InterMat Staff

SALEM, Va. -- The Virginia Tech wrestling team jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the 25th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones came roaring back to beat the Hokies 17-16 Saturday afternoon in an exciting match at the loud and raucous Salem Civic Center. Both team won five matches, but Iowa State pi! cked up one more bonus win to pull the upset over the 13th-ranked Hokies. Tech jumped out to a 10-0 lead by winning the first three matches, but the Cyclones won the next two matches to make it 10-6 heading into the intermission. The match started at heavyweight with Tech’s David Marone picking up a 7-4 win over Matt Gibson. Marone, ranked 12th in the country after redshirting last year, gave up an early takedown, but reversed Gibson and got two more takedowns later to pick up the win. At 125 pounds, 10th-ranked Jarrod Garnett fell behind early to ISU’s Patrick Hunter, but battled back to take a 3-2 lead after the first period. He got an escape and a takedown in the third period and eventually got riding time to win 7-2. At 133 pounds, true freshman Devin Carter lived up to the hype with a dominating 23-8 technical fall over Ben Cash. Cash didn’t record an offensive point as Carter picked up eight takedowns and a reversal to highlight an impressive debut. However, he couldn’t get back points for the five team points, which ! would loom large at the end. At 141 pounds, Iowa State’s Chris Drouin - ranked 14th - used a reversal in the fourth period to upset eighth-ranked Chris Diaz, 2-1. The Cyclones pulled another upset at 149 pounds as unranked Nate Carr, Jr., picked up a takedown late in the sudden victory off a counter to Stephens’ near takedown to stun 16th-ranked Brian Stephens with a 6-4 win. After the break, 15th-ranked Pete Yates controlled the action at 157 pounds, but couldn’t get bonus points as he beat Trent Weatherman 8-1. At 165 pounds, 20th-ranked Andrew Sorenson of ISU dominated Tech’s Matt Epperly, who was ranked 15th. He used five takedowns and rode him for over two minutes as he picked up a 13-3 major decision. Fifth-ranked John Reader used six takedowns to control the match at 174 pounds as he picked up a 14-6 major decision over Tech’s Nick Vetterlein to give the Cyclones a 14-13 lead with two matches left. Tommy Spellman, ranked 11th in the country pulled out a 1-0 win over Matt Riley courtesy a third period escape at 184 pounds to give the Hokies a 16-14 lead with one match left. Tech sophomore Chris Penny gave it all he had against No. 10 Jerome Ward, wearing him down throughout the match. After a scoreless first period, Ward took a 3-0 lead before Penny reversed him. Penny cut it to 4-3, but Ward got a takedown and then held on with Penny having ahold of one leg on the edge of the mat as time ran out to pick up the 6-4 win and secure a 17-16 team win for Iowa State. While the Hokies wrestled well, they fell behind most of the time as Iowa State recorded the first offensive points in seven of the nine matches that featured an offensive point. Kent State defeated Chattanooga 24-12 and then Iowa State downed Kent State, 23-19. Tech (0-1) will host the Hokie Open Sunday at the Civic Center, welcoming a dozen teams and over 300 wrestlers to the arena. #25 Iowa State (1-0) 17; #13 Virginia Tech (0-1) 16 285: #12 David Marone (VT) dec. Matt Gibson, 7-4 125: #10 Jarrod Garnett (VT) dec. Patrick Hunter, 7-2 133: Devin Carter (VT) tech fall (4) Ben Cash, 23-8 (7:00) 141: #14 Chris Drouin (ISU) dec. #8 Chris Diaz, 2-1 149: Nate Carr, Jr. (ISU) dec. #16 Brian Stephens, 6-4 (SV) 157: #15 Pete Yates (VT) dec. Trent Weatherman, 8-1 165: #20 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) maj. dec. #15 Matt Epperly, 13-3 174: #5 John Reader (ISU) maj. dec. Nick Vetterlein, 14-6 184: #11 Tommy Spellman (VT) dec. Matt Riley, 1-0 197: #10 Jerome Ward dec. Chris Penny, 6-4 Kent State (1-0) 24; Chattanooga (0-1) 12 285: #14 Brendan Barlow (KSU) dec. Matt Lettner, 5-2 125: #6 Nic Bedelyon (KSU) maj. dec. Prescott Garner, 15-5 133: Sean Collins (KSU) dec. Cody Hood, 12-9 141: #7 Cody Cleveland (C) fall Chase Skonieczny, 5:22 149: Marcel Clopton (KSU) dec. Dean Pavlou, 5-4 157: Josh Condon (C) dec. Mallie Shuster, 3-1 (SV) 165: Ross Tice (KSU) dec. Brandon Wright, 5-2 174: Brandonn Johnson (KSU) maj. dec. Levi Clemons, 21-10 184: #19 Jason McCroskey (C) dec. Casey Newburg, 4-3 (TB1) 197: #3 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) maj. dec. Niko Brown, 14-4 #25 Iowa State (2-0) 23; Kent State (1-1) 19 285: Kyle Simonson (ISU) fall #14 Brendan Barlow, 6:16 125: #6 Nic Bedelyon (KSU) fall Patrick Hunter, :47 133: Brandon Jones (ISU) dec. Sean Collins, 9-3 141: #14 Chris Drouin (ISU) dec. Chase Skonieczny, 11-4 149: Nate Carr, Jr. (ISU) dec. Marcel Clopton, 2-1 157: Matt Cathell (KSU) fall Trent Weatherman, 6:38 165: Chris Spangler (ISU) dec. Ross Tice, 7-5 (SV) 174: #5 Jon Reader (ISU) tech fall Chris Estep, 24-9 (7:00) 184: Casey Newburg (KSU) dec. Tyler Christensen, 8-2 197: #3 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) maj. dec. Phillip Hawes

The #20 American University wrestling team opened its 2010-11 season Saturday with a pair of dominating wins at the Pentagon Duals, the first sporting event to ever be held inside the Pentagon. The Eagles beat Army 26-6 in its first dual of the day before taking down Franklin & Marshall 33-10. American (2-0) won eight of 10 bouts against Army (1-1), including an 18-1 second-period technical fall by #8 Ryan Flores over Christian Botero. The Black Knights picked up the first victory at 125 lbs. but the Eagles answered back with five straight wins to take control of the meet. Returning All-American #2 Steve Fittery earned his first victory of the season with a 7-1 decision at 157 lbs., while 2010 NCAA Qualifier #20 Daniel Mitchell also registered his first win at 197 lbs., 3-0. Ganbayar Sanjaa made a successful American debut with a 9-3 win at 149 lbs. and Matt Mariacher returned from a redshirt year with a hard fought 1-0 decision at 141 lbs. American returned to the mat against Franklin & Marshall (0-2) and picked up seven victories, five of which came with bonus points. Flores again highlighted the Eagles' efforts as pinned Daniel Canfield in just 1:04 for the fastest fall of the day. Fittery also recorded a first-period fall over Eric Norgard at the 2:43 mark. Sanjaa earned an impressive 18-3 technical fall while Patrick Graham posted a 17-7 major decision at 165 lbs. Thomas Barreiro, Fittery, Flores, Graham, Mariacher and Sanjaa each posted two wins on the day, while Kevin Tao, Corey Borshoff also picked up a win. The Eagles will return to action next Saturday, November 13, at the Brockport Invitational in Brockport, N.Y. Other teams competing in the tournament include #9 Oklahoma, #21 Rutgers, Maryland, Buffalo, Army and Brockport. #20 American 26, Army 6 125: Travis Coffey (Army) dec. Thomas Williams (AU), 3-2 133: Kevin Tao (AU) dec. Jordan Thome (Army), 7-4 141: Matt Mariacher (AU) dec. Casey Thome (Army), 1-0 149: Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) dec. Daniel Young (Army), 9-3 157: #2 Steve Fittery (AU) dec. Rudy Chelednick (Army), 7-1 165: Patrick Graham (AU) dec. Jake Vetter (Army), 4-0 174: Collin Whittmeyer (Army) dec. Phillip Barreiro (AU), 10-4 184: Thomas Barreiro (AU) dec. Will Brown (Army), 4-3 197: #20 Daniel Mitchell (AU) dec. Ryan Ross (Army), 3-0 HWT: #8 Ryan Flores (AU) tech. fall Christian Botero (Army), 18-1 #20 American 33, Franklin & Marshall 10 125: Corey Borshoff (AU) dec. Matt Murray (F&M), 6-0 133: Jacob Bucha (F&M) dec. Glenn Donatelli (AU), 13-6 141: Matt Mariacher (AU) win by forfeit 149: Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) tech. fall Andrew Murano (F&M), 18-3 157: #2 Steve Fittery (AU) fall Eric Norgard (F&M), 2:43 165: Patrick Graham (AU) major dec. Anthony Bongarzone (F&M), 17-7 174: Matt Fullowan (F&M) dec. Tanner Shaff (AU), 9-3 184: Thomas Barreiro (AU) dec. Matt Latessa (F&M), 9-5 197: Colin Ely (F&M) major dec. Kenny Clessas (AU), 10-1 HWT: #8 Ryan Flores (AU) fall Daniel Canfield (F&M), 1:04

EDINBORO, Pa. -- The 20th-ranked Purdue wrestling team opened its season with a 1-0-1 start at the Edinboro Comfort Suites Duals on Saturday, topping Hofstra University, 28-6, and tying Edinboro, 16-16. Seniors Colton Salazar, Logan Brown and Roger Vukobratovich and junior A.J. Kissel all went undefeated on the day, led by Vukobratovich’s nine team points and first pin of the season. The Boilermakers got off to a roaring start against Hofstra, taking upset wins in three of the first four matches over ranked Pride opponents. Freshman Camden Eppert got things started with a narrow 4-3 win over No. 16 125-pounder Steve Bonanno as Eppert scored a takedown in the second period and a reversal in the third to earn his first collegiate victory. Boilermaker junior Jake Fleckenstein followed up with an impressive 2-1 win over No. 6 Lou Ruggirello at 133 pounds, scoring the bout’s only takedown towards the end of the third period and riding the Hofstra senior to the buzzer. Hofstra got on the board at 141 as junior Vince Varela topped Purdue senior Akif Eren, 5-2, but senior Sam Patacsil got things back in motion for Purdue at 149 pounds with a 9-3 win over No. 18 Justin Accordino. Patacsil started quickly, scoring a takedown and three back points in the first and an escape in the second to build a 6-0 lead, and rode it in for the victory. No. 16 Salazar continued the trend at 157 for Purdue, taking down freshman Zach Clemente, 11-6, and Hofstra’s No. 10 165-pounder P.J. Gillespie battled back for the Pride with a 6-1 win over Boilermaker freshman Pat Kissel. Despite a couple tight scores, it was all Purdue the rest of the way. No. 12 174-pound senior Luke Manuel outlasted 15th-ranked Ryan Patrovich in a second-sudden victory, 4-2, while seventh-ranked A.J. Kissel edged Ben Clymer at 184 pounds, 2-1. Ninth-ranked Brown put on a takedown clinic at 197 pounds, posting a four-point technical fall win over Matt Loew, 25-10, and Vukobratovich put the exclamation point on the match by pinning Paul Snyder at the 6:06 mark of the heavyweight contest. In the match with the host Fighting Scots, the Boilermakers got themselves in a hole early, and found themselves without the services of Manuel, who was injured in his match against Hofstra, but managed to battle back to a tie. In a complete reverse of their first match, Purdue dropped three of the first four with Eren snagging the only win, a 5-4 victory over Vinny Pisani at 141. Patacsil came within an eyelash of toppling two ranked opponents on the day, suffering a 7-5 sudden victory loss to sixth-ranked Torsten Gillespie at 149 pounds. Salazar picked up his second win of the day at 157, edging Johnny Greisheimer, 4-3, but Patrick Kissel dropped a 9-1 major decision to Matthew Laird at 165, and fellow rookie Kyle Mosier lost in Manuel’s stead at 174 to Chris Hrunka, 10-3. The top of the Purdue order came up clutch to prevent the loss as A.J. Kissel rolled out an 11-0 major decision over Kenneth Massey, Brown notched an 8-3 win over Shawn Fendone and Vukobratovich earned a 12-7 decision over Ernest James. While Vukobratovich’s nine team points were a team high, Brown and A.J. Kissel were right behind with seven apiece, and Salazar notched six. The Old Gold and Black return to action next weekend, heading to Big Ten rival Michigan State for the Spartans’ open tournament on Saturday. Visit PurdueSports.com this week for a full preview of the event. Results #20 Purdue 28 – Hofstra 6 125: Camden Eppert (PU) def. #16 Steve Bonanno (HU), D 4-3 (3-0) 133: Jake Fleckenstein (PU) def. #6 Lou Ruggirello (HU), D 2-1 (6-0) 141: Vince Varela (HU) def. Akif Eren (PU), D 5-2 (6-3) 149: Sam Patacsil (PU) def. #18 Justin Accordino (HU), D 9-3 (9-3) 157: #16 Colton Salazar (PU) def. Zach Clemente (HU), D 11-6 (12-3) 165: #10 P.J. Gillespie (HU) def. Patrick Kissel (PU), D 6-1 (12-6) 174: #12 Luke Manuel (PU) def. #15 Ryan Patrovich (HU),SV2 4-2 (15-6) 184: A.J. Kissel (PU) def. Ben Clymer (HU), D 2-1 (18-6) 197: #9 Logan Brown (PU) def. Matt Loew (HU), TF4 25-10 (6:34) (22-6) 285: Roger Vukobratovich (PU) def. Paul Snyder (HU) Fall 6:06 (28-6) #20 Purdue 16 – Edinboro 16 125: Evan Yenolevich (EU) def. Camden Eppert (PU), D 7-5 (0-3) 133: Eric Morrill (EU) def. Jake Fleckenstein (PU), D 8-4 (0-6) 141: Akif Eren (PU) def. Vinny Pisani (EU), D 5-4 (3-6) 149: #6 Torsten Gillespie (EU) def. Sam Patacsil, SV 7-5 (3-9) 157: #16 Colton Salazar (PU) def. Johnny Greisheimer(EU), D 4-3 (6-9) 165: Matthew Laird (EU) def. Patrick Kissel (PU), MD 9-1 (6-13) 174: Chris Hrunka (EU) def. Kyle Mosier (PU), D 10-3 (6-16) 184: #7 A.J. Kissel (PU) def. Kenneth Massey (EU), MD 11-0 (10-16) 197: #9 Logan Brown (PU) def. Shawn Fendone (EU), D 8-3 (13-16) 285: Roger Vukobratovich (PU) def. Ernest James (EU), D 12-7 (16-16)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The No. 22 Virginia wrestling team posted a dominating performance Saturday in rolling to wins over Anderson (41-6), Rider (38-0) and Gardner-Webb (50-0) in its season-opening matches at Memorial Gymnasium. Virginia lost just one of its 30 bouts, with the lone defeat coming in a forfeit. Twenty-one of Virginia's 29 wins resulted in bonus points - seven by fall. Jon Fausey (R-Fr., Dalmatia, Pa.) had three big wins at 184 pounds, with a major decision, technical fall and pin. Freshman 133-pounder Joe Spisak (Boiling Springs, Pa.) recorded a pair of pins and added a 14-2 major decision over Rider's Jimmy Kirchner, a 2010 NCAA qualifier who was ranked No. 18 nationally in the preseason by Amateur Wrestling News. Nick Nelson (R-Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) added a pair of major decisions and a tech fall at 141. With three wins on the day at 174 pounds (two falls, one decision), second-ranked Chris Henrich (Sr., Lansdale, Pa.) upped his career total to 104 victories as he moved into fifth place on the UVa career wins ledger. Matt Snyder (R-So., Lewistown, Pa.), Derek Valenti (Jr., Newton, N.J.), Conner Miller (Fr., Washington, Va.) and Jack Danilkowicz (R-Sr., Green Oaks, Ill.) also recorded three wins apiece for Virginia. Virginia opened the day with a 41-6 victory over Anderson. UVa's lone defeat came in a forfeit at 197 pounds. Seven of the Cavaliers' wins resulted in bonus points. The Cavaliers then blanked Rider, but the match overall was much closer with five bouts coming by decision. The match of the day came at 149 pounds, where Valenti scored an escape point in the second tiebreaker period, then rode out Zac Cibula for the final 30 seconds to pick up a 2-1 win. In the finale Saturday Virginia shut out Gardner-Webb, 50-0, with another dominating effort. Nine of the 10 matches resulted in bonus points. The 50-point margin of victory is tied for the fifth-largest winning margin in program history. It also marked the fifth-most points Virginia has ever scored in a dual. Virginia will travel to Hershey, Pa., next Saturday (Nov. 13) for the Hershey Duals. UVa will wrestle The Citadel, Kent State and Edinboro. Virginia 41, Anderson 6 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) tech fall Andrew Rankin (AU), 7:00, 17-2; UVa 5-0 133: Joe Spisak (UVa) pinned Joseph Perry (AU), 4:10; UVa 11-0 141: No. 16 Nick Nelson (UVa) tech fall Caleb Swinson (AU), 6:34, 18-3; UVa 16-0 149: No. 20 Derek Valenti (UVa) major dec. Dan Telhada (AU), 11-3; UVa 20-0 157: Danny Clarke (UVa) dec. Nicholas Giulliette (AU), 7-4; UVa 23-0 165: Conner Miller (UVa) major dec. Jordan Lide (AU), 19-5; UVa 27-0 174: No. 2 Chris Henrich (UVa) pinned Trevor Sanford (AU), 2:56; UVa 33-0 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) tech fall Sean O'Connell (AU), 5:20, 15-0; UVa 38-0 197: Zoi Ouellette (AU) wins by forfeit; UVa 38-6 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) dec. Chase Duke, (AU), 7-3; UVa 41-3 Virginia 38, Rider 0 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Chuck Zeisloft (RU), 5-2; UVa 3-0 133: Joe Spisak (UVa) major dec. Jimmy Kirchner (RU), 14-2; UVa 7-0 141: Nick Nelson (UVa) major dec. Aaron Nestor (RU), 11-3; UVa 11-0 149: Derek Valenti (UVa) dec. Zac Cibula (RU), 2-1 (TB2); UVa 14-0 157: Shawn Harris (UVa) dec. Ramon Santiago (RU), 7-1; UVa 17-0 165: Conner Miller (UVa) dec. James Brundage (RU), 9-2; UVa 20-0 174: Chris Henrich (UVa) dec. Rob Morrison (RU), 7-3; UVa 23-0 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) major dec. Joseph Ferber (RU), 10-0; UVa 27-0 197: Mike Salopek (UVa) tech fall Chris Spagnola (RU), 5:35, 18-3; UVa 32-0 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) pinned Evan Craig (RU), 4:32; UVa 38-0 Virginia 50, Gardner-Webb 0 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) pinned Brett Kostern (GW), :38; UVa 6-0 133: Joe Spisak (UVa) pinned Alex Hamm (GW), 3:25; UVa 12-0 141: Nick Nelson (UVa) major dec. Lucas Dutch (GW), 16-5; UVa 17-0 149: Derek Valenti (UVa) major dec. Morgan McDaniel (GW), 13-2; UVa 22-0 157: Shawn Harris (UVa) dec. Alex Medved (GW), 4-2; UVa 25-0 165: Conner Miller (UVa) pinned Justin Guthrie (GW), 1:49; UVa 31-0 174: Chris Henrich (UVa) tech fall Erin O'Dell (GW), 2:56, 17-2; UVa 36-0 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) pinned Taylor McClain (GW), 1:16; UVa 39-0 197: No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa) major dec. Travis Porter (GW), 10-1; UVa 44-0 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) wins by forfeit; UVa 50-0 Rider 49, Anderson 0 125: Ray De La Nuez (RU) major dec. Andrew Rankin (AU), 16-6; RU 4-0 133: Jimmy Kirchner pinned Joseph Perry (AU), 2:19; RU 10-0 141: Aaron Nestor (RU) pinned Caleb Swinson (AU), 2:07, RU 16-0 149: Fred Rodgers (RU) major dec. Dan Telhada (AU), 14-4; RU 20-0 157: Ramon Santiago (RU) wins by forfeit; RU 26-0 165: Frank Miele (RU) major dec. Jordan Lide, 16-3; RU 30-0 174: Rob Morrison (RU) major dec. Trevor Sanford (AU), 10-2; RU 34-0 184: Joseph Ferber (RU) pinned Sean O'Connell (AU), 4:51; RU 40-0 197: Chris Spagnola (RU) wins by forfeit; RU 46-0 285: Evan Craig (RU) dec. Chase Duke (AU), 7-4; RU 49-0 Rider 32, Gardner-Webb 6 125: Chuck Zeisloft (RU) dec. Brett Kostern (GW), 7-4; RU 3-0 133: Jimmy Kirchner (RU) dec. Alex Hamm (GW) 3-2; RU 6-0 141: Aaron Nestor (RU) dec. Richie Spicel (GW), 5-4; RU 9-0 149: Zac Cibula (RU) dec. Ryan Medved (GW), 6-0; RU 12-0 157: Alex Medved (GW) dec. Ramon Santiago (Rider), 5-8; RU 12-3 165: James Brundage (RU) tech fall Justin Guthrie (GW), 19-4 (4:40); RU 17-3 174: Rob Morrison (RU) pinned Erin O'Dell (GW), (2:20); RU 23-3 184: Joseph Ferber (RU) dec. Taylor McClain (GW), 6-0; RU 26-3 197: Travis Porter (GW) dec. Chris Spagnola (RU), 6-0; RU 26-6 285: Evan Craig (RU) won by forfeit; RU 32-6 Anderson 22, Gardner-Webb 19 125: Andrew Rankin (AU) dec. Brett Kostern (GW), 16-11; AU 3-0 133: Alex Hamm (GW) dec. Ian Harper (AU), 7-3; 3-3 141: Richie Spicel (GW) major dec. Caleb Swinson (AU), 11-3; GW 7-3 149: Ryan Medved (GW) dec. Dan Telhada (AU), 8-2; GW 10-3 157: Alex Medved (GW) won by injury default; GW 16-3 165: Justin Guthrie (GW) dec. Jordan Lide (AU), 9-3; GW 19-3 174: Trevor Sanford (AU) pinned Erin O'Dell (GW), 4:17; GW 19-9 184: Sean O'Connell (AU) major dec. Taylor McClain (GW), 15-5; GW 19-13 197: Zoi Ouellette (AU) dec. Travis Porter (GW), 3-2; GW 19-16 285: Chase Duke (AU) won by forfeit; AU 22-19 **rankings according to InterMat

Salem Duals

BOSTON, MA -- With the Buffalo Bulls wrestling squad chomping at the bit to open a highly anticipated season, the team hit the road and jumped out to an impressive lead over Boston University Friday night. The team won three of the first four matches and held on for a 20-15 win to start the season on a high note. Senior Jimmy Hamel picked up right where he left off, winning 3-1 for his 89th career win, this time at his new weight class of 184. This was also his first dual meet in his home state, as the Natick, MA native led off the match with an important win for the team. After Boston squared the match back up at 3-3, sophomore heavyweight Brett Correll earned a 6-1 decision in his first match after missing most of last season due to injury. In the very next matchup, Taylor Golba made a terrific comeback to give the Bulls three crucial points. Down 5-0 going into the third period, the Buffalo, NY native went on a tear and had three takedowns and rode his opponent out to force an overtime period. Just fifteen seconds into extra time, Golba had yet another takedown to complete the comeback win at 125 pounds. One of the marquee matchups of the night was at 133 pounds, where redshirt junior Kevin Smith took on 20th ranked Fred Santiate in a meeting of nationally ranked grapplers. Smith fell just shy of the win, losing 3-2 in a dramatic finish to the match. Again the Bulls rallied though, as Chris Conti earned a 7-0 shutout at 141 pounds. The team got a big point boost in the 149 pound match, as defending Mid American Conference champion Desi Green earned a tech fall in a 22-6 win. The junior - who owns the program's single-season record for takedowns - proved why, picking up five in the first period alone before his tech fall helped the Bulls earn five points for a 17-6 lead in the overall meet. Mark Lewandowski padded the lead in the team's final win of the night, a 7-1 win at 157 pounds. His opponent was the Minnesota state champion as a high school senior, but the Depew, NY native earned three near-fall points in the second period to take control of the match. The win extended the Buffalo lead in the all-time series between the two schools, with the last meeting coming in 1998. With the season now officially underway and the team returning home 1-0, the Bulls return home to host the annual UB Open Sunday morning in an all-day event. The non-team-scoring event will feature wrestlers and teams that are among the NWCA/NCAA top 25 in the nation. Results: 184: Jimmy Hamel (BUF) dec. Bran Crudden (BU), 3-1 197: John Hall (BU) dec. Josh Peters (BUF), 9-5 285: Brett Correll (BUF) dec. Kyle Innis (BU), 6-2 125: Taylor Golba (BUF) dec. Bubba McGinley, 8-6 (sv) 133: Fred Santaite (BU) dec. Kevin Smith (BUF), 3-2 141: Chris Conti (BUF) dec. Ian Squires (BU), 7-0 149: Desi Green (BUF) tech. fall Nestor Taffur (BU), 23-6 157: Mark Lewandowski (BUF) dec. Nick Tourville, 7-1 165: Kyle Czarnecki (BU) dec. John-Martin Cannon (BUF), 3-1 174: Hunter Meys (BU) pinned Brian Sheehan (BUF) (1:12)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- It was a dominant season-debut for the 17th-ranked Lehigh wrestling team as the Mountain Hawks rolled to a 45-0 win over Drexel Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Lehigh earned bonus points at seven of the ten weight classes, including pins by junior Sean Bilodeau, freshman Austin Meys and junior Zach Rey in the Mountain Hawks' first shutout victory since 2006. “It's a great way to start the season,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “Our freshmen came did well against some good opponents. We wrestled hard and built leads which was nice to see.” A Drexel forfeit staked Lehigh to an early 6-0 lead before the Mountain Hawks' two true freshmen posted back-to-back bonus wins to stake Lehigh to a 15-0 lead. At 133 Frank Cagnina rolled to a 16-4 major decision over Frank Cimato. Cagnina led 5-2 after two periods but broke the bout open with two five-point moves in the third. Stephen Dutton followed with a 16-0 technical fall over Josh Yurasits at 141. Dutton scored a takedown and two three-point near falls in the first period then added an escape, a takedown and a three-pointer in the second, before ending the match with an early takedown in the third. “The freshmen gave us a great start,” Santoro said. “I'm proud of the way they wrestled. It's just the beginning. There's still a lot of work to be done but overall the team wrestled well. Drexel came to wrestle like we knew they would and we had to out fight them.” The closest bout of the night came at 149 where Austin Sommer led 2-0 on sophomore Joey Napoli after a takedown at the first period buzzer. Napoli rode out the second period and used a third-period escape plus riding time to force overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Napoli rode out Sommer in the first tiebreak and gained an escape in the second to win 3-2. Bilodeau sent Lehigh into intermission up 24-0 with a first period pin of Charles Aungst. The Massachusetts native yielded the first takedown, but reversed to tie the bout at two. After an Aungst escape, Bilodeau threw the Dragon onto his back. After a lengthy struggle, the referee slapped the mat at 2:47 to signal the fall. Lehigh kept things rolling after the break as junior Brandon Hatchett and sophomore Robert Hamlin sandwiched wins by decision over Meys' second period pin of Justin Wieller. Meys used his strength and three-quarter nelson to secure the fall at 4:47. In one of the more anticipated bouts of the evening, junior Joe Kennedy earned a 3-1 decision over Bethlehem native Brandon Palik, one of four Lehigh Valley products in the Dragons lineup. A first-period takedown was the difference for Kennedy. In the final bout of the evening, top-ranked heavyweight Zach Rey made his season debut in style, building an 11-4 lead before pinning Jon Max Wright at 5:35. It was Lehigh's first home shutout since December, 2002 against Rider, and first overall since a 40-0 blanking of Brown on January 28, 2006. The Mountain Hawks will now take to the road next weekend for two key matches against in-state rivals. Lehigh will visit No. 14 Pittsburgh on Friday November 12 and No. 6 Penn State on Sunday in the 99th meeting between the two long time rivals. Results: 125 – Mitch Berger (LU) wins by forfeit 133 – Frank Cagnina (LU) maj. dec. Frank Cimato (DU) 16-4 141 – Stephen Dutton (LU) tech. fall Josh Yurasits (DU) 16-0, 5:27 149 – Joey Napoli (LU) dec. Austin Sommer (DU) 3-2, t.b. 157 – Sean Bilodeau (LU) fall Charles Aungst (DU) 2:47 165 – Brandon Hatchett (LU) dec. Joe Booth (DU) 9-2 174 – Austin Meys (LU) fall Justin Wieller (DU) 4:47 184 – Robert Hamlin (LU) dec. Jamie Callender (DU) 12-7 197 – Joe Kennedy (LU) dec. Brandon Palik (DU) 3-1 285 – Zach Rey (LU) fall Jon Max Wright (DU) 5:35 Attendance – 1,881 Referee – George Chilmonik

Ohio State received a verbal commitment from College Park HS senior Orry Elor on Thursday evening. A standout in the Olympic styles, Elor is a three-time Greco-Roman All-American, a two-time national champion, and a returning California state placewinner. Orry Elor (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"I am absolutely certain that there is not a better school for me than Ohio State," stated Elor over the phone. “The wrestling program is one of the elite; the coaches are awesome, and the academics are great. With the Ohio RTC and guys like JD (Bergman), Tommy (Rowlands), and Tervel Dlagnev training on campus I do not believe there is a better school or training opportunity for a heavyweight wrestler anywhere in the United State than wrestling for the Buckeyes." In only three years of wrestling Orry has quickly built an impressive resume. As a high school freshman he placed fifth at Fargo in Greco-Roman and came back to win the 2009 Cadet and 2010 Junior National Championships. He was also a double finalist at the 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals in both freestyle and Greco. "I decided to start wrestling because a lot of people thought it would help me improve for football. Growing up I played a lot of basketball, I worked hard every practice, every game, and just having fun, but I don't know if I ever saw the results. When I started wrestling, I could see the results of my work and improvement from practice to practice and match to match," offered Orry when speaking of his start it wrestling. Elor became a fulltime varsity starter as a high school junior and was one of the favorites to win the state title before an upset in quarters and a concussion in the consolations forced him to default to eighth place at state. He ended the year 36-4 after defaulting from his last two matches. "I was really disappointed with how last season ended and I am using that to motivate me for my senior year. It was my first trip to state, I really didn't know what to expect. I don't think I wrestled my best but I do think I learned a lot from the experience," said Orry. A year-round wrestler since his freshman year, Orry trains with the CYC Wrestling Club in Concord, California and is coached by Mark Halvorson. Ohio State senior All-American, Nikko Triggas came up through the same club and still works with Halvorson during the off-season. "I gave up football after my sophomore year because I thought wrestling was where I had the most potential. If wrestling was my future, than I figured I would be better off using that time to focus on school and getting more experience on the mat," explained Elor. "This will only be my fourth year in the sport so I think I still have a lot to learn. I considered other schools like Iowa and Oklahoma State, but I really think that the training enviroment at Ohio State will help me realize my full potential. Wrestling year round has helped me tremendously and I owe a lot to my coaches and teammates for helping me get to where I am." "I think Ohio State has an outstanding tradition of having great heavyweights. There are national champions, All-Americans, and NCAA finalists and I hope that with hard work I am able to accomplish some of the same things. I look up to guys like Tommy Rowlands and to get to wrestle him, see how he trains, and to learn from his experiences is priceless," concluded Orry. Elor is a honor roll student with a 3.89 GPA. "I don't think I am super smart person, but I think I have worked hard in school and I am proud of my grades. I am not a great test taker, so it is a lot like wrestling, if you work hard you can accomplish a lot," offered the future Buckeye. "Hard work pays off and my goal is to get better everyday whether it is in the class room or on the wrestling mat." Elor is the fifth wrestler to give a verbal commitment to Ohio State joining Hunter Stieber, Cam Tessari, Johnni DiJulius, and Kenny Courts. All five wrestlers are expected to sign their National Letters of Intent during the November signing period and will be on campus next fall. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com. http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=node/37592

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Takedown Wrestling Media’s Scott Casber, Olympic Silver medalist and 3 time NCAA Division One Champion Stephen Abas and 2001 NCAA Champion Adam Tirapelle will have the call at the 45th Annual All-Star Classic, live, from the Selland Arena in Fresno, California. On November, 21 at 2:00 PM, Pacific time, twenty of the preseason’s top ranked wrestlers will face off, in order to help save California wrestling. All proceeds from this year’s web cast will go directly to the Save California Wrestling Fund. Make sure to not miss a minute of some of the best preseason wrestling in the nation, LIVE and online. Live action from the event will be available on LiveSportsVideo.com for a pay-per-view subscription of $7.00. Click here to order and watch the games. Based in Syracuse, N.Y., LiveSportsVideo.com was founded by Bob Feldmeier, Sr. and Jake Feldmeier, both former student-athletes at Princeton, and holds U.S. Patent Number 7,340,765 for streaming and archiving sports online. Any wrestling program choosing to stream their content online can utilize this service for free. Please Contact Westbrook Shortell for more information. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate wrestling programs. The membership embraces all people who are interested in amateur wrestling.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- A year after winning the Southern Conference Wrestling tournament, UNCG has been selected by the league’s six wrestling coaches as the preseason favorite to win the crown in 2010-11. The coaches also voted on a 10-member preseason All-Southern Conference wrestling team. Head coach Jason Loukides’ UNCG squad garnered four first-place votes and 23 points to sit atop the poll. Senior Byron Sigmon, the 2010 SoCon champion at 174 pounds who was unbeaten in league matches a year ago, is the Spartans’ lone representative on the preseason all-conference team. The Spartans were picked first despite Chattanooga carrying a six-year, 30-match SoCon duals win streak into the season. The Mocs earned the other two first-place votes and 21 points overall in the balloting. Second-year coach Heath Eslinger has three preseason all-conference wrestlers on his squad, including two-time SoCon champion Cody Cleveland at 141 pounds. Cleveland, the SoCon champion at 141 and Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler in both 2008 and ’09 as well as the 2009 SoCon Co-Wrestler of the Year, missed the majority of last season with an injury. Chattanooga’s Dean Pavlou (149) and Dan Waddell (157) were also voted to the preseason all-league team. Appalachian State and The Citadel tied for third place in the poll with 16 points apiece. Led by the 2010 SoCon Wrestler of the Year, Austin Trotman (184), the Mountaineers boast a trio of all-conference performers. At 125 pounds, Tony Gravely is the reigning SoCon champion while Dylan Temple looks to defend his title at 197. The Citadel, which claimed second place in last year’s tournament, is represented on the preseason all-conference team by returning champions Turtogtokh Luvsandorj and Odie Delaney. Luvsandorj is moving from 157 pounds to 165 this season while Delaney will wrestle as a heavyweight. VMI received eight points to rank fifth in the poll followed by Davidson with six points. The Wildcats’ Alex Radsky, who became Davidson’s first individual Southern Conference champion since 1969 with a win last year, is the preseason choice at 133 pounds. Gravely, Radsky, Pavlou, Luvsandorj, Sigmon, Trotman, Temple and Delaney were all winners at the 2010 SoCon Championships while Cleveland is a two-time champion from previous seasons. The 2010-11 Southern Conference wrestling season begins this Saturday, Nov. 6 when Chattanooga takes on Kent State in Salem, Va. and The Citadel hosts The Citadel Open. The remaining league teams start competition Sunday at the Hokie Open in Salem, Va. Appalachian State will host the 2011 Southern Conference Wrestling Championship in at the Holmes Convocation Center on March 5, 2011. 2010-11 SoCon Wrestling Preseason Coaches Poll School (First-place votes) Points 1. UNCG (4) 23 2. Chattanooga (2) 21 3. Appalachian State 16 The Citadel 16 5. VMI 8 6. Davidson 6 2010-11 SoCon Wrestling Preseason All-Conference Team 125 Tony Gravely, Appalachian State 133 Alex Radsky, Davidson 141 Cody Cleveland, Chattanooga 149 Dean Pavlou, Chattanooga 157 Dan Waddell, Chattanooga 165 Turtogtokh, Luvsandorj, The Citadel 174 Byron Sigmon, UNCG 184 Austin Trotman, Appalachian State 197 Dylan Temple, Appalachian State HWT Odie Delaney, The Citadel

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team officially starts its season this weekend, heading to Edinboro University for a pair of matches at the Fighting Scot Duals, hosted by Edinboro at McComb Fieldhouse Gymnasium on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Boilermakers open the dual schedule with Hofstra, followed by a contest with the host Fighting Scots at approximately 6 p.m. The Boilermakers enter the season with the most national attention they’ve had in recent history, carrying rankings as high as 13th in the various polls, a No. 20 mark in the NWCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll and ranked wrestlers at five of the 10 lineup spots. Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel thinks his team is ready to live up to expectations. “It’s great that people have set the bar high for us, but we’ve got it set even higher,” said Hinkel. “Our guys are hungry and have aspirations for national championships, All-America awards and Big Ten Championships. It should be a great year.” Purdue’s match with Hofstra should prove an outstanding dual match as the Pride are also scheduled to have five ranked grapplers in their starting lineup, including a pair of top-10 individuals. Receiving votes in the NWCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll and tabbed as high as No. 16 in the various polls, Hofstra is led by sixth-ranked, 133-pound senior Lou Ruggirello and No. 10, 165-pound junior P.J. Gillespie. Also cracking the top-20 individual standings for the Pride is 15th-ranked, 174-pound senior Ryan Patrovich, No. 16, 125-pound sophomore Steve Bonanno and 18th-ranked, 149-pound sophomore Justin Accordino, while 141-pound junior transfer student Vince Varela and junior 184-pounder Ben Clymer both topped the 20-win mark last season. Bonanno and Ruggirello return to the Pride lineup, sitting out the 2009-10 campaign after both tallied 28 victories in 2008-09, while freshmen Zach Clemente and Matt Loew will make their collegiate debuts at 157 and 197 pounds, respectively. Expect several major clashes in the Purdue-Hofstra dual, but most notably keep an eye on 174 and 184 pounds. The bout at 174 pits 12th-ranked Boilermaker senior Luke Manuel against Patrovich in a rematch from the 2009 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, where Manuel stuck Patrovich off a scramble just 1:37 into the match. The 184 pound contest features the return of seventh-ranked Purdue junior A.J. Kissel, who comes off a redshirt season with 36 career falls, including a Boilermaker record 19 in 2007-08, against Clymer. The event hosts have received their fair share of national attention heading into the season, riding the coattails of sixth-ranked, 149-pound senior Torsten Gillespie and No. 4, 184-pound junior Chris Honeycutt. Gillespie earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships, while Honeycutt redshirted last year after qualifying for nationals as a freshman and sophomore. The Fighting Scots are receiving votes in the coaches’ poll, but are ranked as high as 15th in the nation and are tied for 23rd in the nation with Purdue in InterMat’s Tournament Strength Rankings. Saturday’s 184-pound schedule contest between Kissel and Honeycutt is one of the biggest in the nation this weekend, pitting two preseason All-America picks against each other in a match that could carry weight all the way to NCAA Championship seedings. Other highlight contests come at 133 and 157 pounds as Purdue junior Jake Fleckenstein and Edinboro senior Eric Morrill square off at 133, while No. 16 Boilermaker senior Colton Salazar and Edinboro sophomore John Greisheimer clash at 157. Morrill moved up to 133 this season after 31 wins and a trip to nationals at 125 last year, while Fleckenstein drops to 133 pounds in the wake of a 15-6, injury shortened 2009-10 campaign. Salazar looks to get off on the right foot, aiming for the national podium after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in each of his first three seasons, and Greisheimer returns to Fighting Scot lineup after a 24-win season in 2009-10. For a full recap and results from Saturday’s action, visit PurdueSports.com Saturday night.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The 102nd season of Lehigh wrestling officially begins Friday night as the 17th-ranked Mountain Hawks host the Drexel Dragons. Lehigh returns six starters from a team that posted a 16-3-1 dual meet record a year ago. The Mountain Hawks will be led by their upper weights, with four returning NCAA qualifiers, including junior Zach Rey who is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation at heavyweight. Lehigh will face a Drexel team that was 9-13 a year ago. Drexel coach Jack Childs is in his 35th and final season at the helm of the Dragon program and brings a team littered with Lehigh Valley products to town. Long Island native Joe Booth is Drexel’s lone ranked wrestler. After 101 seasons, Lehigh’s all-time dual meet record stands at 824-383-23, which ranks sixth among all Division I wrestling programs. Lehigh has won at least 12 duals in each of the last 11 seasons. Four upperclassmen will serve as captains for Lehigh in the 2010-11 season. Fourth-year juniors Brandon Hatchett and Rey along with true junior Joe Kennedy and third-year sophomore Robert Hamlin will captain the Mountain Hawks. All four wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships last season and all four are ranked in the preseason top 20 by Amateur Wrestling News. The four captains also comprise four of the five heaviest weight classes giving the Mountain Hawks strength at the back end of their lineup. Lehigh begins its 102nd season of wrestling Friday night. The Mountain Hawks have won both of their season openers under Pat Santoro, defeating Maryland in 2008 and Rider last year. Lehigh has opened its season against Drexel once before, winning 20-16 in Bethlehem on Nov. 16, 1994. Drexel also opens its season on Friday nightThe Dragons posted a 9-13 record last season and took fourth at the Colonial Athletic Association championships. Drexel qualified a pair of wrestlers for the NCAA Championships, including Joe Booth, who returns for his sophomore season. Booth was the CAA Co-Rookie of the Year last year and comes in ranked 20th nationally at 157. Lehigh has never lost a dual meet to Drexel as the Mountain Hawks lead the all-time series 15-0. The series began in 1992 and the teams have squared off once every season with four exceptions: 1998-99, 1999-00, 2004-05 and 2009-10. The Lehigh-Drexel match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by visiting the Lehigh Ticket Office located in Grace Hall or by logging on to Lehighsports.com.

The 2011 U.S. Open gets underway on Friday in Cleveland, Ohio. Several collegiate wrestlers are entered in the freestyle competition, including two NCAA Division I champions and six NCAA Division I All-Americans. Last year Andrew Howe captured a U.S. Open title after his true sophomore season at Wisconsin. Howe, a three-time All-American, will not compete at this year's U.S. Open, but is expected to wrestle at the U.S. World Team Trials. The 2010 U.S. Open saw 13 collegiate wrestlers place. Which collegiate wrestlers will shine this year at the U.S. Open? Below is a list of 10 collegiate wrestlers who could make an impact this weekend at the U.S. Open. Two-time NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs is the No. 5 seed (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jordan Burroughs College: Nebraska Weight Class: 74 kg Outlook: Burroughs is coming off a dominant collegiate season. He went 36-0 and finished his collegiate wrestling career with his second NCAA title. Burroughs also won the Dan Hodge Trophy and was voted InterMat Wrestler of the Year. Expectations are very high for Burroughs in freestyle. Many believe he is the future for the U.S. in this weight class ... and some believe that future is now. He possess a rare combination of speed, power, and athleticism. As a collegiate competitor, Burroughs had wins over Andrew Howe, a 2010 U.S. Open champion, and Dustin Schlatter, a 2009 U.S. World Team Trials champion. Burroughs, the fifth seed, will have to navigate through a field that includes two past U.S. World Team members, Schlatter and Trent Paulson. Dom Bradley College: Missouri Weight Class: 120 kg Outlook: Bradley finally cracked the Mizzou lineup for the postseason as a junior, after sitting behind NCAA champion Mark Ellis the previous two seasons, and finished third at the NCAAs. Bradley was a 2009 Junior World champion in freestyle. He has fared well on the senior level and is a member of the U.S. National Team. He finished third U.S. World Team Trials the past two years. Last year he notched a victory over past U.S. World Team member Tommy Rowlands. Bradley, the third seed, is competing in a heavyweight class this is loaded with talent. It includes four past U.S. World or Olympic Team members. 2011 NCAA champion Dustin Kilgore is the No. 8 seed (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Dustin Kilgore College: Kent State Weight Class: 96 kg Outlook: "Killer" became Kent State's first NCAA champion in wrestling last month by winning the crown at 197 pounds with a pin over then-undefeated Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State. Kilgore has been successful in age group events throughout his career ... and last year he began making waves on the senior level by placing fourth at the U.S. World Team Trials. Kilgore grew up just outside Cleveland in Berea, Ohio, so having the U.S. Open in Cleveland might prove to be an advantage for him. He comes in as the No. 8 seed and will likely see 2009 U.S. World Team member Jake Varner in the quarterfinals. Sonny Yohn College: Minnesota Weight Class: 96 kg Outlook: Yohn earned his second straight All-American honor at Minnesota this past season by placing seventh at 197 pounds. He has a strong freestyle pedigree with success in age group events and on the senior level. Yohn placed fifth at the 2010 University World Championships last October in Turin, Italy. He was also fifth at the U.S. Open a year ago. If that's not enough fifths ... Yohn is the fifth seed at 96 kg. Jarod Trice is a two-time All-American at Central Michigan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jarod Trice College: Central Michigan Weight Class: 120 kg Outlook: "Doughboy" became a two-time All-American (with one season remaining) by placing fourth at the NCAAs last month. He has been very successful in age group events in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Trice was a University Nationals double champion last spring. He competed at the 2010 University World Championships in Greco-Roman and placed eighth. if the seeds hold true at 120 kg, Trice, the seventh seed, will face 2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev in the quarterfinals. Ryan Tomei College: Pittsburgh Weight Class: 120 kg Outlook: Tomei was the sixth-seeded heavyweight at the NCAAs last month, but was upset in the opening round. He came back to win two matches in the consolation bracket, but fell short of All-American honors. Tomei placed fifth at the U.S. Open in 2009. He earned the eighth seed at 120 kg. Mario Mason College: Rutgers Weight Class: 66 kg Outlook: Mason, a two-time NCAA qualifier, was ranked in the top 10 most of the season, even climbing to as high as third in the nation at 149 pounds. He entered the NCAAs as the No. 7 seed, but failed to earn All-American honors, going 2-2 and losing in the round of 12. Mason is a freestyle-first wrestler. He not only enjoys it more, but his style is better suited for freestyle than collegiate wrestling. He was inactive last spring, but in 2009 competed in both the U.S. World Team Trials and the FILA Junior World Team Trials. He went 1-2 at the U.S. World Teams Trials, but opened some eyes at that event by wrestling a competitive match against 2008 U.S. Olympian Dough Schwab. He was runner-up to Jason Chamberlain at the 2009 FILA Junior World Team Trials. Mason is unseeded at 66 kg. Frank Perrelli College: Cornell Weight Class: 55 kg Outlook: Perrelli had a strong season at Cornell, winning over 30 matches, but had a disappointing NCAAs, going 1-2 at 125 pounds. He was a University Nationals champion last spring, which qualified him for the 2010 U.S. World Team Trials, but chose not to compete. Perrelli is seeded eighth at 55 kg. Chris Honeycutt earned All-Americans honors at 184 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Chris Honeycutt College: Edinboro Weight Class: 84 kg Outlook: Honeycutt entered the NCAAs last month undefeated and as the top seed at 184 pounds. He wound up placing fifth to earn his first All-American honor. Honeycutt has been successful in freestyle age group events (fourth at the 2008 FILA Junior Nationals), but is still looking to make his mark on the senior level. P.J. Gillespie College: Hofstra Weight Class: 74 kg Outlook: Gillespie, a junior, earned his first All-American honor by placing eighth at 165 pounds after entering the NCAAs unseeded. He was a fifth-place finisher at University Nationals in freestyle in 2008. Gillespie is unseeded at 74 kg. Other collegiate wrestlers to watch at the U.S. Open: Jarrod Garnett (60 kg), Erik Spjut (60 kg), Billy Ashnault (66 kg), Frank Hickman (74 kg), Jake Salazar (74 kg), Nick Heflin (84 kg), C.J. Magrum (84 kg), Blake Rosholt (96 kg), Elijah Madison (120 kg), and Mike McClure (120 kg).

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Following a bumpy 2009-10 season, the Fighting Illini look toward the 2010-11 campaign with renewed optimism in the second year under head coach Jim Heffernan. Although senior John Dergo and sophomore Jordan Blanton each earned their first career All-American honors, injuries and a myriad of other circumstances wreaked havoc on the Illini lineup and led to a disappointing eighth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and 23rd place finish at the NCAA Championships. Fifth-year senior Jimmy Kennedy returns to the lineup rejuvenated from a redshirt season last year and will compete for an NCAA title at 141 pounds, up from the 133-pound weight class where he wrestled his first three years. Blanton looks to be a major player on the national scene at 174, while sophomores B.J. Futrell and Conrad Polz will be strong points at 133 and 165, respectively. Futrell returns from a shoulder injury and bumps up to 133 after qualifying for the 2009 NCAA Championships at 125, while Polz will try to capitalize on a big freestyle season last summer that saw him make the United States Junior World Team. The schedule in 2010-11 looks a bit different, with Midlands and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational the only tournaments that the Illini will participate in besides the postseason events. But Heffernan has continued the extremely competitive dual series with Missouri, which will be held at the Jon Davis Wrestling Complex in Edwardsville, Ill., home of Illini sophomore Daryl Thomas. The Illini also will host West Virginia in a return dual for Illinois’ trip to Morgantown in 2009, SIU Edwardsville for the second-straight year and will travel to Lock Haven for a dual the night after the Illini square off with Penn State. 125 Redshirt-freshman and three-time Ohio state high school champion Sam White is the front-runner for the starting job at 125, but he will be pushed by senior John Deneen, who started in Futrell’s absence last year, sophomore Daryl Thomas and freshman Logan Arlis. White won the Dan Gable Open and took fifth in the open division at the Missouri Open during his redshirt season last year. Deneen took seventh at the Big Ten Championships and finished 11-13 with a 7-7 dual record a year ago. Thomas started at 133 last year for the Illini, compiling a 13-18 record. Arlis is a two-time Illinois state medalist and three-time state qualifier, and is the younger brother of former Illini 157-pounder Clint Arlis. 133 Futrell, a 2009 NCAA qualifier at 125, moves up to 133 pounds for the 2010-11 season after a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely a year ago. At the time of his injury, Futrell was 6-1 with four falls, which gives him 10 falls in only 46 career matches. Backing him up will be Deneen, Thomas and sophomore Tyler LePretre. LePretre was 0-4 last year as a redshirt-freshman. 141 Two-time All-American Jimmy Kennedy will take aim at an NCAA title in 2010-11 as he enters the year ranked No. 1 by WIN Magazine. The senior redshirted last year and fared well in limited action, going 6-3 at Midlands and the Sunkist Open freestyle tournament. Kennedy finished second at Midlands at 141, losing only to Maryland’s Alex Krom. Kennedy will be backed up by LePretre and true-freshmen Jamie Clark. 149 Eric Terrazas will start at 149 for the third-straight year for Illinois, after finishing 12-9 a year ago. Terrazas started the season 11-0 despite missing the entire month of December with a broken foot he suffered while working out over Thanksgiving break. He won his first two matches after returning from the injury but went 1-9 the rest of the way, losing seven of those 10 bouts by two points or less. He also was in one of the toughest weight classes in the Big Ten, as he faced seven ranked opponents despite never squaring off with No. 1 Brent Metcalf. Terrazas will be backed up by junior Vince Vercelli, senior Matt Lee and freshmen Jed Lightfoot and Guy Kirby. 157 In what is likely Illinois’ most wide-open weight class, two juniors, a sophomore and three true-freshmen will compete for the spot. Sophomore Kyle Dooley and true-freshman Jackson Morse are the leading contenders for the spot, while juniors Jake Beechy and Jake Kimberlin, and true-freshmen Jake Gingerich and Joey Uccardi also will vie for time. Dooley was 8-8 last year, serving as Illinois’ starter at 157 against Davidson at the Sprawl & Brawl duals as well as at the Las Vegas Invitational. He also wrestled at 165 against Findlay and went 1-2 at Midlands at 157, with both losses coming to ranked wrestlers. Morse is very highly touted coming out of high school, as he was the No. 1 national recruit at 152 pounds according to Intermat at one point and was a three-time Michigan state champion. He also won a pair of Super 32 Challenge titles, one of the top national high school tournaments. 165 Sophomore Conrad Polz will start at 165 pounds for the Illini after an impressive summer freestyle campaign in 2010. Polz won the FILA Junior World Team Trials in May, earning a spot on the United States Junior World Championships team. He lost his lone match in Hungary, but the experience should be invaluable as he continues his collegiate career. Polz also finished seventh at the 2010 Big Ten Championships and posted a 17-15 season record. He will be backed up by senior Joe Barczak and true-freshman Adam Acheson. 174 All-American Jordan Blanton returns as Illinois’ starter at 174 after finishing 2010 with a bang. He out-performed his No. 5 seed at the Big Ten Championships, finishing third, and out-performed his No. 10 seed at the NCAA Championships with a fifth-place finish that earned his first career All-America honor. Blanton defeated five ranked opponents last year on his way to a 25-9 season mark. He’ll be backed up by senior Ben Friedl, sophomore Dan Stelter and freshman Nico Jimenez. 184 Redshirt-freshman Tony Dallago likely will man the 184-pound weight class for the Illini, but he’ll be pushed by senior Clinton Polz, sophomores Stelter and Matt McCarter, and true-freshman Brendan Mahaney. Dallago went 5-3 during his redshirt season, finishing third at the Eastern Michigan Open with a 5-1 mark. He also was a 2009 Pennsylvania state champion and four-time PIAA state medalist with a 171-28 career high school record. 197 Redshirt-freshman Mario Gonzalez will start at 197 for Illinois after going 5-3 during his redshirt season. He struggled early in the year and suffered a knee injury, but he bounced back later in the season with a third-place finish at the National Collegiate Open after winning four of his five matches at the event. McCarter also will back up Gonzalez at 197. Heavyweight Sophomore Pat Walker and junior Martin Smith once again will battle for the starting job at heavyweight, a year after they shared the role throughout the season. Walker was 10-14, including a 2-6 dual record, while Smith went 11-15 with a 4-7 dual mark. Smith started in five Big Ten duals compared to Walker’s three Big Ten starts.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Fueled by three bonus-point victories, Oklahoma State's Black team toppled the Cowboys Orange team by a 23-13 margin Thursday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Jamal Parks claimed the biggest win of the evening with a 4-2 sudden victory triumph over Albert White at 149 pounds. "This was a good start for us heading into this weekend," Head coach John Smith said. "This kind of gets me a little more excited after watching them. I am please with the effort." The bout between Parks and White drew most of the attention going into the evening, as both are capable of earning a spot on the All-America podium at the end of the year. "I knew it was going to be a tough match. I just had to keep focused," Parks said. "We're both tough competitors, so I mainly had to stay focused and I still have to get better." The Cowboys' three remaining All-Americans, Clayton Foster, Jordan Oliver and Alan Gelogaev were all bonus-point winners. Foster pinned Colton Hill at the 2:32 mark of their 197-pound bout, Oliver rolled to a very impressive 12-2 major decision victory over highly-regarded freshman Josh Kindig and Gelogaev was a 12-3 major decision winner over Tyson Yoder at 285 pounds. "I think Jordan Oliver and Josh Kindig was a good match," Smith said. "That Josh Kindig is a tough kid. He is a young kid and a young freshman, but he is tough. He is in on the No. 1 ranked guy in the country's leg three times in the first period, but you've just got to sustain it and he has to learn to finish. I think Oliver getting a major decision over Kindig is a good win for him. Even though he is young, that is a tough kid." A handful of Cowboy wrestlers were sidelined with nagging injuries, as 125-pounder Ladd Rupp, 141-pounder Luke Silver, 157-pounder Neil Erisman and 197-pounder Blake Rosholt all watched from the sidelines. Wrestling in front of the home fans for the first time, redshirt freshman 125-pounder Jon Morrison was an 8-3 winner over Tyler Dorrell, 184-pounder Zach White was an 8-3 winner over Darnell Bortz, 157-pounder Stephen Swan was an 11-7 winner over Matt White, Chris Perry was a 12-4 major decision winner over Elliott Hellwege at 184 pounds and 165-pounder Dallas Bailey was a 5-3 winner over Joe Ali. "I think that when you look at Chris Perry's victory, 12-4 over Elliott Hellwege, that is a good win, that Elliott is tough," Smith said. "That is a good competitive guy and a great leader. Chris Perry picking up a major decision over him is doing something." The most exciting bout of the evening came at 157 pounds, where Swan and White kept the action going at a frantic pace. Both Cowboys scored a takedown and an escape in the first period, but Swan created some space with an escape and a couple of takedowns Results: 125: Jon Morrison (Orange) dec. Tyler Dorrell (Black); 8-3 184: Zach White (Orange) dec. Darnell Bortz (Black); 8-3 197: Clayton Foster (Black) fall Colton Hill (Orange); 2:32 157: Stephen Swan (Orange) dec. Matt White (Black); 11-7 133: Jordan Oliver (Black) MD Josh Kindig (Orange); 12-2 184: Chris Perry (Black) MD Elliott Hellwege (Orange); 12-4 149: Jamal Parks (Black) dec. Albert White (Orange); 4-2 SV 174: Chris McNeil (Black) dec. Mike Benefiel (Orange); 4-1 165: Dallas Bailey (Black) dec. Joe Ali (Orange); 5-3 285: Alan Gelogaev (Orange) MD Tyson Yoder (Black); 12-3

College wrestling has a new top-ranked team (Cornell) and the most exciting wrestler of the past 10 years (Darrion Caldwell). It is truly the season of the fan. InterMat looks at 10 storylines to follow this season in college wrestling. 10. Fresh meat I wrote about this a few weeks ago but the trend of freshman wrestlers will continue this season with the names of Logan Stieber, Chris Perry, David Taylor, and Ed Ruth. There's always delight in watching a young scrapper take out an established upperclassman. You just never want it to be your upperclassmen. 9. The wrestling state of Iowa This certainly won't be the best of seasons for perennial powerhouses Iowa and Iowa State, but could it be the worst? The Hawkeyes earned their lowest preseason ranking in five years and Iowa State has too, registering at 30th. Neither team has a wrestler in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Tom Brands has said that nine of his starting spots are unsettled. (McDonough at 125 is the one exception.) It's clear that Iowa State is in transition and that regardless of the circumstances surrounding his dismissal from the team, the Hawkeyes will miss Montell Marion in March. Dan Gable & Tim Johnson (Photo/The Guillotine)8. Big Ten Network coverage There will be 41 events streamed live on the Internet and on television. That's nine more than they had last season and 41 more than when I was in high school. The BTN isn't blindly committing to the development and growth of college wrestling ... That would be a fool's errand. The network actually makes money from their programs which consistently rank as their third most-watched sport behind football and basketball. Live streaming has allowed committed fans to watch their favorite teams, but these well-produced programs, with descriptions and explanations provided by professional commentators and analysts, brings new fans into the sport. New blood means more money and that means more matches on your DVR. 7. New head coaches What can they do, and how quickly? Northwestern head wrestling coach Drew Pariano inherits a program that performed poorly last season in dual meet competition and finished second to last in the conference, with only one NCAA qualifier. The only thing keeping the notoriously energetic Pariano from becoming an insomniac is the return of 125-pound All-American Brandon Precin, redshirt sophomore 157-pounder Jason Welch, and returning NCAA qualifier Andrew Nadhir (149). Doug Schwab will also be fighting for wins this season as he rebuilds a Northern Iowa program years removed from the memories of impact grapplers like Tony Davis. I'm sure the fans of Northern Iowa are looking for the Mark Branch-like turnaround enjoyed by Wyoming. Fans shouldn't worry too much. My guess is that if you fast forward a few seasons you'll see a lot more purple atop the podium. Kyle Dake (Photo/Tony Rotundo, Tech-Fall.com)6. Burroughs vs. Howe/Caldwell vs. Kid Dynamite These are the most interesting and exciting matchups of the season. Each of these wrestlers is either trying to defend or recapture an NCAA title. And each has dominated in the past. The Nebraska and Wisconsin thoroughbreds are so evenly matched, but stylistically different, that no matter your level of clairvoyance, it's impossible to create a technical scenario where one could outright dominate the other. Jordan Burroughs is as quick as Andrew Howe is disciplined. Darrion Caldwell and Kid Dynamite (Kyle Dake) are similar as athletes with equal talent for the big move, which makes their possible matchup the most fan-friendly of the year. My hope is that these two meet in the NCAA finals so that SportsCenter has to cut away from traveling calls and three-second violations to these two guys exchanging high-flying mat returns. 5. Social media Keeping up with your favorite wrestlers, teams, and wrestling sites has never been easier. Sign up for Twitter and make sure you're a fan on Facebook and you should have access to schedule changes, highlight films, and roster updates. Social media has allowed for total access to every program, conference and news outlet are working online to deliver quality content to fans regardless of geography or previous association. I know that Twitter makes some people feel like a 12-year-old, but all you have to do is check the feeds every once in a while or sign-up and receive all the information you need with basically no effort. 4. The influence of MMA UFC titleholders Frankie Edgar and Cain Velasquez recently recertified that the toughness of college wrestlers holds currency which fighters of other disciplines simply can't match. This wrestling season will see more marketing from MMA brands and we'll all be guessing which of the wrestlers we watch at NCAA's will go on to counter-jab a Brit, or lock-in a triangle on a Brazilian. Whoever chooses to pursue a career in professional fighting, it's comforting to know that all the weight-cutting and days spent training for free, will finally earn some of these hard workers a decent salary. They're certainly more deserving than chubby baseball players. Wachovia Center in Philadelphia3. Philadelphia hosts the NCAAs Apologies to the Midwest (I live in Chicago), but the NCAA wrestling tournament, one of only five profitable NCAA Championships and the biggest party of the season, is better than to be hosted in a city where you can't buy dinner past 10 p.m. or beer after midnight. The NCAA wrestling tournament is the premier show for athleticism in college athletics, and for fans and alumni it's also a chance to express their collegiate pride and pay good money to listen to Sandy Stevens call out mat assignments. 2. Cornell wrestling Rob Koll has said he expects to win the NCAA tournament. It's a bold prediction no matter the team, no matter the year. They have seven All-American candidates, the best facility in the country, and a lot of momentum. 1. To be determined ... Surprise conference champions and All-Americans are sure to change the late-night conversation at bars across Philadelphia. We have 18 weeks to discover a breakout wrestler, to watch for upsets, and to lavish attention on over-performing individuals and teams. Whatever the new theme for the season, InterMat will be sure to cover it, and you, with your fancy Facebook and Twitter can be sure to follow along.

WAVERLY -- Jim Miller didn’t like the feeling the end of the 2009-10 campaign left. “Hey, when you start the season, you’re never looking to finish third at nationals,” the Knights’ head coach said. “Obviously, it wasn’t so much that we finished that way. It was the fact that we didn’t perform to our potential.” “I’ve been pleased with what we’ve seen in the room during practice,” he added. “This group is very balanced with a good mix of veterans and newcomers. I think we’ll see some good battles for starting spots at a few weights. That will make us better.” Going through the line-up, the 18-time defending Iowa Conference champions have plenty to offer. 125 – Returning All-American Mark Kist, a senior from Eagle Grove, is the front runner. A two-time national qualifier and IIAC runner-up, he placed third as a sophomore. “Obviously, Mark is one of the guys we’re looking to for leadership,” Miller said. “He’s got the experience from two national tournament appearances.” 133 – One of the early-season clashes is staged here. Miller has a plethora of options open. Sophomore Tommy Mirocha of Davenport had a strong freshman campaign, compiling a 30-6 record. Junior Mike Kremer of Independence, coming off a 13-2 season, is also capable, while sophomores Tucker Weber of Clear Lake and Michael Merritt of Monett, Mo., showed last season they can be competitive. “We’re very young here,” Miller said. “It’ll likely be a new face.” 141 – Sophomore Nathan Vaske of Manchester, after a 26-9 freshman campaign, leads a young group. If three-time All-American Matt Kelly of Dubuque decides to come back in January, he would probably be in this weight as well. 149 – One of the stronger classes on the Knights’ chart, returning national qualifier Jacob Groth heads the list. The Marshalltown native is on track towards 100 wins. He needs only 18 more. Groth will be challenged by the twin sophomore brothers’ duo of Colton and Cameron Wagner of Belle Plaine, each of whom had success late in 2009-10, freshman Cole Welter of Gilbertville, a multi-time state qualifier and champion for the powerhouse Don Bosco program, and junior Chris Tims of Waterloo. Newcomer Tanner Kampen of Humboldt was a junior college All-American a year ago as well. 157 – Senior Carrington Banks of Stockbridge, Ga., after a national qualifying and Iowa Conference runner-up season of 24-5, is the early leader. Tims, Colton Wagner, and sophomore Matt Vercillo of Davenport, are also in the mix. “Tims, Wagner and Vercillo all have valuable experience under their belts,” Miller said. “They want to take the next step.” 165 – Junior Brennan Drew of Gurnee, Ill., who saw an early-season injury end 2009-10, returns along with two freshmen who have looked good early, according to Miller. Junior Zach Hyland of Vinton and freshmen Jase Schossow of Marshalltown, who prepped at East Marshall and Landon Williams, a former high school state champion at Davenport (Assumption) may be options as well. “Zach can be a factor here if he gets healthy,” Miller said. “Adam Weber of Waterloo (All-American and Iowa Conference runner-up a year ago) may also return after Christmas break at either 157 or 165.” 174 – Junior Dylan Azinger of DeWitt, after a tremendous run at the 2010 NCAA Division III Nationals Championships to earn sixth-place honors, will be one of Miller’s leaders. “I really like what I’m seeing from him as he continues to improve,” the Knights’ head coach said. “Ben Scott, another junior from Adel who was 20-9 last year, is also a possibility here or at 184. He’s been doing a good job in practice and is getting better every day.” Wartburg has freshmen Noah Minikus of Denver and Bradley Banks of Stockbridge, Ga., available. Banks could also drop down to 165 later, according to Miller. 184 – Another slot that has new faces for the Knights features former East Marshall standout Sam Upah, a state place-winner, and Punahele Soriano, a Hawaii high school state champion. Miller and his staff may get back 2009-10 Iowa Conference runner-up and national qualifier Todd Becker of Gilbertville after Christmas break. 197 – The Knights’ strengths continue at this weight. Returning national and conference champion Byron Tate of Clinton joins the team leader core. Tate takes a 58-10 career record into the season. “Byron leads by example,” Miller said. “What he did last year shows what hard work can do.” HWT – Two-time All-American and former conference champion John Helgerson of West Union returns. The senior sports a 73-18 career record. Miller and his staff also have a freshman, Ryan Fank of Independence, who they feel can do some things, and junior Dylan Wrage of Waverly, a former high school state champion. “I think the season comes down to how well the young guys pick things up, and how our veterans do leading them,” Miller said. “The returners know the expectations. They need to show that by what they do.”

TEMPE -- While the dual season doesn’t get underway until November 13, many of the Arizona State University wrestlers will take to the mats this Saturday as they will compete unattached at the 2010 Embry-Riddle Collegiate Championships inside the Activity Center Gymnasium in Prescott, Ariz. The open tournament starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will conclude that evening with the finals of each of the 10 weight classes. Many of the team’s redshirting wrestlers and several of the individuals that are fighting for a starting position in the Sun Devil line-up will compete on Saturday. Last year, 13 different wrestlers with ties to the program competed in Prescott with three Sun Devils placing in the Top 4 of their respective weight classes. Kalin Goodsite and Jake Hannaford both placed at 133 pounds, finishing second and fourth, respectively, while Orlando Jimenez finished fourth at 149 pounds. The tournament will mark the first of two events Sun Devil wrestlers will take part in on the ERAU campus in as many weeks. Following this week’s tournament, the Sun Devils will return to Prescott at 7 p.m. next Saturday (November 13) when they face the Eagles in a dual. Earlier in the day, ASU will open its dual season with a 1 p.m. contest at Grand Canyon University (Phoenix).

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Saturday night at the 2011 OHSAA state tournament belonged to three wrestlers who have left their mark on Ohio wrestling history. Three great wrestlers came into high school with lofty expectations and they lived up to those great expectations. Hunter Stieber, Cam Tessari and Chris Phillips all became four-state champions in Ohio the first time any school has had that many four-time state champions, the state hasn't even had that many wrestlers be four-time state champions in the same year. Those three join Logan Stieber as four-time state champions as the tiny school of Monroeville now has the most four-time state champions in Ohio history, what is more remarkable is before Logan Stieber came into high school they didn't even have a state champion. Hunter Stieber, Chris Phillips, and Cam Tessari joined Logan Stieber as four-time state champions for Monroeville (Photo/Mark Ransick)All three wrestlers dominated their finals opponents as none was pushed at all in their matches. At 135, Hunter Stieber wrapped up his high school career in fashion getting the fall in just a minute flat. Next up at 140 was Cam Tessari who came away with an 11-4 decision had the closest of the group in the finals. Both Stieber and Tessari will join Logan Stieber at Ohio State next year. Chris Phillips at 171 came way with his 4th state title as well with a 16-7 domination. What is most remarkable about Phillips is he won all his titles at 171 something that has never been done in Ohio history. There is no doubt that Ohio hasn't seen a group of kids assembled like that before and we will probably never see something so remarkable again. While the Monroeville "triple threat" was on display all night there was a lot of great wrestling as well through the divisions. The theme could be summed as expect the unexpected as nationally-ranked wrestlers went down throughout the night and no one was safe no matter how high the ranking. Matt Stephens of Graham took on No. 2 nationally-ranked Ian Miller of Oak Harbor. Stephens and Miller battled to a scoreless tie at the end of regulation with both wrestlers taking turns riding each other out. The action really heated up in overtime when Stephens got a body lock and lifted Miller up and to the mat, but Miller looked to have not given up the takedown. Stephens, however, was awarded the two which, was the right call as he shocked the arena winning his first state title. Nationally-ranked Kagan Squire of Wadsworth had defeated his opponent Joey Ward of Moeller three different times this year. On Saturday night, he was not able to make it four as Joey Ward pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the night, winning in triple overtime, escaping with less than 10 seconds left. Squire was not the only nationally-ranked wrestler to go down in the finals. Ironman runner-up Huston Evans of Graham lost 5-2 to Chaz Gresham of Goshen. Gresham controlled the action and hit two beautiful throws on the edge to convert them into takedowns. Bo Jordan (Photo/Mark Ransick)While upsets were frequent in the finals there were many favorites that walked away with state crowns again. Bo Jordan is well on his way to becoming one of the most dominating wrestlers in Graham history, which is no easy task. Jordan, only a sophomore, dominated his way through the state tournament, pinning every opponent this past weekend. During the state qualifying process Jordan had only one match not end in a pin he defeated that opponent by technical fall 19-4 in the district tournament. Teammates Nick Brascetta, Micah Jordan, and Isaac Jordan all won state titles, making it six individual titles for the Falcons this past weekend. To no one's surprise Graham won the state tournament with much ease for the 11th year in a row. Lakewood Saint Edward returned to its position on top of the big school division as they ran away with the state title over Massillon Perry and defending champion Wadsworth. St. Eds was led by Dean Heil, who came away with his second state title in as many years this time at 119. Heil was able to use a big move to knock off surprise finalist Max Byrd of LaSalle. Joining Heil on top of the podium was teammates Mark Martin at 152 and Dominic Abounader at 160 for both Martin and Abounader it was their first state titles. In the small school division St. Peter Chanel captured their first state title since the 1970s, winning over Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. Besides the "triple threat" from Monroeville there were other nationally-ranked wrestlers winning state titles in Division III. No. 1-ranked nationally Nathan Tomasello captured his second state title with a 9-4 decision in the finals at 103. The match of the night in DIII had to be between former Graham standout Felipe Martinez, now at Genoa Area, and Dominic Prezzia of St. Clairsville. Martinez, who has missed much of the season, was taken into overtime as he was pushed by Prezzia the whole match. It wasn't until Martinez was able to hit a takedown to get back points did he lock up his third state title. Alex Utley in a perfect world could have been going for his third state title this weekend. Instead he finally broke through and won his first. Utley, up at 189, has been the victim of being in the same bracket as some of the best wrestlers in DIII getting stuck with both Zach Toal and Chris Phillips. Utley finally made the most of his opportunity by winning his first state title in dominant fashion, posting a 6-0 victory in the finals. The entire OHSAA state tournament lived up to the billing from the opening round matches to the pomp and circumstance for the parade of champions. Most importantly, though, history was made when the Monroeville crowned the three four-time state champions all in one night all there will most likely never see something so truly remarkable again. The odds of those great wrestlers coming together at one school in a tiny northern Ohio town are astronomically small. I was just glad I was able to witness history being made on the grandest stage for Ohio wrestlers.

NORMAN, Okla. -- In its final preseason event of the season, the University of Oklahoma's wrestling squad saw the red team dominate the white squad by a 28-6 final margin at the annual Red/White scrimmage in Edmond on the campus of UCO Wednesday evening. “I thought it was a great performance tonight,” head coach Jack Spates said. “I thought for the most part we did well, especially since we really trained through this experience.” The evening began with an exhibition match between Justin DeAngelis and Bobby Williams at 149 pounds. DeAngelis took the early, 2-0, lead after a first period takedown and never looked back. DeAngelis, the 2010 Lindenwood champion, won the match 8-0. Intrasquad action opened with the 125 pound dual between Jarrod Patterson and Greg Cannon. Patterson, the defending Big 12 champion, ran out to a 5-0 lead late in the second period before Cannon had a reversal, 5-2. Patterson poured it on in the third period when he added two more escapes to take the victory, 10-4, and give the Red team a 3-0 advantage. “I thought Jarrod Patterson did some real good things and turned a pretty tough match into a route,” Spates said. The 133-pound bout was decided in the third period between sophomore Alex Ekstrom and freshman Dustin Reed. Ekstrom led 3-1 going into the final period but Reed got an escape to close within one. Ekstrom closed out the win for the Red team after gaining a minute of riding time and the 4-2 decision. Returning All-American Zack Bailey then recorded the victory at 141 pounds over Scott Chene with a total of seven takedowns in the match. Chene was only able to muster multiple escapes throughout, giving Bailey a 16-4 win and putting the Red team up 10-0. “I thought Zack Bailey, just his aggressiveness and his relentlessness, has really turned the corner,” Spates said. “He's a great wrestler and I'm real excited to watch him this year.” Freshman Nick Lester took to the mat for the Red team taking on Shane Vernon. After a scoreless first period Lester posted an escape to give him the early, 1-0, lead. Vernon accounted for an escape in the third period to send it to overtime. In overtime Lester secured the win, 3-1, with a takedown. The Red team continued the route after Matt Lester pinned Parker Madl in the 157-pound bout, putting the Red team up 19-0. The most exciting matchup of the night came at the 165 pound contest between newcomer Chase Nelson and Kyle Detmer. Nelson led 2-1 going into the second period but Detmer evened it at 2-2 after posting an escape. In the third period Nelson went ahead 3-2 after an escape, but Detmer took over the lead, 4-3, with a takedown with just 15 second remaining. However, Nelson secured a reversal at the last second to claim a 5-4 victory and gave the White team its first win. “Kyle Detmer is tough and it is a big high school rivalry between them. They have wrestled each other quite a bit. That was a tough match. Kyle made a great move to go ahead and it looked as if the match was lost but that's the key in wrestling. You don't quit and you don't put your head down. Chase didn't and came from behind to win.” At 174 pounds Dax Perrier gave the White team its second victory after the Pawhuska, Okla., native posted a 2-1 win over Nolan McBryde, with riding time being the deciding factor. The Red team got back on the winning track after Erich Schmidtke narrowly defeated returning NCAA participant Jeff James. Schmidtke won 2-1 with an escape and the help of a James penalty. Keldrick Hall took an early 6-1 first period lead over Quincy Mondaine in the 197-pound bout due to his two takedowns and a nearfall. Hall put the Red team up 25-6 going into the heavyweight showdown. In the heavyweight matchup Nathan Fernandez took the early lead with a first period takedown. In the second period Fernandez earned two escapes to take a 4-2 lead. In the third Back secured an escape but fell to the senior, 4-3. “I see a lot of potential. We need to tighten up and improve in finishing, but for the most part we did a pretty good job.” The Sooners will officially kick off the 2010-11 season Saturday, Nov. 7 when they compete in the Oklahoma City Open, hosted by Oklahoma City University. Results: Ex 149 - Justin DeAngelis (Red) maj. dec. Bobby Williams (White), 8-0 125 - Jarrod Patterson (Red) dec. Greg Cannon (White), 10-4 133 - Alex Ekstrom (Red) dec. Dustin Reed (White), 4-2 141 - Zack Bailey (Red) maj. dec. Scott Chene (White), 16-4 149 - Nick Lester (Red) dec. Shane Vernon (White), 3-1 157 - Matt Lester (Red) fall Parker Madl (White), 2:28 165 - Chase Nelson (White) dec. Kyle Detmer (Red), 5-4 174 - Dax Perrier (White) dec. Nolan McBryde (Red), 2-1 184 - Erich Schmidtke (Red) dec. Jeff James (White), 2-1 197 - Keldrick Hall (Red) dec. Quincy Mondaine (White), 7-2 285 - Nathan Fernandez (Red) vs. Joe Bach (White), 4-3

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley's wrestling team held its annual UVU Intrasquad Dual Wednesday evening and this time around Coach KC Rock's black team came from behind to down Coach Erkin Tadzhimetov's green team 24-18. "It was good to get out and see where are condition is at and where we're at in certain positions," UVU head coach Greg Williams said. "I thought are older guys looked really good. I thought Flint (Ray) looked especially good; he was quick and used his hands really well. We've got a lot of young guys and there were some things that I was trying to get across to them and this was the perfect venue for that." In the first bout of the night at 141-pounds, redshirt-freshman Avery Garner picked up a close 11-10 win over sophomore Logan Wilson for the green team. Garner had a big lead early but Wilson made it interesting with three takedowns in the final period. Garner was able to pull out the win however with a late reversal. The black team then took its first lead of the night in the next match as freshman Sam Mecham (141-pounds) pinned fellow freshman Jorden Osbon only 2:40 into the bout. The black team then extended its lead to 9-3 as sophomore Paul Johnson (125-pounds) picked up a late escape point and takedown to defeat freshman Colby Christensen, 7-4. Sophomore Glenn Terrano (141-pounds) kept the black teams win-streak going, as he held on to a slim 5-3 margin of victory over redshirt-freshman Sean Porter in the next bout. Sophomore heavyweight Eric McAllister then responded for the green team as he made quick work in the next match, pinning 197-pound freshman Phillip Sorensen 1:26 in to cut the score to 12-9. In a 149/157-pound clash, sophomore 149-pounder Josh Wilson came away on top for the black team with a hard fought 2-1 victory. Wilson and redshirt-freshman Abner Cook were all-tied up at one in the third until Wilson was able to pick up a late escape to get the win. Freshman Colby Barlocker (165-pounds) then picked up a big win for the green team as he beat sophomore Dustin Olsen by major decision, 12-4. The win put the green team back only two points on the scoreboard, 15-13. Senior Flint Ray (133-pounds) then took the mat in the next bout against freshman Derek Malan and immediately took the upper hand as he led 10-1 after the first period. Ray then put the match away in the third period as he picked up the win via tech fall 5:18 into the bout. The win gave the green team its first lead since the opening match at 18-15. Senior Jeb Clark (165-pounds) then evened the scoreboard at 18-all as he held on to defeat sophomore Monte Schmalhaus by decision, 10-4. In the next match, a 184/197 clash, junior 184-pounder Brad Darrington came from behind to down the heavier competitor in freshman Trevor Rupp (197-pounds). Darrington won the match by decision 6-3 and in the process gave his black squad a 21-18 advantage. In the final bout and marquee match of the evening between senior 141-pounder Justin Morrill and sophomore Wyatt Ray, the veteran Morrill took the upper hand early as he took a 3-1 lead in the middle of the second period. Ray picked up an escape point to start the third period but it wasn't enough as Morrill held on to win 3-2, sealing the victory for the black team. The Wolverines will be back in action this weekend as they officially begin the 2010-11 season Saturday at the Trapper Open in Powell, Wyo. UVU's first home action of the season will be on Jan. 7, when the Wolverines face conference rival Northern Colorado in dual action.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- What do you need to reach your goals? Administrative support? Community awareness? Participation? Money? Of course you do. Your situation is common and there is an uncommon solution. When programs need money, too often they turn to selling cookies, coupon books or candles; none of which create a sustainable source of revenue or fans. Build a community of followers around your program and you will have a dependable source of income and support on which you can rely to help you achieve your goals. Jim Harshaw, founder of Riot Sports Marketing, will share three techniques that you can implement immediately to begin raising serious cash while increasing administrative support, community awareness and participation. Sign-up for this free webinar at www.riotsportsmarketing.com to be held Tuesday, November 9 at 9 p.m. ET. Build sustainable revenue. Make your job easier. Get what you need to succeed. Riot Sports Marketing helps programs communicate with fans, alumni, and supporters to help them get more of what they need- fans, support and money- through building and maintaining multiple channels of communication.

Not that long ago, the wrestling programs at Maryland and Wyoming were rarely mentioned among the nation’s top programs. Now, they’re viewed as two of the nation’s up-and-coming programs. The two schools will have representatives competing against one another at the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the Marines on November 21 at Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif. Sophomore Josh Asper of Maryland will take on Wyoming junior Shane Onufer in the 165-pound feature. Asper, from Parkton, Md., was literally one second away from earning All-American honors last season in his first year in the Terps starting line-up. The former USA Wrestling Junior Freestyle National Runner-up and four-time high school state champion at Hereford went 34-9 last season en route to a second-place finish at the ACC championships. Onufer, from Auburn, Wash., started his career at 174 pounds, qualifying for the NCAA championships as a freshman after winning the Western Wrestling Conference crown. Last season, Onufer again won the WWC going 25-7 in the process. He’s a two-time Washington high school state champion and placed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals. Asper comes in ranked fifth in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine, while Onufer is ranked 11th. The two met once last season, with Asper earning a 9-1 major decision in the second round consolations at the NCAA Division I Championships in Omaha. The match eliminated Onufer from medal contention. Maryland has been represented in the NWCA All-Star Classic for the last three years, with Steve Bell represented at 133 pounds along with teammate Alex Krom wrestling last year at 141 pounds and Hudson Taylor wrestling in the event at 197 pounds in 2008. Maryland’s only other All-Star Classic participant came back in 1969, when Gobel Kline competed at 152 pounds. Onufer is joined by teammate Joe LeBlanc, who is slated to wrestle top-ranked Kirk Smith of Boise State at 184 pounds. The Cowboys are represented for the first time by two wrestlers in the event. Prior to LeBlanc and Onufer’s selection, only Reese Andy represented Wyoming, competing in 1995 and 1996. The 45th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Marines will be held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on Sunday, November 21, 2010. The doors open at 2:00 p.m. The All-Star Classic follows a weekend of fundraising events. For more information about the tournament, purchasing tickets and the fundraising events, visit the www.nwcaonline.com's event page. To donate to the effort to save collegiate wrestling programs, visit http://nwca.ticketleap.net. 2010 NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the Marines Rankings by W.I.N. Magazine 125- 133- #1 Jordan Oliver, So. (Oklahoma St.) vs. #2 Andrew Hochstrasser, Sr. (Boise St.) 141- #3 Zack Bailey, Sr. (Oklahoma) vs. #5 Germane Lindsey, Sr. (Ohio) 149- #4 Torsten Gillespie, Jr. (Edinboro) vs. #5 Kevin LeValley, Sr. (Bucknell) 157- #1 Adam Hall, Sr. (Boise State) vs. #4 Bubba Jenkins, Sr. (Arizona State) 165- #5 Josh Asper, So. (Maryland) vs. #11 Shane Onufer, Jr. (Wyoming) 174- #3 Jordan Blanton, Sr. (Illinois) vs. #6 Nick Amuchastegui, Jr. (Stanford) 184- #1 Kirk Smith, Sr. (Boise St.) vs. #2 Joe LeBlanc, Jr. (Wyoming) 197- #3 Sonny Yohn, Jr. (Minnesota) vs. #4 Clayton Foster, Sr. (Oklahoma St.) 285- #2 Jarod Trice, Jr. (Central Michigan) vs. #4 Alan Gelogaev, Jr. (Oklahoma St.) Exhibitions: About California USA Wrestling California USA Wrestling is a non-profit organization committed to the success and health of their athletes and dedicated to the promotion and preservation of collegiate and international styles of amateur wrestling. As the official California affiliate of USA Wrestling, the national governing board for international-style amateur wrestling in the United States, the club is responsible for the organization and execution of sanctioned USA Wrestling events in the state. California USA Wrestling educates the community about the styles of wrestling and the value of being involved in the sport. They strive to provide fun, exciting and well-planned events and improve the quality of California wrestling at the competitive level. For more information, visit www.ca-usaw.org. About NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the sport of amateur wrestling. NWCA provides leadership and guidance primarily to scholastic and collegiate wrestling programs, but is an advocate to all levels of wrestling. The NWCA promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events and serves as a resource for education and information pertaining to the sport of wrestling. Additionally, The NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of any competitive sport. For more information, visit http://www.nwcaonline.com.

CHICAGO -- The Big Ten Network will offer its most extensive wrestling schedule ever, with a total of 41 events on television or online, including the addition of 18 live streamed events over last year. The schedule features a minimum of 40 regular-season duals, plus the Big Ten Championships to be hosted by Northwestern University in March. Thirty-three of the 41 events will be conference matchups, and 36 will be available live. The regular-season schedule begins Nov. 14 as Michigan hosts Pittsburgh. Other non-conference highlights include Iowa hosting Iowa State on Friday, Dec. 3, and future Big Ten member Nebraska traveling to Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 21. The network will dedicate three live hours to the Big Ten Championships. Last season, Iowa captured its third-straight national championship, and was one of eight Big Ten wrestling programs to finish in the top 25. The Hawkeyes were joined by No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 10 Penn State, No. 13 Indiana, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 21 Purdue and No. 23 Illinois. The Big Ten Network is available to approximately 75 million homes in the United States and Canada, and produces the most college wrestling of any network in the country. Date/Event/Time/Outlet/Airtime Sun., Nov. 14 - Pittsburgh at Michigan at 2 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Dec. 3 - Iowa State at Iowa at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Dec. 5 - Oklahoma State at Minnesota at 3 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Dec. 5 - Michigan State at Iowa at 3 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Dec. 12 - Missouri at Purdue at 12 PM on Big Ten Network LIVE Wed., Dec. 15 - Northwestern at Indiana at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Jan. 7 - SIU-E at Iowa at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Jan. 14 - Purdue at Michigan at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Jan. 14 - Illinois at Northwestern at 8 PM on Big Ten Network LIVE Fri., Jan. 14 - Indiana at Minnesota at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Jan. 21 - Minnesota at Purdue at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Jan. 21 - Pittsburgh at Penn State at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Jan. 21 - Nebraska at Wisconsin at 8 PM on Big Ten Network LIVE Fri., Jan. 21 - SIU-E at Illinois at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sat., Jan. 22 - Ohio State at Iowa at 4 PM on Big Ten Network LIVE Sun., Jan. 23 - Penn State at Indiana at 1 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Jan. 23 - Minnesota at Illinois at 2 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Jan. 28 - Michigan at Ohio State at 7 PM on Big Ten Network LIVE Fri., Jan. 28 - Iowa at Northwestern at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Jan. 30 - Iowa at Penn State at 2 PM on Big Ten Network - Delay on 1/31, 9 PM Fri., Feb. 4 - Penn State at Michigan State at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Feb. 4 - Purdue at Northwestern at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Feb. 4 - Ohio State at Illinois at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sat., Feb. 5 - Minnesota at Ohio State at 7 PM on Big Ten Network LIVE Sun., Feb. 6 - Purdue at Wisconsin at 2 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Feb. 6 - Indiana at Iowa at 6:30 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Feb. 11 - Michigan State at Indiana at 7 PM on Big Ten Network - Delay - 2/12, 2 PM Fri., Feb. 11 - Illinois at Penn State at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Feb. 11 - Minnesota at Michigan at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Feb. 11 - Wisconsin at Northwestern at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Feb. 13 - Michigan State at Purdue at 1 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Feb. 13 - Michigan at Iowa at 2 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Feb. 13 - Penn State at Minnesota at 3 PM on Big Ten Network - Delay - 2/14, 9 PM Thurs, Feb. 17 - Indiana at Illinois at 8 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Feb. 18 - Indiana at Purdue at 7 PM on Big Ten Network - Delay - 2/19, 11:30 AM Fri., Feb. 18 - Wisconsin at Penn State at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Fri., Feb. 18 - Michigan at Michigan State at 7 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sat., Feb. 19 - Northwestern at Ohio State at 12 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Feb. 20 - Wisconsin at Michigan State at 2 PM on BigTenNetwork.com LIVE Sun., Feb. 20 - Iowa at Minnesota at 3 PM on Big Ten Network - Delay - 2/21, 9 PM Sun., March 6 - Big Ten Championships at 4 PM on Big Ten Network LIVE Note – Big Ten Network Televised events in bold All times Eastern and subject to change About the Big Ten Network: A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, the Big Ten Network is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With approximately 350 live sporting events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televising more Olympic sporting events and women’s sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation’s finest universities. Each year, the network offers between 35 and 40 football games, 105 regular season men’s basketball games; 55 women’s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; studio shows; coaches’ shows; and classic games. The network is available to more than 75 million homes across the United States and Canada, and currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Cleveland, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Omaha, Las Vegas and Northern Virginia), DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Rogers Cable (Canada), Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith announced the lineups for the Orange and Black Ranking Matches, which will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. “We will use these ranking matches along with performances in the open tournaments to help us determine what our starting lineup will be for our first dual against Bucknell,” Smith said. “I am excited to see how our wrestlers perform when the lights come on for the first time on Thursday. The guys who start for us will have to earn it. Nothing is given.” Perhaps the feature bout of the night will come at 149 pounds, where a pair of former Fargo champions will square off. Last year’s Big 12 champion at 141 pounds, Jamal Parks moves up to 149 this year, where he will face stiff competition from Albert White, who was 9-0 last year as the Cowboy starter before having his season derailed due to injury. Both Parks and White are national-level wrestlers capable of finishing the season on the All-America podium. “It will be good to get out there and compete,” Parks said. “We see each other every day in the wrestling room and it’s about pride. We both respect each other’s skills and abilities, but neither of us is willing to give up a starting spot. In the end, we are teammates and we are there for each other, but we both want to be the starter.” Admission is free and fans are encouraged to stay in the arena after the wrestling ends to get autographs and pictures with their favorite Cowboy wrestlers. The Cowboys open their season in earnest when they compete at the Oklahoma City Open on Sunday, Nov. 7. 2010 Orange and Black Matchups 125 pounds: Jon Morrison (Orange) vs. Tyler Dorrell (Black) 133 pounds: Josh Kindig (Orange) vs. Jordan Oliver (Black) 141 pounds: Luke Silver (Orange) vs. Julian Feikert (Black) 149 pounds: Albert White (Orange) vs. Jamal Parks (Black) 157 pounds: Stephen Swan (Orange) vs. Matt White (Black) 165 pounds: Joe Ali (Orange) vs. Dallas Bailey (Black) 174 pounds: Mike Benefiel (Orange) vs. Chris McNeil (Black) 184 pounds: Zach White (Orange) vs. Darnell Bortz (Black) 184 pounds: Elliott Hellwege (Orange) vs. Chris Perry (Black) 197 pounds: Colton Hill (Orange) vs. Clayton Foster (Black) 285 pounds: Alan Gelogaev (Orange) vs. Tyson Yoder (Black)