InterMat Staff

The Minnesota wrestling program opened the 2010-11 season with an impressive showing at the Bison Open on Saturday in Fargo, N.D. Nine Gophers captured individual titles at the event. All-American junior Zach Sanders took the title at 125 lbs. after sweeping four matches in his first tournament of the season. In his opening match, Sanders scored a fall at 4:56 over Southwest Minnesota State's Seifemichael Kenea before rallying off two-straight technical falls over Matt Garcia (25-10) and Corey Ulmer (23-5) to advance to championship match against North Dakota State's Trent Sprinkle. Sanders bested Sprinkle in the finals, scoring a 10-6 decision to pick up his first title of the season. The Gophers had five wrestlers competing at 133 lbs. on Saturday including sophomore Thane Antczak, who earned the title - beating a pair of teammates along the way. Antczak scored a fall at 5:42 in his opening match against Todd Reynolds and then earned three-straight decisions (5-2 over SMSU's Justin Reinsma, 11-5 over teammate Randy Hanson and 6-1 over teammate Bart Reiter in the championship match) in route to the title. Reiter swept through his first three matches including a fall at 3:41 over teammate Drew Lexvold in the quarterfinals to finish second to Antczak. Lexvold, who won his opening match against Mason Young with a fall only to lose to Reiter in the quarterfinals, battled back with four more wins to take third place at 133 lbs. All-American senior Mike Thorn also earned the title at 141 lbs., beating Gophers freshman Nick Dardanes 11-0 for a major decision in the finals. After a first round bye, Thorn earned a technical fall over Tanner Beaman (20-3, 4:31) in the second round and a fall at 2:42 over Devin Scott in the quarterfinals. Thorn then picked up a major decision (16-5) over Minnesota freshman Seth Lange in the semifinals before adding a second major decision (11-0) over Gophers freshman Nick Dardanes to win the 141 lbs. title. Dardanes finished his first collegiate invitational with a runner-up finish while Lange rallied after losing to Thorn to finish third with an 8-7 decision over NDSU's Trevor Johnson. The Gophers had a pair of co-champions in the 149 lbs. bracket as redshirt freshman Danny Zilverberg and freshman Dylan Ness shared top honors after both grapplers advanced to the finals. Zilverberg picked up four wins in the tournament including a pair of major decisions while Ness received a bye in the first round before posting three-straight wins including a major decision in the quarterfinals. Minnesota's only competitor at 165 lbs., sophomore Cody Yohn also earned an individual title - going 4-0 on Saturday with a technical fall against Samuel Bonsu (17-1) in the opening match, a fall over Jacob Bennett (5:00) in the quarterfinals, and then a pair of decisions against Kurtis Julson in the semifinals (5-1) and Tyler Johnson in the finals (7-6). Meanwhile, Gophers senior Scott Glasser posted three-straight major decisions to earn the 174 lbs. title. After a first-round bye, Glasser outscored his opponents 54-19 (21-6,17-5,16-6) in route to the title. At 184 lbs., redshirt freshman Kevin Steinhaus posted a pair of wins to reach the finals, where he earned a 10-4 decision over Concordia's Phil Moenkedick - a 2010 Division III national champion - for the individual medal. Steinhaus earned a major decision over Zach Deffinbuagh (18-5) in the preliminary round and scored a technical fall (16-1, 6:13) over Craig Draper-Johnson before adding a second major decision victory over Ken Moenkedick (10-2) to reach the finals. Minnesota Freshman Joel Bauman finished fourth at 184 lbs. - losing a 3-0 decision to Ken Moenkedick in the consolation bracket finals. Minnesota finished 1-2-3 at 197 lbs. with junior Sonny Yohn taking home top honors. Yohn earned a 6-1 decision over teammate Joe Nord in the finals while Scott Schiller took third in the weight class. The Gophers' Tony Nelson earned the ninth and final individual title in the heavyweight division, earning three decisions and a major decision on Saturday including a 3-0 decision over Matthew Meuleners in the finals.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 6 nationally, notched a 21-17 win over No. 15 Lehigh in its home opener in front of over 5,000 fans in a packed Rec Hall. Penn State got five wins, all from talented freshmen, and grabbed the victory thanks to two critical pins. Penn State, coming off a season-opening a 41-3 win at Bloomsburg two nights earlier, once again sent five freshmen to the mat and once again, all five won. Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) got things started for Penn State with a strong 11-6 win over Lehigh senior Mitch Berger. The Mountain Hawks answered with a major decision from Frank Cagnina to give LU a 4-3 lead. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 141, brought the fans to their feet in his Rec Hall debut with a quick pin at the 1:21 mark. With All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) still nursing an injury, Lehigh picked up a decision at 149 to cut the Lion lead to 9-7. Redshirt David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) answered, however, thrilling the crowd with a pin of Lehigh's Sean Bilodeau at the 3:33 mark, sending the Lions into the halftime locker room with a 15-7 lead. Freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) notched a key win, stunning 11th-ranked Brandon Hatchett 3-1 in sudden victory at 165. Kemerer scored on a shot just seconds into the extra period to give the Lions an 18-7 lead. No. 13 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) followed with a 7-5 win over talented Austin Meys at 174. The Lion faithful were stunned at 184, however, as No. 3 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) was upset by No. 14 Robert Hamlin 4-3, cutting Penn State's lead to 21-10. Lehigh won again at 197, getting a major from junior Joe Kennedy. The Hawks closed out the dual with a third straight win as No. 1 Zach Rey needed a tie-breaker to down No. 9 Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio). Still, the late flurry was not enough as Penn State downed LU 21-17. Penn State won the takedown battle 11-8. With each team winning five bouts, Penn State's 6-2 edge in bonus points was the difference for the Lions. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, will head to the Sprawl and Brawl Duals next Sunday in Binghamton, N.Y. Penn State faces Harvard at 11:30 a.m., West Virginia at 1:15 p.m. and No. 23 Rutgers at 3 p.m. The Nittany Lions' next home dual is on Dec. 12 when Lock Haven comes to town for a 2 p.m. dual. Season tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season are on sale now. This year's package features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package) and costs only $42 for adults and $28 for youth (18 and under). Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557. A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders. Single dual tickets will go on sale later this fall. 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. Results: 125: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Mitch Berger LU, 11-6 3-0 133: Frank Cagnina LU maj. dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 12-3 3-4 141: #14 Andrew Alton PSU pinned Stephen Dutton LU, WBF (1:21) 9-4 149: Joey Napoli LU dec. James English PSU, 6-4 9-7 157: #6 David Taylor PSU pinned Sean Bilodeau LU, WBF (3:33) 15-7 165: Jake Kemerer PSU dec. (SV) #11 Brandon Hatchett LU, 3-1 (SV) 18-7 174: #13 Ed Ruth PSU dec. Austin Meys, 7-5 21-7 184: #14 Robert Hamlin LU dec. #3 Quentin Wright PSU, 4-3 21-10 197: Joe Kennedy LU maj. dec. Justin Ortega PSU, 8-0 21-14 285: #1 Zach Rey LU dec. (TB) #9 Cameron Wade, 4-2 (TB) 21-17 Attendance: 5,257 Records: Penn State 2-0 (0-0 Big Ten), Lehigh 2-1 (0-0) Up Next for Penn State: at Sprawl and Brawl Duals, Sunday, Nov. 21, Binghamton, N.Y. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took on Lehigh senior Mitch Berger at 125. Martellotti wasted no time taking Berger down, using a low double to score just :10 into the bout. The talented Lion rookie maintained control of Berger, building up more than a minutes worth of riding time and turning him for three back points. Berger escaped at the 1:20 mark, only to fall victim to a strong throw by Martellotti. A quick Berger escape gave Martellotti a 7-2 lead with 1:00 left but the Lion freshman continued to pressure Berger, nearly scoring again. A reset was called with :30 left in the period, forcing action back to the center circle. Berger chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 7-3 deficit with 1:40 left (Martellotti worked his riding time edge up to 1:50). Berger got in on Martellotti's left ankle, trying to notch his first takedown and scrambled to a score at the :40 mark, cutting Martellotti's lead to 7-5 with :34 on the clock. Martellotti escaped to an 8-5 lead and began pressuring Berger to the edge of the mat for the rest of the period. Leading 8-5, Martellotti chose down to start the final period and scrambled his way to a two-point reversal at the 1:25 mark. Berger escaped with 1:16 left, cutting the lead to 10-6. Martellotti continued to pressure the senior Hawk and with :40 left, he worked his way into a low single that forced a stalemate with :17 left in the bout (and the riding time point was assured). Martellotti's strong performance lead to an 11-6 win and a 3-0 Penn State lead. 133: Nittany Lion sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) faced off against LU's Frank Cagnina at 133. Cagnina nearly scored early, working on a scramble in front of the Penn State bench. But Pearsall was able to work his way out of bounds and force a reset with 1:50 left. Cagnina forced another scramble on the Lion logo, but Pearsall was able to once again fight off the move and force another reset, this time with :26 on the clock. After an eventful but scoreless first period, Cagnina chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed Pearsall for a 2-0 lead. Two near fall points, nearly pinning Pearsall, gave the Lehigh grappler a 4-0 lead at the 1:05 mark. Pearsall escaped to a 4-1 deficit and nearly got his first takedown with a strong low double. But Cagnina was able to back out of bounds to keep his lead and force a reset with :38 left in the second period. Pearsall fought off a late Cagnina shot and trailed 4-1 heading into the final stanza. Pearsall chose down to start the final period and gave up two near fall points while trying to escape, falling behind 6-1. Pearsall escaped to a 6-2 deficit with 1:15 left and was taken down with 1:00 left, falling behind 8-3 after a quick escape. Cagnina was scrambling for another takedown to secure a major and countered a Pearsall shot with :14 left. Pearsall, needing an escape to avoid the major (Cagnina had the riding time point), gave up a point on two cautions. Cagnina posted the 12-3 major, giving LU a 4-3 lead. 141: True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 141, met Lehigh's Joey Dutton. Alton wasted no time in thrilling a capacity Rec Hall crowd, getting a quick takedown. But Dutton reversed Alton and the Lion rookie lead 3-2 after a quick escape. Alton then quickly worked his arms around Dutton's shoulders, tossed the Lehigh wrestler to the mat and brought the Penn State faithful to their feet with a pin at the 1:21 mark. It was Alton's second straight pin of the weekend. 149: Sophomore James English (York, Pa.) filled in for No. 3 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) once again. Coming off a solid win at Bloomsburg Friday night, English met Lehigh sophomore Joey Napoli. Napoli got the first takedown early and led 2-1 with 2:28 after a quick English escape. Napoli got in deep on English's foot, but the talented Lion sophomore countered the move, worked his way around him for his own takedown and tied the bout 3-3 after a quick LU escape. Napoli was undaunted, however, and picked up a takedown with just :02 left in the period to lead 5-3 after three minutes. English chose down to start the second period but could not work his way out of a strong Napoli ride until the 1:20 mark. The escape cut LU's lead to 5-4 (Napoli had :51 in riding time). Napoli got in deep on English one more time, but the Lion was able to force a tie-up and wind out the clock. Napoli, leading 5-4, chose down to start the third period and was cut loose by English to a 6-4 lead. Napoli took one more late shot, but English once again scrambled his way around behind, forcing a stalemate with :37 left in the bout. English worked hard for a shot, but Napoli was able to walk backwards away from the Lion and notch a 6-4 win, cutting PSU's lead to 9-7. 157: Redshirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 6 nationally at 157, faced off against Mountain Hawk junior Sean Bilodeau. Taylor scored quickly, taking Bilodeau down and nearly picking up early back points. Bilodeau was able to reverse Taylor, only to be reversed again and with 1:35 on the clock, Taylor led 4-2. Bilodeau escaped to a 4-3 deficit, but Taylor continued to attack. Taylor smartly stepped behind a slight Bilodeau shot and picked up another takedown, adding two near fall points to lead 8-3 with :11 on the clock. A ride out gave the young Lion a five point lead after the first period (with 1:51 in riding time). Bilodeau chose down to start the second period and paid for it. Taylor scrambled on the edge of the mat as Bilodeau tried to force a reversal. The talented Lion caught the Lehigh junior and put his shoulders to the mat for a thrilling pin at the 3:33 mark. The amazing move gave Penn State a 15-7 lead at intermission. 165: Redshirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) met one of three ranked Lehigh grapplers in the form of No. 11 Brandon Hatchett at 165. Kemerer and the ranked LU grappler put on a show on the edge of the mat, as each man worked for an early takedown, only to be countered by the other. An action packed first period still ended in a scoreless tie. Hatchett chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Kemerer nearly scored on a solid high double, lifting Hatchett off the ground. But the ranked LU man was able to fight his way out of trouble and hold his slim lead with :38 left in the period. Trailing by one, Kemerer chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 1-1 tie with 1:14 on the clock. Kemerer's offensive pressure forced the Lehigh junior into a first stall warning. Neither man scored over the final minute and action entered a sudden victory period tied 1-1. Kemerer brought the PSU fans to their feet once again, shooting low and fast off the opening buzzer to post a stunning 3-1 win over the 11th-ranked Hatchett. The victory put PSU up 18-7. 174: Redshirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 174, faced off against talented LU rookie Austin Meys. Ruth and Meys scrambled early, with the talented Mountain Hawk grappler nearly scoring early. Ruth was able to work his way out of bounds and force a reset with 1:50 left in the first period. Meys was able to get the first takedown, however, turning a low single into a takedown and a 2-1 lead after a Ruth escape at the 1:00 mark. Ruth forced a scramble after a reset but Meys forced a stalemate with :32 left. Ruth countered a Meys headlock and worked his way behind him for a go head takedown with :15 left on the clock. A quick ride out gave the Lion freshman a 3-2 lead heading into the second period. Ruth chose down to start the second period. The Lion rookie swiftly slid behind Meys for a reversal and a 5-2 lead. Meys escaped to cut into Ruth's lead and action returned to the center circle. Ruth turned a high single into another takedown and a 7-3 lead with :52 on the clock. Meys escaped with :26 left. Trailing 7-4, Meys chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-5 deficit. Meys got hit for a first stall warning at the 1:32 mark as Ruth's offense force him into constant defense. Ruth iced the match with a late single leg, working for a takedown as time wound out. While not getting the points, the Lions posted a convincing 7-5 win and gave the Lions a 21-7 lead. 184: All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 184, took on No. 14 Robert Hamlin in one of two bouts pitting ranked opponents against each other. Wright countered a Hamlin shot at the :40 mark and rolled his way around him for a takedown on the edge of the mat. A quick Hamlin escaped made the score 2-1 with :25 on the clock. Trailing 2-1, Hamlin chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Wright got called for a stall warning at the :35 mark and was then taken down by Hamlin at the :11 mark to take a 4-2 lead into the third period. Trailing by two, Wright chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 4-3 deficit. With just :40 left, Wright began scrambling for a go ahead takedown, but Hamlin was able to back away and stun the Lion faithful with a 4-3 upset win. 197: Sophomore Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) faced off against LU junior Joe Kennedy at 197. The duo battled through a scoreless first period with neither man finding an opening to score. Kennedy chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead :25 into the stanza. The Mountain Hawk then gained control of Ortega's right ankle, forcing a long scramble until he picked up the takedown with :40 left in the period, taking a 3-0 lead. Kennedy rode Ortega out and carried that lead into the final period. Ortega chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Kennedy. Kennedy turned the Lion sophomore for three near fall points to up his lead to 6-0 with 1:00 left in the match. With a riding time point assured, Kennedy worked for bonus point to try and pick up a major or more. Ortega gave up one stall point and with the riding time point, Kennedy notched an 8-0 major. Kennedy rode Ortega out and carried that lead into the final period. Ortega chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Kennedy. Kennedy turned the Lion sophomore for three near fall points to up his lead to 6-0 with 1:00 left in the match. With a riding time point assured, Kennedy worked for bonus point to try and pick up a major or more. Ortega gave up one stall point and with the riding time point, Kennedy notched an 8-0 major. PSU still lead 21-14. 285: Nittany Lion Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) faced off against Lehigh's Zach Rey in a battle of top-ten heavyweights. Wade entered the bout ranked No. 9 while Rey was the nation's top-ranked big man. The talented ranked duo wrestled evenly for the first three minutes, with neither grappler finding an opening to score. Rey chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to a reversal and a 2-0 lead. Rey let Wade loose after a reset with 1:05 left and Wade trailed 2-1. Trailing by one, Wade chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 2-2 tie. Wade began pressuring Rey, forcing the top-ranked Mountain Hawk backwards over the final minute. But the Nittany Lion junior could not break through and the bout headed to a sudden victory period. No one mounted a threat in the extra period and the bout moved to two :30 tie-breaker. Rey was down to start the first :30 and once again, the top-ranked Hawk reversed Wade to take a 4-2 lead. Wade took down to start his period and escaped to a 4-3 and worked for a reversal. Rey was able to hold him off and post a 4-2 (TB) decision. Still, Penn State notched a convincing 21-17 win over Lehigh.

BOISE, Idaho -- The 22nd-ranked Oregon State wrestling team overcame an early 14-0 deficit, winning 18 consecutive points in an 18-18 tie with second-ranked Boise State Saturday night at Taco Bell Arena. "This was a good opener for us," Oregon State head coach Jim Zalesky said. "I was happy with our ability to come back after they opened up with a sizeable lead and we battled the entire night. It was a great matchup between two top 25 teams that will end up meeting again later in the season." Colby Covington, Chad Hanke and Clayton Jack posted major decisions in the tie, Oregon State's first under Zalesky. Other winners included Brice Arand and Jason Lara. The meet at Boise State was the season opener for the Beavers and the second dual meet of the year for Boise State. And it was a tightly-contested event that saw both teams post large scoreless streaks before two weight classes at the end ultimately decided the meet was going to end as a tie. Boise State ran off 14 consecutive points, winning three each at 141, 149 and 165 pounds. Adam Hall posted the night's only technical fall, winning 22-7 over OSU freshman Alex Elder. But Covington ended that scoring streak for the Broncos, posting OSU's first points with a 13-4 major decision over Jake Swartz at the 174-pound class. Brice Arand (184 pounds) followed Covington with a strong 12-5 decision over Randy Larson that pushed the Beavers to a 14-7 deficit. They didn't stop there. Hanke tallied Oregon State's second major decision of the night, defeating Derek Toney, 13-3, at 197-pounds to give the Beavers four more points. OSU took the lead for the first time on the night with with the heavyweight wrestler Jack. He posted the Beavers' third and final major decision, getting it over Boise State's Toby Erickson. Jack's win earned the Beavers four more points for a 15-14 advantage. Jason Lara and Alan Bartelli had perhaps the night's most competitive bout at 125 pounds. The ninth bout of the night - the meet started at 141 pounds - saw two overtimes, ultimately being decided by a Lara escape 17 seconds into the second overtime. Bartelli and Lara managed just one point apiece in regular time. The nation's No. 1 wrestler at 133 pounds, Andrew Hochstrasser, was able to down Oregon State's Kelly Kubec, 11-0, for a major decision on the last bout of the night. That sent the Broncos to an 18-18 tie with the Beavers. Oregon State will next hit the mat Sunday, Nov. 21 when the Beavers travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on host Missouri and Hofstra. Results: 141 - Levi Jones (BSU) decision over Garrett Drucker (OSU), 9-8. BSU 3-0 149 - Jason Chamberlain (BSU) decision over Scott Sakaguchi (OSU), 4-3. BSU 6-0 157 - Adam Hall (BSU) technical fall over Alex Elder (OSU), 22-7. BSU 11-0 165 - Michael Cuthbertson (BSU) decision over Jon Brascetta (OSU), 4-3. BSU 14-0 174 - Colby Covington (OSU) major decision over Jake Swartz (BSU), 13-4. BSU 14-4 184 - Brice Arand (OSU) decision over Randy Larson (BSU), 12-5. BSU 14-7 197 - Chad Hanke (OSU) major decision over Derek Toney (BSU), 13-3. BSU 14-11 HWT - Clayton Jack (OSU) major decision over Toby Erickson (BSU), 13-4. OSU 15-14 125 - Jason Lara (OSU) decision over Alan Bartelli (BSU), 3-2 - 2 OT. OSU 18-14 133 - Andrew Hochstrasser (BSU) major decision over Kelly Kubec (OSU), 11-0. Tie 18-18

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley University wrestling head coach Greg Williams added two more highly touted wrestlers to the six he signed earlier in the week. Jade and Val Rauser, both seniors from Broadwater High School in Townsend, Montana, signed letters of intent Friday with the Wolverines. "Both Val and Jade are a great addition to our program," said Williams. "Their resumes are very impressive, but we were even more impressed with them as individuals. They are very grounded. They have a super work ethic and they bring a great deal of experience into our room. We are excited to have the opportunity to work with them as student-athletes and help them reach their goals." Jade was the first Triple Crown winner in USA Wrestling history winning national titles in 2009 in all three styles (folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-roman). He has gone undefeated his entire high school career as he holds an impressive 129-0 record and three state titles. He will be going for his fourth straight title this year. Val is a seven time All-American in Fargo, winning Greco-roman titles twice and runner-up finishes in freestyle twice. He also won the folkstyle nationals in 2008. His high school record is 136-4 and he has won two state titles and one runner-up finish. He will be going for his third title this year. A day earlier, Williams announced that he had received letter of intent from six other wrestlers; Kyle and Chase Cuthbertson (Scottsboro, Alabama), Logan Addis (Mingus, Arizona), Brian Chamberlain (Moses Lake, Washington), Chris Mayolo (La Center, Washington) and Derek Thomas (Layton, Utah). The signees mark the best recruiting class that UVU has ever had in its young history.

AMES, Iowa -- For the fourth time, Iowa State senior Jon Reader is a Harold Nichols Open champion. Reader continues to crush his opposition, and won his finals match by a 21-5 technical fall in the 174-pound weight class Saturday in the Bergstrom Athletic Training Facility. “This was another great opportunity to wrestle, compete and lead by example just like coach (Kevin Jackson) preaches,” Reader said. “I bleed cardinal and gold, and am proud to have won four titles here in front of my home crowd.” Joining Reader on the top of the podium were Iowa State true freshman Ryak Finch and Kyven Gadson and redshirt junior Kyle Simonson. Finch used a non-stop motor to power his way to the championship at 125-pounds. The youngster from Safford, Ariz. completely shut down his opposition’s offense the entire day, only allowing ten points in four matches, including a dominant 13-2 major decision in the finals. “It felt good coming into an environment like this for the first time,” Finch said. “There are so many Cyclone fans because this school has such a great tradition. I think that two freshman champions shows where this program is heading.” Gadson had a tough road to the finals of the 184-pound weight class, but made the most of his first appearance in-front of Iowa State fans. The freshman from Waterloo met up with seventh-ranked Josh Ihnen in the second round. The match was knotted at 2-2 before Gadson locked up a cradle and earned the fall in just under six minutes. He posted twin 3-2 victories in the semis and the finals to claim his first tournament victory as a Cyclone. “I thought that I wrestled alright, because it is the first time I have wrestled since February because of a torn labrum,” Gadson said. “It helps a lot when you know how much hard work you have put in and you know how hard you can push yourself. It really helps in those close matches.” Simonson, a junior from Algona, continued to show why the coaches are so excited about the heavyweight class this year. He used strong defense and excellent riding ability to completely shut-down his opposition. Simonson racked up a pin and a technical fall en route to the finals, where he claimed an 8-2 victory. “It feels good to wrestle well, it is exactly what we train for,” Simonson said. “I trained three years hard with Jake Varner and I think that has really helped me out a lot.” Brandon Jones pinned his first opponent of the day before falling in consecutive matches. For the second tournament in a row, Iowa State's Max Mayfield did things the hard way. After falling in his second match of the day by a score of 8-7, Mayfield reeled off an incredible six consecutive victories on the bottom side of the 149-pound bracket to come back all the way for a third-place finish. Iowa State’s success in the 149-pound weight class did not end there, with true freshman Joe Cozart also putting in an impressive performance. Cozart reached the semi-finals before falling to runner-up Justin DeAngelis of Oklahoma. Cozart then traversed his way through the consolation bracket and won a tight 3-2 match for fifth-place. Trent Weatherman continues to improve quickly in his redshirt freshman season at 157-pounds. After a big dual victory on Thursday night, Weatherman muscled his way all the way to the finals. He fell victim to an early five-point throw and could not fight his way back, earning himself a strong second-place finish. Michael Moreno gave Cyclone fans even more reason to be excited when the true freshman earned a third-place finish. Moreno’s only loss on the day came to Nebraska’s national champion Jordan Burroughs in the semi-finals. He was the third Iowa State true freshman to qualify for the semis in Saturday's action. “I really think that we came out today with more fire and intensity,” coach Jackson said. “Our freshman really came out and helped set the tone today, which really shows you where we are headed. I am happy with the results, because this is certainly the hardest we have competed so far this year.” Of the Cyclone trio of Tyler Christensen, Matt Riley and Cole Shafer at 184-pounds, it was Shafer who wrestled the best today. Shafer defeated Christensen by a score of 6-0 to make his way into the consolation finals, where he fell in a tough match with Nebraska’s seventh-rated Josh Ihnen. Iowa State's Jerome Ward breezed past his competition on this way to the finals to meet Wartburg’s Byron Tate. Ward fell behind late and could not quite recover, losing by a score of 8-5 to claim second place. Trevor Voelker also wrestled well at 197-pounds, as he had to wrestle through the consolation side of the bracket on his way to a sixth-place finish. “You are going to compete the way you practice, and we have been practicing hard,” Jackson said. “Jon Reader is really the leader in this. He performs at a very high level every day and puts everything on the line. The rest of the team is starting to follow his lead. Congratulations to him on his fourth title, he puts in the effort and is reaping the rewards.” 2010 Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open Finals Matches 125 pounds – Ryak Finch (ISU) mdec. Cruse Aarhus (UNI), 13-2 133 pounds – Ridge Kiley (NU) dec. Ryan Jauch (UNI), 4-3 141 pounds – Gabriel Suarez (SCSU) dec. Seth Noble (UNI), 7-5 149 pounds – Essai Dominguez (Unatt.) dec. Justin DeAngelis, 5-2 157 pounds – George Ivanov (Unatt.) dec. Trent Weatherman (ISU), 11-6 165 pounds – Jordan Burroughs (NU) forfeit over Robert Kokesh (NU) 174 pounds – Jon Reader (ISU) wbtf Ryan Pankoke (Unatt.), 21-5 184 pounds – Kyven Gadson (ISU) dec. Spencer Johnson (NU), 3-2 197 pounds – Byron Tate (Wartburg) dec. Jerome Ward (ISU), 8-5 285 pounds – Kyle Simonson (ISU) dec. John Helgerson (Wartburg), 8-2

TEMPE -- With five wins earning six team points and two other bonus point victories, the No. 16 Arizona State University wrestling team easily won its second road dual of the day, 41-6, during its first visit to No. 10 (NAIA) Embry-Riddle on Saturday night in Prescott, Ariz. The Sun Devils (2-0), who earlier in the day downed host No. 7 (NCAA-D2) Grand Canyon in Phoenix, won 8-of-10 matches against the Eagles and led the entire dual. Just as it happened earlier in the day, No. 3 Anthony Robles got the Sun Devils off to a fast start as he pinned John Garza (NAIA #11) in 1:25 of their 125-pound match, giving ASU a 6-0 lead and Robles his second pin of the day in under 1:50. The Sun Devils extended their lead with two more victories, including David Prado's first win of the season in a 6-4 decision over Alfonso Valles at 133 pounds. That win was followed by Kalin Goodsite recording his second major decision victory of the day at 141 pounds, this time with a 22-9 score over Jeremy Mazon. Leading 13-0, the tables turned as the Eagles took a pair of victories, including an upset at 157. First up, Josh Chang scored a 7-5 decision over Luke Ashmore to put the hosts on the board. Then, Tyler Chang, who is ranked No. 2 in NAIA, knocked off No. 3 Bubba Jenkins, 5-2. Despite the losses, the Sun Devils took the momentum away quickly at No. 15 Te Edwards scored a 14-4 major decision at 165 over Matthew Hamilton before a string of four, six-team-point wins were rattled off by the Sun Devils. Combined, ASU's next three wins took just over five minutes on the mat clocks as Eric Starks (174), Jake Meredith (184) and Luke Macchiaroli (197) all scored first-period wins by fall. Starks pinned Luke Riley in 2:40 before Meredith bettered that time with his pin of Brandon Martyn in 1:19. Macchiaroli bested both of them, as well as Robles, with his pin of Troy Killgore in 1:16. The dual ended with Levi Cooper winning by forfeit for the team's final six points. With the victory, the Sun Devils improved to 64-9-0 all-time against teams from the state of Arizona and extended its winning streak over Copper State schools to 44 in a row. Also, for the fourth time in six tries, the Sun Devils went 2-0 when competing in two road duals on the same day at different teams' home site. A busy week awaits the Sun Devils as they will host one dual, travel to a tournament and have two individuals compete in an all-star event. The week starts at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Wells Fargo Arena as ASU plays host to No. 8 Oklahoma (fans are encouraged to wear gold). Then, on Saturday, the Sun Devils will compete in the CS Fullerton Open in Fullerton, Calif., before Robles and Jenkins travel to Fresno, Calif., the next day to compete in the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic. Results: 125 - #3 Anthony Robles (AS) pinned #11 (NAIA) John Garza, 1:25 133 - David Prado (AS) dec. Alfonso Valles, 6-4 141 - Kalin Goodsite (AS) major Jeremy Mazon, 22-9 149 - Josh Chang (ER) dec. Luke Ashmore, 7-5 157 - #2 (NAIA) Tyler Chang (ER) dec. #3 Bubba Jenkins, 5-2 165 - #15 Te Edwards (AS) major Matthew Hamilton, 14-4 174 - Eric Starks (AS) pinned Luke Riley, 2:40 184 - Jake Meredith (AS) pinned Brandon Martyn, 1:19 197 - Luke Macchiaroli (AS) pinned Troy Killgore, 1:16 285 - Levi Cooper (AS) won by forfeit Arizona State begins season with win over Grand Canyon TEMPE -- The No. 16 Arizona State University wrestling team opened its 2010-11 season on the road Saturday and used victories in 8-of-10 matches, including three with bonus points, to take an opening win, 29-8, over host Grand Canyon (No. 7 in NCAA Division II) inside Antelope Gymnasium in Phoenix. Over 1,000 fans turned out to support both programs and watched ASU move to 1-0 on the year with one more dual against an Arizona foe later this evening. The dual opened at 125 pounds with No. 3 Anthony Robles taking the mat for the first time in his senior campaign. He was not on the mat long as he stuck AJ Chavez in 1:49 to secure the 87th win in his career and the 23rd win by fall. With a 6-0 lead through one match, the Sun Devils looked to build on that lead, but No. 3 (D2) Todd Wilcox did his part in keeping the Antelopes in the dual as he won a 16-1 technical fall over David Prado at 133 pounds to bring the hosts to within one point (6-5). The close team score was short lived, however, as the Sun Devils won the next four matches, including the first three by wrestlers making their Sun Devil debuts. At 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Kalin Goodsite posted a 16-5 major decision over Bobby Schofield to get the string of victories started before Luke Ashmore won his match at 149 pounds, 12-5, over Jose Navarro. No. 3 Bubba Jenkins then made his debut at 157 pounds and secured an 11-8 decision over Juan Carlos Maynes before No. 15 Te Edwards' 9-3 decision over Mike Fucci at 165 brought the team score to 19-5. At 174 pounds, GCU collected their second and final win of the dual as Victor Carazo, who is ranked among the Top 5 in the nation at 165 pounds, won a hard-fought 3-2 decision over Eric Starks. Following that loss, however, the Sun Devils would rebound and take the final three matches, starting with Jake Meredith's 9-1 major decision win over Ryan Becerra, a returning Division II All-American. The last two wins also came from Sun Devils making their debuts, including Luke Macchiaroli at 197 (won 6-3 decision over Kevin Treftz) and Levi Cooper at heavyweight (a 3-1 decision winner of Peter Anguiano). With the team win, the Sun Devils improved to 35-14-0 all-time in their first dual of the season and 5-0-0 when opening the season with a dual against another team from Arizona. ASU also improves to 63-9-0 all-time against fellow Copper State teams and has now won 43 in a row against Arizona State schools. The Sun Devils will be back action later this evening as they face the Eagles of Embry-Riddle in a 7 p.m. dual in Prescott, Ariz. Results: 125 - #3 Anthony Robles (AS) pinned AJ Chavez, 1:49 133 - #3 (D2) Todd Wilcox (GC) tech fall David Prado, 16-1 141 - Kalin Goodsite (AS) major Bobby Schofield, 16-5 149 - Luke Ashmore (ASU) dec. Jose Navarro, 12-5 157 - #3 Bubba Jenkins (AS) dec. Juan Carlos Maynes, 11-8 165 - #15 Te Edwards (AS) dec. Mike Fucci, 9-3 174 - Victor Carazo (GC) dec. Eric Starks, 3-2 184 - Jake Meredith (AS) major Ryan Becerra, 9-1 197 - Luke Macchiaroli (AS) dec. Kevin Treftz, 6-3 285 - Levi Cooper (AS) dec. Peter Anguiano, 3-1 Attendance: 1,021

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The No. 21 Virginia wrestling team ran its dual record to 6-0 with a trio of victories Saturday at The Duals at Hershey, held at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pa. Virginia scored an 18-13 win over No. 14 Kent State, marking the highest ranked opponent UVa has ever defeated. Virginia followed that up with a 25-13 win over Edinboro for the Cavaliers' first-ever win over the Fighting Scots. UVa opened the day with a 32-6 triumph over The Citadel. Nick Nelson (R-Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.), Chris Henrich (Sr., Lansdale, Pa.) and Jon Fausey (R-Fr., Dalmatia, Pa.) each swept their three matches Saturday at 141, 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. With his three victories Saturday, Henrich moves to 107 career wins and needs one victory to match Brent Jones (108, 2005-10) for fourth place in UVa history. After starting the day with a win over The Citadel, the Cavaliers followed with an impressive victory over Kent State for UVa's first win in six tries against the Golden Flashes. Virginia won six of their 10 matches. After the Cavaliers lost at 125 pounds to start the match, UVa ran off four straight wins by decision, culminated by a Shawn Harris (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio) 11-7 victory over No. 19 Matt Cathell at 157. The Golden Flashes are the highest-ranked foe UVa has ever defeated, topping the Cavaliers' win over then-No. 16 American last season. Virginia finished the day with a win over Edinboro, whom the Cavaliers were 0-3-1 against previously. UVa also won six of 10 bouts against the Fighting Scots, including falls from Henrich and Fausey. The Fighting Scots held a 13-7 lead through six matches before UVa stormed back to win the final four weight classes. Henrich pinned Chris Hrunka in 2:06, and Fausey followed with a pin of Ken Massey in just 49 seconds. Mike Salopek (R-So., North Huntingdon, Pa.) then won by decision at 197 before heavyweight Jack Danilkowicz (R-Sr., Green Oaks, Ill.) pulled out a 5-3 win over Ernest James in sudden victory time. In the opener against The Citadel, the Cavaliers won eight of 10 bouts to cruise to the win. UVa's lone losses each came in sudden victory time. Of the Cavaliers' eight wins, six resulted in bonus points, with Fausey and Danilkowicz each recording tech falls. Virginia is off next weekend but returns to dual-meet competition on Nov. 28 at the Northeast Duals. The Cavaliers will wrestle Columbia, Lehigh and Pittsburgh. No. 21 Virginia 32, The Citadel 6 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Tyler Sim (Citadel), 5-2; UVa 3-0 133: Joe Spisak (UVa) dec. Richard Alarcon Jr. (Citadel), 7-2; UVa 6-0 141: No. 16 Nick Nelson (UVa) major dec. Jordan Dix (Citadel), 12-3; UVa 10-0 149: Derek Royster (Citadel) dec. No. 19 Derek Valenti (UVa), 6-4 (SV); UVa 10-3 157: Shawn Harris (UVa) major dec. Pierre Frazile (Citadel), 8-0; UVa 14-3 165: Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel) dec. Conner Miller (UVa), 6-5 (SV); UVa 14-6 174: No. 2 Chris Henrich (UVa) major dec. James Oddo (Citadel), 13-2; UVa 18-6 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) tech fall Justin Sparrow (Citadel), 16-0 (4:13); UVa 23-6 197: No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa) major dec. Kelby Smith (Citadel), 10-1; UVa 27-6 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) tech fall Luke Johnson (Citadel), 18-1 (6:48); UVa 32-6 No. 21 Virginia 18, No. 14 Kent State 13 125: No. 6 Nic Bedelyon (KSU) dec. Matt Snyder (UVa), 7-2; KSU 3-0 133: Joe Spisak (UVa) dec. Tyler Small (KSU), 5-2; Tied 3-3 141: No. 16 Nick Nelson (UVa) dec. Chase Skonieczny (KSU), 3-2; UVa 6-3 149: No. 19 Derek Valenti (UVa) dec. Tommy Sasfy (KSU), 2-0, UVa 9-3 157: Shawn Harris (UVa) dec. No. 19 Matt Cathell (KSU), 11-7; UVa 12-3 165: Ross Tice dec. Conner Miller (UVa), 7-3; UVa 12-6 174: No. 2 Chris Henrich (UVa) dec. Brandon Johnson (KSU), 10-3; UVa 15-6 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) dec. Casey Newburg (KSU), 6-2; UVa 18-6 197: No. 3 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) major dec. No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa), 9-1; UVa 18-10 285: No. 13 Brendan Barlow (KSU) dec. Jack Danilkowicz (UVa), 3-2; UVa 18-13 No. 21 Virginia 25, Edinboro 13 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Evan Yenolevich (Edinboro), 8-6; UVa 3-0 133: Eric Morrill (Edinboro) dec. Joe Spisak (UVa), 5-1; Tied 3-3 141: No. 16 Nick Nelson (UVa) major dec. Vinny Pisani (Edinboro), 14-4; UVa 7-3 149: No. 9 Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro) dec. No. 19 Derek Valenti (UVa), 5-1; UVa 7-6 157: Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro) dec. Shawn Harris (UVa), 9-4; Edinboro 9-7 165: Matt Laird (Edinboro) major dec. Conner Miller (UVa), 10-2; Edinboro 13-7 174: No. 2 Chris Henrich (UVa) pinned Chris Hrunka (Edinboro), 2:06; Tied 13-13 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) pinned Ken Massey (Edinboro), :49; UVa 19-13 197: No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa) dec. Shawn Fendone (Edinboro), 4-2; UVa 22-13 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) dec. Ernest James (Edinboro), 5-3 (SV); UVa 25-13

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Purdue wrestling team continued its solid start to the 2010-11 season on Saturday, winning a pair of titles and placing five individuals at the Michigan State Open, hosted by the Spartans at Jenison Fieldhouse. Sixth-ranked junior A.J. Kissel led the way, winning four matches en route to the 184-pound open title. Kissel was solid throughout the tournament, posting a pair of major decisions and three shutouts as he cruised to a flawless 6-0 start to the season. He opened the day with a 9-0 major decision over Olivet’s Jim Neal, and followed up with another 9-0 shutout win over Joe Barczak of Illinois. The string of scoreless foes followed in the semifinals with a 4-0 blanking of Jake Burge of Notre Dame College, and Kissel capped the day with a 6-4 decision over Brad Dieckhaus of Northern Illinois. Freshman Camden Eppert finished second at 125 pounds, while senior Sam Patacsil placed fifth at 149 pounds to account for Purdue’s other two placewinners in the open division. Eppert battled to the finals with a trio of decisions, taking down Ben Sergent of Findlay, 4-2, nearly scoring a major decision over Justin Brooks of archrival Indiana, 9-3, and edging Central Michigan’s Christian Cullinan in overtime, 6-5. Eppert nearly gave the Boilermakers a second open title on the day, but fell to Bucknell’s Derick Reber, 6-4, moving to 4-2 on the year. Patacsil took fifth in a strong 149-pound weight class, posting a 4-2 record on the day to move to 5-3 on the season. He opened with an 11-2 major decision over Lawrence Cavello of Cleveland State, but suffered a 6-3 setback to Michigan State’s Dan Osterman in the second round to fall to the consolation bracket. Patacsil righted the ship in the wrestlebacks, notching a 14-0 major decision over Cleveland State’s Kyle Mays and posting a 15-8 victory over sophomore teammate Tommy Churchard. Patacsil fell a second time in the consolation semifinals, sustaining a 6-1 loss to Nick Walpole of Indianapolis, but closed out the day on a high note in the fifth-place match, notching an 8-2 decision over Northern Illinois’ Vince Castillo. Freshmen Kyle Mosier and Alex White both had excellent showings in the Frosh/Soph Division at Michigan State as Mosier won the tournament at 165 pounds, while White placed third among the heavyweights. After filling in for injured senior teammate Luke Manuel at 174 pounds last weekend, Mosier rolled out four victories at his natural weight of 165, including a pair of falls. He stuck Heidelberg’s Justin Wharton in just 1:06 to start the day, and followed that up with a 6-4 decision over Bucknell’s Stephen McPeek in the quarterfinals and a 9-6 decision over Jeff Weiss of Indianapolis in the semifinals. Mosier scored his second pin of the day in the finals, pinning Ohio’s Neal Williams in 5:22. White was victorious in four of five matches on the day, winning all four by decision. He took a 5-3 win from Trine’s Dylan Forbes in his opener and followed with a 3-1 sudden victory over Jordan Decker of Mott Community College. After a 7-1 loss to Olivet’s Logan Renas in the semifinals, White rebounded with a 6-1 win over Indianapolis’ Evan Wooding and a 2-1 victory over Wooding’s Greyhound teammate Kyle Connors. Other solid performances came from 133-pound junior Matt Fields, 141-pound senior Akif Eren, Churchard and senior heavyweight Roger Vukobratovich. Fields and Eren both won a pair of matches on the day, while Churchard and Vukobratovich each earned a victory before being eliminated from the tournament. Already wrestling without senior standouts Manuel and 157-pounder Colton Salazar, the setbacks continued for Purdue on Saturday as junior Jake Fleckenstein medically forfeited out of the tournament after his opener and ninth-ranked senior Logan Brown withdrew from the tournament after winning a pair of matches in the 197-pound open bracket. Brown notched a 10-2 major decision over Kent State’s Joe Tymoszczuk to start the day and needed just 42 seconds to pin Harper’s Mike Kelly before leaving East Lansing for personal reasons. Freshman Justin Dinius medically withdrew from the tournament as well, earning a pin in the Frosh/Soph 197-pound tournament before bowing out. Purdue returns to action Friday, heading to Whiting, Ind., to face Calumet College of St. Joseph. For more information and a full preview, visit PurdueSports.com on Wednesday. For full brackets of Saturday’s action, visit www.trackwrestling.com.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Indiana University wrestling team began the 2010-11 season on Saturday, competing the Michigan State Open. Head Coach Duane Goldman saw nine of his wrestlers place in the tournament, including 197-pound champion Matt Powless and four additional finalists. Powless ripped off four consecutive victories to earn the 197-pound title He opened his season with a 22-10 major decision over Cleveland State’s Ryan Crabtree and concluded the MSU Open by topping Matt Wilps of Pitt in an 8-5 decision. Kinser battled his way to the finals for the third straight year at the MSU Open, winning championships in both 2008 and 2009. In this season’s title match, No. 6 Kinser faced No. 5 Kevin LeValley of Bucknell, with the Bison posting a 5-0 winner. Ortega, Young and Alcala all joined Kinser in the finals. Ortega got right to business in his first match of the season, sticking his opening around opponent in just six seconds. He then followed with back-to-back decisions to advance to the championship match. Young bullied his way to the finals, pinning his first three adversaries before recording a 17-6 major decision in the semifinals. Young now has 27 career pins in Hoosier singlet, cracking the school’s all-time top-10. Alcala, a transfer from UC-Davis, made an impressive debut as a Hoosier. The California native had his hand raised after four of five bouts, earning a second place finish in the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, his teammate Joe Fagiano was also in the heavyweight bracket. Fagiano dropped just one decision as well, opposed to five wins for a third place showing. Brooks, a redshirt freshman, also made his Indiana debut on Saturday. Strung together four straight wins in the 125-pound wrestleback to take his spot on the podium in third place. Avery made a push to the 174-lbs. championship draw semifinals before suffering his first defeat of the day. The Foxboro, Mass., native then notched one more victory to finish fifth . Indiana’s final placer was true freshman Taylor Walsh. He had a long day for sure, falling in his first match before grinding through six triumphs in the 157-pound Freshman/Sophomore Division wrestlebacks to seize third place. The Cream and Crimson head to Wabash on Thursday, Nov. 18 for their first dual match of the season. That showdown is scheduled for a 6:30 pm start.

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Utah Valley senior 125-pounder Benjamin Kjar won his first tournament title of the season in his season debut Saturday at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. In all, all five Wolverine wrestlers that competed attached at the open ended up placing. Of the five, four of them reached the semifinals in their respective weight class. Four of the five also competed in the elite division on the day. Only redshirt-freshman Avery Garner wrestled in the amateur bracket. Wolverine sophomore 141-pounder Wyatt Ray was UVU's next highest finisher as the grappler placed second in his weight's elite division. Ray won his first four bouts before falling in the title match to Cole VonOhlen from conference-rival Air Force. In Ray's first match of the open he defeated host-Wyoming's Chase Smith by fall only a mere 0:53 into the bout. UVU redshirt-freshman 157-pounder Abner Cook also had a good showing at the open as he wrestled back to place third. Cook finished going an impressive 6-1 and won his third place match by fall (2:35) over CSU-Pueblo's Levi Jutila. Sophomore heavyweight Eric McAllister ended up placing fourth for UVU in the elite division as he went 2-2. In the amateur bracket, Garner too placed fourth at 141-pounds as he went 4-2 at the tournament. The No. 11 ranked 125-pounder in the country, Kjar, ended up going a perfect 3-0 for UVU as he won his weight bracket. In the finals, Kjar defeated Northern Colorado's Sam Bauer by decision, 3-1, to. Kjar won his other two matches by major decision (14-5) and decision (11-4). Two other wrestlers ended up placing at the open that were competing unattached for Utah Valley. Freshman 125-pounder Colby Christensen ended up winning the amateur lightweight bracket, while junior 184-pounder Brad Darrington placed fourth in the elite bracket. Christensen went a perfect 4-0 en route to his title, while Darrington finished 4-2 for his fourth place finish. The Wolverines will take the mat again next weekend, Nov. 20, when they head to Omaha, Neb., to compete in the Kaufman-Brand Open. Following the Kaufman-Brand, UVU will then head to Vegas on Dec. 3-4, to take part in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The defending NCAA and Big Ten champion University of Iowa wrestling team hosted its annual wrestle-off finals Saturday morning at the UI Field House practice gym. Twelve bouts were contested during the intrasquad event. "We've got a lot of obvious things to work on," said University of Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands. "Those things come into sharp focus when you have an event like this." Hawkeye fans got a look at the future of the wrestling team as 16 of Saturday's 24 competitors are underclassmen. Defending NCAA Champion Matt McDonough opened the meet at 125 with match-ending 20-3 technical fall in 6:08. Fans were treated to an exciting match at 133 between junior Tyler Clark and sophomore Nate Moore. Tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation, Clark kept Moore from escaping during the first 30-second tiebreak period, and then recorded a pin at the 8:48 mark. Two of the three Ballweg brothers posted victories, as sophomore Mark posted a 12-4 major decision over freshman Ethan Owens at 141, and freshman Jacob scored an 8-7 win over sophomore Jeret Chiri at 149. Redshirt freshman Derek St. John spoiled the Ballweg sweep with his 6-2 win over senior Matt at 157. Seniors Jake Kerr and Aaron Janssen battled at 165, with Kerr recording four takedowns for the 9-3 decision. The Lofthouse family had two victories to celebrate as redshirt freshmen Ethen scored a 4-2 win over freshman Mike Evans at 174. Luke Lofthouse, who is a senior and Ethen's uncle, scored a 14-4 major decision over redshirt freshman Tomas Lira at 197. At 184, sophomore Grant Gambrall scored an 8-2 win over junior Vinnie Wagner. Junior Blake Rasing scored a takedown in overtime to post a 3-1 decision over junior Jordan Johnson at heavyweight. Redshirt freshman Dylan Carew closed out the event, pinning sophomore Joe Moore in nine seconds at 149. Iowa will open the 2010-11 season Friday with the third-annual Iowa City Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Iowa Central at 4 p.m. and Coe College at 6 p.m. Season tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office, at (319) 335-9323, or online at hawkeyesports.com. Tickets are $67 for members of the public and $55 for UI faculty and staff. Tickets for the Iowa City Duals are $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $6 for youth if purchased at the door. Thursday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 - Tony Ramos tech. fall Charlie Joseph, 20-4 in 6:47 Friday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 – Nate Moore dec. Nick Trizzino, 3-2 133 – Tyler Clark dec. Tony Ramos, 3-2 TB 141 – Ethan Owens tech. fall Joe Moore, 17-1 in 4:57 149 – Jeret Chiri dec. Stew Gillmor, 8-5 149 – Jake Ballweg maj. dec. Ethan Sebert, 9-1 157 – Matt Ballweg dec. Nick Moore, 3-2 157 – Derek St. John dec. Michael Kelly, 11-4 174 – Mike Evans dec. Jeremy Fahler, 7-2 184 – Vinnie Wagner dec. Tomas Lira, 2-0 Hwt. – Jordan Johnson dec. Bobby Telford, 2-1 TB Saturday’s Wrestle-Off Results 125 – Matt McDonough tech. fall Matt Gurule, 20-3 in 6:08 133 – Tyler Clark pinned Nate Moore, 8:48 133 – Tony Ramos dec. Nick Trizzino, 4-3 141 – Mark Ballweg maj. dec. Ethan Owens, 12-4 149 – Jake Ballweg dec. Jeret Chiri, 8-7 157 – Derek St. John dec. Matt Ballweg, 6-2 165 – Jake Kerr dec. Aaron Janssen, 9-3 174 – Ethen Lofthouse dec. Mike Evans, 4-2 184 – Grant Gambrall dec. Vinnie Wagner, 8-2 197 – Luke Lofthouse maj. dec. Tomas Lira, 14-4 Hwt. – Blake Rasing dec. Jordan Johnson, 3-1 SV 149 – Dylan Carew pinned Joe Moore, 0:09

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 6 nationally, opened up the 2010-11 season with a resounding 41-3 win at Bloomsburg. The young Lions, with five freshmen starters, won nine of ten bouts and picked up three pins in front of a standing room only crowd in BU's Nelson Field House. Five of Penn State's starters were either true or red-shirt freshmen making their collegiate debuts and all five of them were victorious. True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) got the night started in fine fashion with a 5-3 win over Bloomsburg's Sean Boylan at 125. Sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) thrilled the many Penn State faithful with a fall over three-time New York state high school champion Nick Wilcox at the 2:59 mark at 133. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 141, made his much anticipated collegiate debut with a quick pin of BU's Derek Shingara at the :54 mark. Sophomore James English (York, Pa.), stepping in for No. 3 Frank Molinaro at 149, notched a thrilling 8-4 TB win against Bloomsburg's Josh Roosa. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), also making his collegiate debut, put on an offensive clinic. Ranked No. 6 at 157, Taylor posted a 20-5 technical fall in just 5:00. Taylor's show gave the Nittany Lions a 23-0 lead heading into intermission. Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) had a successful PSU debut, posting a 3-2 win over talented Huskie sophomore Josh Veltre at 165. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 174, then put on an offensive show, notching seven takedowns on his way to a 20-4 technical fall at the 6:16 mark. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 184, brought the many Penn State faithful in the capacity crowd to their feet with a quick second period pin. Wright got the fall just :07 into the middle stanza, putting Penn State up 37-0 at the 3:07 mark. Bloomsburg got its first win as Richard Perry posted a 7-4 win over Lion Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) at 197. Heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 9 at HWT, notched a convincing 8-0 major over BU junior Zac Walsh, a national qualifier. Penn State posted a convincing 24-3 edge in takedowns and, by virtue of three pins, two technical falls and a major, had 14 bonus points to BU's none. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, continues a busy opening weekend when No. 15 Lehigh invades Red Hall on Sunday, Nov. 14, for a 2 p.m. dual. Season tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season are on sale now. This year's package features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package) and costs only $42 for adults and $28 for youth (18 and under). Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557. A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders. Single dual tickets will go on sale later this fall. 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. Results: 125: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Sean Boylan BU, 5-3 3-0 133: Bryan Pearsall PSU pinned Nick Wilcox BU, WBF (2:59) 9-0 141: #14 Andrew Alton PSU pinned Derek Shingara BU, WBF (0:54) 15-0 149: James English PSU dec. (TB) Josh Roosa BU, 8-4 18-0 157: #6 David Taylor PSU tech. fall Frank Hickman BU, 20-5 (5:00) 23-0 165: Jake Kemerer PSU dec. JoshVeltre BU, 3-2 26-0 174: #13 Ed Ruth PSU tech. fall Mike Dessino BU, 20-4 (6:16) 31-0 184: #3 Quentin Wright PSU pinned Nate Graham BU, WBF (3:07) 37-0 197: Richard Perry BU dec. Justin Ortega PSU, 7-4 37-3 285: #9 Cameron Wade PSU maj. dec. Zac Walsh BU, 8-0 41-3 Attendance: 2,374 Records: Penn State 1-0 (0-0 Big Ten), Bloomsburg 3-1 (0-0 EWL) Up Next for Penn State: home vs. #17 Lehigh, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2 p.m. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made his collegiate debut against Bloomsburg rookie Sean Boylan at 125. Martellotti got on the board early, using a low single to score on the edge of the mat at the 1:53 mark, taking a 2-0 lead. The Lion rookie then put together a strong ride, maintaining control of Boylan for :32 before Boylan escaped to a 2-1 score. Martellotti nearly notched a second takedown as the period ended but time ran out. Boylan chose down to start the second period but could not break free of Martellotti's ride. The Lion freshman maintained control long enough to build up a 1:01 riding time edge before Boylan escaped to a 2-2 tie. Neither wrestler managed a scoring chance over the final minute and the bout went to a third period tied 2-2. Martellotti chose down to start the third period and this time it was Boylan that was tough on top. But Martellotti burst out from underneath at the 1:25 mark to take a 3-2 lead. Martellotti countered a quick Boylan shot with a strong double leg to take a 5-2 lead with another takedown at the :52 mark. Boylan escaped to a 5-3 deficit at the :24 mark with Martellotti owning only :54 in riding time. Martellotti nearly scored again but Boylan was able to keep from giving up any points. Still, the strong 5-3 decision for Martellotti put Penn State up 3-0. 133: Nittany Lion sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took on freshman Nick Wilcox at 133. Wilcox, a three-time New York state champion in high school, looked to score early, getting control of Pearsall's ankle early, but the Lion sophomore was able to move out of bounds to force a reset at the 2:00 mark. Another Wilcox shot led to a tie-up at the 1:25 mark, but Pearsall forced a scramble that allowed him to work his way around the side of the Huskie to get his own takedown at the :54 mark. Leading 2-0, Pearsall began to put together a very strong ride, looking to tilt the Huskie. With just :04 left, Pearsall worked Wilcox to his back and, with just :01 left got the pin. The fall put the Lions up 9-0. 141: True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 141, made his collegiate debut against Bloomsburg's Derek Shingara. Alton slipped under Shingara just :07 into his first bout to take an early 2-0 lead. The savvy Lion rookie quickly worked his way into control of Shingara's shoulders, deftly tossed him to the mat and wasted no time in getting the pin. Alton planted Shingara just :54 into his first collegiate bout and put the Lions up 15-0. 149: Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 3 at 149, was held out of the opener due to an injury and sophomore James English (York, Pa.) stepped in for the start. English took on Huskie sophomore Josh Roosa. The duo battled evenly for the first period and neither man found an opening in which to score. Tied 0-0, Roosa chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. English worked the center of the mat, forcing Roosa towards the outside circle for the bulk of the second period. Slight shots by the Nittany Lion were not enough to break through Roosa's pure defensive style and the Huskie held a 1-0 lead after two periods. English chose down to start the third period and quickly scrambled out to an escape and a 1-1 tie. Roosa took his first shot at the :51 mark of the third period, but English was able to easily step back out of trouble. The Lion then countered and nearly scored with :32 left, almost tossing Roosa to the mat. But Roosa worked his way out of trouble to keep the bout tied and send the match to a first sudden victory period. English took the period's first shot but Roosa fought it off. Roosa fought off two more late English shots to force two tie-breaker periods. English chose down for the first tie-breaker period and quickly reversed the Huskie and nearly pinned him. Three near fall points and an escape by Roosa gave English a 6-2 lead after :30. Roosa chose down to start the final :30, escaped and was quickly taken down again. A final escape by Roosa mattered not and English posted a thrilling 8-4 win, putting Penn State up 18-0. 157: Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 6 nationally at 157, made his collegiate debut against Bloom's Frank Hickman. Taylor wasted no time in getting his first collegiate takedown, scoring just :16 into the bout. Hickman escaped but was immediately taken down by Taylor again. Taylor tried to pin Hickman but the Huskie was able to scramble his way out of trouble and escape to a 4-2 deficit. Taylor then opened the floodgates. A quick takedown led to three near fall points and a 9-2 lead. Hickman managed to escape again, but Taylor used another quick single for a fourth takedown and quickly tilted Hickman for three more back points to lead 14-3 with 1:28 in riding time after one period. Taylor chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way free to an escape and a 15-3 lead. Hickman looked to score on a low single, but Taylor sat out and countered the move, forcing a tie-up with 1:12 left. Taylor then used a strong high double off the reset to take a 17-3 lead with 1:02 left. The Lion freshman began working for another tilt but got a bit loose on his move and was reversed by Hickman. The move cut Taylor's lead to 18-5 after a Taylor escape. With just :04 left, Taylor snagged a scrambling Hickman as he tried to scamper away and got a takedown to clinch a two-period technical fall. The 20-5 win at the 5:00 mark put Penn State up 23-0 heading into intermission. 165: Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) made his collegiate debut against Bloomsburg sophomore Josh Veltre at 165. Veltre got in deep on Kemerer's right leg and nearly took a 2-0 lead with a trip on the edge of the mat. But Kemerer was able to work his way out of bounds to keep the match scoreless a minute in. Kemerer matched Veltre's move, using a slow single to nearly score with :32 left. But this time, Veltre stepped out of bounds and forced the reset. Scoreless after one period, Veltre chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Kemerer nearly scored again at the :40 mark, almost finishing off a high single. But the Huskie sophomore was able to step back, out of trouble, and hold onto his slim lead. Trailing by one, Kemerer chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Kemerer continued to pressure Veltre and his work paid off as a low single led to a takedown at the 1:27 mark, the first of his collegiate career. Veltre escaped to a 3-2 deficit and action returned to the center circle. Kemerer countered a Veltre shot with :39 left and tried to work his way behind the Huskie for a clinching takedown. Veltre backed out of bounds, forcing a reset with :09 left. Kemerer fought off one late Veltre shot and notched a 3-2 win, putting Penn State up 26-0. 174: Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 174, made his collegiate debut against Huskie sophomore Mike Dessino. Ruth, like many of his fellow freshman, got on the board early with a takedown less than :30 into the bout. Dessino worked with way to an escape with 2:00 left, cutting the lead to 2-1. But Ruth was relentless, using a low single to take Dessino down for another takedown. This time, Ruth deftly turned Roosa for two back points and led 6-1. Dessino finally scrambled to an escaped with :45 left, only to get taken down by Ruth again with :32 left as the Lion freshman used a strong high double to move out to an 8-2 lead. A strong Ruth ride-out gave Ruth an 8-2 lead with 2:09 in riding time after one period. Ruth chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 9-2 lead. Ruth was relentless on offense, using a low trip to get his fourth takedown and move out to an 11-3 lead after a Dessino escape. With just :14 left, Ruth heard the call from the Penn State coaching staff to add one more takedown and the Lion promptly used a low double to take Dessino down and lead 13-3 after two periods. Dessino chose down to start the third period but Ruth quickly turned it into a far side cradle for three near fall points. Ruth added two more takedowns and posted a 20-4 tech fall at the 6:16 mark. 184: All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 184, returned to the mat for the first time since 2008-09 by taking on Bloomsburg senior Nate Graham. Wright scored just :04 into the period, taking Graham down with a low double. Graham, a senior, scrambled his way to an escape, cutting the lead to 2-1. The early takedown was the lone offense of the first period. Trailing 2-1, Graham chose down to start the second period, but Wright made him pay. The Lion All-American worked his arms around Graham's shoulders, moved his body over top of him and turned the Huskies' shoulders to the mat in just :07 to get the pin at the 3:07 mark. The victory put Penn State up 37-0. 197: Sophomore Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.), a starter at 174 last season, got the nod at 197 for Penn State and met Bloomsburg freshman Richard Perry. Perry used a strong high throw to get Bloomsburg's first takedown of the dual, taking a 2-0 lead at the 2:45 mark. Ortega worked his way to an escape, cutting the lead to 2-1, and action returned to the center circle. Perry's early score was the only takedown of the period and the Huskie took that 2-1 lead into the second stanza. Ortega chose down to start the second period but could not break free of a solid Perry ride until the 1:21 mark, giving Perry a 1:07 riding time edge. Tied 2-2, action returned to the center circle. With a 1:07 time edge, Perry chose neutral to start the final period. Ortega needed a takedown to try and keep Penn State's hopes of a shut-out alive. But Perry was able to back away from each Ortega charge. Ortega took a slight shot on the edge of the mat, but Perry stepped aside the move and countered for a second takedown and a 4-3 lead (after a quick Ortega escape). One more Perry takedown and an Ortega escape gave the Huskie a 7-4 win with the riding time point, breaking Penn State's shut-out hopes and cutting the Lion lead to 37-3. 285: Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 9 at heavyweight, faced off against Bloomsburg's Zac Walsh in the dual's final bout. Walsh, a junior, was an NCAA qualifier last year. After more than two minutes of battling, Wade used a single leg to trip Walsh to the mat and take a 2-0 lead with :28 left in the opening period. A Wade ride-out allowed him to carry that lead into the second period. Wade chose down to start that stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Wade gained control of Walsh's left leg and worked to pull him onto the mat. But the Huskie was able to force a stalemate at the :47 mark. Wade tripped Walsh to the mat with :24 left on the clock, getting a second takedown to move up to a 5-0 lead. Wade then rode the Huskie out once more to lead 5-0 after two periods. Walsh chose neutral to start the final stanza, but Wade was too much for the Bloomsburg junior. The ninth-ranked Lion countered a quick Walsh shot and moved over his hip for another takedown and a 7-0 lead. Another strong ride by the Lion senior gave him the bonus point and a very impressive 8-0 major decision. The four points gave Penn State a 41-3 dual meet win.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- No. 10 Illinois got big wins in swing matches from Eric Terrazas, Kyle Dooley and Mario Gonzalez to earn an 18-13 win over No. 11 Missouri in front of a sold-out crowd of 900 at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center on Friday. Dooley upset No. 20 Dan Gonsor, who pinned Dooley at the Lindenwood Open two weeks ago, 7-3, Terrazas scored a 7-2 win and Gonzalez earned a 7-0 victory that sealed the team victory. “The big thing was that we won the swing matches at 149 and 197, and we pulled out an upset at 157,” Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan said. “Dooley got pinned by that guy at a tournament two weeks ago, so it was huge for him to bounce back and get a big win tonight.” The night started with an exhibition between Illinois’ Daryl Thomas and Missouri’s Luke Cherep. Thomas gained control early and dominated Cherep for a 13-6 decision. At 125 pounds, Missouri’s Alan Waters got a leg on the edge of the mat and Arlis sprawled out. But Waters gained control of Arlis’ head, too, to earn the takedown. Waters rode him out for the 2-0 lead after a period. Arlis deferred and Waters started down to start the second period. Waters got out quickly and scored another takedown to go up 5-0. Arlis started down in the third and Waters scored a two-point near-fall before Arlis kicked out. Arlis scored a late takedown and was looking for a pin but couldn’t finish it as he dropped an 8-3 decision. B.J. Futrell started the scoring at 133, getting a leg from Nathan McCormick and finishing it on the edge of the mat. After putting on a ride of over one minute, McCormick escaped, but Futrell once again picked McCormick’s ankle and took him down for a 4-1 lead after one period. Futrell started down in the second and scrambled through for a reversal to go up 6-2 after McCormick escaped. Futrell added another takedown in the second period and rode out McCormick for an 8-2 lead after five minutes. McCormick started down in the third and escaped quickly. The two wrestlers ended the period on their feet with Futrell adding the riding-time point for a 9-3 win, tying the match at 3-3. No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy took an early shot and connected, eventually working it into a takedown after breaking No. 17 Todd Schavrien’s defensive hold. Schavrien escaped after Kennedy rode him for 45 seconds and the two finished the period on their feet with Kennedy leading 4-1. Kennedy started down in the second and Schavrien rode him hard, keeping control for the entire period. Schavrien then started down in the third and escaped to cut Kennedy’s lead to 4-2, but Kennedy gained control of Schavrien’s legs on the edge of the mat for the deciding takedown with 35 seconds left. Schavrien escaped but Kennedy held on for the 6-3 win to give the Illini a 6-3 lead. Eighty seconds into the match at 149, Eric Terrazas earned a penalty point after Missouri’s Kyle Bradley made an unsportsmanlike contact after the whistle had blown. Terrazas then got in on a double-leg and finished it for a takedown. Terrazas rode him out for a 3-0 lead with over a minute of riding time after one period. Bradley started down in the second and Terrazas rode him hard for the whole period, racking up 3:16 of riding time. Terrazas chose neutral to start the third but Bradley scored a takedown with 42 seconds left in the match. He cut Terrazas loose and Terrazas shot in on a single-leg, which he finished for a takedown with five seconds left for the 7-2 win after adding the riding-time point. Kyle Dooley shot in on a double-leg and planted Missouri’s No. 20 Dan Gonsor on the edge of the mat for a takedown. Gonsor escaped and had Dooley’s leg, but the Illini sophomore kept hold of the Tiger’s foot to force a stalemate. Doolely then worked through another takedown on the edge for a 4-1 lead with 90 seconds left in the first period. Gonsor escaped but the pair ended the period on their feet with Dooley leading 4-2. Dooley chose neutral to start the second, but Gonsor shot just 15 seconds into the period. Dooley fended it off for another stalemate, holding onto his lead. The two finished the period on their feet and Gonsor chose top position to start the third. Dooley was given a stalling warning with 63 seconds left, but he escaped Gonsor’s grasp and when the Tiger chased him, he got both ankles and scored a takedown on the edge of the mat for a 7-2 lead. He was called for stalling, giving Gonsor a point, but he rode out the Tiger for a 7-3 win that increased the Illini margin to 12-3. Conrad Polz had two good shots early in the first period, but No. 13 Zach Toal fended off both of them to keep the bout scoreless. After a blood timeout late in the first period, Toal shot off the whistle and got a takedown, but Polz escaped quickly. Polz started down in the second and got out in 17 seconds to tie the match 2-2. Toal picked Polz’ ankle and got the takedown but Polz escaped quickly to make Toal’s lead 4-3. Toal started down in the third and escaped in 15 seconds to go ahead 5-3. Toal added a takedown with 35 seconds left, Polz escaped and Toal countered a late shot by Polz to make the final score 10-4 with the riding-time point. No. 3 Jordan Blanton scored a takedown with two minutes left in the first period against Patrick Wright. Wright escaped and the two finished the period neutral before Blanton started down in the second. Blanton escaped and the pair wrestled neutral the rest of the period. Wright started down in the third and got out quickly. He got in on Blanton’s legs but the Illini junior kept hold of one of Wright’s legs as time ran out during the scramble, with Blanton winning 3-2 to increase Illinois’ lead to 15-6. Redshirt-freshman Tony Dallago fended off a couple of early shots from Missouri’s Dorian Henderson and nearly landed a takedown, but Henderson circled behind him and got a takedown of his own. Dallago scrambled free to make the score 2-1. Henderson started down in the second and reversed Dallago as the Illini tried to earn near-fall points. Henderson scored two near-fall points and Dallago escaped, but Henderson scored another takedown off a restart. Dallago started down in the third and escaped, but Henderson knocked him back and covered him for another takedown. Dallago escaped and Henderson scored another takedown. Dallago escaped and Henderson blocked a shot, scrambling into position. He added the riding-time point for the 15-5 win, cutting Illinois’ lead to 15-10. Redshirt-freshman Mario Gonzalez came out as the aggressor against Missouri’s Jake Glore, scoring a takedown with 1:30 left in the first period after winning a scramble. Gonzalez rode him out and started down in the second. He quickly reversed Glore and rode him out for a 4-0 lead after two periods. Glore chose neutral to start the third and Gonzalez took him down with 30 seconds left before riding him out for the 7-0 win, locking up Illinois’ team victory as the Illini went ahead 18-10. Missouri’s third-ranked Dom Bradley and Pat Walker wrestled a scoreless first period before Bradley started down in the second period and escaped. The two wrestled neutral through the second period and started neutral in the third before Bradley scored a takedown and rode out Walker for a 3-0 win. The Illini return to action as a team on Dec. 3-4 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but Blanton will wrestle at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 21. Results: 125: Alan Waters (MU) dec. Logan Arlis (ILL), 8-3 (0-3) 133: B.J. Futrell (ILL) dec. Nathan McCormick (MU), 9-3 (3-3) 141: #2 Jimmy Kennedy dec. #17 Todd Schavrien (MU), 6-3 (6-3) 149: Eric Terrazas (ILL) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 7-2 (9-3) 157: Kyle Dooley (ILL) dec. #20 Dan Gonsor (MU), 7-3 (12-3) 165: #13 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Conrad Polz (ILL), 10-4 (12-6) 174: #14 Jordan Blanton (ILL) dec. Patrick Wright (MU), 3-2 (15-6) 184: Dorian Henderson (MU) maj. dec. Tony Dallago (ILL), 15-5 (15-10) 197: Mario Gonzalez (ILL) dec. Jake Glore (MU), 7-0 (18-10) HWT: #3 Dom Bradley dec. Pat Walker (ILL), 3-0 (18-13)

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The Lehigh wrestling team put forth its second straight impressive performance to start the season, as the 15th-ranked Mountain Hawks won eight bouts in knocking off No. 14 Pittsburgh 29-7 Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House. Just like in Lehigh’s win over Drexel a week ago, junior Sean Bilodeau was a winner by fall, while Lehigh’s two true freshmen posted bonus-point wins. The win moves the Mountain Hawks to 2-0 on the season, while Pitt falls to 0-1. “We wrestled well and wrestled hard,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We’re still making some little mistakes but the guys are going hard for seven minutes. We have something to build off of. Today was a good test and we responded well by attacking and pushing the pace.” After winning all ten weight classes in the season opener against Drexel, Lehigh fell behind early on Friday, as senior Mitch Berger dropped a 17-4 major decision to 14th-ranked Panther Anthony Zanetta at 125. From there, however, it was all Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks rolled to seven straight wins to take a commanding 26-4 lead. Like last Friday, true freshmen Frank Cagnina and Stephen Dutton got the Brown and White going in the right direction. Cagnina picked up his second major in as many bouts with a 12-4 win over Shelton Mack at 133. Cagnina scored takedowns in each of the first two periods and broke the match open with three takedowns in the third to earn the major decision and tie the dual at four. With Pittsburgh missing Tyler Nauman at 141, Dutton took full advantage against backup Mike Tully to post a 15-2 major decision. Dutton built a 7-1 lead after one period with a pair of takedowns and a three-point near fall and added a reversal and two-point near fall to open the second period. Sophomore Joey Napoli won his second straight bout without the benefit of a takedown as he downed Dane Johnson 5-1 at 149. The difference in the bout was a three-point near fall for Napoli in the second period as he added a third-period escape and riding time. The wildest bout of the night took place at 157 where Bilodeau met Donnie Tasser. In the first period, Bilodeau took Tasser to his back for two-and-two and led 4-1 after the first three minutes, but the Panther Turned the tide with an escape, a takedown and a pair of three-point near falls in the second period to take a 10-5 lead. Bilodeau began the third period down but reversed Tasser before putting him on his back before securing the fall at 6:16. “Sean made a little mistake and gave up eight points in about 40 seconds,” Santoro explained. “But then he came right back and scored some big points of his own.” At 165, junior Brandon Hatchett made a first period takedown stand in a 5-1 win over Adam Counterman, setting the stage for a big win by freshman Austin Meys over 19th-ranked Ethan Headlee at 174. Meys avenged a loss to Headlee last season at the Penn State open by winning the battle on their feet with a first period takedown. The match was 2-2 going to the third period after a pair of Headlee escapes. In the final period, the two men traded reversals, before Meys escaped to take a 5-4 lead and with riding time prevailed 6-4 to extend Lehigh’s lead to 23-4. “Meys was very methodical but he really controlled the match,” Santoro said. “Headlee is a very tough kid, but Meys wrestled hard and was in control. That’s a good win for him.” Panther true freshman Max Thomusseit gave sophomore Robert Hamlin all he could handle in their matchup at 184. Thomusseit scored a pair of first period takedowns to lead 4-2 after one. Hamlin picked up a takedown in the second period, but was reversed by Thomusseit and trailed 7-5 after two periods. Hamlin took advantage of his superior conditioning in the third period with an escape and two takedowns to rally for a 10-8 victory. Pittsburgh finally stopped the Lehigh run with a win at 197 as Zac Thomusseit downed junior Joe Kennedy 7-4. Kennedy struggled to find his offense and gave up a four-point move in the third period which proved to be the difference. The only battle between two ranked wrestlers came in the final bout of the dual at heavyweight as junior Zach Rey squared off against Pitt’s Ryan Tomei. The wrestlers traded escapes in regulation and went to overtime tied at one. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Rey picked up an escape in the tiebreakers and kept Tomei from scoring to prevail 2-1. Lehigh will wrap-up its road trip on Sunday when the Mountain Hawks travel to No. 6 Penn State. The match is slated for a 2 p.m. start from Rec Hall. The dual will be broadcast on WLVR-FM as well as online at Lehighsports.com. Results: 125 – Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) maj. dec. Mitch Berger (Lehigh) 17-4 133 – Frank Cagnina (Lehigh) maj. dec. Shelton Mack (Pitt) 12-4 141 – Stephen Dutton (Lehigh) maj. dec. Mike Tully (Pitt) 15-2 149 – Joey Napoli (Lehigh) dec. Dane Johnson (Pitt) 5-1 157 – Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) Fall Donnie Tasser (Pitt) 6:16 165 – Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Adam Counterman (Pitt) 5-1 174 – Austin Meys (Lehigh) dec. Ethan Headlee (Pitt) 6-4 184 – Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. Max Thomusseit (Pitt) 10-8 197 – Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) 7-4 285 – Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Ryan Tomei (Pitt) 2-1, t.b.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The defending NCAA and Big Ten champion University of Iowa wrestling team hosted its annual wrestle-off semifinals Friday evening at the UI Field House practice gym. Ten bouts were contested during the intrasquad event. The Hawkeyes will hold their wrestle-off finals Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the UI Field House practice gym. Results will be posted on hawkeyesports.com after the matches. Five of Friday's 10 matches were decided by two points or less, and two extended into overtime. Posting wins and advancing to Saturday's finals were senior Matt Ballweg (157), juniors Tyler Clark (133), Jeret Chiri (149), Vinnie Wagner (184) and Jordan Johnson (Hwt)., sophomore Nate Moore (133), redshirt freshman Derek St. John (157) and true freshmen Ethan Owens (141), Jake Ballweg (149) and Mike Evans (174). Iowa will open the 2010-11 season Nov. 19 with the third-annual Iowa City Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Iowa Central at 4 p.m. and Coe College at 6 p.m. Season tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office, at (319) 335-9323, or online at hawkeyesports.com. Tickets are $67 for members of the public and $55 for UI faculty and staff. Tickets for the Iowa City Duals are $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $6 for youth if purchased at the door. Thursday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 - Tony Ramos tech. fall Charlie Joseph, 20-4 in 6:47 Friday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 – Nate Moore dec. Nick Trizzino, 3-2 133 – Tyler Clark dec. Tony Ramos, 3-2 TB 141 – Ethan Owens tech. fall Joe Moore, 17-1 in 4:57 149 – Jeret Chiri dec. Stew Gillmor, 8-5 149 – Jake Ballweg maj. dec. Ethan Sebert, 9-1 157 – Matt Ballweg dec. Nick Moore, 3-2 157 – Derek St. John dec. Michael Kelly, 11-4 174 – Mike Evans dec. Jeremy Fahler, 7-2 184 – Vinnie Wagner dec. Tomas Lira, 2-0 Hwt. – Jordan Johnson dec. Bobby Telford, 2-1 TB Saturday’s Wrestle-Off Match-Ups - 10:30 a.m. 125 – Matt McDonough vs. Matt Gurule 133 – Nate Moore vs. Tyler Clark 141 – Mark Ballweg vs. Ethan Owens 149 – Jeret Chiri vs. Jake Ballweg 157 – Matt Ballweg vs. Derek St. John 165 – Aaron Janssen vs. Jake Kerr 174 – Ethen Lofthouse vs. Mike Evans 184 – Grant Gambrall vs. Vinnie Wagner Hwt. – Blake Rasing vs. Jordan Johnson

BUFFALO, NY -- The eighth-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling squad (2-0) cruised past Buffalo, 28-7, at Alumni Arena Friday to remain unbeaten on the season. “It was a good outing against a tough team,” head coach Jack Spates said. “They beat Nebraska last year and we wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t be among their victims. I thought the guys showed a lot of character. We seemed a little sluggish from the trip, but we were the ones winning the close matches and we were the ones coming from behind at the end. Overall, there were a lot of good things I saw.” Jarrod Patterson, the reigning Big 12 Champion at 125 pounds, got the Sooners started with a 4-1 victory over the Bulls’ Taylor Golba, which put the Sooners up 3-0. The Sooners fell behind 4-3 after OU’s Dustin Reed fell to Buffalo’s Kevin Smith at 133 pounds, 14-5. OU regained the lead, 7-4, when returning All-American Zack Bailey scored a 14-4 major decision victory over UB’s Andrew Schutt in the 141 pound bout. The bout at 149 pounds between OU’s Nick Lester and BU’s Desi Green went to seven overtimes before Lester finally claimed the victory, 6-2, with a four point near fall. “Nick Lester twisted his ankle early in the match and came back to beat Green, who is ranked No. 10, to upset him,” Spates said. “That was a good win for him.” Matt Lester became only the second Sooner victim to fall in the dual after he lost, 4-2, to the Bulls Mark Lewandoski. That narrowed the Sooners lead at 10-7. Oklahoma’s Chase Nelson got the Sooners back on the winning track after defeating UB’s John-Martin Cannon, 4-3, in overtime. “Chase Nelson also came back to force overtime against a ranked wrestler and got a good win,” Spates said. Returning All-American Tyler Caldwell made his debut for the Sooners at 174 pounds. The Wichita, Kan., product handled the Bulls Ron Majerus with a 7-1 win, putting OU up 16-7. In the 184 pound Bout OU’s Erich Schmidtke won a 4-0 decision over Jimmy Hamel to give the Sooners a 19-7 lead over the Bulls. Keldric Hall had three takedowns to claim a 9-4 decision over UB’s Josh Peters in the 197 pound bout. OU’s Nathan Fernandez had the only pin of the night over Buffalo’s Brett Correll with a time of 2:48. The fall ended the dual with a final score of 28-7. “A lot of tough bouts and a lot of good wins today,” Spates said. The Sooners get little rest as they go in search of their 12th-straight Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic title Saturday, Nov. 13, at Sunny Brockport. Results: 125 – No. 9 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. Taylor Golba (UB), 4-1 133 - No. 10 Kevin Smith (UB) maj. dec. Dustin Reed (OU), 14-5 141 – No. 1 Zack Bailey (OU) maj. dec. Andrew Schutt (UB), 14-4 149 - Nick Lester (OU) dec. No. 10 Desi Green (UB), 6-2 (7OT) 157 - Mark Lewandowski (UB) dec. Matt Lester (OU), 4-2 165 – Chase Nelson (OU) dec. No. 15 John Martin Cannon (UB), 4-3 174 – No. 8 Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. Ron Majerus (UB), 7-1 184 – No. 18 Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. No. 14 Jimmy Hamel (UB), 4-0 197 – Keldric Hall (OU) dec. Josh Peters (UB), 9-4 HWT – No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (OU) Fall 2:58 over Brett Correll (UB)

Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic

Oklahoma at Buffalo

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling team started off its 2010-11 home-opener with a bang in a 32-12 win over Boston University Thursday. Cyclone Patrick Hunter made a statement in his first match in Hilton Coliseum with a pin of Bubba McGinley in 3:43 at the 125-pound weight class. Nate Carr, Jr. earned a hard-fought 4-2 149-pound victory over Nestor Taffur. An early takedown was the difference in an otherwise very even match. At 157 pounds Iowa State's Trent Weatherman came out with a new fire. The redshirt freshman used a takedown and three near-fall points in the first period to coast to a 7-1 victory over Nick Tourville. After a successful opening weekend, Iowa State's Andrew Sorenson continued to look strong at 165 pounds. Sorenson garnered five takedowns in a dominant 16-4 victory over Kyle Czarnecki. "I never want to lose track of how we want to wrestle," head coach Kevin Jackson said. "Aggression and movement is what we are all about, and Andrew Sorenson really showed tonight that he has bought into what we are teaching. He has turned the corner and I am very excited about the possibilities for him." Jon Reader received a forfeit at 174 pounds. At 184 pounds Matt Riley earned his first victory as a Cyclone. Riley used a reversal with only 27 seconds left in his match against Bran Crudden to seal a tough 4-2 win. "It feels great to get my first win," Riley said. "I wish it did not have to come down to the last minute, and I should have done a better job finishing my takedowns, but a win is a win." Jerome Ward scored three takedowns in the 197-pound match against John Hall to move to 5-1 on the season with a 7-3 victory. Iowa State's Matt Gibson came out and immediately imposed his will on opponent Kevin Innis in the 285-pound match. Gibson earned a quick takedown and used a bow-and-arrow to rack up three back points early in the match. The redshirt sophomore from Vallejo, Calif. hit a cradle as time expired to ensure bonus points with a 14-3 victory. "I loved coming out for my first time at Hilton as a Cyclone," Gibson said. "It was great to hear all of my friends and family cheering loud for me, and being on the cardinal and gold mat for the first time." All of this led to Hunter's reversal and pin in the second period of the 125-pound match to bring everyone in Hilton Coliseum to their feet. Iowa State forfeited at 141 pounds and Cyclone Brandon Jones was pinned by national qualifier Fred Santaite at 133 pounds. "I am not sure if it is a conditioning level or a mind-set, but we are not wrestling evenly as a team from a conditioning stand-point," Jackson said. "When you see a Patrick Hunter or an Andrew Sorenson going out there and really going after someone, then some other guys just not pushing it, you know something needs to be tightened down a bit." The Cyclones are hosting the Harold Nichols Open on Saturday at the Bergstrom Indoor Facility. The doors will be opened to the public at 9 a.m. and the admission is $5 for children 12 and under and $10 for adults. Iowa State 32, Boston University. 141-pounds (BU) win by forfeit 149-pounds Nate Carr, Jr. (ISU) dec. (BU), 4-2 157-pounds Trent Weatherman (ISU) dec. Nick Tourville (BU), 7-1 165-pound Andrew Sorenson (ISU) mdec. Nick Czarnecki (BU), 16-4 174-pounds Jon Reader (ISU) win by forfeit 184-pounds Matt Riley (ISU) dec. Bran Cudden (BU), 4-2 197-pounds Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. John Hall (BU), 7-3 285-pounds Matt Gibson (ISU) dec. Kevin Innis (BU), 14-3 125-pounds Patrick Hunter (ISU) wbf Bubba McGinley (BU), 3:43 133-pounds Fred Santaite (BU) wbf Brandon Jones (ISU), 4:17

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hello Wrestling Fans The season has started! Scott Casber and Steve Foster return along with Ryan Freeman and Geoff Murtha to the Brute Adidas studios for this weeks show brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. Geoff Murtha joins us courtesy of Mass Mutual Financial Services. This weeks show airs LIVE, 9 AM to 11 AM. Listen on air or on the computer or your Blackberry or I Phone with the I Heart Radio App. Our Guests Include: (All times Central) 9:01 Jake Herbert- Assist. Head Coach Northwestern 9:20 Jared Frayer- Assist. Coach Wisconsin 9:40 Steve Knight- Founder Excel Wrestling to discuss the Excel Wrestling "Hall of Heroes" and Les Anderson's Induction http://www.excelwrestling.com/fallcamp_dinner.html thewrestlingsite.com and Recruitawrestler.com 10:01 Jim Heffernan- Head Coach University of Illinois 10:20 Jeff Murphy- Kemin's Big 10 and Big 12 report and Murphy's Top 20 Breakdown 10:50 Amy Ruble- Wildrose Resort Wrestling fans- Episode 83 of TDR TV wrestling news is now on. Check your TV Guide for listings. How to watch and listen- TDR and TDR TV. It's appointment Radio and TV! 6.1 MILLION HOMES AND GROWING! TDR on Radio: LIVE Saturday at 9:00 AM CST on 1460 KXNO in Iowa. Saturday nights at 7:00 PM Eastern on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, TDR TV: Mediacom Cable Ch. 22. IA, MO, AK, NE, MN, IL Tues. 5 PM, Sat. 10 AM Time Warner Cable NY Ch. 813 (Check Local Listings) Comcast Cable Tennessee Ch. 96 Fridays 5 PM CATV- CCN, Pennsylvania Ch. 8 Fridays 5 PM Western Reserve Ohio Cable Ch. 9 Fridays at 5:30, Sat's 10 PM, Tues 11 PM Time Warner Texas- Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Etc. -TBA Time Warner Southern California- Los Angeles, San Diego, Etc. -TBA Long Lines Cable NW Iowa, NE Nebraska, SE South Dakota- TBA Call your local cable operator and ask them to carry TDR TV, It works! TDR on Internet: You can join us 9 to 11 AM Saturday mornings at Takedownradio.com TDR TV On Internet: 32 various web sites now carry your favorite wrestling news show Thanks to our affiliates, our media partners at Livesportsvideo.com. Thanks for watching and listening!

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- A stunning fall by freshman Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.) in the 141-pound match highlighted a 15-point, 4-match winning streak for the Green Team, which held on to post a 15-12 victory over the Black squad in Wednesday night's annual Green & White Intrasquad Wrestling Dual here in Plachy Hall. Lynn, a state champion for the Montezuma-Cortez High School Panthers last season, was trailing Grizzly junior Kevin Schmitt (Arlington, Texas) 4-0 after the first period but got a fall just 37 seconds into the period giving the Green squad a 9-6 lead that they would not relinquish throughout the rest of the 7-match slate, which proved to be competitive with over half of the matches being decided by three or fewer points. The Green team also claimed a thrilling come-from-behind 10-8 sudden victory win at 149 pounds from sophomore A.J. Knoll (Arbury Hills, Ill.), a transfer from NCAA Division III Dubuque (Iowa), and a 5-1 victory from sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) over sophomore Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.) in what was touted as the premier match of the evening to build a 15-6 lead before 4-1 and 5-2 decisions by redshirt freshmen Jessy Amos (Anchorage, Alaska) and Paul Cabbage (Rio Rancho, N.M.) helped the Black team close the final gap. The Black team had taken the early lead as true freshman Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) took a 6-2 lead before pinning redshirt freshman Dominic Madril (Westminster, Colo.) with just 17 seconds left in the second period of the 125-pound match. Redshirt freshman Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) then started the Green Team's run with a 6-3 decision over fellow redshirt freshman Michael Lee (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 133 pounds. Lynn, who had given up a takedown and 2-point near fall to Schmitt in the first period of 141 pounds, then continued Green's momentum, before Jesse Long (Albuquerque, N.M.) built a 6-2 lead after the first period in his bout with Knoll. Extending that lead to 8-3 through two periods, Long suddenly watched a Knoll takedown and 3-point near fall just moments before the final buzzer tie the score while barely erasing a potential riding time bonus point. Knoll then scored the winning takedown 40 seconds into the extra 1-minute period helping Green extend its lead to 15-6. Kelly, one of just two returning starters on the Grizzlies' new-look 2010-11 roster, then claimed his victory over Ortega, a 5-time high school state champion out of Rio Rancho, New Mexico who wrestled at Division I Indiana last season, as the Green team built up a 15-6 advantage. Amos, a 2-time state champion while in high school, then was dead-locked with Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.), also a 2-time state high school champion, through two period before he scored a third period takedown mid-way through the period en-route to his 4-1 win. Down 15-9 at that point, the Black team then needed a pin from Cabbage, who looked to be in complete control of Grizzly sophomore Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.) in the opening period. Cabbage was up 4-0 through three minutes but could not score from the neutral position in the second period. Cabbage then chose the top position to begin third period but gave up a reversal to DeMarco, ending the Black team's hope of coming back for a tie. The Grizzlies will begin their regular season this Saturday at the Cowboy Open, to be contested in the War Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Action on 10 mats is slated to begin at 9 a.m. and will include teams throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The season-opening dual between No. 11 Missouri and No. 10 Illinois has officially been declared a sellout, as announced Wednesday. “I want to thank everyone who bought tickets from Mizzou for the dual with Illinois this Friday night,” said head coach Brian Smith. “The dual is a complete sell out and there will be no tickets sold at the door. We’re also up to over 1,300 fans on our team’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Missouri-Wrestling/134324256594995). Thanks to all of our great TigerStyle family and fans!” The matchup between two of the top teams in the country takes place this Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in Edwardsville, Ill. The two teams will compete at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center, one of the elite facilities in the country. Stay tuned to mutigers.com later today as we’ll have more information about the meet.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly, coming off a season in which it posted an 8-4 dual meet record, finished third in the Pacific-10 Conference Championships and produced a pair of NCAA Division I All-Americans, officially opens its 2010-11 wrestling campaign Saturday with a 2 p.m. Pac-10 dual meet against Cal State Fullerton in Mott Gym. The Mustangs are ranked as high as No. 19 in the preseason polls and have as many as seven ranked wrestlers while Cal State Fullerton is unranked as a team but has three matmen in the individual rankings. Cal Poly beat the Titans 26-13 in last year’s dual meet at Fullerton. Cal Poly sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and four of them return. Two captured All-American honors -- Chase Pami finished second at 157 pounds and Boris Novachkov was seventh at 133 pounds. Pami is gone, but back for another season of competition are Boris Novachkov and three other national qualifiers -- Filip Novachkov, Ryan DesRoches and Nick Fisher. The 2010-11 roster features eight returning Pac-10 Conference Championship placewinners, including 133-pound champion Boris Novachkov. “Coming off the success we had last season, we have high expectations for this group of guys,” said Perry. “We’re right there to win the Pac-10 and that will be our main sight this year, to win the conference title. “There are a lot of positives carrying over to this year and we want to put as many All-Americans and National Champions on the podium in March,” Perry added. “We have the talent to do it. We just need to have self belief and our wrestlers have to believe in the system they’re in.” Added Azevedo, entering his eighth season as head coach, “We definitely are looking to be one of the top teams in the Pac-10, realizing that Boise State is ranked No. 2 in the country. We have a group of guys who could be right up there. Our goal is to win the conference and get six or seven wrestlers to the nationals.” The Novachkov brothers will switch weight classes this year, with Boris taking the 141-pound slot and Filip dropping to 133. Boris Novachkov finished his sophomore season with a 28-5 overall record, a Pac-10 title and a seventh-place national finish. He was 8-2 in dual meets and notched four pins on the year. Filip Novachkov, now a senior, was 25-8 a year ago, finishing second in the Pac-10 finals and posting a 2-2 mark at the nationals. He was 11-1 in dual meets and recorded seven falls for the season. Other returning Pac-10 placewinners are Fisher (second at 149 pounds), Ryan Smith (second at 197), Ryan DesRoches (third at 174), Steven Vasquez (sixth at 165), Kelan Bragg (sixth at 184) and Jim Powers (seventh at 197). DesRoches (pictured above) led the Mustangs with 17 falls a year ago, finishing the season 34-10 overall and 9-2 in dual meets. Fisher was 17-8 a year ago with seven falls while Smith was 19-11 with a pair of falls. Vasquez notched a 17-14 record and Bragg was 9-14. DesRoches will drop one weight class to 165 this year while Vasquez takes over at 174. Bragg has slimmed down to 184 to make room for Smith at 197. The Mustang roster also is bolstered by the addition of three transfers -- 157-pounder Barrett Abel and 184-pounder Stephan Hampton from UC Davis and 285-pounder Atticus Disney from Minnesota. Abel was a Pac-10 champion a year ago and finished the season 21-9. Cal Poly’s lineup for Saturday’s dual meet is expected to include Jake Tanenbaum at 125, Brandan Rocha at 133, Boris Novachkov at 141, Geoffrey Doss at 149, Abel at 157, DesRoches at 165, Vasquez at 174, Bragg at 184, Smith at 197 and Disney at 285. Filip Novachkov is ranked as high as No. 5 at 133 while Boris Novachkov is ranked as high as No. 9 at 141. Other ranked Mustang wrestlers in the preseason include No. 15 Fisher at 149, No. 16 Abel at 157, No. 25 DesRoches at 174, No. 25 Smith at 197 and No. 25 Disney at 285. Cal State Fullerton’s trio of ranked wrestlers are 125-pounder Andre Gonzalez (16th), 141-pounder Adin Duenas (No. 10) and 285-pounder Kurt Klimek (No. 17). Duenas, the Pac-10 champion at 141 last year and a two-time NCAA qualifier, is not slated to wrestle Saturday. Gonzalez and Klimek both were fourth in the Pac-10s a year ago. Cal State Fullerton head coach Dan Hicks (Oregon State ‘80) is in his ninth season and has compiled a 70-66-1 dual meet record. In addition to Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly has 10 other dual meets on the schedule, including home dates with Wyoming and Cal State Bakersfield, and also will compete in the Fullerton Open, Midlands Open, Las Vegas Invitational, the Reno Tournament of Champions and the All-California Open. The 2011 Pac-10 finals are slated for Feb. 27 at Oregon State and the NCAA Championships will be held March 17-19 in Philadelphia.

TEMPE -- Ben Askren, a 2008 Olympian and two-time NCAA champion, has been added to the Arizona State University wrestling coaching staff, second-year Head Coach Shawn Charles announced today. Askren, who joins former Sun Devil All-American Brian Stith as the program’s two assistants, takes on the position after serving as the Sun Devils’ Director of Operations last year. “With all his accolades, Ben certainly brings a lot of wrestling credentials to the table,” Charles said. “Ben’s influences on our program will be another valuable tool to help prepare our student-athletes to compete at a high level and to become national champions. He is very accomplished at all levels of wrestling and I feel that his knowledge will go a long way in helping our young men mature on the mats and reach their goals of success. I feel Ben will be vital in helping us move in the right direction as we look to put the Sun Devils back on top in the Pac-10 and the NCAA standings.” Askren was one of the elite collegiate competitors in the nation during his time at Missouri (2003-07) where his exciting style of wrestling led him to the finals of the 174-pound weight class at the NCAA Championships four times. A three-time Big 12 champion, Askren won the national title in each of his last two seasons by winning 87 matches in a row and pinning numerous foes. For his dominance, he was named the Dan Hodge Winner twice while also collecting the Schalles Award (Best Pinner) twice. Askren, who competed with a very unique style which many called ‘funk’, built a career record of 153-7 in Columbia with 93 wins by fall (fourth-best in NCAA history) while also posting a national record of 18-consecutive wins by fall in the first period. A four-time NWCA All-Academic and four-time Academic All-Big XII honoree, Askren spent the past two years as a volunteer assistant coach with the Tigers while training for and competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the member of Team USA went 1-1 in the 74kg freestyle competition. Since his Olympic run, Askren has continued competing in several events, including grappling and mixed martial arts. Currently the Bellator Welterweight Champion, Askren won gold for Team USA at the 2009 World Grappling Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., defeating fellow American Jacob Volkmann in the final of the 84kg no-Gi division.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- No. 15 Lehigh will face its two oldest in-state rivals this weekend as the Mountain Hawks take to the road to face No. 14 Pittsburgh and No. 6 Penn State. The Mountain Hawks opened the dual season in dominant fashion, with a 45-0 shutout of Drexel on November 5. Sean Bilodeau, Austin Meys and Zach Rey all won by fall for Lehigh, as the Mountain Hawks posted six bonus wins on the night. On Friday, Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro will square off against his alma mater, and his mentor, Rande Stottlemyer while on Sunday, the Mountain Hawks will face their most often wrestled rival for the 99th time. Three Lehigh freshmen enjoyed strong varsity debuts in the Mountain Hawks’ win over Drexel. True freshmen Frank Cagnina (133) and Stephen Dutton (141) each posted impressive bonus-point wins as Cagnina earned a 16-4 major decision over Frank Cimato and Dutton won by technical fall over Josh Yurasits. Cagnina and Dutton became the first true freshman duo to start a season opening dual for Lehigh since Aaron Patterson and Bruce Kelly in 1998-99. Deferred freshman Austin Meys also enjoyed a dominant debut, using a quarter nelson to pin Justin Wieller in the second period of their bout at 174. Pittsburgh opens its dual season on Friday night against Lehigh at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers return five NCAA qualifiers from last season and are coming off a 17-1-1 dual season in which the only loss came against the Mountain Hawks. Pittsburgh enters Friday’s dual with an 11-match winning streak and a 16-dual unbeaten streak dating back to last year. The Panthers are led by junior All-American Tyler Nauman, who comes in ranked fourth at 141, and senior heavyweight Ryan Tomei, who is ranked fifth. Pittsburgh sent a large contingent to last weekend’s Clarion Open with impressive results. Fourteen Panthers placed at the tournament, and six Pittsburgh grapplers won titles. All six are in Pittsburgh’s projected lineup: Nauman, Adam Counterman, Ethan Headlee, brothers Max and Zac Thomusseit and Tomei. Penn State opens its home schedule against Lehigh on Sunday after the Nittany Lions open their dual season Friday night at Bloomsburg. American wrestling legend Cael Sanderson enters his second season at Penn State with a younger team that features a number of talented freshmen and sophomores. Penn State was 13-6-1 in duals last year, but finished ninth at the NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lions had three All-Americans, with two-time All-America Frank Molinaro returning for his junior season at 149. Just two Nittany Lions are ranked in the latest Amateur Wrestling News rankings, 2009 All-American Quentin Wright at 184 and heavyweight Cameron Wade. Penn State also features a number of highly-touted true freshmen and redshirt freshmen who will make their varsity Rec Hall debuts on Sunday. This weekend, Lehigh will face its two most-often wrestled in-state rivals in Penn State and Pittsburgh. Lehigh has wrestled Penn State more often than any other school in history, with Sunday’s dual marking the 99th meeting in the series. The Mountain Hawks have won two straight duals against the Nittany Lions. Lehigh and Pittsburgh meet for the 56th time on Friday, with the Mountain Hawks winning 12 of the last 13 duals in the series. Action begins Friday night when Lehigh visits Fitzgerald Field House to face Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Sunday, the Mountain Hawks will face Penn State at Rec Hall at 2 p.m. The Penn State match will be broadcast on WLVR-FM as well as Lehighsports.com with pre-match coverage beginning at 1:45.