InterMat Staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team kept its 66-match winning streak intact with a 22-13 victory over #14 Iowa State Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The sixth-ranked Hawkeyes improved to 5-0 on the season, while handing Iowa State (4-1) its first dual loss. The win also gives the Hawkeyes a 7-6 edge in the 2010-11 Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series. The dual will be replayed Monday at 8 p.m. (CT) on Iowa Public Television. Iowa used wins at six weights - including four major decisions - to post its seventh-straight over Iowa State, and it's 30th over the Cyclones in Iowa City. A crowd of 11,895 saw the Hawkeyes record their 28th straight win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That attendance total ranks 21st in the top 25 all-time Carver-Hawkeye Arena dual meet crowds. At the intermission, officials from both schools announced the creation of the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy, which will be presented to the winner of the intrastate rival each year. "From our perspective, we saw a lot of good things, but also a lot of slop," said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. "The first things that come to my mind from the dual meet are a little bit of sloppiness and a little ugliness. When you get an opportunity to put yourself back in the match, you have to capitalize on that. Especially when you're getting back in the match and it looks like it's starting to go your way." Iowa State jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Jerome Ward's 5-3 decision in sudden victory over Hawkeye senior Luke Lofthouse at 197. Ward led 3-1 in the third period, but Lofthouse earned two stalling points in the last 40 seconds of the bout to force overtime. Ward scored the takedown in sudden victory to seal the win, and Iowa State's bench earned an official warning during the match. The Hawkeyes rolled off wins at the next four weights to take a 14-3 lead into the intermission. Junior Blake Rasing led things off with a 2-0 decision over Kyle Simonson at heavyweight. Sophomore Matt McDonough scored six takedowns to post a 14-4 major decision over Patrick Hunter at 125, collecting his 10th straight win. Redshirt freshman Tony Ramos followed with a solid six-takedown performance at 133, winning a 14-5 major decision over Brandon Jones. Redshirt freshman Mark Ballweg scored a takedown with 11 seconds left in his 141-pound bout to post a 3-1 win over Cyclone senior Chris Drouin. Iowa State senior Nate Carr, Jr., gave the Cyclones their second victory with a 13-3 major decision over sophomore Jeret Chiri at 149. But Iowa redshirt freshman Derek St. John scored three third-period takedowns to beat Iowa State's Trent Weatherman, 12-3, at 157. The Cyclones used decisions at 165 and 174 to pull within five points (18-13), but Hawkeye sophomore Grant Gambrall sealed the team win with a 12-3 major decision over Cole Shafer at 184 to end the dual and collect his 20th career victory. Iowa will open the 2010-11 Big Ten season Saturday when it hosts undefeated Michigan State (4-0) at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Spartans defeated Northern Illinois, 20-15, Friday night in DeKalb, IL. Tickets for the dual are $10 for adults and $5 for youth, if purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $6 for youth, if purchased at the door. Tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office at (319) 335-9323 or online at hawkeyesports.com. The dual will be streamed live on bigtennetwork.com. A live audio broadcast will also be available on AM-800, KXIC and hawkeyesports.com. Results: 197 - Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 5-3 SV * Hwt. - Blake Rasing (I) dec. Kyle Simonson (ISU), 2-0 125 - Matt McDonough (I) maj. dec. Patrick Hunter (ISU), 14-4 133 - Tony Ramos (I) maj. dec. Brandon Jones (ISU), 14-5 141 - Mark Ballweg (I) dec. Chris Drouin (ISU), 3-1 149 - Nate Carr, Jr. (ISU) maj. dec. Jeret Chiri (I), 13-3 157 - Derek St. John (I) maj. dec. Trent Weatherman (ISU), 12-3 165 - Andrew Sorenson (ISU) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 4-1 174 - Jon Reader (ISU) dec. Ethen Lofthouse (I), 6-1 184 - Grant Gambrall (I) maj. dec. Cole Shafer (ISU), 12-3

LAS VEGAS -- The quarterfinal matches are set for the 2010 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The seeds have held up for the most part with few exceptions. Central Michigan, who entered the event ranked 10th, had perhaps the most disappointing morning session as two of its top wrestlers, Scotti Sentes (133) and Mike Miller (165), were upset in the round 16. Sentes, who is ranked sixth, was edged, 4-3, by Michigan's Zac Stevens. Miller, an NCAA runner-up in 2009, lost 7-1 to Cal State Bakersfield's Trevor Hall. No. 1 Cornell leads the team race with 48 points and has six wrestlers in the quarterfinals. Oklahoma sits in second with 39 points five in the quarterfinals. Boise State is in third with 34.5 points and four in the quarterfinals. Michigan, Oregon State, and Wisconsin are all tied for fourth with 34 points. Illinois advanced the most wrestlers to the quarterfinals with seven. The quarterfinals are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. PST. Quarterfinal Matchups 125: No. 3 Anthony Robles (Arizona State) vs. No. 17 Jason Lara (Oregon State) No. 11 Ben Kjar (Utah Valey) vs. No. 14 Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech) No. 5 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 16 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) vs. Frank Perrelli (Cornell) 133: No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise State) vs. No. 14 Flint Ray (Utah Valey) No. 7 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) vs. Zac Stevens (Michigan) No. 5 Filip Novachkov (Cal Poly) vs. No. 8 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) No. 3 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) vs. B.J. Futrell (Illinois) 141: No. 1 Zack Bailey (Oklahoma) vs. No. 16 Elijah Nacita (Cal State Bakersfield) No. 9 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) vs. Vicente Varela (Hofstra) No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) vs. No. 10 Mike Mangrum (Oregon State) No. 3 Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. No. 17 Cole Von Ohlen (Air Force) 149: No. 3 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) vs. Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) No. 11 Brian Stephens Virginia Tech) vs. No. 13 Kurt Kinser (Indiana) No. 12 Ivan Lopouchanski (UNC Greensboro) vs. Eric Terrazas (Illinois) No. 7 Corey Jantzen (Harvard) vs. No. 18 Cole Schmitt (Wisconsin) 157: No. 2 Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State) vs. No. 15 Barrett Abel (Cal Poly) No. 6 Paul Young (Indiana) vs. No. 8 Bryce Saddoris (Navy) No. 4 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) vs. No. 11 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) No. 3 Adam Hall (Boise State) vs. D.J. Meagher (Cornell) 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) vs. Conrad Polz (Illinois) No. 6 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra) vs. Joe Booth (Oklahoma) No. 4 Justin Kerber (Cornell) vs. No. 18 Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly) Trevor Hall (Cal State Bakersfield) vs. Dan Yates (Michigan) 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) vs. Ben Jordan (Wisconsin) No. 7 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) vs. No. 12 Colby Covington (Oregon State) No. 6 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) vs. Nick Heflin (Ohio State) No. 5 Jordan Blanton (Illinois) vs. Jacob Swartz (Boise State) 184: No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) vs. Tony Dallago (Illinois) No. 12 Luke Rebertus (Navy) vs. No. 13 Erich Schmidke (Oklahoma) No. 11 Travis Rutt (Wisconsin) vs. No. 16 Tommy Spellman (Virginia Tech) No. 5 A.J. Kissel (Purdue) vs. No. 15 Andrew Saunders (UNC Greensboro) 197: No. 2 Cam Simaz (Cornell) vs. Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) No. 18 Matt Powless (Indiana) vs. No. 19 Riley Orozco (Cal State Bakersfield) No. 10 Logan Brown (Purdue) vs. Brandon Palik (Drexel) No. 15 Anthony Biondo (Michigan) vs. Jamelle Jones (North Idaho) 285: No. 5 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) vs. Kevin Lester (Columbia) No. 13 Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin) vs. Ben Apland (Michigan) No. 10 Clayton Jack (Oregon State) vs. No. 16 Atticus Disney (Cal Poly) No. 11 Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma) vs. No. 18 David Morgan (Cal State Bakersfield)

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan sophomore Ben Bennett (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) has been named Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week for his performance last weekend. Bennett, ranked sixth nationally at 174 pounds, swept all three of his matches at the Northern Quad last weekend. Bennett posted an 8-1 decision over North Dakota State's Steven Monk, a 7-1 decision over No. 10 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) and a pin in just 2:00 against Appalachian State's Carter Downs. Bennett is 6-2 overall this season, with both losses coming to the nation's No. 1-ranked 174-pounder, Cornell's Mack Lewnes. Bennett earns the conference's weekly honor for the first time this season and second time in his career. CMU (No. 10 InterMat/No. 11 NWCA/USA Today) travels to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational this Friday and Saturday.

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- North Dakota State senior, 157-pound Vince Salminen (Billings, Mont./Skyview HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced today by the league. Salminen went 3-0 at the Northern Quad on Saturday, Nov. 27, winning duals against No. 9 Central Michigan, No. 3 Minnesota and Appalachian State. He led NDSU to a 24-17 upset win over No. 9 Central Michigan and a 2-1 overall record. He pinned Zach Kline of Central Michigan in 6:26 and his pin gave the Bison the lead for good. He won a 14-3 major decision over Appalachian State’s John Blakely and then claimed a 4-0 decision over No. 3 Minnesota’s Pat Smith. Salminen is 15-1 overall this season with six pins. He is 3-0 in duals with one pin. The league award is a first for Salminen. The Western Wrestling Conference, entering its fifth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other Nominees: Northern Iowa: Christian Brantley, HWT, Junior (Homewood, Ill./Mount Carmel HS) 2010-11 WWC Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 16 – Cole Dallaserra (Wyoming)/Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) Nov. 24 - Cole Dallaserra (Wyoming/Flint Ray (Utah Valley) Dec. 1 - Vince Salminen (North Dakota State)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- For the second time in as many weeks, UNCG sophomore Ivan Lopouchanski has been named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all competitions from Nov. 24-30. Lopouchanski continued his hot start to the season this past week as he went 3-0 in a trio of dual matches for the Spartans at the Hoosier Duals on Saturday. That pushed his overall record to 14-1 this year, with three of those wins coming against ranked opponents. Lopouchanski began his week with perhaps the biggest win of his individual career. The sophomore from Hollywood, Fla., was pitted against Indiana’s Kurt Kinser, who was ranked No. 6 at 149 pounds, and defeated him 6-2, including over two minutes of riding time. He then defeated Northern Illinois’ Vince Castillo, 8-2. In the final match of the day, Lopouchanski scored a 5-3 decision against Joey Metzler from Old Dominion. Lopouchanski is now ranked as high as seventh in the nation at 149 pounds by WrestlingReport.com and ninth by Wrestling Insider Magazine. He checks in at 12th by Intermat, as well. Also nominated for the award was Appalachian State’s Austin Trotman and Chattanooga’s Prescott Garner. 2010-11 SoCon Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 24 Ivan Lopouchanski, UNCG Dec. 1 Ivan Lopouchanski, UNCG

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The No. 1 ranked Cornell wrestling team will head to Las Vegas, Nev. this weekend for the 29th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Big Red will send six nationally ranked wrestlers to compete on Friday, Dec. 3 through Saturday, Dec. 4. Thirty-six schools will compete for the team title with 12 squads nationally ranked in the top 30 by InterMat. Probable Lineup 125: No. 19 Frank Perrelli 133: Joe Stanzione 141: Chris Villalonga 149: Corey Manson 157: No. 20 DJ Meagher 165: No. 4 Justin Kerber 174: No. 1 Mack Lewnes 184: No. 4 Steve Bosak 197: No. 2 Cam Simaz HWT: Oney Snyder Follow the Action Fans can follow the Big Red throughout the weekend by Twitter. Cornell coaches will keep fans updated match-by-match throughout the weekend at www.twitter.com/bigredwrestling 29th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Friday, Dec. 3 - Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010 Las Vegas Convention Center ~ Hall C-5 Event Schedule (All times PST) Friday, Dec. 3 9 a.m. - Pigtail Round, Round 1, Round 2, Consolation Pigtails and Consolation Round 1 7 p.m. - Quarterfinals and Consolation Round 2 and 3 Saturday, Dec. 4 9 a.m. - Consolation Round 4 10 a.m. - Semi-Finals and Consolation Round 5, Consolation Semi-Finals, Consolation Finals (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th) 3 p.m. - Championship Finals 1st and 2nd Teams Competing (All Rankings from InterMat Nov. 30) Air Force No. 12 Arizona State No. 2 Boise State Brown No. 27 Cal Poly Cal State Bakersfield Cal State Fullerton California Baptist No. 10 Central Michigan Columbia No. 1 Cornell Dickinson State Drexel Duke Grand Canyon Harvard No. 23 Hofstra No. 16 Illinois Indiana Michigan Navy North Carolina State North Dakota State North Idaho No. 20 Ohio State No. 7 Oklahoma Oregon State No. 28 Purdue San Francisco State Southern Illinois Edwardsville UNC Greensboro Utah Valley No. 19 Virginia Tech West Virginia Western Wyoming No. 4 Wisconsin

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hello Wrestling Fans! Scott Casber will be LIVE in TDR's home based Brute Adidas studios for another 2-hour show this week brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. LIVE 9 AM to 11 AM its Takedown Wrestling Radio. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeartRadio App. Our Guests Include: (All times Central) 9:01 Rob Koll- Head Coach #1 Cornell Big Red 9:20 Jimmy Pedro Jr. US Olympic Judo Coach 9:30 Guy Sako- Founder Defense Soap 9:40 Kevin LeValley- Bucknell Bison Athlete of the Week 10:01 Joel Sharratt- Head Coach AirForce Falcons 10:20 Jeff Murphy- Kemin's Big 10 and Big 12 report 10:50 Amy Ruble- Wildrose Resort

Date: Sunday, December 5, 2010 Time: 2 p.m. CT Venue: Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, MN) Projected Matchups: 125: No. 9 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. Thane Antczak (Minnesota) 141: No. 19 Luke Silver (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) 149: No. 5 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) vs. Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) 157: No. 10 Albert White (Oklahoma State) vs. Joe Grygelko/Pat Smith (Minnesota) 165: No. 7 Dallas Bailey (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) 174: No. 10 Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 11 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) 184: No. 8 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) vs. Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) 197: No. 4 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 5 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) 285: Tyson Yoder/Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Tony Nelson/Ben Berhow (Minnesota) Oklahoma State at Minnesota

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Day 2

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Day 1

This year's field for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is perhaps the strongest the event has seen since its inception in 1982. The event, which takes place Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, has 36 teams competing, with 10 ranked in the InterMat Top 25. The InterMat Top 25 teams competing include No. 1 Cornell, No. 2 Boise State, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 10 Central Michigan, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 16 Illinois, No. 19 Virginia Tech, No. 20 Ohio State, and No. 23 Hofstra. Two No. 1-ranked wrestlers on teams competing in the event, Kyle Dake of Cornell (149) and Kirk Smith of Boise State (184), will not compete. Still, three other No. 1-ranked wrestlers are expected to compete: Zack Bailey of Oklahoma (141), Andrew Howe of Wisconsin (165), and Mack Lewnes of Cornell (174). In all, over 80 nationally-ranked wrestlers are expected to compete. InterMat will be providing coverage throughout the two-day event. Coverage will include session recaps, interviews, and a live blog. For a complete listing of teams, event schedule, and more, visit http://www.cklvwrestle.com. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown. Field subject to change. 125: Two-time All-American Anthony Robles (Arizona State), who is ranked third, has looked dominant of late. He had a technical fall victory over Minnesota's Zach Sanders at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Look for Robles, who was runner-up in this event last season, to be challenged by true freshman Logan Stieber (Ohio State), who comes into the event ranked fifth. This will be the first major test for the precocious Stieber in his young college wrestling career. He has lived up to his billing thus far. Stieber began the season with technical falls victories over Pittsburgh's Anthony Zanetta (18-3) and Nebraska's Shawn Nagel (18-0). Eighth-ranked Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) is a returning NCAA qualifier who is expected to challenge. He was thumped by Robles, 16-1, on Nov. 18. Ben Kjar (Utah Valley), who is ranked 11th, is a returning NCAA qualifier and placed seventh in this event last season. Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech), who is ranked 14th, is off to a bit of a slow start this season, but has the potential to challenge in this weight class. Other ranked wrestlers in this weight class who could compete include No. 16 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), No. 17 Jason Lara (Oregon State), and No. 19 Frank Perrelli (Cornell). Alan Bartelli (Boise State) placed sixth in this event last season, but comes in unranked. 133: Andrew Hochtrasser (Boise State), who is ranked second, is the favorite in perhaps the deepest weight class of the tournament. Hochstrasser was in All-American in 2009, but was ineligible for postseason competition in 2010. He fell to Oklahoma State's top-ranked Jordan Oliver, 8-7, at this year's NWCA All-Star Classic. Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) is a returning All-American who placed third in this event last season. He lost twice to Hochstrasser last season. Filip Novachkov (Cal Poly) was a runner-up at this event last season at 141 pounds, but moved down a weight class this season. Novachkov, who is ranked fifth, has not competed yet this season, but is expected to wrestle in Las Vegas. Sixth-ranked Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) was an All-American two seasons ago, but came up short of All-American honors last season. He has been dominant this season. Seventh-ranked Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) has been one of the most impressive freshmen this season. He is 12-1, with his one loss coming to Graff. Another wrestler who should challenge in this weight class is three-time CAA champion and NCAA qualifier Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra). The Hofstra senior who is coming off a redshirt season, has proven that he can compete with and beat the nation's best. Other ranked wrestles in this weight class include No. 11 Kelly Kubec (Oregon State), No. 12 Ian Paddock (Ohio State), No. 14 Flint Ray (Utah Valley), No. 15 Ben Ashmore (Arizona State), and No. 19 B.J. Futrell (Illinois). 141: This weight class is very top heavy with six of the nation's top 10 wrestlers and the top three. No. 1 Zack Bailey (Oklahoma), a returning All-American, finished third in this event last season, which included a victory over 2010 NCAA champion Kyle Dake of Cornell. Second-ranked Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) is a two-time All-American and won this event in 2008. He redshirted last season and started this season with a 6-3 win over Missouri's Todd Schavrien. Third-ranked Kellen Russell (Michigan), like Kennedy, is coming off a redshirt season. Russell is a two-time Big Ten champion and 2009 All-American. He will be looking for his second title at this event after winning it as a true freshman in 2007. Chris Diaz (Virginia Tech), who is ranked sixth, is 10-1 this season. Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) was a champion at this event last season at 133 pounds, but has switched weight classes this season with brother Filip. Mike Mangrum (Oregon State) is an NCAA qualifier who comes into this event ranked 10th. He failed to place in this event last season. Other ranked wrestlers who could compete include No. 13 Levi Jones (Boise State), No. 16 Elijah Nacita (Cal State Bakersfield), and No. 17 Cole Von Ohlen (Air Force). Chris Villalonga (Cornell) is a talented true freshman to keep your eye on. 149: With NCAA champion Kyle Dake (Cornell) out until the Southern Scuffle, third-ranked Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) is the likely No. 1 seed. Chamberlain placed fourth in this event last season and reached the round of 12 at the NCAAs. Corey Jantzen (Harvard), who is ranked seventh, won this event two seasons ago and is coming off a redshirt season. He has a career record of 34-15 and possesses a lot of skills. Brian Stephens (Virginia Tech), an NCAA qualifier last season, is 10-2 this season. Ivan Lopouchanski (UNC Greensboro), who is ranked No. 12, has been the SoCon Wrestler of the Week each of the past two weeks. He recently notched a 6-2 win over three-time NCAA qualifier Kurt Kinser (Indiana), who will also be competing in Las Vegas. Sixth-year senior Brandon Radar (West Virginia), a two-time All-American, has been hampered by injuries throughout much of his collegiate wrestling career. Radar, who is ranked 14th, placed third in this event as a true freshman in 2006. Cole Schmitt (Wisconsin), who is ranked 18th, comes into the event with a 7-2 record. His losses this season have come to Lopouchanski and Stevens. Justin Accordino (Hofstra), who is ranked 19th, has started the season 3-2. Corey Manson (Cornell) and Eric Grajales (Michigan) could also make some noise in this weight class. 157: Three of the nation's top four wrestlers are expected to compete in this weight class. Second-ranked Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State), a 2008 NCAA runner-up, has been hot and cold this season. He dropped a match to Tyler Chang of Embry-Riddle and has looked vulnerable at times, but hammered then-No. 1 Adam Hall (Boise State), 12-4, at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Hall, who is ranked third, will be looking for revenge this weekend. He was a runner-up at this event last season and placed third at the NCAAs. Fourth-ranked Colt Sponseller (Ohio State) was a runner-up at this event last season at 165 pounds. Sponseller has had a great career as a Buckeye, compiling 30 or more wins in each of the past two seasons, but is still looking for his first All-American medal in his final campaign. Paul Young (Indiana), like Sponseller, made the move down from 165 pounds for his senior season. Young, a two-time NCAA qualifier who is ranked sixth, has started the season 9-1. Bryce Saddoris (Navy), an All-American in 2009, placed sixth in this event last season and is currently ranked eighth. Pete Yates (Virginia Tech) is 13-0 and ranked No. 11. Colton Salazar (Purdue), a Big Ten runner-up last season, placed eighth in this event last season while wrestling with a broken rib. Other ranked wrestlers expected to compete include No. 15 Barrett Abel (Cal Poly), No. 16 Matt Lester (Oklahoma), and No. 20 D.J. Meagher (Cornell). 165: After Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs announced that he will be moving up to 165 pounds, many wrestling fans looked forward to the possibility of a Burroughs-Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) match in Las Vegas. But for the first time since 2006, Nebraska will not compete in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, so the match will have to wait until possibly the Midlands at the end of the month. Howe, an NCAA champion last season, won this event a year ago. He has been on a tear lately. After going 37-0 en route to winning the NCAA title in March, he captured a U.S. Open title in April and a Sunkist Kids International Open title in October. Fourth-ranked Justin Kerber (Cornell) comes in with a perfect record of 11-0. Last season, Kerber reached the round of 12 at the NCAAs before losing to Iowa's Ryan Morningstar in tiebreaker. P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra) has started the season 5-0 and is ranked sixth. Two-time All-American Mike Miller (Central Michigan) was an NCAA runner-up in 2009, but has battled injuries and inconsistency since. He took a loss last weekend to Appalachian State's Kyle Blevins. Other ranked wrestlers who could compete include No. 14 Donnie Jones (West Virginia), No. 18 Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly), and No. 19 Chase Nelson (Oklahoma). 174: Four All-Americans are expected to compete in this weight class. Top-ranked Mack Lewnes (Cornell) will be looking for his third straight title in Las Vegas. Last season, Lewnes went 40-1 and finished as the NCAA runner-up. He had not surrendered a single takedown all of last season until his NCAA finals match against Iowa's Jay Borschel. Jordan Blanton (Illinois) was a fifth-place finisher at the NCAAs last season. Sixth-ranked Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) became an All-American last season as a freshman, placing sixth. He was edged by Blanton, 3-2, in the fifth-place match at the NCAAs. Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma), like Miller, became a freshman All-American, but did so down a weight class at 165 pounds. He comes in with a 9-0 record and is ranked seventh. Colby Covington (Oregon State), who is ranked No. 12, had 40 wins last season and took Lewnes into overtime in the NCAA quarterfinals before losing. You can expect Covington to be hungry after failing to place in Las Vegas a year ago and then coming short of All-American honors. Luke Manuel (Purdue), who is ranked 13th, placed third in this weight class last season and should figure into the mix. He lost in overtime to Covington at the NCAAs last season. Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra), who is ranked 15th, placed fifth in Las Vegas last season. He defeated Lewnes in the first round of the NCAAs in 2009. Ben Jordan (Wisconsin) is coming off a strong redshirt season and should be a factor in this weight class. 184: Defending Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion Kirk Smith (Boise State) is being held out of this year's event. Fourth-ranked Steve Bosak (Cornell) and fifth-ranked A.J. Kissel (Purdue) become the two frontrunners. Bosak, who reached the round of 12 at the NCAAs last season, comes into the event with a 9-0 record. Kissel, a two-time NCAA qualifier who is coming off a redshirt season, is 6-0 this season. NCAA qualifier Travis Rutt (Wisconsin), who is ranked 11th, went 3-0 at the ACC Challenge, which included victories over two ranked opponents. Luke Rebertus (Navy) is 6-0 and ranked 12th. Eric Schmidke (Oklahoma), who is ranked 13th, has the ability to challenge in this weight class. He defeated then-No. 5 Chris Perry of Oklahoma State, 11-3, earlier this season. No. 15 Andrew Saunders (UNC Greensboro) and No. 16 Tommy Spellman (Virginia Tech) are solid competitors who should figure into the mix. Saunders edged Spellman, 4-3, earlier this season. 197: Two-time All-American Cam Simaz (Cornell) placed third in this event last season and is expected to be the No. 1 seed. Simaz began the season as the top-ranked wrestler before losing to Kent State's Dustin Kilgore, 10-9, in the finals of the Body Bar Invitational. Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) was a Big Ten champion and All-American last season. Two of his six losses last season came to Simaz. Logan Brown (Purdue), a three-time NCAA qualifier, reached the semifinals in this event last season before placing fifth. Brown lost to Simaz in this event a year ago and twice to Brandvold last season. Anthony Biondo (Michigan) placed sixth in this event last season after injury defaulting out of the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record. He notched a victory over Simaz, 8-6, to reach the semifinals. Biondo compiled 35 wins last season, but came up short of All-American honors. Last season, Biondo lost twice to Brandvold and split with Brown. Matt Powless (Indiana), a 30-match winner and NCAA qualifier last season, is ranked 18th. He placed eighth in this event last season. Riley Orozco (Cal State Bakersfield), a three-time NCAA qualifier, comes into this event ranked 19th. 285: The heavyweight class is one of the more wide open weight classes. Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) is the lone All-American in the group. Trice dropped a match at the NWCA All-Star Classic to American's Ryan Flores, but otherwise has been perfect. He edged ninth-ranked Tony Nelson of Minnesota, 3-2, last weekend. Clayton Jack (Oregon State), who is ranked 10th, went 5-2 in this event last season to place seventh. He had 35 wins last season and qualified for the NCAAs. Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma), who is ranked 11th, finished a strong third place in this event a year ago. He went 1-2 at the NCAAs last season and was knocked out by Trice, 3-2. Other ranked wrestlers in this weight class include No. 13 Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin), No. 16 Atticus Disney (Cal Poly), No. 17 Ricky Alcala (Indiana), No. 18 David Morgan (Cal State Bakersfield), and No. 19 Kurt Klimek (Cal State Fullerton).

There were eight bouts contested Tuesday night at the DeCarlo Varsity Center in the annual dual meet between east side of Cleveland wrestling rivals John Carroll and Case Reserve. Only one ended in a decision. The rest of the matches resulted in big points, and thankfully for the Blue Streak faithful, John Carroll's big point matches outnumbered those of Case Reserve's to the tune of a 32-13 victory. After a double forfeit at 125, JCU sophomore John Cobos bumped up to 133 and recorded the quickest end to a match of the evening. He got an early takedown of Victor Pan and would work to a pin in a time of 1:50. Greg Ryan followed, and used two near falls as well as over three minutes of riding time to post a 15-2 victory at 141 pounds, Trailing 10-0, Case truned to 2010 NCAA division III champion Isaac Dukes to turn the tide. The junior Spartan 149-pounder, was methodical in a 15-3 win over Blue Streak sophomore David Malkus. Back-to-back second period pins by Vinny Pizzuli (157) and Connor Suba (165) pushed JCU's lead to 22-4. Todd Gaydosh picked up a forfeit win at 174, and then Bryan Steinmetz dominated his 184-pound match by a 12-2 count to move the home squad ahead, 32-4. Case would pick up wins at 197 and 285 to complete the evening. JCU is now 1-1 in dual meets this season, while Case slips to 0-2. Results: 125 – double forfeit 133 – John Cobos (J) pinned Victor Pan, 1:50 141 – Greg Ryan (J) major dec. Brian Snyder, 15-2 149 – Isaac Dukes (C) major dec. David Malkus, 15-3 157 – Vinny Pizzuli (J) pinned Noah Feldstein, 4:15 165 – Connor Suba (J) pinned Ben Kirsch, 4:09 174 – Todd Gaydosh (J) win by forfeit 184 – Bryan Steinmetz (J) major dec. Dylan Novisky, 12-2 197 – Peter Heggs (C) dec. Alex Garred, 10-3 285 – Cale Harter (C) pinned Will Porter, 4:08

STEVENS POINT -- The 14th-ranked UW-Stevens Point wrestling team opened the conference portion of their schedule at home on Tuesday evening with a 30-3 victory over 17th-ranked UW-Oshkosh at Berg Gym. The Pointers tallied three major decisions on the evening and won nine of 10 matches. The Pointers’ Jordan Schulte, ranked eighth in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll, earned an 8-2 victory over Oshkosh’s Aaron Konitzer. Ryan Conat and second-ranked Ben Engelland followed with victories of their own, both by major decision, to give the Pointers an 11-0 lead early on. The lone victory of the evening came for the Titans’ seventh-ranked Sam Engelland, who won 6-1 over Brandon Jochem. From there, the Pointers rebounded with a heavyweight victory by Steve Wozniak, who pushed his record to 13-2. Eighth-ranked Joe Mileski added a 3-1 victory at 125 and Jordan Kust, Shane Sweeney, Kris Magruder and Ben Strobel followed with wins of their own to lead the Pointers to the 30-3 win. The Pointers have won the previous 10 match-ups with the Titans. UW-Stevens Point (2-0, 1-0 WIAC) returns to action this weekend at the La Crosse 4x2 duals hosted by UW-La Crosse. The Pointers then return home for another conference match against the Pioneers of UW-Platteville on Dec. 9. Results: 125 #8 Joe Mileski (UWSP) dec. Zachary Mueller (UWO) 3-1; 17-3 133 Jordan Kust (UWSP) dec. Kyle Kleuskens (UWO) 7-1; 20-3 141 Shane Sweeney (UWSP) major dec. Justin Schienebeck (UWO) 14-2; 24-3 149 Kris Magruder (UWSP) dec. Jose Quintana (UWO) 9-7; 27-3 157 Ben Strobel (UWSP) dec. Trevor Dyreson (UWO) 8-3; 30-3 165 Jordan Schulte (UWSP) dec. Aaron Konitzer (UWO) 8-2; 3-0 174 Ryan Conat (UWSP) major dec. Aaron Geiger (UWO) 9-0; 7-0 184 #2 Ben Engelland (UWSP) major dec. Aaron Erickson (UWO) 18-6; 11-0 197 #7 Sam Engelland (UWO) dec. Brandon Jochem (UWSP) 6-1; 11-3 285 Steve Wozniak (UWSP) dec. Jason LaPlante (UWO) 8-4; 14-3

STORM LAKE, Iowa -- Fourth-ranked Coe earned bonus points in nine matches Tuesday night, as they left Siebens Fieldhouse with a 47-4 win over 24th-ranked Buena Vista. Four of the Kohawks wins came by fall, all in under 3:17. Defending National Champion, and top-ranked, senior Clayton Rush (Aledo, Ill./Aledo) won by injury default over third-ranked Austin Mogg at 125 pounds to open the match. Senior Jared Harding (Byron, Ill./Byron) earned his first win of the season at 133 pounds with a 4-3 decision over Mike Berardesco. Coe earned its first fall of the match at 141 pounds, as 10th-ranked Chris LeClere (Coggon, Iowa/North-Linn) pinned Tim Vore in 3:17. At 149 pounds, junior James Locke (Minneapolis, Minn./South) pinned Tylar Parker just :37 into the match. At 157 pounds, fifth-ranked junior Dale Handley (Toddville, Iowa/Alburnett) earned the first of two major decisions for the Kohawks with a 17-5 win over Randy Hummel. Second-ranked junior Nick LeClere (Coggon, Iowa/North-Linn) won by forfeit at 165 pounds before sophomore Scott King (Tipton, Iowa/Tipton) won by major decision 15-2 against Casey Paprocki. Fifth-ranked senior Seth Rehn (Oceanside, Calif./Vista) won by fall in 2:17 over Demetrius Heard at 184 pounds. Coe's only loss of the night came at 197 pounds, as sixth-ranked Brian Broll defeated Matt Ferlitsch (Riverside, Iowa/Highland) by major decision 13-2. Eighth-ranked sophomore Alex Burkle (Coggon, Iowa/North-Linn) closed the meet for the Kohawks with a fall in 2:35 against Jacob Nelson. The Kohawks return to action on Saturday, as they travel to the Simpson Invite. Results: 125‐ #1 Clayton Rush (COE) def. #3 Austin Mogg (BVU) Inj. Def 6‐0 C 133‐ Jared Harding (COE) def. Mike Berardesco (BVU) 4‐3 9‐0 C 141‐ #10 Chris LeClere (COE) def. Tim Vore (BVU) FALL in 3:17 15‐0 C 149‐ James Locke (COE) def. Tylar Parker (BVU) FALL in 0:37 21‐0 C 157‐ #5 Dale Handley (COE) def. Randy Hummel (BVU) 17‐5 27‐0 C 165‐ #2 Nick LeClere (COE) def. OPEN (BVU) FORFEIT 31‐0 C 174‐ Scott King (COE) def. Casey Paprocki (BVU) 15‐2 35‐0 C 184‐ #5 Seth Rehn (COE) def. Demetrius Heard (BVU) FALL in 2:17 41‐0 C 197‐ #6 Brian Broll (BVU) def. Matt Ferlitch (COE) 13‐2 41‐4 C HWT‐ #8 Alex Burkle (COE) def. Jacob Nelson (BVU) FALL in 2:35 47‐4 C

WAVERLY – Second-ranked Wartburg College produced bonus-point wins in all 10 matches en route to a 51-0 Iowa Conference dual win over Central Nov. 30. Coach Jim Miller’s Knights, moving to 5-0 overall, received pins from fifth-ranked senior Mark Kist of Eagle Grove at 125, sophomore 141-pounder Tommy Mirocha of Davenport, freshman 165-pounder Landon Williams of Davenport, and junior 197-pounder Byron Tate of Clinton, who came into the dual with a No. 1 national ranking. Junior 133-pounder Mike Kremer of Independence, ranked No. 10, senior 149-pounder Jacob Groth of Marshalltown, ranked No. 8, and senior heavyweight John Helgerson of West Union, ranked No. 1, each won by technical fall. The Orange and Black, upping their consecutive league dual win streak to 143, allowed only 21 escapes from the visiting Dutch (0-2, 0-2 IIAC). Wartburg ended the night with 34 takedowns, five escapes, three reversals and 15 nearfalls. Wartburg puts its strong IIAC dual run back on the line Thursday, Dec. 2, with a 7 p.m. dual at Loras College in Dubuque. Results: 125- Kist, Mark (Wartburg College) FALL Justin Marx (Central (IA)) (1:27) 133- Kremer, Mike (Wartburg College) TF5 Bryan Connolly (Central (IA)) (5:28) 141- Mirocha, Thomas (Wartburg College) FALL Eric Wilkerson (Central (IA)) (2:43) 149- Groth, Jacob (Wartburg College) TF5 Joseph Atwell (Central (IA)) (5:09) 157- Banks, Carrington (Wartburg College) MD Zachery Beekman (Central (IA)) 16-6 165- Williams, Landon (Wartburg College) FALL Reid Imerman (Central (IA)) (1:40) 174- Scott, Ben (Wartburg College) MD Nick Lemmon (Central (IA)) 12-3 184- Azinger, Dylan (Wartburg College) MD Greg Barner (Central (IA)) 13-5 197- Tate, Byron (Wartburg College) FALL Dan Gordon (Central (IA)) (3:23) 285- Helgerson, John (Wartburg College) TF5 Ted Dirkx (Central (IA)) (4:32)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Senior captain Paul Young earned his second career Big Ten Wrestler of the Week recognition on Tuesday (Nov. 31). The Bloomington, Ind., native led Indiana to three wins at the Hoosier Duals on Saturday. The sixth-ranked 157-pounder notched two pins and a decision in his three bouts at the competition. Young began the day by pinning UNC-Greensboro's Jonathan Rodebaugh in 36 seconds, earning six points en route to a 34-12 Indiana win. He followed with another pin in 2:04 against Old Dominion's Micah Blair, helping the Hoosiers earn a 22-13 win against the Monarchs. Young then closed out his day with a 10-3 decision over 19th-ranked Bryan Deutsch of Northern Illinois in a 22-18 Indiana win. The three dual wins pushed the Hoosiers' 2010 record to 6-0. Young and the rest of the Hoosier Wrestling team are headed west this weekend (Dec. 3-4), competing in the 29th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Champs collide in Iowa on opening weekend The Keith Young Invitational, hosted by Cedar Falls High School, is arguably the best tournament (and clearly among the top five events) held all year in the state of Iowa -- and it is on the opening weekend. The stellar field, which includes all three teams to sweep individual and dual meet titles last year in the state of Iowa -- No. 11 Waverly-Shell Rock, Denver-Tripoli, and Don Bosco -- is bolstered by the addition of Apple Valley, Minnesota, the nation’s top ranked team. The sixteen team field also includes No. 12 Bettendorf, which is ranked first in state rankings for Iowa Class 3A, ahead of Waverly-Shell Rock; rankings published on November 22 by The Predicament. Other top ten teams from the state of Iowa in this field include North Scott, Mason City, and West Des Moines Valley. Sixteen wrestlers in this field are the top ranked wrestler in their state tournament classification by either The Predicament (Iowa) or The Guillotine (Minnesota). Eleven of those are among the thirteen nationally-ranked wrestlers in this field. Nationally-ranked wrestlers marked with *, wrestlers ranked first in their weight class for their state tournament classification marked with ^. 103: ^Andrew Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock) 112: *^Dylan Peters (Denver-Tripoli), *^Jordan Kingsley (Apple Valley, MN) 119: *Eric Devos (Waverly-Shell Rock) 125: ^Connor Ryan (Bettendorf), ^Gunner Wolfensperger (Denver-Tripoli) 130: *^Brandon Sorensen (Denver-Tripoli), *^Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, MN) 135: *^Matt Kelliher (Apple Valley, MN) 140: *^Bo Schlosser (Bettendorf) 145: ^Daniel Woiwor (Apple Valley, MN) 152: *^Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, MN), *^Cody Caldwell (Waverly-Shell Rock) 160: *^Steven Keogh (Apple Valley, MN) 171: *^Jake Waste (Apple Valley, MN) 189: ^Matt Hechsel (Apple Valley, MN) 285: *^Cody Krumwiede (Waverly-Shell Rock), *Brody Berrie (Bettendorf) Cougar Invitational another Southeast showcase Though this is not the opening weekend for high school wrestling in either Florida or Georgia, the Cougar Invitational hosted by Durant High School in Plant City, Florida will serve as another excellent showcase for the quality of wrestling present in the southeastern portion of the United States. There are three teams nationally ranked among the 32-team field: No. 4 Brandon, No. 23 Springstead, and No. 50 Collins Hill, Georgia. Five other teams in this field finished in the top five of their respective state tournament classifications last year: Osceola, Lake Gibson, South Dade, Riverdale, and Valdosta, Georgia. Eight wrestlers in this tournament are nationally ranked, while eighteen others are also ranked first in their state tournament classification for the preseason. Credit for the state rankings goes to Scout's Florida Wrestling Rankings and those posted on GNWA.org 103: *Richie Bliss (Springstead), Darshawn Sharp (Valdosta, GA), Abe Fernandez (Strawberry Crest) 112: Shiquan Hall (South Dade), Dalton Langford (Riverdale), Drew Ferguson-Mitchell (Collins Hill, GA) 119: *Earl Hall (South Dade) 125: *Kevin Norstrem (Brandon), ranked at 130, Brandon Jorge (Lake Gibson), Bazell Partridge (Collins Hill, GA) 130: *Rossi Bruno (Brandon), ranked at 125, Nick Soto (Springstead), Spencer Rickman (Collins Hill, GA) 135: *Tyler Liberatore (Brandon) 140: Eric O’Neil (Winter Springs), Cody Ross (Springstead) 145: *Pete Baldwin (Osceola), Jose Lopez (Riverdale), Jovon Scott (Valdosta, GA) 152: *Clark Glass (Brandon), Shawn Landgraff (Springstead) 160: *Wally Figaro (Brandon) 171: Kyle Koziel (Brandon) 189: Mike Ettore (Brandon), Ty Cartmell (Viera), Mac Bennett (Collins Hill, GA) *Indicates nationally-ranked wrestler Tournament website: http://www.cougarinvitational.com Early-season Panther Power The story of the opening week of wrestling in the Land of Lincoln has to be the fantastic start for Glenbard North. Not mentioned among the top 50 teams in the preseason rankings, the Panthers have shown that this was probably a significant mistake. On Wednesday night, they hosted a quadrangular and swept the trio of matches: 57-12 over Lincoln Way Central, 55-13 over No. 43 Minooka, and 74-6 over Batavia. Then on Friday and Saturday, they dominated the field at the C.O. Feutz Wrestling Classic hosted by Conant High school. The Panthers scored 270-1/2 points anchored by five champions, one runner-up, and three third place finishers. That was enough to significantly surpass the 211-1/2 total put up by No. 36 Crystal Lake Central on the strength of three champs, one runner-up, and three third-place finishers. The rest of the field could not even put up one-half the points that Glenbard North totaled over the two day event. Champions for the Panthers were Jon Marmolejo (103), John Gosinski (112), Bryan Gonzalez (119), Joey Gosinski (130), and Brian Murphy (145), Don Boyle (285) finished in second place, while Wade Hazard (125), Mario Rodriguez (152), and Zach Durkee (215) took third place. Winning titles for Crystal Lake Central were three of their nationally ranked wrestlers -- Joey Kielbasa (152), Gage Harrah (189), and Austin Marsden (215). The fourth of the Tigers’ nationally ranked wrestlers -- Trevor Jauch, ranked ninth at 135 pounds -- wrestled up at 140 pounds, however, he was upended 3-1 by Mike Togher of Providence Catholic in the quarterfinals before coming back to finish third place. Kyle Fugiel (103) and Mike Zelasco (112) joined Jauch with a third place finish, while Clayton Lutzow (130) had a runner-up finish. The absence of multiple nationally ranked wrestlers was as much of a story as the dominance of Glenbard North at the Feutz Classic. Notably not among those in the brackets were Eddie Klimara and Edwin Cooper for Providence Catholic, Sam Brooks for Oak Park River Forest, and Josh Marchok for Schaumburg. Other champions in the tournament were Isaiah Vela (125) from St. Charles East, Frank McKeown (135) from Naperville North, Mike Togher (140) from Providence Catholic, Stephan Kunca (160) from Leyden, Joe Caprio (171) from Rolling Meadows, and James Buss (285) from De La Salle. Grade level rankings update Almost three weeks ago, the initial weight class rankings for the 2010-11 season were unveiled. The corresponding update to the grade level rankings was just completed. There is one new No. 1, and that is Brooks Black (Blair Academy, NJ) in the Class of 2013. Prior No. 1 Bo Jordan (Graham, OH) drops to the second position. Remaining in the catbird positions are Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, MN) for the Class of 2011, Taylor Massa (St. John’s, MI) for the Class of 2012, Chance Marstellar (Kennard Dale, PA) for the Class of 2014, and Mark Hall (Minnesota) for junior high wrestlers. Catching up on the Tulsa Kickoff Classic The following is a list of placers from the 2010 Tulsa Kickoff Classic, the opening event of the Roller World of Wrestling Triple Crown: http://www.worldofwrestling-roller.com/assets/0000/0614/results.pdf Other highlights for the initial weekend of December Coming off of a 51-24 loss to No. 43 Minooka, Illinois, during a quadrangular meet last weekend, No. 30 Mount Carmel, Illinois will compete in dual meets against fellow nationally ranked teams -- No. 18 Marmion Academy, Illinois on Thursday; No. 20 Montini Catholic, Illinois on Saturday. A pair of nationally ranked teams -- No. 32 Christiansburg, Virginia, and No. 35 Cox, Virginia, headline the 17-team Hopewell Classic this Friday and Saturday. McDonogh, Maryland hosts the Ray Oliver Tournament this Friday and Saturday, a 21-team field that includes notable teams from Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and North Carolina. Both the Hopewell Classic and Ray Oliver Tournament can be followed through Track Wrestling. Look for updated national team rankings to be published next week to reflect the happenings of the first week or so of scholastic wrestling from across the country.

Apple Valley begins the season as the nation's No. 1-ranked high school team in the InterMat Fab 50 released on Nov. 11. So it should come as no surprise that Jim Jackson's program is churning out Division I wrestling talent. Five Eagle senior wrestlers, Destin McCauley, Matt Kelliher, Jake Waste, Steven Keogh, and Jordan Kingsley, have committed to Division I programs. All five were Junior National freestyle All-Americans in Fargo this past summer. Destin McCauley (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)McCauley, who is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the country by InterMat, headlines the class. The four-time state champion committed to Wisconsin on Oct. 22. He chose Wisconsin over Ohio State, Iowa, and Minnesota. McCauley is projected at 149 pounds in college. "My ultimate decision on why I chose Wisconsin was my fit in their program," said McCauley, who was named Outstanding Wrestler of the 2010 Junior National freestyle competition. "I felt like I easily got along with their whole team and their coaching staff. They already were treating me like one of their own." McCauley, though, will defer his enrollment at Wisconsin until 2012. He will spend the 2011-12 season at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs before joining the Badgers in 2012. "I wanted to go to the Olympic Training Center for a year because my goal is to give a run at the 2012 Olympics," said McCauley. "Going out there and focusing on freestyle mainly the whole time will give me great preparation for the Trials. While I'm there, I'll still take classes, generals, but just enough to get me going and not starting my NCAA clock. Plus, I'll be traveling overseas to train and get competitions as well." Matt Kelliher (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Kelliher, who is ranked as the No. 37 recruit in the country by InterMat, committed to Wisconsin days before McCauley announced that he would be a Badger. "It was a tough decision to make," said Kelliher, who will be joining brother Tom on the Badger wrestling team. "I felt that Wisconsin was the overall best fit for me for a lot of reasons. I'm very excited to be a part of the program at Wisconsin." The Badgers are currently ranked fourth in the country by InterMat. Last season Wisconsin coach Barry Davis was named National Coach of the Year by the NWCA after guiding the Badgers to a fourth-place finish at the NCAAs. Kelliher is looking forward to wrestling for Davis, an Olympic silver medalist and the all-time winningest wrestler at Iowa. "Barry Davis is a good, high-energy coach," said Kelliher, a two-time state champion, FloNationls champion, and Junior National freestyle runner-up. "I could tell by watching practice that he really enjoyed coaching the team and working with them." Waste will be taking his talents to the East Coast to wrestle for Buffalo (NY), a wrestling program that competes in the Mid American Conference (MAC). He is expected to begin his college wrestling career at 174 pounds. Jake Waste (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)"The reasons I decided to go to Buffalo are endless," said Waste, who is the 44th-ranked recruit in the country by InterMat. "In the end it came down to schooling, wrestling, and where I felt most at home. Buffalo had all of that." Waste chose Buffalo over Minnesota and Northern Iowa, but he admits that it was not an easy decision. "It was a great experience," said Waste of the recruiting process. "The final decision was very tough and draining, though." Waste has won national titles in all three styles of wrestling, including a Cadet National Triple Crown in 2009, but is still looking for that elusive state title. "I want to be the best one-time state champion to ever come out of Minnesota," said Waste. Keogh, a five-time state medalist and 2010 state champion, committed to Minnesota. "Minnesota has one thing on its side that most colleges don't, and that is history," said Keogh, who projects at 165 pounds in college. Kingsley, who placed sixth in the Junior National freestyle competition at 112 pounds, will be heading to Minnesota with Keogh. "I really like the coaching staff and team at Minnesota," said Kingsley, who begins this season ranked 19th nationally at 112 pounds by InterMat. "I also think Minnesota is a great academic school, which was also a big deciding factor. I believe they are the best school for me to achieve both my wrestling and academic goals." So how strong will Apple Valley be this season? "We are solid the whole way through our lineup," said McCauley. "I think we will be pretty tough to beat. Our team is always in real good condition, and we know how to push ourselves to make everyone better. That's one thing that makes us stand out." Kelliher is quick to praise his coach, Jim Jackson. "Coach Jackson really dedicates everything he has to his Apple Valley team and it pays off," said Kelliher. "He is a great coach to have around to push me and my teammates to work harder and become better wrestlers every day." Kelliher feels privileged to be a part of such a strong wrestling program. "Not many people get the opportunity to say that they wrestled for the No. 1 high school team in the country," said Kelliher. "I think it is a great opportunity for everyone on the team and with our tough schedule it should be an exciting year." The meat of Apple Valley's schedule this season takes place from Dec. 17 to Jan. 8 when the Eagles compete in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament (Dec. 17-18 in Rochester, MN), Cheesehead (Dec. 30-31 in Kaukauna, WI), and The Clash (Jan. 7-8 in Rochester, MN). As usual, Apple Valley, a Class AAA school, will see many of the other programs in Minnesota, including Simley (Class AA), Kasson-Mantorville (Class AA), Hastings (Class AAA), and St. Michael-Albertville (Class AAA), at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament. The Eagles will see some very strong out-of-state teams at the Cheesehead and The Clash. The Cheeshead field has more firepower than ever this season with the addition of Blair Academy (NJ), a program that has won 30 consecutive National Prep titles and produced numerous NCAA champions and NCAA All-Americans. The Clash also added a legendary team in Brandon (FL), a program that has won 10 consecutive Florida state championships and produced over 100 state placewinners. Brandon won a national-record 459 consecutive dual meets from 1974 to 2008. "It's great to have the schedule that we have," said Kingsley. "We really wanted to try to wrestle the best competition, and being able to wrestle Blair Academy at the Cheeshead, and Brandon at the Clash is about as good as it can get." This story also appears in the Nov. 19 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering amateur wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote amateur wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

Pete Bush, NCAA champion for the University of Iowa and Gary McCall, three-time All-American for Iowa State University, will be radio show guests this week. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Bush won the NCAA tournament at 190 pounds in 1982 and the Hawkeyes won the NCAA team title each year of Bush’s collegiate career. He currently coaches his high school alma mater, Davenport Assumption, which has been one of the top 3 teams in Class 2A the last few years. Gary McCall was a two-time time state champion for Cedar Rapids Washington High School and won All-American honors three-times for Iowa State, his last in 1990.

BURNSVILLE, Minn. -- The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced Monday that Augustana wrestler Cody Lensing has been named its Wrestler of the Week for his performance in last week's dual against Augsburg. Lensing, a junior 133 pounder from Moundsview, Minn., topped Augsburg's Cody Madsen 13-2 to help Augustana defeat the Auggies, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division III, 25-6 last Wednesday. Lensing and the Vikings took eight of 10 matches in their first dual of the season. Lensing is 9-1 in 2010. Augustana hosts cross-town rival the University of Sioux Falls on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The North Dakota State wrestling team upset No. 9 Central Michigan, 24-17, en route to going to 2-1 at the Northern Quad on Saturday, Nov. 27. The Bison (2-1) defeated Appalachian State, 23-16, and fell to No. 3 Minnesota, 35-9. It is the second straight year the Bison have upset a top-10 team. Last season, NDSU stunned No. 6 Boise State, 25-22. Senior Vince Salminen was the only Bison to post a 3-0 record on the day with one pin, one major decision and one decision. In the upset win over Central Michigan, sophomore Trent Sprenkle got things off to a strong start, defeating Joe Roth in a 4-0 decision. Trevor Johnson claimed his first career dual win at 141 pounds, a 9-5 decision over Scott Mattingly. At 157 pounds, Salminen pinned Zack Cline in 6:26 to give NDSU the lead for good. Junior Tyler Johnson won a 5-2 decision over Adam Miller at 165 pounds and senior Kenny Moenkedick won a 10-5 decision over Chad Friend at 184 pounds. Junior Drew Ross clinched the win for the Bison after pinning Craig Kelliher in 0:42 in the 197 pound bout. The Bison won six of 10 bouts against Appalachian State. Sprenkle, Justin Solberg and Tyler Johnson all claimed wins to give NDSU an early 10-0 lead. Salminen won a 14-3 major decision over John Blakely and Mac Stoll won a 7-1 decision at 174 pounds in his first action of the season. Ross picked up his second pin of the day, notching a fall against Paul Glover in 1:29. Against Minnesota, Salminen claimed a 4-0 decision over Pat Smith at 157 pounds and Steven Monk pinned Joel Hill in 2:49 at 174 pounds for NDSU’s only wins of the dual. The Bison return to action Saturday, Dec. 4 at the Las Vegas Invitational. North Dakota State 24, No. 9 Central Michigan 17 125: Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) dec. Joe Roth (CMU), 4-0 133: No. 6 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Justin Solberg (CMU), 12-0 141: Trevor Johnson (NDSU) dec. Scott Mattingly (CMU), 9-5 149: Donnie Corby (CMU) maj. dec. Andrey Patselov (NDSU), 10-2 157: Vince Salminen (NDSU) pin Zack Cline (CMU) at 6:26 165: Tyler Johnson (NDSU) dec. Adam Miller (CMU), 5-2 174: No. 6 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Steven Monk (NDSU), 8-1 184: Kenny Moenkedick (NDSU) dec. Chad Friend (CMU), 10-5 197: Drew Ross (NDSU) pin Craig Kelliher (CMU) at 0:42 285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (CMU) win by forfeit No. 3 Minnesota 35, North Dakota State 9 125: Zach Sanders (MINN) maj. dec. Trent Sprenkle (NDSU), 14-5 133: Thane Antczak (MINN) maj. dec. Justin Solberg (NDSU), 10-1 141: Mike Thorn (MINN) pin Mark Erickson (NDSU), 4:49 149: David Zilverberg (MINN) dec. Andrey Patselov (NDSU), 7-4 157: Vince Salminen (NDSU) dec. Pat Smith (MINN), 4-0 165: Cody Yohn (MINN) dec. Tyler Johnson (NDSU), 7-3 174: Steven Monk (NDSU) pin Joel Hill (MINN), 2:49 184: Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. Kenny Moenkedick (NDSU), 10-3 197: Sonny Yohn (MINN) pin Drew Ross (NDSU), 1:16 Hwt: Tony Nelson (MINN) win by forfeit North Dakota State 23, Appalachian State 16 125: Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) dec. Tony Gravely (ASU), 5-4 133: Justin Solberg (NDSU) dec. Chris Johnson (ASU), 4-3 141: Trevor Johnson (NDSU) maj. dec. Mike Kessler (ASU), 10-2 149: Savva Kostis (ASU) dec. Andrey Patselov (NDSU), 9-8 157: Vince Salminen (NDSU): maj. dec. John Blakely (ASU), 14-3 165: Kyle Blevins (ASU) dec. Tyler Johnson (NDSU), 3-2 174: Mac Stoll (NDSU) dec. Carter Downs (ASU), 7-1 184: Austin Trotman (ASU) maj. dec Kenny Moenkedick (NDSU), 12-4 197: Drew Ross (NDSU) fall Paul Glover (ASU), 1:29 Hwt: Marc Tyson (ASU) win by forfeit

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt heavyweight Ryan Tomei was named EWL Wrestler of the Week, the league office announced Sunday night. Tomei, a redshirt junior from Irwin, Pa., went 3-0 at the Journeyman Northeast Duals this past Saturday, leading the Panthers to victories over Penn (16-15) and No. 23 Virginia (21-15). In both matches, Tomei was the deciding factor. “Ryan had an outstanding performance this past weekend,” Pitt Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer said. “He came up big for us when we needed him to. He’s often times put in a tough situation with a match on the line, and Ryan has willed us to victory on numerous occasions.” In its matchup against Penn, Pitt trailed 15-13 with the heavyweight division the only bout remaining. Tomei was able record an 8-2 decision over Kyle Cowan, giving the Panthers three points and clinching the match, 16-15. Against Virginia, Tomei faced off against John Danilkowicz with the score tied at 15-15. Tomei showed his strength by pinning the Cavaliers heavyweight in just over two minutes into the bout. With the fall, the Panthers won by a final score of 21-15. In his final bout of the day, Tomei squared off against Ryan Flores of American University. Flores entered the match ranked as the third best heavyweight in the country by InterMat Wrestling, while Tomei ranked ninth. Tomei used a reversal, a takedown and a two-point near fall to defeat Flores with a 6-4 decision. “Ryan fought extremely hard against Flores in a battle of two of the best heavyweights in college wrestling,” Stottlemyer added. “He’s faced some tough competition but we know that Ryan is capable of winning against any heavyweight in the country.” With the three victories, Tomei improves to 10-1 on the season including a title at the Clarion Open. His lone loss came against No. 1 ranked Zach Rey of Lehigh in an extremely tight 3-2 OT decision.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers senior heavyweight DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.) has been named the EIWA Wrester of the Week, the Conference announced Sunday. This marks the third time in his career that Russo has taken home the honor. Russo, who was also named EIWA Wrestler of the Week Feb. 8, 2009 and Feb. 3, 2010, earns the award after a weekend which saw him go undefeated with a pair of dual-clinching wins at the Northeast Duals in Albany, N.Y. In his first matchup of the weekend, Russo met up with Stanford’s Dylan Rush in a match that would decide the RU-Stanford dual. Both wrestlers came out strong to start the first period, but Russo got on the board first when he reversed Rush. Rush didn’t flinch, reversing Russo to even the score at two. Russo then scored another reversal to gain a 4-2 edge. Rush escaped before the end of the first to cut the lead to 4-3 entering the second. Neither wrestler was able to score any points in the second or third and Russo used 2:46 of riding time to clinch the match, 5-3, and the dual, 18-13. Russo battled Missouri’s Dom Bradley, the second ranked heavyweight in the country in his biggest contest of the day. The bout took on added importance as the RU-UM dual was even at 16-16 heading into the deciding heavyweight match. After a scoreless first period, Bradley chose to start down in the second eventually earning an escape to open the scoring. The two grapplers went toe to toe for the remainder of the second with neither able to score before the end setting up a deciding third period. In the third, Russo chose down and quickly earned an escape to square the contest at 1-1. Bradley seemed to have the upper hand when he took down Russo to regain the lead at 3-,1 but Russo kept his composure and escaped to get within a point. With 13 seconds left in the third, Russo shot low and took Bradley down off a scramble to earn the two points and take the lead at 4-3. From there, Russo was able to ride out Bradley and secure the 4-3 victory and clinch the dual for RU, 16-13. In his final match of the Northeast Duals, Russo earned a pin fall victory over Columbia’s Kevin Lester in 2:57. The fall gave Russo a team-leading six victories by pin fall on the season and improved his overall season record to 10-0, also the best on the team. Russo and the rest of the Scarlet Knights return to action this Saturday, Dec. 5, when they head to Happy Valley, Pa. for the Nittany Lion Open hosted by Penn State.

How do you capture a year in the life of an Iowa high school wrestling team ... while also working towards promoting the mat program, the school, and the sport? You get a camera and film over 200 hours of wrestling matches and interviews on your own ... then you enlist the help of a former wrestler and filmmaker to put it all together into a polished 83-minute documentary. That's the story behind Independence: Wrestling With A Community, a new film about the 2009-2010 season for the Mustangs wrestling team of Independence High School in Iowa. Lights, camera, action! Independence is a small farm community located between Waterloo and Dubuque in northeastern Iowa. As the wrestling team's website states, "The tradition and history of Independence wrestling is deep." In fact, the tradition and history of wrestling runs deep within the state of Iowa. After all, Iowa is the birthplace of legendary wrestlers from Frank Gotch to Dan Gable ... along with the first African-American to win an NCAA wrestling title, Simon Roberts. Four college programs within the state -- Cornell College, Iowa State Teachers (now University of Northern Iowa), Iowa State and University of Iowa -- have won a total of 33 NCAA team titles. Despite that legacy, Independence has had its share of struggles. As the film points out, voters have rejected a number of bond issues to build new schools. ("Our high school building is not in the greatest shape," said assistant wrestling coach Keith Donnelly, featured prominently in the film, in an interview with InterMat.) All this set the stage for the making of what became Independence: Wrestling With A Community. "Last year, we thought we had a team that could win a state title," said Donnelly. "I sat down with Michael (Doyle, the Mustangs' head wrestling coach) and we talked about doing a documentary about the team, to rally the community." Donnelly had been inspired by the ESPN documentary The Season which provided a behind-the-scenes look at a year in the life of the Iowa Hawkeye wrestling program earlier this decade. "We researched it, and found out it would take $20,000-$50,000 to get a professional documentary produced," according to Donnelly, a former wrestler at Independence himself, and member of the 1997 Mustang team that won the Iowa dual state title. If you want it done right, do it yourself ... That high cost didn't deter the Mustang coaching staff. "We went to our mat club and said, 'Let's get some cameras and do this ourselves,'" said Donnelly. Keith DonnellyThe Indee Mat Club purchased the cameras. Now, they needed to find someone to go behind the camera to capture the wrestling program in action. "We approached a new teacher, Helen Lukes." Lukes, in her first year teaching in an Independence elementary school, had expressed an interest in writing a book. "Even though she had no connection to wrestling, she said yes," Donnelly continued. "She filmed over 200 hours -- meets, practices, meetings, banquets." … then bring in a professional Now the question was… how to take all that footage and turn it into a finished film of watchable length? Helen Lukes to the rescue, again. The new teacher came across the name of J.D. Oliva, documentary filmmaker and former wrestler living in Illinois. As coach Donnelly described it, "Oliva took our footage and ran with it. He lived in Independence at a bed and breakfast for a week. Talked to people, read the papers, got a feel for the community." Oliva edited Helen Lukes' footage, added in some of his own, with the final result being the finished documentary, Independence: Wrestling With A Community. The film made its debut at a local Independence theater in mid-August. Oliva plans to take the documentary to film festivals. Donnelly said that they have been talking to the local cable TV provider about airing it. More than a highlight reel "I didn't want some glorified highlight film," head coach Michael Doyle told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in an August interview at the time the documentary was to be first shown to the community. "I think it's good that the documentary portrays high school sports and high school wrestling in particular, and what coaches go through, and what athletes go through, and what some parents go through, in the course of a season." If ever there was a wrestling season to capture on film, the folks at Independence High School picked one that more than enough drama to make for an entertaining fictional film. As stated earlier, the coaching staff thought the 2009-2010 Mustang matmen had a real chance to win a state dual meet title. However, there were additional dramatic elements along the way that made the season even more compelling as a documentary. "We had one student who had lost his father," said Donnelly. "Another broke his neck. We had a transfer student. A real roller coaster." Michael Doyle"The biggest thing I hope (people take with them) is no matter what kind of hand life deals you, if you just put your head down and keep working hard, sooner or later your cards are going to get better," Doyle told the Courier. "You've just got to keep working hard, try to create opportunities, and when those opportunities come along you take advantage of them." "The thing that's probably the most shocking is a year ago we thought of doing something to promote wrestling in Independence and the community, and we sit here today and we're doing something that's going to promote the sport of wrestling statewide and maybe even nationwide," Donnelly said in his August interview with the Courier. "Some of the scenes they have in there, it's amazing how they can go about getting it filmed so precise and make it look so good." All of that is true. Independence: Wrestling With A Community is much more than a highlight reel; it does provide viewers who've never seen high school wrestling a strong sense for the sport as it is practiced in one of the nation's wrestling hotbeds. What's more, filmgoers come to know the individual wrestlers and their coaches, and the community they call home. One neat aspect that differentiates Independence from other wrestling documentaries: the contributions of Helen Lukes. She is frequently seen in the film, being interviewed about the community, the school district, and the wrestling program. Even when she's not on camera, her voice is often heard as she asks questions of those she's filming. In a world where most wrestling documentaries seem to be exclusively a male bastion, it's refreshing to see -- and hear -- a woman's perspective. That alone makes Independence: Wrestling With A Community a winner. Independence: Wrestling With A Community is available on DVD, and may be purchased online at the Mustangs' website, www.indeewrestling.com.