InterMat Staff

Ryan Patrovich

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - South Dakota State University 197-pounder Tyler Sorenson (Garretson, S.D./Garretson HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Sorenson recorded four technical-fall victories, outscoring his opponents 75-12 in the process, in winning the 197-pound title at the season-opening Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open Nov. 7 in Brookings, S.D. He defeated Brian Lunde of the University of Regina in the first round, 19-2, then posted an 18-2 win over Joe Skow of the University of Sioux Falls. In the semifinals, Sorenson won 19-4 over Taylor Yliniemi of Minnesota State, Moorhead, before claiming the title with another 19-4 victory over North Dakota State’s Drew Ross. Sorenson also was named the Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

Mack Reiter

The 64th year of Missouri wrestling is set to get underway Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. Eighth-ranked Missouri will square off against border opponent Illinois in the first of six home meets. Fans wearing black and/or gold can purchase a $3 ticket at the door, while members of the military can purchase a $2 with a valid military ID. Thursday’s dual marks the ninth time in program history that Missouri will open its season against the Fighting Illini. The two teams last met in 2001 and Missouri won the dual, 20-13. Illinois holds a 19-8 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1927-28 campaign. Competing at Illinois in 1927, the Fighting Illini took the 24-3 win over Missouri, the first of six season-opening victories over the Tigers. Prior to the 2001-02 campaign, Missouri won its last season opener against Illinois in 1987 under the direction of then-Head Coach Wes Roper, 19-15. Both teams will take to the center circle with five wrestlers ranked among the top-25 in the nation in their respective weight class. The 2009-10 campaign marks the eighth straight year in which the Tigers open the season ranked among the top-15 in the nation. For Illinois, 2009 marks the first time in over 10 years that the Fighting Illini are not ranked. Missouri returns three All-Americans to its 10-man lineup with 2009 defending heavyweight National Champion Mark Ellis ranked the highest of his teammates at No. 1 in the nation. Fellow seniors and two-time All-Americans Maxwell Askren and Nicholas Marable begin the season ranked among the top-10 at 184 and 165 pounds, respectively. Askren, down one weight class from his previous three years of collegiate competition, stands at No. 2 in the nation behind three-time All-American and 2008 National Champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. Marable, a third place finisher at the 2008 National Championships and seventh-place finisher one year ago, enters the campaign ranked No. 7. Three Missouri wrestlers, Askren, along with junior Todd Schavrien and sophomore Dorian Henderson, are competing in different weight classes from one year prior. Schavrien, a 2009 NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds, has bumped up to 141 this fall, while Henderson, a 2009 NCAA qualifier at 184 pounds, has dropped to 174 pounds. Both Schavrien and Henderson open the season ranked, Schavrien at No. 18, Henderson as high as No. 14. Two redshirt freshman are slated to make their first dual appearance Thursday night in the Hearnes Center. Nathan McCormick will wrestle at 133 pounds while Brent Haynes will enter the lineup at 197 pounds. Haynes will take on 12th-ranked senior and three-time NCAA qualifier Patrick Bond of Illinois.

Dave Grant

Jim Andressy

Jim Beichner

Scott Hinkel

Frank Beasley

Coe College head wrestling coach John Oostendorp and Joe Breitbach, owner of Joe’s Knight Hawk Restaurant, will be radio show guests Wednesday night. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:05 - 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. John Oostendorp is in his eighth season as the leader of the Coe College wrestling team and was the 2009 NWCA National Coach of the Year. The Kohawks finished fourth in the NCAA Division III tournament the past two seasons and will host the championships again for the third consecutive year in March at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Coe returns five All-Americans from last season’s team; Clayton Rush (125), Brandon Ball (133), Tyler Burkle (165), Rob Kramer (197) and Mitch Sander (285). Oostendorp was a state champion heavyweight for West Liberty (IA) High School in 1988 and was a two-time All-American at the University of Iowa at heavyweight, placing 5th and 3rd in 1992 and 1993. He was also a world team member in Greco-Roman at 220 pounds in 1995. Joe Breitbach owns Joe’s Knight Hawk Restaurant in Waverly, Iowa, which is located walking distance from the Wartburg College campus. On Tuesday night, November 17, Joe’s Knight Hawk will be hosting their annual pre-season wrestling night where several high school and college coaches in Iowa will have the opportunity to talk about their teams for the upcoming season. This is a great event and all wrestling enthusiasts are encouraged to attend. Breitbach is a native of Waterloo, Iowa, wrestled for East High School and worked as a wrestling official for over 15 years.

Rome, Ga. -- Shorter College President Dr. Harold E. Newman and Director of Athletics Bill Peterson announced Monday plans to begin an intercollegiate wrestling program. The team will begin competition in the Fall of 2010. "Since the beginning of my presidency, I have been asked about the possibility of adding wrestling to Shorter's athletic program," Dr. Newman said. "No intercollegiate wrestling programs are available in Georgia; yet, wrestling remains an important sport in the state at the high school level. What we have heard again and again is a real desire on the part of students, parents and coaches involved in the sport to have the opportunity to continue competing in wrestling after high school. "We are excited to step into the arena and offer that opportunity." The Shorter athletic department, which is also poised to add men and women's lacrosse for the next academic year, will usher in wrestling as its 21st varsity sport. These sports will be added by Shorter after it transitions to university status on June 1, 2010. "We are very pleased about adding wrestling as our 21st overall varsity sports program," said Peterson. "It is also a great honor to initiate the only four-year varsity wrestling program in the state of Georgia. We know that there is a great deal of enthusiasm about wrestling in Georgia, and we are very proud to be a part of that excitement." Shorter's wrestling program is slated to compete in the Mid-South Conference along with current league members Campbellsville University, Cumberland (Tenn.) University, the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), Lindsey Wilson College and West Virginia Tech. The wrestling Hawks will practice at an off-campus site, but host matches on campus at the Winthrop-King Centre. The search for a head coach will begin immediately.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Competing unattached, members of the Oklahoma State wrestling team dominated at the Oklahoma City Open on Sunday, as Cowboy wrestlers won championships at nine of a possible 10 weight classes. Leading the way were redshirt freshman 133-pounder Jordan Oliver and sophomore 197-pounder Alan Gelogaev, who both pinned everyone they faced on the way to their respective weight class championships. Also claiming titles Sunday were 125-pounder Chris Notte, 141-pounder Jamal Parks, 149-pounder Albert White, 157-pounder Neil Erisman, 165-pounder Alex Meade, 174-pounder Mike Benefiel and 184-pounder Clayton Foster. Team scores were not kept at the event. The only weight class where an OSU wrestler did not emerge as the champion was at heavyweight, where senior two-time All-American Jared Rosholt placed second after getting upset by Oklahoma's Nathan Fernandez in the title bout by a 9-7 decision. Cowboy teammates met in the championship bouts at 149 pounds and at 174 pounds. At 149, newcomer Albert White handed redshirt freshman Jake Peck a 5-2 defeat for the title and at 174, it was Benefiel picking up a narrow 3-2 win over 2009 NCAA qualifier Chris McNeil. "I was pleased overall with our start as a group," Coach John Smith said. "This tournament gave us an opportunity to take a look at ourselves and it gives us a better idea of where we are than ranking matches would have. It was good to see Jordan and Z getting pins all the way through, as well as Jamal Parks." The Cowboys officially open the season when they participate at the University of Central Missouri Open next Sunday. 2009 Oklahoma City Open Results All wrestlers competed unattached 125 pounds: Chris Notte (first); Ladd Rupp (fourth); Drew Partain (did not place); Zach Tull (did not place); Tyler Dorrell (did not place) 133 pounds: Jordan Oliver (first) 141 pounds: Jamal Parks (first) 149 pounds: Albert White (first); Jake Peck (second); Quinten Fuentes (did not place) 157 pounds: Neil Erisman (first); Alex Munoz (did not place) 165 pounds: Alex Meade (first); Dallas Bailey (fourth); Joe Ali (did not place) 174 pounds: Mike Benefiel (first); Chris McNeil (second); Darnell Bortz (did not place) 184 pounds: Clayton Foster (first) 197 pounds: Alan Gelogaev (first); Blake Rosholt (third); Zach White (did not place) 285 pounds: Jared Rosholt (second); Tyson Yoder (did not place)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Rutgers wrestling team opened the 2009-10 season Sunday afternoon with a dominating performance as the Scarlet Knights won all 10 matches against the Pioneers for a 43-0 victory at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn. “We got after it today and I was excited about how we performed,” said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. “It was good to go against somebody else and it gave us a chance to see where we are at.” Senior Kellen Bradley (Newton, N.J.), redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) newcomer junior Bill Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and freshman Jesse Boyden (Kelinworth, N.J.) all claimed pin victories. 14th-ranked Russo won the quickest bout as he pinned Paul Schweighardt in 1:32. 19th-ranked Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) showed no rust after redshirting last season as he won by major decision over Brandon Lapp, 12-1. Along with Boyden, freshmen Vincent Dellefave (Toms River, N.J.), Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) and Braden Turner (Edison, N.J.) all picked up victories. Turner defeated Anthony Priore by a 4-2 decision. Priore was ranked fifth in the 157-weight class of the preseason Colonial Athletic Association rankings. “I was concerned about how they (freshmen) would do with their first match and how they would react,” said Goodale. “Dellefave started us off with the first win. They all did a good job of competing and scoring bonus points today and that was exciting.” Sophomores Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and Gregory Zanetti (Edison, N.J.) also picked up victories for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights will be back in action next Saturday at the Brockport Gold Tournament in Brockport, N.Y. Rutgers 43, Sacred Heart 0 November 8, 2009 Fairfield, Conn. William H. Pitt Center 125 –Vincent Dellefave (RU) dec. Pat Feely (SHU) 3-1 133 – Bill Ashnault (RU) pins Justin Belanger (SHU) 3:45 141 – Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Cory Dunn (SHU) 6-3 149 – Kellen Bradley (RU) pins Paul Galipeau (SHU) 4:50 157 –Braden Turner (RU) dec. Anthony Priore (SHU) 4-2 165 – Gregory Zanetti (RU) dec. Jonathon Rizzitello (SHU) 6-4 174 – Daniel Rinaldi (RU) dec. Michael Hartman (SHU) 10-4 184 – Jesse Boyden (RU) pins Sam Sheppard (SHU) 2:01 197 – #19 Lamar Brown (RU) major dec. Brandon Lapp (SHU) 12-1 285 – #14 Dominick Russo (RU) pins Paul Schweighardt (SHU) 1:32

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Bolstered by bonus point victories at the first three weights, No. 19 Lehigh opened its dual season with a convincing 31-3 win over Rider Sunday afternoon inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Senior Matt Fisk won by technical fall at 133 while sophomore John McDonald (125) and senior Seth Ciasulli (141) each won by major decision as Lehigh built a 13-0 lead and went on to win nine of ten bouts on the day as the Mountain Hawks won their second straight season opener. “The first three guys really came out and got the ball rolling for us,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “That’s what we’re looking for. They built leads and weren’t content to win by just three or four points. They really got us off to a great start.” McDonald built a comfortable 7-2 lead on Tim Trivisonno after two periods then racked up six third period takedowns to coast to the 20-7 major decision. Fisk followed with an early takedown against Filiberto Colon, then utilized a near-side cradle to rack up 14 points worth of near falls, five in the first period and nine more in the second as she won 16-0 in 4:56. Ciasulli closed out the run with a 17-9 major over Matt Bradley. After giving up a first period reversal and second period takedown, Ciasulli broke open the bout with five points off a Peterson roll. Rider picked up its only win at 149 as Michael Kessler held off sophomore Brian Tanen 3-2. At 157, sophomore Sean Bilodeau overcame a slow start to beat Zac Cibula 5-1, putting Lehigh up 16-3 at intermission. The second half of the dual saw Lehigh win all five bouts by decision. At 165, senior Mike Galante found himself in trouble after being ridden out by Rob Morrison in the second period. Galante was able to score a third period takedown to take the lead and prevented Morrison from escaping in the final 20 seconds. Riding time for Morrison sent the match to sudden victory, where Galante scored the decisive takedown just 11 seconds into the period. Freshman Robert Hamlin made his varsity dual debut with an 8-2 win over Mike Ward at 174. Senior David Craig then followed with a 2-1 win over Mike Miller, with riding time the decisive factor in the bout. The final two bouts also went to Lehigh as sophomore Joe Kennedy won a 6-1 decision over Tyler Smith and sophomore Zach Rey downed Ed Bordas 5-2 in a battle of ranked wrestlers at 285. “When there was blood to be had we went after it,” said Santoro. “In a few instances we had some guys in a close matches and we’ll have to a better job opening up, especially with two really tough matches coming up next week.” The Mountain Hawks return to action on Friday night when they welcome No. 14 Penn State to Stabler Arena in the 98th dual meet between the longtime rivals. Match time is set for 7 p.m. For tickets, call 610-7LU-GAME or visit the Lehigh ticket office located in Grace Hall. Weight Match-up Result Score/Time 125 John McDonald (Lehigh) maj. dec. Tim Trivisonno (Rider) 20-7 133 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) tech fall Filiberto Colon (Rider) 16-0, 4:56 141 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) maj. dec. Matt Bradley (Rider) 17-9 149 Michael Kessler (Rider) dec. Brian Tanen (Lehigh) 3-2 157 Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) dec. Zac Cibula (Rider) 5-1 165 Mike Galante (Lehigh) dec. Rob Morrison (Rider) 7-5, s.v. 174 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. Mike Ward (Rider) 8-2 184 David Craig (Lehigh) dec. Mike Miller (Rider) 2-1 197 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. Tyler Smith (Rider) 6-1 285 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Ed Bordas (Rider) 5-2 Attendance – 1,451 Referee – Jake Llewellyn

Josh Lowe

Ever since this group of senior wrestlers first stepped onto the high school scene in late 2006, there has been much discussion about the superlative quality among these wrestlers. Ten wrestlers from this Class of 2010 start the year off No. 1 in their respective weight classes. In looking through the 14 weight classes, seniors dominate the rankings in all but the lowest three weights. Andrew Alton defeated Josh Kindig to win the Junior Nationals freestyle title at 140 pounds in a battle of two of the nation's top recruits from Pennsylvania (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)Six of the top seven ranked wrestlers in the Class of 2010 will start the year off No. 1 in their respective weight class -- Logan Steiber (Monroeville, OH) at 125 pounds; Andrew Alton (Central Mountain, PA) at 145 pounds; Marshall Peppelman (Central Dauphin, PA) at 160 pounds; Dylan Alton (Central Mountain, PA) at 152 pounds; Josh Kindig (Blue Mountain, PA) at 140 pounds; and Jamie Clark (St Edward, OH) at 130 pounds. Chris Villalonga (Blair Academy, NJ) ranks third overall in this senior class, but starts the year ranked second at 145 pounds behind the No. 2 senior in the nation, Andrew Alton. Other seniors ranked first in their weight classes classes are Ryak Finch (Safford, AZ) at 119 pounds; Josh Dziewa (Council Rock South, PA) at 135 pounds; Kyle Cowan (Cascia, OK) at 215 pounds; and Jimmy Lawson (Manchester, NH) at 285 pounds. These wrestlers are ranked 23rd, 26th, 25th, and 18th respectively in the Class of 2010. The top two ranked juniors also find themselves at the head of their respective weight classes. Chris Phillips (Monroeville, OH) -- No. 1 in the Class of 2011 -- is also No. 1 at 171 pounds. Second-ranked in this junior class is Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, NJ) -- who is ranked first among wrestlers at 189 pounds this season. The other junior at the top of his weight class is Evan Silver (Blair Academy, NJ); who is first at 112 pounds, and ninth in the Class of 2011. The remaining No. 1 ranking in a weight class goes to freshman Joey Dance (Christiansburg, VA), who is ranked fifth overall in the Class of 2012. Ranked first in that class is Ben Whitford (Marmion Academy, IL); who is ranked seventh among wrestlers at 119 pounds. Rounding out the class rankings, Taylor Massa (St John's, MI) is ranked tops among sophomores; while Jered Cortez, who is from Illinois, is at the head of the junior high rankings. As the 2009-10 season is about to begin, one of the major stories has to be the absolute dominance of the Keystone State; in particular the Class of 2010. Five seniors rank first in the country, and 24 find themselves in the top 20 of their respective weight class. Sixteen of the InterMat Top 100 wrestlers in this graduating class are from Pennsylvania. Overall, there are 35 Pennsylvania wrestlers ranked in their respective weight class, by far the most of any state. Next in line is New Jersey with twenty-eight, and Ohio with 25. These three states also have eleven of the wrestlers ranked first in their weight class (Five for Pennsylvania, three each for Ohio and New Jersey. Other states that have double digits in terms of nationally ranked wrestlers are Iowa and California with 16 each, Illinois with 15, while Missouri and New York have 11 ranked wrestlers each. In all, 39 of the 49 states that sanction high school wrestling have at least one wrestler ranked. Blair Academy (NJ) has several nationally-ranked wrestlers, but Evan Silver (112) is the lone Buccaneer who begins the season ranked No. 1Despite half of the Blair Academy lineup being in the national rankings, the defending national champions according to many outlets (though InterMat does not conduct team national rankings) do not have a clear grip on being the best team in the country. Among those that have examined lineups from across the country, there are four other teams that may be able to make a case for top billing by year's end -- Graham, OH; Apple Valley, MN; Wyoming Seminary, PA; and Brandon, FL. Graham and Apple Valley each have four ranked wrestlers, while Wyoming Seminary and Brandon have three each. The team with the second most ranked wrestlers in the country is actually St Edward, OH with five. However, the perception is that they do not have the broad lineup depth to compare to the five squads listed above. There are five teams other than Graham and Apple Valley with four nationally ranked wrestlers; those would be Central Dauphin, PA; St Mark's, DE; Park Hill, MO; and Eastern Regional, NJ. InterMat looks forward to covering the high school wrestling scene during the course of the season. Five events currently are slated to have live coverage -- Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, Ohio State Wrestling Championships, Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, and Flo Nationals. However, additional events may be added to the docket as the year proceeds. The weight class rankings and graduating class rankings will be updated at varying times throughout the season. In addition, expect weekly previews and recaps starting with the first weekend of December. View Weight Class Rankings View Class/Recruiting Rankings (Platinum) Listen to Josh Lowe's Breakdown (TDR)

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. -- Baker University was founded 152 years ago. Tonight, the Baker wrestling team made history defeating York College (Neb.), in their first ever dual-meet competition. Brandon Gebhardt from Las Vegas, Nevada sealed the dual in the 197 lbs match when he took down Shuan Howard to give Baker the 30-15 advantage from which they never looked back. Freshman Joe Pace from Platte City, Missouri was the first Baker wrestler to win a match on Saturday evening when he pinned Jamel Wheatley to give Baker the 21-15 advantage in the 174 lb match. Freshman Jacob Nowak responded in the 184 lb match immediately after defeating Bryan Irsik a Junior from Garden City, Kansas by a score of 7-3. Baker will be back in action tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m., when they host the Dan Harris Wildcat Open all-day long in the George F. Collins Center. Full Match Details: 125 lbs: Jordan McGuire (Baker) - 0 Matt Banta (York) - 6 133 lbs: Robb Waters (Baker) - 6 Open (York) - 6 141 lbs: Zach Reeb (Baker) - 3 Rickey Creek (York) - 7 149 lbs: Brett Delich (Baker) - 0 Bryan Williams (York) - 6 (PIN) 157 lbs: Nathan Sommer (Baker) - 6 Open (York) - 0 165 lbs: Jacob Price (Baker) - 7 Nick McGrew (York) - 3 174 lbs: Joe Pace (Baker) - 6 (PIN) Jamel Wheatley (York) - 0 184 lbs: Jacob Nowak (Baker) - 7 Bryan Irsik (York) - 3 197 lbs: Brandon Gebhardt (Baker) - 6 (PIN) Shaun Howard (York) - 0 285 lbs: Open (Baker) - 0 Jason Lloyd (York) - 6

Blacksburg, Va. -- With three matches and just a glimmer of hope remaining, Kent State battled back from an 18-7 deficit to defeat 21st-ranked Virginia Tech 20-18 Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. The Golden Flashes then overcame a 15-10 margin to knock off Chattanooga 22-15. Five Golden Flashes competed in their first college dual meet against the Hokies Saturday, including Adam Cogar (197) and Brendan Barlow (285), who grabbed a major decision and a pin in the final two matches to complete the comeback. Sophomore Dustin Kilgore began the late rally at 184 with a 9-6 decision over Tommy Spellman in a battle of two nationally ranked wrestlers. Cogar followed with a 12-4 victory over Chris Penny. With his team down 18-14, Barlow finished the comeback with a third period pin of Tim Miller. "I just wanted them (Kilgore, Cogar, Barlow) to wrestle well," Jim Andrassy said about trailing 18-7. "I never thought about getting a team win at that point. I never expected Adam to get a major or Brendan to get the pin. There's not too many times in your career a heavyweight gets the chance to win it for your team with a pin and he did it his first dual. He knew he needed the pin and he just kept scoring points and going at him." While the opening bout was a loss, it may have been a positive sign for things to come as sophomore Troy Opfer took 12th ranked Jarrod Garnett to overtime before falling 8-6 at 125 pounds. "Troy wrestled as well as he could have," Andrassy said. "He's right around where Nic Bedelyon was at this time two years ago and he could be our guy for the rest of the season." Senior Danny Mitcheff followed with 3-2 victory over Eric Spjut at 133. The Hokies took the lead back when redshirt freshman Chase Skonieczny fell to seventh ranked Chris Diaz 6-0. True freshman Tommy Sasfy got the start at 149 and stayed competitive with 15th-ranked Pete Yates in a 4-1 loss. Sasfy started in place of junior transfer Matt Cathell who is expected to make his debut with the Flashes soon. Redshirt freshman Mallie Shuster made the most of his first college dual meet with a 12-4 major decision over Taylor Knapp. At 165, junior Sli Bostelman competed in his first varsity dual in two seasons and was pinned with 40 seconds remaining in the third period. Junior Chris Estep was then edged 3-1 at 174 before the comeback began. Immediately after an emotional team victory, the Flashes took on Chattanooga. Redshirt freshman Stevie Mitcheff competed in his first dual against the Mocs and fell 3-1.Older brother Danny then earned his second win of the day with a 12-4 major decision over Josh Sandoval. Skonieczny was then pinned by 20th ranked Cody Cleveland to give the Mocs a 9-3 lead, but Sasfy swung the momentum back in KSU's favor with an 8-5 win. Shuster followed with his second win of the day, a 7-5 victory over 16th-ranked Joey Knox. "Mallie did a very good job today," Andrassy said. "He's one of the reasons I feel very comfortable with our young guys out there." Back-to-back losses by senior Obie Simpson (165) and redshirt freshman Casey Newburg (174) put the Flashes in another hole (15-10) with three matches to go. Kilgore, Cogar and Barlow all responded once again with victories. Kilgore grabbed a first period pin before Cogar came away with a 3-2 decision. Barlow ended the Flashes' day with a little more drama, this time a 3-1 overtime triumph. "We're a better program than Chattanooga right now," Andrassy said. "And we were able to wrestle some different guys (Stevie Mitcheff, Simpson, Newburg)." KSU extended its dual meet winning streak to nine after winning its last seven during the 2008-09 season. Of the 10 KSU starters competing at last year's MAC Championships, only three got the starting nod against the Hokies. The Golden Flashes will head to the nearby Salem Civic Center tomorrow (Nov. 8) when 447 wrestlers compete in the Hokie Open.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The No. 17 Virginia wrestling team opened its 2009-10 season with a pair of wins Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium, downing Anderson (S.C.), 37-9, and Campbell, 36-6. The Cavaliers won 16 of their 20 individual matches in the two victories. Third-ranked Chris Henrich (Jr., Lansdale, Pa.) had a strong start to his season. The reigning All-American recorded a technical fall and pin at 174 pounds and needed less than a period in both. Matt Snyder (R-Fr., Lewistown, Pa.) and Derek Valenti (So., Newton, N.J.) each recorded a pin and tech fall at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Snyder was making his first appearance as a Cavalier after transferring from Bloomsburg University. Mike Salopek (R-Fr., North Huntingdon, Pa.) added a pair of wins at 184 pounds, while Kellon Balum (Sr., Herndon, Pa.) posted a fall and major decision at 149. At 197 pounds, ninth-ranked Brent Jones (Jr., Burke, Va.) needed just 29 seconds to pin Anderson's Luis Audelo for his 35th career fall, breaking the Virginia school record. Michael Chaires (R-So., Scotia, N.Y.) made his return to the mat after a year off with an 8-3 decision over Campbell's Chris Mazzatta in the 165-pound class. Dan Gonsor (R-So., Cleveland, Ohio) also looked sharp in coming off a redshirt season as he racked up a tech fall over Campbell's Jake Fose at 157 pounds. In a neutral-site match to start the day, Anderson recorded a trio of pins to slip past Campbell, 21-20. Virginia travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., Nov. 15 to compete in the ACC Challenge. UVa will face No. 16 American, Bucknell and Gardner Webb. Virginia 37, Anderson (S.C.) 9 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) tech fall Dequan Warner (AU), 19-4; UVa 5-0 133: Christopher Francis (AU) pinned Matt Cubillos (UVa), :35; AU 6-5 141: Derek Valenti (UVa) pinned Melchisedac LaVergne (AU), 1:59; UVa 11-6 149: Kellon Balum (UVa) tech fall Dalton Harper (AU), 16-0; UVa 16-6 157: Jonathan Jackson (AU) dec. Pat Riley (UVa), 4-2 (SV), UVa 16-9 165: Beau Fisher (UVa) dec. Jordan Lide (AU), 7-2; UVa 19-9 174: No. 3 Chris Henrich (UVa) tech fall Trevor Sanford (AU), 17-2; UVa 24-9 184: Mike Salopek (UVa) dec. John Hamrick (AU), 6-0; UVa 27-9 197: No. 9 Brent Jones (UVa) pinned Luis Audelo (AU), :29; UVa 33-9 285: Calvin Cardillo (UVa) major dec. Chase Duke (AU), 8-0; UVa 37-9 Virginia 36, Campbell 6 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) pinned Wes Heavener (CU), 1:23; UVa 6-0 133: Richie Apolinar (CU) dec. Matt Cubillos (UVa), 9-6; UVa 6-3 141: Derek Valenti (UVa) tech fall Ethan Carmody (CU), 15-0; UVa 11-3 149: Kellon Balum (UVa) major dec. Nick Rex (CU), 15-4; UVa 15-3 157: Dan Gonsor (UVa) tech fall Jake Fose (CU), 16-0; UVa 20-3 165: No. 16 Michael Chaires (UVa) dec. Chris Mazzatta (CU), 8-3; UVa 23-3 174: No. 3 Chris Henrich (UVa) pinned Peter Comis (CU), 2:00; UVa 29-3 184: Mike Salopek (UVa) major dec. Derek Tomasone (CU), 17-7; UVa 33-3 197: Parker Burns (CU) dec. No. 9 Brent Jones (UVa), 9-5; UVa 33-6 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) dec. Khiry Reid (CU), 3-2; UVa 36-6 Anderson 21, Campbell 20 125: C.J. Gittens (CU) dec. Dequan Warner (AU), 12-9; CU 3-0 133: Richie Apolinar (CU) dec. Christopher Francis (AU), 12-9; CU 6-0 141: Melchisedac LaVergne (AU) pinned Ethan Carmody (CU), 6:29; 6-6 149: Nick Rex (CU) major dec. Dalton Harper (AU), 18-5; CU 10-6 157: Jonathan Jackson (AU) dec. Jake Fose (CU), 6-2; CU 10-9 165: Chris Mazzatta (CU) dec. Jordan Lide (AU), 7-2; CU 13-9 174: Trevor Sanofrd (AU) pinned Ryan Ham (CU), 4:53; AU 15-13 184: John Hamrick (AU) pinned Derek Tomasone (CU), 5:19; AU 21-13 197: Parker Burns (CU) major dec. Luis Audelo (AU), 13-4; AU 21-17 285: Khiry Reid (CU) dec. Chase Duke (AU), 7-3; AU 21-20

BUFFALO, NY -- The University at Buffalo wrestling team captured a 31-9 home-opening dual meet victory over Ashland University on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena. Sophomores Kevin Smith and John-Martin Cannon and junior Jimmy Hamel each collected falls in the Bulls' dominating performance over the Eagles. Ashland opened the dual meet with an overtime decision, 3-2. Facing a 2-1 deficit heading into the third period, sophomore Dylan Dabolt rode his way to a 2-2 tie through the end of the third. In overtime, the Eagles' Brandon Davis stole the win at 125 on a penalized move by Dabolt. The Bulls quickly erased Ashland's 3-0 lead as Smith pinned AU's Jacob Creed at 5:50. Smith dominated Creed throughout the first two periods, not allowing Creed to score a single point in the 133-pound bout. "Kevin dominated his guy. He was able to break him down and turn him for the pin," said head coach Jim Beichner. With the score tied up at 6-6, Desi Green picked up a close 10-9 decision over Ashland's T.J. Rigel. Picking up four takedowns in his victory, the 16th nationally-ranked wrestler has moved into 20th place in the all-time UB list for most takedowns in a career (75). At 157, the Bulls widened their margin to 13-6 as senior Andrew Stella collected a 12-0 major decision. Following a scoreless first period, Stella turned it on in the remaining periods as nine of his 12 total points came off three-point nearfalls. "After a scoreless first period, Andrew came back with four solid minutes of wrestling. He dominated his opponent on top, which says something," stated Beichner. Moving up a weight class from last year, Cannon came out to rebound from his performance at last week's UB Open. In the first ten seconds of the match, he took Ashland's Peter Lewis to the mat. In the first period alone, Cannon recorded five takedowns. On his final takedown of the second period, Cannon was able to work Lewis to his back, recording a fall at 4:25. "Following his disappointing performance at the UB Open, John-Martin bounced back today. He was himself, coming out to wrestle from the start," said Beichner. Redshirt-freshmen Matt Bogardus at 174 and Josh Peters at 184, scored their first career dual meet victories. Both wrestlers won in 6-3 decisions. In his bout at 174, Bogardus wrestled the final period with a knee injury. "Matt's relentless attitude showed the mental toughness needed to compete in this sport," explained Beichner. In the 197-pound bout, Hamel attacked the Eagles' Josh Grider from the start. In the first period, the 20th nationally-ranked wrestler built an 8-2 lead including a two-point nearfall. In the second period, Hamel buried Grider's shoulders to the mat for his first career fall at 4:28. "We did what we expected of ourselves. Overall, it was a dominating performance. Ashland fought hard throughout the entire match and was able to close the door on bouts where we were unable to. Smith, Cannon and Hamel gave our team insurance points by recording pins in their bouts," said Beichner. The Bulls will return to dual meet action on Sunday, November 15 as they travel to Hempstead, NY to face Hofstra University at 1:00 pm. University at Buffalo 31, Ashland University 9 125: Brandon Davis (AU) dec., Dylan Dabolt (UB), 3-2 (OT). 133: Kevin Smith (UB) fall, Jacob Creed (AU), 5:50. 141: Scott Meyer (AU) dec., Andrew Schutt (AU), 4-2. 149: Desi Green (UB) dec., T.J. Rigel (AU), 10-9. 157: Andrew Stella (UB) maj. dec., Hunter Pool (AU), 12-0. 165: John-Martin Cannon (UB) fall, Peter Lewis (AU), 4:25. 174: Matt Bogardus (UB) dec., Tommie Graszl (AU), 6-3. 184: Josh Peters (UB) dec., Jake Ewing (AU), 6-3. 197: Jimmy Hamel (UB) fall, Josh Girder (AU), 4:28. 285: Jacob Southwick (AU) dec., Robert Ryhal (UB), 5-1.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - NC State dropped the first bout of the evening, then won six in a row and cruised to a 21-18 victory over The Citadel in the college wrestling season opener for both teams. “We had four freshmen in the lineup and I thought we wrestled pretty well overall,” Wolfpack head coach Carter Jordan said. “We did some really good things and we did some really young things. We have some things to work on and it’s going to take time, but we did well. I was very pleased at our aggressiveness. We went after it.” Odie Delaney, the defending SoCon champion and NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds, started off the dual with a quick two-point takedown of the Wolfpack’s Christian McClean and led 2-0 after one period. Delaney started down in the second period, but quickly escaped, reversed McClean, then pinned him at the 3:44 mark to put The Citadel up 6-0. Wolfpack heavyweight Bobby Isola led Ivan Muller 2-1 after one period. Isola escaped to earn the only point of the second period, going up 3-1. In the third, Muller earned an escape point, but could not down Isola as NC State won at heavyweight to cut into the team lead to 6-3. Moving to the top of the lineup, The Citadel’s Richard Alarcon took the Pack’s Taylor Cummings down 30 second into the 125-pound match. Cummings escaped to trim the lead 2-1 and followed with a couple of takedowns to go up 5-2 after one period. In the second, Cummings started on bottom and quickly escaped, opening his lead to 6-2. Alarcon turned the tables with a takedown, but Cummings escaped to make the final score 7-4, tying the team score at 6-6. The Wolfpack’s Darrius Little, a 2009 NCAA qualifier, took a 2-0 lead over Jordan Dix with a takedown at the end of the first period. Dix made it 2-1 with an escape to start the second perod, but Little got a takedown with 10 second to go in the first to go up 4-1 after two. Little got the escape followed by a takedown to start the third period. Little increased his lead and won the match 9-3. NC State took the lead at 9-6. Wolfpack freshman Dale Shull, a 2009 high school national champion, led Nick LaFevre 2-0 after one period at 141 pounds. LaFevre started on top in the second and rode out the period with Shull earning a point on an illegal hold to go up 3-0. The third period featured a scoreless affair with the match ending at 3-0 and NC State moving up 12-6 in the dual. Colton Palmer began the 149-pound bout with a quick takedown of Pierre Frazile, who immediately called an injury timeout and wound up defaulting at the 10-second mark. The six team points pushed the Wolfpack’s team lead to 18-6. NC State’s Bobby Ward and Turtogtokh Luvsandorj took a 4-4 tie into the third period. An escape and riding time gave Ward a 6-4 victory and a 21-6 team lead for the Pack. The Citadel won the last three bouts, including an injury default at 184, to close the final margin to three points at 21-18. “Our veterans wrestled really well, and Dale Shull wrestled a solid match for his first college bout,” Jordan said. “This is going to be a good team.” NC State 21, The Citadel 18 197 - Odie Delaney (CIT) pinned Christian McClean, at 3:44 HWT - Bobby Isola (NCS) dec. Ivan Muller, 4-2 125 - Taylor Cummings (NCS) dec. Richard Alarcon, 7-4 133 - Darrius Little (NCS) dec. Jordan Dix, 10-3 141 - Dale Shull (NCS) dec. Nick LaFevre, 3-0 149 - Colton Palmer (NCS) injury def. Pierre Frazile, at 0:10 157 - Bobby Ward (NCS) dec. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj, 6-4 165 - Derek Sickel (CIT) dec. Kasey Young, 7-4 174 - J.C. Oddo (CIT) dec. Quinton Godley, 5-1 184 - Kelby Smith (CIT) injury def. John Becker, at 6:02

IOWA CITY, IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team treated their fans to some great matches during Saturday morning's wrestle-off finals at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex. Returning all-Americans and seniors Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (165), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) won their bouts, while senior Chad Beatty also posted a win at 197. Sophomores Montell Marion (141) and Jordan Johnson (Hwt.), redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) true freshman Derek St. John (157) also recorded wins at their weight classes. "We saw some good potential and depth in a lot of places," said University of Iowa Head Wrestling Coach Tom Brands. "This was a chance for our guys to weigh-in, have a competition and shake some of the cobwebs out. The results mean a lot and mean nothing at this point. We have a lot of depth and competition in our room, which is no secret, but in order for us to win championships we need guys to wrestle well at every competition." The defending NCAA and Big Ten champion Hawkeyes will open the season Nov. 14 at the Harold Nichols Open in Ames. Iowa's first home dual will be Nov. 20 when it hosts the six-team Iowa City Duals in Carver Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will wrestle Coe at 10:30 a.m., Cornell College at Noon, Iowa Lakes at 1:30 p.m., North Carolina-Pembroke at 3 p.m. and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 5 p.m. Wrestling season tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office, at (319) 335-9327, or online at www.hawkeyesports.com. Tickets are $60 for members of the public and $48 for UI faculty and staff. Single meet prices are $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased in advance for the Iowa City, Northern Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern duals, and $13 for adults, $7 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under for the Oklahoma State, Penn State and Ohio State duals. Day of the meet tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for youth for the Iowa City, Northern Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern duals, and $15 for adults, $8 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under for the Oklahoma State, Penn State and Ohio State duals. IOWA'S WRESTLE-OFF RESULTS Saturday's Final Results 125 - Matt McDonough dec. J.J. Krutsinger, 10-3 133 - Daniel Dennis dec. Nate Moore, 5-3 141 - Montell Marion dec. Dan LeClere, 11-7 149 - Brent Metcalf tech. fall Phillip Sheridan, 21-4 in 6:10 157 - Derek St. John won by injury default over Aaron Janssen, 3:35 165 - Ryan Morningstar maj. dec. Joe DuCharme, 12-3 174 - Jay Borschel dec. Ethen Lofthouse, 8-3 184 - Phillip Keddy dec. Grant Gambrall, 6-2 197 - Chad Beatty dec. Luke Lofthouse, 7-3 Hwt - Jordan Johnson dec. Blake Rasing, 3-2 Friday's Semifinal Results 125 - J.J. Krutsinger maj. dec. Nick Trizzino, 16-5 125 - Matt McDonough dec. Tyler Clark, 5-1 133 - Nate Moore dec. Mark Ballweg, 13-7 149 - Phillip Sheridan pinned Jeret Chiri, 4:59 149 - Brent Metcalf pinned Stew Gillmor, 2:17 157 - Aaron Janssen dec. Jake Kerr, 6-2 157 - Derek St. John dec. Matt Ballweg, 7-4 165 - Joe DuCharme dec. Ruffin Tchakounte, 4-3 184 - Phillip Keddy maj. dec. Tomas Lira, 16-5 184 - Grant Gambrall dec. Vinnie Wagner, 6-4 Thursday's Quarterfinal Results 149 - Stew Gillmor dec. Ethan Sebert, 2-1 157 - Derek St. John dec. Brooks Kopsa, 10-5

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The 10th-ranked University of Maryland wrestling team opened the 2009-10 season in dominant fashion, winning a pair of duals against Drexel and York in a tri-meet Saturday at Comcast Pavilion. The Terrapins (2-0) opened the day with a 35-6 victory against Drexel (1-1) and returned shortly after with a 57-0 shutout of York (0-2) that lasted less than 45 minutes and featured eight pins. "I was happy. We won 18 of 20 matches and got bonus points in a lot of matches," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "It was a great performance in front of our home crowd. All of our guys got a chance to compete and they competed well." Maryland opened its match with Drexel with three straight major decisions to open an early 12-0 lead. James Knox won 9-1 at 125 pounds, No. 8 Steven Bell took over late to defeat Steve Mytych, 12-3, at 133 pounds and No. 4 Alex Krom also used a late flurry to knock off Matt Dugan at 141 pounds, 13-5. Drexel broke through at 149 pounds with a Brett McCurdy decision over Jon Kohler, 4-1, but Maryland re-gained control and cruised to victory from there. Kyle John and Joseph Booth engaged in the closest and arguably most-entertaining match of the entire day at 157 pounds. John trailed 8-4 heading into the third period and was behind 8-6 with less than a minute remaining. However, John eventually got Booth on the ground to tie the score late and he was able to ride Booth out and earn the riding-time bonus for a thrilling, 9-8 victory. Josh Asper then took an 18-5 major decision at 165 and Drexel forfeited at 174, putting Maryland on top, 25-3. Corey Peltier followed with an 11-0 major decision at 184 and No. 3 Hudson Taylor had little trouble at 197, pinning Jack Callender in 1 minute, 29 seconds. The Dragons salvaged the final matchup at heavyweight, as Kyle Frey bested Patrick Gilmore, 7-5, in the first sudden victory period. Maryland had absolutely no trouble in the final match of the day against York. Maryland won by fall or technical fall in nine of 10 matches, as only one went the regulation seven minutes. Only three matches needed a second period to be decided. Knox pinned Aaron Repman 52 seconds into the second period to begin the dual and Bell followed suit with a fall in 1:17 against Alex Paladino to give Maryland a 12-0 advantage. Krom was superior at 141 pounds, earning a 19-4 technical fall with 23 seconds remaining in the first period. Kohler pinned Ryan Catton in 2:09 at 149 and John needed only 58 seconds to pin Alan Dyer at 157. Asper won a 17-5 major decision against Matt Heisey at 165 pounds in the only match that wasn't decided by fall or technical fall. After winning by forfeit against Drexel, No. 5 Mike Letts took the mat to wrestle in a dual meet for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Letts was stellar in his return, pinning Paul Richards in 1:19. The Terps capped the day with three more pins. Peltier pinned Alex Martocello in 6:49, Taylor took out George Saliba in a swift 39 seconds and Gilmore sealed the shutout against Thomas Fitzpatrick, earning a win by fall in 2:01. Drexel defeated York, 37-9, in the first match of the day. Maryland has a week off before a highly-anticipated matched Friday, Nov. 20 at Cornell. No. 10 MARYLAND 57, YORK 0 125 - James Knox (MD) fall over Aaron Repman, 3:52 (6-0) 133 - No. 8 Steven Bell (MD) fall over Alex Paladino, 1:17 (12-0) 141 - No. 4 Alex Krom (MD) tech. fall over Will Pumphrey, 19-4 [2:37] (17-0) 149 - Jon Kohler (MD) fall over Ryan Catton, 2:09 (23-0) 157 - Kyle John (MD) fall over Alan Dyer, :58 (29-0) 165 - Josh Asper (MD) major dec. Matt Heisey, 17-5 (33-0) 174 - No. 5 Mike Letts (MD) fall over Paul Richards, 1:19 (39-0) 184 - Corey Peltier (MD) fall over Alex Martocello, 6:49 (45-0) 197 - No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) fall over George Saliba, :39 (51-0) HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) fall over Thomas Fitzpatrick, 2:01 (57-0) No. 10 MARYLAND 35, DREXEL 6 125 - James Knox (MD) major dec. Joshua Yurasits, 9-1 (4-0) 133 - No. 8 Steven Bell (MD) major dec. Steve Mytych, 12-3 (8-0) 141 - No. 4 Alex Krom (MD) major dec. Matt Dugan, 13-5 (12-0) 149 - Brett McCurdy (DU) dec. Jon Kohler, 4-1 (12-3) 157 - Kyle John (MD) dec. Joseph Booth, 9-8 (15-3) 165 - Josh Asper (MD) major dec. Alex Rinaldi, 18-5 (19-3) 174 - No. 5 Mike Letts (MD) wins by forfeit (25-3) 184 - Corey Peltier (MD) major dec. Justin Wieller, 11-0 (29-3) 197 - No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) fall over Jack Callender, 1:29 (35-3) HWT - Kyle Frey (DU) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 7-5 sv1 (35-6) DREXEL 37, YORK 9 125 - Joshua Yurasits (DU) tech. fall over Aaron Repman, 18-3 [6:27] (5-0) 133 - Steve Mytych (DU) fall over Alex Paladino, 2:26 (11-0) 141 - Matt Dugan (DU) tech. fall over Will Pumphrey, 18-2 [5:29] (16-0) 149 - John McDermott (DU) fall over Ryan Catton, 4:44 (22-0) 157 - Joseph Booth (DU) tech. fall over Alan Dyer, 16-0 [5:56] (27-0) 165 - Alex Rinaldi (DU) dec. Matt Heisey, 3-2 (30-0) 174 - Paul Richards (YC) wins by forfeit (30-6) 184 - Justin Wieller (DU) dec. Alex Martocello, 3-2 (33-6) 197 - George Saliba (YC) dec. Jack Callender, 7-4 (33-9) HWT - Kyle Frey (DU) major dec. Thomas Fitzpatrick, 13-4 (37-9)

BOISE, Idaho -- The Boise State wrestling team recorded its’ first official win of the season, Friday (Nov. 6) night, as the Broncos (1-0, 0-0) took care of the University of Great Falls-Montana (0-1, 0-0) with a dominating 40-3 win in their first home dual of the season in Taco Bell Arena. The Broncos lost just one match on the night, while winning two matches by fall and four more by major decision. Alan Bartelli scored the first Boise State points of the night in the 125-pound match, where he recorded a pin (2:04) against Bryan Borst to give the Broncos a 6-0 lead. Andrew Hochstrasser followed suit in the 133-pound match, also recording a win by fall (5:43) against Kyle Middlemist of Great Falls. Levi Jones recorded his first win of the season at 141 pounds, beating Jason Costello 10-3 to give Boise State a 15-0 lead. At 149 pounds Jason Chamberlain recorded the first major decision of the night with an 18-7 win against Byron Kuylen. Chamberlain was followed by Adam Hall, who won the 157-pound match with another major decision (12-2) over Michael Hader. Michael Cuthbertson earned Boise State’s third major decision victory of the dual at 165 pounds with a 12-2 win against Noah Hatton. He was followed by Nate Lee, who defeated Brendon DeCock with a 9-3 decision at 174 pounds. Kirk Smith pushed the Bronco lead to 34-0 after a 17-3 major decision win over Michael French at 184 pounds. Boise State scored its’ final points of the night with a forfeit in the heavyweight match to push the final score to 40-3. Boise State is off the mat now for a couple weeks until the Broncos head to Corvallis, Ore. on Nov. 22 to take on the University of Wisconsin and Oregon State in a double-header. Boise State does not return home until Dec. 11 (Friday) when the Broncos host Montana State-Northern at 7 p.m. in Taco Bell Arena. Boise State 40, Great Falls 3 125 – Alan Bartelli (BSU) fall (2:04) Bryan Borst (UGF) 133 – Andrew Hochstrasser (BSU) fall (5:43) Kyle Middlemist (UGF) 141 – Levi Jones (BSU) dec. Jason Costello (UGF) 10-3 149 – Jason Chamberlain (BSU) major dec. Byron Kuylen (UGF) 18-7 157 – Adam Hall (BSU) major dec. Michael Hader (UGF) 12-2 165 – Michael Cuthbertson (BSU) major dec. Noah Hatton (UGF) 12-2 174 – Nate Lee (BSU) dec. Brendon DeCock (UGF) 9-3 184 – Kirk Smith (BSU) major dec. Michael French (UGF) 17-3 197 – Alex Calvi (UGF) dec. Matt Casperson (BSU) 6-5 HWT – Sam Zylstra (BSU) win by forfeit

Wednesday evening, right around the time that the New York Yankees were surging to a 2-0 Game 6 lead by virtue of a Hideki Matsui home run, Lighthouse Wrestling was in the process of getting it confirmed that two-time defending CHSAA Catholic State/2008 NYS DI champion Andrew Lenzi had indeed officially come off of the market. Responding to a Facebook message left for him, the two-time NYS finalist confirmed that earlier in the evening, he had contacted the University of Pennsylvania’s head wrestling coach, Rob Eiter, to inform him that he had decided to make the Philadelphia-based campus his home away from home for the next four years (commencing in the fall of 2010). Lenzi becomes the first recruit from the current senior class to formally announce his intentions to join the Quakers. A household name in New York since 2006 when he won the schoolboy state title in impressive fashion, teching nearly all of his opponents, the future student-athlete at the famed Wharton School of Business, has found himself on everybody’s radar ever since. Electing to concentrate on the academic adjustment that accompanies matriculation at a top-flight college preparatory school in 2007, Lenzi and his family made the decision to forego the rigors of weight cutting. However, despite being pitted against physically more mature upperclassmen, the Ram wrestler compiled a more than respectable freshmen campaign, culminating with a third-place finish at the Catholic state tournament (CHSAA qualifier for the NYS tournament). As a sophomore, Lenzi would distinguish himself as a true contender for the federation hardware at the Eastern States Tournament (considered by some to be a tougher tournament to win than the NYS title because it includes wrestlers from both divisions). Seeded 12th, Lenzi would go on to win his first four matches, including a 10-4 decision over top-seeded Brian Benton (currently at George Mason University), before bowing out in the finals to Dom Oddo. This would be a loss that Lenzi would study and learn from, avenging the defeat several weeks later in the quarterfinals of the state tournament….a 14-5 major decision over Brandan McKeown in the semifinals would set the stage for a rematch with Benton, with the victor not only going the spoils, but claiming the 130-pound state crown as well. And, again, it would be the representative from the Catholic League that got his arm raised, emerging with the 5-3 decision. The win made Lenzi the first wrestler from the CHSAA to earn the top step on the podium since 2000 When St. Anthony’s Lucas Magnani (wrestled for Brown University and the University of Iowa) won the title as a sophomore. Lenzi would be an emphatic exclamation point on 2008, earning All-American honors at the NHSCA Sophomore National tournament, finishing sixth at 135-pounds. Lenzi, rated as the No. 8 senior in the Empire State’s 2010 class, would wrestle his way back onto center state last season, winning his first three matches in Albany (including a thrilling 6-5 decision over former 2x NYS champion/Current Harvard freshman Paul Liguori). However, unlike his magical sophomore season, the future Quaker would have to watch as his opponent, Rocky Point’s Stephen Dutton (No. 3 senior in NYS; Verbal commitment to Lehigh University) would go on to get his first taste of glory, knocking the defending champion from his throne via a 10-1 major decision. Now, just a month or so away from the beginning of his swan song, those of us who have chatted with Lenzi know how hungry he is to return to the top of the mountain. Should the FP captain succeed in his mission to recapture the gold, he will have made history, becoming the first wrestler from the Catholic League to win multiple state crowns. In doing so, he will immediately join the likes of the aforementioned Magnani in the discussion of the greatest wrestler in CHSAA history. Projected as a 141-pounder on the next level, Lenzi chose the University of Pennsylvania over Ivy League rivals Columbia University, Harvard University, and Princeton University. When asked about the deciding factors, the two-time CHSAA State Most Outstanding Wrestler cited the quality of the coaching staff, saying "Coach Eiter and Coach Valenti are really good guys and really good coaches. I believe I will be able to achieve all of my goals under them. They are the type of people that would do anything for me or any other member on the team to help them achieve their goals." Lenzi also spoke very highly of the camaraderie that he experienced during his visit to the campus, talking in detail about how he was impressed with the fact that all of the team members are friends off of the mat as well. To conclude, Lenzi commented about life after wrestling and how he felt the strength of the academics (especially the Business program) were ideal for him, saying "Wharton is the No. 1 business school in the nation. It will provide me with the opportunity to be most successful after my career on the mat is finished." With the addition of former two-time NCAA champion Matt Valenti to the UPenn coaching staff, coupled with the return of incumbent starter Bryan Ortenzio (133) and former blue-chip recruits Dan White and Zack Kemmerer, there should be no shortage of quality workout partners to reach the fullest extent of his potential. On behalf of everyone at LHW, we offer our sincerest congratulations to Andrew and his family on this big moment. Coach Eiter is getting a great young man!!! Jason Bross from Monsignor Farrell High School contributed to this story. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from LighthouseWrestling.com.