InterMat Staff

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The 15th-ranked Penn State wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, put forth a strong showing at the 2009 Nittany Lion Open. Penn State crowned three of the tournament's ten champions in a crowded field featuring many of the nation's best wrestlers. Sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 149, blazed his way to a 5-0 mark and the title at 149. Molinaro was unstoppable in his wins, outscoring his five foes by a combined score of 36-6. Senior All-American Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), ranked No.4 at 157, downed true freshman teammate David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) 9-7 in a thrilling final at 157 to claim the crown. Sanderson went 5-0 to take first while Taylor went 4-1 (including a pin of the 17th-ranked wrestler in the nation) to take second. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) battled his way through a rugged field at 184 to go 5-0 and claim the title. Erwin got a last-second takedown over Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt to win 9-8 in the finals. He also downed No. 10 Josh Patterson of Binghamton in the semifinals. Other top performances for Penn State (in addition to the three champions and Taylor's second place showing) included junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), who was upset in the finals at 125. Pataky, ranked No. 6, was turning No. 9 Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech when the talented Hokie caught Pataky and pinned him at the 4:49 mark. Red-shirting sophomore All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) bounced back from an upset loss in the semifinals at 184 to take third, senior All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), bounced back from an upset loss in the semifinals to take third at 165 and Colby Pisani (Ridgway, Pa.), who took fourth at 141. Other place winners for Penn State included freshman Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), who was eighth at 133; freshman James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.), who was fifth at 157; true freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), who was fifth at 184; sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), who was fifth at heavyweight; and senior Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.), who was eighth at heavyweight. Penn State will re-visit its EWL?days next weekend, visiting West Virginia on Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m., and Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions' next home event will be on Jan. 22 when the Illinois Illini come to State College. Single event tickets for Nittany Lion wrestling cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Group sales are available once again for groups of 15 people or more. Group prices are $4 in advance and $5 walk-up. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1.800.NITTANY between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC?(1390 AM), 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on GoPSUsports. com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

AMES, IA -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team survived a late charge by the second-ranked Iowa State Cyclones, scoring an 18-16 victory Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Each team won five matches with the difference being Hawkeye senior Brent Metcalf's pin at 149 pounds. Iowa (8-0) took a 7-6 lead in the sixth-annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series in front of 11,137 fans with the win. The Hawkeyes, who have won the last five meetings against Iowa State (1-1), picked up their school-record 46th straight dual victory and 32nd consecutive road win. "This match was very important to us," explained Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. "We didn't wrestle well, but the bonus points won it for us tonight. We have been wrestling sloppy the last couple of weekends. We need to get healthy, get to full strength and get tougher." Iowa jumped out to a 6-0 lead on decisions by redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) and senior Daniel Dennis (133). McDonough improved to 8-0 with a 13-7 win over Iowa State redshirt freshman Andrew Long. The Marion, IA, native scored the first takedown of the night and five total in the match, while holding Long to one takedown. Dennis scored a takedown as time expired in sudden victory to beat Cyclone senior Nick Fanthorpe, 10-8. Dennis, who picked up his 55th career victory with the win, is undefeated at 8-0. Iowa State put its first points on the board at 141 when senior Nick Gallick scored a takedown in a sudden victory scramble to beat Hawkeye senior Dan LeClere, 8-6. LeClere came back from a 5-1 second period deficit and scored a takedown at the end of regulation to take the match into overtime. The Hawkeyes took a 15-3 lead into the intermission with Metcalf's 5:50 pin over Cyclone senior Mitch Mueller pin and an 8-6 decision by Iowa junior Aaron Janssen over Cyclone sophomore Andrew Sorenson at 157. Metcalf led the match 11-3 before scoring his sixth pin of the season and his 80th career victory. He is undefeated at 8-0 this season and needs three more pins to break into Iowa's all-time top 10 career pins list. Iowa State put three more points on the board at 165 with Cyclone senior Jon Reader's 4-3 win over Hawkeye senior Ryan Morningstar. Morningstar scored a takedown late in the third period to tie the score at 3-3, but Reader added a riding time point to hand the Hawkeye senior his first loss of the season. Hawkeye junior Jay Borschel stretched Iowa's lead to 18-6 with his 10-4 decision over Cyclone senior Duke Burk at 174. After a scoreless first period, Borschel scored two takedowns in the second period and added one more in the third to remain undefeated at 8-0. Iowa State gave themselves a chance at the team victory with wins at the last three weights, but did not score the needed bonus points to take the lead. Cyclone sophomore Jerome Ward led the charge, scoring a 5-3 upset over Hawkeye senior Phillip Keddy at 184. Top-ranked Iowa State senior Jake Varner scored a 12-4 major decision over Iowa senior Chad Beatty at 197, making the team score 18-13 in favor of Iowa. Hawkeye sophomore Blake Rasing put up a fight in the final match of the night, but gave up a takedown in sudden victory to lose 3-1 to Cyclone senior David Zabriskie. The Hawkeyes also crowned six individual champions at the Wisconsin Open in Parkside, WI, Saturday. Sophomores J.J. Krutsinger (125), Montell Marion (141) and Jordan Johnson (Hwt.), redshirt freshman Mark Ballweg (133) and Grant Gambrall (184) and true freshman Derek St. John (157) all won their respective weight classes. Juniors Tyler Clark (133) and Luke Lofthouse (197), and sophomore Vinnie Wagner (184) placed second, while true freshman Ethen Lofthouse (174) placed third. Up next for Iowa is Thursday's 7 p.m. dual with Northern Iowa (3-3) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults and $5 for youth, while tickets purchased at the event are $12 for adults and $6 for youth. UI students and children ages five and under will receive free admission to the dual. The meet has been designated the Miracle Meet, in support of the UI Children's Hospital, and food drive. Fans can bring in three non-perishable food items to the UI Sports Marketing table at each Carver-Hawkeye Arena entrance and receive an Iowa wrestling decal. Results: 125 - Matt McDonough (I) dec. Andrew Long (ISU), 13-7 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 10-8 SV 141 - Nick Gallick (ISU) dec. Dan LeClere (I), 8-6 SV 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) pinned Mitch Mueller (ISU), 5:50 157 - Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Andrew Sorenson (ISU), 8-6 165 - Jon Reader (ISU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 4-3 174 - Jay Borschel (I) dec. Duke Burk (ISU), 10-4 184 - Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 5-3 197 - Jake Varner (ISU) maj. dec. Chad Beatty (I), 12-4 Hwt. - David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. Blake Rasing (I), 3-1 SV

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro captured the 67th Annual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday at McComb Fieldhouse on the Edinboro campus. It marks the fifth straight PSAC title for head coach Tim Flynn’s squad, tying the PSAC record set by Lock Haven from 1940-42 and 1947-48. Edinboro has now won eight of the last nine and 11 of the last 13 championships. The Fighting Scots finished with 142.5 points to edge Bloomsburg, which finished with 134.5 points. Clarion was third with 110.0 points, while Lock haven grabbed fourth place with a total of 99.5 points. Ten teams competed in the championships. Edinboro finished with a total of four champions, including a pair of three-time winners. Jarrod King and Pat Bradshaw became the 49th and 50th three-time champions at 165 and 184 lbs., respectively. King joins his brother Matt as a three-time champion. Bloomsburg had three champions, including Nate Graham, who recorded his second straight title at 174 lbs. Matt Moley of Bloomsburg was named the Outstanding Wrestler after wining all three of his bouts at 157 lbs. by fall. The two-time All-American pinned Jarrett Hostetter of Millersville in 2:10 in the finals. It was Moley’s first PSAC crown. Edinboro had a young and somewhat patched up lineup, but that didn’t matter to Flynn. “Winning is winning,” he grinned afterwards. “I don’t care if it’s young guys, old guys, whatever. I thought we wrestled better than we have been. I still think that we have a little bit of work to do. We’ve been focusing on our effort. Our effort was better, even in the losing matches.” Edinboro's Eric Morrill got the finals started with an 8-2 decision over Jason Guffey of Bloomsburg at 125 lbs., recording the matches’ only three takedowns. Cory Bowers of Gannon followed with a 4-3 decision over Clarion’s Jay Ivanco, the 125 lb. champion in 2008, in the 133 lb. title match. The two battled through two scoreless periods before Bowers posted a pair of third period takedowns to become Gannon’s first PSAC champion. At 141 lbs., freshman Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg, the third seed, upset top-seeded Joel Webster of Edinboro by major decision, 10-2. Lock Haven’s Brock Parker, the biggest surprise of the tourney as a fifth seed, picked up a 3-1 decision in overtime over Josh Roosa of Bloomsburg, the third seed, at 149 lbs. That left Parker with wins over the first, third and fourth seeds. Following Moley’s win at 157 lbs., King and Bloomsburg’s Ricky Schmelyun met for the second straight year in the 165 lb. championship bout. King prevailed 4-0, with a first period takedown, plus a point for stalling and riding time. King, the defending Division I national champion, won an extremely strong weight class that also included Mercyhurst’s Josh Shields, the defending Division II national champion. Graham garnered his second straight 174 lb. title with a 5-2 decision over Shippensburg’s Chris Barrick. Bradshaw won his first two titles at 197 lbs., then moved down to 184 lbs. this year. In a wild match, he handed Shane Mallory of East Stroudsburg an 11-6 defeat thanks to a takedown and five total near-fall points. The 197 lb. match featured a battle of top-seeded Shawn Fendone of Edinboro and Clarion freshman Alex Thomas, the second seed. Thomas need just two minutes to pin Fendone. A year ago Chris Birchler lost the heavyweight title to Edinboro’s Joey Fendone while competing for East Stroudsburg. Now a Fighting Scot, Fendone was in Birchler’s corner as the senior won a 9-4 decision over Dan Craig of Lock Haven.

PRIMM, Nev. -- Four Hoosiers placed at the 28th Annual Cliff Keen Invitational, including Angel Escobedo and Nate Everhart; and their individual championships in the 125 lbs. and 285 lbs. weight classes, respectively. Escobedo was named the tournament's "Most Outstanding Wrestler." As a team, the Hoosiers finished in sixth place out 44 schools competing in the event. Twelve of the nation's top-25 teams were in the field. Escobedo, ranked second nationally, improves his season record to 12-0 after gathering a half-dozen wins en route to his tournament title. He took out two nationally-ranked opponents in the process, including a 4-2 decision over #3 Anthony Robles of Arizona State in the finals. In his semifinal match, Everhart firmly placed himself in the All-American conversation with a 4-3 triumph over No. 4 Mitch Monteiro (Cal St. Bakersfield). He then followed that up with another one-point victory over No. 7 Tucker Lane from Nebraska in the finals. It was incorrectly reported Saturday that Everhart lost his championship match. The corrected results are above. Young advanced to the semifinals of the championship bracket as well before dropping back-to-back matches by a combined three points against two wrestlers ranked in the nation's top-6. He rebounded in his final match of the weekend, however, defeating Hofstra's P.J. Gillespie, 8-5, for fifth place. Powless was Indiana's fourth placer out in Nevada, coming in at eight place.

Primm, Nev. -- Craig Brester continued a dominant senior season as he claimed the 197-pound championship while leading the Nebraska wrestling team to a fifth-place finish with 94 points at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitaitonal on Saturday in Primm, Nev. After three falls on Friday, Brester pinned Purdue's Logan Brown in 2 minutes, 30 seconds to advance to the finals, where he won a 6-3 decision over Oklahoma's Eric Lapotsky for the 197-pound title. The Howells, Neb., native is now 11-0 this season and has won five matches by fall. Brester won of three Husker to reach the finals, in addition to senior Stephen Dwyer (174) and sophomore Tucker Lane (285). Dwyer and Lane each claimed runner-up finishes after advancing to the championhip round with semifinal vicotires. Dwyer defeated Purdue's Luke Manuel (7-3), but fell to Cornell's Mack Lewnes by decision (5-3), while Lane downed Oklahoma's Nathan Fernandez (3-1) before dropping the title bout to Indiana's Nate Everhart (3-2). Nebraska was without defending 157-pound national champion Jordan Burroughs, who was forced to withdraw from the Las Vegas Invitational after a first round mouth injury. The Huskers are back on the road next week on a short turnaround, traveling to No. 4 Minnesota on Thursday (7 p.m.) before a dual at South Dakota State on Saturday (2 p.m.).

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The Big Red wrestling team placed second at the Las Vegas Invitational this weekend where Mack Lewnes won the individual title at 174 pounds. Five other Big Red wrestlers placed in their respective weight classes including Mike Grey (2nd, 133), Cam Simaz (3rd, 197), Kyle Dake (4th, 141), Steve Bosak (5th, 174) and Frank Perrelli (5th, 125). Cornell finished with 121.5 team points just one point behind team champions Ohio State (122.5) At 174 pounds, Lewnes won a 5-3 decision over the second-seeded Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska to win his third Las Vegas Invitational title. Lewnes notched two takedowns and had an escape to start the second period, while he held Dwyer to three escapes. In the semis, he defeated Jeffrey James (4) (Oklahoma), 7-3. Grey, the No. 3 seed, picked up a bonus point for the Big Red in his semifinal match by winning by a 10-2 major decision over Kelly Kubec (7) (Oregon State). Grey placed second after losing a 5-3 decision to Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly in the finals. At 197 in the wrestlebacks, Simaz pinned his third opponent of the competition. He won by fall in 4:51 over Indiana’s Matt Powless. Simaz advanced to the third place match after he won a 6-2 decision over Logan Brown of Purdue the No. 5 seed. The Big Red sophomore took third place after defeating Oregon State’s Chad Hanke by a 23-8 tech fall in 6:37. At 141 pounds, Dake faced Reece Humphrey of Ohio State in the semifinals. Humphrey, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country, narrowly defeated the Big Red freshman, 4-2, in sudden victory. Dake shutout the No. 2 seeded and third ranked Chris Druin of Arizona State in the consolation round, 4-0. In his match for third place, Dake faced Zach Bailey (5) of Oklahoma. Bailey won by a 2-1 decision in the first tiebreaker. In the wrestlebacks at 184 pounds, Bosak won his first match of the day by tech fall (16-0, 7:00) over UNC Greensboro’s Andrew Saunders. No. 6 nationally ranked Joe LeBlanc (3) from Wyoming narrowly defeated Bosak, 7-5, in sudden victory. Bosak placed fifth after receiving a medical forfeit from Matt Ryan of West Virginia. At 125 pounds, Perrelli was pinned by the No. 1 seed Angel Escobedo (Indiana) in 5:22 in the semifinals. In the wrestlebacks, he lost a close 5-4 decision to Old Dominion’s James Nicholson. Perrelli placed fifth after defeating Boise States’ Alan Bartelli, 4-3. The Big Red will break for the holidays and will be back in action on Dec. 29-30 for the Southern Scuffle.

PRIMM, Nev. -- Behind 141-pound champion Reece Humphrey and runners-up Lance Palmer and Colt Sponseller, the third-ranked Ohio State wrestling team captured the 2009 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational team title Saturday afternoon at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nev. It was a close affair as the Buckeyes (122.5) escaped with a one-point victory over Cornell (121.5). Compared to Ohio State's 1-2 record in the finals, the Big Red went 1-1. Finishing third was Oklahoma with 109.5 points. The 2009 championship comes a year after the Scarlet and Gray finished 11th. Humphrey, No. 1 in the nation and a senior team tri-captain, remains undefeated this season at 14-0 following six victories in Nevada. The native of Indianapolis, Ind., scored bonus points in three of his six wins, which included a pin, technical fall and major decision. His final three bouts came against seeded wrestlers in No. 8 Kenny Hashimoto Northern Colorado, No. 4 Kyle Dake of Cornell and No. 6 Fil Novachkov of Cal Poly. Despite the tough competition, Humphrey was able to outscore his final three opponents, 24-11. Humphrey's win over Dake proved to be pivotal in the team standings as well. The Big Red stood just 10 points behind the Buckeyes entering the second and final day of competition. Palmer, another Buckeye senior team captain, was second for the second consecutive year at 149 pounds, a weight class considered one of the toughest in the nation. The No. 2-seed from Columbia Station, Ohio, Palmer faced No. 1 Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin in the final and dropped a close 3-1 decision. Palmer had won nine-straight matches before his setback in the final. Like his teammate Palmer, Sponseller also was a runner-up for the second straight year at 165 pounds. And also like Palmer, Sponseller faced a Badger in the final in No. 1 seed Andrew Howe. The junior from Glenmont, Ohio, lost, 6-3, in the championship bout. With Top 8 finishes, Nikko Triggas (125), Dave Rella (174) and Mike Pucillo (184) also were instrumental in guiding Ohio State to the team title. Triggas was eighth, Rella was seventh and Pucillo earned a fourth-place finish. The Buckeyes return to dual action against No. 19 Edinboro at 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg, Ohio. Team Standings (Top 10) 1. 122.5 Ohio State 2. 121.5 Cornell 3. 109.5 Oklahoma 4. 97.5 Boise State 5. 94 Nebraska 6. 90.5 Indiana 7. 78.5 Cal Poly 8. 77.5 Oregon State 9. 73.5 Wisconsin 10. 71 Wyoming

Brandon Eggum

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Army at American wrestling match, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12 in Washington, D.C., has been cancelled due to a conflict. No reschedule date has been announced. The Black Knights will host their second dual match of the season on Thursday, Dec. 10 at Gillis Field House. The home match against Rider will begin at 7:30 p.m. and ITT Knight Vision will cover the event live.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The seventh-ranked University of Maryland wrestling team avenged last season's regular season loss to North Carolina by opening conference play with a 41-0 victory over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Friday night. Maryland (6-1, 1-0 ACC) dominated from the beginning, winning all ten matches. "It feels good to win this way after they beat us last year," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "We're doing the right things and continuing to work hard to get better and put ourselves in the position we need to be in." On paper, the Terps looked to have the advantage in the early matches while the Tar Heels looked to hold an edge in the middle weights. Maryland opened by getting major decisions in each of the first two matches before No. 11 Alex Krom went to overtime to defeat Mike Rappo. Maryland held an 11-0 lead going into the matchup at 149 pounds, Jon Kohler widened the lead for Maryland by taking a 10-8 decision over No. 12 Nick Stabile. Kyle John followed that up at 157 with a major decision over No. 12 Thomas Scotton, putting Maryland completely in control. Josh Asper (165) and Corey Peltier (184) both got close wins, while No. 6 Mike Letts (174) earned an 18-3 technical fall over Thomas Ferguson. No. 3 Hudson Taylor recorded the 69th pin of his career, tying Jake Stork's school record. The senior from Pennington, N.J., is now 12-0 on the season, winning 10 of those matches by pin. Maryland is back in action on Sunday as a number of Terps travel to State College, Pa., to compete in the Penn State Open. Results: 125- James Knox (MD) major dec. Brian Bokoski, 13-3 (MD 4-0) 133- No. 8 Steven Bell (MD) major dec. Jeremy Shaw, 12-4 (MD 8-0) 141- No. 11 Alex Krom (MD) dec. Mike Rappo, 6-4 (OT) (MD 11-0) 149- Jon Kohler (MD) dec. No. 12 Nick Stabile, 10-8 (MD 14-0) 157- Kyle John (MD) major dec. No. 12 Thomas Scotton , 9-0 (MD 18-0) 165- Josh Asper (MD) dec. Kyle Kiss 4-2 (MD 21-0) 174- No. 6 Mike Letts (MD) tech. fall Thomas Ferguson, 18-3 (MD 26-0) 184- Corey Peltier (MD) dec. Nick Tenpenny 5-2 (MD 29-0) 197- No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) pins No. 11 Dennis Drury 4:24 (MD 35-0) HWT- No. 20 Patrick Gilmore (MD) wins by forfeit, (MD 41-0)

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Fueled by an upset win from freshman Alex Meade over former NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter at 165 pounds, the No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team claimed an impressive 21-8 win over No. 5 Minnesota Friday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. After spotting the Gophers (1-1 overall) a 6-0 lead through the first two bouts of the dual, the Cowboys (2-0-1 overall) went on to win seven of the next eight bouts and claim the resounding win. Sophomore 141-pounder Jamal Parks picked up his second upset victory of the week by handing fourth-ranked Gopher Mike Thorn a 4-1 defeat just three days after toppling No. 15 Zack Bailey of Oklahoma, but Meade stole the show with his 3-2 win over Schlatter. The Cowboy freshman bagged a takedown against the three-time Minnesota All-American just over a minute into the bout in what ended up being the key point of the match. A pair of escapes from Schlatter and an escape from Meade capped the scoring. “It’s a good win for him and strategy-wise I thought he wrestled well,” OSU coach John Smith said of Meade. “It came down to that first attempt when Schlatter tried to take him to his back and Alex reacted very well. Not only did he react but he went for the points. It’s a good win for him in his young career and I’m happy for him because he has worked hard.” Meade said his focus going into the match was not scouting Schlatter as much as it was preparing for how he was going to attack and score. “It’s a good win and a motivator for me,” Meade said. “It let me know that I can compete with the best and I’m going to keep learning from it.” OSU heavyweight Jared Rosholt picked up the 100th win of his career Friday with an 8-6 sudden victory triumph over No. 8 Ben Berhow. In doing so, he became the 33rd wrestler in Oklahoma State history to eclipse the century mark, joining his brother Jake, among others. “I didn’t even know until you guys said something because I don’t really keep track,” Rosholt said of his 100th win. “It surprised me when he came in and said that. It’s still the beginning stages of the season, so that’s kind of surprising. It’s good to know. I feel good about it. It’s a good accomplishment.” The Cowboys break for final exams, then return to action when they travel to California to battle UC Davis on Dec. 18. “I’m pleased that we kind of won a slugfest tonight,” Smith said. “It looked like a preseason dual to me where a lot of grabbing a hold of and hanging on happened. I think the key thing for us is that we won a lot of those matches and that made a difference in the score. We scored important takedowns.” Results: 125 pounds: No. 4 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. No. 7 Chris Notte (OSU); 11-5 133 pounds: No. 2 Jayson Ness (MINN) dec. No. 7 Jordan Oliver (OSU); 3-0 141 pounds: No. 5 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 4 Mike Thorn (MINN); 4-1 149 pounds: No. 9 Mario Mason (MINN) dec. Quinten Fuentes (OSU); 13-9 157 pounds: No. 7 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. Joe Grygelko (MINN); 7-0 165 pounds: No. 12 Alex Meade (OSU) dec. No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (MINN); 3-2 174 pounds: Chris McNeil (OSU) dec. Cody Yohn (MINN); 9-6 184 pounds: No. 11 Clayton Foster (OSU) MD No. 16 Sonny Yohn (MINN); 13-1 197 pounds: No. 4 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Brent Eidenschink (MINN); 13-6 285 pounds: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. No. 8 Ben Berhow (MINN); 8-6 SV

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Michigan State wrestling team defeated Eastern Michigan, 26-9, on Thursday (Dec. 3) night to improve to 3-1 on the season. EMU is now 2-1-1 on the year. "It was an excellent team effort tonight," said Spartan head coach Tom Minkel. "We had some tough, hard-fought matches, and I think this was the best team effort we've had in some time." The match started at 174 pounds where Ian Hinton defeated EMU's Nick Hendrick, 5-1. After a pair of Eagle wins at 184 and 197 pounds, heavyweight Alan O'Donnell put MSU on top, 10-6, when he defeated David Wade, 2-1. "I was pleased we were able to keep our composure and stay on task early on," Minkel said. "I feel like we've made some good progress in the last couple weeks, and hopefully, we continue to improve." The Eagles 18th-ranked Chris Jenkins slashed the MSU lead to 10-9 when he defeated Eric Olanowski at 125 pounds but that would be as close as EMU would get, as the Spartans claimed the night's final five matches. No. 1-ranked Franklin Gomez won his 22nd consecutive match at 133 pounds to start the Spartans' winning streak, followed by freshman Dan Osterman, who registered a major-decision win (15-6) over Andrew Novak at 141 pounds. "We were all pleased with Danny," said Minkel. "He is a freshman but wrestles like a seasoned veteran. He stepped up and did what we expected him to do tonight." David Cheza (149 pounds), Anthony Jones Jr. (157 pounds) and Kyle Bounds (165 pounds) closed out the meet with wins for MSU. The Spartans will return to action at the Nittany Lion Open this Sunday (Dec. 6) in State College, Pa. Results: 174 lbs.: Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. Nick Hendrick (EMU), 5-1 MSU 3, EMU 0 184 lbs.: Phillip Joseph (EMU) fall Nick Palmieri (MSU), 1:27 EMU 6, MSU 3 197 lbs.: Josh Lewis (EMU) maj. dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 12-3 MSU 7, EMU 6 HWT: Alan O'Donnell (MSU) dec. David Wade (EMU), 2-1 MSU 10, EMU 6 125 lbs.: No. 18 Chris Jenkins (EMU) dec. Eric Olanowski (MSU), 5-0 MSU 10, EMU 9 133 lbs.: No. 1 Franklin Gomez (MSU) dec. Sean Clair (EMU), 4-2 MSU 13, EMU 9 141 lbs.: Dan Osterman (MSU) maj. dec. Andrew Novak (EMU), 15-6 MSU 17, EMU 9 149 lbs.: David Cheza (MSU) dec. J.J. Johnson (EMU), 6-2 MSU 20, EMU 9 157 lbs.: Anthony Jones Jr. (MSU) dec. Aaron Sulzer (EMU), 5-4 MSU 23, EMU 9 165 lbs.: Kyle Bounds (MSU) dec. Justin Brandel (EMU), 8-2 MSU 26, EMU 9

During the upcoming 2009-10 wrestling season, InterMat is committed to providing coverage to the best of high school wrestling competition across the nation. Part of that coverage will be weekly wrap-ups and event previews. The weekly wrap-ups will include summaries of the week's top events from across the country, as well as a listing of head-to-head matchups between ranked wrestlers and upsets of ranked wrestlers. To report these ranked outcomes (weight class rankings only), please send an e-mail to josh@intermatwrestle.com with a subject line of "Ranked Outcome(s)." Hawkeye State's best to hook up at Keith Young Invitational The season-opening Keith Young Invitational hosted by Cedar Falls, Iowa will be an opportunity to see many of the top teams and individuals across the three classifications in Iowa do battle against one another. Based on rankings compiled by The Predicament, two of the three top-ranked and second-ranked teams will be in the event. Defending state champions and preseason top ranked teams Waverly Shell-Rock (Class 3A) and Don Bosco (Class 1A) anchor the field. Bettendorf is ranked second in Class 3A to WSR, while Denver-Tripoli is ranked second in Class 2A. In last year's event, Don Bosco outpointed Waverly Shell-Rock for the title. Six wrestlers that appear in the InterMat weight class rankings will be among the prominent wrestlers featured in the tournament. The freshman Brandon Sorensen (Denver Tripoli), ranked 18th at 119 pounds, will receive a thorough examination in his first high school tournament. Based on rankings done by The Predicament, four other top two wrestlers in their division at this weight class appear in the field. Most notably is the pair of finalists in Class 3A at 112 pounds last year -- Brandon Jones (West Des Moines Valley) and Eric Devos (Waverly Shell-Rock). These two wrestlers met in a semifinal bout last year at the Keith Young with Devos prevailing in a hotly contested bout. However, at the state tournament, Jones reversed that outcome; the at-the-time freshman Devos fell short in the state final after he had won titles the previous two years at Apple Valley, MN. Levi Wolfensperger (Denver Tripoli) is ranked fifth by InterMat at 125 pounds, and will be attending Northern Iowa next fall. He should receive a challenge from Brandon Welter (Don Bosco) and/or Adam Perrin (North Scott). Welter is a defending state champion and ranked first in Class 1A in the preseason, while Perrin was a state champion in 2008 and is ranked second in Class 3A. A pair of Iowa bound wrestlers anchors their weight respective weight classes, and they are nationally ranked wrestlers. Jake Ballweg (Waverly Shell-Rock) is ranked fourth by InterMat at 140 pounds in the nation, while Michael Kelly (Cedar Falls) is ranked 13th at 152 pounds. The primary challenger in this tournament for Ballweg will be Dominic Chase (Bettendorf), who was runner-up at the Preseason Nationals held in late October. Kelly will have two wrestlers ranked second in their division's weight class according to the Predicament blocking his path to a repeat Keith Young championship; those wrestlers being Joey Trizzino (Bettendorf) and Blake Sorensen (Denver-Tripoli). Should it be Kelly against Trizzino in the final, which would be a battle of defending champions at the Keith Young. Two other defending event champions find themselves ranked nationally by InterMat; Walt Gilmor (North Scott) is ranked 10th at 171 pounds, and Cody Krumwiede (Waverly Shell-Rock) is ranked 16th at 215 pounds. Gilmor's prime challenger in this event is Travis Mallo (Mason City). These two wrestlers are ranked directly behind Michael Moreno (Urbandale) in Class 3A at this weight class, so this might be the first of multiple meetings during the season. On the other hand, Krumwiede is a rather strong favorite in his weight class at this tournament. Whitford, Marmion Academy demonstrate prominence at Conant Wrestling in the state of Illinois commenced over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with many tournaments being contested. However, the best of these tournaments was the C.O. Feutz Classic hosted by Conant High School. Marmion Academy topped a field that included the defending Class 3A (big school) champions, Oak Park River Forest, and another perennial power in Providence Catholic. Other notable squads in the field included Glenbard North and Crystal Lake Central. Despite only two champions, compared to four from Oak Park River Forest, the Cadets used five finalists and eleven placers inside the top five to score 237-1/2 points and win the tournament by more than 50 points. Winning titles for Marmion Academy were Ben Whitford (119) and Pat Greco (145). Whitford, a freshman sensation that won a Cadet National freestyle title over the summer, used a pin, a technical fall, and a 13-8 decision to set up a much anticipated final against defending state champion Eddie Klimara (Providence Catholic). However, the battle of nationally ranked wrestlers became a major statement for Whitford, as the nation's seventh ranked wrestler at 119 pounds upended the 17th ranked Klimara by an 11-3 major decision. Winning titles for the Huskies on their way to a second place finish were Chris (135) and Nick (140) Dardanes, as well as Sam (160) and Ben (215) Brooks. Chris and Nick rank 13th and second respectively in the nation for their weight classes according to InterMat. Providence Catholic was 12 points back of Oak Park River Forest, but they were without the services of Edwin Cooper (125) -- ranked 10th in the nation at his weight class. Other events this weekend ... Hopewell Wrestling Classic, Hopewell, VA *Featured teams: Wyoming Seminary, PA; Christiansburg, VA; and Cox, VA *Featured weight classes: 112 pounds: Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary), ranked 13th; Caleb Richardson (Cox), ranked 20th 119 pounds: Bryan Whitt (Cox), ranked 15th; Brandon Jeske (St Christopher's, VA), ranked fifth at 112 *Other nationally ranked wrestlers: Joey Dance (Christiansburg), ranked 1st at 103; Devin Carter (Christiansburg), ranked second at 125; Simon Kitzis (Wyoming Seminary), ranked seventh at 135; Ben Dorsay (Cox), ranked 13th at 145; Austin Fallon (Westfield, VA), ranked 19th at 189; and Mike McMullan (Wyoming Seminary), ranked sixth at 285. War on the Shore, Ocean City, MD It should be a battle of the giants on Saturday night in the Ocean City Convention Center, as two of the nation's four best 285 pound wrestlers will likely wrestle in the championship bout. Unlike at many a tournament, fans should make sure to stay for the heavyweight final. In a rematch of the 2008 Beast of the East final, Bobby Telford (St Mark's, DE) does battle with Karl Green (Mt St Joseph, MD). Telford, the 2008 Beast of the East champion, is ranked second while Green is fourth by InterMat. St Mark's and Mt St Joseph are two of the events featured teams. Other top teams include Sussex Central, DE; Wheeling Park, WV; and La Plata, MD. Show Me/Sooner Clash, Blue Springs, MO Two of the top teams from Missouri and Oklahoma will convene at Blue Springs High School just outside of Kansas City, MO on Friday night (12-4). There will be two rounds of wrestling, as the teams will dual meet the pair from the other state. From Missouri, Park Hill and Blue Springs finished first and third in the Class 4 (big school) state tournament this past season. Representing Oklahoma, Tulsa Union was champion in the Class 6A (big school) tournament this past season; Catoosa finished runner-up in Class 4A (medium-school) after winning state the previous two seasons. Park Hill has four nationally ranked wrestlers according to InterMat; Skyler Wood (112) is ranked 17th, Alan Waters (125) ranked sixth, Kaleb Friedley (140) ranked eighth, and John Eblen (189) ranked 20th. In addition, Bricker Dixon (119) was Junior National freestyle All-American this past summer. Tulsa Union is led by Ronnie Balfour, who is ranked 12th at 160 pounds. Other key wrestlers include state champion Josh Walker (112), two-time Cadet National Greco-Roman All-American Brian Crutchmer (125), 2008 Cadet National freestyle All-American Kyle Ash (145), and double Cadet National All-American Kyle Crutchmer (152). Blue Springs is led by a pair of state finalists in Keenan Hagerty (130) and Josh Howk (145). Hagerty was a state champion last year 125, while Howk finished second at 140. Catoosa is anchored by a pair of state champions in Shane Thomas (125) and Ben Morgan (140), with Mikey Lunsford (171) as a returning runner-up.

Hello again wrestling fans- What a week its been. The Sooners and Cowboys Tie in their first meeting! What a battle. Bedlam is Back! ISU and Iowa Sunday? I can hardly wait. We return to the Brute adidas home studios for our first show of December. Join Steve Foster and I for a in depth look at the Sunday battle that waits: ISU V. Iowa This week on TDR: 9:05 Brian Cimons of Grapplers Quest-World Series of Grappling is heading to Vegas. This Huge event is scheduled for Dec 12th. Many MMA and Wrestling greats will compete. For total information visit Grapplersquest.com 9:20 Kevin Jackson- ISU Head Coach-as the Cyclones head man, this is Jackson's first taste of the intrastate rivalry since he competed for ISU. To this point he has been remarkably reserved outside of the room and in comments about the meet. Will that demeanor change the day before? Jackson was introduced as ISU's head wrestling coach on April 30, 2009. Jackson wrestled at Iowa State for only one season, his senior year in 1987. During his only season at ISU, he was named captain of the team and helped lead the team to a national title. He finished his collegiate wrestling carrier with a 30-3-1 record. In 1992, Jackson won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Since 1992, Jackson has coached for team USA at three summer Olympics including being the head coach for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 9:20 Andy Hamilton- Writer/Reporter for the DM Register and Iowa City Press- Citizen. Andy is "the" wrestling insider and joins us for the interview with Jackson and will offer some of his insightful questions and great point of view. Hour 2 Guests- Joining us in studio former Cyclone Head Coach Jim Gibbons 10:05 Jeff Murphy joins us for our semi regular Kemin Report. What is going on in the wrestling world? Hopefully Jeff will have some answers. 10:20 Inside with Jim Gibbons- In 1986, Jim Gibbons took over the reins of the Cyclone wrestling squad at age 26. Gibbons wrestled at ISU for Dr. Harold Nichols and earned All-America status three times, including the 1981 NCAA individual title at 134 pounds. Following his collegiate career, Gibbons served as an assistant coach at his alma mater for two years before taking over the head coaching duties. During his seven years as the Cyclone skipper, Gibbons’ squads claimed one Big Eight crown and captured the NCAA title in 1987. He also coached seven individual NCAA champions while compiling a 96-32-1 career coaching mark. After winning the NCAA Championships in 1987, Gibbons was named national coach of the year. He was named Big Eight Coach of the Year in 1991. Gibbons retired from coaching after the 1992 season. 10:40 Randy Lewis- He had to petition his way in to the 84 Olympics in order to challenge for Gold and win he did. One of the greatest. After winning three high school state titles in South Dakota, he was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion at the University of Iowa. A two-time Olympian, and 1984 Olympic champion in Los Angeles, At Iowa, he was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion. Was member of 1980 Olympic team but President Jimmy Carter's boycott prevented the U.S. team from traveling to the Games in Moscow. Won gold medal at 136.5 pounds in freestyle wrestling at 1984 Olympics, outscoring his first four opponents 52-4 to advance to the final, where he crushed Japan's Kosei Akaishi 24-11 in 4:52. Was second in the 1988 Olympic trials to John Smith, who wound up winning a gold medal. Was 1990 Pan Am champion. Please note that Episode 34 of TDR TV is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing. TDR every week! It's appointment Radio and TV! Join us at Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show airs on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Livesportsvideo.com. TDR "the Radio Program" airs 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning we look forward to having you listen. Thanks,

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ. -- Old Dominion wrestler James Nicholson was named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Month and brother John Nicholson was selected as the league’s Rookie of the Month, the CAA announced Thursday. James Nicholson, a junior from Des Moines, Iowa, had an impressive month of November. The 125-pound wrestler won his weight class at the Hokie Open and picked up a victory in his lone dual meet against nationally-ranked Wisconsin. Nicholson is ranked No. 5 nationally by both Armature Wrestling News and Intermat. Freshman John Nicholson has compiled a 13-1 record thus far in 2009. He won his weight class at both the Hokie Open and the Kaufman/Brand Open and finished third at Lock Haven’s Mat Town Open.

Tom Ryan

Shawn Charles

Zeke Jones

Mark Perry comes from perhaps the most famous wrestling family in America. His uncles, Lee Roy, John, Pat, and Mark Smith all wrestled collegiately at Oklahoma State and garnered All-American honors 12 times and won seven NCAA titles. John Smith is widely considered to be the best American freestyle wrestler ever, while Pat Smith was the first four-time NCAA champion in Division I. If that's not enough, his father, Mark, was a two-time All-American for Oklahoma State and served as a Division I assistant coach at Nebraska and Oklahoma State. His younger brother, Chris, was one of the nation's top recruits last year and is now a freshman (expected to redshirt) at Oklahoma State. Mark PerryPerry's decision to wrestle for Iowa over Oklahoma State was shocking to many at the time, but it proved to be a wise choice for him as he went on to win two NCAA titles, become a four-time All-American, and helped to lead the Hawkeyes to a national team title as a senior. Following his collegiate wrestling career at Iowa, Perry joined the Penn State coaching staff under Troy Sunderland. But after Sunderland was replaced by Cael Sanderson, Perry left Happy Valley to become the top assistant coach on John Azevedo's staff at Cal Poly. InterMat recently talked to Perry about his decision to come to Cal Poly, whether he ever thought about leaving Iowa during the difficult years, how his relationships have changed with his uncles since college, what it was like wrestling against his uncles' teams and coaching against his brother, whether he plans to pursue an international wrestling career, what the future holds for Cal Poly's wrestling program, and much more. After your collegiate career at Iowa, you spent a year at Penn State ... before moving on to Cal Poly. Obviously, there was a coaching change at Penn State. But what factored into your decision to go to Cal Poly? Perry: There were a lot things that played a big role. I had the chance to possibly coach at some programs that are pretty well established and have had success with national champions and even winning trophies in the end when it matters the most. I think the biggest thing was that I had a chance to move up in a position. I came out to visit and got a chance to speak with John. Just the role I was playing out here seemed a lot more intriguing to me ... being able to play a part in our training. Recruiting is a big part of success ... and he has pretty much put me in charge of that. All around, there is a lot more work here than most colleges because right now we're trying to build. There are a lot of things that are important right now ... not just wrestling ... fundraising ... recruiting is huge. Really, just trying to get Cal Poly to that next level. Overall, the biggest thing was I was going to be working a lot harder. I was going to be involved with pretty much all aspects of coaching. When you're dealing with six or seven people involved with the program, your limitations are pretty small at some of those larger, more established programs. Your wrestling career has taken you all over the country. You grew up in Oklahoma, moved to New Jersey to attend Blair Academy, then to Iowa, then to Penn State, and now to California. You have been a part of many different programs. Do you think being a part of so many different programs is helping you now in your coaching career? Perry: Absolutely. I think that's kind of what defines my philosophy and attitude toward the sport. I have been very fortunate to be around many of our so-called legends in John Smith, Coach Buxton, Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Jim Zalesky, and even assistants that were there at the time that really helped get me to another level ... Tim Hartung, Doug Schwab, and Mike Zadick. I've been very fortunate to be around a number of guys who have done big things in this sport ... and see different coaching philosophies, different styles, different motivational keys ... everyone is a little different. I think that's an edge that I can bring to Cal Poly. Most coaches have kind of been around the same thing their whole life. A lot of programs like Oklahoma State ... They never really step outside of the box. Iowa people ... They don't really step outside of the box. I don't mean that in a bad way ... but they kind of stick with those programs. I don't want to say it's a bad thing, but I've been lucky to see other philosophies and ideas. I think the more you see, the better off you're going to be in the end. When you came to Iowa, the program was down by program standards. Iowa placed seventh, fourth, and eighth in your first three years. There was some turmoil. Some recruits didn't work out. Steve Mocco transferred to Oklahoma State. Did the thought of transferring ever cross your mind? Mark Perry after winning his first NCAA title in 2007 (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Perry: No, it didn't actually. I have to attribute all my success to my parents. With our family, when you commit to something, you stick to it, you work hard and make the best of it. It was a situation that I don't want to say was bad, but it was disappointing early on. When I went to Iowa, I was looking at all these recruits that they were getting. Growing up around a program like Oklahoma State, my philosophy is you want to be the best or it's a failure. With the recruits they had, I was pretty confident that we were going to get the job done multiple times. Things kind of fell apart pretty quickly when I got there. Willie Parks ... Todd Meneely ... Steve Mocco ... Mark Mueller ... Israel Martinez. A lot of guys that I came there thinking I'm going to be a part of a team with. I ended up being the only one that stuck around. That was tough. But I had a positive outlook. When you're in a program like Iowa, they expect success. Their expectations are extremely high. I just stayed positive. Things ended up working out in the end. I know you're very competitive as is your family. You had some great battles with Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State, who was coached by your uncles. Have your relationships with your uncles changed since your collegiate career at Iowa ended? Perry: I would say so. And I don't know if it's because I left Iowa or because my whole family grew from me going to Iowa. I would say on my part, I just matured a lot in different ways ... emotionally, mentally putting everything aside. It was definitely tough for me and I'm sure it was tough for my uncles when I did go to Iowa. It was a hard process because I never looked at like me vs. Hendricks or me vs. my uncles. That was just a program that I was very committed to and it meant a lot to me. It was definitely tough competing when growing up your whole life you saw yourself wrestling for them. That was probably the hardest part. The people I looked up to outside of my father ... my uncles, who were the coaches there at the time. Everyone in my family is extremely involved in the program. It's tough on someone who is 18, 19, 20 years old to take all that in. Obviously, you come from a coaching family. Your father and uncles were long-time college coaches. How much have you relied on them for guidance during your own coaching career? Perry: Not as much my uncles. When I had the chance this summer, while living in Stillwater, I went to a lot of practices and worked out with their team. When I have the chance, I'm definitely open ears and taking everything in. Mostly it's with my father. I go to him multiple times a day. He coached for a long time. He coached at Nebraska. When he went to Nebraska, the program was pretty down. When we moved to Stillwater, they went from ... I want to say somewhere around 50 to 3. He has a lot of knowledge. He was there when John (Smith) was going through his reign of World and Olympic titles. He has been around a lot. I attribute all my success to my father and mother. They have been very supportive. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. I will always use my dad because he is someone I have always looked up to. I have high confidence in the knowledge he gives me. It has worked to this point and I don't see that changing. You coached Quentin Wright against your brother at the FILA Junior Nationals. What was tougher: Coaching against your brother? Or wrestling against your uncles' wrestlers at Oklahoma State? Chris Perry defeated Quentin Wright in the finals of the 2009 FILA Junior Nationals ... with Mark Perry coaching Wright (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Perry: It was definitely wrestling against Oklahoma State. That was definitely a lot harder situation for me. Coaching against my brother is just part of the game. Deep down, my brother knows that I want him to have twice the amount of success I had. I was very close with Quentin Wright when I was at Penn State. It wasn't necessarily like a thing where I'm out to get my brother. When you're a coach, you're committed to your athletes. That's just how it falls. In the end, after the match, I spoke with Quentin and I spoke with my brother about mistakes and the things they need to fix if they want to get to the next level ... and we went from there. My brother knows that I'm his biggest supporter, so he didn't take it personally by any means. How often do you talk to your brother, Chris? How are things going for him so far at Oklahoma State? Perry: I talk to him pretty often ... a couple times a week. Things are going well for him. I think he's had a couple incidents this year where he's maybe been behind the eight ball a little bit. But he's a hard worker and he wants it as much as anybody. Things will come. He's been sick. He hurt his collarbone pretty bad early. I think that's typical for most high school kids ... They get beat up a little bit. They have to kind of get in a routine and things will work out. He's definitely going to have a lot of success. I don't want to say it's in the family, but he wants it. When you grow up in this kind of family, it's expected ... and you expect it out of yourself. After your college wrestling career, you talked about pursuing an international wrestling career, but stated that you're not going to be on the mat competing until you're completely healthy and one hundred percent committed to it. What are your plans for international wrestling? Mark Perry (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Perry: As of right now, I don't see a full-out international career ... just because of what I'm doing here at Cal Poly and as much as we're trying to accomplish. I'm not very patient. We have a lot of work on our hands. To be successful at the international level, I don't want to say it's impossible, but I think you need to be in a place where you are very selfish and you're selfish towards what you want to get done. From where I stand, it's not about competing ... It's about winning World and Olympic titles. I would have to put coaching on hold. Right now, I'm not ready to do that. It's hard to make a living if you're just competing. Obviously, FILA, the international governing body for wrestling, has made various changes to the freestyle rules over the past few years. Have those rule changes played a factor at all in your decision not to compete in freestyle? Perry: Not really. I love freestyle. I don't think the rules make it any more exciting, but I enjoy freestyle. I feel like freestyle is more suited for me. It's not necessarily all about takedowns. Some people might think it is. There are a lot of ways to score points. You can score points in bunches. I don't like the ball grab or the clinch. I wouldn't expect to go there. But I'm sure everyone gets there. But, no, I think to be successful you need to be at a place where you're not worried about anybody but yourself. I'm grateful for my college coaches. They've put a lot of time into me and they have had success on the international level. That amazes me more than anything ... because I felt like they were putting more time into me than themselves. I definitely think you have to be selfish if you want to get the job done at that level. In the short time you have been at Cal Poly, you have played a key role in landing one of the nation's top recruiting classes. The class includes four InterMat Top 100 recruits and another nationally-ranked wrestler. What kind of impact do you think this recruiting class can have on the program? Perry: I think it's going to make a huge impact. I think it lets our boosters, our fans, the entire program, and the guys in the program right now know that we're committed to making a jump. This isn't a job or a paycheck for us. We want to be the best. We know there is a lot of work to be done. But we plan to have recruiting classes like this every year ... and this recruiting class isn't over. How different is it recruiting at Cal Poly, a Pac-10 school, as opposed to Penn State, a Big Ten school? Mark Perry celebrates after Quentin Wright defeats Iowa's Jay Borschel in the semifinals of the 2009 Big Ten Championships (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Perry: Well, last year was kind of a unique year. I didn't have a lot of say in what we were doing at Penn State, which is normal for a kid that is just in his first year out of college. I was kind of getting to know the ropes. I realized how important recruiting was. It was stressed pretty hard. But last year at Penn State, we had a lot of scholarships, but we pretty much recruited the junior class. We didn't recruit the senior class very hard. We had a number of kids that we could have signed but we kind of held off because the Alton twins (Andrew and Dylan) were coming up ... and (Sam) Sherlock and (Dirk) Cowburn ... There were a bunch of tough Pennsylvania kids we recruited very hard. I'm definitely glad to see them going to Penn State. Cael brought them in, but Matt Dernlan deserves a lot of credit for that. We put a lot of time into those kids. Last year was a little bit different, whereas this year at Cal Poly we're going after immediate help. Last year it was more towards the future. Cal Poly has already defeated Missouri, a team ranked in the top 10 at the time. How big was that victory for the program? Perry: I think it's really big. I definitely think it's big for future recruits and the recruits we just signed. We told them that we were a better team than them and that we thought we were going to win ... that we prepare to beat teams like that consistently. Last year Cal Poly didn't have a good season to put it nicely. Last year they got beat by Fullerton pretty badly and they got beat by Missouri by 30 points. We felt like we could have won seven matches at Missouri, but it didn't end up that way. But getting two wins over two programs that beat Cal Poly pretty badly last year is not for the coaches, but it's extremely important for the athletes to see what we're doing is making a difference. They're starting to believe and totally buy into this is a new program and we're going to get the job done here. I think it's more important for our athletes. Obviously, it's important for the programs, but mostly for the guys who are putting in all the work. Obviously, you have come from very successful programs having wrestled at Blair Academy and then Iowa. So being No. 1 is the expectation. Now you're a part of a program at Cal Poly that hasn't been contending for national championships as a team. How much emphasis is put on changing kids' attitudes in the program to believe they can compete with the top individuals and teams? Mark Perry (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Perry: That has probably been one of the biggest keys to our early-season success and our future success ... expectations. That was one thing I was a little nervous about when I came here. But kids are turning it around. Pretty much what we told them is that we don't want to hear about being All-Americans, NCAA qualifiers, or Pac-10 champions. That's expected. The expectations are to be national champions at each individual weight class. Is that going to happen? No. It never has happened and it's never going to happen. But if each individual is focused on being an NCAA champion, good things are going to happen. There's no reason to set the bar lower than the top. That's the big thing we have stressed. Our kids don't talk about being All-Americans anymore ... They talk about being NCAA champions. Is it going to take time? Yes. But when you have that kind of attitude and mentality, your chances are a lot better. You're heading out to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this weekend. What do you look for out of your team this weekend? Perry: I think more so than a team aspect, we're looking individually, like I said on the national championship kind of theory. Each guy is going in there trying to win an individual title and the rest will take care of itself. We have some big key matchups. It's an early season tournament, but it's a big indicator of where we are right now ... and where we need to be at the end of the year. Hopefully we're there right now. We believe we're definitely prepared to wrestle with any team in the country. It's just a matter of getting the job done. We're going to see some very tough teams and some extremely talented wrestlers there. We're ready to go. It's just a matter of getting the job done. It's an important step. It's important that we wrestle well and hopefully we're high up there as a team. On Jaunary 2, you will be heading to Stillwater to wrestle Oklahoma State. How much are you looking forward to that dual meet? Mark Perry went into the crowd to hug members of his family after winning his first NCAA title in 2007 (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Perry: It's always nice to go back home and see my family. But it's just another dual meet to me. Early on in college, I put way too much into it. Now it's just another team in the way that we have to be ready for. Against programs like that ... Oklahoma State, Missouri, Iowa State, Iowa ... Whatever it is, any program that is established, has won trophies and has had a lot of success recently and in the past, you're not going to go there and get a fluke win. The expectations are to go there, wrestle hard, and win. You have to take it from programs like that. They're not going to give it to you. We're going to go there, wrestle hard, and again, just focus on each individual and hopefully the outcome is good. I think either way, as long as we compete hard and push the pace, we're making a step forward. That weekend overall is just an important weekend when you wrestle Oklahoma State and OU on back-to-back nights. Those are two programs that have had a lot of success and have a ton of talent right now. We're definitely looking forward to it. It's just another measuring stick of where we are and where we need to be.

Augustana won all 9 matches that were contested as the Vikings easily defeated the University of Sioux Fall 42-6 Wednesday night at the Stewart Center. The Vikings, ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division II Top 20 poll, won 4 matches by pins, 3 by major decisions and 2 more by decisions as they improved to 1-1 in duals this season. Three of Augie’s pins came in the first period. At 141 pounds, Jay Sherer pinned Tom Thompson in just 1:29. Nate Herda pinned Jacob McClure in 2:10 to capture the 149-pound match, while Marcus Edgington was victorious at 157 pounds when he pinned Koln Fink in 2:24. Augustana’s other fall came at 174 pounds where Carl Serck pinned Travis Godbersen in 4:04. At 165 pounds, Kyle Svendsen easily beat Tyler Reibsamen, scoring a 14-5 major decision. Luke Heine and Ty Copsey also won by major decision. Heine defeated Casey Finnicum 9-1, while Copsey downed Clint Whitley 16-6. Also winning for the Vikings were Al Meger, who won the 125-pound bout by a 10-3 decision over Doug Thompson, and Lance Peters, who earned a 9-4 decision over Joe Skow at 285 pounds. USF’s only victory of the night came at 133 pounds where Joe Goolsby won by forfeit because Augustana was open at that weight class. Augustana returns to the mat on Saturday when the Vikings travel to Moorhead, Minn., for the Dragon Open. Results: 125 pounds: Al Meger (Augie) dec. Doug Thompson (USF), 10-3 133 pounds: Joe Goolsby (USF) won by forfeit 141 pounds: Jay Sherer (Augie) pinned Tom Thompson (USF), 1:29 149 pounds: Nate Herda (Augie) pinned Jacob McClure (USF), 2:10 157 pounds: Marcus Edgington (Augie) pinned Koln Fink (USF), 2:24 165 pounds: Kyle Svendsen (Augie) major dec. Tyler Reibsamen (USF), 14-5 174 pounds: Carl Serck (Augie) pinned Travis Godbersen (USF), 4:04 184 pounds: Luke Heine (Augie) major dec. Casey Finnicum (USF), 9-1 197 pounds: Ty Copsey (Augie) major dec. Clint Whitley (USF), 16-6 285 pounds: Lance Peters (Augie) dec. Joe Skow (USF), 9-4

WAVERLY -- Using 13 bonus-point wins to their advantage, No. 6-ranked Wartburg knocked off fifth-ranked St. John's University of Collegeville, Minn., 31-14 and 28th-ranked Loras College of Dubuque 37-6 Dec. 2. The Knights, improving to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in Iowa Conference dual action, held a 15-4 lead through four matches against the Johnnies. Third-ranked junior 125-pounder Mark Kist of Eagle Grove got a fall, while senior 141-pounder Chris Sandy of Spirit Lake continued to impress with a technical fall and junior 149-pounder T.J. Moen of Des Moines, entering the evening with a No. 10 ranking, turned in a major decision. St. John's trimmed the lead to 15-14 with two decisions and a major decision from 157 to 174 before the Orange and Black put the affair out of reach with falls from No. 7-ranked 197-pounder Byron Tate of Clinton and third-ranked heavyweight John Helgerson of West Union. In the nightcap, the Orange and Black sewed up their 135th consecutive dual win against Iowa Conference competition with a 37-6 victory over Loras. Head coach Jim Miller's squad reeled off five straight wins before the visiting Duhawks gained a victory at 165. The four upper weight matches saw the Knights get two major decisions (sophomore 174-pounder Dylan Azinger of DeWitt and junior 184-pounder Todd Becker of Gilbertville), a fall from Tate and a technical fall from Helgerson. Wartburg concludes a busy week of competition by wrestling in the Simpson Storm Invitational Saturday, Dec. 5. Action begins at 9 a.m. inside Cowles Fieldhouse on Simpson's campus in Indianola. Wartburg-Loras-St. John’s (Minnesota) double dual Wednesday, Dec. 2 Levick Arena Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center #6 Wartburg 31, #5 St. John’s (Minn.) 14 125 – Mark Kist (W) wins by fall over Scott Padrnos, 1:30 133 – Mogi Bataar (SJ) maj. Dec. Sean White, 18-9 141 – Chris Sandy (W) tech. fall Derek Gertken, 4:52 149 – T.J. Moen (W) maj. Dec. Charlie Kirscht, 21-8 157 – Drew Larson (SJ) dec. Jacob Groth, 4-1 165 – Matt Baarson (SJ) maj. Dec. Adam Weber, 13-5 174 – Matt Pfarr (SJ) dec. Carrington Banks, 6-4 184 – Todd Becker (W) maj. Dec. James Carlson, 10-0 197 – Byron Tate (W) wins by fall over Tony Willaert, 6:15 HWT – John Helgerson (W) wins by fall over Jake Evenson, 2:44 #6 Wartburg 37, Loras 6 125 – Gilberto Camacho (W) maj. Dec. Pat Pfantz, 14-1 133 – Tommy Mirocha (W) dec. Mark Beatty, 6-0 141 – Chris Sandy (W) maj. Dec. Chris Gansen, 14-1 149 – T.J. Moen (W) maj. Dec. Mitch Gansen, 22-8 157 – Michael Sandy (W) dec. Willie Sleyden, 15-8 165 – Tiegen Podliska (L) won by fall over Zach Hyland, 3:25 174 – Dylan Azinger (W) maj. Dec. Mark Kapraun, 17-4 184 – Todd Becker (W) maj. Dec. Josh Kirkland 17-4 197 – Byron Tate (W) wins by fall over Ben Bohlen, :38 HWT – John Helgerson (W) tech. fall Jeremy Klein 6:07 Officials: Curt Frost and Kent Sesker

Tim Dernlan

Joe Dubuque

Just a reminder that the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum will host its quarterly breakfast at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 4. Jim Miller, legendary Wartburg College wrestling coach, will be speaking at 8:30. Wartburg College has won seven NCAA Division III Championships and 17 consecutive Iowa Conference Championships under Miller's regime. Miller wrestled at Waterloo East and the University of Northern Iowa. Check out the pictures of Miller as a coach and athlete to the right. Kyven Gadson and Michael Kelly will be recognized, as will the Cedar Falls men's cross country team. Gadson, a senior at Waterloo East, signed to wrestle for Iowa State. Kelly, a senior at Cedar Falls, will wrestle for the University of Iowa next season. Please join us for our quarterly breakfast social and enjoy great conversation and fellowship. Bagels, donuts, fruit, coffee and juice will be provided. What: Free quarterly breakfast social When: Friday, December 4 at 8 a.m. Where: Dan Gable Wrestling Museum located at 303 Jefferson St. in Waterloo Who: Everyone is welcome See you at the breakfast, and thanks for supporting the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. Kent Sesker Marketing Director Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum 303 Jefferson St Waterloo, IA 50701 319-233-0745 www.wrestlingmuseum.org

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling coach Heath Eslinger announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Chattanooga's next incoming class will include three state champions and two wrestlers who finished in the top four at the 2009 Super 32. "Our goal was to sign the best student-athletes in the southeast," stated Eslinger. "These five student-athletes fit into what we are trying to do academically, athletically and socially at UTC. They are the type of guys we want in our program who can develop into elite level student-athletes and be excellent representatives of the University in the classroom and in the community." The Mocs signed a pair with local ties in Baylor School products Cole Hayes and Trey Stavrum. Hayes's older brother, Chanse, is currently a freshman on the UTC squad. Levi Clemons will join the Mocs from Kissimmee, Fla., where he finished second in the 2009 Super 32 at 171. Joe DeAngelo, a Mebane, N.C. native, placed fourth at the Super 32 at 125. Joseph Proctor won the Tennessee State title at 160 last season for Cookeville High School in Cookeville, Tenn. The Mocs have won the last five Southern Conference championships and 24 of the 32 SoCon titles since joining the league in 1978. Eslinger is in his first year as head coach at his alma mater and has Chattanooga off to a 5-5 start against a very demanding schedule. UTC's next home event is Saturday, Jan. 16, hosting top-10 ranked Missouri at Maclellan Gym at 7:00 p.m. (E.S.T.). Levi Clemons - 174 - Kissimmee, Fla. (Osceola HS) Four-year letter winner at Osceola High School for head coach Jim Bird...2009 3A state champion as a junior...three-time Orange Belt Conference champion...2008 Most Valuable Wrestler at the Kowboy Kup tournament...150-22 record going into his senior year...three-time district champion and two-time regional champion....Competed in cross country as a sophomore and was a member of the freshman football team...honor roll student... finished fourth in the Greco and third in the freestyle at the 2009 FILA Cadet...2009 SE Regional Double Champion in Greco and Freestyle...2009 Super 32 finalist where he finished second...fifth in the 2008 FILA Cadet Greco...2008 Greco National Champion...2006 Schoolboy Freestyle National Champion...PERSONAL...Full name is Levi Caleb Clemons...son of Ted and Shawn Clemons...born June 11, 1992...has one younger sister, Logan...received recognition from the City of Kissimmee and Osceola County for Individual and Team titles in 2009...earned a proclamation from the City of Kissimmee for his dedication and success in wrestling in 2006. Joe DeAngelo - 125 - Mebane, N.C. (Southern Alamance HS) Three-time conference and regional champion heading into his season season at Southern Alamance High School in Alamance, N.C...father, Randy, is the head coach of the Patriots...143-15 career record...three losses in the last two seasons...2nd in the state in 3A as a sophomore and third as a junior...ranked No. 9 in the nation and no. 2 in the southeast...third place at the FILA Cadets in 2009...SE Regional Champion in 2009...fourth place in the Super 32 in 2009...PERSONAL...Full name is Joseph Anthony DeAngelo...born June 10, 1992...son of Mary and Randy DeAngelo...second of six with three brothers and two sisters...father Wrestled and Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa...mother played softball at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y...plans to major in Engineering. Cole Hayes - 149 - Knoxville, Tenn. (The Baylor School) Hayes is currently enrolled at The Baylor School where he wrestles for former UTC head coach Jim Morgan...teammate of current UTC signee Trey Stavrum...91-6 over the last two seasons...47-3 as a junior and 44-3 as a sophomore at Knox Catholic where he won the Tennessee State Championship...also earned the Most Team Takedowns and the Knox Catholic Best Wrestler as a sophomore...PERSONAL...Full name is William Cole Hayes...born Feb. 2, 1992...son of Breny and Joeddy Hayes...has one older brother Chanse, who is currently a true freshman on the Mocs' wrestling squad...plans to major in Biology. Joseph Proctor - 165 - Cookeville, Tenn. (Cookeville HS) Proctor is a reigning state champion at Cookeville High School in Cookeville, Tenn...first Cavalier to win a state title and the first wrestler to sign with a Division I program...wrestled for head coach Scott Cook...also a strong tennis player he reached the Class 3A state semifinals in doubles. Trey Stavrum - 149 - Chattanooga, Tenn. (The Baylor School) Stavrum is entering his senior year at The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he is a teammate of fellow signee Cole Hayes...coached at Baylor by former UTC head coach Jim Morgan...finished sixth in the state championships as a freshman and sophomore and third last season...81-6 overall record and went 26-1 last season...Baylor has won three-straight team duals and two consecutive team traditional state championships...team captain...on the Distinguished Students list...PERSONAL...Full name is Arthur Mark Stavrum...born June 3, 1992...son of Art and Jan Stavrum...has one older sister, Leigh...plans to major in Business.