InterMat Staff

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Merry Christmas Wrestling Fans. One week away from the annual Midlands Championships. Join us there or listen on TheMat.com! It's time for our annual Holiday Special. Join Scott Casber, Marine Lt. Col. Kipp Wahlgren, Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. This week's guests: 9:01 Jeff Murphy: Kemin's Top 20 Report 9:20 Dan Wirnsberger, head coach at Bucknell 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:01 John Hangey, coach at Rider 10:20 J Robinson, head coach at Minnesota 10:40 Dustin Kilgore, Kent State NCAA champion 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

DEKALB, Ill. -- Kent State swept a pair of dual meets in dominant fashion Wednesday at Northern Illinois' Convocation Center. The Golden Flashes opened Mid-American Conference competition with a 29-6 victory over the host Huskies followed by a 43-6 thumping of Cleveland State. In all, Kent State won 17-of-20 matches on the day. Seniors Nic Bedelyon (Lewistown, Pa.) and Brendan Barlow (Westerville, Ohio) each joined the Flashes' 100-victory club with a pair of wins on Wednesday. Bedelyon got the day started with a 13-5 major decision over No. 19 Nick Smith of Northern Illinois, while Barlow put an exclamation point on the Flashes' afternoon with a first period pin of Cleveland State's Rock Davis. "It's great having two guys earning 100 wins together," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "As they move forward, they'll have a little battle to see who gets more wins by the end of the season." The Flashes also got a pair of pins from freshman Ian Miller (Graytown, Ohio). In his MAC dual debut, Miller stuck NIU's Matt Smith 15 seconds into the second period and CSU's Tyler Green two minutes into match with half nelsons from the top position. Miller leads Kent State starters with seven falls on the season. Sophomore Brandonn Johnson (Middletown, Md.) also notched a first period pin against the Vikings and topped NIU's Caleb Busson 5-1. Junior Tommy Sasfy (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) has continued to put on weight and prove his worth at 165 pounds, with a 2-0 day. "He's done a great job filling in for Ross and has given us a little more depth at a weight that we struggled at in the beginning of the year," Andrassy said of Sasfy. Junior Mallie Shuster (Newville, Pa.) came up with bonus points in both of his matches. Shuster earned a 12-3 major decision against NIU's Tyler Loethen and a 19-0 technical fall over Cleveland State's Tanner Lemon. Junior Keith Witt (Oak Harbor, Ohio) and sophomore Tyler Small (Littlestown, Pa.) also had 2-0 days. In a battle of the MAC's No. 1 & 2 ranked wrestlers at 197, Witt needed overtime to finish off NIU's Mike Lukowski 4-2. Junior Casey Newburg (Union, Ohio) tore apart the Vikings' Corbin Boone 17-1, but fell to defending MAC champion Brad Dieckhaus 7-4. "It's good to hit our break in the season with two wins and get our record back to .500 (4-4)," Andrassy said. The Golden Flashes return to action Thursday, Dec. 29, at Lock Haven's Mat Town Invitational. Kent State 29, Northern Illinois 6 125: Nic Bedelyon (KSU) maj. dec. Nick Smith (NIU), 13-5 133: Rob Jillard (NIU) dec. Steve Mitcheff (KSU), 6-5 141: Tyler Small (KSU) dec. Kevin Fanta (NIU), 7-3 149: Ian Miller (KSU) pins Matt Smith (NIU), 3:15 157: Mallie Shuster (KSU) maj. dec. Tyler Loethen (NIU), 12-3 165: Tommy Sasfy (KSU) dec. Matt Mougin (NIU), 8-6 174: Brandonn Johnson (KSU) dec. Caleb Busson (NIU), 5-1 184: Brad Dieckhaus (NIU) dec. Casey Newburg (KSU), 7-4 197: Keith Witt (KSU) dec. Mike Lukowski (NIU), 4-2 (OT) 285: Brendan Barlow (KSU) dec. Jared Torrence (NIU), 5-2 Kent State 43, Cleveland State 6 125: Nic Bedelyon (KSU) dec. Ben Willeford (CSU), 6-0 133: Nick Flannery (CSU) pins Troy Opfer (KSU), 2:45 141: Tyler Small (KSU) wins by forfeit 149: Ian Miller (KSU) pins Tyler Green (CSU), 2:00 157: Mallie Shuster (KSU) tech. fall Tanner Lemon (CSU), 19-0 165: Tommy Sasfy (KSU) dec. Koort Leyrer (CSU), 3-0 174: Brandonn Johnson (KSU) pins Aric Thurn (CSU), 2:09 184: Casey Newburg (KSU) tech. fall Corbin Boone (CSU), 17-1 197: Keith Witt (KSU) dec. Nick Anthony (CSU), 15-8 285: Brendan Barlow (KSU) pins Rock Davis (CSU), 1:57

Andy Hamilton and Pete Bush will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Dec. 21. Andy Hamilton“On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Hamilton covers wrestling for the Des Moines Register. He was named journalist of the year by the National Wrestling Media Association and by W.I.N. Magazine. Hamilton will provide a mid-season wrestling report. Bush was an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa in 1982. He is the current head wrestling coach at Davenport Assumption in Iowa. Bush's team is currently ranked third in 2A.

DeKALB -- Following a long break from competition, the Northern Illinois wrestling team returns to action Wednesday afternoon when they face Kent State, Cleveland State and Cumberland in a quadrangular meet inside Victor E. Court. The meet gets underway at 11 a.m., when the Huskies face MAC rival and No. 23 Golden Flashes, while Cleveland State faces Cumberland. At 1 p.m., NIU takes on Cumberland and KSU goes against CSU. The meet concludes with a 3 p.m. dual between the Huskies and CSU. "There will be some outstanding matchups not only within the conference with Kent State, but throughout the day in all three duals,” said Huskie head coach Ryan Ludwig. “This will be a good day of action for all three teams. Several nationally ranked individuals will be going head to head on Wednesday, so intensity will be high." The Huskies enter the meet with a 3-3 record after dropping a close 19-15 decision to Purdue in the annual Showcase Meet. Trailing 16-9 late, NIU mounted a comeback to get within one point before falling in the final match. Nick Smith, Kevin Fanta, Brad Dieckhaus and Mike Lukowski each recorded victories against the Boilermakers. Kent State, meanwhile, enters the meet with a 2-4 record and a No. 23 ranking nationally. Led by Nic Bedelyon at 125 and Tyler Small at 141, the Golden Flashes boast five wrestlers who are nationally-ranked. So far this season, KSU has recorded wins against nationally-ranked Edinboro and Navy, while dropping duals against Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio State. Cleveland State also owns a 2-4 mark so far in 2011-12 after toppling The Citadel and John Carroll early in their schedule. However, the Vikings have dropped their last two duals, falling to Eastern Michigan Dec. 1, 33-9, and No. 9 Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, 39-3. The Vikings are led on the mat by Ben Willeford, who holds a 9-6 record at 125 after winning that weight class at the Cleveland State Open Dec. 18. Cumberland, a member of the NAIA, is 0-4 in 2011-12. All four of their losses, though, have come against the NAIA's best in Campbellsville, Lindsey Wilson, Shorter and McKendree. This meet will be their first against a Division I program this season and the first since Nov. 14, 2010, when the Bulldogs lost to Chattanooga and Liberty. CU is led on the mat by senior Eddie Ortiz at 125, who is 8-8 this season, and freshman Michael Gonzalez at 149. "We've had a good training phase and the guys are ready to compete," Ludwig said.

Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team and individual updated Dec. 14). Preview items use the new rankings (team only) that were updated today. Bulldogs prevail in balanced KC Wrestling Classic The USA/Dollamur Kansas City Wrestling Classic is a tournament that prides itself on being about the whole team with its pool-to-bracket format. The 37-team field started out in eight pools with four or five wrestlers each. After 3 or 4 matches in preliminary wrestling, the top two in each pool advanced to a 16-man bracket, which actually is a single-elimination "umbrella" format with everyone getting four more matches regardless of placement. Seven teams in the Fab 50 were featured in this stellar field that had no team placing more than seven wrestlers in the top nine, which meant a top two finish in preliminary pool followed by a first round win or three consecutive wins after a first round loss. Tops in the standings were No. 9 Bettendorf, Iowa with 555.5 points. Fredy Stroker (113) and No. 17 Nate Shaw (220) won titles, Colby Vance (170) and Bryan Levsen (182) finished as runners-up, while a single wrestler placed fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Second place in the standings was No. 27 Collins Hill, Ga., with 494 points and a pair of champions in Sean Russell (106) as well as Drew Ferguson (120). Russell earned his title with victories over ranked wrestlers in the semifinal and final, 3-1 in overtime against No. 19 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) and a 15-5 major decision over No. 20 Davion Jeffries (Collinsville, Okla.). Ferguson upended No. 14 Calib Freeman (Claremore, Okla.) by a first period fall in the semifinals, before getting a major decision in the finals over Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.) 15-5. The Eagles also had a pair of wrestlers take third, one in fifth, and another pair in sixth. Third place went to No. 31 Blue Springs, Mo. with 467.5 points, anchored by a title from Daniel Lewis (126). Darick Lapaglia (138) finished as a runner-up, including a 5-3 semifinal victory over No. 18 Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa). A pair of Wildcats placed fourth and fifth respectively, while another took seventh. Fourth in the standings went to No. 26 Tuttle, Okla. as they scored 446 points, anchored by championships from Sterling Hawkins (152) and No. 12 Zach Beard (170). Additional key placers took third, fifth, sixth, and ninth respectively. Despite the absence of two impact wrestlers, two-time state champion Nick Cobb (195) and state runner-up Matt Meyer (170), No. 19 Allen, Tex. earned fifth place with 440.5 points. The Eagles had a pair of champions in Jack Bass (138) and No. 8 Oliver Pierce (160). On the way to Bass's title, he reversed a loss in the Cadet freestyle final with a 5-4 quarterfinal victory over Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.), then an 8-7 semifinal victory over No. 20 Jake Marlin (Creston, Iowa), and the 7-5 finals victory over Lapaglia. Jarrod Trotter (126) was a runner-up for Allen, while the Eagles also had grapplers take third, fourth, and fifth. Unranked Christian Brothers, Tenn., was sixth in the standings with 391 points, as Kaleb Baker (145) came home with a championship while two others took seventh and eighth respectively. No. 33 Kearney, Mo., earned a seventh place finish with 358 points led by a runner-up finish from Tanner Minder (145), losing 4-3 to Baker, and a third place result for Morgan Fitzgerald (170). Two other Bulldogs took fifth, while a single individual took eighth and ninth each. The last of the ranked teams, No. 45 Connellsville, Okla., struggled a bit in finishing 18th with 233 points, though the absence of sophomore Will Stelzen (138) did not help the cause. The Cardinals were anchored by a runner-up finish from No. 20 Davion Jeffries (106) and third place result for Gary Wayne Harding (126). Rounding out the weight class champions were No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) at 132 pounds, Shelby Krout (Ponca City, Okla.) at 182, No. 19 Hashem Omari (Oak Park, Mo.) at 195, and Collin Bevins (Creston, Iowa) at 285. Of note, Gilman was champion of arguably the tournament's deepest weight class. In the bottom half of the draw, three-time state champion Kyle Garcia (Choctaw, Okla.) upended Cadet freestyle All-American Kevin Kinney (Kearney, Mo.) 6-4 in the quarterfinals. In the next round, Gilman knocked off Garcia 7-5. While in the top half of the draw, two-time state champion Matt Kraus (Seckman, Mo.) took out state champion Dylan Helm (Collinsville, Okla.) 6-0 in the quarters, before three-time state champion Skyler Wood (Platte County, Mo.) beat Kraus 1-0. The championship final saw Gilman defeat Wood 4-3, while Garcia defeated Kraus 8-5 for third, Kinney took fifth, and Helm forfeited down to eighth. Dvorak Memorial Invitational Date: Thursday, December 22 and Friday, December 23 Key Item: Semifinals and finals will be streamed live on Friday through http://www.illinoismatmen.com (10:00 a.m. ET and 3:00 p.m. ET) Location: Harlem High School (Machesney Park, Ill.) Top Teams (Illinois unless noted): No. 20 Iowa City West, Iowa, No. 29 Montini Catholic, No. 32 Oak Park River Forest, No. 35 Glenbard North, Lockport, Marist Notable Wrestlers (Illinois unless noted): 106: Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic), Adrian Gonzalez (Barrington), Richard Browne (Glenbard North), Brian Rossi (Lockport) 113: No. 5 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West, Iowa), No. 10 Matt Garelli (Oak Park Fenwick), No. 12 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy), John Wells (Milton, Wis.), Jared Parvinmehr (Barrington), Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic), Mark Duda (Marist), Jordan Northrup (Harlem) 120: No. 5 Jered Cortez (Glenbard North), Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic), Nick Fontanetta (Crystal Lake South), Landon Shea (Milton, Wis.) 126: No. 13 Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West, Iowa), Eddie Greco (Marmion Academy), Jon Marmolejo (Glenbard North), Michael Sepke (Montini Catholic), Nick Gil (Crystal Lake South) 132: No. 5 Eddie Klimara (Providence Catholic), No. 12 Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West, Iowa), Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic), George Fisher (Marmion Academy), John Gosinski (Glenbard North), Mike Mizaur (Mt. Carmel) 138: Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy), Clayton Lutzow (Crystal Lake Central), Kegan Wakefield (Iowa City West, Iowa), Garrett Whitehead (Milton, Wis.), Tim Corse (St. Rita), Jake O'Mara (Oak Park River Forest) 145: No.7 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel), Gradey Gambrall (Iowa City West, Iowa), Connor Bass (Yorkville), Aaron Thoman (Springboro, Ohio) 152: No. 4 Brian Murphy (Glenbard North), Jason Fugiel (Crystal Lake Central), Devonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest) 160: No. 7 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West, Iowa), Shan'Que McMurtry (Lockport), Dan Rowland (Willowbrook), Joe Cortese (Notre Dame), Hunter Rollins (Hersey) 170: Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg), Cameron Thomson (Barrington) 182: No. 3 Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest), Brandon Walker (Springboro, Oh.), Connor Swier (Neuqua Valley), Kevin Stahmer (Notre Dame); Steve Congenie (Willowbrook), most likely out due to injury 195: No. 3 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central), No. 7 Brad Johnson (Lockport), Ian Johnson (Milton, Wis.), Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central), Mickey Pelfrey (Iowa City West, Iowa), Blake Bair (Edwardsville) 220: Tom Howell (Marist), Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic), Mike Swider (Wheaton North), Alex Fritz (Marmion Academy), Vince Ambrose (Providence Catholic) 285: Ben Calamari (Barrington), Andrew Geers (Neuqua Valley) Apple Valley makes statement in Rochester Read Story Battle for best in the Garden State Tomorrow night is an early marker for determining the best team in New Jersey (among those schools that compete in the state athletic association tournament). The two teams currently ranked highest in the Fab 50 from the Garden State -- No. 34 South Plainfield and No. 40 Bergen Catholic -- will be competing in a dual meet. Below are the projected lineups for each squad. 106: Ryan Walsh, SP vs. Tyler Casamenti, BC (state qualifier, 2010 Cadet double All-American) 113: Ray Jazikoff, SP vs. Matt Rose, BC 120: No. 10 Troy Heilman, SP (FILA Cadet freestyle All-American, state 6th/2nd) vs. J.P. Ascolese, BC 126: No. 5 Anthony Ashnault, SP (2x state champion, 2x Super32 champion) vs. Charlie Mitchell/Harrison Utter, BC 132: Scott Del Vecchio, SP (state qualifier) vs. Connor Melde, BC (2x state 4th, Beast of the East 4th) 138: Tyler Hunt, SP (state 4th) vs. Michael Maye, BC (state qualifier) 145: Corey Stasenko, SP (state qualifier, Super32 4th) vs. Matt Mangini, BC (state qualifier) 152: Dylan Painton, SP vs. James Dawson (state qualifier)/Johnny Sebastian (state 5th, Beast of the East 2nd), BC 160: Inan Sikel, SP vs. Dawson/Sebastian 170: Alex Lundy, SP vs. Alex Kruklinski, BC (state alternate) 182: Mike Molinaro, SP vs. Luke Iorio 195: Sam Burmudez, SP vs. Christian Jenco, BC (Cadet freestyle All-American0 220: Luigi Geraci, SP vs. Hunter Kiselick, BC (state qualifier) 285: Tyler Calderone, SP vs. Carmine Goldsack, SP Poway pulverizes Reno TOC field with volume Despite just one champion, and five top four placers, No. 30 Poway, Calif. dominated the field at the Reno Tournament of Champions. The Titans had twelve total placers (one first, one second, two third, one fourth, two fifth, three sixth, and two seventh) in amassing 270.5 points. The lone Poway champion was No. 20 Connor King (170), Tiso Lara (106) took second, Victor Lopez (132) and Richard Burr (220) took third, while Tim Chassen (195) took fourth. Additionally, multiple Poway backup wrestlers placed inside the top eight as non-point scorers. Second in the standings was the team with the most oomph in the field, No. 17 Tulsa Union, Okla. with 211.5 points. That was still close to 60 points ahead of third place Easton, Pa. Their six placers were second most in the tournament, and the fact they all were in the top four was a tournament high. Josh Walker (120) and No. 4 Kyle Crutchmer (182) earned titles, Brian Crutchmer (132) and No. 18 (at 160) Kyle Ash (152) finished as runners-up, Blasé Walser (195) took third, and Justin Lombardo (113) took fourth. Kyle Crutchmer was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament, as the Oklahoma State recruit had five falls prior to a 24-13 major decision over Westley Ruffer (Chester, Calif.) in the championship match. The only other team with multiple champions was Reed, Nev., who had titles from Broc Westlake (195) and No. 20 Spencer Empey (220). Other nationally ranked teams in this tournament finished outside the top five. No. 48 Maple Mountain, Ut. was tied for eighth with 118 points, with Brittain Carter (113) taking third and No. 19 Grant LaMount (138) earning fifth place. No. 20 Bakersfield was tenth with 117.5 points. However, No. 18 Silas Nacita (170) was entered in the brackets but had to forfeit out of the tournament in his first match. Additionally, state placer Micah Cruz placed fourth at 138 as an extra, but should be down in weight as the season progresses. Finally, No. 36 Columbia, Idaho, was 14th in the standings with 94.5 points. Nationally ranked weight class champions included No. 13 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.) at 113 pounds, No. 9 Hayden Tuma (Centennial, Idaho) at 132, No. 16 Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) at 145, No. 6 Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield, Calif) at 152, and No. 2 (at 170) Zach Brunson (Churchill, Ore.) at 160. Tuma had three pins during the tournament with decisions during the quarterfinal and final. Hammond was dominant with two technical falls, a pin, a 15-3 major decision, and then a 10-4 victory over No. 18 (at 160) Kyle Ash from Tulsa Union in the final. Brunson was dominant in his own right with three pins and then a pair of major decision victories in the semifinal and final. Rounding out the weight class champions were Sean Cannon (Green Valley, Nev.) at 106 pounds, Mike Dahlstrom (Pleasant Valley, Calif.) at 126, Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) at 138, and Fernando Herrera (Lowry, Nev.) at 285. Tucker won the tournament's best weight class at 138 pounds. His path to the final started with a pin and two technical falls, then got much tougher starting with a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over No. 5 Natrelle Deminson (Bakersfield, Calif.), followed by a 3-2 victory over Deminson's teammate and fellow state placer Micah Cruz, and capped it off with a 4-2 victory over sophomore state placer Nikko Villareal (Gilroy, Calif.). In the other half of the draw, Villareal reached the final with a 6-5 victory over LaMont in the semifinal round. Dual meet showdown in the Gopher State Tomorrow night will also feature a showdown of a pair of nationally ranked teams in the state of Minnesota, as No. 36 St. Michael-Albertville and No. 39 Scott West collide on the mats. Below are the projected lineups for each squad. 106: Aaron Dick, STMA (2010 Cadet freestyle All-American) vs. David Flynn, SW (MCT 4th) 113: No. 11 Tommy Thorn, STMA (state champion, Cadet freestyle champion, MCT champion) vs. Zach Siegle, SW (2010 Cadet freestyle All-American, MCT 7th) 120: Colton Schoen, STMA vs. Luke Betchwars (state 4th, MCT 3rd) 126: Cole Sladek, STMA (state 5th/2nd, Cadet freestyle All-American, MCT champion) vs. Luke Zilverberg, SW (state 5th, MCT 7th) 132: Mark Voss, STMA (state 5th, MCT 3rd) vs. Phillip Dvorak, SW 138: Lincoln Mallinger, STMA (2010 state qualifier, MCT 2nd) vs. Andrew Fogarty, SW (MCT 6th) 145: Wayne Voss, STMA (2010 state 6th, MCT 7th) vs. Derek Dahlke, SW 152: Ryan Rostamo, STMA vs. Gabe Fogarty, SW (state champion, MCT 2nd) 160: Owen Gammell, STMA vs. Charlie Pesch, SW (state 6th) 170: Jake Briggs, STMA vs. Nick Dvorak, SW (state qualifier, MCT 5th) 182: Ben Haller/Ryan Briggs, STMA vs. Jake DeWeese, SW 195: Mitchell Eull, STMA (MCT 3rd) vs. Mike Riker, SW (MCT 8th) 220: Nick Edling, STMA (MCT 2nd) vs. No. 4 Michael Kroells, SW (state 6th/2nd/1st, FloNationals 3rd, MCT champion) 285: Michael Kessler, STMA (MCT 5th) vs. TBD, SW Surprising Kings of the Mountain Even with their clear anchor wrestler, No. 11 Steve Spearman (138) going down to defeat in the semifinal round, Erie McDowell, Pa. still came through with a team title at the King of the Mountain. It was a close battle with No. 22 Massillon Perry, Ohio, but they won by three points, 190-187. Each team had two champs, two other top three place finishers, and nine total placers in all. However, McDowell won the title due to having three fourth place finishers, while Massillon Perry had just one. Champions for McDowell were Nick Gibson (126), Khlique Harris (182); while Paul Deitz (113) and Steve Spearman (138) took third. Fourth place finishers were Shawn (132) and Tyree (152) Spearman, along with Cory Nolan (145). Massillon Perry earned titles from No. 12 Zack Dailey (152) and Joe Tayse (195), while David Bavery (106) and Mitch Newhouse (138) took second place. The tournament's most loaded weight class was clearly at 138 pounds, where the Saturday semifinal round was full of fireworks. In the top semifinal, No. 8 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) upended Laike Gardner (Biglerville, Pa.) 9-4 in an overtime match featuring state runners-up and Super32 placers. The lower bracket semifinal resulted in a 5-3 overtime victory for 2010 state runner-up Newhouse over 2010 state champion Steve Spearman. The championship match between Matthews and Newhouse was tied 6-6 after regulation. With Newhouse in deep on a takedown, Matthews was up in the air and attempted a counter move. Then, when Matthews hit the mat, he evidently hit hard and Newhouse did not bring him down in control so he got hit with an illegal slam to lose the match. That was the second of two titles won by Reynolds, who also saw three-time state placer Dylan Durso upend 2009 state champion Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley, Pa.) 6-4 at 132 pounds. Third in the team standings, about 30 points back of second place, was Parkland, Pa. with 159 points and a single champion in No. 16 Ethan Lizak (106), an 8-4 winner over Bavery. A battle of state champions emerged in the 120 pound final between No. 6 (at 113) Jason Nolf (Kittaning, Pa.) and No. 20 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South, Pa.). Winning a 3-2 decision, and being named Outstanding Wrestler, was the Class AA champ Nolf as he beat the AAA champ Rappo. Two more terrific finals saw No. 17 Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) win at 145 pounds, while No. 10 Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pa.) did the same at 160. Lydic upended three-time state placer Zach Beitz (Juniata, Pa.) 3-1 in overtime, after Beitz had knocked off No. 138 (at 138) Mikey Racciato (Pen Argyl, Pa.) 7-4 I the semifinals. Racciato was a state champion this past year. Additionally, Brill dominated in front of his home crowd with four pins prior to a 9-2 victory over No. 15 Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.). Rounding out the state champions were David Sheesley (113) and Nazar Mironeka (285) for Mifflinburg, Pa., Zach Towers (Meadville, Pa.) at 170, and Tyson Searer (220) for Mifflin County, Pa. Kyle Maynard Duals feature some elite teams from across SE USA Date: Wednesday, December 21 Location: Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Ga.) Top Teams: No. 5 Brandon, Fla.; No. 25 Collins Hill, Ga.; The Baylor School, Tenn.; Osceola, Fla.; and Soddy Daisy, Tenn. Notable Wrestlers: 106: No. 13 Dylan Lucas (Brandon, Fla.), Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.), Ariel Dominguez (Osceola, Fla.) 113: James Flint (Brandon, Fla.), Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.), Cole Holloway (The Baylor School, Tenn.), Jacob Stevens (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) 120: Drew Ferguson (Collins Hill, Ga.), Victor Fugate (Brandon, Fla.), Adam Connell (McCallie,Tenn.) 126: No.7 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.), No. 20 Zach Watson (The Baylor School, Tenn.), Steven Bradtmuller (Collins Hill, Ga.) 132: No. 6 Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.), Brandon Brunner (The Baylor School, Tenn.), Tim Locksmith (Osceola, Fla.) 138: Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.), Spencer Rickman (Collins Hill, Ga.), Alex Ward (McCallie, Tenn.), Campbell Lewis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) 145: Turbo Smith (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Bryson Popp (The Baylor School, Tenn.) 152: Travis Berridge (Brandon, Fla.), Kenny Martin (Osceola, Fla.), Matthew Cate (The Baylor School, Tenn.) 160: No. 6 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.), Matthew Connell (Collins Hill, Ga.), Spencer Lacey (Osceola, Fla.) 170: Jacob Haydock (Brandon, Fla.), Spencer Craig (TheBaylor School, Tenn.), Chris Pagan (Osceola, Fla.) 182: Kyle Koziel (Brandon, Fla.), Andrew Krawulski (Collins Hill, Ga.), Jahlen Flounders (Osceola, Fla.) 195: Brett Ervin (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Ben Cruz (Osceola, Fla.) 220: Billy Swanson (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) 285: Joe Bexley (Bremen, Ga.), Zach Carmin (Collins Hill, Ga.), Alex Seeley (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Tye Youngblood (McCallie, Tenn.), Barrett Gouger (The Baylor School, Tenn.) Mead makes statement at Tri-State Many of the best wrestlers from the northwest portion of the United States came together for the Tri-State Invitational at North Idaho College this past weekend. However, at the end of the tournament, it was Mead, Wash. making the greatest impression. First and foremost, No. 1 Jordan Rogers had four matches over the two-day tournament, with none getting out of the first period (all pins) at 182 pounds. In addition, three other teammates earned championships -- Jeremy Golding (145), Chandler Rogers (160), and Sam Voigtlander (170). The team also won the title with 204 points with eight total placers. Despite no champions for Lewiston, Idaho, Post Falls, Idaho, and Lake Stevens, Wash., they were the next three teams in the standings close to 40 points back of Mead. They scored 171, 170.5, and 165 points respectively. The lone team other than Mead to have multiple champions was Hermiston, Ore., as Tyler Berger (132) and Joey Delgado (138) came home with titles. The sophomore Berger had three pins, a 9-1 major decision in the quarterfinal round, and then a 7-6 victory in the finals over No. 18 Joey Palmer (Tahoma, Wash.). Other weight class champions included Tristan Moran (Chandler, Ariz.) at 106 pounds, Josh Newberg (Kelso, Wash.) at 113, Steve Hopkins (Tahoma, Wash.) at 120, Drew Templeman (Orting, Wash.) at 126, Nico Moreno (Moses Lake, Wash.) at 152, Garrett Demers (Cour d'Alene, Idaho) at 195, Derrick Bender (Riverside, Wash.) at 220, and Dan Schaultz (Central Valley, Wash.) at 285. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate ... And look forward to updated weight class rankings right after the holiday, as well as a preview of some of the major competitions on the docket for the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Photo/Forza LLC via Getty Images When Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker took the podium last week to announce his promotion's new deal with Showtime, there should have been little doubt that MMA fans were going to get more of what they wanted to see: top-level fighters on television. After Saturday's "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" card, the promotion's future seems more, not less, troubled. Fight fans are unique in the modern sports culture. Where other sports fans gorge themselves on end zone dances and Tebowing; MMA fans value authenticity above flash, valor above showmanship. The UFC has maintained its fan base by prioritizing the courage and humanity implicit in combative struggle, alongside doses of extended storylines. It is a fundamental component of the organization, and one that they ironically might've stripped from their Strikeforce cousin over the past year. The Zuffa banner has meant a free one-way exchange between the two promotional subsidiaries (may we call it poaching?), the best fighters in Strikeforce feel they deserve to be in the UFC where the best money can be made and the best fights taken. Strikeforce's Gilbert Melendez, ranked 16th in the InterMatFight pound-for-pound rankings, showed disgruntled disinterest when defeating top Strikeforce contender Jorge Masivdal. The 155-pound fighter said after the fight that he would love a chance to test himself against the best in the world; that he would like to challenge the class of the UFC's lightweight division. It is a chance we have been guaranteed will not be handed the 20-2 fighter. Just a few days earlier, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who seems to be co-piloting his promotion from lost luggage counter at JFK, assured fans that Strikeforce would be retaining the services of Melendez for the foreseeable future. This was an abrupt end to Melendez's flirtation with the king-making organization, and unlike other top Strikeforce talents Allistair Overeem, Nick Diaz, and Dan Henderson who had already fled for the big money fights of the UFC. Others cashed out but Melendez was retained, leaving fans to wonder what to make of half-assed cards with potentially insubordinate fighters. The Strikeforce problem is based in a fan's perception about the validity of MMA. Fans want to avoid the scandals of boxing and protect competitive parity no matter the cost to individual promotions. And this is the problem that Strikeforce can't seem to avoid: the promotion is being brought along as nothing more than a testing facility for future stars of the UFC, and that's not a business model that can profit when genuine competition is at a premium value. When opportunities for fighters like Melendez are restricted, fans naturally devalue and discredit the overseeing organization. It's the same principle of competitive validation that has led to a moderate jump in the value of the Bellator name. Any fan who watched the epic four-round battle between Mike Chandler and Eddie Alvarez, saw first hand the positive aspects of parity within a second-tier MMA promotion. Alvarez, who many thought to be the best or second-best lightweight in the world, was dispensed by a plucky upstart with cement-filled fists and opportunistic jiu-jitsu. The fight became a leading candidate for fight of the year for the in-cage action, but it was the Bellator belief in allowing everyone a chance at the title, that afforded Chandler the opportunity. Bellator is a meritocracy, whereas Strikeforce is limited by the Zuffa banner and the subjectivity of its ownership. The Chandler-Alvarez fight won't be the last to garner mainstream attention, because as each tournament passes and fighters like Cole Konrad and Ben Askren defend their title, the objective nature of the tournament remains intact and gains credibility. Compelling fights always make for happy fans and giving your top eight athletes a "fighter's chance" absolves you of their contempt for ownership. MMA is a sport built on hawking realness to a perceptive, well-informed fan base. If die-hards were interested in representative conflict they would be caught watching the NBA players push, claw and slap each other on Christmas morning. Fans of the UFC appreciate that while they are sometimes given the most marketable fights rather than the most deserving, there is little doubt that the best in the game find their way to the top of the promotion. Fans appreciate Bellator because heart and scrappiness are left to flourish, not fade behind the directives of Zuffa brass. No matter the financial incentives included in the agreement with Showtime the Strikeforce model is not sustainable. The deal was a Pyrrhic victory for an organization who will continue to lose competitive reach within an intelligent fan base interested in competitive transparency, more than the two-stepping, self-promotion of Zuffa string-pullers. Intentions as apparent as Zuffa's, invalidate the psychology of the promotion and fight fans have been the first to recognize the incongruity; last week's Melendez card drew just 460,000 viewers and a poor 1.35 household share. The future of Strikeforce will be contingent on their ability to rehab their poor PR and recruit top-flight talent. If they can then engineer fights that fans believe to be bona fide representation of available talent, they might save the promotion. If not, Strikeforce will be just another promotion lost to the insubordination by fighters, disinterest of fans and the ire of the media.

Gilbert Melendez and Gegard Mousasi earned the largest disclosed paydays at this past weekend's "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" event, with each netting $150,000. MMAjunkie.com today obtained the figures from the California State Athletic Commission. The total disclosed payroll for the Dec. 17 event was $580,000. Read Story

A heavily anticipated featherweight contest between Erik Koch and Dustin Poirer has been scrapped. UFC officials today announced that Koch was injured in training and has been forced to withdraw from the planned UFC 143 matchup. Poirer, who requested the matchup, now waits on a new opponent. Read Story

As expected, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Montreal in March for UFC 145. And while the fight card is expected to take place on March 24 at Bell Centre, UFC executives have to confirm all of the details. That said, the night's first fight was made official, as Rory MacDonald will meet fellow welterweight prospect Che Mills. Read Story

Daniel Straus will compete in Bellator Fighting Championships' sixth-season featherweight tournament, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced Tuesday. Read Story

"Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" officially drew 2,995 attendees for a $154,075 live gate. California State Athletic Commission officials today emailed the figures to MMAjunkie.com. "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" took place Dec. 17 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The night's four-fight main card aired on Showtime. Read Story

With consecutive wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Mike Kyle and Andrei Arlovski, former EliteXC champ Antonio Silva looked well on his way to establishing himself as one of MMA's top heavyweights. Then he ran into Daniel Cormier, who booted Silva out of Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix with a surprising first-round knockout. As it turns out, the loss provided Silva with a valuable lesson he promises to carry with him for the remainder of his career - a career that looks as if may now play out in the UFC. Read Story

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State's 174-pounder Chris Spangler has been named this week's Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. Seventh-ranked Spangler upset third-ranked Dorian Henderson in the Cyclones' dual meet against Missouri Sunday. "Chris deserves it," said Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson. "He is not close to 100 percent and is performing at a very high level. He's proving that it's about the mind not the body." Spangler is now 3-0 against Big 12 opponents with wins over Henderson, Chris McNeil of Oklahoma State and Oklahoma's Chase Nelson. Down in the first period against the Missouri grappler, Spangler fought off an early deficit with a takedown, two back points and late reversal. Spangler's reversal kept the match from overtime as Spangler led 5-4 with 40 seconds remaining, but Henderson had locked up riding time. Spangler's upset was his second of the season. His first came against No. 6 Ethen Lofthouse of Iowa in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk series Dec. 4. Spangler leads Iowa State in dual takedowns this season with 13, and is third on the team in escapes with eight. The Naperville, Ill., native is 5-1 overall this year. After losing his first dual meet of the season to then-No. 10 Te Edwards of Old Dominion, Spangler has won five straight, three of which were against ranked opponents. The Cyclones' next competition will be in Evanston, Ill., at the Midlands Championships.

CLARION, Pa. -- The Edinboro wrestling team opened Eastern Wrestling League action in impressive, and quick fashion, defeating Clarion 37-12 at Tippin Gymnasium on Monday night. The Fighting Scots, ranked 24th in the latest NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in EWL action while winning five matches by bonus points. Clarion falls to 0-3 and 0-1, respectively. Seven of the ten matches were won by bonus points, with Edinboro posting three falls and a pair of technical falls, while both of Clarions wins were via pins. Edinboro jumped out to a 22-0 lead behind its quartet of redshirt freshmen at the lower weights. Kory Mines got the action underway at 125 lbs. with a 20-3 technical fall at 5:30 over Vic Lipari. That boosted Mines record to 10-7. A.J. Schopp improved to 19-1 with his ninth fall of the season, pinning Joe Waltko at 4:43 in the 133 lb. bout. Schopp is ranked eighth by both InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News. 18th-ranked Mitchell Port followed with another fall at 141 lbs., this one at 1:50 over Tyler Bedelyon at 1:50. A week ago Port defeated Bedelyon 12-4 at the PSAC Championships. He is now 13-4. Dave Habat boosted the margin to 22-0 with a 15-0 technical fall at 4:50 over Cameron Moran at 149 lbs. Habat, who has climbed to tenth in the InterMat rankings and 11th by Amateur Wrestling News, is now 18-4. He had won a 14-9 decision between the two at the PSAC's. Clarion cut the gap to 22-12 with falls at 157 and 165 lbs. Ninth-ranked James Fleming pinned freshman Casey Fuller (15-8) at 1:46. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, ranked seventh, followed with a fall at 1:37 over Ethan Saylor, who fell to 7-7. Edinboro would win the final four matches. Chris Hrunka won a 7-0 decision over Ryan Darch at 174 lbs., with Vic Avery following with a 7-2 decision over Nick Milano, a former standout at nearby Cathedral Prep, at 184 lbs. Hrunka and Avery are now 11-7 and 12-6, respectively. The final two matches were actually the most highly-anticipated of the night. The 197 lb. bout was a rematch of the PSAC championship, and the score was very similar. After winning a 12-6 decision at the PSAC's, third-ranked Chris Honeycutt improved to 19-0 with an 11-6 decision over 19th-ranked Alex Thomas. The match concluded with Ernest James (above), ranked 17th by Amateur Wrestling News and 20th by InterMat, winning by fall over Quintas McCorkle, ranked 18th by Amateur Wrestling News, at heavyweight at 1:16. It was James' ninth fall and boosted his record to 17-4. Edinboro returns to action in the prestigious Midlands Invitational on December 29-30. Results: 125 Kory Mines (EU) tech. fall Vic Lipari (CU) 20-3, 5:30 5-0 133 #8 A.J. Schopp (EU) fall over Joe Waltko (CU) 4:43 11-0 141 #18 Mitchell Port (EU) fall over Tyler Bedelyon (CU) 1:50 17-0 149 #10 Dave Habat (EU) tech. fall Cameron Moran (CU) 15-0, 4:50 22-0 157 #9 James Fleming (CU) fall over Casey Fuller (EU) 1:46 22-6 165 #8 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (CU) fall over Ethan Saylor (EU) 1:37 22-12 174 Chris Hrunka (EU) dec. Ryan Darch (CU) 7-0 25-12 184 Vic Avery (EU) dec. Nick Milano (CU) 7-2 28-12 197 #3 Chris Honeycutt (EU) dec. 11-6 #19 Alex Thomas (CU) 11-6 31-12 Hwt. #20 Ernest James (EU) fall over Quintas McCorkle (CU) 1:16 37-12

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois wrestling team started their home schedule with a victory as they took down UT-Chattanooga 30-6 to improve to 7-1 on the season. Eight of the ten Illini won their matches, including Jesse Delgado, Daryl Thomas, Eric Terrazas, Guy Kirby, Jackson Morse, Jordan Blanton, Tony Dallago and Mario Gonzalez. Delgado recorded a technical fall and Dallago logged a pin in their respective matches to help boost the Orange and Blue over the Mocs at Huff Hall. "I thought the guys looked really lethargic," head coach Jim Heffernan said. "They seemed tired and not mentally fresh. However, it was good to be home after a long hard week and it gave a chance for our home crowd to see Delgado and Dallago wrestle. I think Kirby's victory was the highlight of the dual. He did a great job." The dual started at 125 as Delgado won his 12th match this season as he defeated Chattanooga's Cole Gallagher in a 21-5 technical fall. The victory marked Delgado's eighth technical fall this season and put the Illini up early 5-0. Futrell dropped just his second dual of the season as he lost the 8-2 decision to Nick Soto of Chattanooga, however at 141, Thomas recorded an 11-10 decision to push the Illini's score to 8-3. At 149, Terrazas moved past Kelly Felix with a 9-3 decision to record his sixth consecutive dual match victory and 12th this season. Kirby's win at 157 was the most impressive victory of the day, as the redshirt-freshman recorded a 3-1 decision over Chattanooga's Daniel Waddell to increase Illinois' score to 14-3. "Kirby did a great job for us today," Heffernan said. "Under the circumstances, he performed very well. He's the kind of guy who works hard everyday and does everything we've asked of him. It's nice for Kirby to show the guys on the team that if he gets the opportunity to do something in a dual, he will perform." After moving up a weight because of the injured Conrad Polz, Morse moved to 5-2 on the season as he defeated Brandon Wright with an 11-4 decision while Blanton added to the Illini score with his 19-6 major decision. These two wins bumped the Orange and Blue's team score to 21-3 with three weight classes remaining. Dallago and Gonzalez won both of their matches as Dallago notched his fourth pin of the season to give the Illini six additional points while Gonzalez edged Nikolas Brown of Chattanooga in a 4-3 decision to win his ninth match of the season. Pat Walker dropped his match 6-3, however the Illini took home the 30-6 victory. The Fighting Illini will take the next week off for the holidays before competing at the 49th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. The finals of the tournament will be streamed on the Big Ten Network. Results: 125 - #6 Jesse Delgado tech fall Cole Gallagher 21-5 133 - Blake Thomas dec. #4 B.J. Futrell 8-2 141 - Daryl Thomas dec. Shawn Greevy 11-10 149 - #6 Eric Terrazas dec. Kelly Felix 9-3 157 - Guy Kirby dec. Daniel Waddell 3-1 165 - Jackson Morse dec. Brandon Wright 11-4 174 - #9 Jordan Blanton major dec. Levi Clemons 19-6 184 - Tony Dallago pinned Robert Prigmore 1:37 197 - #13 Mario Gonzalez dec. Nikolas Brown 4-3 285 - Kevin Malone dec. Pat Walker 6-3

Senior Shane Onufer won the 165-pound weight-class title and the Wyoming wrestling team finished second overall Sunday in the Reno Tournament of Champions. Wyoming scored 115.5 team points to trail only Oklahoma State in the team standings, and seven Cowboys placed in the top five in an event dubbed the "Toughest Tournament in the U.S.A." "Finishing second wasn't bad, but I definitely didn't feel like we wrestled exceptionally," Wyoming coach Mark Branch said. "I thought we wrestled worse than we did at Vegas (on Dec. 2-3.) You don't like to see that. I didn't think we had much of an attitude. I didn't think we had a killer instinct, and in some spots, we looked soft and vulnerable." Onufer, who won the 2010 RTOC 165-pound title, went 4-0 on Sunday and beat third-seeded and 20th-ranked Dallas Bailey of Oklahoma State in the title match to take the 165-pound crown. Onufer proved he was worthy of the top seed in the weight class by defeating Bailey in a 7-4 decision in the championship match, and had one fall and one major decision Sunday. The senior now is 15-1 on the season. "Onufer had a tough match in the finals and he wrestled his rear off and got the job done," Branch said. Senior Michael Martinez, ranked 17th and seeded second, finished fourth in the 125-pound bracket, earning a 4-2 overall mark. Martinez made it to the semifinals but fell to Ladd Rupp of Oklahoma State. He dropped down to the consolation brackets and beat teammate Kasey Garnhart to get to the third-place match, but lost to Mitchell Lofstedt of Southern Oregon in a 3-2 decision. Garnhart, a junior, was fifth, beating Air Force's Greg Rinker in the fifth-place match in a 10-2 major decision. Garnhart tallied a 4-2 record with one fall and one major decision. Redshirt freshman Zach Zehner was second in the 133-pound bracket, grinding out a 4-1 mark. Zehner, ranked 17th and seeded second, suffered his lone loss of the event in the title bout versus No. 1-ranked Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State, a match in which Oliver pinned him at the 1:32 mark. "Zehner showed a lot of maturity throughout the day," Branch said. "(In the title match), he wrestled one of the most dominant kids in the nation at any weight. But other than that he showed a lot of poise and toughness." Wyoming's Patrick Martinez (174 pounds) finished fourth, losing in the consolation final to Lance Bryson of West Virginia in a 4-2 decision. Martinez went 4-2 for the tournament with one fall and one major decision. In the 184-pound title tilt, senior Joe LeBlanc lost his first match of the season when Oklahoma State's Chris Perry, ranked seventh, defeated him in a 3-2 decision. LeBlanc, ranked third and seeded first, finished second overall and now is 15-1 on the year. Redshirt junior Alfonso Hernandez nabbed third place in the 197-pound bracket, beating Ryan Smith of Cal Poly in a 1-0 decision in the consolation final. Hernandez had one of his best tournaments to date, cruising to a 5-1 mark with one pin, two major decisions and one technical fall. In the 149-pound bracket, redshirt freshman Brandon Richardson went 4-2 with one major decision and one technical fall. Dakota Friesth, a 157-pound redshirt freshman, went 5-2, but couldn't get to the placing rounds. He had one fall and two major decisions. Two Pokes were featured in the heavyweight bracket, including redshirt freshman Leland Pfeifer (1-2 overall) and junior L.J. Helbig (2-2 with one fall and one major decision.) Wyoming now will turn its focus to January, a month in which it will wrestle six duals. Up next is a home dual versus No. 2 Oklahoma State on Jan. 1, and 14th-ranked Oklahoma two days later. Branch will emphasize the need for improvement, based on what he saw Sunday. "It looked like we were trying to feel guys out and we had a lot of matches where we didn't score the first takedown," the coach said. "We don't look confident. We're getting confident results, but we've got to come back with a tougher attitude. We outwrestled several kids, but didn't get our hand raised. We pushed the pace, but the bottom line is goofy things can happen. There were some positives there, but we've got to get better in a hurry."

Photo/Forza LLC via Getty Images Here is what we learned from the Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal main card and what is (or could be) next for the fighters: Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal Division: Lightweight Result: Melendez defeated Masvidal by unanimous decision What we learned about Melendez: Melendez once again demonstrated that he is a talented striker with precision accuracy. He was able to frustrate Masvidal with speedy combinations that were able to penetrate his blocking. We learned that Melendez will need to add power to his punches if he hopes to be able to do damage against the top lightweights in the division. An argument could be made that Melnedez should have more aggressively attempted a takedown and ground and pound attacks when it became apparent that he was not going to be able to knock out Masvidal while standing. What is next for Melendez: Melendez is openly campaigning for a fight on the bigger UFC stage. A fight against Grey Maynard would provide a perfect opportunity (and significant challenge) for him. What we learned about Masvidal: We learned that Masvidal's face does not bruise easily. Masvidal continued on even though it was obvious that he was getting taken apart by Melendez's quick hands. The fact that he did not change his game late in the fight may indicate that he is too one dimensional and may lack the skills to change the course of a fight when he is getting out-boxed. What is next for Masvidal: Expect Masvidal to continue into 2012 on the recently signed Strikeforce deal. His next fight is likely to be in the spring as additional cards are announced. Cristiane Santos vs. Hiroko Yamanaka Division: Women's Featherweight Result: Santos defeated Yamanaka by TKO in Round 1 What we learned about Santos: We learned that Santos may need to fight men in order to get a challenging fight. Cyborg is clearly outclassing all women fighters in her division (by a BIG margin). A male vs. female fight would come with controversy (and would be unlikely), but it would draw viewers in and give Strikeforce additional national media play. Megan Black qualified for the Iowa state wrestling tournament by competing in a physical and violent sport against males. Cyborg should be given a chance to do the same in MMA. What is next for Santos: Cyborg has star power, so Strikeforce executives would be wise to keep her fighting on a regular basis. Her next fight may be against challenger Ronda Rousey. In the post-fight interview she mentioned a potential drop to 135 –-- which based on her current physique, seems very unlikely and probably ill-advised. What we learned about Yamanaka: There is not much we could have learned about Yamanaka in 16 seconds of fighting except that she was clearly overmatched. She looked ready to continue prior to the fight being called, but things probably would not have gotten much better for her with an additional 16 seconds. What is next for Yamanaka: A month of waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat followed by a sense of relief that Cyborg is back in North America and far, far away from Tokyo where she will finish her fighting career. Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux Division: Light Heavyweight Result: Mousasi defeated St. Preux by unanimous decision What we learned about Mousasi: Not much. We already knew that Mousasi was a highly-skilled striker with an average grappling game. In this fight, Mousasi showed improved grappling but it was disappointing that he was unable to finish the fight that he was controlling from start to finish. His inability to close down the fight may have been the result of him being under the weather prior to the event, or it may be another flag that he is not yet ready to complete against the fighters at the top of the 205 division. What is next for Mousasi: A fight between the winner for Muhammed Lawal and Lorenzo Larkin could be an option for Mousasi. What we learned about St. Preux: The former Tennessee football player showed potential, but ultimately that he is not ready for a fighter with as much skill as Mousasi. Mousasi was able to get him in the crucifix which means St. Preux needs to continue to work on his jiu-jitsu needs to some immediate improvement. Overall we learned that he has a pretty nice game, but is currently not ready for the best light heavyweights that Strikeforce has to offer. What is next for St. Preux: Matching St. Preux with Lawal right now may be a bit much. If he struggled with Mousasi's wrestling, Lawal will have no problem controlling him. It may be best for St. Preux to build his confidence against a fighter with a less impressive resume in the next three months.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly wrestlers Boris Novachkov and Ryan DesRoches both reached the 100 career wins mark as Mustangs as the duo captured individual championships at 141 and 174 pounds, respectively, Sunday night at the one-day Reno Tournament of Champions at the Reno Events Center. Novachkov, seeded No. 1 and ranked No. 4 by InterMat, defeated Oregon State's Michael Mangrum, seeded No. 2 and ranked No. 5, for the second time in eight days and is now 4-1 in his career against the Beaver senior. Eight days after earning a 5-3 decision against Mangrum in a Pacific-12 Conference dual meet Dec. 11 at Cuesta College, Novachkov pinned the Beaver senior in 10 minutes, 51 seconds, in the second tiebreaker series. The two wrestlers were tied at 3-3 after regulation and 4-4 after the first tiebreaker series. Novachkov was in the top position of the second tiebreaker series. “A flurry ensued and, as Mangrum nearly escaped, Boris caught him on his back and pinned him,” said first-year Cal Poly head coach Brendan Buckley. Mangrum edged Novachkov 4-3 in the semifinals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4. The two wrestlers also split two matches a year ago. Novachkov's four wins en route to the finals were a 6-0 decision against Darrin Boing of Ohio, a fall in 1:15 against Brad Tamashiro of Southern Oregon, a 5-1 decision over Mike Kessler of Appalachian State and an 8-3 decision versus fourth-seeded Josh Strait of Boise State. Novachkov is now 16-2 on the year and surpassed the 100-win mark in his Cal Poly career with the win over Tamashiro. Now 103-21, Novachkov is a two-time NCAA All-American (second in 2011, seventh in 2010) and two-time Pac-12 champion. He also placed third in the Pac-12 finals as a freshman in 2008 and qualified for the NCAAs. Meanwhile, DesRoches raised his record for the season to 16-0 with four decisions before earning a 6-4 decision against second-seeded Nick Purdue of Ohio in the 174-pound final. DesRoches, the top seed at 174, reached the finals with a 3-0 decision over Lance Bryson of West Virginia, a 16-2 major decision against Mike Duckworth of Ohio, a 14-6 major decision over Jarrod Purvis of Adams State and a 6-1 decision against fourth-seeded Pat Martinez of Wyoming. DesRoches has 37 career falls and a 100-31 career win-loss mark at Cal Poly. He is a two-time NCAA qualifier and twice has placed third in the Pac-12 finals. At 197 pounds, Mustang Ryan Smith finished fourth, dropping a 1-0 decision to second-seeded Alfonso Hernandez of Wyoming in the wrestleback finals. Smith was 3-2 in the tournament, lifting his mark for the season to 9-6. Smith, the fourth seed, reached the semifinal round with an 8-2 decision over Paul Weiss of Appalachian State and a fall in 3:43 over fifth-seeded Kamron Jackson of Great Falls. He dropped a 5-3 decision to top-seeded Cayle Byers of Oklahoma State in the semifinals, but bounced back with a 7-3 decision against Nick McDiarmid of Michigan State to earn his spot in the consolation finals. No other Cal Poly wrestler competed in the championship or consolation finals Sunday night. Drew Meulman reached the fifth round of wrestlebacks before losing to Dan Scherer of Stanford in a 6-3 decision. Sean Dougherty also reached the fifth round of wrestlebacks at 184 before suffering an 11-3 major decision setback against Jake Meredith of Arizona State. Damien Arredondo dropped a 4-1 decision to Brandon Richardson of Wyoming in the fifth round of wrestlebacks at 149 pounds while Chris Calcagno fell 8-6 to Patrick Hunter of Binghamton in the fifth round of wrestlebacks at 133. In the final team standings, Cal Poly finished sixth among 28 schools, scoring 57.5 points. Oklahoma State was the runaway team champion with 166 points, followed by 2010 team champion Wyoming at 115.5 and Oregon State at 105. At the Reno Tournament of Champions year ago, DesRoches was second at 174 for the second straight year while Smith was fifth. Novachkov did not compete in last year's tournament but was second at 133 pounds in 2009. Cal Poly, ranked 15th in the nation this week, returns to action Dec. 29-30 at the Midlands Open hosted by Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

RENO, Nev. -- The No. 2 Oklahoma State wrestling team finished first at the 2011 Reno Tournament of Champions Sunday behind individual title performances from Jon Morrison at 125, Jordan Oliver at 133, Jamal Parks at 149, Chris Perry at 184 and Blake Rosholt at 197 pounds. The Cowboys scored 166 points at the event and finished more than 50 points better than second-place Wyoming. Oliver, competing in his first tournament of the season, turned in by far the most dominant performance at the event. Not only did the undefeated junior go 5-0, but he earned a first-period fall in each of his matches, continuing a streak that has lasted every bout of his 8-0 season. The longest an opponent has lasted this year against the Easton, Pa., native is just 2:38, while Oliver's quickest pin came today in just 47 seconds. Morrison went 5-0 at the tournament to improve his overall mark to 9-2. Highlights from his day included a technical fall in the first round and a major decision in the semifinals. Parks also went 5-0 on the day, including a fall and a pair of major decisions, to improve to 13-0 on the season. The 184-pound bracket gave Perry a first-round bye and a four wins with two major decisions. The Stillwater native improves to 11-0 on the year after today's performance. Rosholt earned OSU's final individual title after he went from his No. 6 seed to the last name on the bracket with a 5-0 performance to improve to 11-1. His victories included a fall, a technical fall and a major decision. Other OSU athletes who placed at the event included second-place finishers Ladd Rupp (125 pounds), Dallas Bailey (165 pounds) and Cayle Byers (197 pounds); third-place finishers Josh Kindig (141 pounds) and Alan Gelogaev (heavyweight); and fifth-place finisher Albert White (157 pounds). The Oklahoma State wrestling team returns to action Dec. 30 when the Cowboys take on Boise State in Idaho. Team Standings: 1 Oklahoma State 166 2 Wyoming 115.5 3 Oregon State 105 4 Binghamton 68.5 5 Michigan State 66 6 Cal Poly 57.5 7 West Virginia 52.5 8 Ohio 48 9 Air Force 47.5 10 Boise State 44.5 11 Southern Oregon 39 12 Appalachian State 38 13 Arizona State 37 14 Great Falls 23.5 15 MSU Northern 17 16 CSU Bakersfield 15.5 17 Stanford 15.5 18 Clackamas 12.5 19 SW Oregon CC 10.5 20 Adams State 9.5

NEWARK, Del. -- It's all like clockwork. The sky's blue, the water's wet, and come mid-December at the Beast of the East, Blair Academy, N.J., is going to dominate the show. That is exactly what happened at the 19th annual Beast of the East this past weekend. The No. 1 Buccaneers amassed 321.5 team points from 13 wrestlers placing, eight finalists, and five champions. The lone wrestler not to place was Addison Knepshield (170), who had to pull out of the tournament on the first day due to injury. Champions for Blair were No. 3 Joey McKenna (113), No. 3 Mark Grey (132), No. 7 Todd Preston (138), No. 12 Dylan Milonas (145), and No. 1 Brooks Black (285). Finishing as runners-up were No. 17 P.J. Klee (120), Russ Parsons (152), and No. 15 Frank Mattiace (195). The first championship match for the Buccaneers was the easiest of the night, as McKenna got his hand raised at 113 pounds without having to wrestle, after losing in the finals last year at the Beast. No. 9 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) medically forfeited the championship match due to an injury sustained during his 4-4 ultimate tiebreaker rideout victory in the semifinal round against No. 15 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.). Moisey was able to replicate his victory from last week at the Ironman, and again avenge a loss to Wert in last year's Beast final at 112. In the semifinal round, McKenna scored a 5-0 victory over Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio). It was a second consecutive victory for McKenna over Assad in the semifinal round, having won 4-3 at the Ironman last week. "I didn't know who (Assad) was last week," said McKenna in discussing his semifinal opponent. "However, now I knew how he wrestled, though it wasn't that different a match (except for the score)." McKenna had slight disappointment about not having a match in the final. "It would've been nice to win and flip the loss from last year," said McKenna. "None the less it feels good (to win a title)." Likewise Grey faced a Bethlehem Catholic wrestler in the championship match, No. 7 Randy Cruz. Cruz had upended Grey 9-4 in the semifinal round at the Ironman last week. However, it was a different story this week, as Grey earned the 4-2 victory keyed by a first period takedown. That performance gave him a fourth Beast of the East title, the first wrestler ever to accomplish the feat, despite having never won the Ironman the week before. "I always come here trying to bounce back, and forget about the Ironman," Grey said. Probably the most interesting sequence came at the start of the second period when Grey chose the down position despite having been ridden out in the second period of both the semifinal and consolation final last week. Cruz also scored a two-point near fall in the second period of the Ironman semifinal. However, this time Grey extended the 2-0 lead to a 4-0 lead due to an illegal hold by Cruz, a figure four to the head trying to avoid being reversed, and an escape thereafter. "After Ironman, (Jeff) Buxton and (assistant coach Paul) Klavel worked with me on crab and leg ride counters," Grey commented on a key adjustment from this week. "Despite dealing with an injury, I was very motivated to win a fourth Beast title and avenge last week's loss." The performance this weekend, three falls, an 8-3 semifinal victory over Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.), and that finals victory earned Grey a fourth Beast title and Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. Like McKenna, Preston was able to ascend one step higher on the podium with a 1-0 victory over Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) in the championship match. "It feels good to be a champ," said Preston, "Just shows the hard work I do all year pays off." Key to the victory were a second period ride out, and then Bannister let Preston loose right at the start of the third period for the match's lone point. Despite some attempts, Bannister - the lowest seed to reach the final (10th) -- was unable to really break through the Preston defense. "I knew what (Bannister) was going to do," said Preston about his finals opponent, "so I wanted to make sure to keep contact throughout the match." For a second consecutive week, Milonas beat multiple wrestlers ranked ahead of him nationally on the way to a tournament title at 145 pounds. This week, it was a 7-5 overtime victory over No. 6 Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) in the semifinal and a 6-2 victory over No. 9 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.) in the championship final. Tied 2-2 headed into the third period of the final, Milonas scored a reversal midway through the period. Then, late in the period, he fended off a couple of reversal attempts by Cimato, countering the last of them into two near fall points at the buzzer. "I just have to stay tough and push the pace," said Milonas about his ability to win the close matches against formidable opposition. "I've got the best people to work with, in the practice room, so I can focus on doing what I need to do to get better." The sophomore Milonas pulled off the Ironman-Beast double after failing to place in both events as a freshman last year in the same weight class. "It just shows how much I've improved in a year, and it's a great feeling," he said. The last of the five champions for the Buccaneers was junior Brooks Black at 285 pounds, who upended Dink Purnell (A.I. DuPont, Del.) 3-0 on an opening period takedown and second period escape. The pair had wrestled to a one point match during a November preseason event at Blair. "It was a preseason match," said Black, "I had things to work on, and I have over the last month. I thought I would face him in the final here, I've been here before, so it's my element." Finishing second in the standings to Blair, a long way's back, was No. 10 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. with 179 points. The Blue Knights were anchored by champion Eric Morris (170) and third place finishes from No. 9 Dominick Malone (126) and freshman Michael Johnson, Jr. (285) who had six pins over the two day event. They also had a fourth place finish from No. 7 A.J. Vizcarrando (220), a seventh place finisher from Tyler White (138), and an eighth place finish from Cohl Fulk (145). The same six wrestlers placed at both the Ironman and the Beast for Wyoming Seminary. "These two weeks are a gauntlet, but we came through it better than when it began" said head coach Scott Green. "If those six wrestlers can place at these two tournaments, they can compete with anyone in the country. It's our job (as coaches) to keep them at that level, and bring the rest of the squad up (to that level)." Morris, ranked No. 7 in the nation, at 170 faced No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) in a rematch of a semifinal match from last week that Morris won narrowly. This week, it was a similarly narrow match, as Morris won 1-0 riding out Riddick in the third period. "I had ridden him out in the past, but he's always a tough opponent" Morris said about Riddick. "I still felt confident in that third period situation up 1-0 in the top position, and was able to get good positios and breakdowns to win the match." Even though No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. did fall short in three finals matches – Moisey at 113, Randy Cruz at 132, and Riddick at 170 -- the Hawks did bring home a champion in No. 3 Darian Cruz (106) and earn third place with 163.5 points. Darian Cruz, a junior, earned a repeat Ironman title with a 10-1 finals victory over No. 12 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), after a 12-6 decision against No. 17 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) in the semifinals, and three other matches that did not go the distance (two pins and one technical fall). "It feels great to bring home two titles (in a row) to Bethlehem Catholic," Darian Cruz said, "and I want to get a third one next year. I had to push the pace against the (last two) tough opponents I had, just have fun, and win." A close fourth in the standings was No. 12 Christiansburg, Va. with 159 points. The Blue Demons had No. 11 Zach Epperly (160) earn a weight class title and the Major Ray Mendoza Award for scoring the most team points of any individual in the tournament with 34 in all. No. 6 Joey Dance (126) finished as a runner-up, while Ozias (106) and Wert (113) each brought home third place to bounce back from semifinal losses. Epperly scored a second period pin at the 3:31 mark of the championship final against sophomore Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.). In advancing to the final, Sebastian beat fellow sophomore Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) 1-0 in the quarterfinals on a third period rideout, and then upended No. 9 Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Va.) 3-2 I the semifinal round. Epperly had to rally from behind in his last two matches, a 9-7 overtime victory in the semifinals against fellow junior Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.), and the pin against Sebastian on a counter move while trailing 4-2 midway through the second period. "I felt some pressure coming from his duck-under attempt, tried to jump through, and happened to catch him in position," Epperly said. "Once I snuck in the half-nelson, (Sebastian) was right on his back." In addition to Epperly, two other wrestlers from the Commonwealth of Virginia brought home Beast of the East titles, Will Mason (120) for Cape Henry Collegiate and No. 4 Brandon Jeske (126) for Cox. Mason upended No. 17 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy) by a 7-6 score, coming back from a 5-3 deficit after two periods with a reversal and late takedown. "I just had to keep going," was the comment about the comeback effort. "My condition is up there (with the best of them), and it feels awesome to finally win a title (after placing outside the finals the previous three years) at the Beast." Jeske was a 5-4 ultimate tiebreaker winner against Dance, who he considers to be his best friend. Dance scored the only takedown of regulation in the second period, but a late stalling call in the third period took it to overtime tied at 3-3. Though Dance was in deep multiple times during regulation and overtime, Jeske was able to fend off the attacks heading into the tiebreaker periods, where each wrestler got an escape. Having scored first with a second period escape, Jeske chose down and got the escape to win. "Wrestling Joey (Dance) is the hardest thing to do in the world (though the pair did wrestle in the consolation final last week, Jeske won that 3-2), we've trained with each other a ton, heck we lived together for two years even," said Jeske. "To be able to treat it like just another match, I thought about other things (like possibly winning the outstanding wrestler award) all week." This was Jeske's first major in-season tournament title, though he won Cadet freestyle in the summer of 2010. "I've been so close so many times, yet got the stage fright," Jeske said. "It's all about mindset, and this time I broke through." Other weight class champions were No. 16 Salvatore Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) at 152 pounds and Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) at 182, then a pair of football players in No. 10 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) at 195 and No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) at 220 also won titles. Mastriani won his last two matches of the tournament by 5-3 scores respectively. It was an overtime match against Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) in the semifinals before upending Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) in the final with first and third period takedowns to bounce back from getting called for an early illegal slam. "I was still confident, but I had to be more cautious," said Mastriani about his match plan after the illegal slam. "It was hard to finish, but I kept getting some good shots and angles, and felt comfortable despite the tight (nature of the) match." Wolfe gave the host state a champion after they did not get one last year, though Delaware had at least one in each of the four previous additions. He upended the top seed Scott Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel, La.) in the semifinal 7-3, and then beat No. 15 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.) 3-2 in the championship match keyed by a late first period takedown. "It feels great, unforgettable, best feeling I've ever had," said Wolfe about winning a title in front of the home crowd. "I've never placed at a major tournament before (was one match short at Super32 this year), and to finally do it, all the hard work paid off." The sophomore sensation Snyder, ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2014 pound-for-pound, made it an Ironman-Beast double this year and back-to-back Beast of the East titles with a 2-1 victory over No. 5 (at 285) John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.). Prior to the final it was three pins, a 25-10 technical fall, and a 4-0 victory for Snyder. However, the final was much tougher. "He's a tough opponent, and I hope to see him again," Snyder said of Rizzo. "Those are the fun matches, the ones that are close and come down to the wire." And indeed it did, as Snyder used a penalty point in the second period, for a second stalling on Rizzo, and a third period escape to earn the narrow victory. The wrestlers each had leg attack chances in the third period that were fended. During the football season, Snyder was a nose guard for the Good Counsel football team, one that was ranked No. 5 in the nation this year. In fact, he was even on varsity last year as a freshman. "I'm wrestling up to the start of football practice," said Snyder," and I even do some wrestling after football practice in the fall." On the other hand, the 195-pound champion Perry Hills is much more atypical of the wrestling/football combination guys. He has verbally committed to play Quarterback at the University of Maryland next year. In fact, he was not in the Ironman last week due to visiting Maryland, and will not be at POWERade in two weeks due to an all-star game. He upended No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, 3-1, with a second period takedown. "I've been practicing for just three weeks," said Hills about coming into wrestling off of football season, "In fact, before this, I had not been on a mat since state (early last March)." This has been natural for him, as he's been doing the wrestling/football combination since he was five or six years old. Even as a quarterback, Hills finds wrestling beneficial. "The mental and physical toughness involved (in wrestling) makes be better. Every QB should wrestle." Finals Results: 106: No. 3 Darian Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) maj. dec. No. 12 V. Joseph (Pitt. Central Catholic, Pa.), 9-1 113: No. 3 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) won by forfeit over No. 9 Zeke Moisey (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) 120: Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.) dec. No. 17 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), 7-6 126: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.) dec. No. 6 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), 5-4 UTB 132: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. No. 7 Randy Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.), 4-2 138: No. 7 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.), 1-0 145: No. 12 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. No. 9 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.), 6-2 152: No. 16 Salvatore Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) dec. Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.), 5-3 160: No. 11 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) pinned Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), 3:31 170: No. 7 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Beth. Catholic, Pa.), 1-0 182: Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) dec. No. 15 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.), 3-2 195: No. 10 Perry Hills (Pitt. Central Catholic, Pa.) dec. No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.), 3-1 220: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) dec. No. 5 (at 285) John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.), 2-1 285: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. Dink Purnell (A.I. DuPont, Del.), 3-0 Team Standings (Top 10): 1. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. 321.5 2. No. 10 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 179 3. No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 163.5 4. No. 12 Christiansburg, Va. 159 5. No. 28 Central Dauphin, Pa. 126.5 6. No. 40 Colonial Forge, Va. 113 7. No. 38 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa. 107 8. No. 47 McDonogh, Md. 99.5 9. Jackson Memorial, N.J. 92.5 10 (tie). No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J.; Smyrna, Del. 86

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The No. 22 Virginia wrestling team turned in a dominating performance Sunday as it scored a 39-3 victory at Drexel at the John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia. The Cavaliers won at nine of the 10 weight classes, with six of the UVa wins resulting in bonus points. "It was a great match for our team," UVa head coach Steve Garland said. "For the last two weeks, they have been taking finals and have been battling in practice. When our kids are hard pressed, they always respond. We had a team meeting last night and I told them that this is a turning point in the season and they needed to respond to the challenge. The way the guys competed was awesome. They believed in themselves and really got after it." Matt Snyder (R-Jr., Lewistown, Pa.) and Matt Nelson (R-Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 9 and No. 20 nationally at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, each recorded pins for the Cavaliers (3-1) to start the day, with Snyder needing 2:29 to pin Mike Gomez and Nelson taking 4:55 to finish off Josh Yurasits. With his team-leading fifth fall of the year, Snyder is now 10-1 this season. Nelson pushed his record to 11-3. No. 12 Jon Fausey (R-So., Dalmatia, Pa.) and Nick Sulzer (R-Fr., Cleveland, Ohio) each picked up technical falls at 184 and 165, respectively. Fausey rolled to an 18-2 tech fall over Bryon Sternlieb, while Sulzer won by an 18-3 count over Anson Worrell. Fausey improved to 11-1 this season, while Sulzer is now 11-2. The Cavaliers also got major decisions from Jedd Moore (R-Jr., Mount Vernon, Ohio) and Vinny Waldhauser (Fr., El Dorado Hills, Calif.) at 157 and 174, respectively. Moore won 14-3 over Austin Sommer. Competing in his first college dual match, Waldhauser gave up just three escape points as he cruised to a 13-3 victory. Nick Nelson (R-Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Shawn Harris (R-Sr., Cleveland, Ohio) each avenged losses from earlier this season. Nelson took out the lone wrestler to beat him this year, Frank Cimato, in a 4-2 decision to improve to 11-1 this year. Harris defeated Shane Fenningham, 4-1, at 149. Ryan Malo (Sr., Georgetown, Mass.) went to sudden victory time before downing Brandon Palik, 3-1. The Dragons (3-2) notched their lone win of the day at heavyweight, where Kyle Frey earned a 6-2 decision over Ethan Hayes (Fr., New Lebanon, Ohio). After a brief break for the holidays, Virginia returns to competition Jan. 1-2 at the Southern Scuffle. The tournament shifts to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the first time this season after a long run in Greensboro, N.C. Results: 125: No. 9 Matt Snyder (UVa) pinned Mike Gomez (DU), 2:29; UVa 6-0 133: No. 20 Matt Nelson (UVa) pinned Josh Yurasits (DU), 4:55; UVa 12-0 141: Nick Nelson (UVa) dec. Frank Cimato (DU), 4-2; UVa 15-0 149: Shawn Harris (UVa) dec. Shane Fenningham (DU), 4-1; UVa 18-0 157: Jedd Moore (UVa) major dec. Austin Sommer (DU), 14-3; UVa 22-0 165: Nick Sulzer (UVa) tech fall Anson Worrell (DU), 18-3; UVa 27-0 174: Vinny Waldhauser (UVa) major dec. Alex Rinaldi (DU), 13-3; UVa 31-0 184: No. 12 Jon Fausey (UVa) tech fall Bryon Sternlieb (DU), 18-2; UVa 36-0 197: Ryan Malo (UVa) dec. Brandon Palik (DU), 3-1 (SV); UVa 39-0 285: Kyle Frey (DU) dec. Ethan Hayes (UVa), 6-2; UVa 39-3

SANBORN, NY -- Thanks in part to 10 total wins by fall and two tech falls, the Buffalo wrestling team put up a high-scoring day at its quad meet, beating Gardner-Webb 43-3, and Niagara County Community College 47-3 while dropping a dual to Bloomsburg 23-10. A trio of Bulls went undefeated through multiple matches, headlined by senior Kevin Smith. The team opened the day against Gardner-Webb and reeled off three straight wins, including pins by Max Soria (125 lbs.) and Smith (141). After Chris Conti dropped an overtime decision to returning national qualifier Ryan Medved at 149 pounds, Buffalo cruised the rest of the way. Dominic Montesanti (157) and Justin Heiserman (197) earned decisions while Mark Lewandowski (165) and Jake Waste (174) each won technical falls in just the first period. Jedd Mason returned from a month-long injury to earn a second-period pin at heavyweight and Zach Ward also won by fall in the 184 pound bout, for the first pin of his career in dual meets. In its next match, the Bulls took two of the first three matches but Justin Farmer (133) could not hold on to his lead through the final period and lost 3-2. Soria won a decision and Smith took a 10-2 major decision to give the Bulls an early 7-3 lead. The back end of the Huskies lineup was too much for the team to overcome, however, as Bloomsburg swept all four matches following Lewandowski's 6-2 decision and won 23-10. For the final match of the day, UB made three substitutions against Niagara County Community College, and all three of the subs earned victories. Sean Walton put his opponent on his back early in the third period to lead off the match, and Taylor Golba followed at 133 with a 6-2 decision. The third sub, Clay Reeb, earned a third-period pin as well in the 157 pound match in his first dual for Buffalo since transfering from Oklahoma over the summer. Smith earned his second pin of the day and Lewandowski earned his second tech fall of the day as UB secured bonus points in seven of its nine wins to pull out a 47-3 romp. The two wins were the first for the team in this dual season, and it moves its overall record to 2-7 (0-1 MAC). The team will rest over the holiday break and celebrate the New Year on Jan. 2 with a home dual against regional rival Binghamton. Because of the on-going renovations to Alumni Arena, the match will be held at Lancaster High School at 7 pm. Buffalo 43, Gardner-Webb 3 125 Max Soria (Buffalo) FALL Michael Slaughter (Gardner-Webb) 2:40. 6.00 0 133 Justin Farmer (Buffalo) DEC Robert Golde (Gardner-Webb) 14-8. 3.00 0 141 Kevin Smith (Buffalo) FALL Davante Andujar (Gardner-Webb) 3:58. 6.00 0 149 Ryan Medved (Gardner-Webb) DEC Chris Conti (Buffalo) 6-1. 0 3.00 157 Dominic Montesanti (Buffalo) DEC Alex Medved (Gardner-Webb) 5-2. 3.00 0 165 Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) TECH FALL Justin Guthrie (Gardner-Webb) 2:06 15-0. 5.00 0 174 Jake Waste (Buffalo) TECH FALL Aaron Rabin (Gardner-Webb) 2:15 16-0. 5.00 0 184 Zach Ward (Buffalo) FALL Julian Ming (Gardner-Webb) 5:23. 6.00 0 197 Justin Heisermen (Buffalo) DEC Travis Porter (Gardner-Webb) 3-1. 3.00 0 285 Jedd Mason (Buffalo) FALL Justin Kozera (Gardner-Webb) 4:55. 6.00 0 Dual Meet Score 43.0 3.0 Bloomsburg 23, Buffalo 10 125 Max Soria (Buffalo) DEC Sean Boylan (Bloomsburg) 5-2. 3.00 0 133 Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) DEC Justin Farmer (Buffalo) 3-2. 0 3.00 141 Kevin Smith (Buffalo) MAJ DEC Derek Shingara (Bloomsburg) 10-2. 4.00 0 149 Bryce Busler (Bloomsburg) MAJ DEC Chris Conti (Buffalo) 16-5. 0 4.00 157 Frank Hickman (Bloomsburg) MAJ DEC Dominic Montesanti (Buffalo) 12-4. 0 4.00 165 Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) DEC Kevin Hartnett (Bloomsburg) 6-2. 3.00 0 174 Mike Dessino (Bloomsburg) DEC Jake Waste (Buffalo) 4-2. 0 3.00 184 Sam Shirey (Bloomsburg) DEC Zach Ward (Buffalo) 6-4. 0 3.00 197 Richard Perry (Bloomsburg) DEC Justin Heisermen (Buffalo) 12-6. 0 3.00 285 Zachary Walsh (Bloomsburg) DEC Jedd Mason (Buffalo) 4-0. 0 3.00 Dual Meet Score 10.0 23.0 Buffalo 47, Niagara County Community College 3 125 Sean Walton (Buffalo) FALL Dwann Hall (Niagara Community College) 5:44. 6.00 0 133 Taylor Golba (Buffalo) DEC Caleb Green (Niagara Community College) 6-2. 3.00 0 141 Kevin Smith (Buffalo) FALL Ryan Baer (Niagara Community College) 2:31. 6.00 0 149 Chris Conti (Buffalo) DEC Stephen Liebler (Niagara Community College) 7-2. 3.00 0 157 Clay Reeb (Buffalo) FALL Irvin Buck (Niagara Community College) 5:47. 6.00 0 165 Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) TECH FALL Kris Schimek (Niagara Community College) 5:45 20-4. 5.00 0 174 Jake Waste (Buffalo) FALL David Lyons (Niagara Community College) 5:30. 6.00 0 184 Zach Ward (Buffalo) FALL Joe McGrath (Niagara Community College) 3:29. 6.00 0 197 Justin Heisermen (Buffalo) FALL Aireol Harper (Niagara Community College) 0:20. 6.00 0 285 Lance Moore (Niagara Community College) DEC Jedd Mason (Buffalo) 7-3. 0 3.00 Dual Meet Score 47.0 3.0

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Behind seven wins and an Indiana forfeit, the No. 6 Ohio State wrestling team defeated the Hoosiers, 31-9, in both teams' Big Ten Conference opener Sunday afternoon in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes remain undefeated with a 7-0 record and are now 1-0 in the league, while Indiana falls to 6-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Bonus points scored by redshirt freshman Logan Stieber (133 pounds) and freshman Derek Garcia (165 pounds) helped the Scarlet and Gray end the 2011 portion of their schedule on a high note. Ohio State will not compete again until after the New Year when it travels to Nebraska for an 8 p.m. ET matchup Jan. 6 in Lincoln. The match will air on BTN.com. The afternoon began with the 133-pound bout and for the second consecutive match, L. Stieber pinned his opponent, this time downing Joe Duca in 1:26. Last Sunday at Kent State, L. Stieber pinned Troy Opfer in 2:17. L. Stieber, a native of Monroeville, Ohio, remains undefeated on the season with a 16-0 overall record, including a 7-0 mark in dual competition. With the Buckeyes up 6-0 early, freshman Hunter Stieber (141 pounds) earned his 15th win (15-2 overall; 6-1 dual) of the season when he beat Matt Ortega, 6-1. H. Stieber gave up the lone escape to Ortega in the first period after scoring a takedown in the opening 35 seconds. H. Stieber tacked on another takedown and escape for the win. Receiving the start at 149 pounds, redshirt freshman Alex Gordon (4-6 overall; 0-1 dual) was pinned by Taylor Walsh and the Hoosier win helped them cut the Buckeye lead to just three. However, the Scarlet and Gray jumped back into the win column after four consecutive victories, including a forfeit at 174 pounds. Redshirt freshman Josh Demas scored a 6-3 win at 157 pounds over Ryan Konz. A Columbus, Ohio, native who attended Westerville North High School, Demas' escape and takedown in the third period secured his 14th win of the season after the score was knotted up at 3 a piece entering the final period. Demas is now 14-5 overall and 5-2 in dual action. Garcia (9-5 overall; 4-3 dual), who hails from Sedro Woolley, Wash., had the most impressive outing of the afternoon when he shut out Anthony Fretwell, 11-0. A trio of takedowns, 3-point nearfall, escape and riding time of 4:25 helped the Buckeyes jump out to a 16-6 advantage at the halfway point. Because Indiana forfeited the 174-pound match, Ohio State then took a commanding 22-6 lead entering the 184-pound bout between redshirt junior C.J. Magrum (14-3 overall; 7-0 dual) and Lucas Sheridan. An Oak Harbor, Ohio, native, Magrum owned slim 2-1 and 4-3 leads at the end of the first and second periods, respectively. However, Magrum scored an escape in the opening seven seconds of the third period for the 5-3 lead and that was enough for the win. Freshman Andrew Campolattano (10-6 overall; 4-3 dual) faced fifth ranked Matt Powless at 197 pounds and nearly pulled off the upset. With both wrestlers tied, 6-6, with 17 seconds left in the match, Campolattano, a Bound Brook, N.J., native needed a takedown for the win because Powless held the riding time advantage (1:17). Campolattano could not get the takedown and Powless edged the Buckeye, 7-6. Heavyweights Peter Capone (11-5 overall; 5-2 dual) and Jowan Gill faced off with the Buckeye from Johnson City, N.Y., earning the 7-0 victory. After a scoreless first and second period, Capone scored a reversal and a pair of 2-point nearfalls for the win. Capone also accrued 1:46 worth of riding time. Freshman Johnni Dijulius from Aurora, Ohio, concluded the afternoon with a 10-3 win vs. Zach Zimmer. Dijulius held a 5-1 lead at the end of the first period and continued his impressive efforts after scoring an escape and two-point nearfall in the second. One last escape, plus a 1:16 of riding time in the third period gave Dijulius his 12th win of the season (12-7 overall; 4-3 dual). Results: 125 Johnni Dijulius DEC Zach Zimmer, 10-3 133 Logan Stieber PINNED Joe Duca, 1:26 141 Hunter Stieber DEC Matt Ortega, 6-1 149 Taylor Walsh PINNED Alex Gordon, 6:17 157 Josh Demas DEC Ryan Konz, 6-3 165 Derek Garcia MAJ DEC Anthony Fretwell, 11-0 174 Indiana Forfeit 184 C.J. Magrum DEC Lucas Sheridan, 5-3 197 No. 5 Matt Powless DEC Andrew Campolattano, 7-6 HWT Peter Capone DEC Jowan Gill, 7-0

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The fifth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team put forth a dominating effort at Lock Haven on Sunday, shutting out the Bald Eagles 50-0 in non-conference wrestling action. Penn State won all ten bouts, including a thrilling pin by junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) at 141, as Penn state rolled to victory. True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 15 at 125, opened up the bout by pinning LHU's Bobby Rehm at the 4:02 mark. Junior Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa.) followed that up with a 6-3 win over LHU's John Trumbetti at 133. Junior Pearsall then notched the dual's hallmark win by pinning No. 14 Matt Bonson at the 4:22 mark at 141. All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 149, then pinned Owen Wilkinson at the 2:30 mark. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 157, posted a 19-8 major over the Haven's Aaron Fry to give Penn State a 25-0 lead at the midway point. All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, notched a furious 21-5 technical fall of Seth Creasy in just 3:21. With second-ranked Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) getting the night off, talented red-shirt freshman Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) stepped in and the Nittany Lions did not skip a beat. Brown posted a 19-4 technical fall over Lock Haven's Aaron McKinney in just 3:47. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 184, posted a 17-2 technical fall at the 7:00 mark over Zach Heffner before true freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 10 at 197, majored LHU junior Matt Parlier 13-4. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 8 at heavyweight, capped off the shut-out by pinning Harry Turner at the 3:53 mark to give Penn State the 50-0 win. The Nittany Lions move to 4-1 while Lock Haven shifts to 3-3. Penn State was simply dominant in the dual, posting a gaudy 39-0 edge in takedowns and collecting 20 bonus points off four pins, three tech falls and two majors. The shut out is Penn State's first since a 48-0 shutout of Lock Haven last December in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions head to the Southern Scuffle for New Year's, taking part in the two-day, team scored tournament on Jan. 1-2 at UT-Chattanooga. Penn State's next home dual is on Sunday, Jan. 22, when Iowa invades Rec Hall for a 2 p.m. dual that is already sold out. The Nittany Lions then host Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. Fans can purchase a limited number of `standing room only' tickets for the Ohio State dual by calling 814-865-5555. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased per person. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (690 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events and further affiliates may be added soon. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: #15 Nico Megaludis PSU pinned Bobby Rehm LHU, WBF (4:02) 6-0 133: Derek Reber PSU dec. John Trumbetti LHU, 6-3 9-0 141: Bryan Pearsall PSU pinned #14 Matt Bonson LHU, WBF (4:22) 15-0 149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU pinned Owen Wilkinson LHU, WBF (2:30) 21-0 157: #10 Dylan Alton PSU maj. dec. Aaron Fry LHU, 19-8 25-0 165: #1 David Taylor PSU tech fall Seth Creasy LHU, 21-5 (TF; 3:21) 30-0 174: Matt Brown PSU tech fall Aaron McKinney LHU, 19-4 (TF; 3:47) 35-0 184: #5 Quentin Wright PSU tech fall Zach Heffner LHU, 17-2 (TF; 7:00) 40-0 197: #10 Morgan McIntosh PSU maj. dec. Matt Parlier LHU, 13-4 44-0 285: #8 Cameron Wade PSU pinned Harry Turner LHU, WBF (3:53) 50-0 Attendance: 1,094 Records: #5 Penn State (4-1, 1-1 B1G), Lock Haven (3-3) Up Next for Penn State: at Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2, Chattanooga, Tenn. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Penn State's Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 15 nationally at 125, met Lock Haven's Bobby Rehm. Megaludis countered an early Rehm shot, gained control of his shoulders and turned a low ankle pick into a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Rehm escaped quickly only to get taken down again by the Lion freshman. Another Rehm escape cut Megaludis' lead to 4-2 with 1:08 on the clock, but Megaludis began adding takedowns at a quick rate. By the end of the period, Megaludis had a 10-4 lead thanks to five takedowns. Rehm chose down to start the second, was allowed up by Megaludis and immediately taken down by the Lion. Megaludis cut him loose and took him down again. This time, Megaludis worked the Bald Eagle to his back and got the pin at the 4:02 mark. 133: Junior Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa.) took on Bald Eagle senior John Trumbetti at 133. Reber and Trumbetti battled evenly for the first half of the opening period, wrestling to a series of stalemates as each man looked for an opening to score. Reber got in on a low single with :30 left in the opening period and forced a scramble as the period wound down. Trumbetti was able to fight the move off to keep things scoreless through three minutes. Reber chose down to start the second period and worked to escape. But Trumbetti was able to maintain control although he picked up a stall warning at the :55 mark. Reber finally reversed the Bald Eagle with :10 left to take a 2-0 lead after two periods, but Trumbetti had 1:46 in riding time. Trumbetti chose down to start the final stanza and worked his way into a chance to reverse Reber himself. He finished off the reversal with 1:25 and tied the bout. Trumbetti was called for an illegal hold, Reber then escaped to take a 4-2 lead. Reber added a final takedown and won 6-3 with Trumbetti getting the riding time point. 141: Junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took to the mat at 141 for Penn State against Lock Haven's Matt Bonson, who entered the bout 12-1 and ranked No. 14 nationally. Bonson gained control of Pearsall's legs early but Pearsall was able force a scramble and a stalemate to keep the bout scoreless early. Pearsall then scrambled around behind Bonson after a short scramble to take an early 2-0 lead. He then turned the ranked Bale Eagle for two back points and a 4-0 lead with :55 on the clock. Pearsall then rode Bonson out for a 4-0 lead with 1:11 RT after one period. Bonson chose down to start the second and Pearsall was hit with a quick stall warning just :08 into the period. Pearsall was able to break Bonson down and began looking for a chance to turn the ranked Eagle for more back points. After a reset, Pearsall gained control of Bonson's shoulders and turned him to his back with a solid headlock. A brief twenty second's worth of work led to a Pearsall pin of the ranked Bonson at the 4:22 mark, giving Penn State a 15-0 lead. 149: Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 149, met LHU senior Owen Wilkenson. Molinaro got the bout's first takedown at the 1:55 mark and began looking for a chance to turn the Bald Eagle for back points. The Lion senior got two near fall points, reset and began working for another turn. Molinaro gained control of the Bald Eagle, turned him to his back and got the fall at the 2:30 mark to remain undefeated on the year. 157: Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 157, met LHU's Aaron Fry. Alton wasted no time in taking a 2-0 lead with a takedown less than ten seconds into the bout. Alton added a second takedown after a Fry escape to lead 4-1 midway through the period. Fry worked his way for a reversal at the :46 mark to cut the lead to 5-3 after an Alton escape. Trailing 5-3, Fry chose down to start the second period and was cut loose by Alton at the 1:20 mark. Alton never lost contact and quickly slid behind the Bald Eagle to lead 7-5 after another Fry escape. Alton picked up a stall point and then took Fry down for a 10-5 lead with :35 on the clock. He then rode Fry out to lead 10-5 with 3:11 in riding time after two. Alton chose down to start the third, quickly escaped, and then added another takedown to lead 13-5 with 1:29 on the clock. The Lion freshman dominated the remainder of the rest of the period and rolled to a 19-8 major with 4:14 in riding time. 165: All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 nationally at 165, faced off against Bald Eagle senior Seth Creasy. The sophomore Lion dominated the opening period, rolling up takedowns and adding a three-point near fall to lead 11-4 after less than 2:00 of time. Taylor's fifth takedown allowed the Nittany Lion to lead 13-5 and his sixth on a quick low ankle pick gave Taylor a 15-5 lead with :20 on the clock. Taylor added three late back points to lead 18-5 after one period. Creasy chose top to start the second stanza and Taylor quickly escaped for a 19-5 lead. He then ended the match with a takedown to get the 21-5 technical fall at the 3:21 mark. 174: All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 174, stepped aside for a dual to give talented red-shirt freshman Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) a chance to wrestle in front of a dual meet crowd. Brown made his Penn State dual debut against LHU's Aaron McKinney. Brown took an early 2-0 lead with a solid takedown and then put together a nice ride, breaking McKinney down and looking for a chance to turn the Bald Eagle. Brown notched a second takedown and turned McKinney for three back points, nearly picking up the fall. The move gave the Lion freshman a 7-2 lead with :50 on the clock after cutting McKinney loose. Brown took McKinney down again at the :30 mark. A Brown ride out gave the Lion a 9-2 lead heading to the second. Brown chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 10-2 lead. Another takedown and three more back points put Brown up 15-2 with 1:20 on the clock. Brown cut the Bald Eagle loose at the :35 mark and picked up another takedown with :20 left, cut the Bald Eagle loose and then ended the bout with a final takedown at the :12 mark. The 19-4 technical fall came at the 3:47 mark. 184: All-American and defending national champion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 184, took on Lock Haven's Zach Heffner. Wright nearly ended the match in seconds, throwing Heffner to his back for a quick takedown and near fall. While Heffner was able to keep from getting pinned, the move gave Wright a 5-1 lead after cutting Heffner loose less than :20 into the bout. Wright set the tone on offense, looking for a chance at another shoulder throw or turning those shots into low singles. Heffner was able to fight off numerous Wright shots but the Lion All-American got his second takedown with :15 left and led 7-1 after one. Heffner chose down to start the second period and escaped :45 into the period. But Wright was relentless, tacking on another takedown to lead 9-2 with 1:00 on the clock. Wright then turned Heffner for back points at the end of the period to lead 12-2 after two periods. Wright quickly escaped and took Heffner down to lead 15-2. He picked up a stall point and, after a ride out, the bonus point for a 17-2 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. 197: Nittany Lion Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 10 at 197, med Bald Eagle junior Matt Parlier. McIntosh got the first takedown at the 2:05 mark and led 2-1 after cutting Parlier loose. The Lion freshman added a second takedown and cut, then a third one with 1:00 left to lead 6-3. McIntosh then forced a scramble and picked up a fourth takedown with :40 on the clock. He then rode Parlier out to carry an 8-3 lead into the second period. McIntosh chose neutral to start the second period and added a fifth takedown less than :30 in. He then controlled the action from the top, looking for a chance to turn the Bald Eagle for back points. While not picking up any back points, the ride out gave the Nittany Lion a 10-3 lead with 3:00 RT after two periods. Parlier chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 10-4 deficit, but McIntosh continued his offensive pressure, using a low ankle pick to up his lead to 12-4 with another takedown. McIntosh spent the rest of the bout in control and walked away with a convincing 13-4 major (with 4:31 riding time). 285: Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 8 at heavyweight, met LHU's Harry Turner. Wade got the bout's first takedown and was looking for back points when Turner was able to reverse him at the 1:30 mark. A quick Wade escape gave the Lion a 3-2 lead. Wade continued to set the tempo, looking for chances to score high and shift to low singles. Turner was able to step back from numerous Wade shots and the Nittany Lion led 3-2 after one period. Turner chose down to start the second stanza but Wade was able to gain control of Turner and turn him to his back. Wade turned a three point near fall into a fall at the 3:53 mark, giving Penn State the 50-0 win.