even with these losses, based on their opening weekend performance at the Alexander Duals, it looks like they did not lose a step. In their four preliminary pool matches of the tournament, they completely dominated the opposition; 80-0 over Central Carrollton, 81-0 over Douglas County, 55-12 over Sonoraville, and 58-15 over Woodward. While in the other pool, last year's state runners-up to Collins Hill -- Pope -- won all three of their matches: 60-24 over Henry County, 57-0 over Hardaway, and 47-24 over Alexander. That final pool match featured the Class 4A individual state champions from last year, Alexander, wrestling against the Class 5A runners-up to Collins Hill in both the individual and dual meet tournaments. The championship final match resulted in a convincing Collins Hill win by a 47-18 score. Opening Salvos fired in the Land of Lincoln After yet another terrific off-season that merited much props and discussion, it is now time for regular season wrestling to start in the state of Illinois. The featured tournament of the opening week is the C.O. Feutz Classic hosted by Conant High School outside of Chicago. While defending champion Marmion Academy -- ranked 18th nationally -- is not in the tournament field, there are four superlative teams in this event. Leading the field is Crystal Lake Central, ranked 36th nationally with four individuals in the weight class rankings. The Tigers were state runner-up and third place the last two years in Class 2A losing to Montini Catholic in both years. Other featured teams are 2009 Class 3A state champions Oak Park River Forest; Glenbard North, third in Class 3A each of the last two years; and perennial power Providence Catholic. The following wrestlers in this field are nationally ranked: 125: No. 10 Eddie Klimara (Providence Catholic) 130: No. 14 Joey Gosinski (Glenbard North) 135: No. 9 Trevor Jauch (Crystal Lake Central) 140: No. 20 Brian Murphy (Glenbard North) 145: No. 3 Edwin Cooper (Providence Catholic) 152: No. 6 Joey Kielbasa (Crystal Lake Central) 171: No. 8 Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest) 189: No. 3 Austin Marsden (Crystal Lake Central) 215: No. 5 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central), No. 11 Josh Marchok (Schaumburg) High School Bedlam The four week preseason open tournament period in the state of Oklahoma ends with a true showcase event on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Open will be conducted this Saturday with both a high school and junior high division. Now in its 40th year, the high school division has featured many of the best scholastic wrestlers the state of Oklahoma has to offer, as well as those from all of "middle America."

USA Wrestling has received seven proposal packets from bid cities and their potential local organizing committees to jointly host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting. The target date for the event is the weekend of April 20-21, 2012. Each bid proposal includes hosting both the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting. The wrestling event will feature competition in the three Olympic styles of the sport – men's freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's freestyle. The weightlifting event will include both men's and women's weight divisions. The competition will determine the U.S. athletes in both sports who will qualify to represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. Listed alphabetically below are the bid cities, with the organizations which have submitted the bid, along with the proposed arena where the event might be held: COLUMBUS, OHIO – Greater Columbus Sports Commission – Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – Council Bluffs Convention & Visitor Bureau & Council Bluffs Olympic Trials Committee (Iowa) – Mid-America Center GREENSBORO, N.C. – Greensboro Sports Commission – Greensboro Coliseum Complex HAMPTON, VA. – Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau – Hampton Coliseum IOWA CITY, IOWA – University of Iowa Athletics Department and Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau – Carver Hawkeye Arena OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. – Oklahoma City All Sports Association and Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau – Cox Arena PONTIAC, MICH. – Triple Sports & Entertainment, LLC/Silverdome Venue – The Silverdome "We are extremely pleased with the quality of the bids received," said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. "We expect to be able to partner with a local organizing committee and host city which will do an outstanding job hosting our U.S. Olympic Team Trials event." "We are looking forward to partnering with USA Wrestling to host the Olympic Trials," said Laurie Lopez, USA Weightlifting CEO. "The Trials are our most prestigious event and this partnership will give our lifters the opportunity to compete in front of a great crowd of thousands who may never have seen Olympic weightlifting in person." The group of seven bid cities will be reduced to between three and four finalist bids, with an announcement from USA Wrestling and USA Weightlifting expected on Dec. 20. The organizing committees selected as finalists will be invited to make an in-person presentation on behalf of their bid during the week of Jan. 10-14, 2011. A committee will review the finalist bid presentations. The committee will include USA Wrestling staff and athletes, as well as representatives from USA Weightlifting. An announcement on the bid selected to host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting is targeted for Jan. 17, 2011. "We are thrilled to see so much interest in hosting a U.S. Olympic Team Trials from communities around the country," Scott Blackmun, USOC Chief Executive Officer, said. "We are grateful for the support from the seven cities bidding to host the 2012 Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting – all demonstrating a passion for the Olympic Movement. These Trials promise to be an important step in shaping our 2012 U.S. Olympic Team." This will be the second consecutive Olympic quadrennium in which USA Wrestling will partner with another National Governing Body within the Olympic family to hold the U.S. Olympic Team Trials side-by-side. In 2008, USA Wrestling partnered with USA Judo for a joint U.S. Olympic Team Trials event. Since USA Wrestling became the sport's National Governing Body for the sport in 1983, eight different cities have hosted the U.S. Olympic Team Trials event. In 1992 and 1996, the final U.S. Olympic Team Trials event for wrestling was split into two events, with men's freestyle in one city and Greco-Roman in another city. Women's freestyle wrestling was added to the event in 2004, after the International Olympic Committee included the discipline for the first time in the Olympic program at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Since USA Wrestling has hosted the event, the only city to host the U.S. Olympic Team Trials twice was Concord, Calif., which held the Greco-Roman competition in both 1992 and 1996. PAST U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS FOR WRESTLING (Organized by USA Wrestling as the sport's NGB) 1984 – Allendale, Mich. 1988 – Pensacola, Fla. 1992 – Pittsburgh, Pa. (FS); Concord, Calif. (GR) 1996 – Spokane, Wash. (FS); Concord, Calif.(GR) 2000 – Dallas, Texas 2004 – Indianapolis, Ind. 2008 – Las Vegas, Nev. Since USA Weightlifting began conducting U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 1984, six cities have hosted the event with St. Joseph, Mo., being the only city to have done so twice (1996 and 2004). In 2000, women's weightlifting was added to the Olympic program and, since then, both men's and women's divisions have been contested at the Trials. PAST U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS FOR WEIGHTLIFTING (Organized by USA Weightlifting as the sport's NGB) 1984 – Las Vegas, Nev. 1988 – Boca Raton, Fla. 1992 – Peoria, Ill. 1996 – St. Joseph, Mo. 2000 – New Orleans, La. 2004 – St. Joseph, Mo. 2008 – Atlanta, Ga.

DEKALB, Ill. -- Northern Illinois University head wrestling coach Dave Grant announced the signing of six grapplers to National Letters of Intent Thursday. “Ryan [Ludwig] and Dominick [Moyer] have worked extremely hard bringing these guys in,” Grant said. “It’s a great recruiting class, not only because of their athletic accomplishments, but academically. They’re strong students that care about wrestling and their academic endeavors.” Grant’s final signing class at NIU consists of three wrestlers from the state of Illinois, and three out-of-state recruits representing Indiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Three of NIU’s six signees are currently ranked nationally by Wrestling USA Magazine. Ethan Davis of Monett High School in Missouri, the same high school that produced current NIU senior Dakota Greenhaw, headlines the group. Davis, ranked No. 17 at 140 by Wrestling USA Magazine, was a state champion at 140 as a junior and 119 as a freshman. Davis posted a perfect 45-0 record last season and ranks sixth in school history in victories with 132. He also has garnered all-America honors three times at the NHSCA National Tournament in Virginia Beach, placing fifth at the tournament last spring as a junior. Tyler Argue, a native of Matteson, Ill. and brother of current Huskie Charles Argue is ranked 18th in the nation at 140. The Mount Carmel product posted a 49-16 record with 15 pins last season for the Caravan and took fourth place in the state championships at 135. Argue took fifth and sixth place at the Ironman and Dvorak Tournaments respectively as a junior. Ranked 23rd in the country at 119, Nick Harrison hails from Stillman Valley, Ill. A two-time state champion at 119, he won the state title in 2009 and 2008. Harrison has amassed a 128-12 record and has been named all-conference and all-state the last three years of his career at Stillman Valley High School. A two-sport athlete, Jackson Bratcher of Marion, Ind. has posted a 107-7 record during his high school career. He went 38-1 and took third place at 171 in the state championships as a junior. Jackson placed fourth at the FloNationals last spring as well. He also played fullback and nose tackle for the Panther football team. Thorian Twyner has turned in a 110-8 record in three years at Orion High School. Last season, the Orion, Ill. native posted a 40-1 mark and took first place at the state championships last year at 125. A three-year letterwinner, Twyner has won his team’s MVP honors the last two seasons and is a three-time all-conference, all-area and all-state selection. In the classroom, he was named to the Honor Roll in 2008, 2009 and Fall 2010 and is a member of the Orion’s Environmental Science Club. Ryan Smith of Honesdale, Pa. has been named all-area by the Scranton Tribune all three years of his career at Honesdale High School. He has compiled a 73-36 mark and tallied 24 pins during his high school career. Smith also excels off the mat. He is a two-year honor roll student and a member of the student council. “This group really tightens up the lighter weights within our roster. Every one of these student-athletes has experience and success in national level competition,” associate head coach Ryan Ludwig said. “They are hard-nosed competitors that like to push the pace. They have that competitive fire we are looking for. They fit in well with our team philosophy here at Northern.” The Huskies return to the mat, Saturday, Nov. 27 when the Huskies travel to Bloomington, Ind. to compete in the Indiana Duals. Northern Illinois will face off against UNC-Greensboro, Indiana, Old Dominion and Liberty. The Huskies open the day against Old Dominion at 8 a.m.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt wrestling team won both its dual matches at the Buckeye Duals in Columbus, Ohio. On Sunday, the Panthers deafeated No. 14 Nebraska, 22-10, followed by an 18-17 victory over No. 12 Ohio State. The Panthers were led by redshirt junior Ethan Headlee, sophomore Zac Thomusseit, and redshirt senior Ryan Tomei. All three wrestlers went 2-0 on the afternoon. In the first matchup of the day, Pitt fell behind to Nebraska when Jordan Burroughs (No. 2 in the country at 165) scored a four-point tech-fall (25-10) over Adam Counterman. The Panthers responded with Headlee picking up a 4-0 victory at 174. Trailing 7-3, the Panthers would rally to win the next four bouts -- and five of the final six matchups -- to record the victory. At 197, Zac Thomusseit improved his record to (3-0) in dual matches, pulling the Panthers within one point with a 5-2 win. Thomusseit picked up his five points by way of a takedown, an escape and riding time. In the marquee matchup of the day, Tomei (No. 10) picked up a 4-1 decision at heavyweight over No. 7 Tucker Lane. With the score tied at 1-1 in the third period, Tomei recorded a takedown and picked up a point on a penalty to give the Panthers their first lead of the day, 9-7. Sophomore Anthony Zanetta (125) kept the Panthers in control with a dominating performance. Zanetta used six takedowns and picked up a two-point near-fall for a 15-4 major decision. With Pitt ahead, 13-7, freshman Shelton Mack picked up his first collegiate dual victory at 133 with a 6-4 decision over Ridge Kiley. Mack used two takedowns and a reversal, picking up two points in each period for the triumph. Sophomore Dane Johnson (149) sealed the team victory for Pitt with a 5-2 decision at 149. The win put the Panthers ahead, 19-10, with just one bout remaining. In the final matchup of the meet, Donnie Tasser scored a 6-2 decision over Tyler Koehn, giving the Panthers the 22-10 victory. Pitt had little time to celebrate the victory over Nebraska as it quickly prepared for a matchup against No. 12 Ohio State. For the second consecutive match, the dual began at the 165-weight class. Counterman avenged his earlier defeat with a 4-2 sudden victory (2) win over Jared Kusar. With the bout tied at 2-2, Counterman scored a takedown in the second overtime to win. The decision jump-started a Panthers run that would eventually give them an 18-0 lead. Headlee picked up the first fall of the season for the Panthers, pinning Nick Heflin 4:36 into the match. With the win, Headlee, who ranks 17th in the country at 174, improved his dual record to 3-1. At 184, Max Thomusseit continued the Panthers run with an 8-2 decision over Peter Capone. Thomusseit improved his season record to 5-1 overall with three takedowns and a reversal while allowing just two escapes en route to the win. Older brother Zac Thomusseit improved his record to 7-0 (4-0 in dual meets) with an impressive 4-0 decision over Cody Magrum. Both grapplers entered the day ranked in the top-15, with Thomusseit ranked eighth and Magrum ranked 14th. Thomusseit used his strong defensive skills to record the shutout, earning his points by way of a takedown, an escape and riding time. Coming off a big top-10 victory in the previous match, Tomei continued his hot streak at 285 with a 4-0 decision over Jonathan Hiles. Tomei earned all four points the same way as Zac Thomusseit. With the Panthers leading 18-0 at the mid-way point, Ohio State began to make a comeback, starting with a five-point tech-fall. Ranked No. 5 at 125, Ohio State’s Logan Stieber quickly capitalized on his offensive attempts, picking up 13 points in the first period. Stieber picked up a takedown in the third period to complete the tech-fall, 18-3. Holding an 18-14 lead heading into the final bout, the Panthers turned to Tasser (157) to try and shut down No. 4 Colt Sponseller. Sponseller took several shots in dire need to pick up at least a major decision to ensure a draw. Trailing 10-7 heading into the third period, Tasser collected two points and gave up five to Sponseller, who was able to record only a decision that ultimately gave the Panthers the 18-17 victory. With the two victories, the Panthers improved their season dual record to (2-2). Pitt will travel to Albany, N.Y. to compete in the Journeyman Northeast Duals on Saturday, Nov. 27. The team will face off against Penn at 9:30 a.m., Virginia at 2:30 p.m. and finish the day against American at 4:15 p.m. No. 20 Pitt 22, No. 14 Nebraska 10 165 – No. 2 Jordan Burroughs (N) TF-4 (7:00) Adam Counterman (P), 25-10 174 – No. 17 Ethan Headlee (P) dec. Caleb Kolb (N), 4-0. 184 – No. 10 Josh Ihnen (N) dec. Max Thomusseit (P), 7-5 TB. 197 – No. 7 Zac Thomusseit (P) dec. Andy Johnson (N), 5-2. HWT – No. 10 Ryan Tomei (P) dec. No. 7 Tucker Lane (N), 4-1. 125 – No. 18 Anthony Zanetta (P) maj. dec. Shawn Nagel (N), 15-4. 133 – Shelton Mack (P) dec. Ridge Kiley (N), 6-4. 141 – Mike Koehnlein (N) dec. Mike Tully (P), 2-1. 149 – Dane Johnson (P) dec. Ross Grande (N), 4-2. 157 – Donnie Tasser (P) dec. Tyler Koehn (N), 6-2. No. 20 Pitt 18, No. 12 Ohio State 17 165 – Adam Counterman (P) dec. Jared Kusar (O), 4-2 SV2 174 – No. 17 Ethan Headlee (P) FALL (4:36) Nick Heflin (O) 184 – Max Thomusseit (P) dec. Peter Capone (O), 8-2 194 – No. 7 Zac Thomusseit (P) dec. No. 14 Cody Magrum (O), 4-0 HWT – No. 10 Ryan Tomei (P) dec. Jonathan Hiles (O), 4-0 125 – No. 5 Logan Stieber (O) TF-5 (5:24) No. 18 Anthony Zanetta (P), 18-3 133 – No. 14 Ian Paddock (O) dec. Shelton Mack (P), 6-1 141 – Collin Palmer (O) dec. Mike Tully (P), 7-1 149 – Sean Nemec (O) dec. Dane Johnson (P), 5-3 157 – No. 4 Colt Sponseller (O) dec. Donnie Tasser, 15-9

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- No. 6 Penn State won seven of 10 bouts against No. 24 Rutgers in its final match-up at the 2010 Sprawl and Brawl Duals in Binghamton, N.Y., and rolled to a 22-10 win. The victory helped Penn State go 3-0 at the event and stay unbeaten on the season. True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) continued his torrid season by claiming a key 5-2 win at 125, improving to 5-0 on the year. Sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) then added a 7-4 win at 133 to give the Nittany Lions an early 6-0 lead. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, was forced past the first period for the first time this year by national qualifier Trevor Melde. Alton notched the bout's only takedowns to notch an impressive 7-4 win and stay undefeated at 5-0 as well. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 3 at 149, made his season debut in fine fashion with a hard-fought win over No. 13 Mario Mason of Rutgers. True freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at 157, dominated No. 18 Daryl Cocozzo on his way to a 13-3 major, putting Penn State up 16-0 after five bouts. Taylor is also a perfect 5-0. Rutgers' Scott Winston, ranked No. 8 at 165, picked up RU's first points with a hard fought win over Penn State freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.), who was ranked No. 12. Winston got the 8-2 win to cut Penn State's lead to 16-3. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 174, stayed perfect on the year with a strong 11-5 win over Rutgers senior Alex Caruso at 174. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 184, needed a late takedown of Rutgers' Dan Rinaldi to force an extra period and then took Rinaldi down quickly to post a 6-4 (SV) win. The Scarlet Knights picked up a major at 197 to cut Penn State's lead to 22-7. In one of the bout's marquee match-ups, No. 6 D.J. Russo downed Penn State junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) 7-2 at heavyweight to make the final score 22-10 in Penn State's favor. The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts against Rutgers and closed out the 3-0 day at the Duals by winning 26 of 30. Penn State won the takedown battle with RU 19-7 and posted a daunting 60-10 edge in takedowns over the course of the day's three duals. Penn State's 5-0 start to the season is its best since it began the 2007-08 season 6-0. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 5, when it takes part in the Nittany Lion Open. Action begins in Rec Hall at 8:30 a.m. The Nittany Lions' next home dual is on Dec. 12 when Lock Haven comes to town for a 2 p.m. dual. Fans wishing to purchase single dual meet tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling season can place their orders by calling 814-865-5555 or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket pricing is $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and there will be a limit of eight tickets per order. Group sales are also available. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and WSQV (92.1 FM). All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. #6 Penn State 22, #24 Rutgers 10 125: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Matt Fusco RU, 5-2 3-0 133: Bryan Pearsall PSU dec. Joe Langel RU, 7-4 6-0 141: #12 Andrew Alton dec. Trevor Melde RU, 7-4 9-0 149: #3 Frank Molinaro PSU dec. #13 Mario Mason RU, 4-3 12-0 157: #6 David Taylor PSU maj. dec. #18 Daryl Cocozzo RU, 13-3 16-0 165: #8 Scott Winston RU dec. #12 Jake Kemerer PSU, 8-2 16-3 174: #14 Ed Ruth PSU dec. Alex Caruso RU, 11-5 19-3 184: #6 Quentin Wright PSU dec. (SV) Dan Rinaldi RU, 6-4 (SV) 22-3 197: Mike Wagner RU maj. dec. Nick Ruggear PSU, 8-0 22-7 285: #6 D.J. Russo RU dec. #9 Cameron Wade PSU, 7-2 22-10 Attendance: 550 Records: Penn State 5-0 (0-0 Big Ten), Rutgers 4-1 Up Next for Penn State: Nittany Lion Open, Sunday, Dec. 5, 8:30 a.m. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) met Rutgers' Matt Fusco at 125. Martellotti used a swift counter to slip down to a double leg and get the bout's first takedown. A quick Fusco escape cut the lead to 2-1 and action resumed in the center circle. After an even period, Martellotti nearly picked up a late takedown but time wound down and action moved to the second period with the Nittany Lion freshman leading 2-1. Martellotti chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. The duo battled evenly once again, with neither man mounting a serious scoring threat until Fusco nearly scored at the period's end. But the clock once again struck zero and action headed to the third period. Fusco chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 3-2 deficit. Martellotti got in deep on Fusco's ankle and tried to step around for a takedown. But Fusco was able to work his way out of bounds and stay close. Martellotti countered a Fusco shot and nearly scored once again, but once again a reset was called. Fusco shot low and tried to score, but Martellotti worked through the shot and notched a bout icing takedown, posting a 5-2 decision and giving the Lions an early lead. 133: Sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took on Rutgers Joe Langel. Pearsall quickly gained control of Langel's shoulders, got a quick takedown and nearly pinned the Scarlet Knight. Langel was able to work out of trouble but the three point near fall gave Pearsall a 5-1 lead (he was called for an illegal hold, giving up a point). After a reset, Pearsall got called for a stall warning for hanging on Langel's ankle. Still in control, however, Pearsall was able to build up more than two minutes worth of riding time with a ride out. Trailing by four, Langel chose down to start the second period but once again could not break free of Pearsall's strong control. The Nittany Lion sophomore continued to try and turn the Scarlet Knight. Pearsall's dominating ride out gave the Lion more than 4:00 in riding time and a 5-2 lead (Pearsall gave up a stall point with :10 on the clock). Leading by three with a guaranteed riding time point, Pearsall chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 6-2 lead. Langel used a nifty trip to get his first takedown and cut Pearsall's lead to 6-4 with :40 on the clock. Langel worked for a turning combination, but Pearsall was able to fight off every effort and post a strong 7-4 decision. 141: True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 12 nationally at 141, met RU national qualifier Trevor Melde. Once again, Alton scored in the first :20, taking a 2-1 lead after a quick Melde escape. Alton countered a Melde shot and picked up his second takedown with :45 on the clock to lead 4-2 after another RU escape. Alton led by two and for the first time in his collegiate career, had to go the second period. Melde chose down to start the period and escaped to a 4-3 deficit. Melde was able to keep Alton at a distance and the Nittany Lion took that slim 4-3 lead into the third period. Alton chose down to start the final two minutes and quickly escaped to a 5-3 lead. Alton countered a low Melde shot, gained control of his left ankle and slipped down for a double leg to lead 7-3 after the takedown. Melde escaped to a 7-4 deficit with :17 on the clock but Alton continued to pressure Melde and grabbed an impressive 7-4 win over the national qualifier. 149: Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 3 nationally at 149, made his season debut against Rutgers, taking on No. 13 Mario Mason. After missing the season's first four duals with an injury, Molinaro battled the former Minnesota Golden Gopher evenly for the bulk of the first period, forcing Mason backwards until scoring on a fast, high double with 1:00 left. Leading 2-0, Molinaro began building up a solid riding time edge, not allowing Mason any room to move. Mason managed an escape with :06 left to cut the lead to 2-1 after three minutes. Molinaro chose down and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead to start the middle stanza. Mason nearly scored at the 1:00 mark, working a low single into a near takedown. But Molinaro was able to escape his grasp and force a reset in the center circle. Mason once again nearly scored but Molinaro was able to quickly roll out of trouble with :04 left and maintain his 3-1 lead. Trailing by two, Mason chose down to start the final period. Molinaro had :48 in riding time and needed to hold Mason down for :12 to build up a time edge. Molinaro managed that feat and then added to it, keeping control of the ranked Knight grappler until the 1:10 mark (giving him 1:39 in time). Mason's escape cut Molinaro's lead to 3-2. Mason got in on Molinaro's right leg and Molinaro gave up a point for fleeing the mat with :10 on the clock. The tie score was brief, however, as Molinaro got the 4-3 win with the riding time point. 157: Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 6 nationally at 157, faced off against No. 18 Daryl Cocozzo of Rutgers, a fifth-year senior. Taylor was relentless against the veteran Knight, forcing the action and his opponent back to the edge of the mat for nearly two minutes. But Cocozzo was able to tie Taylor up and force stalemates early on. Taylor, however, scored off a quick low single at the 1:07 mark to take a 2-0 lead. Taylor then put together a dominating ride for the rest of the period and led 2-0 with 1:07 in riding time after one period. Taylor chose down to start the middle stanza. Cocozzo tried to turn Taylor, but the Lion quickly reversed Cocozzo and turned him to his back for two near fall points and a 6-0 lead. Trailing by six, Cocozzo chose neutral to start the third period, but Taylor once again stepped around a Cocozzo shot to pick up his third takedown and lead 8-0. With the riding time point secured, Taylor gave up the escaped at the 1:08 mark and led 8-1. The Lion freshman continued to dominate the veteran RU grappler, using a low double to take Cocozzo down. He cut him loose to a 10-2 lead and turned into his foe, looking for more offense. He added one more takedown, gave up a point on an illegal hold, and added the riding time point to post a 13-3 major over the ranked Scarlet Knight. The win put Penn State up 16-0. 165: Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.), ranked No. 12 nationally at 165, met No. 8 Scott Winston in a key match-up. Winston got the bout's first takedown with a solid high double early in the opening stanza. Winston was strong on top, nearly turning Kemerer for back points. But the Lion freshman was able to fight off the red-shirt sophomore's efforts and kept the lead at 2-0. Still, the strong Winston ride lasted the remainder of the period. Leading 2-0 with 2:37 in riding time, Winston chose down to start the second period. He quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead and action resumed in the center circle. Winston used a quick high shot with :08 on the clock to tack on a key takedown and lead 5-0 after two periods. Kemerer chose neutral to start the third period (but Winston had the riding time point secured). Kemerer stepped around a Winston shot for his first takedown but Winston quickly reversed the Lion as he tried for near fall points. Kemerer was unable to break free from a tenacious Winston ride and the Scarlet Knight grappler posted a solid 8-2 win in the battle of ranked grapplers. 174: Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 174, battled talented Rutgers senior Alex Caruso. The veteran RU grappler used a low double to take Ruth down on the edge of the mat for an early 2-0 lead. Ruth escaped to a 2-1 deficit :41 later and action resumed in the middle of the mat. Ruth pressured Caruso over the last minute plus, but the Scarlet Knight grappler was able to back out of bounds three straight times to carry his slim 2-1 lead into the second period. Ruth chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie (Caruso had :48 in riding time). Ruth turned in on a low double at the 1:45 mark to take a 4-2 lead. Ruth then dominated the veteran Knight, working off Caruso's time advantage and building up a 1:00 edge of his own with a ride-out. Trailing by two, Caruso chose neutral to start the third period. Ruth gained control of Caruso's right leg and steadily worked his way to another takedown at the 1:21 mark, upping his lead to 6-2. Looking for a major, Ruth cut Caruso loose and then quickly blew through the RU grappler with a high double leg to take an 8-4 lead (after cutting him loose once more). Ruth picked up a fourth takedown with :40 left, cut Caruso loose at the :15 mark. Ruth could not add the final takedown but, with the riding time point, posted a convincing 11-5 win. 184: All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 184, faced off against Dan Rinaldi. Wright fought off an early Rinaldi shot on the edge of the mat with 1:15 left to keep the bout scoreless. Rinaldi's shot was the only real offense of the opening period and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Wright chose down to start the period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Rinaldi countered a high Wright shot, looking for a takedown with a low single. But Wright stepped over his back and forced a stalemate at the 1:37 mark. Wright took a solid low shot at the :54 mark, but a potentially dangerous call ended the move. Trailing by one, Rinaldi chose down to start the final period. As Wright looked to turn Rinaldi, the Knight rolled over on top of the Lion sophomore and reversed him. He then added two near fall points and opened up a stunning 4-1 lead with 1:15 on the clock. Wright escaped after a reset with :35 on the clock. He then tripped Rinaldi to the ground in front of Penn State's bench right off a reset, tying the bout at 4-4 with :22 on the clock. Rinaldi worked feverishly for an escape, but Wright was able to ride him out and send the bout to a sudden victory period. Wright was able to wrap his arms around Rinaldi just :12 into the extra stanza and toss him to the ground for a 6-4 win, putting Penn State up 22-3. 197: Freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) took on fellow freshman Mike Wagner at 197. Ruggear had the first solid scoring attempt, nearly turning a low single into a lead. But Wagner was able to step out of bounds and force a reset with 1:20 on the clock. Wagner then took a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the :51 mark. Wagner rode Ruggear out and led by two heading into the second period. Ruggear chose down to begin the second stanza but Wagner was able to ride the young Nittany Lion for the entire two minutes. Leading by two with nearly 3:00 in time to his credit, Wagner chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Ruggear shot low on Wagner, but Wagner countered and stepped behind Ruggear for another takedown and a 5-0 lead (with a time point clinched). Wagner added two near fall points at the end of the bout and rolled to an 8-0 major. 285: Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 9 nationally at heavyweight, met No. 6 D.J. Russo in a key battle of big men. Russo shot low on Wade, taking the Lion down and nearly picking up two near fall points. Wade rolled through the move but still found himself on the wrong end of a 2-0 score. The ranked duo battled for position in the middle of the mat with Russo maintaining control for the rest of the period. Leading 2-0 with 1:15 in time, Russo chose down to start the second period and deftly reversed Wade for a 4-0 lead. But Wade countered with his own reversal at the 1:10 mark to cut the lead to 4-2. Wade kept control of Russo's left arm, trying to roll Russo for back points. But Russo slipped out of Wade's grasp and got a critical reversal with just :01 on the clock to lead 6-2 with :43 in time after two periods. Wade chose down to start the final period but could not break free of Russo's ride. The sixth-ranked Knight kept control of the action for the remainder of the period and, with the riding time point, posted a strong 7-2 win.

AMES, Iowa -- The Forest City Wrestling Club got its money’s worth although it all happened so fast. Iowa State’s Andrew Sorenson pinned Old Dominion’s Dan Rivera at the 2:00 mark of their 165-pound match to help power the 4-0 Cyclones to a 26-11 victory over 0-2 Old Dominion Sunday at Hilton Coliseum. Sorenson stuck Rivera in a scramble situation to improve to 5-2 this season. “I have about 40 family and friends here from my home area,” the Woden native said. “They all came down to see me wrestle. It didn’t last long but I think they enjoyed it.” Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson also enjoyed the match. “Andrew is the real deal,” Jackson said. “He has turned the corner, he wrestles with a lot of confidence, emotion and energy. I am happy with where Andrew is at this point.” Iowa State won its first five matches of the night to jump out to a 20-0 lead over the Old Dominion Monarchs. Cyclone Chris Drouin started the meet off for the Cyclones at 141 pounds with a 6-3 victory over Brennan Brumley. Drouin hit a reversal with only 48 seconds left in the match to seal his first victory in front of the Hilton Coliseum crowd. Iowa State’s Nate Carr, Jr. scored the decisive takedown with 30 seconds left in the match to secure a 3-2 victory over Joey Metzler at 149 pounds. The victory runs Carr’s record to 8-1. At 157 pounds, Cyclone Trent Weatherman racked up seven takedowns in a dominant 17-6 victory over Chad Lowman. Weatherman also accrued nearly three minutes of riding time. “I have been talking to Trent all year about going out and competing and wrestling,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson said. “It came out of him today and I was impressed with how he competed.” Weatherman concurred. “Tonight I wrestled a little more relaxed,” Weatherman said. “I think it was easier being the second home dual. I was a little nervous last Thursday, and I just felt more relaxed tonight.” Heavyweight Kyle Simonson rang up his team-leading 13th victory of the season with a double-overtime victory over Grant Chapman. Results: 141 – Chris Drouin (ISU) dec. Brennan Brumley (ODU), 6-3 149 – Nate Carr, Jr. (ISU) dec. Joey Metzler (ODU), 3-2 157 – Trent Weatherman (ISU) mdec. Chad Lowman, 17-6 165 – Andrew Sorenson (ISU) wbf. Dan Rivera (ODU), 2:00 174 – Jon Reader (ISU) mdec. Billy Curling (ODU), 21-7 184 – Joe Budi (ODU) dec. Cole Shafer (ISU), 10-3 197 – Phil Hawes (ISU) dec. Jacob Henderson (ODU), 5-2 285 – Kyle Simonson (ISU) dec. Grant Chapman (ODU), 3-2 125 – James Nicholson (ODU) mdec. Patrick Hunter (ISU), 15-3 133 – Kyle Hutter (ODU) mdec. Brandon Jones (ISU), 11-3

Arizona State wrestlers Robles, Jenkins shine Arizona State University Sports Information Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins, both seniors on the Arizona State University wrestling team, competed at the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic presented by The Marines on Sunday inside Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., with both Sun Devils posting dominating victories over their opponents, including Jenkins' win over the top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds. Although each Sun Devil won their match, the result will not count toward their career and season records as all matches at the Classic are exhibitions. Ranked No. 3, Anthony Robles was the first wrestler in action on the day as he faced No. 4 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) in a series that has seen both wrestlers win once over the other with Sanders winning, 7-3, at the 2008 Las Vegas Invitational before Robles scored a 19-10 in the 2008 NCAA Championships consolation semifinal round. In the latest installment of their series, Robles jumped ahead early with a takedown 24 seconds into the match before he locked up Sanders and scored four, three-point near-falls to build a 14-0 lead after the first period. The second period saw Sanders chose neutral to open the period and then score a takedown 13 seconds later. Despite the takedown, Robles escaped four seconds later and then took down Sanders with 33 seconds remaining in the period. After scoring three more points on a near-fall count, the period ended with Robles up, 20-2, and victorious by technical fall. A NCAA finalist at 157 in 2008, Jenkins is looking to return to the top of the rankings and win his first national title and took a big step today as he knocked off fellow Pac-10 wrestler and top-ranked Adam Hall (Boise State). The fourth-ranked wrestler at 157, Jenkins opened the scoring with a takedown 23 seconds into the match before Hall escaped. Jenkins again took Hall down and turned him for two near-fall points to stake a 6-1 lead through one period. Hall had the choice and chose bottom to start the second where he escaped. But, five seconds later, Jenkins again scored a takedown and carried an 8-3 lead into the final period following another Hall escape. Just as Hall did, Jenkins chose down to start the third and escaped before scoring another takedown. Although Hall escaped with 1:23 remaining in the match, no other points were scored until the final buzzer when Jenkins' 1:02 of riding time earned him one more point for a 12-4 final score and a win by major decision. Overall in the 10 all-star matches, only two ended in something other than a major decision and both of those wins came from the Sun Devils. In fact, outside of Robles and Jenkins' wins, only two other victories came by five or more points with four total victories (outside of the ASU wins) came by four points or more. The Pac-10 Conference also was well represented as Robles, Jenkins and Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford, 174) all won with the only losses coming from Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise State, 133) and Hall. Robles and Jenkins will rejoin the team on Saturday, November 27, at 7 p.m. inside Wells Fargo Arena as the Sun Devils play host to Pac-10 foe CS Fullerton for ASU's first conference dual of the season. Oklahoma State wrestlers Oliver, Foster roll Oklahoma State University Sports Information Oklahoma State wrestlers Jordan Oliver and Clayton Foster were both comfortable winners at the NWCA All-Star Classic today, with Oliver claiming an 8-7 win over No. 1 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State and Foster rolling to a 7-3 win over No. 5 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota. Oliver's match was not as close as the score would indicate, as the Cowboy sophomore took Hochstrasser down three times and scored a reversal to lead, 8-4 after two periods. Hochstrasser wiggled free for an escape to start the third period and scored a takedown with five seconds left in the bout to make the margin closer. Five of Hochstrasser's seven points came on escapes. Foster bagged a pair of single-leg takedowns and added two escapes and riding time in his win over Yohn. He was in complete control of the match before Yohn was able to score a takedown in the third period, but the bout was already well in hand for Foster at that point. Oliver and Foster rejoin their OSU teammates when the Cowboys open the 2010 dual match slate against Bucknell at 2 p.m. on Nov. 28 in Gallagher-Iba Arena. LeValley posts first-ever Bucknell win at NWCA All-Star Classic Bucknell University Sports Information Two-time NCAA qualifier and 2010 All-American Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) represented the Bucknell wrestling program at Sunday's National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif. LeValley posted a 6-0 win over Edinboro's Torsten Gillespie. Wrestling alongside some of the best grapplers in the nation, LeValley, who is listed fifth at 149 pounds in the latest Intermat individual rankings, was the only Bison to compete at the prestigious event and posted the program's first-ever NWCA All-Star Classic victory. Neither wrestler scored in the first period and then LeValley went up 4-0 in the second period when he recorded a three-point near fall and earned a penalty point after the 12th-ranked Gillespie was whistled for a second stall warning. LeValley added an escape and the riding time point in the third period for the 6-0 victory. With the victory, LeValley remained undefeated this season, although Sunday's match does not count towards his overall record. He went 4-0 and won the 149-pound weight class at the Michigan State Open last weekend wrestling unattached. He is 97-37 in his four-year Bison career. LeValley is the second Bucknell wrestler in as many years to wrestle at the NWCA All-Star Classic, following two-time All-American and former teammate Andy Rendos. Rendos lost by major decision at last year's event. The NWCA All-Star Classic is a prestigious event that showcases the top collegiate wrestlers from across the country. This year, the event acted as a fundraiser for wrestling in the state of California. LeValley missed Saturday's Navy Classic at which the Bison finished second as a team in favor of the NWCA All-Star Classic. He will rejoin his teammates next weekend when Bucknell wrestles duals at No. 15 Nebraska (Nov. 27, 1 p.m.) and No. 3 Oklahoma State (Nov. 28, 3 p.m.). Bailey beats Lindsey to remain undefeated University of Oklahoma Sports Information Oklahoma senior Zack Bailey remains undefeated on the season after defeating Ohio’s eighth-ranked Germane Lindsey in the 45th-annual NWCA All-Star Classic Sunday, in Fresno, Calif., at the Selland Arena. Bailey, ranked No. 1 among 141 pounders, scored a 3-2 decision over Lindsey to take the 141-pound crown. This season Bailey is off to an 8-0 start. “This is a great event and honor to participate in,” head coach Jack Spates said. “Zack wrestled real well and I think it was a real important building block for the year. It was a tough match against a fellow All-American. It was a hard-fought kind of match that develops character and seasoning. Bailey became the 45th Sooner wrestler to compete in the event and first since 2006 when Matt Storniolo and Sam Hazewinkel both represented the Sooners. “Bailey scored at the end, which is really important for our guys to be the ones in scoring position at the end to seal the victory,” said Spates. “It was a good win and bodes well for his season.” The Sooners return home next weekend to host the annual Oklahoma Open on Thanksgiving weekend. Wyoming wrestlers split University of Wyoming Sports Information Wyoming’s Joe LeBlanc has set his sights high for this season on the wrestling mat for the Cowboys. He got the start he was looking for Saturday in Fresno. LeBlanc, a junior, defeated Purdue’s A.J. Kissel in the 184-pound match at the 45th National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. LeBlanc, wrestling for just the second time this year, took home a 10-5 win over the No. 5-ranked Kissel. It was a good start for the two-time All-American and two-time West Regional champion, who has national title hopes in 2011. But an injury has slowed his progress in terms of practice time and competition this year. “The rust was there. As the match went on, you could kind of tell he had some time off for an injury,” UW assistant Chris Pendleton said. “What I told him was this is the No. 5 kid in the nation, but he wasn’t satisfied with his performance. That kind of mindset will help him. That was only his second match of the year. If that’s what it looks like, that’s pretty good.” Wyoming also was represented in the meet by junior Shane Onufer. Onufer, a two-time NCAA West Regional champion and two-time NCAA Tournament qualifier, was bested by No. 5 Josh Asper of Maryland, 3-2, in the 165-pound match. The two met once last season, with Asper earning a 9-1 major decision in the second round consolations at the NCAA Division I Championships in Omaha. “Shane came out a little sluggish, but after that, it was game on,” Pendleton said. “He was in position after that. The opportunity was there for him. It was his first time this season to really get to prove himself. He was in a position to win the match, and I’m confident he’ll learn from this and get better.” The event is put on to create the best possible match-ups at each weight class in an effort to draw attention to the sport and the NWCA’s fund raising efforts. All matches are exhibition in terms of season records and do not count in national rankings. Flores tops Trice Central Michigan University Sports Information American University's Ryan Flores scored a late takedown to defeat Central Michigan's Jarod Trice, 3-1, at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic on Sunday. The match pitted a pair of heavyweights ranked in the top eight nationally by InterMat. Trice entered the match ranked No. 2 nationally, while Flores was ranked eighth. After a scoreless first period, Trice chose to begin the second period in the bottom position and scored an escape for a 1-0 lead. Flores evened the score at 1-1 with an escape in the third period, then scored the decisive points on the match's only takedown. Trice was the fourth different Chippewa to compete at the event and the first since David Bolyard in 2005. Trice and the Chippewas return to action Saturday when they face North Dakota State, Appalachian State and No. 5 Minnesota at the Minnesota Quad Results: 125 - No. 3 Anthony Robles (Arizona State) tech fall No. 4 Zach Sanders (Minnesota), 20-2 (5:00) 133 - No. 2 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 1 Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise State), 8-7 141 - No. 1 Zack Bailey (Oklahoma) dec. No. 8 Germane Lindsey (Ohio), 3-2 149 - No. 5 Kevin LeValley (Bucknell) dec. No. 12 Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro), 6-0 157 - No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State) major dec. No. 1 Adam Hall (Boise State), 12-4 165 - No. 4 Josh Asper (Maryland) dec. No. 6 Shane Onufer (Wyoming), 3-2 174 - No. 6 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) dec. No. 3 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 4-0 184 - No. 2 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) dec. No. 5 A.J. Kissel (Purdue), 10-5 197 - No. 4 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 5 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota), 7-3 285 - No. 8 Ryan Flores (American) dec. No. 2 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan), 3-1

The finals of the 2010 Fullerton Open were not short on action. While some of the weights saw many points on the scoreboard from both competitors, the crowd was also treated to wild scrambles in bouts that were low-scoring affairs. Despite the fact that Cal Poly's Boris Navachkov and Purdue's Juan Archuleta could only manage to earn an escape point each through six minutes of regulation, the first two and a half periods featured very explosive sequences in which one wrestler would attempt a takedown which was then defended and acrobatically countered with neither wrestled securing points. Late in the third period, one such exchange ended with Navachkov in on a deep single which was completed through sheer power as the returning All-American lifted Archuletta into the air before finishing the takedown. "I just got in deep," said Novachkov. "He's very athletic. I'm glad he came all the way from Purdue for this event. This is a good tournament for me." The 133 final between Tyler Wilcox Grand Canyon University and Brandon Rocha of Cal Poly 3-1 was very similar except Wilcox was only able to earn the first takedown of the bout with almost no time left in the sudden-victory overtime. "I could feel he was more tired than me," Wilcox said. "I fed on that. I knew if I was going to go to the rideout I was going to win. I have a lot of work to do. I'm still just putting it all together." In no finals match was the crowd more excited than at 174 pounds. Erik Starks of Arizona State gave up the initial takedown to Victor Carazo of Grand Canyon University, but the back-and-forth action saw him tie the bout in regulation 6-6. In the sudden-victory overtime, Starks got extended on a shot, struggled to get back to his feet but then instantly shot again to get in on a deep double leg takedown and put Carazo to his back to win 10-6. "I felt pretty good," Starks said after the win. "He got me with a good takedown. Conditioning is just one aspect. You've got to have the will to win. Fake and go, fake and go. He reacted to my shot, I reacted to his." The most dominating performance of the night belonged to Embry Riddle's Tyler Chang, who built up a big lead before pinning Barrett Abel of Cal Poly in the 2nd period of the 157 pound final. The host school crowned a champion at 184 pounds where Titan wrestler Todd Noel won 5-3 over Jake Meridith of Arizona State. Noel held a 4-2 lead in the third period with over three minutes riding time. After being warned for stalling he released Meredith, creating a situation where Meredith could tie the bout with a takedown. Rather than try and simply hold on for the win, Noel went for another takedown and was deep on a shot when time expired. "He wrestled well," Fullerton head coach Dan Hicks said of Noel's performance. "His opponent is very good on top so we didn't want to go there. I told him to take that kid down again at the end of the match and he went for it." "We're a bit banged up," Hicks said in regard to a Titan squad which has seen some early-season injuries. "We won't be at full strength until after Christmas." Hicks accepted many congratulations upon the conclusion of a very well-run tournament, but admitted frustration at the uncertainty his team being allowed to continue. "We're in a big battle," Hicks said about the future of wrestling at Cal State Fullerton. "We got the first year. We raised $313,000 last year (along with the women's gymnastics team, coached by his wife.) We've got a good pledge drive going. Now they want two years ahead in cash by March 1. This isn't being asked by other sports teams here. It's indefensible the way they're treating us. We had the All-Star Match, the place was packed and no administrators came. It's frustrating. We're worn out." Finals Results: 125: Ryan Mango (Stanford) over Ben Ashmore (Arizona State), 3-2 133: Tyler Wilcox (Grand Canyon) dec. Brandon Rocha (Cal Poly), 3-1 SV 141: Boris Navachkov (Cal Poly) dec. Juan Archuleta (Purdue), 3-1 149: Chris Santana (Cal State Bakersfield) dec. Timmy Boone (Stanford), 5-3 157: Tyler Chang (Embry-Riddle) pinned Barrett Abel (Cal Poly), 4:11 165: Ryan Desroches (Cal Poly) dec. Lucas Espercueta (Stanford), 8-6 174: Erik Starks (Arizona State) dec. Victor Carazo (Grand Canyon), 10-6 SV 184: Todd Noel (Cal State Fullerton) dec. Jake Meredith (Arizona State), 5-3 197: Riley Orozco (Cal State Bakersfield) dec. Ian Daube (Cal State Fullerton), 5-3 285: Ryan Halsey (Unattached) dec. David Morgan (Bakersfield), 3-2

OMAHA, Neb. -- Six Oklahoma State wrestlers won their weight classes at the 2010 Kaufman-Brand Open Saturday on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Jon Morrison won the 125-pound title, Jamal Parks won the 149-pound title, Albert White won the 157-pound title, Dallas Bailey won the 165-pound title, Mike Benefiel won the 174-pound title and Chris Perry won the 184-pound title. Sophomore 133-pounder Jordan Oliver and senior 197-pounder Clayton Foster did not compete as they are in California preparing for Sunday's NWCA All-Star Classic. Senior 157-pounder Neil Erisman and junior 285-pounder Alan Gelogaev did not suit up as they are recovering from injuries. In addition to the six titles won by the Cowboys Saturday, 133-pounder Ladd Rupp and 141-pounder Luke Silver both placed second at their respective weight classes, 157-pounder Stephen Swan was third in his weight class and 141-pounder Josh Kindig was fourth at his weight class. Chris McNeil rounded out OSU's list of placers by taking fifth at 174 pounds. Oliver and Foster will both wrestle Sunday at the NWCA All-Star Classic, then the Pokes open the dual-match slate when they host Bucknell at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Nov. 28.

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Boris Novachkov and Ryan DesRoches captured individual titles and four other Cal Poly wrestlers earned second or third place in their respective weight classes at the non-scoring Fullerton Open on Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. Cal Poly was the only school to win more than one title. Both Arizona State and Stanford produced one title and a pair of runner-up finishes in the one-day tournament which featured nearly 300 wrestlers. Novachkov went 4-0 to win the 141-pound title, posting four decisions, one a major. In the final round, Novachkov decisioned Juan Archuleta of Purdue 3-2. DesRoches (pictured above) won all five of his matches, four by fall, en route to the 165-pound championship. His first fall was in just 11 seconds and he edged Lucas Espercueta of Stanford 8-6 in the title match. Claiming second place for Cal Poly were 133-pounder Brandan Rocha and 157-pounder Barrett Abel while Juan Delgado (125) and Geoffrey Doss (149) both finished third. Rocha posted a 4-1 mark, losing only to Todd Wilcox of Grand Canyon 3-1 in the final round. His four wins included one fall and a major decision. Abel went 3-1 en route to his runner-up finish at 157. His only loss was by fall in 4 minutes, 11 seconds, to Tyler Chang of Embry-Riddle in the final round. Abel’s wins were by fall, technical fall and a 12-5 decision. Chang scored the only pin in the championship round. At 125, Delgado won his first three matches by fall, fall and major decision before losing in the semifinals to Ryan Mango of Stanford by fall in 5:58. Delgado then won by a major decision to reach the consolation finals and beat Andre Gonzalez of Cal State Fullerton 18-8 for third place, finishing 5-1 in the tournament. Doss also was 5-1 en route to his third-place finish at 149. After a fall, technical fall and major decision, Doss dropped a 6-0 decision to Timmy Boone of Stanford in the semifinal round. He bounced back with a win by default and a 6-0 decision over Luke Ashmore of Arizona State for third place. Among those who did not place for the Mustangs but posted winning records were Dominic Kastl (4-2) at 174, Kelan Bragg (3-2) at 184 and Drew Meulman (5-2) at 285. Meulman placed fourth, losing twice to Cal State Fullerton heavyweight Kurt Klimek by a 3-2 decision in the quarterfinal round and a 7-4 decision in the consolation finals. Posting 2-2 marks were Steve Vasquez at 174 pounds, Alex Grandy at 197 and Jim Powers at 285. Cal Poly returns to action Dec. 3-4 in the Las Vegas Invitational. Championship Bouts 125 – Ryan Mango (Stanford) dec. Ben Ashmore (ASU), 3-2 133 – Todd Wilcox (Grand Canyon) dec. Brandon Rocha (Cal Poly), 3-1 141 – Boris Navochkov (Cal Poly) dec. Juan Archuleta (Purdue), 3-2 149 – Chris Santana (Cal Baptist) dec. Timmy Boone (Stanford), 5-3 157 – Tyler Chang (Embry Riddle) pinned Barrett Abel (Cal Poly), 4:11 165 – Ryan Desroches (Cal Poly) dec. Lucas Espercueta (Stanford), 8-6 174 – Eric Starks (ASU) dec. Victor Carazo (Grand Canyon), 8-6 184 – Todd Noel (CSF) dec. Jake Meredith (ASU), 5-3 197 – Riley Orozco (CSU Bakersfield) dec. Ian Daube (CSF), 5-3 285 – Ryan Halsey (unattached) dec. David Morgan (CSU Bakersfield), 3-2

Journeymen Sprawl & Brawl

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy put 11 wrestlers into championship bouts and came away with seven individual crowns, as the Midshipmen won the 2010 Navy Wrestling Classic held Saturday at Halsey Field House in Annapolis. The Midshipmen dominated the seven-team tournament, claiming their 18th Navy Classic title in 33 years by more than 50 points over second-place Bucknell. The seven individual titles by Navy are the most won by the Midshipmen in Navy Classic history. In 2005, Navy put six wrestlers atop the podium including three-time Navy Classic title winner Matt Stolpinski at 174 pounds. “I am really proud of the way our guys competed up and down the lineup today,” said 11th-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who has guided the Mids to the Navy Classic title in six of the last seven years. “We’re still making a few mistakes in some areas, but what I saw from our wrestlers today I really was impressed with. It’s difficult to single any one or two guys out from today’s tournament because there were so many from the young guys like Joe Locksmith and Ray Borja to the more experienced guys like Luke Rebertus and Matt DeMichiel. “All that said, we’re back at it in the wrestling room on Monday. We’ve got to continue to improve each time we step out onto the mat, but I really am proud of the effort and competition they put out there today.” While Navy put 11 wrestlers into the finals, two of the 10 championship bouts featured an all-Navy final including the 141-pound match featuring rookies Joe Locksmith (Kissimmee, Fla.) against Raymond Borja (Virginia Beach, Va.). Seeded No. 2, Locksmith had little trouble getting into the finals, winning his opening match against Aaron Velasquez of Franklin & Marshall by way of a 6-0 decision and following up with back-to-back pins. Borja, who was unseeded, earned a 17-9 major decision over fourth-seeded Derek Shingara of Bloomsburg before upsetting top-seeded Zac Hancock of Bucknell in the semis, 6-5, to punch is ticket into the finals. Borja would come up just short of picking off Locksmith, as Locksmith won his first-collegiate title with an 8-7 win. It’s the third-straight year that Navy has had a freshman win an individual crown at the Navy Classic. In 2008, Luke Rebertus (Gloucester, Va.) scored his first title at 174 pounds, while last season Oscar Huntley (Emerald Isle, N.C.) defeated teammate Robby Neill (Brick, N.J.) in sudden victory (2) to take the 165-pound crown. Scoring a 6-1 win over second-seeded Derek Reber of Bucknell, Navy junior 125-pounder Aaron Kalil (Salem, N.H.) became one of three Navy wrestlers to win Navy Classic individual titles multiple times. Kalil turned in a 14-4 major decision over Campbell’s Tanner Bidelspach to start the tournament before earning his way into the finals with an 8-3 win over fourth-seeded Sean Boylan of Bloomsburg. Kalil’s win over Reber not only was impressive, as he surrendered just one point, but it is sure to be noticed by the pollsters with Reber coming into the weekend ranked 19th by Amateur Wrestling News. “Aaron gave a heck of a performance today,” added Burnett. “The win over Reber will go a long way for his confidence and I think others will see the significance of that win. He dominated the entire day” Also placing in the 125-pound bracket for the Mids were senior Allen Stein (Portland, Maine), who placed third with a 5-2 decision over Boylan, while Jericho Urmenita finished sixth after dropping a 4-0 decision to Bidelspach. Navy was unable to put a wrestler in the finals of the 133-pound class, but three Midshipmen were placewinners. Junior Pat McCaffrey (Chicago, Ill.), seeing his first action of the year after suffering an eye injury during the preseason, pinned second-seeded Nick Wilcox of Bloomsburg at 2:37 to take third. Meanwhile, Ben Levin (Reisterstown, Md.) and Tyler Sackett (Omaha, Neb.), both of Navy, would battle it out in the fifth-sixth place match. Levin, the fourth seed who was sent to the consolations by No. 1 seed Jake Burcha of Franklin & Marshall, took fifth by way of a 4-0 decision over Sackett. In just his second season on the team, 149-pounder Eric Filipowicz (Elkridge, Md.) pulled the upset to win his first-collegiate individual title. Seeded No. 2, he produced back-to-back technical falls before edging out teammate Collin Leadbeter (Owings, Md.) in the semis, 3-1, to earn his way into the championship bout. Filipowicz went on to take the crown in a 5-2 decision over Bloomsburg’s Josh Roosa, who was the top seed in the weight class. A talented weight class for the Mids, three other wrestlers placed in the tournament. Sophomore Zach Basich (Wheeling, W.Va.), who narrowly lost to finalist Roosa, 3-2, scored a big 14-4 major decision over Navy freshman Zach Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) to place third, while Leadbeter edged out West Virginia’s Zach Cerrone to finish fifth. Winning his second tournament this season was Navy senior captain Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.), who took sole possession of fifth on Navy’s all-time wins list. After posting a 4-0 record at 157 pounds in today’s Navy Classic, he now stands 118-32 all-time and trails fourth-place John Reich by just one win. Saddoris needed to put forth little effort in his opening two matches, winning his first by major decision and pinning West Virginia’s Ruben Herrera in less than a minute. Fourth-seeded Frank Hickman pushed Saddoris in the semis, but the All-American from Navy would advance to the finals behind a 6-3 win. Saddoris went on to claim his second Navy Classic title win and first since winning it as a sophomore at 149 pounds, by way of a 7-5 victory over Bucknell’s Brantley Hooks, who was seeded No. 2. Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Jackson (Rising Sun, Md.) continued to look strong with a fourth-place finish. Jackson, who did not compete in a varsity competition a year ago, placed second at the Clarion Knight Point and finished fourth at the Navy Classic. Navy placed three at 165 pounds with sophomore Mason Bailey (Fairmont, W.Va.) leading the way with a second-place effort. Seeded fourth, Bailey won his opening match against Bloomsburg’s Sam Shirey via a technical fall and advanced to the finals after dealing top-seeded Josh Veltre of Bloomsburg a 7-2 loss. However, No. 2 seed Corey Lear of Bucknell would prevail in the title match with a 9-2 win over Bailey. Third-seeded Bobby Barnhisel (River Forest, Ill.), who lost his semifinals match to Lear, 7-2, was forced to settle for third place with a 9-8 victory over West Virginia’s Kevin Eason. Rookie Johnny Watson (Lexington, N.C.) took fifth after Veltre was forced to medically forfeit his final two bouts of the tournament. Winning his first title at the Navy Classic was senior Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.), whose season ended early a year ago after suffering a broken leg. Seeded No. 2, DeMichiel pinned West Virginia’s Rob Desano at the 1:40 mark in the championship bout to take the crown. Desano, meanwhile, knocked out Bucknell’s David Thompson to earn the right to face DeMichiel in the finals. Huntley, who won the 165-pound weight class last season, placed fifth at 174 pounds this year. The No. 4 seed, Huntley was bounced in the second round by Desano, but fought his way back and would eventually score a 6-0 decision over West Virginia’s Brandon Lintner to take fifth. Like Saddoris, Rebertus won his second tournament in as many tries in 2010. Rebertus got by Bucknell’s Rob Waltko in the opener and beat Bucknell’s Joe McMullan in the semis, 5-3. Second-seeded Nate Graham of Bloomsburg, however gave Rebertus fits as the Navy junior needed the tie breaker to earn the 2-1 win at 184 pounds. It’s the second time Rebertus has won a title at the Navy Classic and first since winning the 174-pound class as a rookie in 2008. Placing fourth at 184 pounds, meanwhile, was junior Mike Brant (Johnstown, Pa.) who had a solid afternoon. Brant narrowly lost a 3-2 decision to third-place Mac Mancuso of West Virginia who was seeded No. 3. For a second-straight year, Navy’s Andrew Buck (Carson, Wash.) was forced to settle for second. Buck, who was seeded third at 197 pounds in the tournament, dropped a 10-5 decision in the championship bout to George Mason’s Cayle Byers who is ranked sixth nationally. Buck pinned Campbell’s Justin Sparrow in less than 30 seconds to kick off the tournament before just edging out Bucknell’s Jay Hahn, the No. 2 seed in the semis. In an all-Navy fifth-sixth place match, sophomore Chance Rauscher (Glasgow, Mont.) earned an 11-5 win over sophomore Matt McVay (Shaftsbury, Vt.). Finally, Navy took 1-2 at heavyweight with second-year standout Dan Miller (Berlin, Md.) earning a 7-4 decision over senior Mike Landis (Hershey, Pa.) in the finals. Miller earned a 12-5 decision over Bucknell’s Connor Sweeney to begin the day, but advanced to the finals after Bloomsburg’s Zac Walsh suffered a knee injury. On the other hand, Landis posted a 7-4 win over Bloomsburg’s Jake Dabashinsky before taking down top-seeded and 2010 NCAA qualifier Parker Burns of Campbell in the semis, 8-5. Following the Thanksgiving holiday, Navy will be back in action with a split squad heading out West to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4-5, while a second group will travel to State College, Pa. to take part in the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 5. Final Team Standings 1 - 135.5 Navy 2 - 78.0 Bucknell 3 - 61.0 Bloomsburg 4 - 48.0 West Virginia 5 - 21.0 George Mason 6 - 19.5 Franklin & Marshall 7 - 9.5 Campbell Championship Finals: 125 - Aaron Kalil, Navy 6-1 Derek Reber, Bucknell 133 - Jake Bucha, Franklin & Marshall 8-4 Alex Pellicotti, Bucknell 141 - Joe Locksmith, Navy 8-7 Raymond Borja, Navy 149 - Eric Filipowicz, Navy 5-2 Josh Roosa, Bloomsburg 157 - #9 Bryce Saddoris, Navy 7-5 Brantley Hooks, Bucknell 165 - Corey Lear, Bucknell 9-2 Mason Bailey, Navy 174 - Matt DeMichiel, Navy F1:40 Rob desano, West Virginia 184 - #13 Luke Rebertus, Navy 2-1;tb Nate Graham, Bloomsburg 197 - Cayle Byers, George Mason 10-5 Andrew Buck, Navy 285 - Dan Miller, Navy 7-4 Mike Landis, Navy

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Junior Dustin Kilgore took on No. 1 Cam Simaz of Cornell in the 197-pound final and came away with a 10-9 victory Saturday at the Body Bar Invitational. Kilgore, Nic Bedelyon (125), and Brendan Barlow (285) all won individual titles as Kent State placed second in the team standings behind No. 1 Cornell. "This was the best we've looked all year," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "We had a lot of upsets and none of our guys got upset. We've really improved since that first week." Kilgore was dominant in his first three bouts and an escape against Simaz with 30 seconds left in the finals gave him his one point advantage. Kilgore started his day with a tech fall followed by a pin in the quarterfinals and a major decision in the semifinals. "It was one the best upper weight matches I've ever seen," Andrassy said of the 197-pound final. "It was literally seven minutes of action. Dustin did a great job of controlling the match and going at his pace." Like Kilgore, Bedelyon went 4-0 on the day and knocked off a ranked opponent from Cornell in the finals. Bedelyon blanked Frank Perrelli 4-0 in the finals after back-to-back major decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals. "Nic just keeps on rolling," Andrassy said. "He really didn't have a close match today." Barlow also had a 4-0 day, downing Buffalo's Brett Correll 6-2 in the finals. Barlow surrendered just four points in his final three matches. "Brendan has really come around," Andrassy said. "He hasn't lost in either of these last two weekends and everyone's had trouble scoring on him." True freshman Tyler Small (133) had his second impressive tournament of the season, placing fourth. Small upended No. 17 Kevin Smith of Buffalo 15-8 in the quarterfinals. "Tyler's beaten a couple ranked kids now," Andrassy said. "He just needs to work on his consistency now." Also pulling off an upset in a fourth-place finish was sophomore Stevie Mitcheff. At 125 pounds, Mitcheff knocked off second-seeded Kyle Waldo of Central Michigan 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Junior Chase Skonieczny (141) upset top-seeded Hicks Manson of Cornell 2-1 in the semifinals on the way to a fourth place. Junior Ross Tice (165) came away with a third place as his only loss came to top-seed Justin Kerber (Cornell) in the semifinals. Sophomore Keith Witt (184) recorded a pair of pins on his way to a fourth place. Freshman Brandonn Johnson fell to the top seed at 174, before battling back for a fifth place. Cornell totaled 132 team points, while the Flashes ended the day with 92 points. Central Michigan was third 83.5 points. The Golden Flashes (2-3) will take on No. 11 Missouri Dec. 5 in Columbia.

OMAHA, Neb. -- University of Iowa freshmen Michael Kelly (157) and Mike Evans (174) each won amateur titles at the 2010 Ryan Kaufman/Glen Brand Open Saturday in Omaha, NE. Kelly and Evans, who both competed unattached, were two of Iowa's 18 wrestlers at the tournament, with nine going in the elite division and nine in the amateur bracket. The 157 and 174-pound amateur finals were all-Iowa match-ups as Kelly faced teammate Nick Moore and Evans wrestled fellow Hawkeye Jeremy Fahler. Kelly posted six wins en route to his title, including an 8-7 victory in the third tiebreak period in the semifinals over Indiana's RaVaughn Perkins. Kelly defeated Moore in the finals, 6-4. Evans pinned three opponents and posted major decisions over the other two, including his 10-0 win over Fahler in the finals. Freshman Jake Ballweg was the 149-pound amateur division runner-up, while freshmen Matt Gurule (125) and Ethan Owens (141) placed sixth. Sophomore Nate Moore (133) and senior Aaron Janssen (165) led the Hawkeyes in the elite division, both placing third. Moore was pinned by Minnesota's Bart Reiter near the end of his first match, but won six straight consolation bouts - including a 12-5 decision over Reiter - to earn third place. Janssen lost a close 8-7 decision to Oklahoma's Dallas Bailey in the semifinals, but posted two wins in the wrestlebacks to place third. Junior Vinnie Wagner also placed fourth at 184. Up next for the Hawkeyes (2-0) is a double-dual with Chattanooga (2-1) and Cornell College (2-0) Friday in Mount Vernon, IA. Iowa will wrestle Chattanooga at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell at 8 p.m. at Cornell's Small Multi-Sport Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for youth ages 5-18.

Fourteen members of the No. 4 Minnesota wrestling team earned place-winner finishes including four individual titles on Saturday at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, Neb. Redshirt senior Mike Thorn and redshirt freshman Tony Nelson won championships in the elite bracket while freshman Dylan Ness and Nick Dardanes each picked up titles in the amateur bracket. Nelson increased his career unbeaten streak to 17 matches after making his way through the heavyweight bracket and picking up a 4-0 decision over Travis Ewart (MVC). The redshirt freshman scored a major decision (10-1) over teammate Jake Kettler in the semifinals after earning a pair of decisions in the preliminary rounds. Kettler went on to finish third in the heavyweight division after earning a 4-0 decision over Minnesota's Ben Berhow. Thorn, who also earned the 141 lbs. title last week at the Bison Open, picked up his second title of the season with a 3-0 decision over Luke Silver. After advancing out of the first round with a medical forfeit over Kevin Bokoski, Thorn scored a technical fall (20-4; 6:23) over Justin Morrill in the second round before tallying a pair of decisions over Josh Kindig (10-4) and Cole VonOhlen (13-7) to reach the finals. In the 149 lbs. amateur division, Ness went 5-0 to earn the first outright title of his career (Ness and teammate Danny Zilverberg split the title at the Bison Open last weekend). After an opening round bye, Ness scored a 6-4 decision in the second round before three falls and a major decision in route to the title. The true freshman pinned Iowa's Jake Ballweg in 1:54 in Saturday's championship match. Dardanes, who finished second to Thorn last weekend at the Bison Open, also claimed his first individual title in the amateur bracket at 141 lbs. Following a bye in the first round, Dardanes rallied off two falls in the preliminary rounds, earned a 13-3 major decision in the quarterfinals and another fall in the semifinals to make the championship match. In his final match of the night, Dardanes picked up a 10-5 decision over Seth Noble of Northern Iowa. Notable Elite Results - Mike Thorn: First (141), Tony Nelson: First (285), Cody Yohn: Second ( 169), Scott Glasser: Second (174), Kevin Steinhaus: Second (184), Joe Nord: Second (197), Jake Kettler: Third (285) Thane Antczak: Fourth (133), Ben Berhow: Fourth (285). Notable Amateur Results: Dylan Ness: First (149), Nick Dardanes: First (141), Scott Schiller: Second (197), Joel Bauman: Fourth (184), Drew Lexvold: Fifth (133).

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team picked up its first home dual win of the season, topping Old Dominion 19-15 Saturday afternoon in the West Gym. The match started at 165 and the Panthers won the first five matches to take a 16-0 lead at intermission. ODU won the next four matches to pull the score within one at 16-15 with one match remaining. UNI’s David Bonin came back to score takedown in overtime of the final match at 157 pounds to secure a 6-4 decision and give UNI the 19-15 dual win. UNI Coaches (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)Nick Pickerell started the match at 165 pounds for the Panthers with a 9-5 decision over ODU’s Dan Rivera. Brice Wolf followed at 174 pounds with a 5-2 decision over Billy Curling. Ryan Loder and Andy O’Loughlin followed with wins at 184 pounds and 197 pounds to give UNI a 12-0 lead. Christian Brantley picked up four points for the Panthers with a major decision win over Grant Chapman at the heavyweight slot, giving UNI a 16-0 advantage with five matches remaining. ODU dominated the lighter weights, picking up wins at 125 and 133 pounds before registering a pin at 141 pounds and a major decision at 149 pounds. UNI (3-1) returns to action next weekend, heading to the Northeast Duals. UNI will face Binghamton, Maryland and Bloomsburg next Saturday in Albany, N.Y. Results: 165 Nick Pickerell (UNI) dec. Dan Rivera (ODU), 9-5 174 Brice Wolf (UNI) dec. Billy Curling (ODU), 5-2 184 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. Joe Budi (ODU), 6-3 197 Andy O’Loughlin (UNI) dec. Jacob Henderson (ODU), 3-2 285 Christian Brantley (UNI) maj. dec. Grant Chapman (ODU), 13-4 125 James Nicholson (ODU) dec. Caleb Flores (UNI), 6-1 133 Kyle Hutter (ODU) dec. Ryan Jauch (UNI), 4-0 141 Brennan Brumley (ODU) pinned Aaron Senzee (UNI), 5:57 149 Joey Metzler (ODU) maj. dec Jamal Lawrence (UNI), 9-2 157 David Bonin (UNI) dec. John Nicholson (ODU), 6-4

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The No. 1 ranked Big Red wrestling team crowned three champions on its way to winning the team title at the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday. Cornell finished with 134 points and was followed by Kent State (92), Central Michigan (83.5), Clarion (75.5) and Buffalo (74). Justin Kerber (165), Mack Lewnes (174) and Steve Bosak (184) all finished first in their respective weight classes. Lewnes is a four-time Body Bar champion. At 165 pounds, No. 5 Kerber opened his day with an 18-2 technical fall over Buffalo’s Pat Brady in the pigtail round. The Big Red senior followed by shutting out Army’s Jake Vetter, 9-0. In the quarterfinals, he won a 4-2 decision against Lock Haven’s Colton Spade. Kerber advanced to the finals with a 7-2 win over fourth seeded Ross Tice of Kent State. With a hard fought 3-2 decision, Kerber defeated Buffalo’s John Martin Cannon in the finals. No. 1 Lewnes pinned his first opponent, Brandon Johnson of Kent State in 3:15 and followed with a 14-5 major decision over Lock Haven’s Michael Khoury in the quarterfinals. Lewnes pinned fourth seeded Ryan McGarity of Binghamton to advance to the finals. In a rematch of Friday night’s dual, Lewnes defeated No. 4 ranked Ben Bennett of Central Michigan by a 13-5 major decision. At 184 pounds, No. 4 Bosak opened his morning with a win by fall over Sacred Heart’s Seth Politi in 59 seconds. He shut out his next two opponents, 4-0 and 8-0, respectively to move to the finals. Bosak took on the No. 14 ranked Nate Schiedel of Binghamton in the finals and won a 6-2 decision. No. 1 Cam Simaz notched three bonus wins at 197 pounds on his way to the finals. He won twice by fall and added a tech fall. Simaz faced No. 3 Dustin Killgore of Kent State in his final match where he was narrowly edged out, 10-9. At 125 pounds, No. 16 Frank Perrelli pinned his first opponent and followed with a 17-5 major decision in the quarterfinals. He defeated Kent State’s Steve Mitcheff, 3-2, to advance to the finals. Perrelli lost, 4-0, to No. 6 Nicholas Bedelyon of Kent State. The No. 6 seed, Joe Stanzione, won a 10-4 decision over Drexel’s Frank Cimato in the quarterfinals before defeating Kent State’s Tyler Small, 5-3. Stanzione lost in the finals to No. 6 Scotti Sentes, 11-3, to place second. At 141 pounds, Chris Villalonga shut out John Crisafulli of Buffalo, 9-0, in his first match of the day. He followed with a 7-3 win over Central Michigan’s Scott Mattingly in the quarterfinals. Villalonga advanced to the finals with a 5-3 decision, but was pinned in 1:44 by Lock Haven’s Matthew Bonson. The Big Red will break for the Thanksgiving holidays and will return to action Dec. 3-4 at the Las Vegas Invitational.