InterMat Staff

What comes to mind when you think of the state of Wisconsin? America's Dairyland. The Green Bay Packers. Beer. Brats. Cheese. An outdoor paradise for hikers, hunters and fishermen. For those outside Wisconsin, the sport of wrestling may not immediately come to mind. However, the state has a rich mat history, with a number of all-time great wrestlers and coaches whose careers were nurtured in the Dairy State, including Olympians John and Ben Peterson, Russ Hellickson, Lee Kemp, Dennis Hall, Jim Gruenwald, Garrett Lowney, and Ben Askren ... as well as NCAA champs such as Jim Jordan, Tim Hartung, and Cole Konrad. Now there's a book that celebrates and shares that history: Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007, a 194-page book edited by the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Alumni Chapter. Go-to source for Wisconsin high school history Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007 starts with a concise presentation of Wisconsin coaching history ... then outlines the history of the Wisconsin high school state tournament. It then provides the names of the individual state champs and place winners from the very first state tournament that brought 150 grapplers to Appleton in late March, 1940, up through 2007, as well as team titlewinners and dual meet champions. The book is a mother lode of high school stats for prep wrestling in the state. Want to know who has the most career wins? Most takedowns in a career -- or within a season? Most pins (career and season)? Fastest falls? The names of wrestlers who secured at least 40 wins within a season? It's all in there. There are even some neat bonus features, such as an "All in the Family" list of wrestling families who made names for themselves on the mats within the state of Wisconsin. Brother acts, as well as fathers and sons. Beyond high school Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007 isn't limited to high school wrestling. It also takes a look at the college wrestling scene within the Dairy State, with stats on career wins, career pins, career takedowns, fastest falls, and wins within a season, and other individual statistics. The book also lists three- and four-time national qualifiers. The state of Wisconsin can also lay claim to a surprising number (at least to those of us outside the state) of wrestlers who competed for the U.S. at the Olympics. Two-time Olympic medalist Ben Peterson -- a native of Comstock, Wisconsin -- penned the chapter on the great mat Olympians who grew up in the state. Along the same lines, Larry Marchionda wrote a chapter about the history of Wisconsin's international wrestling experience beyond the Olympics. Ben Peterson at the 1980 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007What's more, women's wrestling in Wisconsin is presented in an informative write-up by Jill Gurtner, a high school principal and wrestling official for two decades. Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007 also honors the greats of the state, with its history of the George Martin Wrestling Hall of Fame, and photos of the hall's honorees. (Martin, known as the "father of Wisconsin wrestling," was long-time head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger wrestling program.) The history behind this historical book The book describes itself as "perpetuating (Wisconsin wrestling) history and the vision of George Martin." "We saw a need for a definitive book on wrestling in Wisconsin," according to Jim Stephenson, former high school wrestling coach in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Alumni Chair. "We wanted something that would settle arguments, and be a reference folks could turn to whenever they had a question about a wrestler or wrestling program within the state." Cole Konrad, a native of Freedom, Wisconsin, was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American at the University of Minnesota (Photo/The Guillotine)"When I look at books like From Gotch to Gable: A History of Wrestling in Iowa and The History of Collegiate Wrestling, I see the value in preserving the history of wrestling," Stephenson continued. "We wanted to do the same here in Wisconsin." In his letter in the opening of Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007, Stephenson provides a quick sketch of how the book came about: Four years ago, I received an email from Hall of Fame member Don Hartman. He asked if I and a few other retired coaches would assist in writing a history of the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association. It was something we all discussed occasionally and decided to tackle the project ... We set a course to organize Wisconsin's wrestling history ... Luckily for the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Alumni Chapter, much of the groundwork had already been laid. "For years, Ken Manning would gather stats and put them into little annual booklets, sold at the state tournament," Jim Stephenson said in an interview with InterMat. "Then the Sages(the alumni coaches) decided to put it all together in one book." "After we had gathered the stats, we recognized that we had other neat stories to tell -- girls' wrestling, Olympics, more. So we incorporated those into the book." Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007 made its debut at the Wisconsin high school state tournament in March 2007. "We had to explain what it was about," Stephenson said. "It's hard for us to understand that the new generation isn't as interested in history, about how wrestling got started in Wisconsin. In talking to InterMat about how the book came together, Stephenson made it clear that Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007 was very much a team effort of the Sages ... and definitely a labor of love. "The book came together over the course of 3-6 months on my computer. After we finished, I didn't want to look at another computer screen." But Stephenson and the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Alumni Chapter are already working on a new edition of their book, which they hope to unveil in 2012. They already see ways to improve the 2007 book, with additional historical features ... a chapter on officiating ... coverage of university wrestling programs within the state ... coaches' stories ... and even a quiz on Wisconsin wrestling trivia. Also on the list of enhancements for the second edition: more photos and newspaper clippings, to help provide even more of a visual history of the sport. As it is now, Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007 is a winning first effort. Chock-full of statistics, and sprinkled with interesting feature stories and historical photos, the book provides a valuable record of wrestling in the state of Wisconsin. To learn more about Wisconsin Wrestling 1940-2007 -- or to purchase a copy -- visit the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Web site: http://wiwrestling.com/ads/wwca/indexwwca.htm

Lincoln -- Leading by just three points heading into the final match, senior Stephen Dwyer notched a pin at 174 pounds to secure a 26-17 victory for the seventh-ranked Nebraska wrestling team over No. 11 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers improve to 10-0 in season-opening duals under head coach Mark Manning. Nebraska claimed three-straight victories to open the dual, but a Wisconsin comeback capped by a Andrew Howe fall at 165 pounds closed the Husker lead to 20-17 with one match remaining. Dwyer, who is ranked No. 6 in the nation at 174 pounds, broke a 3-3 tie in the third period when he pinned Brendan Ard in 5:25 to send Nebraska away with its 15th consecutive victory in season openers. The Huskers won 6 of 10 matches overall and grabbed a nine-point lead (20-11) with two bouts remaining when defending national champion Jordan Burroughs pinned Wisconsin’s Greg Burke at 157 pounds in just 25 seconds. The senior from Sicklerville, N.J., registered a takedown 11 seconds into the match, before putting Burke away with the sixth fall of his career and 86th overall victory. Burroughs’ pin (0:25) is the quickest fall by a Husker in a varsity match during the Big 12 era. Nebraska also turned in a pair of major decision wins from senior Craig Brester (197 pounds) and junior Mike Koehnlein (141 pounds). Brester defeated Jackson Hein, 14-2, behind three takedowns and a near fall in the first period, while Koehnlein used two near falls en route to a 12-2 triumph over Trey Bertram. Koehnlein was one of five newcomers in the NU startling lineup, including 184-pound redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen, who opened the dual with a 6-1 decision over Jimmy Duffy. Ihnen’s win was the first of three Husker victories to start the match, which was concluded by an exciting 4-3 overtime decision from sophomore Tucker Lane at Heavywight. Lane and Eric Bugenhagen went to overtime tied at 1-1 and remained even at the end of three overtime periods, when Lane was declared the winner due to a one-second riding time advantage. Wisconsin won matches at 125, 133, 149 and 165 pounds. Nebraska will now send its top wrestlers to the 44th annual NWCA All-Star Classic, as Burroughs, Dwyer and Brester were invited to the prestigious event in Fullerton, Calif., next Sunday, Nov. 22. Meanwhile, the majority of the Huskers will travel to down Interstate-80 to the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, Nov. 21.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan opened the dual meet portion of its schedule with a 32-6 win over Chattanooga Sunday at Rose Center. The 13th-ranked Chippewas won nine of 10 individual bouts, with the lone loss being a void at 141 pounds. CMU scored bonus points in three matches and allowed a total of just two takedowns and three reversals in the victory. Matt Steintrager built a 5-0 lead on takedowns in the first and second period against Demetrius Johnson at 125 pounds, but Johnson reversed Steintrager late in the second period, escaped to open the third and took Steintrager down on the edge of the mat to tie the score at 5-5. Steintrager scored an escape with one minute remaining for the decisive point. Scotti Sentes was victorious in his debut at 133 pounds, pinning Josh Statum at the 4:49 mark. After a scoreless first period, Sentes quickly worked Statum to his back in the second period and scored three back points before eventually sticking the pin. UTC scored its only team points when CMU voided the 141-pound match. Tony D'Alie scored a takedown 10 seconds into his 149-pound match with Dean Pavlou, and he added three more takedowns and built a riding time advantage of 2:02 in a 10-2 major decision at 149 pounds. In the only matchup of ranked opponents, Steve Brown earned a 6-5 decision over Joey Knox at 157 pounds. Brown, ranked eighth nationally, scored a pair of first-period takedowns and added a reversal in the second period of take control of the match. Knox, ranked No. 16 nationally, tallied an escape early in the third period and a takedown in the closing seconds for the final margin. Tyler Grayson added three team points for the Chippewas with an 8-3 decision at 165 pounds. Grayson scored a takedown in each period while building a riding time advantage of 2:03. Mike Miller, the nation's top-ranked 174-pounder, opened his season with a 3-1 decision over Chattanooga's Jake Young. Miller and Young traded escapes before Miller scored the decisive takedown in the third period. Redshirt freshman Ben Bennett earned his first career victory at 184 pounds, claiming a 5-4 decision over UTC's Jason McCroskey. Bennett scored the only takedown of the bout in the first period, but the pair traded reversals before Bennett added an escape late in the opening period. A pair of escapes accounted for the rest of the scoring. Eric Simaz scored an escape and a takedown in the second period on his way to a 4-0 victory at 197 pounds. Simaz held a riding time advantage of 2:28 in the match. Jarod Trice capped the win with an 11-1 major decision at heavyweight. Trice scored four takedowns in the victory and added riding time. CMU is off until Nov. 28 when it travels to Northeast Duals. Results: 125: Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Demetrius Johnson, 6-5; CMU leads 3-0 133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Josh Statum at 4:49; CMU leads 9-0 141: No. 20 Cody Cleveland (UTC), win by forfeit; CMU leads 9-6 149: No. 19 Tony D'Alie (CMU) maj. dec. Dean Pavlou, 10-2; CMU leads 13-6 157: No. 8 Steve Brown (CMU) dec. No. 16 Joey Knox, 6-5; CMU leads 16-6 165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Brandon Wright, 8-3; CMU leads 19-6 174: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Jake Young, 3-1; CMU leads 22-6 184: No. 16 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Jason McCroskey, 5-4; CMU leads 25-6 197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Niko Brown, 4-0; CMU leads 28-6 285: No. 11 Jarod Trice (CMU) maj. dec. Tom Minwell, 11-1; CMU leads 32-6

Hempstead, NY -- Each team won five matches but freshman Andrew Schutt’s come-from-behind victory in the final 15 seconds in the final match of the day allowed the Bulls of Buffalo to tie the Hofstra Pride, 16-16, at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Bulls improved to 1-0-1 on the season while the Pride is 0-0-1. Schutt trailed 3-0 in the 141-pound finale after Hofstra red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks’ takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the third period. But the newcomer reversed the Pride wrestler three seconds later and then added three back-points for a 5-4 victory after Banks took the riding time point. Sunday’s contest opened up at 149 pounds with Buffalo’s 16th-ranked Desi Green posting an escape with 1:51 in the third period to take a 3-2 victory over Hofstra sophomore Justin Accordino. Ninth-ranked Hofstra senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman started a four-match Pride winning streak and tied the match at 3-3 with a 10-5 victory over Andrew Stella at 157 pounds. Sophomore P.J. Gillespie posted a 5-2 win over John Martin Cannon at 165 before junior Ryan Patrovich, ranked 10th by Intermat, cruised to a 10-3 victory over Matt Bogardus at 174 pounds. Sophomore Ben Clymer’s 8-0 major decision over Buffalo’s Josh Peters gave the Pride a 13-3 lead at the intermission. Accordino, Gillespie and Patrovich made their debuts at their new weights Sunday. But 20th-ranked Jimmy Hamel put Buffalo back on the winning track with an 8-6 decision over Pride senior Anthony Tortora at 197 pounds and sophomore Brett Correll posted a second period escape to snap a 3-3 tie and go on to a 5-3 decision over Hofstra red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder at 285 to close the deficit to 13-9. Hofstra freshman Jamie Franco, who moved down a weight class to 125 pounds to fill in for the injured starter Steve Bonanno, recorded an escape with 53 seconds remaining to post a 1-0 victory over sophomore Dylan Dabolt and boost the Pride lead to 16-9. But Buffalo sophomore Kevin Smith tallied a 27-12 tech fall win over Hofstra junior Jeff Rotella at 133 pounds but didn’t have any back-points for a four-point victory to close the deficit to 16-13 setting up Schutt’s match-tying win. The Pride return to action next Saturday, November 21 when they compete in the North Carolina State Wolfpack Open in Raleigh, North Carolina. Results: 149 - No. 16 Desi Green (UB) dec. Justin Accordino (HU), 3-2 157 - No. 9 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) dec. Andrew Stella (UB), 10-5 165 – P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. John Martin Cannon (UB), 5-2 174 - No. 10 Ryan Patrovich (HU) dec. Matt Bogardus (UB), 10-3 184 – Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Josh Peters (UB), 8-0 197 - No. 20 Jimmy Hamel UB) dec. Anthony Tortora (HU), 8-6 285 – Brett Correll (UB) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 5-3 125 – Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Dylan Dabolt (UB), 1-0 133 - Kevin Smith (UB) tech fall Jeff Rotella (HU), 27-12 (6:56) 141 – Andrew Schutt (UB) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 5-4

Plenty of Wyoming Cowboy wrestlers won multiple matches on Saturday at the 37th annual Cowboy Open in UW's War Memorial Fieldhouse, however five `Pokes sauntered all the way to the top of their brackets and won individual titles at their home tournament. The event is sponsored by UniWyo Federal Credit Union. A total of nine UW student-athletes placed in the top three of their weight groups. Wyoming also won Outstanding Wrestler awards in both the Elite and Amateur divisions, sophomore Joe LeBlanc and freshman Tyler Cox respectively. "As a whole we wrestled harder today," head coach Mark Branch said. "I want perfection and we still did not wrestle technically well, but we did come out and compete. "We struggled on bottom, which is disappointing because we have spent a lot of time on that this preseason. The team should expect to spend more time on that in the weeks to come. "There is a group of our guys wrestling with the attitude that I want, so hopefully the rest of the team takes notice and learns from the example of their peers. That is a great way to learn." No. 5-ranked LeBlanc led the UW team by example at the Elite 184-pound level. He simply dominated his competition, going 4-0 en route to his weight class win with all four wins coming by way of technical fall. LeBlanc beat Charlie Pipher of Western State College by a score of 16-1 in the final. Sophomore and No. 17-ranked Michael Martinez was one of the Cowboys who competed with the fire that Branch looks for, and in doing so won the 125-pound Elite weight class. Martinez was 4-0 and recorded three major decisions on the day. In the finals he got one of the biggest wins of his young career, beating No. 9-ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley by sudden victory decision 5-3. After forcing the pace in the closing minutes, Martinez earned the decisive takedown near the edge of the mat late in the overtime period. Cox, a UW freshman who will redshirt this season and competed unattached, had little difficulty winning the Amateur 125-pound bracket. Cox wowed the crowd with his array of moves, going 5-0 and winning one match by technical fall and one by major decision. He beat Jesse Hillhouse from Northwest College, 2-1 in the final. Junior Cole Dallaserra looked strong in every match on his way to the Elite title at 149 pounds. Dallaserra, 5-0, had a win by fall, a technical fall and a major decision to his credit. He beat T.J. Hepburn from Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 7-3 in the final. No. 19-ranked Shane Onufer, UW sophomore at 165 pounds, posted a perfect 4-0 record with one pin and two major decisions. Onufer beat Northern Colorado's Justin Gaethje, 3-2 in their Elite title bout. With the match tied 2-2 heading into the final period, he dominated physically on top and rode Gaethje the entire period to earn a riding point and the win. It was Onufer's second consecutive Cowboy Open title, winning last year at 174 pounds. The Cowboy team will travel to the East Coast next weekend for two days of competition. They will compete in the Body Bar Classic in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday, Nov. 21, and then dual Michigan State and West Virginia the following day in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl.

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State wrestlers took seven individual crowns and put on a stellar performance at the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open Saturday at the Lied Recreation Center on ISU’s campus. ISU wrestlers went a combined 78-27 over the entire tournament. The Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open featured 270 total wrestlers spanning NCAA Division I to NAIA schools. Fourteen Iowa Staters advanced to the semifinals of the event. Head coach Kevin Jackson saw the successful action as being part of his plan early this season. “I want to congratulate our champions and placewinners,” Jackson said. “Those guys were doing the things we’ve been asking them to do. Our errors in concentration remain the same. We still need to work on those certain areas and improve. We are going to get better and will continue getting better.” Jackson is confident in the Cyclone squad’s ability to progress as the season continues. “We’re happy with where we are at,” Jackson said. “Come Monday, it is back to work though and we’ll be hitting it hard.” Two Cyclones took Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open titles to finish with a clean sweep of the event during their Cyclone careers. ISU three-time NCAA finalist Jake Varner took his fourth Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open title with a finals pin in a rematch with his opponent from Thursday’s dual with SDSU. Varner stuck the Jacks’ Tyler Sorenson in the first period in 2:27. Cyclone senior 149-pound Mitch Mueller added his fourth title at 149 pounds with a victory over Lindenwood’s Sam Schmitz by decision, 8-2. Mueller recorded two technical falls to start the action Saturday morning. Iowa State heavyweight David Zabriskie was victorious at the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open for the third time in his career. The Cyclone held off Wartburg’s upset-minded John Helgerson by a score of 3-0 in the finals. Helgerson edged ISU’s Eric Thompson 5-3 in the first round to start his run to the finals. Two-time All-American and Pan-Am Games silver medalist Jon Reader got his third title. The Cyclone took the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open 165-pound title in convincing fashion, with two pins, a technical fall and a major decision in four matches. Reader handled Ryan Pankoke of Nebraska-Omaha 17-6 for a major decision in the finals. Sophomore 157-pounder Andrew Sorenson took the crown with a finals victory over UNI’s Brett Robbins, 8-2. Sorenson took down Iowa’s Derek St. John in the semifinals with a 7-5 decision. The Cyclone recorded three pins over opponents in earlier rounds. “(Jake) Varner was impressive and so was (Jon) Reader,” Jackson said. “But Andrew Sorenson really stepped it up today. He beat a kid from Iowa that won their wrestle-off. Andrew performed well all day long. He’s made big strides since the intrasquad.” Redshirt freshman Andrew Long took his first title with a major decision of Iowa’s J.J. Krutsinger, 11-2 in the finals. Long was 5-0 in the tournament with three major decisions and a pin. In a rematch from the Cardinal and Gold Intrasquad, Cyclone 174-pounders Duke Burk and Chris Spangler clashed in the finals. Burk was the winner again, edging Spangler 3-1 to take the title. Iowa State continues the early stages of its 2009-10 campaign Nov. 21 at the Kaufman-Brand (Omaha) Open on Nebraska-Omaha’s campus. Mat action begins at 9 a.m. Click the links in the video slideout tab above for a PDF of the full results and a photo album.

BROCKPORT, N.Y. -- The 18th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team won its 11th straight Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic title Saturday over an impressive field that included 2009 NCAA runner-up Ohio State and sixth-place finisher Edinboro. Additionally, three Sooners claimed individual titles and seven more garnered top-four finishes. “This was an outstanding team performance,” head coach Jack Spates said. “Everybody battled hard and our guys recorded some big upsets and we had some clutch performances.” The Sooners edged the Buckeyes 144.5 team points to 144. Oklahoma took the lead from Ohio State on the final bout of the night, a heavyweight matchup between OU’s Nathan Fernandez and OSU’s Corey Morrison for third place. Fernandez claimed a 7-2 decision to give the Sooners the team championship. Rutgers (120.5), Edinboro (110) and Kent State (100.5) rounded out the top five. Recording 4-0 outings on the day to capture individual crowns were Shane Vernon (157 pounds), Jeff James (174) and Eric Lapotsky (197). Lapotsky recorded three falls on the day, giving him a team-leading four pins on the young season.

Matt Lackey

Fargo, N.D. -- The Minnesota wrestling team opened their season today (Nov. 14) at the Bison Open, and did so in dominating fashion, winning titles in seven weight classes with 14 wrestlers making it to the championship round. Five Gopher wrestlers defended titles led by Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) at 133 who is now a three-time Bison Open Champion. Ness' only Bison Open loss came in his freshman season in the championship round. As a senior in 2009 he tallied three first period falls before matching up with teammate David Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) in the finals where the two shared the title. In the first action of his college career, Thorn won three matches by two decisions and one third period tech fall to advance to the finals. At the top of the line-up, Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) claimed the 125-pound title for the second consecutive season, again beating Trent Sprenkle of host North Dakota State in the finals. Sanders won his first two matches by fall before a 13-6 decision in the semifinals and 17-7 major decision in the finals for the title. At 141 pounds, Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) also repeated as champion, beating teammate Bart Reiter (Gilbertville, Iowa) to do so. As was the case for the Gophers throughout the day, Thorn was dominant, winning two matches by fall and one by major decision before a tech fall in the finals. Reiter, in his first collegiate action, earned two wins by decision and a third by major decision en route to his appearance in the finals. A year ago Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.) shared the title at 149, but this season it was all his as he went 5-0 in the tournament. Mason won his first match by tech fall and also tallied a major decision on his way to the championship round. His opponent was Gopher rookie Danny Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.) who won his first career match by fall in the first period before making his way to the finals. In the championship match Mason tabbed a 7-4 decision for the win. The final Gopher to defend a title was heavyweight Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.), who shared champion honors with freshman Tony Nelson (Cambridge, Minn.). Berhow ended his first match with a pin in less than two minutes and then added a 15-4 major decision for a berth in the championship. On the other side of the bracket, Nelson earned a close 2-1 decision for his first career win and then notched a 7-0 win over fellow freshman Jake Kettler (Ramsey, Minn.) in the semifinals. Continuing in dominating fashion, the Gopher boasted three of the four heavyweights competing in the semifinals. One-upping the heavyweights, however, were the 174-pounders who claimed all four semifinal spots in their class. Scott Glasser (Bismarck, N.D.) earned a 5-2 win over Kevin Steinhaus (Pennock, Minn.) for a berth in the finals and Nate Matousek (Glencoe, Minn.) tallied a tight 2-1 win over Matt Everson (Mitchell, S.D.) in the other semifinal. Glasser would go on to win the 174 title with a 14-1 win. The last all-Gopher final was at 197 where Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) met up with Joe Nord (Waconia, Minn.). Yohn tallied two tech falls and one major decision in advancing to the championship round while Nord notched a fall and two major decisions on his way to the finals. In the championship, Yohn was able to score a 10-2 victory. The final Gopher to appear in the finals was Alec Ortiz (Grand Ronde, Ore.) at 165, who got there via major decision, fall and decision. In the championship, Ortiz came up just short of a title, falling 9-7. The Gophers also claimed three third place finishes on the day for a very successful season opener. "There was a lot of good," head coach J Robinson said. "I think we learned a lot, and got a good look at where we're at. I think our young recruiting class showed a lot. We had a lot of freshman in the finals, and they really went out and got after people. Overall our guys went out at battled and it was really good to see." The Golden Gophers will return to the mat in one week when the head to Nebraska-Omaha and the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 21. Always highly competitive, Minnesota won two titles at the Kaufman-Brand in 2008, and they will look to continue their early season success as they build towards their first dual meet on Nov. 28 at Williams Arena, when they host Cal State-Bakersfield.

AMES, IA -- University of Iowa senior Joe Slaton (141) and redshirt freshman Grant Gambrall (184) each took home titles from the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open in Ames Saturday. Ten of Iowa's 11 competitors placed fourth or higher at the season-opening tournament. Slaton, who was competing unattached, won all five of his matches by seven points or more. The No. 2 seed at 141, Slaton posted two technical falls, a major decision and a decision en route to his 14-7 win over unattached competitor Mario Morgan in the finals. Gambrall, who was the No. 3 seed at 184, recorded a pin, technical fall and major decision on the way to his 6-2 victory over No. 1 seed Jerome Ward of Iowa State in the finals. Sophomore J.J. Krutsinger (125) and redshirt freshman Nate Moore (133) also wrestled in the finals of their respective weight classes, each placing second. Krutsinger, who was the top seed at 125, recorded two technical falls and a pin before losing a 10-2 major decision to No. 2 seed Andrew Long of Iowa State in the finals. Moore, who was seeded second, posted three first-period pins and a major decision at the tournament before losing a 4-2 decision to No. 1 seed Cody Garcia of the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the 133-pound finals. Placing third for the Hawkeyes were junior Luke Lofthouse (197), sophomore Blake Rasing (Hwt.), and true freshmen Derek St. John (157) and Ethen Lofthouse (174). Sophomore Vinnie Wagner (184) and true freshman Nick Trizzino (133) both placed fourth at the tournament. The Hawkeyes will host the six-team Iowa City Duals Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in their first home event of the season. Matches are set for 10:30 a.m., Noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., and the teams competing are Coe College, Cornell College, the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, Iowa Lakes Community College and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The event is part of the wrestling season ticket package, which is $60 for the general public and $48 for UI faculty and staff. Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $6 for youth if purchased at the door. Hawkeye men's basketball and football fans can also take advantage of special ticket prices for the Iowa City Duals. Fans can show their men's basketball ticket for Friday's 8:05 p.m. game with Bowling Green State or their Saturday Iowa vs. Minnesota football ticket at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena Athletic Ticket Office and receive a $5 ticket to the Iowa City Duals. Contact the UI Athletic Ticket Office at www.hawkeyesports.com or 800-424-2957 to order tickets.

When Tyler Lehman moved from West Fargo, North Dakota to Apple Valley, Minnesota after his eighth-grade year to wrestle for one of the nation's top wrestling programs, his goal was to become the best wrestler he could be and put himself in a position to wrestle at the Division I level. Tyler Lehman (Photo/The Guillotine)That difficult decision to leave his family and friends behind paid off on Friday when Lehman, who has since moved back to West Fargo for his senior year, signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle for the University of Minnesota. "I improved a lot at Apple Valley," said Lehman, who projects collegiately at 184 pounds. "It helped me get to where I am now." While at Apple Valley, Lehman won back-to-back state titles at 171 pounds during his sophomore and junior campaigns. As a junior, Lehman went 49-0 and pinned his way through the state tournament, which included a first-period pin in the state finals. He won an NHSCA Sophomore Nationals title in 2008 and finished fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals in 2009. He has placed in the top four at Junior Nationals (freestyle and Greco-Roman) three times over the past two summers. He is ranked as the No. 62 recruit in the country by InterMat and eighth at 189 pounds. Lehman chose Minnesota over Iowa and Missouri. "I like the coaches at Minnesota, " said Lehman of his decision to wrestle for the Gophers. "The program is really coming up right now. They have a bunch of good recruits coming in. They're in the Big Ten. I feel like they're going to help me be the best I can possibly be." Lehman joins Dylan Ness (Bloomington Kennedy, MN), Chris and Nick Dardanes (Oak Park River Forest), Joel Bauman (Kerkhoven-Murdock, MN), and Seth Lange (Sturgis, SD) as early signees in Minnesota's 2010 recruiting class. "I know Dylan Ness real well," said Lehman. "He's a good friend of mine. I also know Joel Bauman. I haven't met the Dardanes' yet, but I look forward to meeting them." Lehman's decision to move back to West Fargo for his senior year centered around his family. "I decided to move back for one more year to be with my family," said Lehman, who was a part of the West Fargo football team that reached the state semifinals this fall. "My family means a lot to me. I didn't want my last year with my family to be as an eighth-grader. I wanted to spend some time with them one more year before I head off to college." Tyler Lehman (Photo/The Guillotine)Moving back West Fargo also allowed Lehman to reunite with Scott Schiller, a close friend and training partner who is also nationally ranked. Both were Junior Nationals double All-Americans at the same weight class (189) in Fargo this past summer. Lehman defeated Schiller 6-0, 2-2 in the freestyle competition. "Scott and I are good friends," said Lehman. "We're pushing each other in the room and making each other better." Lehman will wrestle at 189 pound for his senior season, while Schiller will compete at 215 pounds. Before Lehman heads off to college at the University of Minnesota, he wants to "improve every day, prepare for the next level, and win state." As for college wrestling goals? "I plan to be a four-time All-American and multiple-time NCAA champion," said Lehman.

TEMPE -- The Arizona State University wrestling team won eight matches in a row with six of those victories producing bonus points to easily down host UC Davis in Davis, Calif., on Friday night to open the 2009-10 season and give new head coach Shawn Charles a win in his debut with the program. Ranked No. 20 in the nation according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), the Sun Devils are now 1-0-0 on the season and 1-0-0 in the Pac-10 Conference while the Aggies fell to 0-1-0 and 0-1-0 in the conference. The dual opened at heavyweight with Sun Devil senior Erik Nye dropping a tough 4-3 decision to Ricky Alcala, spotting the hosts an early 3-0 lead before ASU took over. Starting with the 125-pound match, the Sun Devils won eight in a row and took the lead for good with its first victory of the night as No. 3 Anthony Robles scored a 20-3 technical fall over Mark Jay Acosta to put ASU on top, 4-3. After Ben Ashmore won his Sun Devil debut at 133 pounds by forfeit to put ASU on top, 10-3, No. 5 Chris Drouin added to the lead as he defeated Justin Arredondo in the 141-pound match with a 17-1 technical fall. The Sun Devils picked up wins in the next two matches win pins as Vicente Varela stuck Randall Watts in 2:30 and Te Edwards pinned Trevor Machado-Ching in 4:42. Leading 28-3, the visitors tacked on 10 more points over the next three matches, first with Kyle DeBerry taking a 10-4 decision over David Watts at 165. From there, Eric Starks won the Sun Devils’ sixth bonus-point match as he scored a 16-3 major decision over Joshua Esparza before Jake Meredith took a 4-1 decision over Stephan Hampton at 184. In the final match of the night, UCD’s Rory McBryde spoiled the debut of Michael Hawkins as the Sun Devils’ redshirt freshman lost a 3-2 decision to bring the final score to 38-6 in favor of ASU. With the win, the Sun Devils improved their all-time record to 5-0-0 against the Aggies with a perfect 3-0-0 mark in duals held in Davis while making Charles the fourth Sun Devil coach to win his debut. ASU also improved to 35-13-0 all-time in its first dual of the year and 32-16-0 in its first road dual of the year while improving to 28-4-1 all-time in its first Pac-10 dual of the year and 23-5-0 in its first conference road dual of the season. The Sun Devils will remain on the road this weekend for a second Pac-10 dual as they travel to Fullerton, Calif., for a 2 p.m. PT contest with CS Fullerton inside Titan Gym. #20 Arizona State def. UC Davis, 38-6 at Davis, Calif. 285 - Ricky Alcala (UCD) dec. Erik Nye, 4-3 125 - #3 Anthony Robles (ASU) tech fall Mark Jay Acosta, 20-3 133 - Ben Ashmore (ASU) won by forfeit 141 - #5 Chris Drouin (ASU) tech fall Justin Arredondo, 17-1 149 - Vicente Varela (ASU) pinned Randall Watts, 2:30 157 - Te Edwards (ASU) pinned Trevor Machado-Ching, 4:42 165 - Kyle DeBerry (ASU) dec. David Watts, 10-4 174 - Eric Starks (ASU) major Joshua Esparza, 16-3 184 - Jake Meredith (ASU) dec. Stephan Hampton, 4-1 197 - Rory McBryde (UCD) dec. Michael Hawkins, 3-2

WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- Waynesburg built up a 14-0 lead over Division II Shippensburg and then got a big pin from junior 184-pounder Corbin Semple en route to a 20-15 win over the Raiders on Friday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. It was the second year in a row that the Yellow Jackets were able to down Shippensburg. The Jackets are now 1-0 in dual match competition, while the Raiders are 0-1. Sophomore Rico Borz got the night started off right with an impressive 10-2 major decision victory over Justin Morris that put his team up 4-0. Freshman Brandon Grainy made his first collegiate dual match start a memorable one as he put the Jackets up 7-0 by beating Russell Davidson 6-2. Grainy actually trailed 2-0 after two periods, but rebounded with five points in the third period and a point for riding time. Despite battling the flu, junior Nick Garber kept the winning ways going with a 15-4 major decision victory over Tom Wiechelt. Garber actually led the bout 11-1 after two periods. Sophomore 149-pounder Jesse Byerly made it 14-0 Jackets after holding on for an 8-6 win over a bigger, stronger opponent in Devan Jones. Shippensburg was able to cut the lead down to 14-9 after three-straight decision wins, including a heart-breaking 9-8 win for David Sunderland over Waynesburg’s Alex Evanoff, who managed to put Sunderland on his back in the third period, despite fighting off an illness. That brought Semple to the mat to face highly touted freshman Keith Dahlheimer. The Waynesburg native looked like the sixth-ranked grappler in Division III as he stuck Dahlheimer to his back in just 2:41 and gave Waynesburg a 20-9 lead. Ironically, the match was clinched during a Jacket loss as junior Matt Zimmerman wrestled a smart match and didn’t give up bonus points to Brian Hindle. Hindle took the bout by the final of 6-1 with riding time, but Waynesburg sealed the victory on the night. Waynesburg won’t have long to celebrate the victory, as they hit the road tomorrow to take part in the Washington & Jefferson Open, an event which is expected to include the likes of West Virginia University, Penn State and Division II powerhouse Pitt-Johnstown. The event is scheduled to get underway at 8 a.m. Results: 125 Borz (WAY) maj. dec. 10-2 (RT) Morris (SHI) 4-0 133 Grainy (WAY) dec. 6-2 (RT) Davidson (SHI) 7-0 141 Garber (WAY) maj. dec. 15-4 (RT) Wiechelt 11-0 149 Byerly (WAY) dec. 8-6 (RT) Jones (SHI) 14-0 157 Claar (SHI) dec. 7-3 Jon Sanko (WAY) 14-3 165 Sunderland (SHI) dec. 9-8 Evanoff (WAY) 14-6 174 Reese (SHI) dec. 2-1 Jared Roberts (WAY) 14-9 184 Semple (WAY) fall 2:41 Dahlheimer (SHI) 20-9 197 Hindle (SHI) dec. 6-1 (RT) Zimmerman (WAY) 20-12 285 Zittle (SHI) dec. 3-2 Rich Janicki (WAY) 20-15 Pre-match Exhibitions: 141 Cody Renner (WAY) dec. 3-1 Riley (SHI)

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith announced the signing of Josh Kindig (Auburn, Pa./Blue Mountain HS) to a National Letter of Intent today. Kindig is the nation’s top-ranked 140-pounder entering the 2009-10 season according to Intermat. He is also No. 1 in the preseason WIN Magazine rankings. He is considered as a top-10 overall prospect nationally at any weight class. A 2009 runner-up at the USA Wrestling freestyle national championships, Kindig ranks among America’s top prep wrestlers in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He has finished no lower than fourth in any national tournament in either discipline since 2007. He won the cadet freestyle national title in 2007. As a junior wrestling for Blue Mountain HS, Kindig won the Pennsylvania state title at 135 pounds to cap a 53-1 season. He enters his senior year with a 130-11 high school record. “We’re excited to have Josh join us,” Smith said. “He has had a lot of success, both in freestyle and in Greco-Roman and has won state championships. We look forward to seeing him continue our success with wrestlers from Pennsylvania.” Kindig is the latest Keystone State star to sign with Oklahoma State, joining 2008 NCAA Champion Coleman Scott (Waynesburg) and current Cowboy Jordan Oliver (Easton), in addition to former NCAA Champion Teague Moore (Pittsburgh). Kindig had his choice of schools, ultimately selecting Oklahoma State over Ohio State.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt wrestling team picked up two wins in their first dual matches of the season with a 28-14 win over host school Drexel, and a 35-6 win over Sacred Heart. Junior Ryan Tomei (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) led the team with two wins on two falls on the day in the heavyweight class. Tomei defeated Paul Schweighardt of Sacred Heart by a fall (3:56) and followed that up with a fall (4:22) against Kyle Frey of Drexel. Tomei is now 7-0 on the year with three pins and five total bonus-point wins. At 149, redshirt senior Eric Albright (York, Pa./Red Lion Area/Virginia) also picked up two wins on the day with a 21-6 major decision over Zach Moran of Sacred Heart, and a 7-4 win over Brent McCurdy of Drexel. Redshirt senior David Sullivan (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./East Stroudsburg) claimed a 7-0 decision over Michael Hartman of Sacred Heart and defeated Dave Woodall of Drexel, 8-4 at 174. Zac Thomusseit, a sophomore at 184, captured a 2-0 record on the day. Thomusseit (St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham) picked up a win against Sacred Heart by forfeit, then went on to defeat Justin Wieller of Drexel, 14-2. At 197, Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) continued an impressive start to the season, as he defeated Brandon Lapp of Sacred Heart by a fall (3:46) and knocked off Jack Callender of Drexel, 7-3. Others earning a win on the day for the Panthers were Chris Kochinsky (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) at 125, with a 9-5 decision over Josh Yurasits of Drexel. In the 133 weight class, sophomore Zach Grove (York, Pa./Central York) defeated Justin Belanger of Sacred Heart, 11-7. At 141, redshirt sophomore Tyler Nauman (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) defeated Cory Dunn of Sacred Heart, 9-2 and at 157, redshirt senior Mark Powell (Washington, Pa./Trinity/Purdue) took a 4-3 decision from Anthony Priore of Sacred Heart. The Panthers return to action Sunday with a 2 p.m. meeting at No. 17 Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks are led by Pitt’s former four-time All-American Pat Santoro, who was coached by Panther head coach Rande Stottlemyer. Pittsburgh 28, Drexel 14 125: Chris Kochinsky (P) dec. Josh Yurasits (D), 9-5 133: Steve Mytych (D) FALL Zach Grove (P), 2:15 141: Shane Fenningham (D) FALL Tyler Nauman (P), 4:19 149: Eric Albright (P), dec. Brent McCurdy (D), 7-4 157: Joe Booth (D) maj. Kyle Patton (P), 15-0 165: Alex Rinaldi (D) dec. Karl Deciantis (P), 6-2 174: Dave Sullivan (P) dec. Dave Woodall (D), 8-4 184: Zac Thomusseit (P) maj. Justin Wieller (D), 14-2 197: Matt Wilps (P) dec. Jack Callender (D), 7-3 285: Ryan Tomei (P) FALL Kyle Frey (D), 4:22 Pittsburgh 35, Sacred Heart 6 125: Pat Feeley (SH) dec. Chris Kochinsky (P), 4-3 133: Zach Grove (P) dec. Justin Belanger (SH), 11-7 141: Tyler Nauman (P) dec. Cory Dunn (SH), 9-2 149: Eric Albright (P) maj. Zach Moran (SH), 21-6 157: Mark Powell (P) dec. Anthony Priore (SH), 4-3 165: Jonathan Rizzitello (SH) dec. Karl Deciantis (P), 9-5 174: Dave Sullivan (P) dec. Michael Hartman (SH), 7-0 184: Zac Thomusseit (P) unopposed/Foreit 197: Matthew Wilps (P) FALL Brandon Lapp (SH), 3:46 285: Ryan Tomei (P) FALL Paul Schweighardt (SH), 3:56

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- No. 17 Lehigh won six of ten bouts and picked up three bonus point wins as the Mountain Hawks moved to 2-0 on the dual season with a 23-14 win over No. 15 Penn State in front of 5,254 Friday night at Stabler Arena. Senior captains Matt Fisk and Seth Ciasulli provided early bonus points with a major decision and pin respectively, while freshman Robert Hamlin stopped a three-bout Nittany Lion run with a major decision win at 174. Hamlin’s win sparked the Mountain Hawks to wins in the final four bouts of the night to clinch Lehigh’s second straight win over Penn State in the 98th meeting between the longtime rivals. “We knew it would be a tight match coming in and it went the way it was supposed to on paper except for 174,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We knew bonus points would be key. I’m sure Penn State is upset about the ones they gave up and I know we are about the ones we gave up. We still have a lot to work on. It was a great effort by some. Others have some work to do but we had some great bright spots.” Five of the ten bouts on the evening resulted in bonus points being scored, including each of the first four. The dual opened at 125 with Penn State’s Brad Pataky winning a 14-4 major decision over sophomore John McDonald, but Fisk brought the Mountain Hawks right back at 133 with a takedown in each period plus near falls in the second and third to defeat Tyler Saltsman 14-1. At 141, Ciasulli put Lehigh in front with the Mountain Hawks’ first fall of the season in dual competition. Ciasulli picked up a first-period takedown, and then cranked Adam Lynch over for the fall in 2:42 to put Lehigh up 10-6. Penn State began its three match run as Frank Molinaro won a 12-3 major decision over sophomore Brian Tanen at 149. At 157, Cyler Sanderson gave the visitors an 11-10 lead at intermission with a 5-2 win over sophomore Sean Bilodeau. Following the 10-minute intermission, 12th-ranked senior Mike Galante battled No. 9 Dan Vallimont in a meeting of ranked wrestlers at 165. Vallimont scored a first period takedown on an attempted cement mixer by Galante, and added another score in the second to win 5-2 and put Penn State up 14-10 heading into 174. In the matchup at 174, Hamlin gave up an early takedown to David Erwin, and after getting a takedown of his own was reversed. With the score knotted at four in the first period, Hamlin secured his second takedown and added a tilt for three near fall points to take the lead after one period. Hamlin added two more takedowns and went on to tie the dual with a 17-8 major decision. “That’s just the way he is,” Santoro said of Hamlin. “He keeps battling. He trains that way and that’s the way you’re supposed to wrestle.” Lehigh went in front for good at 184 as senior David Craig scored a first period takedown on a duck-under and went on to defeat Justin Ortega 3-1. The Mountain Hawks also captured the last two bouts; with sophomore Joe Kennedy earning a 4-1 decision over Clay Steadman at 197 and Zach Rey scored a second period reversal and third period takedown to feat Cameron Wade 5-2 at heavyweight. The announced crowd of 5,254 was the second largest wrestling crowd in Stabler Arena history, behind only the 5,828 that witnessed the Lehigh-Oklahoma State dual meet on February 13, 2005. The Mountain Hawks will return to action on Sunday when they host the Pittsburgh Panthers. The match gets underway at 2 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased online at Lehighsports.com or by visiting the Lehigh Ticket Office, located in Grace Hall on Sunday morning. Results: 125 Brad Pataky (PSU) maj. dec. John McDonald (Lehigh) 14-4 133 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) maj. dec. Tyler Saltsman (PSU) 14-1 141 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) Fall Adam Lynch (PSU) 2:42 149 Frank Molinaro (PSU) maj. dec. Brian Tanen (Lehigh) 12-3 157 Cyler Sanderson (PSU) dec. Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) 5-2 165 Dan Vallimont (PSU) dec. Mike Galante (Lehigh) 5-2 174 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) maj. dec. David Erwin (PSU) 17-8 184 David Craig (Lehigh) dec. Justin Ortega (PSU) 3-1 197 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. Clay Steadman (PSU) 4-1 285 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Cameron Wade (PSU) 5-2 Attendance – 5,254 Referee – Anthony Zullo

MADISON, Wis.--The No. 12 Wisconsin wrestling team played host to No. 22 Old Dominion at the UW Field House Friday night in its first official dual of the 2009-10 season. The Badgers defeated ODU 21-19, a decisive victory won in the final bout of the evening at heavyweight. In the first match, senior Drew Hammen battled No. 5 junior James Nicholson at 125 lbs. Nicholson scored the first takedown at 1:57 in the first period and added to his lead from there, winning the bout 12-5 and resulting in 3-0 lead for ODU. Hammen recorded three escapes and one reversal in the match. No. 10 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff then took on redshirt freshman Joshua Gillis at 133 lbs. In the high scoring match, Graff recorded six takedowns in the first period , three in the second period and five more in the third period to result in a tech fall win for Graff 28-13. Since Graff scored only takedowns, Wisconsin received four team points for the tech fall. The decision gave the Badgers the edge over ODU, 4-3. The 141 lbs. weight class featured to redshirt freshman, Wisconsin's Cole Schmitt and Old Dominion's Craig Wilson. Wilson recorded the first takedown with 10 seconds left in the first period, going on to record four more takedowns and two point nearfall points to win the match by major decision, 16-5, giving the lead back to ODU, 7-4. Schmitt scored five escapes in the bout. No. 2 senior Kyle Ruschell faced senior Cam Watkins in a tough matchup at 149 lbs. Ruschell scored off of a takedown in the first period, a stall by Watkins in the first period, a reversal in the third period and 5:13 of riding time at the end of the bout. Ruschell shutout Watkins 6-0, resulting in a tied matchup at 7-7. Juniors Greg Burke and Dan Rivera then battled in a short matchup at 157 lbs. Burke recorded a takedown with 39 seconds left in the first period, turning it into a pin at 2:35 seconds. Burke was awarded six points for the pin and gave the Badgers the lead, 13-7. No. 3 sophomore Andrew Howe took on junior Derek Gallagher at 165 lbs. Howe jumped out to a 8-4 lead in the first period and scored 10 more points to win the match by tech fall. Howe recorded 11 takedowns in the match and had two nearfall points, adding five points to the UW lead, making the score 18-7. True freshman Brendan Ard wrestled in his first match as a Badger. Ard faced senior NCAA qualifier Eric Decker in a close match at 174 lbs. No points were scored in an even first period. Decker scored an escape in the second period and received points for riding time at the end of the bout, winning the match 2-0. At 184 lbs. redshirt freshman Jimmy Duffy took on sophomore Joe Budi. After a scoreless first period, Budi chose down, registered the escape and took down Duffy at 1:32 before pinning him at 4:11. The Badgers lead was then narrowed to 18-16. Freshman Jackson Hein also competed in his first match as a Badger and wrestled No. 10 senior Jesse Strawn at 197 lbs. The match was kept close, with Strawn only scoring once in each of the three period. With riding time points added on at the end of the match for Strawn, he won 6-0, resulting in the ODU lead of 19-18. In the final bout, heavyweights junior Eric Bugenhagen battled redshirt freshman Grant Chapman. After a scoreless first period, Bugenhagen chose down and recorded the only points of the second period with an escape at 1:50 left on the clock. Chapman scored an escape with 1:54 in the third period to tie the match at 1-1. For the rest of the third, the two heavyweights battled it out before Bugenhagen recorded a takedown with just 24 seconds left on the clock, leading to a 3-2 win for Bugenhagen and 21-19 dual win for the UW. The Badgers hit the road now and face No. 7 Nebraska on Sunday at 1 p.m. Results: 125: #5 James Nicholson (ODU) dec. Drew Hammen (UW), 12-5 133: #10 Tyler Graff (UW) tech fall Joshua Gillis (ODU), 28-13, 6:56 141: Craig Wilson (ODU) maj. dec. Cole Schmitt (UW), 16-5 149: #2 Kyle Ruschell (UW) dec. Cam Watkins (ODU), 6-0 157: Greg Burke (UW) pin Dan Rivera (ODU), 2:35 165: #2 Andrew Howe (UW) tech fall Derek Gallagher (ODU) 174: Eric Decker (ODU) dec. Brendan Ard (UW), 2-0 184: Joe Budi (ODU) pin Jimmy Duffy (UW), 4:11 197: #10 Jesse Strawn (ODU) dec. Jackson Hein (UW), 6-0 Hwt.: Eric Bugenhagen (UW) dec. Grant Chapman (ODU), 3-2

Minneapolis -- The University of Minnesota Wrestling team is pleased to announce the addition of six high school standouts during the early signing period. Head coach J Robinson has signed three wrestlers from Minnesota, two from Illinois and one from South Dakota to the 2010 class. Each is currently nationally ranked in their weight class and all have been place-winners at their respective state tournaments. Three of the signees have won state titles with two winning multiple state championships. The group includes a set of twin brothers and one brother of a current Gopher, and hits weight classes from 133 all the way up to 197. On the national scene these young men have been All-Americans and champions and USA Wrestling national meets. In addition to their accolades on the mat, they all possess the mentality and that extra piece that it takes to be a Minnesota Wrestler. "The attitudes of these guys are great and they cant wait to get here and be a Gopher," Robinson said. "Attitude and effort our the two main components that we look for, and these guys have them both. We are excited, and believe that this class will help the Gophers get back on top." Joel Bauman: Kerkhoven, Minn. ... Kerkhoven-Murdock High School ... projected at 197 ... 2009 state champion at 189 ... USA Junior National All-American ... ranked No. 10 nationally at 189 by Amateur Wrestling News. Chris Dardanes: Oak River, Ill. ... Oak River Park Forest High School ... twin brother Nick is also a signee ... projected at 133/141 ... two-time state place-winner ... placed fourth in the USA Wrestling Junior National Freestyle Tournament ... ranked No. 5 nationally at 135 by Amateur Wrestling News and No. 13 nationally at 135 by InterMat. Nick Dardanes: Oak River, Ill. ... Oak River Park Forest High School ... twin brother Chris is also a signee ... projected at 141/149 ... 2009 state champion ... placed second at the USA Wrestling Junior National Freestyle Tournament ... ranked No. 2 nationally at 140 by InterMat and No. 3 by Amateur Wrestling News ... ranked No. 19 overall high school senior InterMat. Seth Lange: Sturgis, S.D. ... Sturgis High School ... projected at 141 ... three-time state champion ... placed third at NHSCA Junior Nationals ... ranked No. 15 nationally at 130 by InterMat. Tyler Lehmann: Fargo, N.D. ... Apple Valley High School ... projected at 184 ... two-time Minnesota State Champion ... three-time USA Wrestling Junior National All-American ... ranked No. 3 nationally at 189 by Amateur Wrestling News and No. 8 by InterMat. Dylan Ness: Bloomington, Minn. ... John F. Kennedy High School ... brother of current Gopher All-American Jayson Ness ... projected at 157 ... three-time state place-winner ... USA Wrestling Triple Crown Cadet National winner ... ranked No. 4 nationally at 145 by InterMat and No. 6 by Amateur Wrestling News.

Bruce Burnett

TDR's mobile Brute adidas studios will hit the road this Saturday for our third LIVE road show of the year. Join Scott Casber and Steve Foster for what has now become a tradition on TDR. We'll talk with the wrestlers, the coaches and some of the fans that will be on campus. Our host for the weekend is Kevin Jackson and his Cyclones. We'll broadcast from the rec center on campus in Ames. Please feel free to tune in and listen at Takedownradio.com. Video is planned as well and in addition We'll video tape portions of the day for TDR TV news. We'll tell this story on next weeks edition of TDR TV. Missed an episode of TDR? Now You can get TDR on your PDA or iPhone at Lightsout.tv and at iTunes Please note that Episode 31 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! 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. We air 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

A wrestling-centric baby boom has visited Charlottesville, but instead of mixing together scrappy boys and girls, the stork's basket will be filled exclusively with double-X chromosomes and pink-tinted bonnets. Scott Moore and Steve GarlandThe University of Virginia coaching staff will welcome five daughters over the next five months: head coach Steve Garland (November), volunteer assistant Jim Stance (December), Club Coach Jim Harshaw (January), associate head coach Scott Moore (February), and assistant Alex Clemsen (March). "This is nuts!" said Garland. "It's crazy enough we are all having kids, but all girls? All during the season? I know we're lucky, but it's super weird." Before taking out the calculator to adjust for the improbability of hiring a staff of soon-to-be fathers -- and the impossibly eerie timing of the pregnancies (November-March) -- know that the odds of five randomly selected couples each ending up with girls is only about 3.5 percent, or one out of every 28 attempts. Super weird, indeed. For those familiar with U.Va.'s current baby situation it's difficult not to mention a "wrestler's curse" -- a metaphorical shorthand for recognizing that instead of siring men to uphold the masculine tradition of aggression and discipline in wrestling, a seemingly disproportionate number of former wrestlers have daughters. Virginia's current baby boom seems to lend anecdotal credibility to the argument of a curse. "Every wrestler dreams about having a little guy and getting him into wrestling," Moore said. "When you love the sport, you just want to share it with your son." Alex ClemsenWhile every pregnancy and birth is exciting, the real test of professional and personal balance rest with Moore and Clemsen, who, along with full-time coaching responsibilities, are both expecting their first child (Stanec is also expecting his first, but works part-time as he finishes his Ph.D. in electrical engineering. Harshaw has two boys and recently founded a sports marketing firm.) Moore said that while he was happy to find out his wife was pregnant with a healthy girl; he'd been indulging in the idea of having a boy. Garland understands the initial disappointment. He wanted a boy when expecting the birth of his first child in 2006. He eventually came to realize how fortunate he was that his wife English gave birth to a baby girl: he was saved from turning into some terrible derivation of an over-protective, screaming wrestling dad. "It's a tough sport, and I'm pretty fortunate that I can separate my home life from my life on the mat, "Garland said. "I'm having a tea party and baking fake cakes with my daughter one night and then first thing in the morning I'm in the wrestling room leading extra technique sessions and getting my skull beat in," he said. "The home stuff is the best part of my day." Moore says he wants a similar type of professional and personal harmony. Steve and English Garland with Sarah"I've watched him care for his kids and his wrestlers. It's gonna be tough, but Garland's has the kind of balance I want to pull off." Only four months from the due date the energy of the event is starting to enliven an already-frisky Moore. Not ready to bake fake cakes, he's preparing for his daughter by assembling new furniture, baby proofing the house, and building extra storage cabinets. All the preparation is necessary because Moore and Clemsen are staring down due dates that coincide with the ACC and NCAA tournaments. While his assistants will certainly be focused on peaking their athletes for the end of the year competitions, Garland said nothing would keep them from being at the hospital on delivery day. "Wrestlers think that making All-American or winning a national championship is the happiest you can ever be. But when you have a kid the whole game changes -- nothing is more important or makes you happier than raising a family," Garland said. "There are plenty of wrestling tournaments." The Cavalier team seems equally excited and optimistic about the impact five infant girls will have on the organization. Sophomore co-captain Chris Henrich said he expects the coaches to take time to be with their families, but that there will be an enormous upside to watching the staff raise their daughters. "We're a young team and they're a young staff so I think we relate," Henrich said. "The coaches are a big part of our lives and the team is excited to welcome a new part of the family during the year. They work their butts off to get us ready for the season. That's not going to change because they have a kid … or five." Scott and Sherry Moore"The guys have been handling everything well," Garland said. "You can see how much it warms up a room when my one daughter is around. Can you imagine what it's gonna be like with five of 'em?" While it's difficult to imagine five coaches from same team having five daughters in the same season, the made-for-TV movie script wasn't certain until late last week when Moore and his wife Sherry received the results of her ultra sound. Moore said he was anxious about stepping into the starring role of hero (or heel) -- and apparently for good reason. "I'm pretty sure Clemsen would've punched me in the face if I was having a boy," Moore said. While there's humor in watching old competitors or teammates ready for the birth of a daughter -- a communal, good-natured ribbing indicating just how much everyone understands that gender is secondary to health and happiness. With growing families full of baby girls (and thus, no inner-staff fistfights) Virginia wrestling's single-gender baby boom definitely looks more like a pink-bowed blessing than any kind of curse.

Event: UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera Venue: Manchester Evening News Arena (Manchester, England) Date: November 14, 2009 In a rare free Spike TV showing of the UFC, fight fans get to see the legendary Randy Couture (16-10), the 46-year-old Greco Roman ruler, in the featured fight against a younger, quicker, and very athletic Muay Thai fighter Brandon Vera (11-3), who has won seven of his 11 wins by KO. This fight card is loaded with European fighters, mostly British, but two Americans will slug it out in this featured event. Randy Couture and UFC MonsterRandy has lost three of his last five fights and is actually 6-7 since 2002, mostly fighting in the heavyweight division. But he is back down to the light heavyweights at 205 pounds, and he is a force to be reckoned with in the UFC's deepest division of talent. The oddsmakers have set a very reasonable price on him, currently at -125. The issue will be his age and slowness in coping with a much quicker striker like Vera. I think Vera will come out kicking, trying to end it with a high, powerful head kick. But Randy covers up well and it will be only a matter of time before he grabs his younger opponent and schools him against the cage with some dirty boxing and eventually tosses him to the mat where he will mount him in Couture style and give him a lethal dose of a ground-and-pound beating. The ref will stop this midway through the second round. Take Couture and lay the -125. Randy's back! Hometown hero, middleweight Michael "The Count" Bisping (18-2) had won 15 in a row before losing a split decision to former Michigan State wrestler, Rashad Evans. He has since been KO'd by former Olympian Dan Henderson. His opponent is the very experienced Dennis Kang (32-11-1), who has spent most of his MMA career fighting in Japan. Kang's highly-touted fight game is diverse with 12 KOs and 15 submission wins on his resume. He is somewhat vulnerable to being submitted, but that is not Bisping's game. Michael's a striker, with sharp accuracy, fighting in front of a large fan base. In what I see as a "toss-up" affair, I will take the slight value on Bisping at +115 to win a hometown decision. This will be the first time I have ever bet on Bisping. I hope he rewards my risk. Both fighters desperately need a win to advance their careers in the UFC. The winner of the welterweight fight between Mike "Quick" Swick (14-2) and Nottingham native Dan "Outlaw" Hardy (22-6) gets a shot at the title against Georges St. Pierre, who is currently out with injury. Neither has a snowball's chance in H*** of capturing that belt, but tonight's fight should be a dandy, and probably the leading candidate for "Fight of the Night" -- a 6:1 wager. I see both fighters standing toe-to-toe, macho-style, mano-a-mano swinging away until someone crumples. This one may not escape the first round! And when the dust clears, my money will be on Quick Swick standing tall over the outrageous Mohawk man, another KO notched in his belt. I'll lay the -200 (and going up …) that the American will be fighting the Canadian GSP on Super Bowl weekend. While Swick gets a first-round KO. Hardy gets a headache. The main card is rather lame with welterweights Matt Brown (12-7) and James Wilks (7-2) doing battle for bragging rights. Wilks will be looking for a submission, while Brown will try to take advantage of his slightly superior striking skills. He has five KOs and five submissions in his 12 wins. His experience and more well-rounded skills should be enough to earn him a three-round decision. The betting value is fair at -150. I like my chances on Brown. Now on to the undercard: Two Brits will fire up the crowd as "Relentless" Paul Taylor (10-4-1) will test his kicking skills against undefeated John "The Hitman" Hathaway (12-0) in another welterweight fight. Both fighters will have their hands full, and this could be another candidate for "Fight of the Night". I have trouble believing that the oddsmakers have made Taylor a +210 underdog. His experience and relentless style could be enough to cash a nice ticket. I'll take my chances, as the judges give him a split decision. Journeyman Aaron Riley (28-11-1) has won his last four wins by decision. He outworks his opponent and knows how to score points. That style may not be popular with the fans, but it could earn him another victory over a younger, less experienced Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson (11-3). These lightweights will show a diversity of skills, both on their feet and on the mat. The better value may be in underdog Pearson at +170, but I think Riley will be fighting for his UFC life. I see him squeaking out a controversial decision and winning at -200 odds. In a battle of two lightweight submission experts, Terry Etim (13-2, with 10 submission wins) takes on Shannon Gugerty (12-3, with 9 submission wins) in what should be a technical ground affair. Only fight purists enjoy those shows, so expect some booing from the British crowd before Etim is pulled off his opponent, who will be barely breathing from a rear-naked choke. Etim cashes at -330, a steep winner. Two young welterweights with only eight fights between them, will see what they can do, as Nick Osipczak (4-1) tries to stop Xtreme Couture protégé Matthew Riddle (3-0), a dangerous wrestler, who has won all of his fights by decision. If he can avoid Osipczak's potent rear-naked choke, he will have his hand raised as the judges give him their verdict. He is a -300 favorite, which seems about right to me. British favorite, lightweight Paul Kelly (10-1) will bring his aggressive striking skills into the Octagon to try and take out German, Dennis Siver (14-6), who wins most of his fights by submission despite the fact that he considers himself a kickboxing expert. Kelly fits the mold of physical bullies like Gray Maynard and Melvin Guillard, who have beaten Siver. I see the same here. After a round of striking, Kelly will put Siver to his back and administer a second-round TKO with blows to the head from a full mount position. You may not get rich laying -320 constantly, but it should work here. Two light-heavyweight unknowns will make their UFC debuts when Swedish Alexander Gustafsson (8-0) takes on American Jared Hamman (11-1). Both are dangerous strikers with 6 of 8 Gustafsson's wins and 8 of 11 Hamman's wins coming by way of KO. So you do the math. This should be a slugfest, the type of fight British fans love. The difference may be that Gustafsson has a wrestling game far superior to Hamman's, and we all know how valuable that is in MMA fighting. The bookies have made him a slight underdog at +135, and I'll take the bait and hope for the best. Gustafsson wins by second-round TKO on the mat. Leightweight Andre Winner (10-3-1) has two losses and a draw in his last three fights. His opponent Rolando "The Crazy Cuban" Delgado (8-4-1) is a jiu-jitsu freak. This one makes for an interesting fight with Winner trying to avoid going to the mat where he has little chance of winning. The lanky Delgado has limited striking and wrestling skills, so it will be a battle of a striker against a submission artist. Winner should prevail with his close clinching style, and he should put a beating on a determined Delgado, but the judges' decision will go the way of Winner, an over-priced -325. So let's see what we can do with our fictitious $1000 bankroll: Let's lay $175 to win $140 on the "Natural" Randy Couture. Let's lay $60 to win $69 on Michael Bisping. Let's lay $150 to win $75 on Mike Swick, and wish him well against GSP. Let's lay $90 to win $60 on Matt Brown. Let's lay $80 to win $40 on Aaron Riley. Let's lay $55 to win $115 on Paul Taylor. Let's lay $99 to win $30 on terry Etim. Let's lay $90 to win $30 on Matt Riddle. Let's lay $40 to win $54 on Alexander Gustafsson. Let's lay $96 to win $30 on Paul Kelly. Let's lay $65 to win $20 on Andre Winner. In total, we are risking $1000 to win $663. Don't forget to give some of your profits to your local youth wrestling program where tomorrow's champions are made. Enjoy the fights. I know I will.

TODAY'S ACTION The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will open up the 2009-10 season with two duals in three days. No. 14 Penn State (0-0) visits No. 19 Lehigh (1-0) on Friday, Nov. 13, in a 7 p.m. battle in Stabler Arena. On Sunday, Nov. 15, Penn State hosts Bloomsburg (2-0) at 12 p.m. in Rec Hall. Head coach Cael Sanderson will have five ranked grapplers in his starting line-up, including No. 8 Brad Pataky at 125, No. 6 (at 141) Frank Molinaro at 149, No. 5 Cyler Sanderson at 157, No. 9 Dan Vallimont at 165 and No. 20 Cameron Wade at HWT. The Nittany Lions open up the season with a rugged dual at No. 19 Lehigh on Friday night. While the Mountain Hawks come in 1-0 after a 31-3 win over Rider last Sunday, Penn State will be making its 2009-10 debut. Key match-ups to watch would be No. 9 Vallimont of Penn State against No. 12 Mike Galante of Lehigh at 165 and No. 20 Wade against No. 6 Zach Rey at HWT. Penn State owns a 61-33-3 edge in the all-time series against Lehigh. The Mountainhawks won last year's meeting in Rec Hall, downing Penn State 17-16. Prior to that, Penn State had won four straight over LU, including a 33-0 win in Bethlehem in 2007-08. Bloomsburg will visit Rec Hall on Sunday at noon for Sanderson's first home dual as head coach of the Nittany Lions. The Huskies, a rising power in the Eastern Wrestling League, bring a 2-0 mark into the dual after commanding wins over Boston by a 26-9 margin and Millersville by a 35-(-2) margin last Saturday at Millersville. Key match-ups against the Huskies include a battle at 157 featuring No. 5 Sanderson against No. 2 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg and a potential meeting at 165 between No. 9 Vallimont and No. 19 Rick Schmelyun. The Nittany Lions own a 13-5-1 edge of the Huskies, dating back to Penn State's days in the EWL. The two teams last met on Jan. 12, 2006, at the Virginia Duals with Penn State getting a 22-9 win. Penn State will travel to the Sprawl and Brawl Duals in Binghamton, N.Y., for three duals on Sunday, Nov. 22. Penn State will face Rutgers at 9:45 a.m., No. 22 Harvard at 11:30 a.m. and 12 Edinboro at 3 p.m. on the campus of Binghamton, N.Y. Penn State Wrestling season tickets for the 2009-10 season are on sale now. The five-event package (which does not include the Nittany Lion Open) costs $30 for adults ($6 per event) and $25 for youth ($5 per event). Single event tickets will cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Group sales are available once again for groups of 15 people or more. Group prices are $5 in advance and $6 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) and on GoPSUsports. com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. TODAY'S POSSIBLE LINE-UP As of November 9, 2009 #14 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2009-10 Record 125 #8 Brad Pataky Jr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 0-0 133 Tyler Saltsman So. Concord, N.H./Concord 0-0 OR Bryan Pearsall Fr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 0-0 141 Colby Pisani So. Ridgway, Pa./Ridgway 0-0 OR Adam Lynch Sr. Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg 0-0 149 #6 (@ 141) Frank Molinaro So. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 0-0 157 #5 Cyler Sanderson Sr. Heber City, Utah/Wasatch 0-0 165 #9 Dan Vallimont Sr. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 0-0 174 David Erwin Sr. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 0-0 OR Justin Ortega Fr. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 0-0 184 J.R. Brown So. Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte 0-0 197 Clay Steadman So. McKean, Pa./General McLane 0-0 285 #20 Cameron Wade So. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 0-0 #19 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (1-0) Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2009-10 Record 125 John McDonald So. Rehoboth, Del./Sussex Central 1-0 133 #12 Matt Fisk Sr. Wyalusing, Pa./Wyalusing 1-0 141 #18 Seth Ciasulli Sr. Easton, Pa./Easton 1-0 149 Brian Tanen So. Souderton, Pa./Souderton 0-1 157 Sean Bilodeau So. Harvard, Mass./Brooks School 1-0 165 #12 Mike Galante Sr. Ocean City, N.J./Blair Academy 1-0 174 Robert Hamlin Fr. Jonesville, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union 1-0 184 #12 David Craig Sr. Brandon, Fla./Brandon 1-0 197 Joe Kennedy So. Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley 1-0 285 #6 Zach Rey So. Hopatcong, N.J./Hopatcong 1-0 BLOOMSBURG HUSKIES (2-0) Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2009-10 Record 125 Jason Guffey Sr. Muncy, Pa./Warrior Run 2-0 133 Dan Gaylord Fr. Vestal, N.Y./Vestal 1-1 OR Jeremiah Biddle So. Slate Hill, N.Y./Minisik Valley 0-0 141 Frank Hickman Fr. Castle Hayne, N.C./E.L. Laney 2-0 149 Josh Roosa Fr. Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood 2-0 157 #2 Matt Moley Sr. Phoenixville, Pa./Spring-Ford 2-0 165 Mike Dessino Fr. Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex 2-0 OR #19 Rick Schmelyun Sr. New Oxford, Pa./Bermudian Springs 0-0 174 Nate Graham Jr. Selkirk, N.Y./Ravena 2-0 184 Derek Coffey Jr. Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg 0-1 OR Brian Shaw Sr. Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg 0-0 197 Jake Dabashinksy So. Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain 1-1 285 Zach Walsh So. Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls 2-0 All rankings Intermat HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson Cael Sanderson comes to Penn State after three extremely successful years as the head coach at his alma mater. Sanderson's teams did not finish any lower than fifth at the NCAA Championships and never had a wrestler not qualify for nationals, getting 30 of 30 grapplers through to the championship tournament. In 2007, Sanderson's rookie campaign, he led ISU to a 13-3 dual meet record and the first of three straight Big 12 Championships. An NCAA Runner-Up finish in Detroit capped off a wildly successful year as the Cyclones crowned one national champion and Sanderson was honored as Big 12 Coach of the Year, National Rookie Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year. The next year, Sanderson led ISU to a 16-4 dual meet mark, another Big 12 title and a fifth place finish at nationals. Iowa State's seven All-Americans in 2008 were the most at the school since 1993. This past season, Sanderson's team went 15-3 in duals, won its third straight Big 12 title and took third place at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis (just 12 points out of first place). The Cyclones also crowned another national champion. In three years, Sanderson's teams went 44-10, won three conference crowns, qualified all 30 wrestlers for nationals, and earned 15 All-America awards and two individual national titles. Sanderson now sports a 44-10 dual meet mark in this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach. SEASON TICKETS DOUBLE IN YEAR ONE UNDER Cael Sanderson Fans of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team are in the process of making home duals a hot ticket for the 2009-10 campaign. The season ticket fan base has nearly doubled in the build up to head coach Cael Sanderson's home debut this Sunday in Rec Hall. Over 2,000 season tickets have been sold as Penn State prepares for the season-opening weekend. Last season, Penn State sold a respectable 1,058 season tickets. This year, 2,047 season packages have already been sold for Penn State's five-dual home slate, including 40 new `premium seats' which will also make their debut this weekend. VOLLRATH AND MACCHIAROLI PLACE AT CLARION Four Nittany Lion wrestlers competed at the Knight Point Clarion Open on Saturday, each wrestling unattached at the event. True freshmen James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) and Luke Macchiaroli (Tempe, Ariz.) each placed while classmates Tom Reynolds (Skillman, N.J.) and Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) each competed as well. Vollrath entered the tournament seeded No. 2 at 157 and went 3-1, advancing to the finals, to take second place. Vollrath got wins over Corey Lear of Bucknell, Greg Hillbert of Lehigh and Patrick Marchetti of Army before falling to American's Steve Fittery in the finals (Fittery was the No. 1 seed). Macchiaroli entered the tournament seed No. 5 at 197 and went 3-2, advancing to the semifinals before losing and wrestling back to fifth place. Macchiaroli got wins over Lehigh's Robert Prigmore, Bloomsburg's Mike Grillakis and Franklin and Marshall's Colin Ely. Church was solid at 174, posting a 2-2 mark, including a pin over Bloomsburg's David Saksek. He also beat Buffalo's Pat Brady. Reynolds went 1-2 at 133 with a win over American's Corey Borshoff. MEDIA DAY A BIG SUCCESS FOR LIONS; OVER 30 PRESS DESCEND UPON THE LWC FOR EVENT Over 30 members of the press, including photographers and television crews, descended upon the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex for Penn State's Wrestling Media Day, held on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The well-attended event featured Sanderson's press conference, individual wrestler availability as well as an open practice session. Full transcripts of the event, photo galleries and video highlights can be found at http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/psu-m-wrestl-body.html . TRUE FRESHMEN AND WRIGHT PROBABLE RED-SHIRTS; JENKINS COULD RED-SHIRT AS WELL Coach Sanderson confirmed at media day that it is the intention of the Nittany Lion coaching staff to red-shirt all true freshmen this year as well as sophomore All-American Quentin Wright. In addition, 2008 National Runner-Up Bubba Jenkins (who is ineligible first semester) is likely to red-shirt as well. BIG TEN NETWORK TO TELEVISE NINE DUALS THIS YEAR, SOME LIVE, PENN STATE ON ONCE The Big Ten Network will air nine dual meets on its national cable network this year, five of which will air live and four that will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis. The Penn State Nittany Lions will be featured once again this year, with the Nittany Lions' dual at Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 24, airing on a same-day delay basis at 7 p.m. that day. In addition to the nine dual meets, the Big Ten Network will air the finals of Midlands on Sunday, Jan. 3, and the finals of the Big Ten Championships on Sunday, March 7. BigTenNetwork.com will offer video streaming of 15 other duals as well. Penn State will be featured on six of those web-only streams. PENN STATE #14 IN INTERMAT POLL; FIVE LIONS RANKED Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will head into the 2009-10 season with individual national rankings as Intermat has released its pre-season poll. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad is ranked 14th in the pre-season coaches rankings. Senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) leads the charge for Penn State with a No. 5 ranking at 157. Sanderson, a transfer from Iowa State, was a 2008 All-American and is a three-time NCAA qualifier. Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 6 at 141 after his eighth place finish at 141 last season earned him his first All-America honor. Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is ranked No. 8 at 125. The Clearfield native was a national qualifier in 2009, finishing just one win shy of All-America laurels in the `round of 12'. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), a 2008 All-American as a third place finisher at 157, moved to 165 last year and also advanced to the `round of 12'. Vallimont is ranked No. 9 at 165 to start the year. Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) enters his second season at heavyweight ranked No. 20 in the pre-season poll. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 14 to start the campaign. Seven Big Ten schools are listed in the rankings, including No. 1 Iowa, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 15 Indiana and No. 21 Michigan State. In addition, Penn State will wrestle three other top 25 teams during its non-conference slate (No. 12 Edinboro, No. 19 Lehigh and No. 22 Harvard) in addition to whomever the team meets at the Virginia Duals. LIONS EARN PRE-SEASON RANKINGS FROM W.I.N. MAGAZINE Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team are ranked among the top 20 at their respective weights in Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine's pre-season individual rankings. Head coach Cael Sanderson's team is well represented on the list with all five wrestlers sitting in the top ten at their weights. With returning All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) set to red-shirt this year and not ranked at 174, fellow 2009 All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) checks in with a No. 7 ranking at 141. Molinaro placed eighth at nationals last year and went 23-19 on the year. Three 2008 All-Americans are also ranked, led by transfer Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), who is ranked No. 6 at 157. Sanderson, who finished seventh at 157 two years ago with a 33-6 record, went 20-9 last year and was 2-2 at nationals. Senior Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) spent much of the 2009 season ranked among the top two in the nation at 149, but injuries down the stretch prevented the 2008 national runner-up from repeating as an All-American. Jenkins went 24-3 last year, is ranked No. 6 nationally at 149, and is scheduled to return to action in late December of this year. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was a third place finisher at 157 two years ago, earning his first All-America tag. Last year, Vallimont moved up to 165 during the Big Ten season and ended the campaign with a tough loss in the `round of 12' at nationals, just one win shy of All-America status. Vallimont ended the 2008-09 season with a 24-12 record and enters this season ranked No. 9 at 165 by W.I.N. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) also advanced to the `round of 12' in 2009 during his first trip to nationals. The talented 125-pounder went 31-11 last year and heads into the new season ranked No. 9 at 125. LIONS EARN PRE-SEASON RANKINGS FROM AWN MAGAZINE Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team are ranked among the top 20 at their respective weights in Amateur Wrestling News' pre-season individual rankings. Head coach Cael Sanderson's team is well represented on this list, which is released every year by one of the nation's oldest wrestling publications. With returning All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) set to red-shirt this year and not ranked at 174, fellow 2009 All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) checks in with a No. 8 ranking at 141. Molinaro placed eighth at nationals last year and went 23-19 on the year. Two 2008 All-Americans are also ranked, led by transfer Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), who is ranked No. 5 at 157. Sanderson, who finished seventh at 157 two years ago with a 33-6 record, went 20-9 last year and was 2-2 at nationals. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was a third place finisher at 157 two years ago, earning his first All-America tag. Last year, Vallimont moved up to 165 during the Big Ten season and ended the campaign with a tough loss in the `round of 12' at nationals, just one win shy of All-America status. Vallimont ended the 2008-09 season with a 24-12 record and enters this season ranked No. 12 at 165. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) also advanced to the `round of 12' in 2009 during his first trip to nationals. The talented 125-pounder went 31-11 last year and heads into the new season ranked No. 8 at 125. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) was injured in last year's opening event after beginning the year 3-0. A two-year starter for Penn State, Erwin has a 49-18 career record and is ranked No. 17 in AWN's pre-season rankings. THE Cael Sanderson RADIO SHOW The Cael Sanderson Radio Show will take place on Wednesday nights at 6 p.m., airing locally on 3WZ (95.3 FM) and statewide on the Pennsylvania Sports Network. The show will then air every Wednesday night throughout the season with the exception of an occasional off-evening. The 30-minute show will be hosted by Jeff Byers, the voice of Penn State wrestling, and Sanderson. Upcoming events will be highlighted and fans will have the opportunity to call in and ask questions of Sanderson and Byers. The show will originate from the conference room in the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. Local affiliate 3WZ is the Centre Region's source for the Pennsylvania Sports Network. The PA Sports Network is a 16-station radio network spanning the entirety of the Commonwealth, from Erie to Lancaster. The Network's programming is also carried live on Comcast Channel 4 in State College. The full affiliate list that will air the Cael Sanderson Show can be found at GoPSUsports.com.

MADISON, Wis.-- The No. 12 Wisconsin wrestling team officially kicks off the 2009-10 season with a home dual meet Friday against No. 22 Old Dominion at the UW Field House. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. To follow Friday's dual, log onto UWBadgers.com for a Web stream (fee) and bout-by-bout coverage with the live Wrestling blog. The match against Old Dominion will be the only home dual for Wisconsin this semester, with the remaining four home duals taking place in January and February against Big Ten rivals. Shortly after Friday's dual, Wisconsin will wrestle in its first road dual of the season. The Badgers will then travel to Lincoln, Neb. to face No. 7 Nebraska at the NU Coliseum at 1 p.m. Sunday. Nebraska returns a squad including three returning All-Americans and the 2009 NCAA Champion at 157 lbs., Jordan Burroughs. The UW will face a total of six ranked opponents this weekend, starting with Old Dominion's No. 5 junior James Nicholson and No. 10 senior Jesse Strawn at 197 lbs. Nebraska's roster includes No.1 Burroughs at 157 lbs., No. 6 Stephen Dwyer at 174 lbs., No. 2 Craig Brester at 197 lbs. and No. 9 Tucker Lane at Heavyweight. Old Dominion began its 2009-10 season last weekend by winning six individual titles at the Hokie Open. Friday, fans will see five returning starters from the 2008-09 season and four others making their UW debut. At 125 lbs., senior Drew Hammen will battle No. 5 Nicholson. Hammen was Wisconsin's starter at 125 lbs. last year and went 5-21 overall. He completed the 2008-09 season with an 8th place finish at the Big Ten Championship. Nicholson posted a 5-0 record at 125 lbs. to win the title at the Hokie Open. Nicholson was the CAA Champion last year at 125-pounds and went a perfect 3-0 at the CAA Tournament. No. 10 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff will wrestle in his first official match as a Badger and face redshirt freshman Joshua Gillis at 133 lbs. Graff went 18-2 in open tournaments during the 2008-09 season with his only two losses to wrestlers ranked in the top five for 133 lbs. No. 2 senior Kyle Ruschell takes on senior Cam Watkins at 149 lbs. Ruschell finished third at the NCAA Championships last year with a 5-2 record, earning first-time All-American honors. He finished the season with a 32-8 overall record. The 165 lbs. weight class features another ranked bout with No. 3 sophomore Andrew Howe meeting junior Derek Gallagher. Last season, Howe finished second at the NCAA championships at 165 lbs. and was named the 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Gallagher finished the 2008-09 season with a 7-6 overall including unattached results. Freshman Jackson Hein will look to prove himself at 197 lbs. in a tough match up against No. 10 Strawn. Hein was the 2009 Division I Wisconsin state champion at 189 lbs., compiling a 54-3 record his senior year. Strawn went 4-0 to win the 197 lbs. at the Hokie Open. Last year, Strawn qualified for the NCAA Tournament at 197-pounds and won three matches. The meeting between Wisconsin and Old Dominion will be the second between the two teams, with the Badgers leading the all-time series 1-0-0. The Badgers won the last matchup 33-7 in the 1992-93 season. The UW will also look to extend their all-time series lead (7-3-2) over Nebraska and come out of the weekend a perfect 2-0. The two teams have not met since a 19-19 tie in the 2004-05 season. The Huskies returns a strong squad for the 2009-10 season. The team placed fourth at the 2009 NCAA Championships and Burroughs went a perfect 35-0 throughout the season. In 2009, Nebraska also won its first conference team title since 1995. Be sure to check back to UWBadgers.com throughout the weekend for results from the season-opening weekend.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling coach Cael Sanderson received more good news on the first day of the NCAA's early signing period. Four of the nation's top high school wrestlers have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Penn State and become members of the Penn State wrestling family. The vaunted foursome, all homegrown Pennsylvania talent, has combined for six PIAA state titles already as each young man readies for the 2009-10 high school season. Alphabetically, Sanderson received NLI's from twin brothers Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) and Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), Dirk Cowburn (Coudersport, Pa.) and Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, Pa.). Each wrestler is among the tops at his respective weight class, according to Intermat (www.intermatwrestle.com). "This is an outstanding group of young men and we are pleased that they have made the decision to become Nittany Lions," Sanderson said. "As we continue to build the kind of program we envisioned when we arrived in State College, it is the hard work and dedication of wrestlers like this that will help us achieve our goals." Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is ranked No. 1 at 145 by Intermat and, heading into the new high school season, is the No. 2 ranked overall recruit in the country (at any weight). Andrew is coming off a 140 pound title at last year's PIAA championships, going 46-0 overall. Andrew went 47-1 at 140 as a sophomore, taking third at PIAAs, and was 40-7 as a high school freshman at 130 (also placing third at states). He carries a 133-8 career record into his senior season at Central Mountain High School in neighboring Clinton County. The Mill Hall native is also an outstanding freestyle wrestler, having won the last two (2008 and 2009) Junior National Championships. He took third at the FILA Junior Nationals in 2009, won the 2008 Super 32 Challenge and took second place at the 2008 Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. Andrew is the son of Neil and Donna Alton of Mill Hall, Pa., and the twin brother of fellow signee Dylan. Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is ranked No. 1 at 152 by Intermat and, heading into the new high school season, is the No. 5 ranked overall recruit in the country (at any weight). Dylan is a two-time PIAA state champion, having claimed the 145 pound title last year after a 47-0 junior campaign. The year before, he went 45-1 at 135 and claimed the state title as well. As a high school freshman, Dylan posted a 39-4 mark and took seventh at states. Heading into his final year at nearby Central Mountain High School, Dylan sports a 131-5 career record. The Mill Hall native is, like his twin, an outstanding freestyle wrestler as well. Dylan won the 2008 and 2009 Junior National crowns, took the 2008 Junior National championship in Greco Roman, won the 2008 Walsh Ironman title and took third at the 2008 Super 32 Challenge. Dylan is the son of Neil and Donna Alton of Mill Hall, Pa., and the twin brother of fellow signee Andrew. Dirk Cowburn (Coudersport, Pa.) is ranked No. 4 at 160 by Intermat and, heading into his final year at Coudersport High School, is the No. 47 ranked overall recruit in the country (at any weight). Cowburn is a two-time PIAA state champion, having claimed the 152 pound title in each of the last two years. As a junior, he went 30-2 to claim the title and as a sophomore he went 38-0. Heading into his senior year, Cowburn carries a 101-7 overall mark with him on his quest to three-peat. An outstanding freestyle and Greco wrestler as well, Cowburn won the 2007 Cadet National title in Greco-Roman and took second in freestyle at that event. In 2008, Cowburn placed second at the 2008 Junior Nationals in Greco as well. Dirk is the son of Dan and Darla Cowburn of Coudersport, Pa. Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 nationally at 130 by Intermat and, heading into the 2009-10 high school campaign, is ranked No. 16 overall at any weight. Sherlock is the defending PIAA state champion at 125 after going 38-3 last year and winning his first crown. He went 35-3 as a sophomore in 2007-08 and placed fourth. Sherlock is 73-6 in two years as the starter for West Mifflin High School as he preps for his final season. A standout in both freestyle and folkstyle, Sam took second place at the 2008 Super 32 Challenge and Beast of the East and placed third at the 2009 Junior Nationals. Sam is the son of Sam and Nancy Sherlock of West Mifflin, Pa. Penn State opens up the dual meet season at Lehigh on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. Penn State's first home dual is slated for Sunday, Nov. 15, at noon when the Bloomsburg Huskies invade Rec Hall. Penn State Wrestling season tickets for the 2009-10 season are on sale now. The five-event package (which does not include the Nittany Lion Open) costs $30 for adults ($6 per event) and $25 for youth ($5 per event). Single event tickets will cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Group sales are available once again for groups of 15 people or more. Group prices are $5 in advance and $6 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) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.