InterMat Staff

It's cliche to say that losses can be a good thing, but in the case of Penn State's David Taylor, I believe that to be true. David Taylor was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year at the 2011 Big Ten Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Taylor was the most dominant freshman college wrestling has seen in a long time ... perhaps ever. He went 38-1 and earned bonus points in 34 matches. He was Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Taylor had a dream freshman season, with the exception of one match. Unfortunately for Taylor, that one match against Arizona State's Bubba Jenkins -- the 157-pound finals at the 2011 NCAA championships -- when he was pinned in a cradle, came on the biggest stage when the stakes were the highest and the whole (wrestling) world was watching. The expectations have been sky-high for Taylor all season long. Some were already hailing him as the next undefeated four-time NCAA champion before he even wrestled in his first postseason. But these expectations were brought on by Taylor -- not because of anything he stated publically -- but because of his domination on the mat. The David Taylor-Cael Sanderson comparison was inevitable, fair or unfair. Taylor, who grew up admiring Cael, made it look easy all season long, racking up points and seemingly having fun in the process, much like Cael did when he was an athlete. Taylor wrestles like Cael and dominates like Cael. When Taylor has talked about his wrestling goals in college, the goals have always centered around winning NCAA titles (individual and team), not going undefeated. Cael has stated numerous times that his goal when he began his college wrestling career at Iowa State was never to go undefeated. Being undefeated is something other people put on Cael, just like people were putting that on Taylor. The pressure to remain undefeated in his college career was already starting to mount before Taylor even stepped on the mat at his first Big Ten Championships. Now that Taylor has a blemish on his record, it takes an enormous amount of pressure off him. There have been numerous three-time NCAA champions, including six in the last 15 years. When Iowa's Lincoln McIlravy capped off his college wrestling career in 1997 by winning his third NCAA title, he used the term "also-ran" to describe what it felt like to be a three-time NCAA champion despite losing only three matches in college. David Taylor picked up bonus points in 34 of his 38 wins (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)If Taylor wins three NCAA titles, he may also feel like an "also-ran," but his legacy in the sport is ultimately going to be measured by how high he goes in the sport. John Smith was "only" a two-time NCAA champion, but he's widely considered the greatest American wrestler ever because he dominated the world for six years and reached a level that few, if any, American wrestlers ever reached. Now that Taylor has lost a match, he no longer has to carry around the burden of being the second coming of Cael. A weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Taylor has a chance to become a three-time NCAA champion and still go down as one of the all-time greats without having the distraction of having to answer question after question about being undefeated for the next three seasons. Taylor's coach, the only wrestler to accomplish the feat, also won't have to answer the same questions over and over again. If Taylor would have gone undefeated this season and won an NCAA title as a freshman, there would have been those who would have said it's a foregone conclusion that he's going to become a four-time NCAA champion and never lose a college wrestling match, stating it almost as fact, not opinion. It's fun to speculate and make predictions, but if there is one thing we have learned over the years from watching freshmen do extraordinary things on a wrestling mat, it's that nothing is ever guaranteed. Dustin Schlatter won an NCAA title as a true freshman (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Dustin Schlatter, like Taylor, was a four-time Ohio state champion who began his college wrestling career with great expectations. As a true freshman at Minnesota, Schlatter dropped an early-season match to Central Michigan's Mark DiSalvo, a returning All-American, 1-0. That loss immediately took pressure off Schlatter. He then went on an incredible run and put together one of the greatest true freshman seasons in NCAA wrestling history. Schlatter beat defending NCAA champion Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State twice that season, including once by a lopsided score of 11-2 in front of a national television audience on ESPNU. At the NCAA tournament, Schlatter outscored his opponents 39-2. It was hard to envision Schlatter not winning three more NCAA titles after making such a grand entrance. But Schlatter never again reached the top of the podium in college. He was never the same wrestler in college. Injuries took a toll on Schlatter, as did the pressure to live up to the expectations. "I think I could have handled (pressure) a lot better my sophomore year," Schlatter once said. "I worried about that type of thing too much, whereas my freshman year it didn't bother me at all." There were two freshman NCAA champions in 2010 -- Iowa's Matt McDonough, and Cornell's Kyle Dake -- and neither entered the NCAA tournament this season as the No. 1 seed. The two wrestlers combined to lose four matches this season and only one of the two wrestlers (Dake) repeated as NCAA champion. Repeating as NCAA champion is very difficult, becoming a four-time NCAA champion is virtually impossible, and going undefeated throughout a college wrestling career is virtually unthinkable. David Taylor with Penn State coach Cael Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)David Taylor was a long way from doing what Cael Sanderson did as a college competitor, but many believed he was on track to do the same. Seeing Taylor lose after such a dominant freshman season only reinforced how truly special Cael's achievement was. All it takes is a single mistake or another wrestler rising to the occasion, just as Jenkins did, to put a blemish on a wrestler's record. I was at Iowa State during the Cael Sanderson era and I remember being asked if I thought Cael might lose at some point in college. I remember laughing at the absurdity of the question and thinking, 'This person has obviously never seen Cael Sanderson wrestle.' Cael never left any doubt or made you believe there was even a remote chance he might lose a match. There will never be another Cael Sanderson in college wrestling, just like there will never be another Michael Jordan in the NBA. Still, I believe David Taylor is a legend in the making. And I'm not alone in that thinking. Cael Sanderson tweets about David Taylor the day after the 2011 NCAA Championships

St. Cloud State University senior John Sundgren (Blaine) has been voted by the league coaches as the 2010-11 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wrestler of the Year. He was joined in the NSIC spotlight by SCSU head coach Steve Costanzo, who was named the 2010-11 NSIC Coach of the Year. Sundgren went 16-3 on the season and won the NCAA Division II National Championship at 157 pounds. He shut out Dillion Bera (26-8) of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in a 4-0 decision in the championship round to claim the first SCSU wrestling national title since Gene Hanemann took the podium in 1995. Before Hanemann, the last Husky wrestler to win a national title was Mike Rybak in 1967 (NAIA championships). Sundgren excelled during the national tournament winning his first match by fall, this second match 9-5 and his semifinal match 5-2. In the national championship match he revenged a loss to Bera from the NCAA Super Region #3 Championship two weeks earlier. Sundgren is the first SCSU wrestler to gain NSIC Wrestler of the Year honors. Costanzo was also voted by his peers as the 2010-11 NSIC Wrestling Coach of the Year. St. Cloud State enjoyed one of its best seasons in team history as they placed second in the nation at the 2011 NCAA Division II championships, won the 2011 NCAA Division II Super Region #3 title and set a team record with a 19-2 dual meet record in 2010-11. The second place national finish was the highest national tournament finish for the Huskies in team history, and the Huskies also posted a solid third place finish at the elite NWCA National Duals in 2011. Coach Costanzo was also named the 2011 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year. His overall record at SCSU currently stands at 58-23. SCSU athletes named to the 2010-11 All-NSIC First Team this winter included Sundgren, junior Eric Ellington (133), junior Tad Merritt (165), sophomore Shamus O'Grady (174) and sophomore Jake Kahnke (285). Huskies earning All-NSIC Second Team notice this winter included senior Gabe Suarez (141) and junior Jacob D. Horn (149). 2010-11 NSIC ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM Name Wt. Yr. School Hometown Trevor Franklin 125 So. Upper Iowa South New Berlin, N.Y. Eric Ellington 133 Jr. St. Cloud State Fairview Heights, Ill. Jay Sherer 141 Sr. Augustana Columbus, Neb. Nate Herda 149 So. Augustana Rock Rapids, Iowa John Sundgren 157 R-Sr. St. Cloud State Blaine, Minn. Tad Merritt 165 R-Jr. St. Cloud State Canby, Minn. Shamus O’Grady 174 R-So. St. Cloud State Coon Rapids, Minn. Aaron Norgren 184 Jr. Minnesota State Good Thunder, Minn. Ty Copsey 197 Sr. Augustana Glenwood, Iowa Jake Kahnke 285 R-So. St. Cloud State Shakopee, Minn. 2010-11 NSIC ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM Name Wt. Yr. School Hometown Al Meger 125 Sr. Augustana Owatonna, Minn. *Andy Forstner 125 Sr. Minnesota State Madelia, Minn. *Corey Ulmer, 125 R-Jr. MSU Moorhead Wishek, N.D. Jason Jeremiason 133 Jr. Augustana Marshall, Minn. *Kyle Pedretti 133 R-Jr. Upper Iowa Monona, Iowa Gabriel Suarez 141 R-Sr. St. Cloud State Las Vegas, Nev. Jacob Horn 149 R-Jr. St. Cloud State Ephrata, Wash. Marcus Edgington 157 Jr. Augustana Sioux City, Iowa Gavin Nelson 165 Sr. Augustana Missouri Valley, Iowa Ben Becker 174 Sr. Minnesota State Fort Dodge, Iowa *Mark Mueller 174 Sr. Upper Iowa Postville, Iowa Brady Anderson 184 So. U-Mary Hamilton, Mont. *Mitch Schultz 184 R-So. Upper Iowa Postville, Iowa Pat Mahan 197 Jr. Minnesota State Owatonna, Minn. *Carl Broghammer 197 R-Fr. Upper Iowa Manchester, Iowa Matthew Meuleners 285 R-So. Northern State Norwood Young America, Minn.

CRESCO, Iowa -- Three individuals with northeast Iowa ties will be inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in Cresco on Monday, April 11. The 42nd Annual Awards Banquet and Induction Ceremony will begin with a 5:30 social hour followed by a 6:30 banquet at the Cresco Country Club south of Cresco. Two former Waterloo wrestlers, Mike VanArsdale and Stewart Carter, will be inducted into the hall of fame along with Arlin Severson, who was a successful wrestler and coach at New Hampton. Mike VanArsdale won a NCAA Division 1 title for Iowa State University in 1988 , and was a two-time Olympic Alternate (1996 & 2000). He also was a 1991 World Cup Champion, a CISM (Military) World Champion and a University National Freestyle Champion. At Iowa State VanArsdale had a 108-33 record and was a three-time All American. VanArsdale wrestled at West Waterloo in high school where he was a state champion as a junior and state runner-up as a senior. VanArsdale currently lives in Chandler, AZ. Stewart Carter was also an NCAA champion at Iowa State, winning his title at 158 pounds in 1987. Carter went 76-23-4 while wrestling all four years at Iowa State after being a “walk on” wrestler as a freshman. Carter wrestled at Waterloo Columbus High School and was a four-time state qualifier, placing third twice and was a state runner-up as a senior. Carter currently lives in Cedar Falls. Arlin Severson coached his New Hampton teams to four state titles. In 1990 the New Hampton team won both the state team title and the state dual meet title and they followed that up with the same titles in 1993. He coached eight state champions and 62 conference champions. Severson was a 112 pound state champion in 1957 while wrestling for New Hampton. Severson lives in New Hampton. Banquet tickets are available at the Cresco Chamber of Commerce (563-547-3434), CIA Insurance in Cresco (563-547-2382) and Farmers Mill, Protivin (563-569-8501). Tickets are $20 and advance registration is required. The Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in the Cresco Welcome Center at the intersection of Highway 9 and Elm Street. The Hall of Fame will be open until 6:00 p.m. the day of the banquet.

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DES MOINES, Iowa -- Join us this Saturday March 26 for our annual NCAA champions show. Penn State's Cael Sanderson will join the celebration this time. Iowa State's NCAA Champ Jon Reader and teammate Andrew Sorenson joins us in our Brute studios brought to you by Kemin. Join in from 9 to 11 a.m. this Saturday on Takedown Wrestling (KXNO.com and I Heart Radio on smart phones) Takedown Wrestling Hosts Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Jeff Murphy, Geoff Murtha and Ryan Freeman welcome the 2011 NCAA champions: 125: Anthony Robles- Arizona State 133: Jordan Oliver- Oklahoma State 141: Kellen Russell- Michigan 149: Kyle Dake- Cornell 157: Bubba Jenkins- Arizona State Coach: Cael Sanderson 165: Jordan Burroughs Nebraska 174: Jon Reader- Iowa State 184: Quentin Wright- Penn State 197: Dustin Kilgore- Kent State 285: Zachery Rey- Lehigh For incredible pictures of this years NCAA Championships check out Kevin Schlosser's Buckeye Wrestling Web Site photos at http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=image/tid/1837 Join us LIVE 9 to 11 AM CST for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or I Phone with the I Heart Radio App. KXNO.com, Takedownradio.com, I Heart Radio App

Link: 2010-2011 All-Academic Wrestling DIII Team Link: 2010-2011 Top 25 Scholar Teams DIII The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual Division III Scholar Team Award and the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 20010-11 wrestling season. The 2011 NWCA Division III Scholar Team Awards are given out to twenty-four teams for this academic year, with team GPAs ranging from 3.608 to 3.237. Receiving this year’s top honor is Johnson and Wales University, coached by Lonnie Morris, they hold a 3.608 team GPA. Rounding out the Top 5 are: Williams College (3.573), Stevens Institute of Technology (3.5511), Wesleyan University (3.505), and Augsburg College (3.497). To be awarded this honor teams must meet the following criteria: the team GPA is calculated as an average of the top ten students on each team. At least six of the ten chosen must have competed in the NCAA Qualifying Tournament while the other athletes must have competed in at least fifty percent of the teams scheduled contest. “The NWCA as a whole looks forward to releasing the All-Academic teams and individuals each year. This gives the sport a way to look back to the season and realize that there was more going on with these young men than their accomplishments on the wrestling mat,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. “These individuals show that they are well-rounded and will someday take the strengths that they have and become the future leaders of our sport.” On the individual academic awards, there were a total of 152 athletes who represent sixty-two teams. Adding to the overall number were 28 All-Americans, four of which earned National Champion honors: Clayton Rush of Coe, Seth Ecker of Ithaca, Josh Terrell of Dubuque, and Phil Moenkedick of Concordia-Moorhead. Leading the pack of Division III All-Academic Individuals is Thomas Rispoli from The College at Brockport. Rispoli is a Physical Education Major with a 3.98 GPA. Taking a very close second in the individual race is Lycoming University junior, Isaiah Britton, an Economics-Quantitative Major with a 3.9725 GPA. Rounding out the Top 5 individuals are: Adam Weber of Wartburg, a Business Major with a 3.9666 GPA, Anthony Valek of Augsburg, an Accounting Major with a 3.9474 GPA, and Elmhurst College Special Education Major Mike Grice with a 3.9259 GPA. In order to make the team the nominee must have a 3.2 GPA (on a scale of 4.0) for the previous full academic year. This applies to the completion of the previous two semesters, previous two tri-semesters, or previous three quarters depending on the given school. This 3.2 GPA applies to the last grading period when the nomination is supplied to the Honors Committee. In addition, any candidate maintaining a cumulative 3.2 GPA also receives consideration. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.

Link: 2010-2011 All-Academic Wrestling DII Team The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual Division II All-Academic Teams and the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2010-11 wrestling season. The Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team consists of 160 student-athletes from 37 colleges and universities. Thirty-eight members were named to the first team, 35 members to the second team, and 87 were listed as honorable mention. Out of these 160 student-athletes, 25 All-Americans were named to the All-Academic Team, including two national champions – Todd Wilcox of Grand Canyon University at 133 pounds and John Sundgren of St. Cloud State University at 157 pounds. Both Gannon University and Augustana (S.D.) each placed four members on the first team, while the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Upper Iowa University, and St. Cloud State each placed three members on the first team. Four student-athletes were named to the individual team for the fourth time. They were Cody Zimmerman from the UW-Parkside; Jay Sherer from Augustana; John Sundgren from St. Cloud State; and Evan Forde from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. In order for a student-athlete to be nominated for the Division II All-Academic Team, they need to have a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. They must also be in at least their second full year at his school, be a varsity member on the team or a key reserve, demonstrate a degree of skill and have a minimum of two letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf. “The NWCA takes pride in honoring these student-athletes each year for their accomplishments both on and off the mat. Each one of these 160 young men earning this honor have fought hard to accomplish their goals as collegiate athletes,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. “We look forward to watching them as they leave their college careers and make names for themselves both in wrestling and in the corporate world.” The NWCA All-Academic Wrestling Team is lead by The University of Indianapolis, which recorded the highest team grade point average (GPA) in the 18th Annual Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team selection and has won the Academic National Championship. This is the first time that the school has achieved this honor. The only school that has won both the NCAA Wrestling Championship and NWCA All-Academic Team in the same year is the Nebraska-Omaha; in 2005 they hosted the NCAA II National Championships and won both titles. The Team GPA is calculated by averaging the cumulative grade point averages of ten wrestlers from each team of which eight of those wrestlers must have competed in their team's NCAA II National Qualifying Tournament. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.

Georges St. Pierre

Every year since 1975, some of the nation's best high school wrestlers travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. This is a two dual meet event featuring the best seniors in the Keystone State against the best of the nation, and an undercard bout with top seniors in the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) against a group of seniors from another part of the state or country. The event will be held at the Fitzgerald Field house on the University of Pittsburgh Campus this Sunday, March 27; the main event is at 6:00 p.m., with the undercard preceding it at 4:00 p.m. When one examines a single state going up against the whole country, it's hard to imagine scenarios in which the event is competitive. Even though the USA has won nine of the last ten against Pennsylvania (2009 being the exception), some of the other Wrestling Classics were competitive, and there are always fantastic individual matches. This year's Dapper Dan features eleven wrestlers ranked first in the country, with two weights having a No. 1 against No. 2 matchup. Here are the thirteen matches (the 103-pound weight class is not contested). 112: No. 1 Evan Silver (Blair Academy, New Jersey) vs. No. 12 Jordan Conaway (New Oxford) Silver is a four-time National Prep champion, and was a Junior National freestyle runner-up this past summer. Conaway was state champion this past year after finishing third and sixth the prior two years. One common opponent for the wrestlers is No. 6 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris, Graham Ohio) -- Silver earned a victory against Taylor in the dual meet, while Taylor upended Conaway at the finals of the Top Gun in mid-Jauary. 119: No. 13 Earl Hall (South Dade, Florida) vs. No. 2 (at 125) Mason Beckman (Pennsylvania) Hall is a four-time state champion, who was third at the Super 32Challenge this past October and also finished third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals last year. Beckman has won championships at the Walsh Ironman and state tournament each of these last two seasons, while he finished second and third at state during his first two years of high school. 125: No. 4 (at 119) Conor Youtsey (Mason, Michigan) vs. No. 1 Nico Megaludis (Franklin Regional) Youtsey is the second of five wrestlers on the USA team with over 200 career wins, as the three-time state champion finished with a 203-2 record over four years of high school. Last spring he was a FloNationals champion, and during the summer he was Junior National freestyle All-American. Megaludis, one of three four-time champions at the POWERade, earned a third state title this month to cap off a 170-1 career in which his only loss was a 1-0 defeat in the state semifinals his freshman year. The Penn State bound grappler was a Junior National freestyle runner-up in 2009. 130: No. 1 Jesse Thielke (Germantown, Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Zach Horan (Nazareth) Thielke is the third of eight on the USA squad to earn four (or more) state titles in his scholastic career. Even though Thielke's greatest exploits have come in Greco-Roman, where he is already on the national ladder at 55 kilos; he has a strong folkstyle background, as shown by his Preseason Nationals title this fall and a 186-1 high school record. Horan earned an elusive state title this month, after runner-up finishes in his first three years of high school. This past year, Horan was a Junior National freestyle runner-up and a Beast of the East champion. 135: No. 1 Hunter Stieber (Monroeville, Ohio) vs. No. 20 (at 140) Travis Shaffer (Derry) Stieber is one of very few wrestlers to be a four-time finalist at the Walsh Iroman, a tournament that he won as a freshman and again this past year. The younger brother of last year's number one recruit (Logan) has forged quite a reputation of his own with a 203-2 high school record. Shaffer was a state champion this year after placing fourth, fourth, and fifth at state the prior three years. During his junior season, Shaffer was champion at Powerade and the FloNationals. This season, he was seventh at 145 in the Walsh Ironman and placed fourth at 140 in the Powerade. 140: No. 2 Cam Tessari (Monroeville, Ohio) vs. No. 6 Evan Henderson (Kiski Prep) This is a rematch of the Walsh Ironman final, a match that Henderson won 5-3 with takedowns in the first and third periods. After that match, Tessari went on to become only the third-ever four-time champion at the Brecksville Holiday Invitational Tournament; he also joined Stieber as a four-time state champion, and not losing a match other than at the Ironman. Henderson's journey to a second consecutive National Prep title was a little less “clean”, finishing third at the Beast of the East and POWERade. He also was a National Prep runner-up in 2009, and is a two-time NHSCA grade-level All-American. 145: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Port Washington, Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing) This is the second of two matches featuring the top two ranked wrestlers in the country, and both of them happen to involve USA representatives from the state of Wisconsin. Dieringer was a three-time state champion, finishing as runner-up during his sophomore year. During the past calendar year, he has titles at the Junior National folkstyle and freestyle tournaments, Preseason Nationals, and Cheesehead. Hodgkins has also been on a huge winning streak with titles at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, Super 32Challenge, and Beast of the East. He has four top three finishes in the state tournament -- titles as a sophomore and senior, second as a freshman, and third as a junior. 152: No. 1 Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, Minnesota) vs. Mike Ottinger (Parkland) Not only is McCauley number one in his weight class, he is also the best wrestler in all the Class of 2011. This five-time state champion has been in the state finals every year since seventh grade (finished second as a sophomore), and earned a Junior National freestyle title this past summer. Ottinger was unable to compete at state as a junior due to injury, but pulled off an upset victory (3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker) over No. 10 Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) to win the state title at 160 pounds this year. 160: No. 1 Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield, California) vs. No. 3 Travis McKillop (Burrell) Hammond is a two-time state champion and three-time state placer in the single-class California state tournament. He also was an NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion in the summer of 2009. After finishing fifth at state the previous two years, McKillop upended No. 4 Cody Wiercioch (Charleroi) 7-3 in overtime to earn his first state title; a victory that also clinched the team championship for No. 30 Burrell. He also defeated defending state champion Wiercioch to win a POWERade championship earlier in the season. 171: No. 1 Logan Storley (Webster, South Dakota) vs. No. 19 John Staudenmayer (Plymouth Whitemarsh) With a state title this year, Storley joined Lincoln McIlravy and Kirk Wallman as an absolutely rare six-time state champion. Despite getting caught in a mid-season tournament by Preston Lehman (West Fargo), a match in which he was up by double digits, he has been on a superlative winning streak. This includes a NHSCA Junior Nationals championship, Disney Duals Association Division gold medal, and Junior National freestyle championship. Third in the state last year as a junior, Staudemayer was an undefeated state champion this year, and that included a Beast of the East championship. In the off-season, he was a Disney Duals gold medalist and Junior National Greco-Roman medalist. 189: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, California) vs. Ryan Hembury (Muncy) Even though McIntosh is part of the “enemy” for this event, he won't be for long in front of the Pennsylvania audience. Bound for Happy Valley to wrestle for Cael Sanderson and the NCAA champion Penn State Nittany Lions, McIntosh is arguably the most dominant wrestler the nation has to offer (ranked No. 2 in all the Class of 2011). He is a three-time state champion and four-time state placer, who has not given up a single takedown during his last two high school seasons. McIntosh was also a FloNationals and Junior National freestyle champion during the past off-season, along with a third place finish at FILA Junior Nationals in freestyle. Hembry earned a state title this month with an 8-4 victory over defending state champion Stephen Ceremuga (Commodore Perry). 215: No. 1 Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, New Jersey) vs. No. 16 Garth Lekitsky (Tamqua) One of two four-time state champions in Garden State history, Campolattano has the all-time victories record for the state of New Jersey with a 175-1 career record. Changing his mind from a verbal commitment to play football at Rutgers, he is arguably the top Class of 2011 wrestling talent/prospect left on the open market. Placing fourth at state last as a junior, Lakitsky capped off an undefeated senior season with a state title this month in Hershey. 285: No. 1 Donny Longendyke (White Bear Lake, Minnesota) vs. No. 15 Terrance Jean-Jacques (Wyoming Seminary) Longendyke is a three-time state finalist, and won state titles his last two seasons. He was a double Junior National All-American this past summer after being a double Cadet All-American (freestyle champion) in the summer of 2009. Jean-Jacques finished as runner-up at National Preps in his debut season at Wyoming Seminary, after winning a New England regional title in 2009 while competing at Haverhill, Massachusetts. This season, Jean-Jacques was second at the Beast of the East, after finishing second last spring at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. The nationally-ranked wrestlers competing in the main event of the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic representing the Keystone State is just eleven of the 37 that Pennsylvania has in all. That depth and breadth of talent is truly impressive, and it bears itself out at the next level. This past weekend, ten of the eighty NCAA Division I All-Americans were Pennsylvania natives. This year's undercard event features a team of the best seniors from the WPIAL whom are not competing the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic main event against a group of seniors from the state of Michigan. Though there are no nationally ranked wrestlers on the Wolverine State roster, six of the 13 ranked wrestlers from the state are seniors; Youtsey is competing in the main event, Devin Pommerenke (Rogers City) is injured, while the other four -- for whatever the reason may be -- are not part of this delegation. 112: Devane Dodgens (Chippewa Hills, Michigan) vs. Paul Bewak (Hempfield Area) 119: Brandon Fifield (Leslie) vs. Derrick Nelson (Waynesburg) 125: Joey White (Dundee) vs. No. 5 Geoff Alexander (Shady Side Academy) 130: Terry Turner (Davison) vs. Dave Makara (Burrell) 135: Camryn Jackson (Lansing Eastern) vs. Jeremy Landowski (Burrell) 140: Brian Gibbs (Bedford) vs. Michael Innes (Chartiers-Houston) 145: Matt Frisch (Oxford) vs. Nick Catalano (Canon-McMillan) 152: Dan Fleet (Lowell) vs. Nick Carr (South Fayette) 160: Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston) vs. Lorenzo Thomas (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) 171: Ben Ralston (Oxford) vs. Nick Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park) 189: Anthony Abro (Canton) vs. Kyle McWreath (Trinity) 215: Jacob Hampton (Haslett) vs. Brian Beattie (Burrell) 285: Cody Wolever (Hespiera) vs. Jeff Tarley (Beth-Center) Other than the Keystone State of Pennsylvania, which had 37 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes, four states also had more than 20 in the rankings: Illinois with 25, Ohio with 24, New Jersey with 23, and California with 22. The following states had double digit wrestlers in the rankings: Iowa with 16; Minnesota with 15; Michigan with 13; along with Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin with 11. In all, 31 states had a wrestler ranked among the nation's best 20 in a weight class. Rounding out the list of states: 8: Virginia 7: Missouri 6: Maryland 5: Idaho 4: Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, and Washington 3: Colorado, Oklahoma, and South Dakota 2: Montana 1: Kentucky, Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, and Utah

PHILADELPHIA -- The Stanford wrestling team ended the 2011 NCAA Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., Saturday, with an 11th-place finish, the best ever in program history. Junior Nick Amuchastegui became just the second Cardinal wrestler ever to reach the NCAA finals. He fell Saturday in the championship bout at 174 pounds to top-seeded Jonathan Reader of Iowa State, 10-3. Former Cardinal Matt Gentry is Stanford's only NCAA champion, winning the 157 pound title in 2004. With his second-place finish, Amuchastegui, who also earned All-America honors in 2010, became just the fourth wrestler in Stanford history to earn multiple All-America honors joining Chris Horpel ('73, `75), Tanner Gardner ('06, '07, '08) and Josh Zupancic ('07, '08). The Talent, Ore., native ends the season with a 31-4 overall record. Sophomore Ryan Mango ended his second NCAA Championships with a sixth-place finish at 125 pounds, and garnered his first career All-America accolades. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Mango finished the season with a 26-7 overall record and became the 15th All-American in program history. Senior Zack Giesen ended his Cardinal career with his first All-America honors as he finished sixth at 197 pounds. He completes his time on The Farm with a 110-40 career record. His 110 victories puts him in fourth all-time in school history passing Steve Buddie (1988-91) who finished 109 wins.

Jim Miller, head wrestling coach at Wartburg College, and Mark Cody, head wrestling coach at American University, will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, March 23. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:05 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Miller is the head wrestling coach at Wartburg College. His team won the eighth NCAA Division III team title in program history earlier this month. Miller was a two-time Division II champion and a two-time Division I All-American for Northern Iowa. Cody is the head wrestling coach at American University. His team placed fifth at the NCAA Division I tournament with three All-Americans. Cody was voted coach of the year at the conclusion of the NCAA tournament.

Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer has announced that the Benedictine College Athletic Department will add intercollegiate wrestling starting with the 2012-13 school year. "There are many kids who are wrestling at the high school level with nowhere to go to pursue this sport at the collegiate level," Gartenmayer said. The search for a head coach will begin immediately with the hopes of having a coach in place to recruit during the 2011-12 school year with sights set on competing during the 2012-13 school year. According to Gartenmayer, in addition to seeing a need to help give high school students an outlet to pursue an education while competing in wrestling, the addition will help enhance Benedictine's enrollment. Secondly, many of the remaining 10 schools that will form the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) in 2011-12 indicated at the recent HAAC Council of Presidents meetings that wrestling was a sport where they would most likely expand. Missouri Valley College and Baker University are the only two HAAC schools that currently have wrestling and are remaining in the conference. Lindenwood University also offers wrestling but will be leaving the conference at the end of the current school year. Currently 16 of 41 schools who were listed by the NAIA as wrestling participating schools come from Oklahoma (Bacone and Oklahoma City), Missouri (Missouri Valley, Missouri Baptist and Hannibal-LaGrange), Iowa (Briar Cliff, Grand View, Morningside, Northwestern, Waldorf and William Penn), Nebraska (Concordia, Hastings, Midland and York) and Kansas (Baker). The total number of participating schools will drop to 36 for the 2011-12 academic year as five current NAIA schools begin their transition to NCAA Div. II. According to the NCAA website for Div. II wrestling, there are 57 schools who offer wrestling at that level with four regional schools on the list – University of Central Missouri, Newman University, Truman State and Fort Hays State University. Four schools offer wrestling at the junior college level in Kansas – Colby, Labette, Neosho and Pratt.

Link: InterMat Fab 50 Team Rankings The initial edition of the revitalized InterMat national team rankings yield a wire-to-wire No. 1. Starting the season with the mantle of best in the nation, Apple Valley, Minnesota was absolutely dominant against a rather formidable schedule. They were faced with tough tests at every turn, and at each point, the Eagles passed with flying colors. Top 10 Teams in InterMat Fab 50: 1. Apple Valley, Minnesota 2. Blair Academy, New Jersey 3. Brandon, Florida 4. St. Paris Graham, Ohio 5. St. Edward, Ohio 6. Simley, Minnesota 7. Clovis, California 8. Bakersfield, California 9. Iowa City West, Iowa 10. Wisconsin Rapids, WisconsinThe season started with a trip to Iowa for the Keith Young Invitational -- an event featuring all three 2010 Iowa state tournament champions (Waverly-Shell Rock, Denver-Tripoli, and Don Bosco), along with nationally ranked Bettendorf. Wrestling without two of their seven nationally-ranked wrestlers, Apple Valley still emerged with five champions, three other finalists, and had all but one wrestler place in the top six. Next in terms of big tests was the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, which features almost every major program and individual from across the three classifications in the Gopher State. There were six nationally-ranked teams from Minnesota at some point of this season (four in these final rankings), and all of them were in this field. Competing without one of the nationally-ranked wrestlers, they had eight in the finals, and five were champions. The next two events on the Apple Valley schedule would confirm their standing on top of the rankings. At the Cheesehead Invitational in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, they would do battle with No. 2 Blair Academy, New Jersey. The field featured eight of the nation’s 28 best teams, and six of the top eleven. Even though Blair had five champions in the tournament, compared to just Destin McCauley for Apple Valley, superior depth placed the Eagles on top of the standings. Seven Apple Valley wrestlers finished as runner-up, while all but one member of the lineup finished in the top six. Then it was on to the Clash Duals, and the anticipated battle against No. 3 Brandon, Florida. Prior to that match, they absolutely dominated the other five dual meets in the event -- including matchups against No. 12 Bettendorf, Iowa; No. 26 Carl Sandburg, Illinois; and No. 6 Simley, Minnesota. Even with three of their seven nationally-ranked wrestlers losing, Apple Valley was still able to win nine of fourteen matches against Brandon to emerge with a 34-16 victory. Apple Valley (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)In a grand finale to the magical season, Apple Valley absolutely dominated both the dual meet and individual bracket state tournaments in Class AAA (big-school). During the three dual meets in the state tournament, the Eagles went a combined 39-3 to earn the team state title trophy. Then, over that same weekend, they had seven wrestlers win state titles, with another pair of wrestlers finishing in second and third place respectively. As mentioned previously -- Blair Academy, New Jersey finishes the season ranked second; while Brandon, Florida ends the year in the third position. Rounding out the top five are a pair of Buckeye State super programs, St. Paris Graham and St. Edward. In what comes as not a surprise when assessing wrestling dominance, eight Pennsylvania programs find themselves in the rankings. This is the most of any state, and all but one of the Keystone State teams are ranked inside the top thirty. Next most in the rankings is the five Illinois teams, all of which are in the top 30 as well. Four teams from Minnesota, New Jersey, and Ohio find themselves ranked. Twenty states had a program in the Fab 50 teams, and below is the breakdown of the rest. 3: Iowa, New York 2: Florida, California, Michigan, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Oregon 1: Wisconsin, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Idaho, Maryland, and Delaware

Related Link: Palmer: History repeats Related Link: Coverage Section PHILADELPHIA -- It was far from a perfect weekend for Penn State, but when the dust settled on Saturday night at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Philadelphia, the Nittany Lions finished on top of the team standings with 107.5 points. It was Penn State's first national championship in wrestling since 1953. Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com"I'm just really, really proud of these guys," said Penn State coach Cael Sanderson. "It's just a gutsy performance from some real tough kids. That's what it takes." Five Nittany Lions wrestlers earned All-American honors, including Quentin Wright, who became the program's 22nd NCAA champion by capturing the title at 184 pounds with a 5-2 victory over Lehigh's Robert Hamlin. After a scoreless first period, Wright picked up two takedowns in the second period to cruise to the victory, avenging an early-season loss to Hamlin. "It's a great feeling," said Wright, who entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed. "It hasn't really hit me because I just got out of the match, but it's going to get better for a long time." It was a special weekend for Penn State's wrestling program, just as it was for the 10 wrestlers who claimed individual NCAA titles on Saturday night. It was an eventful final round that saw shocking finishes, dominating performances, and program firsts. Perhaps the most shocking finish -- the one that had the sold-out crowd of 17,687 at Wells Fargo Center in a frenzy -- took place at 157 pounds where Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State pinned previously-undefeated freshman David Taylor of Penn State in the second period. Taylor led the match 1-0 early in the second period before a scramble situation, which resulted in Jenkins locking up a cradle and pinning Taylor. Jenkins, a 2008 NCAA runner-up and three-time All-American, spent three and a half years in Penn State's program before transferring to Arizona State this season to finish out his college career. He and Taylor were teammates at Penn State last season when both were redshirting. Jenkins' dismissal from Penn State was well-publicized and he left the program on bad terms with his coach, Cael Sanderson. "He didn't think I was good enough or the right kid to win it at that weight class or any weight class, really," said Jenkins of his former coach, Cael Sanderson. "I wanted to go 149, but he had other ideas. He got rid of me. One man's trash is a whole country's treasure." Jenkins was one of two Arizona State wrestlers to capture an NCAA title on Saturday night. The other Sun Devil titlist was Anthony Robles, who capped off an undefeated senior campaign (36-0) by defeating defending NCAA champion Matt McDonough of Iowa, 7-1, to claim the NCAA title at 125 pounds. Robles, who was born without a right leg, jumped out to a sizeable lead early in the match as he picked up a takedown before securing a pair of tilts to go up 7-0 after the first period. Those were all the points Robles needed for the victory. "I had a lot of butterflies going out there," said Robles, who finished his college career as a three-time All-American. "I've dreamt about stepping on that stage a dozen times. This whole year I have just been preparing for this moment. I was scared out there. But as soon as I hit that takedown, I sort of relaxed." Robles stated that his competitive wrestling career is over and that he has no plans to pursue an international wrestling career, but that does not mean that he plans to leave the sport anytime soon. "I've had a great run," said Robles. "I started wrestling when I was a freshman in high school. It's been a great ride. Wrestling has helped me to mature. I have gotten so much self-confidence from the sport. I love the sport. But from here on out, my wrestling competition days are over. I'm really going to be focusing on my next goal, which to be a motivational speaker. But I'll be around wrestling the rest of my life. I love it so much." Robles was not the only undefeated NCAA champion crowned on Saturday night. Four other wrestlers, Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State (133), Kellen Russell of Michigan (141), Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska (165), and Jon Reader of Iowa State (174), capped off perfect seasons by winning titles. Oliver used three takedowns, including one off an ankle pick 12 second into the match, and a set of nearfall points to cruise to an 8-4 victory over Boise State's Andrew Hochstrasser. The sophomore from Easton, Pa. becomes Oklahoma State's 134th NCAA champion. "I had a mindset to go out there and put points on the board right away, thinking if I scored right away the pace of the match and the tempo would have to pick up because he would have to attack me then," said Oliver. "I never stopped attacking, but it opened things up more for me to get to my double and my leg attacks." Russell, a three-time Big Ten champion and two-time All-American edged Cal Poly's Boris Novachkov, 3-2, to take the title at 141 pounds. Russell scored the only takedown of the match off a scramble situation with just 32 seconds remaining in the match. "The whole time before the match preparing I knew I would have to get into a scramble to score a takedown," said Russell. "But I also knew that he is one of the best scramblers in the country too from wrestling him prior. Going into the match, I was trying to get my feet moving a little bit. In the third period things started clicking together, even though my ankle was hurting me a little bit. Once I got in that scramble, I was just waiting for the opportunity to pick him up there." Burroughs dominated his competition in Philadelphia to earn his second NCAA title. His first NCAA title came in 2009 at 157 pounds. This year Burroughs captured the title at 165 pounds with an 11-3 major decision victory over Oklahoma's Tyler Caldwell. He finished the season 36-0 and became Nebraska's first two-time NCAA champion. "It's definitely an elite company to be a part of," said Burroughs of being the lone Husker to win two NCAA titles. "I feel like I'm setting my own standard for a lot of young guys coming in. We've got tough guys coming in and they're all hungry, so that record might not last long." It was Burroughs' third victory over Big 12 rival Caldwell this season. Burroughs edged Caldwell, 2-1, in the previous meeting at the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago. "I think that might have been the first match I didn't get a takedown in like four or five years," said Burroughs of his Big 12 finals victory over Caldwell. "That's definitely not the way I want to wrestle. My friends and family came out. They paid a lot of money. It was probably the last time they ever get to see me wrestle, so I wanted to impress them." Burroughs grew up less than 30 miles away from Philadelphia in Winslow Township, N.J. "Being so close to home, a lot of friends and family are here," said Burroughs. "Despite anywhere it was, I was going to wrestle my best tournament and try to put it together. A lot of bonus point victories. Coach Manning always stresses domination every match. I'm not satisfied with winning by one or two points, so I go out there and wrestle my hardest match every time and hopefully get the major." Reader's perfect season was capped off with a dominating 10-3 victory over a red-hot Nick Amuchastegui, who reached the finals as the No. 7 seed. For Reader, a three-time All-American, it was a form of redemption after not placing at the NCAA tournament last season. "I had an embarrassing tournament last year," said Reader, who finished the season with a 39-0 record. "I had some obstacles that I had to overcome injury-wise. I spent a lot of time with the Paulsons and Coach Jackson sharpening my skills." Reader has had three head coaches in his college career at Iowa State. He was signed by Bobby Douglas, wrestled for Cael Sanderson for three seasons, and finished his college career competing for Kevin Jackson. Still, despite all he has gone through, he wouldn't trade his college experience for anything. "I'm very fortunate to come out of Iowa State," said Douglas. "I wouldn't change it for the world. I love Cyclone Nation and I appreciate everything they've done for me. They've enabled me to be in the same room as the Paulson brothers. I have two World Team members as my everyday workout partners." Cornell's Kyle Dake captured his second NCAA title in as many seasons with a convincing 8-1 victory over Penn State's Frank Molinaro. Dake dominated Molinaro from the onset, picking up a takedown 26 seconds into the match and eventually accumulating over six minutes of riding time. "I feel really accomplished to be a freshman and sophomore back to back years winning an NCAA title going up a weight, losing in the EIWAs, coming back and wrestling my heart out, it feels really good," said Dake. Kent State crowned its first NCAA champion in Dustin Kilgore at 184 pounds. Kilgore, who entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed, trailed 5-1 late in the second period against previously-undefeated Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State before turning the tables and picking up a pin. "It's the best feeling ever," said Kilgore of becoming Kent State's first NCAA champion. "This is going to help out with recruiting so much. In the future this is going to build such a good team I'm hoping for Kent State because they deserve it. The coaches are phenomenal." Lehigh's Zach Rey won the NCAA title at heavyweight with a 2-1 victory over American's Ryan Flores, avenging a loss two weeks ago in the EIWA finals. Rey, who became one of three New Jersey natives to win an NCAA title on Saturday night, joining Russell and Burroughs, said working with his assistant coach, Steve Mocco, a 2008 U.S. Olympian and past two-time NCAA champion, this season made a big impact on him. "He has brought a whole 'nother level to my conditioning, hand fighting, and just my confidence," said Rey of Mocco. "Nobody else in the country works out with a guy as good as I do every day, Steve Mocco. He's one of the best in the world." The NCAA Division I Championships set a new attendance record, totaling 104,260 fans over the six-session event. The total shatters the previous record of 97,334 set in 2009 in St. Louis. Team Standings (Top 10): 1. Penn State 107.5 2. Cornell 93.5 3. Iowa 86.5 4. Oklahoma State 70.5 5. American 65 6. Arizona State 62.5 7. Minnesota 61 8. Lehigh 58.5 9. Boise State 57.5 10. Wisconsin 54.5 Finals Results: 125: No. 1 Anthony Robles (Arizona State) dec. No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa), 8-1 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise State), 8-4 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly), 3-2 149: No. 4 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. No. 2 Frank Molinaro (Penn State), 8-1 157: No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State) pinned No. 3 David Taylor (Penn State), 4:14 165: No. 1 Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) dec. No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma), 11-3 174: No. 1 Jon Reader (Iowa State) dec. No. 7 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford), 10-3 184: No. 9 Quentin Wright (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 5-2 197: No. 4 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) pinned No. 2 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State), 4:56 285: No. 1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. No. 3 Ryan Flores (American), 2-1

PHILADELPHIA -- Junior Zach Rey won Lehigh’s 27th individual national championship with a 2-1 decision over American’s Ryan Flores in the heavyweight finals of the 2011 NCAA Championships Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena. One minute and 33 seconds of riding time was the difference as Rey captured Lehigh’s first national title since 2004, and the first for a Lehigh heavyweight since 1936. “Lehigh is a great program and it’s great that we got another national champion for the team, the fans and the Lehigh wrestling community,” Rey said in the post finals press conference. “We had two finalists and we’ve come far. We didn’t have an All-American for three or four years, now we have two finalists and three All-Americans. That’s amazing. We’re making huge strides.” After a scoreless first period in the title bout at heavyweight, Rey opened the scoring with an escape with a shoulder roll into a stand-up ten seconds into the second period. With no further scoring Rey took a 1-0 lead into the third period. Flores chose down, but Rey rode well from the top position, using a series of lifts and trips to maintain control. Rey built a riding time advantage of 1:33 to essentially give himself a 2-0 but narrowly escaped a reversal attempt by Flores in a wild scramble with 17 seconds remaining. “We got into a funky position in the third period,” Rey said. “I knew just to hold onto that leg and try to roll through to get to my stomach and that’s what it turned out to be. He gave me a lot of riding time and helped me kill the clock in the third period.” Rey released Flores with 16 seconds left and kept his defensive positioning to win 2-1 with the riding time point being the difference. “Rey wrestled a great match,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “Ryan Flores is a really good wrestler. It’s a tactical match. The scramble at the end was a little nerve racking but Zach held on.” Rey did not allow a takedown all season and finishes his junior year with a 34-1 record. Saturday night’s finals match was the fourth of the year between Rey and Flores with Rey winning three of the four bouts. Rey becomes the 21st individual to win a national championship and the first since Troy Letters won at 165 in 2004. Lehigh’s other finalist, sophomore Robert Hamlin came up short in his bid for a national title, falling 5-2 to Quentin Wright of Penn State in the finals at 184. The first period of the finals bout saw no scoring, with Hamlin kicking his leg free on the edge following a shot by Wright. In the second period Hamlin deferred his choice to Wright, who chose down and escaped to take a 1-0 lead. Twenty seconds later Wright hit a double leg shot for a takedown to extend his lead to 3-0. Hamlin escaped to get on the board, and then got in on a single but Wright was successfully able to counter and stave off the shot attempt. With less than ten seconds remaining in the second period, Wright converted another double leg takedown to take a 5-1 lead into the third. Hamlin escaped to open the third but could not get any offense going against Wright, who prevailed 5-2 to win the only individual title for the team champions. Hamlin’s sophomore season comes to an end at 32-3. “You can’t stand around against Wright,” Santoro explained. “He’s very dangerous. We have to keep the action going and Robert couldn’t do that like he wanted to in the first period and that set the tempo for the match. He’ll learn from that and he had an outstanding season.” In Saturday’s morning session, junior Brandon Hatchett clinched seventh place at 165 with a 3-0 win over Paul Gillespie of Hofstra. Hatchett scored the only takedown of the bout 2:03 into the first period, and added a third period escape for his 22nd win of the season. “The last six weeks we have been wrestling really hard,” Santoro said. “We made mistakes but it hasn’t been effort. The effort has been outstanding. We have two guys who are upset about the All-American round and obviously Robert is a little disappointed, but we’re proud of the way they wrestled. They laid it on the line and let the chips fall where they may.” With its three All-Americans, its most since 2006, Lehigh finished in eight place with 58.5 points, the program’s first top-ten finish since 2006. Penn State racked up 107.5 points to win its first team title since 1953 and only the second ever title for an Eastern school. Cornell finished second with 93.5 points, while Iowa took third with 86.5. Arizona State senior Anthony Robles, the national champion at 125, was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Kent State wrestling program has carried a rich tradition that started in 1927, produced two NCAA finalists in the 1940s and over 20 All-Americans over the years, but one thing had always been missing...a national champion. That all changed Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center when junior Dustin Kilgore (Berea, Ohio) etched his name into Golden Flashes history, pinning Oklahoma State's Clayton Foster in the 197-pound final. Foster, who entered the match undefeated on the season (26-0) led 5-1 following a second period escape. With 30 seconds remaining, the two wrestlers got into a scramble. Reaching for Foster's head, Kilgore appeared to establish control, but only for a second and no takedown was yet awarded. As the clock ran down Kilgore twisted his body back toward's Foster's head, slid his arm underneath Foster's neck and flattened him with four seconds left in the period. "I saw him starting to get tired and right then I knew I had to push myself twice as hard," Kilgore said of the second period. "In practice I get in that postion a lot and I was able to throw him on his back. It's the best feeling ever." "We knew their guy was tired," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "Dustin just turned, popped his hips up and caught the head and the leg and once he got the leg up, their guy couldn't turn. I fully believe that even if he wouldn't have gotten the pin he would have dominated the rest of the match. Dustin is proof that if you work real hard, great things can happen." On several occasions from the neutral positon, Kilgore had gotten in on Foster's legs, but could not finish off the takedown. Foster twice broke his leg free and twice was able to get out of bounds. "I kept taking shots," Kilgore said. "Even though they weren't great shots, I was wearing him out. And that's where it opened up." The fall brought Kent State's team total to 37 points, giving the Golden Flashes a 17th place finish, its highest since 1985. "Dustin isn't so much a vocal leader on this team, but as far as work ethic, he sets the bar," Andrassy said. "And he's done everything we've asked him to do, He never questions what we do and why we do it. And now I think the rest of our guys will start to get that even more." Kilgore was Kent State's first NCAA finalist since Walter Porowski in1942. He also became just the second two-time All-American in school history. Don Horning was first to do so in 1986. Hammer thrower Jacques Accambray was the last individual at Kent State to win a national title at the 1973 Track & Field Championships. Kilgore finished the year with a 38-2 record. Saturday night marked the 32nd pin of his college career. "Right off the bat the first coaches that ever talked to me while I was in high school was Jim Andrassy and Josh Moore," Kilgore said of his college choice. "I knew right from the start they were dedicated. They wanted me more than anything. And I could see it in them they would work hard. They put everything towards me to getting a National title. And Kent State's never had a National champion. So I knew it would mean more to them than anywhere else."

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Top-seeded and undefeated Jon Reader became the 50th Iowa State wrestler to win an NCAA individual title Saturday, dominating Stanford’s seventh-seeded Nick Amuchastegui, 10-3 in the 174-pound national title match in the Wells Fargo Arena. Reader finished the season 39-0 and ended his career with a record of 124-23. He is now a three-time All-American, earning seventh-place honors in 2008 and fourth-place honors in 2009. "It's great when you get on top of the podium," Reader said. "This year I spent a lot of time with coach (Kevin) Jackson and the Paulsons (Trent and Travis). They sharpened my skills. You live a lifestyle in this sport, and I have two great training partners, members of World Teams. I look to coach Jackson, coach (Eric) Voelker and coach (Yero) Washington and these guys made the difference. I am blessed to have them in my corner. Iowa State finished in 20th place with 31.5 points. Penn State won the NCAA team crown with 107.5 points. Jackson had high praise for Reader. "Every day, this veteran was in our wrestling room showing our young guys what it takes as a man to win a national title," Jackson said. "He demonstrated to those guys how to train, study and act outside of the wrestling room. This is great for our program." Reader slid past Amuchastegui and worked up off of a low single to get a takedown in the first period. He then sat back for a quick two count to take a 4-0 lead halfway through the first period. Reader then used the same sit back move for another two to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Amuchastegui earned a late escape to make it 6-1 heading into the second period. Reader escaped halfway through the second period to push his lead to six points. Amuchastegui chose bottom to start the third and escaped after 15 seconds. Reader fended off an Amuchastegui takedown attempt and spun around for a takedown of his own to push the score to 9-2. Amuchastegui scored a late escape, but had no chance, as Reader’s riding time advantage made the final score 10-3. The match was stopped several times because Reader had cuts on his face. "I don't like to give guys breaks," Reader said. "I wanted to be in his face. Coach Jackson and coach Paulson kept me relaxed." A native of Davison, Mich., Reader will be staying in Ames. "I will be in the Cyclone Wrestling Club under the mentorship of coach Jackson," Reader said. "I will also be finishing my degree." Fifty Iowa State wrestlers have won a total of 69 NCAA individual titles since the first NCAA Championship was held in Ames in 1928.

PHILADELPHIA -- In Nebraska wrestling's 100th anniversary season, senior Jordan Burroughs capped off his iconic career by becoming the school's first-ever two-time national champion with his major decision victory over Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) in the finals of the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday night in Philadelphia. Burroughs finished the season with a perfect 36-0 record, the second undefeated season of his career after he captured the 2009 national title at 157 pounds. "It's amazing," Burroughs said in his post-match press conference. "Being close to home, a lot of friends and family are here. Anywhere it was, I was going to wrestle my best tournament and try to put together a lot of bonus‑point victories. Coach Manning always stresses domination every match. I'm not satisfied winning by one or two points, so go out and wrestle my hardest match every time and hopefully get the major." No. 1 Burroughs defeated No. 3 Caldwell by major decision, 11-3, for his fifth bonus-point victory at the NCAA Championships. With the victory, Burroughs finished his career at Nebraska with a record of 128-20-0, which places him fourth on the school's all-time wins chart. Burroughs, who defeated Caldwell in the Big 12 Championships by one point, recorded a takedown just 31 seconds into the match to go up 2-0 and finished the first period with another takedown to take a 4-2 lead. After another takedown in the second period, Burroughs was dominant in third period, recording two more takedowns, while amassing over three minutes of riding time in route to the victory. Burroughs was untouchable in his five matches at the NCAA championships, outscoring his opponents 71-24 with two technical falls, two major decisions and a default victory. With his performance at the national championships, Burroughs will be in strong contention for The Hodge Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding wrestler. The Sicklerville, N.J., native gained a fifth year of eligibility after his 2009-10 season ended on Dec. 19, 2009 with a torn PCL/LCL during a first period match against No. 13 Steve Brown of Central Michigan. Burroughs went on to finish the match and dropped an overtime decision to Brown, which marked his only loss in his last 79 matches of collegiate wrestling. This year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships set a new attendance record on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center totaling 104,260 fans for the six-session event. Saturday night's attendance set a finals session record with 17,687 total fans. The previous record was 17,780 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Sophomore Kyle Dake won his second NCAA championship on Saturday evening to help the Big Red wrestling team take second place in the team race. At 149 pounds, fourth-seeded Dake won a commanding 8-1 decision over the second seed Frank Molinaro of Penn State in the finals to become the first Cornell wrestler to win national titles as a freshman and sophomore. The Big Red totaled 93.5 team points and crowned a school record five All-Americans. Cornell has crowned an individual champion in four-straight NCAA tournaments. Dake is just the third Cornellian to win two NCAA titles. The sophomore joins Big Red greats Travis Lee and David Auble. Lee won the NCAA title in 2003 and 2005 at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Auble was a two-time champ at 123 pounds in 1959 and 1960. Dake took down Molinaro early in the first and rode him for the rest of the period to rack up 2:33 in riding time. Molinaro was awarded a point with a little under 40 seconds left on the clock for an illegal hold by Dake. Molinaro chose to start the second period down on the mat, a choice which proved to be a mistake after Dake added three back points. Molinaro was unable to escape Dake's clutches. Dake started the third period down and with eight seconds off the clock reversed his opponent. Dake was once again ferocious on top and racked up 6:17 in total riding time to win an 8-1 decision. The point that the referee awarded Molinaro was the only point Dake gave up during the tournament. The Big Red sophomore won his first two matches of the championships by major decision, 8-0. In the quarterfinals, he defeated No. 5 Jamal Parks of Oklahoma, 3-0. Dake advanced to the finals with a 4-0 shutout of No. 8 Ganbayar Sanjaa of American. Senior Mack Lewnes became a three-time All-American with a fourth place finish at 174 pounds. Fellow senior Mike Grey earned his second All-America honor after taking sixth at 133 pounds. Junior Cam Simaz is now a three-time All-American at 197 pounds with a third place finish. Sophomore Steve Bosak earned his first All-American status with a fourth place at 184 pounds.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Senior/junior captain Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) of the University of Michigan wrestling team fought off a second-period ankle injury to cap a perfect 38-0 season with a 3-2 win over Cal Poly's Boris Novachkov in the 141-pound final at the NCAA Championships on Saturday (March 19) at Wells Fargo Center. Russell wrapped the year with the best individual season record in Wolverine wrestling history. Russell used a counter takedown with just 32 seconds remaining in regulation to break open the deadlocked match and defeat the third-seeded Novachkov for the second time this season. Novachkov initiated the late flurry with a half shot to the legs, but Russell snapped him down and went behind to gain good position. Novachkov turned to face him, providing Russell a body-lock position and after a couple precarious seconds -- and with Russell running out of room on the edge -- he returned the Mustang wrestler hard to the mat and directly to his back for the takedown. He earned no near-fall points but did not need them, allowing Novachkov a escape after 18 seconds before easily fending off a couple last-ditch shots to secure the one-point decision. The wrestlers had traded little more than escape points and half shots until Russell's winning takedown. Novachkov rode the Wolverine wrestler for the first half of the second, during which Russell got in an awkward position and suffered a somewhat significant ankle injury that required most of his allowed stoppage time. Russell recovered and got away after 1:04 and rode off Novachkov's time advantage before the Mustang escaped to even the score. Russell becomes the 15th different U-M wrestler to capture an NCAA individual title, upping the Michigan program's total to 21 trophies and four under current head coach Joe McFarland, joining Ryan Bertin (2003, '05) and Steve Luke (2009).

PHILADELPHIA – Oklahoma State added one more NCAA individual wrestling title to its trophy case Saturday after Jordan Oliver dropped No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State, 8-4. As a team, the Cowboys finished fourth with 70.5 team points. Penn State won the national title with 107.5 points. OSU senior Clayton Foster was pinned in the 197-pound title bout to finish as the national runner-up. Oliver dominated Hochstrasser from the start, overwhelming the Bronco with a double-leg takedown in the opening seconds to take a 2-0 lead. A Hochstrasser escape was followed by a four-point move from Oliver to push the Cowboy’s edge to 6-1 before Hochstrasser knew what hit him. Oliver cut Hochstrasser loose and took a 6-2 lead into the second period. Oliver chose a neutral start to the second and bagged another takedown to put the bout out of reach. Hochstrasser again escaped to trim Oliver’s advantage to 8-3, but it was too late. A Hochstrasser escape to start the third period capped the scoring at 8-4. “My mindset was to put points on the board right away, thinking if I scored right away, the pace of the match and the tempo would have to pick up because he would have to attack me,” Oliver said. “I never stopped attacking, but it opened up things more for me to get to my double and my leg attacks.” OSU coach John Smith applauded Oliver’s performance on the biggest stage. “Takedowns were the key for Jordan. He has a lot of offense,” Smith said. “I think he is focused on maintaining pressure and separating from the field as he goes forward, which is hard to do.” Oliver, who tweaked his knee in the first period of Friday’s semifinal win over No. 4 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin, said the knee was bothering him in the title bout, but he was determined to power through the pain. “I don’t even think it has set in yet but I just know it’s been a great journey,” Oliver said. “A lot of hard work and dedication has gone into it and also a lot of blood, sweat and tears. I don’t regret a minute of it. “Oklahoma State is an awesome program with 34 NCAA titles. We wanted to make it 35, but it didn’t work out this time. The coaches are such a positive influence here and having resources like John Smith, Eric Guerrero, Tyrone Lewis and Kenny Monday around helps so much in preparation.” Foster raced out to a 5-1 lead in his title match against Kilgore after bagging a pair of first-period takedowns and escaping to start the second, but Kilgore made the most of a scramble opportunity and caught the Cowboy on his back for the fall with just four seconds left in the second period. “I hurt for Clayton because I really wanted to see him get an NCAA title,” Smith said. “He had a good first period but got a little sloppy in the second. He had the match under control.” Smith assessed the team’s overall showing at the NCAA Championships. “It was important that this team got a trophy because it is a step in the right direction,” Smith said. “You always want to do better and this was no different. There is only one time in my 20 years of coaching that I felt like we couldn’t do better and that was in 2005 when we had five national champs.”

PHILADELPHIA -- On the final night of the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships, two Arizona State University wrestlers stole the show as both Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins were crowned national champions of their respective weight classes, bringing the crowd of 17,687 fans to their feet in a pair of exciting matches. The wins, which gave the Sun Devils two finalists and two champions in the same year for the first time since 1993, punctuated two impressive careers as the seniors wrestled their final matches on the raised stage inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. The wins also made ASU the only program in the nation this year to have multiple champions as eight other schools each had one champion tonight. The pro-Pennsylvania crowd saw Penn State win its first title since 1953 as it scored 107.5 points to beat out the challenge from Cornell (93.5) and Iowa (86.5). Oklahoma State (70.5) and American (65.0) rounded out the Top 5 while the Sun Devils came in sixth with 62.5 points, giving the program their best finish since taking sixth in 2006. Robles, the top-seed at 125 pounds, and Jenkins, the fourth-seeded competitor at 157, brought about several other firsts on the night as the duo gave ASU two finalists for the first time since 1993 when Markus Mollica (158), Ray Miller (167) and current head coach Shawn Charles (126) all reached the finals. This year’s duo also gave ASU multiple national champions for only the second time, equaling the wins posted by Mollica and Miller in 1993. Their titles also are the first for the program since Eric Larkin went 36-0 in 2003 to claim the 149 crown. First up on the mat was Robles, who took on defending champion and second-seeded Matt McDonough (Iowa). Robles, looking to go undefeated on the year, locked up with McDonough on the opening whistle and, 44 seconds in to the match, scored a takedown for the early 2-0 lead. Robles then turned the Hawkeye twice, scoring a two-point near-fall and a three-point near-fall to end the period on top, 7-0. In the second, McDonough chose neutral, but no one scored, sending the 7-0 match to the final period. There, Robles was unable to escape and was hit with a stalling point penalty, but that was all the scoring, giving Robles a 7-1 decision and the NCAA title. “My coaches prepared me well,” Robles said after his title. “We’ve been working all year and the past few years on quick draws, quick stick... I couldn’t have done it without him. I felt super confident out there and it was a team effort. I want to thank my training partners and my family for supporting me and it wasn’t just me out there. I was doing it for all them, too. I feels great to be a national champion.” Following the tournament, Robles was selected as the Outstanding Wrestler, making him the first Sun Devil to capture the honor since Larkin did so in 2003. For Robles, it marked the fourth tournament he competed in this season and the fourth O.W. award he was selected for (Las Vegas Invitational, Reno TOC, Pac-10s, NCAAs). At 157, a showdown that many were awaiting came to be as Jenkins, seeded fourth, faced off with David Taylor, the third-seeded wrestler that took over the weight class for Penn State after Jenkins’ departure to ASU this fall. The crowd was into the match, yelling out for scores, but saw both men unable to finish their attempts and keep the match tied, 0-0, through one. In the second, Taylor chose down and escaped four seconds into the period to take a 1-0 lead. After a scramble, Jenkins locked up a cradle on Taylor, flipped him to his back and pinned the Nittany Lion sophomore, giving Jenkins the crown with a fall in 4:41. “I definitely feel like I was underrated,” Jenkins said. “They always underrate me. I guess since I moved West and got a tan, they forgot about me and didn’t think I was going to be back. The tournament was in Philly, I was coming back to PA, and it wasn’t just to see the sights and reminisce with old friends. It was coming to win it. I showed up here tonight in a business suit, told my mom, ‘Bring my business suit. I don’t want to wrestle, I don’t want to show up in my wrestler wrestling gear.’ It’s what I came for. I spent five hours on a flight for a business trip. And I went out there and handled my business.” Jenkins’ win made him just the fourth wrestler in NCAA history to reach the final of a weight class for two different schools, this time with Jenkins on top after he placed second in 2008 at 149 pounds for PSU. All four of those individuals won at least one title in their career, either before or after transferring. Earlier in the day, Levi Cooper was on the mat for seventh place, but was pinned in 2:37 by No. 8 Anthony Nelson (Minnesota) to fall to eighth place. Regardless of the finish, Cooper earned All-America honors just two years (and three schools) after going 11-15 as a freshman for Portland State. His honor gave ASU its most All-Americans in the same tournament since four Sun Devils earned the distinction in 2006. With the conclusion of the tournament, the 2010-11 season comes to a close for the Sun Devils. The team will hold its annual awards banquet on March 30 at Dave and Buster’s Tempe Marketplace.

PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team placed third and crowned five All-Americans at the 2011 NCAA Championships Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Hawkeyes scored 86.5 points to finish behind champion Penn State (107.5) and runner-up Cornell (93.5). The three-day tournament attendance total of 104,260 set a new NCAA Division I record. Hawkeye sophomore Matt McDonough, who was competing in his second-straight 125-pound NCAA final, lost a 7-1 decision to top-seeded and undefeated Anthony Robles to open the final session. Robles took a 7-0 first-period lead on a takedown and five nearfall points. McDonough chose neutral to start the second period, but was unable to score. Robles chose down to start the third period, and was warned twice for stalling, resulting in a point for McDonough. The Iowa sophomore ended the season with a 27-2 record, tallying a 64-3 mark in his two-year Hawkeye career. "You have to be more aware; know what you're getting yourself into," said McDonough. "Go out there to scrap. You can't come out in the first two minutes and feel things out when you're in that stage and take something away from every experience. You have to take something away from this. As much as it stings, you still have to take something away from it." Iowa finished the 2010-11 season with five All-Americans and two Big Ten Champions. Iowa earned its fourth straight Big Ten regular season title with a perfect 8-0 conference record and extended its unbeaten dual winning streak to 77 by posting a 15-0-1 overall dual mark. The Hawkeyes' perfect 8-0 home record marked the program's 19th undefeated season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Penn State won the team title at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships this weekend ... making history in the process. The Nittany Lions became the first school east of the Mississippi River to win the national mat title since 1967, when Michigan State won the championship, and only the second Eastern program to grab the team crown, the first being ... Penn State, in 1953. What's more, this year's title was won within Penn State's home state, specifically, Philadelphia. The 1953 NCAAs were even closer to home, specifically, at Rec Hall on the Penn State campus, still the home gym for head coach Cael Sanderson and his wrestlers today. With the 2011 team title, Penn State becomes the only school to own two NCAA championships. A handful of programs have won just one title -- Indiana (unofficially) in 1932, Cornell College of Iowa in 1947, University of Northern Iowa in 1950, and Arizona State in 1988. Another handful has more than one title -- Oklahoma State has 34, Iowa won 23, Iowa State has eight, University of Oklahoma has seven, and Minnesota, three. Penn State now joins that elite club of multi-time team champs. A very brief history of Penn State wrestling Penn State has one of the oldest major college wrestling programs in the nation. The Nittany Lions first took to the mat in 1909; that year, they had just one dual meet, losing to, of all schools, Cornell University (the program that placed second at the 2011 NCAAs). In 1927 -- one year before the first NCAA wrestling championships were held -- Penn State made a significant hiring decision that would set the stage for the first national mat title. The school welcomed Charlie "Doc" Speidel as head coach. He was the sixth coach in two decades ... but unlike the others, Speidel stuck around for more than a couple years (34 to be exact), and made a positive difference in the program. Speidel, originally from New Jersey, cultivated relationships with some key high school coaches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, encouraging their wrestlers to continue their educational and wrestling careers at Penn State. As part of this strategy, sets of brothers would also find their way to State College -- in other words, the school got two or three talented matmen with a single recruitment effort. Another aspect that helped Penn State's mat program take off was school's explosive growth immediately after World War II, thanks to the G.I. Bill which made a college education accessible to military veterans. Together, all these elements worked together to help set the foundation for the Nittany Lions' mat success in the early 1950s ... which was instrumental in helping the school lure the NCAAs to State College. Bringing The Big Show to State College Starting in 1950, Penn State launched an incredible win streak that carried into the 1953 season. However, in 1952, because of budget problems, the school had placed strict travel restrictions on the wrestling program, severely limiting how many wrestlers could go to the 1952 NCAAs at Colorado State. So, immediately after the nationals that year, Charlie Speidel lobbied the NCAA to bring the national mat championships to Penn State. As coach put it, if Mohammed won't go to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed. It worked; Penn State got the 1953 NCAAs. The NCAAs of six decades ago were much smaller events compared to what just concluded in Philadelphia. For starters, the 1953 NCAAs lasted just two days, not three. According to Jay Hammond's The History of Collegiate Wrestling, 166 wrestlers from 53 schools came to State College, "shattering the records set in 1951." (By contrast, 330 athletes competed at the 2011 NCAAs.) The venue was much smaller, too. At the time, Rec Hall had a seating capacity of approximately 6,000; Wells Fargo Center, site of the 2011 NCAAs, accommodated about 19,000 fans. The Nittany Lions of 60 years ago Penn State had a wrestler in each weight class at the 1953 NCAAs except heavyweight; Hudson "Hud" Samson, who usually wrestled what was called "unlimited" back then, dropped down to the 191-pound class, which was special for the NCAAs, and not usually wrestled. True to Speidel's "family philosophy," the Penn State starting lineup had two sets of brothers, the Dick and Joe Lemyre (wrestling at 130 and 167 pounds, respectively) from Mepham High in New York, and, from Newton, New Jersey, Don and Doug Frey, who wrestled at 147 and 157. Rounding out the roster: William Cramp at 115 (like 191, a weight class unique to the NCAAs); Bobby Homan, 1952 EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) champ at 123 pounds; Gerry Maurey, 1953 EIWA titleholder at 137; and George Dvorozniak at 177. Showtime! How did the Penn State matmen do in their home gym at the 1953 NCAAs? Cramp, Homan, Dvorozniak and Doug Frey did not place. Gerry Maurey, Don Frey and Joe Lemyre each placed third, earning All-American honors. Dick Lemyre made it to the finals, where he lost to Michigan's Norvand "Snip" Nalan. The Lion who came through was Samson. The 6'3" wrestler/varsity golf team member pinned his finals opponent, Charles Weber of West Chester State Teachers College, at 4:15 to win the 191-pound title. Other wrestlers who earned titles at the 1953 NCAAs included 115-pound champ Hugh Peery of Pittsburgh (son of Pitt coach Rex, older brother of Ed -- each of them three-time NCAA champs), University of Minnesota's Dick Mueller at 123 pounds, Lock Haven's Gus DeAugustino at 137, Cornell University's Frank Bettucci at 147, Jim Harmon of Northern Iowa (then called Iowa State Teachers College) at 157, Don Dickason of Cornell University at 167, Oklahoma State's Ned Blass at 177, and Dan McNair of Auburn at heavyweight. When the last match had been wrestled, Penn State had put 21 points on the board, putting the host school in first place ... and making them the 1953 NCAA team champions. The Nittany Lions had defeated 1952 team titlewinners, the Oklahoma Sooners, who placed second with 15 points. In third was Cornell University, with 13 points. Tying for fourth place with 11 points each was Oklahoma State, and Iowa State Teachers College. Penn State also led in terms of the number of All-Americans, with five earning that honor (by placing in the top four), out of ten weight classes. The Nittany Lions had a number of successful seasons after that championship season up through 1957, placing either second or third in the team standings in the mid-1950s, and crowning individual champs Larry Fornicola (137 pounds) and Bill Oberly (heavyweight) at the 1955 NCAAs, and 130-pound champ John Johnston at the 1957 NCAAs. Charles "Doc" Speidel retired in 1964, replaced by Bill Koll (father of current Cornell coach Rob Koll) and a succession of other head coaches, most recently, Cael Sanderson. During the years since the 1953 NCAAs, there were no more national team titles ... until now. There are a couple significant aspects that link Penn State's two national team titles. In both 1953 and 2011, the Nittany Lions had just one individual champ -- Hud Samson 58 years ago, and Quentin Wright this year. What's more, Cael and Company could claim five NCAA All-Americans ... the same number as in 1953. What are the prospects for Penn State adding to its collection of NCAA championships? Some college wrestling fans are already using the word "dynasty," anticipating more team titles from Sanderson, his current roster, and already-committed recruits. Only time will tell. Two books were instrumental in the writing of this story: Jay Hammond's The History of Collegiate Wrestling, and a book specifically about the 1953 NCAAs, A Turning Point by Jamie Moffatt and Roger Olesen. DVD copies of the original black-and-white, silent films of the 1953 NCAA finals are available for purchase direct from the host school. For contact information for the Penn State University archives, email mark@intermatwrestle.com To see more images from the 1953 NCAAs, including photos of all the finalists, visit the Yahoo group Vintage Amateur Wrestling Photo Annex 3 by clicking HERE.

Related Link: Coverage Section PHILADELPHIA -- It appears that a team east of the Mississippi River will win the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships title for the first time since the era of miniskirts and the Beatles ... but it may not be the team most in the college wrestling community would have predicted prior to the teams arriving in Philadelphia this week. Quentin Wright pinned Iowa's Grant Gambrall at 184 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)At the end of the Session IV Friday night, Penn State is in first place, with 92.5 points ... while Cornell University, the pre-NCAAs odds-on favorite to win the team title, is in second, with 75 points. Right now, Penn State would seem to be in the driver's seat, with three finalists: Frank Molinaro at 149 pounds, David Taylor at 157, and Quentin Wright at 184. By contrast, Cornell has only one wrestler in the finals: Kyle Dake at 149. Complicating things for Cornell in the team title race: defending NCAA champ University of Iowa is hot on their heels in third place, just one point behind the Big Red. As with Cornell, Iowa has just one finalist in Matt McDonough, defending champ at 125. If either Penn State or Cornell wins the team title at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, it will be historic. It would be the first title to go to a program east of the Mississippi since Michigan State won it in 1967. For Penn State, it will be only their second NCAA championship; the Nittany Lions won the national title at home in 1953. For Cornell, it would be the first-ever. Semifinal Recap: 125: No. 1 Anthony Robles (Arizona State) dec. unseeded Ben Kjar (Utah Valley), 4-2 No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Brandon Precin (Northwestern), 3-1 A classic match-up between the two top seeds who have never wrestled each other in college. Robles is a senior, with a 35-0 record, and the 2011 Pac-10 champ. McDonough, a sophomore, brings a 27-1 record, the Big Ten title ... and is the defending national champ at this weight. When asked about the finals opponent, Robles said, "I don't know what he's going to bring to the table yet. I watched him. He's an intense wrestler. He's going to come at me, but I'm ready for it. I'm excited and I've been preparing all year, and I have one more match to win. He's a great competitor. Returning national champ, I have a lot respect for him, but he's standing in my way of reaching my trophy." In anticipating his title match, McDonough disclosed his game plan for his opponent that was very much the Hawkeye way: "Go nose to nose, head to head, and scrap. Obviously it's no secret that the way he wrestles, you got to adjust what you're doing a little bit. But that doesn't mean you're adjusting your aggressiveness, you're adjusting your pressure or anything else. It just means you're more aware in the positions you're in, and you got to know where you're at, at all times. Dangerous wrestler, you can't let him be dangerous. You got to close him off and you got to wrestle your match." 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) dec. Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), 5-2 No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise State) dec. No 3 Andrew Long (Penn State), 6-4 Another top-two-seeds finals. Oliver, a sophomore, has a 28-0 record, and is the Big 12 champ ... while Hochstrasser, a senior, is 27-1 for the season, and the 2011 Pac-10 champ. In talking about this finals rival, Oliver said, "I faced him two times before this year. He's a real great competitor. I just try to go out there and stick to my style which is attacking and looking for my attacks and my shots and stuff and scoring points. So it should be a real fun match. And I'm looking forward to it. Like I said, he's a great competitor. He keeps a high pace, so should be a lot of scoring, hopefully just my part, but I'm looking forward to getting in there and fighting." When asked his perspective on his Cowboy opponent, Hochstrasser replied, "He's a great competitor, and he's real slick. So I'm going to try and shut him down and work my own stuff, make something happen. Feel like if I can make stuff happen, I put him in a different situation than he's been in." 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. No. 5 Montell Marion (Iowa), 3-3, TB (riding time) No. 3 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) dec. No. 2 Mike Thorn (Minnesota), 9-3 Russell is a junior with a perfect 27-0 season and the Big Ten crown ... while Novachkov, a junior, takes a 31-1 season record and the Pac-10 title into the finals. Here are two opponents with some history between them that goes beyond the match they wrestled this season (with the Wolverine coming out on top). As Russell said in the press conference after winning his semifinals match, "We both know each other. We've been wrestling together since we were seniors in high school. So we both have drilled with each other and wrestled each other. We wrestled earlier this year. So I think it's going to be another close match like this, and hopefully there will be a bunch of scrambles." Novachkov referred to that previous match (at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational): "The match that he beat me, I felt that I wasn't as offensive as I should have been. And tomorrow, I'm just going to go out there and attack the whole match and try to put some points on the board." Russell seems to have a propensity to win his matches in the last seconds ... sometimes taking them past regulation. It would be no surprise if that were to happen Saturday night. 149: No. 2 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State), 4-1 No. 4 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 8 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American), 4-0 While this championship match is missing top-seeded Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State (the 2009 NCAA champ was forced to forfeit after being injured in his second-round match Thursday afternoon), a Molinaro-Dake title bout still promises to be one of the most-anticipated of the ten matches to be contested Saturday night for a number of reasons. The least of which: The team title could be riding in the balance. Kyle Dake capped off an incredible freshman year at Cornell with the 141-pound title at the 2010 NCAAs, and tons of accolades. His sophomore year has been a bit more challenging, with a 30-2 record, placing second at the EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) championships a couple weeks ago. Frank Molinaro, nicknamed "Frank the Tank" for his powerful physique and intense wrestling style that has rolled over a number of unsuspecting opponents, is a junior with a 32-2 season record and the 2011 Big Ten title. When asked what he took away from his last on-the-mat meeting with Molinaro, Dake replied, "Just wrestle hard, don't let him bang you or push you around and just wrestle your match. It was my first time back in over a month and I wasn't in tiptop shape, so tomorrow night's going to be a fun one. It's going to be a lot different." The Nittany Lion weighed in with what he had learned from wrestling Dake: "Last time I wrestled him, I had some opportunities to score in shots that I may not have shot as hard because I thought I would have more opportunities towards the end of the match. And you can't wrestle like that. And I learned that the first time I lost to him. "He stuck our defense. He's got good technique. And you have to secure the two, because he scrambles out of every position. So take that into mind going into the match. I will try to use my conditioning as a factor, I'll push the pace, and I want him to wrestle my match. And I gotta finish my shots." 157: No. 3 David Taylor (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Steve Fittery (American), 7-1 No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State) dec. No. 8 Jason Welch (Northwestern), 8-5 The current Nittany Lion faces the former Lion. This is the kind of match with enough backstage drama to make any college wrestling fan salivate. Bubba Jenkins, a senior with a 20-3 record this season, once wrestled for Penn State but left Happy Valley not-so-happy with head coach Cael Sanderson, finding a happier home at Arizona State. David Taylor is one of Sanderson's star recruits, a freshman phenom with a perfect 38-0 record, who has helped to propel the Lions to where they are now, ahead of what most folks outside Pennsylvania would've expected. Adding to the intrigue: Jenkins and Taylor have worked out together and know each other's strengths and weaknesses. That alone should make this a match to remember. When asked about facing Jenkins in the finals, Taylor said, "He's a high quality wrestler, been to the finals before. Not a slouch by any means. He's pretty tough." The same question was posed to Jenkins: "I match up well with him. People have counted me out and pushing me out the window of being in the final because I had my surgery, and I kind of moved to Arizona and looks like I went on a little vacation out there with the sun and the palm trees ..." "We're not going to see anything different from each other except he's one year, maybe two years better than he was, and I'm better than I was." 165: No. 1 Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) maj. dec. No. 5 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State), 14-6 No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) dec. No. 2 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin), 2-2, TB (riding time) This will be a battle of Big 12 stars at 165 pounds. Jordan Burroughs, a senior, has an impressive mat resume, including a 2009 NCAA title in this weight class, a 2011 Big 12 title, and a flawless season record of 35-0. He missed out on much of last season -- including last year's nationals -- because of a knee injury in December 2009 and subsequent surgery. If he wins the title Saturday, he will become the first Nebraska Cornhusker wrestler to have won two NCAA titles. Tyler Caldwell, a sophomore, brings a 32-5 record to the title bout. With a win, he could help Oklahoma head coach Jack Spates close out his college coaching career on a high note. When asked about facing a familiar foe in Caldwell -- but not his expected finals rival, Howe -- Burroughs replied, "I wrestle anyone. Anyone who puts their foot out there on the line this weekend, I'm ready to dominate ... Me and Caldwell wrestled twice this year, we had tough battles and I know he's going to be out there. I'll wrestle him hard. It's tough to beat a guy three times in the same season, so he's going to be gunning for me. He's got some technique and things tacked down so it's going to be a great match. I just want to give the fans something that they paid a lot of money for." Caldwell shared his strategy for his match with the Cornhusker: "Stick to my style, stick to my wrestling and just wrestle a complete match, my style, focus on my performance and come out on top." 174: No. 1 Jon Reader (Iowa State) dec. No. 5 Chris Henrich (Virginia), 4-3 No. 7 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) dec. No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell), 5-2 Jon Reader, a senior, has a 38-0 record -- and the Big 12 title -- going into the finals ... while Nick Amuchastegui, a junior, has compiled a 31-3 record this year, and was runner-up at the Pac-10 championships. In the post-semifinals press conference, Reader was asked about his finals rival. "I've seen him compete a couple times this year. We were actually in the same bracket in Midlands," said the Cyclone. "He's a great athlete, and he didn't make it this far in the bracket for nothing, and it's going to be a battle just like every final tomorrow for each guy. You gotta go out and compete." In talking about upsetting third-seeded Mack Lewnes in the semifinals, the seventh-seed Amuchastegui shared an attitude that may serve him well in the finals: "One of the things I try to do is not pay attention to who's ranked what this year and who's done what. I just go out there and wrestle the best that I can, wrestle my positions, know what I think he's going to do and make some adjustments according to that. But I think it was walking out there without really considering the things that it looks like from the outside, being 7th seed, him seeded higher and all that type of thing." 184: No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. No. 3 Steve Bosak (Cornell), 4-3, SV No. 9 Quentin Wright (Penn State) pinned No. 12 Grant Gambrall (Iowa), 2:52 Robert Hamlin is a sophomore nicknamed the "VerMonster" because he hails from Jonesville, Vermont, and, is, in fact, the first NCAA All-American from the state. He has compiled a 32-2 record, winning the 2011 EIWA title. Quentin Wright is 20-6, and the Big Ten champ. "We wrestled at the beginning of the year," said Hamlin of Wright in his press conference after the semifinals. "He had a slow start this year. I know he's really tough. He's got a great hitch, he's a good thrower. So I'm just going to go out and wrestle my match, just do my best, hopefully get the win, hopefully have some fun." The Nittany Lion addressed the same topic: "(Hamlin) was my first loss of the season and first match of the season. So it will be interesting to have him as my last match of the season. And so I'm excited to wrestle with him because just whenever you lose to somebody you want a second chance. They don't come around too often. I've had a lot of those this season, especially this tournament." 197: No. 2 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin), 4-3 No. 4 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) dec. No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell), 10-9 Kilgore, a junior, with a 37-2 record and the 2011 MAC (Mid-American Conference) champ, could make some history Saturday night. If he wins the 197 pound crown, he will be the first NCAA champ in the long history of the Kent State mat program. By contrast, if Foster, a senior who's a perfect 26-0, claims the title, he'll be one of more than 100 champs in the long and storied history of Oklahoma State wrestling. Kilgore talked about the historical implications of possibly being the first champ for the Golden Flashes: "I know it would mean everything to Kent State, to my coaches, family friends, fans. Every coach I've ever had, they're backing me up 100 percent, and that's what I need. That's driving me more than anything, knowing that I have great fans out there." In his post-semifinals press conference, Foster mentioned his own personal history, and how far he's come as a Cowboy: "It was pretty much miserable in the beginning, didn't make it to nationals my true freshman year and not pushing myself more. Then my junior year I turned it around and got 6th place. Just put me over the hump for this year. Helped me out a lot confidence-wise." 285: No. 1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. No. 5 Dom Bradley (Missouri), 2-1 No. 3 Ryan Flores (American) dec. No. 2 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan), 4-0 This will be the Clash of the Titans of the East, as both big men represent schools way east of the Mississippi River. Zach Rey, a junior, lost only one match all season ... and that was to Ryan Flores, a sophomore, in the 2011 EIWA finals. Rey has a 33-1 record, while Flores is 26-5. If Rey wins the heavyweight title, he'll be the second Lehigh big guy to do so; the first was Howell Scobey, 75 years ago at the 1936 NCAAs. If Flores beats the Mountain Hawk, he'll be the first heavyweight champ from American University. Both men talked about their Saturday night opponent in their Friday night press conference. "We're 2 and 2," said Flores. "What can I say about Zach Rey? He's a great competitor. He knows how to win. While our styles are very different, I think, as I said before, I'm the kind of person who adapts really well. I lost to him twice this year earlier. I won this last one. And I think it's going to go in my favor." Rey weighed in: "I'm excited to wrestle him again. Left a sour taste in my mouth last time I wrestled him, and I'm happy to get another shot at him. I'm real comfortable wrestling him last time in the finals." Standings (Top 10): 1. Penn State 92.5 2. Cornell 75 3. Iowa 74 4. Oklahoma State 65 5. American 56 6. Lehigh 53.5 7. Arizona State 52.5 8. Boise State 50 9. Minnesota 49.5 10. Wisconsin 44.5 The finals take place Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, and will be broadcast live on ESPN.