InterMat Staff

Jon Jones understands he's no Charles Barkley, but is he Michael Jordan? The UFC light heavyweight champion this week discussed his plans for "elevating" the sport of MMA using the appeal of his personality. Jones, who began his career with a sparkling reputation as fight savant has recently become disparaged by opponents and media personalities for displaying insincerity and cockiness. However, fans and the UFC still recognize that his uncertain place as heel or hero has meant more PPV buys for the young champion than many of his fellow belt holders. The 24-year-old title holder talked with Steve Marrocco of MMA Junkie and put his self-confidence and hope for a new, bright future of MMA: "I get out there, get my face out there, get my personality out there, and maybe one day I start to make a change and make mainstream American aware of who I am," he said. "You've got to let mainstream people know that we're educated guys, and we're intelligent athletes, and not guys who just show up and beat each other up in the cage," he said. "Just try to portray the sport in a positive light, and I think mainstream American has a lot of learning to do about us." "We're really starting to catch up to the NBA and the NFL," he said. "I think when these major companies come looking at us, I want them to know that you can invest into the UFC because we're quality guys, just as much as athletes and professionals in any other sport. It's just something I'm aware of – marketing in the most positive light." Jones faces former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Air Canada Center Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The UFC officially announced the addition of five more fights to the "UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis" to take place January 28th at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The revamped card includes Demetrius Johnson who is coming off a unanimous decision loss to UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz at UFC of Versus 6. The Chicago fan base is also being treated to the possible continuation of an unlikely, and certainly unsustainable streak by undefeated Paul Sass, who has submitted every single one on his MMA opponents, most recently Michael Johnson at UFC on Versus 6. Other top fighters include Cub Swanson who has three Fight of the Night performances between his last eight cage performances in the WEC and UFC. Chicago natives will also welcome Mike Russow back to the Octagon. The Chicago police officer best known for his come-from-behind victory against Heavyweight Todd Duffee. Russow is back from a 10-month layoff where he last tallied a second round knockout of John Madsen. Newly Announced Fghts for "UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis" Demetrious Johnson (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. Eddie Wineland (18-8-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) George Roop (12-8-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) vs. Cub Swanson (15-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Evan Dunham (12-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) vs. Paul Sass (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) Michael Johnson (9-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs. Cody McKenzie (12-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) Jon Olav Einemo (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs. Mike Russow (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC)

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling coach Heath Eslinger announced the addition of four new student-athletes to the Mocs today. UTC will welcome three freshmen in the fall of 2012 as a part of the early signing class, as well as a former Southern Conference Champion who will join the squad in January. Many Ramirez, a former wrestler for UNC Greensboro and the 2011 SoCon Champion at 125, is transferring to Chattanooga and will be eligible immediately. He has one semester of eligibility remaining and is expected to step in at 125 and defend his title. He will replace senior Demetrius Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) who is battling a knee injury that will likely keep him out the rest of the season. Ramirez is a native of El Paso, Texas, and prepped at Britt High School in Fayetteville, N.C. He has also represented Puerto Rico in international events and was their national champion at 55kg in 2008. Ramirez, a three-year letter winner for the Spartans, graduates from UNCG this month and will enroll in graduate school at UTC. Greensboro eliminated its wrestling program following the 2010-11 season. "We are excited about adding Manny to our program," stated Eslinger. "We are certainly familiar with him from his career at UNCG and we expect him to bring that same intensity to Chattanooga for his final semester of collegiate wrestling." Also joining the Mocs as a part of the 2012-13 incoming class are Zach Brisdon (Sandown, N.H.), Caleb Denny (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Landon Reed (Ringgold, Ga.). Brisdon and Reed are both defending state champions while all three were on the Honor Roll for their work in the classroom. Brisdon is expected to compete at 125 for the Mocs next fall. He has a 135-15 career record at Timberland High School in Plaistow, N.H., that also includes three individual state titles. Reed will compete at 141 on the collegiate level. He went 57-5 as a junior at nearby Heritage High School in Ringgold, Ga. He was the Georgia 3A state champion and also won the Sham Slam as a junior. Denny is a heavyweight from Moeller High School in Cincinnati. He was a state qualifier as a junior and is fifth on the preseason Super 32 in his class. "All three of these individuals bring something unique to our program, but they all have the same characteristics we are looking for in Chattanooga wrestling," concluded Eslinger. "They are all excellent students who love wrestling and want to be challenged to compete at the highest level." Manny Ramirez - 125 - Fayetteville, N.C. (UNC Greensboro) Chattanooga: Transferred to UTC following the 2011 fall semester ... has a 35-28 career record ... joins the Mocs after UNCG cut its program in 2011. 2011-12 - Junior Season: Went 21-12 and won the SoCon Title at 125 ... posted a 12-6 mark in dual matches and was 4-1 in SoCon action. 2009-10 - Sophomore Season: Went 7-9 as a redshirt sophomore at 125 pounds ... won a bronze medal at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in the 55 kg freestyle weight class where he represented Puerto Rico ... qualified for the games by winning the World Team Trials ... also represented Puerto Rico at the Canada Cup Wrestling Championship where he came in fourth place. 2008-09 - Freshman Season: Won the Puerto Rican National Championship in freestyle at 55 kg ... represented Team Puerto Rico's freestyle team at 55 kg at the 2009 Pan-American Championships for the second consecutive season ... came in fourth place after going 4-2 at the Hokie Open. 2007-08 - Redshirt Season: Redshirted the season ... was 2-3 on the season, competing at the North Carolina State Open and the Southern Scuffle. High School: 2007 graduate of Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, NC...wrestled four years with the Buccaneers...finished with 185 career wins...four-time all-conference, two-time regional champion, two-time conference champion, and two-time all-region...finished in fifth-place at the North Carolina State Tournament his junior and senior year...team was back-to-back regional champions. Personal: Manuel Jose Ramirez... born May 20, 1989 in El Paso, TX... son of Jose and Yanis Ramirez of Fayetteville, NC... has two siblings, Jenice and Victor... majoring in communication studies at UNCG. Zach Brisdon - 125 - Sandown, N.H. - Timberlane HS Three-time state champion for Timberlane High School in Plaistow, N.H. ... wrestles for head coach Barry Chooljian ... has a 135-15 prep record over the last three years ... team dual record is 59-2 over the last three years ... won the New England Championship as a sophomore ... won the Beast of the East Championships in 2009 & 2010 ... won the Eastern States Classic in 2009 & 2010 ... recognized annually on the school's Honor Roll ... PERSONAL ... Son of Sharon and Gary Brisdon ... has one older sister, Annie ... plans to major in Criminal Justice. Caleb Denny - 285 - Cincinnati, Ohio - Moeller HS Two-time district qualifier at Cincinnati's Moeller High School ... qualified for the state championships as a junior in 2011 ... fifth on the preseason Super 32 heading into his senior campaign ... competes for head coach Jeff Gaier ... went 33-16 as a junior and 26-16 during his sophomore year ... also competed in football ... Academic All-Ohio selection and on the Honor Roll ... PERSONAL ... Full name is Caleb Alexander Denny ... son of Jeff and Missy Denny ... born May 30, 1993 ... has one younger sister, Holly ... plans to major in Mechanical Engineering. Landon Reed - 141 - Ringgold, Ga. - Heritage HG Defending state champion at Heritage High School in Ringgold, Ga. ... posted a 57-5 record as a junior ... finished in the top-5 in the state in his three prep seasons ... regional champion as a sophomore and junior ... competes for head coach Kenny Hill ... recognized on the school's Honor Roll ... PERSONAL ... Full name is Landon Macaulay Reed ... son of Jay & Amy Still and Mike & Karen Reed ... born March 22, 1994 ... has two younger sisters, Anna Kate Still and Emma Reed ... father played football at Carson Newman ... plans to major in Secondary Education.

Clarion junior James Fleming (West Mifflin) was named today as the EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) and PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) “Wrestler of the Week”, for his performance in winning the 157-pound title at the Nittany Lion Open held Sunday at Penn State's Rec Hall. Clarion's Fleming, ranked #6 in the nation at 157-pounds, was an impressive 6-0 on the day in winning his title. He defeated #11 rated Dylan Alton of Penn State, a red-shirt freshman, in the finals by fall at 2:40. Fleming was trailing 4-1 when he took Alton down and took him to his back for what would have been a 6-4 lead. Fleming cradled Alton and posted the fall. Fleming opened the open tournament with a pin at 1:42 over Ian Thom, then won a 9-0 major decision over Matt Stephens (Va. Tech), 10-0 over Pierre Frazile (Citadel), 6-2 over John Greisheimer of Edinboro, 1-0 over James Vollrath of Penn State in the semi's before defeating Alton. CLARION NOTES: James is the son of John Fleming and Regina Fitzhenry… He is a sports Management major at Clarion … Fleming was 31-4 overall and 1-2 at nationals in 2011 … . During the season he was EWL and PSAC individual champion, EWL “Co-OW”, and placed 4th at Midlands. He had 11 pins and 5 tech. falls. In 2010 he posted a 28-8 record at 149-pounds, was 2nd at EWL's, 4th at PSAC's and was an NCAA Qualifier with an 0-2 record. He has a career record of 67-12… In the PSAC award – Fleming actually was co-athlete of the week with Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt – who won the Las Vegas open at 197 … Clarion travels to Mercyhurst on Saturday to try and defend its 2010-11 PSAC team title it won at Bloomsburg. The finals will begin at 6pm and be televised live by PCN.

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. -- The Mountaineers earned wins in an impressive nine of 10 bouts to earn an easy 41-2 win, as Appalachian State wrestling defeated Southern Conference opponent Gardner-Webb on Monday evening at Paul Porter Arena. With the win, Appalachian (3-1, 1-0 SoCon) extends its streak to 14-straight wins over Gardner-Webb (1-2, 0-1 SoCon) and takes control of the teams' inaugural conference meeting. ASU's Tony Gravely (Martinsville, Va./Magna Vista) opened the evening with a 2:20 pin at 125, and Gardner-Webb immediately put itself in a hole, drawing a one-team-point unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the first bout. Chris Johnson (Hillsborough, N.C.), Mike Kessler (Bay City, Mich./Western) and Savva Kostis (Boone, N.C./Watauga) followed with a trio of decisions for the Mountaineers. At 157 pounds, Chip Powell (Greensboro, N.C./S.W. Guilford) earned a quick pin in under two minutes to put the Apps on top 21 to -1 at the midpoint of the match. No. 20 Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) had a free pass at 165 pounds, and Carter Downs (Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter Christian) pulled off a 7-4 decision at 174 pounds. No. 11 Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) remained undefeated with a 2:18 pin at 184 pounds, while Paul Weiss (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) notched the day's only technical fall at 197 pounds. In the day's final bout, Gardner-Webb staved off the sweep and got out of red numbers as Justin Kozera earned a 6-3 decision over Brock Durfee. The Mountaineers are back in action this weekend when they make the trip to face Ohio on Saturday, Dec. 10 at noon. Results: 125: Tony Gravely (ASU) pinned Michael Slaughter (GWU), 2:20 ASU 6 - (1) ^ 133: Chris Johnson (ASU) dec. Robbie Golde (GWU), 7-5 ASU 9 - (1) 141: Mike Kessler (ASU) dec. Davante Andujar (GWU), 11-6 ASU 12 - (1) 149: Savva Kostis (ASU) dec. Ryan Medved (GWU), 7-1 ASU 15 - (1) 157: Chip Powell (ASU) pinned Alex Medved (GWU), 1:53 ASU 21 - (1) 165: No. 20 Kyle Blevins (ASU) won by forfeit ASU 27 - (1) 174: Carter Downs (ASU) dec. Justin Guthrie (GWU), 7-4 ASU 30 - (1) 184: No. 11 Austin Trotman (ASU) pinned Aaron Rabin (GWU), 2:18 ASU 36 - (1) 197: Paul Weiss (ASU) tech. fall Julian Ming (GWU), 24-8 ASU 41 - (1) HVY: Justin Kozera (GWU) dec. Brock Durfee (ASU), 6-3 ASU 41 - 2

NORMAN, Okla. -- Kendric Maple of the 11th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team has been chosen as the Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Month, announced Monday by the league office. It marks the first career conference honor for the redshirt-sophomore from Wichita, Kan., who has compiled a 6-0 overall record at 141-pounds this season. Maple, currently ranked No. 8, finished the month of November with a 6-0 overall record, including a 3-0 dual mark. During that span, he has accumulated three victories by major decision and two technical falls. “We're very excited for Kendric,” Mark Cody said. “Kendric is everything a coach could ever want in an athlete. He does everything right and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Kendric Maple.” On Nov. 12, Maple won the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold title after he posted a 3-0 record and defeated Rutgers' 16th-ranked Billy Ashnault by major decision, Army's Connor Hanafee via a technical fall and American's No. 9-ranked Matthew Mariacher, 5-0. After his impressive outing at the tournament he was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion "King" Mo Lawal is returning to action Jan. 7 at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine." The former Olympian has yet to be an assigned an opponent and hasn't fought since losing to Rafael "Feijao" Calvacante via TKO in August of 2010. An opponent is expected to be announced within the week.

Michael Bisping made a mockery of the usually animated Jason "Mayhem" Miller Friday night at the TK in Las Vegas, ending the former "Bully Beatdown" host with a third round TKO stoppage. In the biggest upset of the night, John Dodson knocked out former California State-Fullerton wrestler, T.J. Dillashaw in the first with a left hook that landed like a forearm shiver to the right ear of Dillashaw. Bisping (22-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) who before the fight said he was uncertain whether or not he deserved a title shot, thanked fans and his family from the cage, a departure from his particularly coarse pre-fight antics during the previous day's weigh-ins. Miller was taken to the hospital after the fight, but the worst news of his night might have been UFC President Dana White's assertion that MIller had put on the worst performance in UFC history. Miller (23-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) is 2-3 in his last five fights. The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale results: Michael Bisping def. Jason "Mayhem" Miller via TKO (strikes) -- Round 3, 3:34 Diego Brandao def. Dennis Bermudez via submission (armbar) -- Round 1, 4:51 John Dodson def. T.J. Dillashaw via TKO (punches) -- Round 1, 1:54 Tony Ferguson def. Yves Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Johnny Bedford def. Louis Gaudinot via TKO (strikes) -- Round 3, 1:58 Marcus Brimage def. Stephen Bass via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) John Albert def. Dustin Pague via TKO (punches) -- Round 1, 1:09 Roland Delorme def. Josh Ferguson via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 3, 0:22 Steven Siler def. Josh Clopton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Bryan Caraway def. Dustin Neace via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 2, 3:38

Related: Nittany Lion Open Brackets The fifth-ranked Penn State wrestling team blazed its way through the 2011 Nittany Lion Open, crowning six champions and collecting 18 place winners at the event. Penn State sent 29 wrestlers into action at the all-day event, which featured 475 grapplers from around the country. Freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 17, went 6-0 on the day including an 11-1 major over North Carolina State's Coltin Fought in the finals at 125. No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) was a perfect 6-0 at 149, pinning No. 9 Donnie Vinson of Binghamton in the finals. No. 1 David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) was 4-0 on the day plus a win over former American All-American Steve Fittery in the finals at 165. Taylor majored Fittery 14-6 but the result does not count in Taylor's win/loss record. No. 2 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) went 6-0 at 174, downing No. 17 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland 7-4 in the finals. No. 6 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) went 6-0 at 184, getting a 17-0 tech fall over Kent State's Cole Baxter in the finals at 184. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 5 at heavyweight, blazed his way to a 6-0 mark to win the title, getting a pin at the 1:26 mark over Clarion's Quintas McCorkle in the finals. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 157, was pinned by No. 8 James Fleming of Clarion in the finals and placed second with a 5-1 record. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 10 at 197, was upset by No. 20 Christian Boley of Maryland in the finals, 12-9, and took second as well. No. 7 Devin Carter of Virginia Tech won the crown with a 17-7 major over Nick Arujua at 133 while Zach Neibert of Virginia Tech upset No. 19 Kevin Smith of Buffalo in the finals at 141, getting a 7-3 win. Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) went 3-2 and placed fourth at 125 while sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) went 4-1 and took eighth at 133. Seth Beitz (Juniata, Pa.) was 7-1 on the day and placed fifth at 149 while red-shirt freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) was 5-1 to take third at that weight. James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) downed teammate Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) in the third place bout at 157, getting an 11-2 major to take third while Fischer finished fourth. Red-shirt freshman Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) went 5-1 at 174 to take fifth place and junior Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) went 4-2 at 197 to take eighth. Red-shirt freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) went 3-2 at heavyweight, advancing to the semifinals before losing to teammate Wade as well as No. 10 Spencer Myers in the third place bout. Ruggear took fourth. Red-shirt freshman Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) went 5-1 at heavyweight and placed fifth. Penn State got fine performances from a number of Lions who did not place as well. At 133, Nittany Lion junior Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa.) went 3-0 on the day and then took a cautionary medical forfeit, ending his tournament before the quarterfinals began in order to further rest an injury. At 141, Lion freshman Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, Pa.) went 3-2, injury defaulting out in his second loss of the day. Freshman Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.) won his first match but an illness forced him to cut his day short, going 1-1. Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), Kyle Moran (Oxford, Pa.), David Owens (Derry, N.H.) and Mike Waters (Advance, N.C.) each went 0-1 on the day. Rex Lutz (Easton, Pa.) went 0-1 at 165. At 174, sophomore Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) had a nice run, going 4-2. Teammate James Frascella (Carmel, Ind.) went 1-2 and Brandon Phillips (Timonium, Md.) went 0-1. Penn State was solid through the early going of the tournament, with 16 of Penn State's 29 wrestlers advancing to the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Penn State went 13-2 with one wrestler taking a medical forfeit which does not count as a loss. In the semifinals, Penn State went 8-5 with two of the losses coming in bouts that pitted Lion against Lion. Penn State then went 6-2 in the finals, crowning its six champions to go along with two runners-up. Penn State went 101-29 overall on the day. Penn State returns to dual meet action on Friday, Dec. 9 at Lehigh and then in Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 11, vs. West Virginia at 2 p.m. Nearing sellout status, fans can purchase remaining tickets 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. Finals Results: 125: #17 Nico Megaludis PSU maj. dec. Coltin Fought NC State, 11-1 133: #7 Devin Carter VATECH maj. dec. Nick Arujua UANR, 17-7 141: Zach Neibert VATECH dec. #19 Kevin Smith BUF, 7-3 149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU pinned #9 Donnie Vinson BING, WBF (1:23) 157: #8 James Flemming CLAR pinned #11 Dylan Alton PSU, WBF (1:58) 165: #1 David Taylor PSU maj. dec. Steve Fittery UANR, 14-6 174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU dec. #17 Jimmy Sheptock MD, 7-4 184: #6 Quentin Wright PSU tech fall Cole Baxter UA-KSU, 17-0 (TF; 6:43) 197: #20 Christian Boley MD dec. #11 Morgan McIntosh PSU, 12-9 285: #5 Cameron Wade pinned Quintas McCorkle CLAR, WBF (1:26)

PHILADELPHIA -- The No. 10 Lehigh wrestling team spotted No. 22 Penn an early 12-0 lead but the Mountain Hawks won six of the final seven bouts to rally for 21-15 win Sunday at the Palestra. Senior Zack Rey put Lehigh ahead with a third period pin over Anthony DiLonardo while freshman Mason Beckman clinched the victory with a 3-2 decision at 125. Senior Joe Kennedy added a key 6-2 decision over Micah Burak in a battle of top ten ranked wrestlers at 197 to pace Lehigh, which improves to 5-2 on the dual season. The Mountain Hawks have now won their last five duals after starting the season 0-2. “There was a complete momentum shift in this match,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “Give Penn credit in those first few matches. They got the first takedown in just about every match. They were more ready than we were, but our guys battled back. Tanen wasn't feeling well but he battled back. Hatchett battled back against a tough kid.” Penn raced to an early lead with three straight wins at 133, 141 and 149. The Quakers' Bryan Ortenzio earned a 13-2 major decision over freshman Chris Dinnien and All-American Zack Kemmerer provided more bonus points at 141 with a 16-1 technical fall over freshman Jim Carucci. The Quakers scored the first takedown in the first six bouts, but Lehigh was able to bounce back for wins at 157 and 165. Senior Brian Tanen held off Troy Hernandez 10-8 at 157. A three-point near fall in the second period provided the cushion for Tanen to win despite yielding a pair of third period takedowns. Senior Brandon Hatchett was taken down early by Lorenzo Thomas but responded with two takedowns of his own to prevail 7-2. A pair of freshmen battled at 174, with Penn's Ian Korb scoring a takedown in sudden victory to knock off Nate Brown, but it would be the Quakers' final win of the dual as Lehigh took the final four bouts. Junior Robert Hamlin started slowly before scoring takedowns in the second and third periods to defeat Erich Smith 6-1 at 184. Kennedy backed up his dual win over Burak a year ago by scoring the only two takedowns of the match in his 6-2 win. Kennedy scored in the first period and added an insurance score in the third as the eighth-ranked Mountain Hawk bested the fifth-ranked Quaker. Rey gave Lehigh the lead for the first time by pinning DiLonardo in 6:44. DiLonardo managed to keep things close for a while as Rey led 5-2 after two periods. Rey added another score in the third, and after two escapes, Rey brought DiLonardo to the mat with a half nelson and stacked him for his second fall of the season. Needing a win from Beckman to secure its fifth straight dual win, the Lehigh freshman scored a takedown early in the third period and held on to win 3-2 with his riding time advantage. “Joe and Micah have gone back and forth,” Santoro explained. “They're two great competitors. It's always going to be a battle but Joe did a great job. Zack getting a pin was huge for us. With Mason, we put a freshman out there with the dual on the line and he went out and wrestled really well.” The Mountain Hawks will return to the mats on Friday when they host defending national champion and No. 5 Penn State in the 100th dual meet between the longtime rivals. The dual is slated for a 7 p.m. start from Stabler Arena. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by visiting the Lehigh ticket office located in Grace Hall and by logging on to Lehighsports.com. Results: 133 – Bryan Ortenzio (Penn) major dec. Chris Dinnien (Lehigh) 13-2 141 – Zack Kemmerer (Penn) tech fall Jim Carucci (Lehigh) 16-1, 5:22 149 – Steve Robertson (Penn) dec. Kyle Rosser (Lehigh) 10-3 157 – Brian Tanen (Lehigh) dec. Troy Hernandez (Penn) 10-8 165 – Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) 7-2 174 – Ian Korb (Penn) dec. Nate Brown (Lehigh) 6-4, s.v. 184 – Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. Erich Smith (Penn) 6-1 197 – Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. Micah Burak (Penn) 6-2 285 – Zack Rey (Lehigh) Fall Anthony DiLonardo (Penn) 6:44 125 – Mason Beckman (Lehigh) dec. Geoffrey Bostany (Penn) 3-2

Mason Manville is only 14 years old, but already envisions himself standing on top of the podium with a gold medal around his neck and the Star-Spangled Banner playing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mason Manville"I want to become the greatest," said Manville, an eighth-grader. "To be the greatest you have to prove it. I plan on winning the 2016 Olympics when I turn 18." Manville has been dominating national events. He was a USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner this year as a Schoolboy, winning national titles in all three styles. Manville was unchallenged at the Schoolboy Duals this year, going a combined 16-0 in freestyle and Greco-Roman. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2011 Cliff Keen Reno World Championships. Manville also won the Super 32 Challenge twice in the middle school division. Manville recently moved from Virginia to Minnesota to wrestle at Apple Valley, one of the nation's top high school wrestling programs. Apple Valley finished last season ranked No. 1 in the InterMat Fab 50 high school team rankings. Minnesota is one of only a handful of states that allows junior high wrestlers to compete at the varsity level. Mason Manville working for a pin at the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)"For years we have been looking at getting Mason to the next level as he approached high school," said David Manville, Mason's father, who wrestled collegiately at the NAIA level. "We came to a point where we thought the best thing for Mason is to not stay in Virginia. We have been evaluating other opportunities, specifically Apple Valley, for over a year." This fall Manville, while still living in Virginia, entered the InterMat JJ Classic, a preseason high school wrestling tournament held in Rochester, Minn. "When we came up here for the InterMat JJ Classic we didn't want anything but to wrestle the best we could in the tournament and beat as many high school kids as we could," said David Manville, an Army officer for over 26 years. "There was an opportunity to meet with the Apple Valley coaches, and they agreed to meet with me. We talked and this opportunity kind of opened up pretty quickly." Manville finished third at the InterMat JJ Classic competing at 152 pounds, losing only to Apple Valley's Brandon Kingsley, one of the nation's top seniors, 4-2, in the semifinals. Brandon Kingsley defeated Mason Manville, 4-2, at the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)After the match Kingsley had some words for Manville. "I went over to him and told him that he's a great wrestler and it was good to wrestle him," said Kingsley, who has signed to wrestle at the University of Minnesota. Manville was not satisfied with just keeping the score close with Kingsley. "I planned on beating him," said Manville. "I knew the odds were against me. I have the same mindset every single match, no matter if it's a middle school, JV, or varsity match." Now Manville and Kingsley are teammates on an Apple Valley team that is expected to challenge for another national championship. The Eagles wrestle a brutal schedule against top national competition. Apple Valley will see seven of the nation's top 10 teams at The Clash, held in Rochester, Minn., in late December. Still, it remains to be seen where Manville will fit into Apple Valley's lineup this season. He has started the season at 152 pounds and has compiled a 5-0 record with four pins. His only non-pin was a 9-0 victory over state-ranked Sam Stewart of Andover High School (Minn.). Manville says that he will most likely compete at 145 pounds this season, but is certified to drop to as low as 138 pounds. Mason Manville is 5-0 with four pins this season"Mason intends to beat everybody in the room," said David Manville. "That's Mark Hall. That's Brandon Kingsley. That's Ben Sullivan. That's everybody. Whether he does or not is one thing. Where he ends up in the lineup is another thing. Iron sharpens iron. This is sort of the gladiator mindset. All the kids have it." Kingsley, who will be looking to win his fourth state title, likes what he has seen from Manville, but knows there is plenty of room for improvement. "He's a pretty tough competitor, but he still has a lot of the tendencies that come with being a middle-schooler," said Kingsley. "But he's working on them. He's starting to open up. He's really coming along." Manville is enjoying everything about being a member of the Apple Valley wrestling team. "I feel really connected with every single one of the kids," said Manville. "I personally love it up here. The training is amazing. It's just great for me. The coaches are phenomenal. They all want us to be the greatest." David Manville coaching his son, Mason Manville, at the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The Manvilles are taking it one year at a time. No decision has been made about whether Mason Manville will attend high school at Apple Valley next year, or whether he will end up at another school in another state. David Manville says that he and his wife, Susan, will do what they feel is best for their children. "Next year is a long way away," said David Manville. "I can tell you that our house (in Virginia) is going on the market. We're looking at several different places. We've got two other kids. So no decision can be made just based upon Mason." Manville's two younger brothers, Carson, 9, and Pierson, 6, are also wrestlers. "Carson is technically far superior to Mason," said David Manville. "He's just as motivated as Mason. He's got great promise." Mason ManvilleManville also sees a bright future for his younger brother. "Carson is great, not only as a wrestler but as a person," said Manville. "He's a phenomenal kid. Honestly and truly, I see him surpassing me as a wrestler." When Manville is not wrestling, he enjoys water sports like wakeboarding, waterskiing, and tubing. He also enjoy skateboarding, long boarding, and hanging out with friends. Before stepping on the mat, Manville paces intensely, often times with his hood up, always with his headgear on, and focuses on three things. "First, I just thank God for giving me the strength and for all He has given me," said Manville. "I also focus on myself and my opponent. Those are the only three on the mat."

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won seven-of-10 matches inside Hilton Coliseum to top Iowa State, 27-9, Sunday afternoon in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The Hawkeyes scored bonus points in three matches and extended their streak of unbeaten duals to 82. “We've got word to do,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “We know when we wrestle everybody we have to be ready to go, and there are still a couple weights we have to get going.” Junior Matt McDonough battled through a scoreless first period before notching a pair of takedowns, one escape and adding a point for riding time to win the opening 125-pound match, 6-0. Sophomore Tony Ramos answered McDonough's effort with a second period pin in the 133 pound match, extending Iowa's team lead to 9-0. Ramos surrendered an early takedown in the first period before rattling off eight takedowns to build a 14-6 lead. Ramos then put Shayden Terukina on his back with 28 seconds left in the second period to record his third pin of the season. Senior Montell Marion used three takedowns to build a 6-2 lead in the opening period of the 141-pound match. He then added four more takedowns in the final two periods and used a stalling call and a point for riding time to top Luke Toettl, 17-5, for his team-leading fifth major decision. Junior Mark Ballweg and Iowa State's Joe Cozart exchanged escapes en route to a 1-1 score after three periods in the 149-pound match. Ballweg then caught Cozart 22 seconds into overtime to earn the 3-1 decision and give Iowa a 16-0 lead in the team race. Sophomore Derek St. John gave Iowa its fifth straight win of the match with a second period pin against Iowa State's Michael Moreno in the 157-pund match. St. John used three takedowns built a 6-2 lead against Moreno before putting the Cylone on his back in 4:38. The pin, St. John's first of the season, gave Iowa a 22-0 advantage at the intermission. ISU answered the intermission with three straight decisions at 165, 174 and 184 pounds. Redshirt freshman Mike Evans dropped a 4-3 decision to fifth-ranked Andrew Sorenson at 165. Sophomore Ethen Lofthouse fell 8-5 to No. 10 Chris Spangler at 174 and senior Vinnie Wagner lost 10-9 to Iowa State's 15th ranked Boaz Beard at 184. Wagner battled back from a 8-4 deficit in the third period and appeared headed for overtime when the official's table awarded Beard an additional second of riding time to give Iowa State a one-point edge. Sophomore Tomas Lira turned the momentum back in Iowa's favor by scoring an early takedown and adding three nearfall points to grab a 5-0 lead in the 197-pound match. Iowa State's Cole Shafer returned the favor with a takedown and three nearfall points to grab a 6-5 edge before Lira strung together a pair of escapes and a takedown to secure the 10-6 win. Lira rode Shafer the entire third period. Redshirt freshman Bobby Telford closed the dual with two takedowns and two reversals to defeat Iowa State's Matt Gibson, 9-3, in the heavyweight match. Iowa returns to the mat Thursday, Dec. 8, inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes host Northern Iowa on Mediacom Mat at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Kids five and under are admitted free. Match notes: Attendance was 7,216 inside Hilton Coliseum… Iowa was deducted one point from the team score for unsportsmanlike conduct following the 165-pound match… The win was Iowa's eighth straight in the series…. The Hawkeyes lead all-time series 60-16-2. Results: 125 – Matt McDonough (IA) dec. Ryak Finch (ISU), 6-0 133 – Tony Ramos (IA) pinned Shayden Terukina (ISU), 4:32 141 – Montell Marion (IA) major dec. Luke Toettl (ISU), 17-5 149 – Mark Ballweg (IA) dec. Joe Cozart (ISU), 3-1 (OT) 157 – Derek St. John (IA) pinned Michael Moreno (ISU), 4:38 165 –Andrew Sorenson (ISU) dec. Mike Evans (IA), 4-3 174 –Chris Spangler (ISU) dec. Ethen Lofthouse (IA), 8-5 184 – Boaz Beard (ISU) dec. Vinnie Wagner (IA), 10-9 197 – Tomas Lira (IA) dec. Cole Shafer (ISU, 10-6 Hwt. – Bobby Telford (IA) dec. Matt Gibson (ISU), 9-3

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The No. 2 Oklahoma State wrestling team (2-0-0 overall) proved its ranking Sunday, defeating fourth-ranked Minnesota (3-2-0 overall), 23-14, behind a pin from Jordan Oliver and a pair of major decisions from Chris McNeil and Alan Gelogaev. “To me, I do really believe that we have a lot better team than what we performed today,” coach John Smith said. “It just looked like we didn't have enough battles leading up to this. This is the team (Minnesota) that's wrestled No. 1 team Penn State and beat them. They came back two days later and wrestled the No. 4 team Cornell. So they've been in some pretty tough matches.” The Cowboys took full advantage of the dual beginning at 133 pounds as top-ranked Jordan Oliver earned a first-period pin over No. 10 David Thorn in just 2:16. Oliver is now 2-0 on the year with both matches ending in first-period falls. “I was just trying to attack and put points on the board,” Oliver said. “I knew he was tough opponent and he likes to be physical with his hands. Scoring anyway I can was my goal and putting points on the board.” Outside of Oliver's fall, No. 4 Gelogaev turned in the next-best Cowboy performance. The junior heavyweight stormed to a 9-3 lead in the first period and built it to 12-4 after the second. ‘Z' totaled five takedowns in the match, a three-point nearfall and a 1:10 riding time advantage to defeat No. 3 Tony Nelson, 16-5. “There was dominance, a lot of defense,” coach Smith said of Gelogaev's match. “A lot of single leg shots from his opponent and ‘Z' scoring off that position. This guy is exciting to wrestle. He's still a long way away from being the caliber of an NCAA champion. He didn't put a lot of effort into riding and breaking the guy down. There's definitely things in there that he has got to really concentrate on. For his first big match at heavyweight against a top-ranked guy, it doesn't get much better than that. Chris McNeil's major decision came at 174 pounds against Steven Avalos. The senior had a 7-2 lead entering the third period and added a pair of takedowns and a 3:25 riding time advantage to win 13-5. The three bouts at 141, 149, 157 and 184 were decided by a total of just five points and had made a huge difference in the outcome. Josh Kindig and Nick Dardanes wrestled at 141. Their high-scoring bout was tied 12-12 at the end of regulation and was decided in sudden victory when Dardanes scored a takedown at the 56 second mark. The Cowboys jumped ahead 12-3 after Jamal Parks and Albert White each had three-point leads in the third period and held on to earn one-point wins at 149 and 157, respectively. No. 9 Chris Perry added three points to the team score when he escaped with 53 seconds left to earn a 4-3 decision over No. 4 Kevin Steinhaus. The duo is now 2-2 in their collegiate series. Oklahoma State is schedule to return to action Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. when it takes on Oklahoma in the Bedlam series at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Results: 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall No. 6 David Thorn (MINN); 2:16 141: No. 13 Nick Dardanes (MINN) dec. No. 7 Josh Kindig (OSU); 14-12 SV1 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 13 Dylan Ness (MINN); 6-5 157: No. 10 Albert White (OSU) dec. Alec Ortiz (MINN); 5-4 165: No. 8 Cody Yohn (MINN) MD No. 11 Dallas Bailey (OSU); 12-1 174: Chris McNeil (OSU) MD Steven Avalos (MINN); 13-5 184: No. 9 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN); 4-3 197: No. 3 Sonny Yohn (MINN) dec. No. 2 Cayle Byers (OSU); 3-2 285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) MD No. 2 Tony Nelson (MINN); 16-5 125: No. 2 Zach Sanders (MINN) MD No. 11 Ladd Rupp (OSU); 15-7

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Distribution grows to 12 Million homes per week as Takedown Wrestling Media and USA Wrestling enter into a new relationship with The Cox Channel in Oklahoma that will bring the popular Takedown Wrestling and USA Wrestling Weekly TV programs to the greater Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas. The first broadcast of both programs is scheduled for the week of Dec 10th, 2011. Viewers in Oklahoma can tune in HD on Cox Cable channel 703 and Letterboxed SD on channel 3 in the Oklahoma City/Norman and Tulsa Metro areas. Takedown Wrestling is a half hour weekly TV sports news program covering all aspects of amateur wrestling. Host Scott Casber covers the sports current developments along with interviews with its top athletes and coaches. Casber's passion for the “oldest and greatest sport” creates fun, fast-paced shows. Takedown Wrestling airs on many cable systems around the country and can also be viewed online at www.TakedownRadio.com and the best affiliated amateur wrestling web sites. USA Wrestling Weekly covers all the news, results and features of the national governing body of our sport. Including coverage of Team USA in all three Olympic styles as well as events and activities of the organization from youth programs up through the Senior level. It has become a can't-miss show for all wrestling fans. “Oklahoma has a growing and rich tradition of wrestling on all levels,” said Cox Cable Station Manager Roger Hess. “We're pleased to be adding both programs for our viewers who appreciate this outstanding and demanding sport.” “Distribution on Cox Cable is important for a variety of reasons. Oklahoma is home to great college programs like Oklahoma State, Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University and University of Oklahoma along with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Oklahoma is wrestling! The tradition and history of the sport resides in Stillwater at the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Oklahomans understand the sport and endorse its growth.” said Casber, founder of Takedown Wrestling. About USA Wrestling Weekly USA Wrestling Weekly was created in 2011 as a way to recognize and promote Team USA athletes on the international level, as well as to cover USA Wrestling events and programs, from youth wrestling through the Olympics. Starting with Internet distribution, the show has been successful in growing its programming base with cable affiliates around the country. Host Scott Casber is well-known and respected within the wrestling community. This is the best way to keep current on USA Wrestling news. More information can be found online at USA Wrestling's website TheMat.com and on the web portal TheMat.tv About Takedown Wrestling Media Takedown Wrestling Media began in 1997 as a single one-hour radio program broadcast from Clear Channel's KXNO studios in Des Moines. TDR quickly added Internet distribution of its audio format and began to broadcast live events along with its weekly programs. Takedown Wrestling TV is an addition to the radio program and is available on Internet on 31 different sites and now televised on more than 12 Million homes per week, 52 weeks per year. More information can be found at: Takedownradio.com About Cox Communications: Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet and telephone over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves 6.2 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and new media advertising. Cox Communications wholly owns and operates Travel Channel. Cox is known for pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For six years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunication; for four years, Cox has ranked among Diversity Inc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity; and the company holds a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.

Princeton wrestling is already guaranteed to have a dramatic home finale this season, as the EIWA Championships are coming to Jadwin Gym in March. The Tigers nailed their home opener as well, knocking off a powerful Old Dominion squad 18-14 in Saturday's tri-meet at Dillon Gym. Princeton split its home-opening tri-meet, which opened with a 33-15 loss to a Binghamton squad flirting with the national Top 25. A match with Old Dominion followed, and considering the Monarchs already owned a win against perennial power Iowa State this season, few likely expected Princeton to pull off the split. But the growth of the Princeton wrestling program continued to show, as the Tigers raced out to a big lead and held off the Monarchs for an 18-14 victory. It was Princeton's first dual victory of the season, but it was also one of the biggest wins for the program in more than a decade. The Princeton lightweights produced in both matches, and they gave the Tigers a 12-0 lead over Old Dominion through three matches. Junior Garrett Frey, a two-time NCAA qualifier, grabbed a forfeit win, and freshman Chris Perez completed a perfect day with a 5-0 win over Scott Festejo at 133. Sophomore Adam Krop continued his strong sophomore season with a 10-8 win over Justin LaValle at 141. "Those first three, they all had supreme efforts today," head coach Chris Ayres said. "Perez is just a great competitor, and Krop is just a tough, tough wrestler." Old Dominion got on the board with a win at 149, and then it turned to sophomore John Nicholson, the 15th-ranked wrestler in the nation at 157. Ayres turned to Daniel Kolodzik, the first major recruit of his tenure. Kolodzik came as close as possible to making NCAAs last year, and he knew he'd need a signature win this year to bolster his roster. With time waning in the third period, it looked like that signature would need to come another day. He trailed by three with less than 30 seconds remaining and was on bottom, but he hit a five-point move to grab a momentous win and give Princeton a 15-2 lead (Old Dominion was docked a team point earlier in the match). "That was just an awesome match," Ayres said. "Nicholson is a top-notch wrestler, and Kolodzik had a chance to give up and look ahead. But he just showed so much heart and pulled out a huge win. That win could change his confidence totally. It was a NCAA championship-worthy match between two top competitors." Old Dominion scored a win at 165, but senior Andy Lowy came up with one his biggest career wins at 174 with a 13-1 major decision. That gave Princeton more breating room than it would need; though it dropped the final three decisions and lost a team point, it still held off the Monarchs for an 18-14 win. Princeton opened the day with a 33-15 loss to Binghamton. The Tigers actually raced out to a 15-0 lead after the lightweight trio posted victories. Frey scored a first-period pin over Derek Steeley, and following a Perez decision, Krop scored a first-period pin of his own. The Binghamton upperweights took control to remain undefeated on the season. Princeton will host No. 17 Rutgers next Saturday at 1 p.m. Princeton 18, Old Dominion 14 125 Garrett Frey (Princeton) won by forfeit 133 Chris Perez (Princeton) won by decision over Scott Festejo 5-0 141 Adam Krop (Princeton) won by decision over Justin LaValle 10-8 149 Brennan Brumley (Old Dominion) won by decision over Luis Ramos 7-4 157 Daniel Kolodzik (Princeton) won by decision over John Nicholson 11-9 165 Tristan Warner (Old Dominion) won by decision over Rich Eva 5-0 174 Andy Lowy (Princeton) won by major decision over Cade Blair 13-1 184 Billy Curling (Old Dominion) won by decision over Dan Santoro 10-5 197 Joe Budi (Old Dominion) won by decision over Kurt Brendel 2-0 285 Matt Tourdot (Old Dominion) won by decision over Bobby Grogan 6-0 Binghamton 33, Princeton 15 125 Garrett Frey (Princeton) won by pin over Derek Steeley 1:20 133 Chris Perez (Princeton) won by decision over Patrick Hunter 7-2 141 Adam Krop (Princeton) won by pin over Mike Sardo 1:15 149 Donald Vinson (Binghamton) won by tech fall over Luis Ramos 5:45 (16-0) 157 Justin Lister (Binghamton) won by pin over Daniel Kolodzik 1:23 165 Matt Kaylor (Binghamton) won by major decision over Rich Eva 18-6 174 Caleb Wallace (Binghamton) won by pin over Andy Lowy 0:56 184 Nathan Schiedel (Binghamton) won by decision over Dan Santoro 7-0 197 Cody Reed (Binghamton) won by decision over Kurt Brendel 3-2 285 Nick Gwiazdowski (Binghamton) won by pin over Bobby Grogan 3:16

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Ben Bennett earned a key technical fall at 184 pounds to push Central Michigan to a 17-15 win over Ohio in its opening Mid-American Conference dual of the season Saturday night. The two-time All-American earned the important technical fall over Ryan Garringer to erase the Chippewas' (6-2, 1-0) 12-9 deficit and put them on top, 14-12. Bennett jumped out in front, 4-1, in the first period with two takedowns, accumulating over a minute of riding time. With two more takedowns and an escape in the second period, the junior continued to dominate his opponent, eventually getting athree-point nearfall in the third period. Two stalling calls and Bennett's riding time point gave the Chippewas' the five bonus points to take control of the match. “I was going out there to try to score points,” Bennett said. “I knew it was important to pick up bonus points and I was going to need to do that because it was pretty tight. I knew I was going to take a lot of takedowns and after getting my riding time up, I just wanted to get on my feet and get as many points as Icould.” Senior Chad Friend followed Bennett's lead, earning a decision, 4-1, over Kyle Sanders to extend the Chippewas' lead to five, 17-12, to secure the win. Friend earned a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second, while accumulating 2:03 of riding time for the victory. The Chippewas opened the match with a quick lead, 6-0, with wins by Joe Roth and Christian Culllinan at 125 and 133 pounds. Roth bounced back from his loss Friday night versus Minnesota with a decision, 9-2, over Gabe Ramos, while Cullinan used a second period takedown and riding town to defeat Jake Wojcik, 3-1. Freshman Mike Ottinger also earned his first true dual victory of his career, defeating the Bobcats' (0-1, 0-1 MAC) Miles Chapman by decision, 11-6. “Our team is fighting as hard as we can fight,” head coach Tom Borelli said. “We have to do a lot of things better at a lot of positions, but our guys are battling pretty hard. There were a few guys that wrestled better today than they wrestled yesterday.” The Maroon and Gold continue MAC competition next Saturday when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bulls at 1 p.m. No. 19 Central Michigan 17, Ohio 15 Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Gabe Ramos, 9-2 (3:27 riding time); CMU 3-0 Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Jake Wojcik, 3-1 (2:16 riding time); CMU 6-0 Darrin Boin (Ohio) dec. Scott Mattingly, 4-3; CMU 6-3 Brad Squire (Ohio) dec. Joey Kielbasa, 4-0 (2:13 riding time); CMU 6, Ohio 6 Harrison Hightower (Ohio) dec. Jared Porter, 5-2 (3:02 riding time); Ohio 9-6 Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Miles Chapman, 11-6 (1:20 riding time); CMU 9, Ohio 9 No. 15 Nick Purdue (Ohio) dec. Anthony Bill, 3-0; Ohio 12-9 No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Ryan Garringer, 23-7; CMU 14-12 Chad Friend (CMU) dec. Kyle Sanders, 4-1 (2:03 riding time); CMU 17-12 No. 12 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) dec. No. 9 Peter Sturgeon, 5-0 (3:43 riding time); CMU 17-15

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas Invitational is an event where unknowns can make a name for themselves, and over the weekend, some Wyoming wrestlers did just that. Seniors Joe LeBlanc (184 pounds) and Shane Onufer (165) won their weight-class title, and five other UW wrestlers placed in the top eight Saturday in the conclusion of the two-day event. Wyoming finished third in the team standings, just behind champion Ohio State and runner-up Michigan. “The important thing walking away from this tourney was some guys made a name for themselves,” Wyoming coach Mark Branch said. “That's awesome, because we won't see some of these schools until the end. We really did ourselves a lot of good. Our guys were under the spotlight, and they responded well to the exposure.” Onufer, currently ranked third in the country, went 5-0 on the weekend, and had his best day Saturday, beating two ranked wrestlers en route to the 165-pound crown. In his first match, Onufer beat Joe Booth of Drexel, ranked 17th in the nation, and took out Paul Gillespie (Hofstra), who was ranked fourth. Onufer won a 4-2 decision over Gillespie for the title, and now is 11-0 on the year. LeBlanc continued his dominating run this season as well, beating 10th-ranked Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) and third-ranked Steve Bosak of Cornell. LeBlanc was solid in the title match, beating Bosak in a 7-3 decision. LeBlanc, ranked fourth in the nation, moved to 11-0 for the season. Senior Michael Martinez (125) recovered from a loss on Friday to win two matches in the consolation bracket Saturday, but lost to Western Wrestling Conference foe Trent Sprenkle of North Dakota State in the fifth/sixth place match. He dropped a 3-1 decision to Sprenkle to finish sixth. Redshirt freshman Zach Zehner finished fifth in the 133-pound bracket after qualifying for the semifinals Friday with three wins. Zehner dropped his first match of the day to 10th-ranked Aaron Schopp of Edinboro and suffered his second defeat to No. 18 Steven Keith of Harvard. He recovered with his second win of the tournament over Ridge Kiley of Nebraska, who was ranked 17th in the nation. Zehner beat Kiley in a 6-5 decision to place fifth. Dakota Friesth, a redshirt freshman at 157 pounds, finished eighth overall. He started Saturday's action in the wrestleback bracket, and won a 7-3 decision over Josh Kremier of Air Force. Friesth then dropped the next match to No. 14 Josh Demas of Ohio State, and fell to Corey Mock of North Carolina in the seventh/eighth-place match in a 7-0 decision. The Pokes had another placer in redshirt freshman Patrick Martinez, who was fourth at 174 pounds. He started Saturday with three straight wins to get to the third/fourth-place match, but couldn't get by fourth-ranked Nick Heflin of Ohio State, who won a close 3-2 decision. The final placewinner for Wyoming was redshirt junior Alfonso Hernandez, who was fourth at 197 pounds. Hernandez won three bouts on Saturday in the consolation bracket to get to the third-place match, but lost a 5-3 decision to No. 7 Matthew Wilps of Pittsburgh. “We didn't wrestle our best by any means (Saturday),” Branch said. “Our best wrestling is ahead of us. We went in there with big boys and went toe to toe with them. I feel really positive. I think we can wrestle better and I know we will wrestle a lot better. We earned respect today. That'll help as the season goes on.”

Related: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Brackets Related: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Placewinners LAS VEGAS -- Behind five true freshmen and a pair of redshirt freshmen, the sixth ranked Ohio State wrestling team captured the 2011 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Michigan finished second, while Wyoming rounded out the Top 3. Logan Stieber, a redshirt freshman from Monroeville, Ohio, not only earned the individual title at 133 pounds, but his 10-5 win over Aaron Schopp of Edinboro in the final lifted the Scarlet and Gray to the team title as well. After an initial day in which he pinned all three of his opponents, L. Stieber began the second day of competition with a 14-6 major decision win against Michigan's Zach Stevens. The Buckeyes were also backed by two runner-up finishes by freshman Hunter Stieber (141) and redshirt-sophomore Peter Capone (HWT). Following his exciting win over No. 1 Kellen Russell of Michigan the day before, H. Stieber met fifth ranked Michael Mangrum in the final and dropped a 6-3 decision. In the semifinals, H. Stieber, the younger brother of L. Stieber, defeated Tyler Small of Kent State, 6-2. Capone, a Johnson City, N.Y., native, recorded a 5-2 victory over Levi Cooper of Arizona State as one of the remaining four in the heavyweight bracket, but then suffered a setback in the final vs. Clayton Jack of Oregon State. At the 6:51 mark, Capone was pinned by the eighth ranked Jack. Redshirt sophomore Nick Heflin finished third at 174 pounds. The Buckeye from Massillon, Ohio, was able to rebound from a 3-2 loss to Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly) and win back-to-back matches for the Top 3 finish. In the wrestlebacks, Heflin downed Indiana's Ryan Leblanc, 3-1, in sudden victory before posting a 3-2 triumph in the third-place matchup vs. Patrick Martinez. It was the second meeting in the tournament between Heflin and Martinez and Heflin won the first meeting by the same 3-2 score. After posting a 2-0 record on day one, 125-pounder Johnni Dijulius lost, 5-2, to Cornell's Frank Perrelli in the semifinals. However, the true freshman from Aurora, Ohio, answered with another win vs. Trent Sprenkle of North Dakota State. The previous day, Dijulius downed Sprenkle, 11-8. Competing for third place, Dijulius matched up against Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) and fell, 8-2, for a fourth-place finish. Wrestling four times Saturday, redshirt junior C.J. Magrum was fifth at 184 pounds. A 9-4 victory against Thomas Ferguson of North Carolina preceded advancement on a Matt Ryan (West Virginia) forfeit. What came next were back-to-back tiebreaker bouts en route to the Top 5 finish. First, Magrum, who hails from Oak Harbor, Ohio, dropped a tough 3-1 tiebreaker to Boise State's Jacob Swartz. However, Magrum countered with a 3-1 tiebreaker win of his own when he beat Luke Rebertus of Navy. Like Magrum, freshman Cam Tessari (Monroeville, Ohio) also wrestled four times Saturday and finished sixth at 149 pounds. Consecutive wins (5-2 decision over Nebraska's Brandon Wilbourn and a 5-3 victory vs. Scott Sakaguch of Oregon State) to open the day, kept Tessari in contention for third place, but a 7-6 tiebreaker loss to David Habat of Edinboro dropped him to the fifth-place bout where he lost to Josh Wilson of Utah Valley, 4-2. Redshirt freshman Josh Demas (157 pounds) also finished in the Top 6. A medical forfeit by Harvard's Walter Peppelman advanced Demas to a meeting with Dakota Friesth of Wyoming. Demas defeated Friesth, 9-4, before dropping a 5-0 decision to North Dakota State's Steven Monk. In the fifth-place matchup, Demas, who hails from Westerville, Ohio, was pinned in 2:28. Freshman Derek Garcia was forced to bow out of the tournament Friday because of an illness, while classmate Andrew Campolattano did not place. Up next, the Buckeyes will wrestle at Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 before returning to the Buckeye state to face Kent State in Kent, Ohio, at 1 p.m. Dec. 11.

125: 1st: No. 3 Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) dec. No. 6 Frank Perrelli (Cornell), 3-1 3rd: No. 13 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) dec. Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), 8-2 5th: No. 7 Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State) dec. No. 12 Michael Martinez (Wyoming), 3-1 7th: No. 16 Anthony Zanetta (Pittsburgh) dec. No. 20 Tyler Iwamura (Cal State-Bakersfield), 3-1 SV 133: 1st: No. 4 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 10 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 10-5 3rd: No. 18 Steven Keith (Harvard) dec. No. 11 Zac Stevens (Michigan), 6-0 5th: Zach Zehner (Wyoming) dec. No. 17 Ridge Kiley (Nebraska), 6-5 7th: No. 5 Ryan Mango (Stanford) maj. dec. No. 16 Aaron Kalil (Navy), 17-5 141: 1st: No. 5 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) dec. No. 15 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), 6-3 3rd: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) maj. dec. Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 16-8 5th: No. 2 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) dec. No. 10 Tyler Small (Kent State), 5-3 7th: No. 14 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) dec. No. 12 Mike Nevinger (Cornell), 7-2 149: 1st: No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan) maj. dec. No. 5 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force), 9-1 3rd: David Habat (Edinboro) dec. No. 3 Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh), 5-3 5th: Josh Wilson (Utah Valley) dec. No. 15 Cam Tessari (Ohio State), 4-2 7th: No. 7 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) pinned Justin Accordino (Hofstra), 1:38 157: 1st: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. T.J. Hepburn (Nebraska-Kearney), 4-0 3rd: James Green (Nebraska) dec. No. 17 Steven Monk (North Dakota State), 7-6 5th: R.J. (Oregon State) pinned No. 14 Josh Demas (Ohio State), 2:28 7th: Corey Mock (North Carolina) dec. Dakota Friesth (Wyoming), 7-0 165: 1st: No. 3 Shane Onufer (Wyoming) dec. No. 4 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra), 4-2 3rd: No. 10 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. No. 12 Gabe Burak (Northern Colorado), 3-2 5th: No. 16 Ben Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. No. 17 Joe Booth (Drexel), 5-0 7th: No. 18 Dan Yates (Michigan) dec. Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh), 4-2 174: 1st: No. 7 Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly) dec. No. 11 Justin Zeerip (Michigan), 6-5 TB 3rd: No. 4 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) dec. Patrick Martinez (Wyoming), 3-2 5th: Ryan LeBlanc won by med. forfeit over No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) 7th: No. 19 Ethan Headlee (Pittsburgh) dec. Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State), 7-0 184: 1st: No. 4 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) dec. No. 3 Steve Bosak (Cornell), 7-3 3rd: No. 10 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) won by med. forfeit over No. 12 Jake Swartz (Boise State) 5th: C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) dec. No. 13 Luke Rebertus (Navy), 3-1 TB 7th: Ophir Bernstein (Brown) won by med. forfeit over No. 16 Matt Ryan (West Virginia) 197: 1st: No. 4 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) dec. No. 5 Matt Powless (Indiana), 10-4 3rd: No. 7 Matthew Wilps (Pittsburgh) dec. Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming), 5-3 5th: No. 12 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) maj. dec. Brandon Palik (Drexel), 12-2 7th: James Fox (Harvard) won by default over Max Huntley (Michigan) 285: 1st: No. 8 Clayton Jack (Oregon State) pinned Peter Capone (Ohio State), 6:59 3rd: No. 11 Tucker Lane (Nebraska) dec. No. 16 Brendan Barlow (Kent State), 1-0 TB 5th: Atticus Disney (Cal Poly) won by medical forfeit over No. 6 Levi Cooper (Arizona State) 7th: No. 14 Ben Apland (Michigan) maj. dec. No. 20 J.T. Felix (Boise State), 10-2

125: No. 3 Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) dec. No. 6 Frank Perrelli (Cornell), 3-1 133: No. 4 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 10 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 10-5 141: No. 5 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) dec. No. 15 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), 6-3 149: No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan) maj. dec. No. 5 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force), 9-1 157: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. T.J. Hepburn (Nebraska-Kearney), 4-0 165: No. 3 Shane Onufer (Wyoming) dec. No. 4 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra), 4-2 174: No. 7 Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly) dec. No. 11 Justin Zeerip (Michigan), 6-5 TB1 184: No. 4 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) dec. No. 3 Steve Bosak (Cornell), 7-3 197: No. 4 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) dec. No. 5 Matt Powless (Indiana), 10-4 285: No. 8 Clayton Jack (Oregon State) pinned Peter Capone (Ohio State), 6:51

125: No. 3 Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) dec. No. 13 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 8-1 No. 6 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) dec. Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), 5-1 133: No. 4 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 11 Zac Stevens (Michigan), 14-6 No. 10 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) tech. fall Zach Zehner (Wyoming), 16-0;1:41 141: No. 15 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 10 Tyler Small (Kent State), 6-2 No. 5 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) dec. No. 2 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly), 4-3 149: No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan) dec. David Habat (Edinboro), 6-5 No. 5 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) dec. Joshua Wilson (Utah Valley), 10-3 157: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 17 Steven Monk (North Dakota State), 7-1 T.J. Hepburn (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. James Green (Nebraska), 3-1 165: No. 3 Shane Onufer (Wyoming) dec. No. 17 Joe Booth (Drexel), 4-3 No. 4 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra) dec. No. 12 Gabe Burak (Northern Colorado), 5-3 174: No. 11 Justin Zeerip (Michigan) med. forfeit over No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) No. 7 Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly) dec. Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 3-2 OT 184: No. 3 Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec. No. 12 Jake Swartz (Boise State), 2-1 No. 4 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) dec. No. 10 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska), 7-5 197: No. 4 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) maj. dec. No. 12 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State), 14-2 No. 5 Matt Powless (Indiana) dec. No. 7 Matthew Wilps (Pittsburgh), 6-5 285: Peter Capone (Ohio State) dec. No. 6 Levi Cooper (Arizona State), 5-2 No. 8 Clayton Jack (Oregon State) dec. Atticus Disney (Cal Poly), 6-2

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team opened its Big Ten schedule with a 20-13 win over seventh-ranked Illinois tonight inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won six-of-10 matches and scored bonus points in the final two bouts to extend its unbeaten dual streak to 81. “We were in a battle tonight,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands, “and we saw some not-so-good things. We have to get on the offense and not let guys slow us down. We're fortunate we get to go right back into it in less the 48 hours. We need to be sharper and we need to make some strides” Illinois grabbed the early 3-0 lead when eighth-ranked Eric Terrazas recorded an 8-4 decision over Iowa's 149-pound junior Mark Ballweg. The Hawkeyes responded with three consecutive decisions from Derek St. John (157), Mike Evans (165) and Ethen Lofthouse (174). All three wrestlers led from start to finish to help Iowa stake a 9-3 advantage. St. John scored four takedowns to earn his ninth win of the season, a 10-5 decision, while Evans recorded his second straight shutout with a 5-0 victory in his Big Ten debut. Lofthouse scored a second period escape and takedown to build a 3-0 lead and outscored Illinois' third-ranked Jordan Blanton 3-1 in the final period to earn a 6-1 decision. Illinois (6-1, 0-1) answered Iowa's run with a major decision at 184 to cut into the Hawkeye lead. Iowa's Jeremy Fahler battled back from an early 6-1 deficit to tie the 184-pound match, 7-7, but Illinois' Tony Dallago out-scored Fahler 9-1 in the final period to secure the bonus point and pull the Illini within two points, 9-7, heading into intermission. Illinois's Mario Gonzalez then gave the Illini its second lead of the night with an 11-9 decision over Iowa's Tomas Lira at 197 pounds. Trailing 10-9, Iowa redshirt freshman Bobby Telford rode Illinois' Pat Walker the entire second period and added an early third period escape to earn a 2-0 win and help Iowa reclaim the lead, 12-10. Junior Matt McDonough looked like he would create some distance in the team race by jumping to a 6-2 lead in the 125-pound match, but a late second period reversal by Illinois' Jesse Delgado turned the momentum against McDonough and the pair eventually went into overtime tied, 7-7. Delgado scored a takedown with 40 seconds left in the extra period and added a pair of back points to earn the 11-7 win and give Illinois a 13-12 advantage heading into the final two matches of the evening. The night's headlining match between Iowa's third-ranked Tony Ramos and Illinois' second-ranked Jesse Delgado looked good for the Hawkeyes when Ramos scored a pair of takedowns in the opening period to jump to a 4-2 lead. Futrell scored an early escape in the second frame before another Ramos takedown and an illegal holding call on Futrell helped the Hawkeye sophomore grab a 7-3 advantage. Ramos eventually used another pair of takedowns and more than two minutes of riding time to earn a major decision and return the lead back to Iowa, 16-13. Iowa's Montell Marion then secured the Hawkeye victory with an 11-2 major decision over Illinois' Daryl Thomas. Marion scored a pair of first period takedowns and never trailed in the match, building 2:46 of riding time to earn his team-high fourth major decision of the year. The Hawkeyes (4-0, 1-0) return to action Sunday when they travel to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State at 2 p.m. inside Hilton Coliseum. The dual will be broadcast live on AM-800 KXIC and Hawkeye All-Access, a subscription service committed to providing quality coverage of University of Iowa athletic events. Steven Grace and Mark Ironside with have the call live from Hilton Coliseum. The dual will also be televised live on Mediacom. Hawkeye Notes: Iowa stretched its dual unbeaten streak to 81 duals… McDonough's loss was his first in 43 career dual matches and his first loss in 23 matches inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena… Ramos, Marion, St. John, Evans and Telford remain unbeaten in 2011-12… Iowa has won its last six Big Ten openers… Tom Brands is 6-0 in Big Ten openers… Iowa has won its last 36 Big Ten duals. Results: 149 - Eric Terrazas (IL) dec. Mark Ballweg (I), 8-4 157 - Derek St. John (I) dec. Jackson Morse (IL), 10-5 165 - Mike Evans (I) dec. Dan Stelter (IL), 5-0 174 - Ethen Lofthouse (I) dec. Jordan Blanton (IL), 6-1 184 - Tony Dallago (IL) major dec. Jeremy Fahler (I), 17-8 197 - Mario Gonzalez (IL) dec. Tomas Lira (I), 11-9 Hwt. - Bobby Telford (I) dec. Pat Walker (IL), 2-0 125 - Jesse Delgado (IL) dec. Matt McDonough (I), 11-7 (OT) 133 - Tony Ramos (I) major dec. B.J. Futrell (IL), 13-5 141 - Montell Marion (I) major dec. Daryl Thomas (IL), 11-2

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland wrestling team won six of 10 matches Friday evening to extend its winning streak over local rival American to six as the Terps defeated the Eagles, 23-14. Maryland improved to 7-0 in dual meets and American fell to 0-4. Redshirt sophomore Christian Boley, ranked 20th at 197, provided the highlight of the dual meet with a thrilling 7-6 decision over eighth-ranked Daniel Mitchell to seal a Terrapin victory. Trailing 5-4 entering the third period, Boley picked up an early escape to tie the match, and added a late takedown to win. "There was no doubt in his mind going into the match today that he was going to win," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "It was just a matter of how he was going to win. For us to ice the match that way is great credit to all of the work he's been doing." The Terps got off to a strong start courtesy of 125-pound sophomore Shane Gentry and 133-pound freshman Geoffrey Alexander. Gentry scored a 2-point near-fall in the second period and grinded out a 2-1 decision over Thomas Williams. Alexander had three takedowns and a 3-point near-fall in the first period to take command of his match against Chris Brienza. Alexander earned a 17-2 technical fall and gave Maryland an 8-0 lead. American responded by winning the next three bouts. Ninth-ranked Matt Mariacher won a 7-4 decision over freshman Frank Goodwin at 141. Kevin Tao earned a major decision over sophomore Ben Dorsay at 149, and a 14-6 major decision for fourth-ranked Ganbayar Sanjaa over 16th-ranked senior Kyle John at 157 put the Eagles up 11-8. At 165, second-ranked junior Josh Asper ended the Eagles' momentum with a 19-4 technical fall over Sean McCarty to edge the Terps in front at 12-11. Seventeenth-ranked redshirt sophomore Jimmy Sheptock won a vital five points for the Terps with 17-2 technical fall over Philip Barreiro at 174. Sheptock went on the offensive in the first period with a takedown and two 2-point near-falls. Redshirt sophomore Ty Snook increased the Terps lead to 20-11 with an 8-3 decision over 184-pound Thomas Barreiro. Snook had two first period takedowns and added another in the third period to clinch the victory and set the stage for Boley. Boley, who lost an 8-6 decision to Mitchell last season, scored an early first-period takedown and added another following an escape by Mitchell. In the second period, Mitchell earned an escape and takedown to take a 5-4 lead. Boley choose to start on the ground to begin the third period and quickly earned an escape to tie the match before sealing the victory with a takedown. Top-ranked Ryan Flores won a 7-3 decision over 10th-ranked sophomore Spencer Myers at 285 to end the dual meet. Results: 125: Shane Gentry (MD) dec. Thomas Williams (AU), 2-1 (3-0) 133: Geoffrey Alexander (MD) tech. fall over Chris Brienza (AU), 17-2 (8-0) 141: Matt Mariacher (AU) dec. Frank Goodwin (MD), 7-4 (8-3) 149: Kevin Tao (AU) major dec. Ben Dorsay (MD), 12-4 (8-7) 157: Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) major dec. Kyle John (MD), 14-6 (11-8) 165: Asper (MD) tech. fall over Sean McCarty (AU), 19-4 (12-11) 174: Jimmy Sheptock (MD) tech. fall over Philip Barreiro (AU), 17-2 (17-11) 184: Ty Snook (MD) dec. Thomas Barreiro (AU), 8-3 (20-11) 197: Christian Boley (MD) dec. Daniel Mitchell (AU), 7-6 (23-11) 285: Ryan Flores (AU) dec. Spencer Myers (MD), 7-3 (23-14)

Watch more video of Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 2011 on flowrestling.org Ohio State true freshman Hunter Stieber, who is ranked 15th by InterMatWrestle.com, defeated defending NCAA champion Kellen Russell of Michigan, 6-5, in the quarterfinals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational at 141 pounds. Stieber will now face No. 10 Tyler Small of Kent State in the semifinals.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The sixth ranked Ohio State wrestling team currently is in first place with 69 points after the first day of the 2011 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. No. 9 Michigan is in second place with 63.5 points, while No. 3 Cornell rounds out the Top 3 with 61 points. With five wrestlers set to compete in the semifinals, the Buckeyes will return to action at 12 p.m. ET Saturday with consolation action, while the semifinals will begin at 1 p.m. ET. Freshman Hunter Stieber (141) arguably scored the biggest win of the tournament when he downed No. 1 Kellen Russell of Michigan, 6-5, thanks to a takedown in the waning seconds of the third period. Earlier in the day, Stieber, who hails from Monroeville, Ohio, recorded a major decision against Brown's Zachary Tanenbaum, 10-1. Johnni Dijulius (125) and Logan Stieber (133) were the first pair of Buckeyes to advance to the semifinals Friday night courtesy of bonus-point wins. A true freshman, Dijulius wrapped up the day with a 15-6 major decision vs. Tyler Iwamur of Cal State Bakersfield. The Buckeye from Aurora, Ohio, began the day with an 11-8 victory against North Dakota State's Trent Sprenkle. Stieber won all three of his matches Friday via pins, including a 49-second pin in the second round against Shawn Jones of Boise State. Prior to that impressive outing, the Monroeville, Ohio, native pinned Brock Livorio (North Carolina) in 1:43. The redshirt freshman then ended the evening pinning Harvard's Steven Keith near the 4:40 mark. Redshirt-sophomore Nick Heflin (174) was the fourth Buckeye to advance to the semifinals after posting a 3-2 decision against Patrick Martinez of Wyoming. The Massillon, Ohio, native opened the tournament with a 5-1 victory vs. Lance Bryson of West Virginia before defeating Arizona State's Jacob Graham, 11-3, in the second round. Peter Capone, a redshirt sophomore from Johnson City, N.Y., secured his place in the semifinals courtesy of his 5-2 win over Michigan's Ben Apland. Capone's previous match was a hard-fought 2-1 tiebreaking win vs. Ernest James of Edinboro. That win was after an 11-2 victory in the first round vs. Leonard Romero of Menlo Calif. Cam Tessari, a native of Monroeville, Ohio, dropped to the wrestleback bracket after suffering a 7-4 defeat to Air Force's Cole VonOhlen. In the opening session, Tessari won back-to-back matches, both by decision. In his first bout, Tessari downed Jonathan Burns (North Carolina), 8-2, before beating Hofstra's Justin Accordino, 8-3. C.J. Magrum, a redshirt junior from Oak Harbor, Ohio, also will contend for third place after dropping a 16-1 decision to No. 2 seed Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming in the quarterfinals. Magrum started the day strong with a 2:49 pin over Stanford's Spence Patrick. Magrum then decisioned Hofstra's Ben Clymer in a 4-3 tiebreaking thriller. Joining Tessari and Magrum in their attempts to finish in the Top 3 is freshman Andrew Campolattano. The Bound Brook, N.J., native lost a close 6-4 decision in sudden victory to Taylor Meeks of Oregon State after notching consecutive wins. Campolattano earned a 52-second pin over North Idaho College's Justin Korthuis and followed with an 8-3 decision against Mac Mancuso. At 157 pounds, redshirt freshman Josh Demas rebounded from a first-round 8-2 setback to win three consecutive matches in consolation action. A 4-3 decision over Victor DeJesus (Arizona State) began the run and that win was followed by a 5-4 triumph vs. Shawn Perry of Wisconsin. Demas concluded the day with a 3-1 win against Napoleon Aniciete of Utah Valley. Freshman Derek Garcia was forced to bow out of the tournament because of an illness.