InterMat Staff

Jack Spates

BLOOMSBURG --Bloomsburg University wrestler Matt Moley (Phoenixville/Spring-Ford) has been named both the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Wrestler of the Week for the period ending Nov. 29. On Saturday Moley, a two-time All-American and ranked fifth in the country, led his team to two wins at the Journeymen/Northeast Duals with an 18-17 victory over Big Ten power Michigan and a 20-13 win over Columbia University. In Bloomsburg's final dual meet of the day, the Huskies threw a scare into 10th-ranked Central Michigan before losing 23-15. Moley scored a pin in 3:44 against Michigan, won by major decision (11-1) in his Columbia bout, then racked up a tech fall against his opponent from Central Michigan by 15-0. Moley tallied 15 team points in the three Bloomsburg dual meet, while his victory in the Michigan dual meet was the 100th of his college wrestling career. Bloomsburg will wrestle at the PSAC Championships on Saturday at Edinboro.

Dan Wirnsberger

Cyler Sanderson

Brian Cimmins

Justin Wren

Tom Shifflet

Greg Strobel

Lincoln -- The Nebraska wrestling program has announced time changes for the Dec. 19 double dual between Nebraska, Central Michigan and Nebraska-Kearney at the NU Coliseum. Central Michigan vs. Nebraska-Kearney will now begin the day’s action at 10 a.m., followed by Husker duals vs. Central Michigan and Nebraska-Kearney with 10-minute breaks between each match. The double-dual against the Chippewas and Lopers is the next home competition for Nebraska. The Huskers are 4-1 this season and travel to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4-5 in Primm, Nev. Nebraska vs. Central Michigan/Nebraska-Kearney NU Coliseum Dec. 19, 2009 10 a.m. - Central Michigan vs. Nebraska-Kearney Nebraska vs. Central Michigan (10 minutes following CMU-UNK) Nebraska vs. Nebraska-Kearney (10 minutes following NU-CMU)

Nate Gallick

TROY, N.Y. -- Central Michigan swept its four matchups at Northeast Duals on Saturday, including a pair of victories over top-20 opponents. The 10th-ranked Chippewas defeated American, 29-12, No. 18 Virginia, 25-12, No. 6 Maryland, 21-16 and Bloomsburg, 23-15. The Chippewas improved to 5-0 on the season with the four-match sweep. Eighth-ranked Scotti Sentes, transitioning to 133 pounds after earning All-America accolades at 125 as a true freshman last season, swept all four of his matches in impressive fashion. He pinned three of his opponents, including a first-period fall against No. 7-ranked Steve Bell of Maryland. Sentes began his day with an 8-0 major decision against American's Thomas Williams, then pinned Virginia's Matt Cubillos in the first period. He capped his day with a third-period fall against Bloomsburg's Jeremiah Biddle. Sentes is now 5-0 with four victories by fall this season. Redshirt freshman Ben Bennett, ranked 14th nationally at 184 pounds, was 3-1 in four matches at 174 pounds. His biggest win of the day was a 4-2 decision over No. 4-ranked Mike Letts (Maryland). The nation's top-ranked 174-pounder, Mike Miller, swept a trio of matches at 184 pounds at Northeast Duals. Each of the three victories was by two points or less. Also winning three matches for the Chippewas were No. 14 Tony D'Alie (149 pounds), Tyler Grayson (165 pounds) and ninth-ranked Jarod Trice (heavyweight). CMU is off until Dec. 19, when it faces both Neb.-Kearney and No. 8-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. No. 10 Central Michigan 29, American 12 125: Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. No. 18 Jasen Borshoff, 4-1 133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Thomas Williams, 8-0 141: Ryan Cubberly (CMU) dec. Jordan Lipp, 3-1 149: No. 3 Kyle Borshoff (AU) dec. No. 14 Tony D'Alie, 8-2 157: No. 15 Steve Fittery (AU) dec. No. 7 Steve Brown, 8-4 165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Tanner Schaffer, 13-0 174: No. 14 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Phillip Barreiro, 15-0 184: No. 4 Mike Cannon (AU) pin Raylen Davis, 1:51 197: Eric Simaz (CMU) maj. dec. Kenneth Clessas, 14-1 285: No. 9 Jarod Trice (CMU) pin Mingo Grant, 1:44 No. 10 Central Michigan 25, No. 18 Virginia 12 125: Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. No. 20 Ross Gitomer, 5-3 133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Matt Cubillos, 1:03 141: Derek Valenti (UVA) dec. Jeff Shutich, 6-1 149: No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU) maj. dec. Kellon Balum, 12-4 157: Danny Gonsor (UVA) dec. Donnie Corby, 4-0 165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Beau Fisher, 11-3 174: No. 6 Chris Henrich (UVA) dec. No. 14 Ben Bennett, 3-1 184: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Mike Salopek, 3-1 197: No. 15 Brent Jones (UVA) dec. Eric Simaz, 9-7 285: No. 9 Jarod Trice (CMU) tech. fall Calvin Cardillo, 23-8 No. 10 Central Michigan 21, No. 6 Maryland 16 125: No. 14 Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. James Knox, 5-4 133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin No. 7 Steve Bell, 2:19 141: No. 7 Alex Krom (UMD) maj. dec. Ryan Cubberly, 11-3 149: No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU) dec. Jon Kohler, 14-13 157: Kyle John (UMD) dec. Donnie Corby, 7-1 165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Josh Asper, 6-4 174: No. 14 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. No. 4 Mike Letts, 4-2 184: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Corey Peltier, 3-2 197: No. 3 Hudson Taylor (UMD) pin Eric Simaz, 1:14 285: Pat Gilmore (UMD) dec. No. 9 Jarod Trice, 2-1 No. 10 Central Michigan 23, Bloomsburg 15 125: No. 14 Conor Beebe (CMU) tech. fall James Bak, 17-0 133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Jeremiah Biddle, 6:35 141: Frank Hickman (BU) maj. dec. Jeff Shutich, 13-2 149: No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU) dec. Josh Roosa, 5-3 157: No. 5 Matt Moley (BU) tech. fall Donnie Corby, 15-0 165: Rickey Schmelyun (BU) dec. Eric Cubberly, 5-3 174: No. 14 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Nate Graham, 2-0 184: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Derrick Coffey, 4-3 197: Jacob Dabishinsky (BU) dec. Raylen Davis, 12-9 285: No. 9 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Zac Walsh, 11-5

Minneapolis -- In their first dual match of the season, the Minnesota Wrestling team won seven of 10 matches, including five straight at one point, to claim a 31-9 win over visiting Cal State Bakersfield this evening (Nov. 28). Ranked fifth in the country coming into the match, the Gophers treated the 3,019 in attendance to an impressive effort, especially at the top of the lineup, where the top four weights all scored a major decision or better. Zach Sanders won by technical fall over Tyler Iwamura at 125 pounds (Photo/The Guillotine)At 125, Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.) got the Gophers on the board first with a tech fall to run his season record to 5-0. Sanders used takedown after takedown to rack up points on his way to the 21-5 final, before the match ended with a minute left in the third period. Sanders' five points brought Minnesota within one at 5-6, after the Gophers went down 0-6, dropping decisions at 197 and heavyweight. Their two top spots, Cal State Bakersfield boasted ranked wrestlers at each weight, led by No. 4 Mitch Montiero at heavyweight. In maybe the top match-up of the night, the Gophers' Ben Berhow (Hayward, Minn.) and his No. 8 ranking were matched up with Montiero. The match lived up to the billing as scoring was at a premium and neither wrestler was able to gain much of an advantage. Montiero used an early takedown for a quick led, and then held on for a 4-1 win. The loss was just the second of the season for Berhow, with each coming to ranked opponents. The Berhow loss gave the Roadrunners a 6-0 lead after No. 19 Riley Orozco gained a 10-4 decision over the Gophers Joe Nord (Waconia, Minn.) to being the night. Mike Thorn won by major decision over Elijah Nacita at 141 pounds (Photo/The Guillotine)Trailing just a point, Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn.) made quick work at getting the Gophers back on top with a first period fall to give Minnesota an 11-6 lead they would never lose. Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) at 141 and Luke Mellmer (Dickinson, N.D.) at 149 each earned 9-1 major decisions, and with just four matches left, the Gophers were in command at 19-6. Thorn's win came over a fellow national qualifier from last season, while Mellmer was impressive as a late addition to the starting line-up. In the closest match of the night, Joe Grygelko (Greenfield, Minn.) used several early takedowns to sprint to a lead, and then held off a late rally for the 8-7 win, capping run of five straight victories for the Gophers and stretching the lead to 22-6. The final win of the evening for the Roadrunners came at 165, where Joey Granata scored a 10-3 win over Brian Peterson (Richmond, Mich.). It was too little too late for Cal State Bakersfield, however, as the 22-9 team score was too much to overcome with just two matches left to go. Closing out the win for the Gophers were Cody and Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) at 174 and 184 respectively. In his first career start, Cody Yohn used three consecutive near falls in the first period on his way to a major decision at 13-3. Sonny Yohn then put the perfect cap on the evening with a 15-0 tech fall in the second period for the 31-9 final. Minnesota will continue dual meet action next weekend with a major test in Oklahoma State. The No. 5 Gophers will go on the road to face the No. 3 Cowboys, with the match scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start on Friday, Dec. 4. Results: 197: No. 19 Riley Orozco (CSUB) dec. Joe Nord (MINN), 10-4 / 0-3 HWT: No. 4 Mitch Monteiro (CSUB) dec. No. 8 Ben Berhow (MINN), 4-1 / 0-6 125: No. 4 Zach Sanders (MINN) tech. Tyler Iwamura (CSUB), 21-5;6:04 / 5/6 133: No. 2 Jayson Ness (MINN) fall Justin Durham (CSUB), 2:20 / 11-6 141: No. 4 Mike Thorn (MINN) maj. Elijah Nacita (CSUB), 9-1 / 15-6 149: Luke Mellmer (MINN) maj. Anthony Box (CSUB), 9-1 / 19-6 157: Joe Grygelko (MINN) dec. Andrew Balch (CSUB), 8-7 / 22-6 165: Joey Granata (CSUB) dec. Brian Peterson (MINN), 10-3 / 22-9 174: Cody Yohn (MINN) maj. Trevor Hall (CSUB), 13-3 / 26-9 184: No. 16 Sonny Yohn (MINN) tech. Mike Larson (CSUB) 15-0;4:29 / 31-9 Related: Minnesota, Cal State Bakersfield will be forever linked Photo Gallery (The Guillotine)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana wrestling team remains unbeaten on the season after going 5-0 at the Hoosier Duals on Nov. 28. Indiana held all five opponents to single digits and went undefeated in five weight classes. Angel Escobedo, Paul Young, Eric Cameron and Nathan Everhart went 5-0 on the day. The Hoosiers started off the day with a 44-6 drubbing of the Cumberlands. The Hoosiers got three pins in the dual, with Young scoring the first of three falls on the day and Everhart pinning Travis Aubrey in just 1:21. Next up for Indiana was Northern Illinois. NIU took three matches, but the Hoosiers prevailed 27-9. Escobedo led the way, sticking Izzy Montemayer in 5:43. Escobedo would pin his next two opponents as well, recording three falls on the day. The Hoosiers then throttled Chattanooga 30-9. The Mocs were able to take three victories, but the Hoosiers led the whole way, as Escobedo opened the dual with a pin and Matt Ortega followed with a major decision to open a 10-0 lead. In the fourth round, Indiana and Liberty faced off with both teams 3-0 on the day. The Hoosiers won in dominating fashion, taking a 43-3 victory. Indiana got 29 points in the final five weight classes. After a pin by Young and a forfeit to Trevor Perry, Cameron pinned Eli Sanchez in 2:55 and Matt Powless followed with a technical fall before Everhart received a forfeit to close our the dual. IU closed out the day with a 37-6 win over South Dakota State. Everhart finished the meet in style for Indiana, recording an impressive technical fall over Jeremy Swier. The Hoosiers are 6-0 on the season. Indiana returns to action at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4-5. For complete coverage of IU wrestling, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com. 2009 Hoosier Duals Bloomington, Ind. | University Gym | November 28, 2009 9:00 A.M. MATCHES Mat 1: Indiana (2-0) vs. Cumberlands (1-1) Team Score: Indiana 44, Cumberlands 6 125: Angel Escobedo (IU) wins by forfeit 133: Matt Ortega (IU) dec. over Joey Morales (UC) 14-5 141: Zach Barkett (UC) def. Daniel Monaco (IU) by inj. def. 149: Alex Warren (IU) dec. over Andre Berry (UC) 6-1 157: Ryan Konz (IU) dec. over Bryce Neff (UC) 10-3 165: Paul Young (IU) pins Dyvon Passmore (UC) in 2:13 174: Trevor Perry (IU) dec. over Garrett Harrison (UC) 10-0 184: Eric Cameron (IU) wins by forfeit 197: Matt Powless (IU) pins Jaron Singley in 1:47 285: Nathan Everhart (IU) pins Travis Aubrey (UC) in 1:21 Mat 2: Northern Illinois (1-0) vs. Chattanooga (2-4) Team Score: Northern Illinois 19, Chattanooga 16 125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) def. Israel Montemayor (NIU) 4-1 133: Tristen DeShazer (NIU) dec. over Joshua Sandoval (UTC) 10-0 141: Cody Cleveland (UTC) dec. over Patrick McLemore (NIU) 8-2 149: Steve Zimmerman (NIU) dec. over Alex Hudson (UTC) 5-3 157: Bryan Deutsch (NIU) pins Joseph Knox (UTC) in 1:03 165: Brandon Wright (UTC) dec. over John Odeen (NIU) 4-1 174: Jake Young (UTC) dec. over Derrick Yant (NIU) 9-3 184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) dec. over Zach Benzio (NIU) 12-2 197: Scott Penny (NIU) dec. over Nikolas Brown (UTC) 5-4 285: Dakota Greenshaw (NIU) dec. over Tom Minwell (UTC) 7-1 Mat 3: Liberty (2-0) vs. South Dakota State (0-2) Team Score: Liberty 27, South Dakota State 17 125: Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) def. Jonathan Childress (UL) 10-1 133: Joe Pantaleo (UL) tech. falls Tyler Johnson (SDSU) 16-1 141: Scott Clymer (UL) dec. over Dustin Walraven (SDSU) 13-5 149: Frank Gayeski (UL) dec. over Nick Hagar (SDSU) 13-4 157: Nick Flynn (SDSU) dec. over Sam Walters (UL) 165: Chad Porter (UL) tech. falls Weston Blasius (SDSU) 16-0 174: Brad Clark (UL) dec. over Joe Rasmussen (SDSU) 184: Nick Knowles (UL) tech. falls Bryce Drefke (SDSU) 18-2 197: Tyler Sorenson (SDSU) pins Brandon Johnson (UL) in 6:32 285: Jeremy Swier (SDSU) maj. dec. over Brandon Lawerence (UL) 15-2 11:00 A.M. MATCHES Mat 1: Indiana (3-0) vs. Northern Illinois (1-1) Team Score: Indiana 27, Northern Illinois 9 125: Angel Escobedo (IU) pins Israel Montemayor in 5:43 133: Tristen DeShazer (NIU) dec. over Matt Ortega (IU) 8-7 141: Patrick McLemore (NIU) dec. over Daniel Monaco (IU) 3-1 149: Alex Warren (IU) dec. over Steve Zimmerman (NIU) 8-3 157: Bryan Deutsch (NIU) dec. over Ryan Konz (IU) 8-6 165: Paul Young (IU) maj. dec. over John Odeen (NIU) 16-8 174: Trevor Perry (IU) dec. over Derrick Yant (NIU) 2-0 184: Eric Cameron (IU) maj. Dec. over Zach Benzio (NIU) 20-8 197: Matt Powless (IU) maj. Dec. over Scott Penny (NIU) 13-4 285: Nathan Everhart (IU) dec. over Dakota Greenshaw (NIU) 6-1 Mat 2: Cumberlands (1-2) vs. Liberty (3-0) Team Score: Liberty 47, Cumberlands 6 125: Jonathan Childress (UL) wins by forfeit 133: Sean Katz (UL) pins Joey Morales (UC) in 2:57 141: Collin Lewis (UL) dec. over Zach Barkett (UC) 13-7 149: Sam Walters (UL) pins Andre Berry (UC) in third period 157: Frank Gayeski (UL) pins Bryce Neff (UC) in 1:53 165: Chad Porter (UL) tech falls Dyvon Passmore (UC) 16-1 174: Garrett Harrison (UC) pins Nick Knowles (UL) in :45 184: Brad Clark (UL) wins by forfeit 197: Jacobi Johnson (UL) pins Jaron Singley (UC) in 5:35 285: Josh Pelletier (UL) dec. over Travis Aubrey (UC) 8-6 Mat 3: Chattanooga (3-4) vs. South Dakota State (1-1) Team Score: Chattanooga 40, South Dakota State 4 125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) dec. over Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) 8-6 133: Josh Statum (UTC) tech. falls Tyler Johnson (SDSU) 15-0 141: Cody Cleveland (UTC) dec. over Dustin Walraven (SDSU) 18-9 149: Alex Hudson (UTC) dec. over Nick Hagar (SDSU) 17-7 157: Joseph Knox (UTC) tech. falls Nick Flynn (SDSU) 20-2 165: Brandon Wright (UTC) tech. falls Weston Blasius (SDSU) 19-4 174: Jake Young (UTC) maj. Dec. over Joe Rasmussen (SDSU) 13-3 184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) pins Bryce Drefke (SDSU) in 1:10 197: Tyler Sorenson (SDSU) maj. Dec. over Nikolas Brown (UTC) 11-0 285: Tom Minwell (UTC) maj. Dec. over Jeremy Swier (SDSU) 9-1 1:00 P.M. MATCHES Mat 1: Indiana (4-0) vs. Chattanooga (3-5) Team Score: Indiana 30, Chattanooga 9 125: Angel Escobedo (IU) pins Demetrius Johnson in 1:44 133: Matt Ortega (IU) maj. Dec. over Jeremy Sandoval (UTC) 18-4 141: Cody Cleveland (UTC) dec. over Daniel Monaco (IU) 11-4 149: Matt Couglin (IU) dec. over Alex Hudson (UTC) 13-11 157: Kelly Felix (UTC) dec. over Ryan Konz (IU) 3-1 165: Paul Young (IU) pins Brandon Wright (UTC) in 2:48 174: Jake Young (UTC) dec. over Trevor Perry (IU) 5-1 184: Eric Cameron (IU) dec. over Jason McCroskey (UTC) 5-2 197: Matt Powless (IU) maj. dec. over Niko Brown (UTC) 17-5 285: Nathan Everhart (IU) pins Tom Minwell (UTC) in 5:37 Mat 2: Cumberlands (1-3) vs. South Dakota State (2-1) Team Score: South Dakota State 30, Cumberlands 12 125: Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) wins by forfeit 133: Joseph Morales (UC) pins Tyler Johnson (SDSU) in 1:34 141: Dustin Walraven (SDSU) maj. dec. over Zach Barkett (UC) 13-2 149: Andre Berry (UC) dec. over Nick Hagar (SDSU) 8-7 157: Nick Flynn (SDSU) dec. over Bryce Neff (UC) 7-5 165: Weston Blasius dec. over Dyvon Passmore (UC) 4-3 174: Garrett Harrison (UC) dec. over Joe Rasmussen (UL) 5-0 184: Bryce Drefke (SDSU) wins by forfeit 197: Tyler Sorensen (SDSU) tech. falls Jaron Singley (UC) 15-0 285: Jared Aesoph (SDSU) dec. over Travis Aubrey (UC) 5-3 Mat 3: Northern Illinois (1-2) vs. Liberty (4-0) Team Score: Liberty 19, Northern Illinois 17 125: Izzy Montemayor (NIU) dec. over Jonathan Childress (UL) 5-0 133: Tristen DeShazer (NIU) maj. dec. over Joe Pantaleo (UL) 13-0 141: Vince Castillo (NIU) dec. over Scott Clymer (UL) 6-4 149: Frank Gayeski (UL) dec. over Dan Reutigger (NIU) 6-3 157: Bryan Deutsch (NIU) maj. Dec. over Sam Walters (UL) 11-0 165: Chad Porter (UL) dec. over John Odeen (NIU) 8-2 174: Brad Clark (UL) pins Derrick Yant (NIU) in 5:40 184: Nick Knowles (UL) maj. Dec. over Zach Benzio (NIU) 14-4 197: Scott Penny (NIU) dec. over Jacobi Johnson (UL) 7-4 285: Josh Pelletier (UL) dec. over Dakota Greenshaw (NIU) 3-1 3:30 P.M. MATCHES Mat 1: Indiana (5-0) vs. Liberty (4-1) Team Score: Indiana 43, Liberty 3 125: Angel Escobedo (IU) pins Justin Branham (UL) in 1:45 133: Matt Ortega (IU) dec. over Sean Katz (UL) 4-2 141: Daniel Monaco (IU) dec. over 3-2 149: Matt Coughlin (IU) dec. over Collin Lewis (UL) 6-2 157: Sam Walters (UL) dec. over Ryan Konz (IU) 2-1 165: Paul Young (IU) pins Logan Crawford (UL) in 3:44 174: Trevor Perry (IU) wins by forfeit 184: Eric Cameron (IU) pins Eli Sanchez (UL) in 2:55 197: Matt Powless (IU) tech. falls Brandon Lawrence (UL) 18-2 285: Nathan Everhart (IU) wins by forfeit Mat 2: Cumberlands (1-4) vs. Chattanooga (4-5) Team Score: Chattanooga 45, Cumberlands 6 125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) wins by forfeit 133: Jeremy Sandoval (UTC) dec. over Joey Morales (UC) 9-6 141: Seth Seneca (UTC) dec. over Marcus Saylor (UC) 6-3 149: Alex Hudson (UTC) dec. over Andre Berry (UC) 2-0 157: Bond Davis (UTC) pins Bryce Neff in 1:00 165: Josh Condon (UTC) wins by forfeit 174: Jake Young (UTC) maj. Dec. over Garrett Harrison (UC) 18-10 184: Tyler Roberson (UTC) wins by forfeit 197: Jaron Singley (UC) pins Niko Brown (UTC) in the third period 285: Tom Minwell (UTC) tech. falls Travis Aubrey (UC) 15-0 Mat 3: Northern Illinois (2-2) vs. South Dakota State (2-2) Team Score: Northern Illinois 32, South Dakota State 15 125: Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) dec. over Izzy Montemayor (NIU) 5-0 133: Tristen DeShazer (NIU) pins Tyler Johnson (SDSU) in 1:43 141: Dustin Walraven (SDSU) pins Patrick McLemore (NIU) in 2:06 149: Steve Zimmerman (NIU) dec. over Nick Hagar (SDSU) 8-4 157: Bryan Deutsch (NIU) dec. over Weston Blasius (SDSU) 8-1 165: John Odeen (NIU) tech. falls Nick Flynn (SDSU) 15-1 174: Mason True (NIU) pins Joe Rasmussen (SDSU) in 2:40 184: Zach Benzio (NIU) dec. over Bryce Drefke (SDSU) 11-4 197: Tyler Sorensen (SDSU) pins Scott Penny (NIU) in 3:20 285: Dakota Greenshaw (NIU) pins Jeremy Swier (SDSU) in 1:03 5:30 P.M. MATCHES Mat 1: Indiana (6-0) vs. South Dakota State (2-3) Team Score: Indiana 37, South Dakota State 6 125: Angel Escobedo (IU) dec. over Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) 9-4 133: Matt Ortega (IU) pins Tyler Johnson (SDSU) in 1:07 141: Dustin Walraven (SDSU) dec. over Nick Viterisi (IU) 6-4 149: Matt Coughlin (IU) dec. over Nick Hagar 6-4 157: Ryan Konz (IU) dec. over Weston Blasius (SDSU) 8-3 165: Paul Young (IU) wins by forfeit 174: Trevor Perry (IU) pins Joe Rasmussen (SDSU) in :54 184: Eric Cameron (IU) tech. falls Bryce Drefke (SDSU) 15-0 197: Tyler Sorenson (SDSU) dec. over Matt Powless (IU) 9-7 285: Nathan Everhart (IU) tech. falls Jeremy Swier (SDSU) 16-0 Mat 2: Cumberlands (1-5) vs. Northern Illinois (3-2) Team Score: Northern Illinois 51, Cumberlands 0 125: Izzy Montemayor (NIU) wins by forfeit 133: Zach Taylor (NIU) pins Joey Morales (UC) in 2:47 141: Vince Castillo (NIU) pins Marcus Saylor (UC) in 2:30 149: Andrew Reuttiger (NIU) dec. over Andre Berry (UC) 3-2 157: Michael Smith (NIU) dec. over Bryce Neff (UC) 6-3 165: John Odeen (NIU) wins by forfeit 174: Mason True (NIU) dec. over Garrett Harrison (UC) 10-4 184: Zach Benzio (NIU) wins by forfeit 197: Scott Penny (NIU) pins Jaron Singley (UC) in :45 285: Jordan Walsh (NIU) pins Travis Aubrey (UC) in :46 Mat 3: Chattanooga (5-5) vs. Liberty (4-2) Team Score: Chattanooga 25, Liberty 14 125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) dec. over Jonathan Childress (UL) 3-0 133: Josh Statum (UTC) dec. over Joe Pantaleo (UL) 3-2 141: Scott Clymer (UL) maj. Dec. over Josh Statum (UTC) 14-1 149: Frank Gayeski (UL) pins Alex Hudson (UTC) in 5:26 157: Joey Knox (UTC) maj. Dec. over Sam Walters (UL) 8-0 165: Brandon Wright (UTC) pins Chad Porter (UL) in 3:54 174: Jake Young (UTC) dec. over Brad Clark (UL) 10-6 184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) dec. over Nick Knowles (UL) 7-3 197: Niko Brown (UTC) dec. over Jacobi Johnson (UL) 6-3 285: Josh Pelletier (UL) dec. over Tom Minwell (UTC) 8-0

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The 24th-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling squad captured two impressive dual-match victories over Newberry and Campbell on Friday evening in Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies (6-1) beat Newberry (1-1), 27-9, in their first match and returned to defeat Campbell (0-4), 45-6. In the first match of the day Newberry routed Campbell, 37-7. After sophomore Schuyler Swanton lost a hard-fought battle, 3-2, at 125 pounds, freshman Erik Spjut got the Hokies on the board with a 3-1 decision over Newberry’s Sheridan Moran. A late escape in the third period sealed the victory for Spjut. Junior Chris Diaz dominated at 141 pounds, turning Ernie Young of Newberry several times to secure the technical fall, 17-2, to start a streak of five consecutive victories for the Hokies. At 149 pounds, sophomore Pete Yates methodically downed Newberry’s Deral Brown, 4-2, sophomore Jesse Dong followed with a 9-1 major decision at 157 pounds, junior Matt Epperly held on for a 7-6 win at 165 pounds and sophomore Anthony Trongone got Josh Tuck of Newberry in a cradle and turned him for a pin at 174 pounds. Tech ran into two tough opponents in its next two matches. In his first collegiate dual meet competition, John Dickson faced Bryant Blanton of Newberry, ranked second in the country at Division II, and fell 5-2 in the 184-pound weight class. Senior Tim Miller battled Division II’s top-ranked 197-pounder Keeno Davis the entire way, but could not put together any offense, losing, 4-2. Junior D.J. Bruce finished the match off strongly for the Hokies, winning the heavyweight bout against Steven Butler, 10-7. The Hokies started the second match of the day against Campbell strongly, recording three pins in a row. Swanton pinned the Camels’ Wes Heavener in 1:55 at 125 pounds, Spjut stuck Richie Apolinar in 2:51 at 133 pounds and at 141 pounds Diaz caught Kelin Bidelspach late, earning the fall at the 6:42 mark. Yates dominated Nick Rex of the Camels the entire match for a 15-0 tech fall at 149 pounds, while Dong and Epperly tallied two more pins at 156 and 165 pounds, respectively. Epperly’s fall came 36 seconds in, the fastest pin for a Hokie so far this season. Trongone continued the Tech dominance with a major decision over John Merickel, winning 14-5, while Dickson dropped his match to the Camels’ Derek Tomasone, 9-7, at 184 pounds. Miller fell 5-4 in a tiebreaker in the 197-pound match, and Campbell forfeited its heavyweight match to close out the day. The Hokies will next travel to Primm, Nev., for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open on Dec. 4 and 5. Results will be available on hokiesports.com. Newberry (1-0) 37, Campbell (0-3) 7 125: #3 Matt Oliver (NC) tech fall CJ Gittens, 16-0 (6:30) 133: Sheridan Moran (NC) dec. Richie Apolinar, 8-2 141: Deral Brown (NC) fall Kelin Bidelspach, 5:52 149: Nick Rex (CU) maj. dec. Ernie Young, 15-2 157: Latra Collick (NC) dec. Jake Fose, 7-5 (SV) 165: Josh Whitelock (NC) tech fall Peter Comis, 19-4 (7:00) 174: John Merickel (CU) dec. Josh Tuck, 6-5 184: #2 Bryant Blanton (NC) fall Derek Tomasone, 3:35 197: #1 Keeno Griffin (NC) dec. Parker Burns, 4-1 285: Steven Butler (NC) wins by forfeit Newberry rankings are from preseason Division II poll #24 Virginia Tech (5-1) 27, Newberry (1-1) 9 125: #3 Matt Oliver (NC) dec. Schuyler Swanton, 3-2 133: Erik Spjut (VT) dec. Sheridan Moran, 3-1 141: #11 Chris Diaz (VT) tech fall Ernie Young (NC), 17-2 (6:20) 149: #17 Pete Yates (VT) dec. Deral Brown, 4-2 157: #16 Jesse Dong (VT) maj. dec. Latra Collick, 9-1 165: Matt Epperly (VT) dec. Josh Whitelock (NC), 7-6 174: Anthony Trongone (VT) fall Josh Tuck (NC), 4:08 184: #2 Bryant Blanton (NC) dec. John Dickson, 5-2 197: #1 Keeno Griffin (NC) dec. Tim Miller, 4-2 285: D.J. Bruce (VT) dec. Steven Butler, 10-7 Newberry rankings are from preseason Division II poll #24 Virginia Tech (6-1) 45, Campbell (0-4) 6 125: Schuyler Swanton (VT) fall Wes Heavener, 1:55 133: Erik Spjut (VT) fall Richie Apolinar, 2:51 141: #11 Chris Diaz (VT) fall Kelin Bidelspach, 6:42 149: #17 Pete Yates (VT) tech fall Nick Rex, 15-0 (5:29) 157: #16 Jesse Dong (VT) fall Jake Fose, 1:05 165: Matt Epperly (VT) fall Chris Mazzatta, 0:36 174: Anthony Trongone (VT) maj. dec. John Merickel, 14-5 184: Derek Tomasone (CU) dec. John Dickson, 9-7 197: Parker Burns (CU) dec. Tim Miller, 5-4 (TB-1) 285: D.J. Bruce (VT) wins by forfeit

LEWISBURG, PA -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team improved to 7-0 with wins over Bucknell (29-7) and Rutgers (33-9) Friday afternoon at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, PA. A crowd of 2,127 attended the dual meets. Iowa extended its winning streaks to 45 duals overall, which is a school record, and 31 duals on the road, which ties a school record. "Much more has to happen in those seven minutes of wrestling, especially if we want things to go our way," said Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands. "We have got to get a lot sharper before next week's dual at Iowa State." Iowa went 16-4 in the two duals and scored bonus points in nine bouts. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 15-0 lead against Bucknell (2-3) with wins at the first four weights. The Bison scored wins at 157 and 165 before the Hawkeyes rolled through the final four bouts to for the 29-7 win. Against Rutgers (3-2), Iowa posted wins at the first five weights to take a 22-0 lead. The Scarlet Knights scored a win in sudden victory at 165 to get on the score board, but Iowa followed with three more wins to seal the victory. Rutgers posted a pin a heavyweight to end the dual at 33-9. Six Hawkeyes went 2-0 on the day, and improved to 7-0 on the season. Redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (125) scored a 19-4 technical fall over Bucknell's Derrik Russell and pinned Rutgers' Vinny Dellafave in 3:39. Senior Daniel Dennis (133) recorded a 14-5 major decision over Bucknell's David Marble and a 20-5 technical fall over Billy Ashnault of Rutgers. At 174, senior Jay Borschel scored major decisions over Shane Riccio of Bucknell (10-1) and Daniel Rinaldi of Rutgers (16-3). McDonough, Dennis and Borschel have scored team bonus points in all seven of their victories this season. Senior Brent Metcalf followed a close 3-2 win over Bucknell's Kevin LeValley with a match-ending 20-5 technical fall over Kellen Bradley of Rutgers at 149. Seniors Dan LeClere (141) and Chad Beatty (197) each recorded two decisions on the day. Iowa also went 2-0 at 184 pounds, with senior Phillip Keddy and redshirt freshman Grant Gambrall splitting time. Keddy scored a 12-4 major decision over Bucknell's Rob Walkto, improving to 6-0 on the season. Gambrall picked up his first career dual win with an 11-3 major decision over Jesse Boyden of Rutgers. Up next for the Hawkeyes will be a dual with #2 Iowa State (1-0) Dec. 6 in Ames. The intra-state rivals will face off 6 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. The match will be aired live on Iowa Public Television, and it will be the sixth event in the sixth annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Iowa State holds a 6-5 lead in the current standings. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth, and are available at the Iowa State University Athletic Ticket Office at (888) 478-2925, (515) 294-1816 or www.cyclones.com. #1 Iowa 29, Bucknell 7 125 - Matt McDonough (I) tech. fall Derrik Russell (B), 19- 4 in 7:00 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) maj. dec. David Marble (B), 14-5 141 - Dan LeClere (I) dec. Zac Hancock (B), 9-5 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) dec. Kevin LeValley (B), 3-2 157 - Brantley Hooks (B) dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 6-1 165 - Andy Rendos (B) maj. dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 10-2 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Shane Riccio (B), 10-1 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) maj. dec. Rob Waltko (B), 12-4 197 - Chad Beatty (I) dec. Jay Hahn (B), 11-5 Hwt. - Jordan Johnson (I) dec. Joe McMullan (B), 7-3 #1 Iowa 33, Rutgers 9 125 - Matt McDonough (I) pinned Vinny Dellafave (R), 3:39 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) tech. fall Billy Ashnault (R), 20-5 in 7:00 141 - Dan LeClere (I) dec. Trevor Melde (R), 7-3 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) tech. fall Kellen Bradley (R), 20-5 in 6:27 157 - Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Braden Turner (R), 2-0 165 - Gregory Zanetti (R) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 8-6 SV 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Daniel Rinaldi (R), 16-3 184 - Grant Gambrall (I) maj. dec. Jesse Boyden (R), 11-3 197 - Chad Beatty (I) dec. Lamar Brown (R), 9-3 Hwt. - Dominick Russo (R) pinned Jordan Johnson (I), 1:24

Hello again wrestling fans- What a week its been. We return to the Brute adidas home studios for our Thanksgiving show packed with all the trimmings. Thanks to our hosts on the road last week, Mike Duroe of Cornell College, Darin Williams and the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, Dan Hicks and Cal State Fullerton and Larry Meredith our on air partner in California. This week on TDR: 9:05 Jonathan Reader- Iowa State University's 165 pound Junior wins at the All Star Classic. he'll give us his take on the season and look ahead 9:20 Dan Wirnsberger- Head Coach of the Bison of Bucknell, They host University of Iowa on Friday night and we'll check in with him on the experience 9:40 Steve Bonanno- The Wizard of Wantagh. 125 pound sophomore for the Pride of Hofstra. Rehabilitating his knee. May or may not wrestle this calendar year. Wantagh, NY 9:40 Dr. WK Bauer- Author- Wrestling: A Boys First Book, DRWKBauer.com Hour 2 Guests: 10:05 Ben Kjar- Utah Valley University's WWC Wrestler of the week had a stellar week on the road. UVU's 125 pound Junior is talented and affable. I'm sure you'll find him very engaging. Ben has never lost a home dual meet. Having family close by must make a difference. 10:20 Steve Martin- Head Coach of the surging Monarchs of ODU. Steve will discuss the season and what waits in the balance for his talented team. 10:40 Melissa Simmons- Oklahoma City U Stars. Melissa has recovered from a serious car accident and seeks the podium each time she hits the mat. Wrestling at 72 kilos she looks toward an international career. Please note that Episode 33 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.

It's hard not to get excited about this year's Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Collegiate Duals, an event set to take place at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York on Saturday, November 28. This year's event will feature seven teams ranked in InterMat's Top 25, an individual NCAA champion, 11 All-Americans, 41 ranked wrestlers, and representation from nine of the 11 Division I wrestling conferences. In addition, UFC legend Randy Couture will be on hand for a VIP party, grappling clinic, and a meet-and-greet session. "The Northeast Duals has kind of been our marquee event," said tournament organizer Frank Popolizio, who also puts on the Sprawl & Brawl event the weekend prior to the Northeast Duals. "We're trying to keep building it and building it." Popolizio and his staff have literally built the event from the ground up. In just six years, the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Collegiate Duals event has transformed from a four-team local showcase event that drew just 300 fans to a 16-team premier early-season, dual meet event that attracts many of the nation's top collegiate wrestling programs. Popolizio founded Journeymen Wrestling to act as proverbial bridge in promoting collegiate wrestling in New York's Capital Region, which does not have a college wrestling program within a 65-mile radius. "We started (Journeymen Wrestling) a few years back and tried to break it into divisions," said Popolizio. "We called it the four Cs. Initially, it just started off as doing an annual clinic to bring greatness into our own backyard. That clinic still today is one of our four Cs. We evolved a little bit more into competitions, camps, and the club. Those four Cs have helped us tremendously." Mike Chaires and Zach Clemente, two of Popolizio's former pupils with Journeymen Wrestling, are now members of Steve Garland's No. 18-ranked University of Virginia team that will be competing in this year's Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Collegiate Duals. Chaires is currently ranked No. 14 in the country at 165 pounds, while Clemente, a two-time New York state champion, will likely redshirt this season as a true freshman for the Cavaliers. "Those are two guys that witnessed the Northeast Duals and they made a decision right then and there that they were going to wrestle Division I in college and they wanted to wrestle for Virginia in particular because they saw them compete," said Popolizio. "I think that's a pretty strong testimonial that what we're doing is working. Other wrestlers on rosters of teams competing in the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Collegiate Duals that have ties to the area include Ken Altarac of Appalachian State, Nate Graham of Bloomsburg, and Matt Kaylor of Binghamton, Matt Cubillos of Virginia, and Brandon Lapp of Sacred Heart, and Ben Krakower of American. There are several other New York natives competing in the event, including All-American Kyle Borschoff of American, who is ranked No. 3 at 149 pounds. Popolizio's younger brother, Pat Popolizio, will be bringing his Binghamton squad that experienced some program firsts in 2009. Josh Patterson became Binghamton's first All-American ever by finishing seventh at the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at 184 pounds. Patterson competed in last weekend's NWCA All-Star Classic, becoming the first Binghamton wrestler ever to compete in the annual showcase event. Every year, Frank Popolizio and his staff put together dual meet matchups for the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Collegiate Duals that are exciting from a fan's perspective, but also unique in that schools face off against other schools that typically do not see each other during the season. This year is no different. Northern Colorado, for example, a program that competes in the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC), will be making its event debut and is scheduled to face four Eastern schools: Binghamton, Hofstra, American, and Maryland. Central Michigan, a MAC powerhouse, will face teams from the ACC (Virginia and Maryland), EIWA (American), and the EWL (Bloomsburg). "I'm sure if you look through the history books, you wouldn't have found Iowa wrestling Binghamton as they did last year," said Popolizio. "Those are some of the things that we try to accomplish. We match up those smaller programs with some of these Midwest, traditional programs. We want to give everybody the opportunity to experience that thrill. With the new qualifying system in place, I think it helps those smaller programs. If they don't have the budget to go all over the United States, at least we created a platform in the Northeast where those Eastern teams can get to see some of those Midwest, ranked teams." In addition to intriguing dual meets, there will be several highly-anticipated individual matchups that are expected to take place, including No. 1 Mike Miller of Central Michigan vs. No. 5 Chris Henrich of Virginia at 174 pounds (Round 2), No. 7 Steve Bell of Maryland vs. No. 8 Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan (Round 3), No. 6 Zach Rey of Lehigh vs. No. 7 Tucker Lane of Nebraska (Round 3), and No. 5 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg vs. No. 7 Steve Brown of Central Michigan (Round 4). This year's event has all the makings of a spectacular event, but Popolizio says it wouldn't be possible without the support of the community. "Hands down the biggest element of our success has been involving our own community," said Popolizio. "They have catapulted us to a different level. I would, without a doubt, not have the opportunity to fathom the ideas that we have put together the last couple years without their support."

On Saturday night, two programs from two completely different worlds, two thousand miles apart, will meet in Minneapolis. On one side of the mat will be Cal State Bakersfield, a small school (less than 8,000 students) that is Division II in every sport except wrestling, which is Division I, and operates its wrestling program on a shoestring budget with limited resources. On the other side of the mat will be the University Minnesota, a Big Ten school with a student enrollment of 60,000, a national wrestling powerhouse that has won three national titles over the past nine seasons. T.J. KerrWhile it's not hard to mistake the two programs for one another, it is hard for some to mistake the two head coaches, T.J. Kerr of Cal State Bakersfield and J Robinson of Minnesota, for one another. Aside from their laundry list of coaching accolades and short first names, the two coaching legends, who have known each other longer than their wrestlers have been alive, have some physical resemblances. "People say we look like brothers, which isn't true," said Kerr, who is beginning his 26th season as head coach at Cal State Bakersfield. (Robinson is embarking on his 24th season at Minnesota.) "We've got the grey hair. We've been in the business for a long time. He's been through his battles. I've been through mine." Saturday night's battle between Cal State Bakersfield and Minnesota will mark the first time the two programs have met since the 1997-98 season. Minnesota leads the all-time series 8-0, but that's not to say the matches between the two programs have always been one sided. It was just over 10 years ago, at the 1999 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, that Cal State Bakersfield played a key role in preventing Minnesota from winning its first NCAA team title. There were two pivotal head-to-head matches between Cal State Bakersfield and Minnesota wrestlers, both matches won by Cal State Bakersfield, which helped Iowa finish two points ahead of Minnesota in the final team standings. Mike MendozaOne of those Cal State Bakersfield wrestlers that played a key role in preventing Minnesota from capturing its first NCAA team title in 1999 was Mike Mendoza, who is now on the coaching staff at Cal State Bakersfield. Mendoza entered the 1999 NCAA Championships unseeded at 149 pounds after an injury-plagued senior season. He drew fourth-seeded Troy Marr of Minnesota in the opening round. Marr, a Big Ten runner-up that season, was a wrestler Minnesota was expecting to reach the semifinals and ... if the stars aligned, possibly the finals. "For me, my mentality was, 'I didn't wrestle all season, so people don't know who I am,'" said Mendoza. "I thought it was a good draw for me. My goal was to place. It didn't matter who I had to wrestle or who I had to beat to get there." Mendoza used a first period takedown to help pace him to a 5-4 victory over Marr, which not only sent the Gopher senior to the consolation bracket, but also helped Mendoza gain some new fans. "I remember at the end of the match a lot of Iowa fans became Bakersfield fans," said Mendoza. While wrestlers, coaches, and fans can only speculate on the true impact that match had on the final NCAA team standings in 1999 (Marr went on to win four matches in the consolation bracket to place seventh and become an All-American), Mendoza is still reminded of the impact he had on the Gopher wrestling program. "I've done some wrestling camps for the J Robinson Camps ... and (Minnesota assistant coach) Joe Russell brought it up," said Mendoza. "He said, 'You're the guy that cost us the team title.' I laugh. It's kind of funny that he says that." Brock LesnarWhile Mendoza played a part in dashing Minnesota's national title hopes in 1999, another Cal State Bakersfield, Stephen Neal, played an equally as big a part. Perhaps bigger (no pun intended). At the time, Minnesota's heavyweight, Brock Lesnar, was a phenomenon to the college wrestling world. Standing 6'4" and weighing 265 pounds, Lesnar looked like he belonged in the World's Strongest Man Competition on ESPN, not on a wrestling mat competing in the NCAA finals on ESPN. As wrestling icon Dan Gable put it on an Iowa Public Television (IPTV) broadcast, "When Lesnar strips off his warmups, he turns more heads than Cindy Crawford in a thong." Lesnar had been dominant against virtually every other Division I heavyweight. But Stephen Neal, a senior at Cal State Bakersfield, wasn't every other Division I heavyweight. Riding an 82-match winning streak, Neal was the best college wrestler in the country regardless of weight class, and ... as he would prove later that year, the best wrestler in the entire world by winning a gold medal at the 1999 World Freestyle Championships in Turkey and earning the FILA International Freestyle Wrestler of the Year award. The previous year, in 1998, Neal won by technical fall in the NCAA finals, 20-5, over Iowa State's Trent Hynek. Heavyweights don't put up 20 points, especially not in the NCAA finals. Neal was the complete package ... big, strong, fast, athletic, technically sound, and, as Kerr is quick to point out, super intelligent. Neal's patented freight train double leg had become unstoppable even for his opponents who knew it was coming. Stephen NealThe Lesnar-Neal showdown was a match the college wrestling world had been eagerly anticipating ... ever since Lesnar strapped on the Gopher singlet. To add to the excitement and drama of the event was the fact that the NCAA team title hung in the balance as the two behemoths stepped out on the mat in the final match of the 1999 NCAA Championships. The script couldn't have been written any better. Minnesota sat in second place, only two points behind Iowa. It was simple for even non-wrestling fans to follow ... if Lesnar wins, Minnesota wins its first NCAA team title ever. If Neal wins, Iowa wins its fifth consecutive NCAA team title. "Right before the match, I remember they had Brock Lesnar on the jumbo screen up top," recalled Mendoza. "It showed him jumping up and down. It just showed his enormous traps and no neck. You could hear the crowd ooing and awing. There was a lot of hype for that match. People thought if anybody could beat Steve Neal, that would be the guy who could do it." Lesnar, a native of Webster, South Dakota (a town of less than 2,000), had never been in an environment like he saw in the 1999 NCAA finals. One could surmise that there were about as many Iowa fans at Bryce Jordan Arena in 1999 as there were total fans in the arena when Lesnar captured his national junior college title in 1998. The pressure to win a national title for yourself is one thing, but the pressure to win a national title for an entire program is another thing. "Everybody says that the pressure doesn't bother them, but it does for everybody," said Minnesota coach J Robinson. "You can't help but think about it. You're going out and wrestling the defending national champion and if you don't win, your team loses. Would it affect you? It's got to." Fifteen seconds into the match, Neal shot his patented freight train double leg ... only to be stymied by Lesnar. Lesnar may not have scored off Neal's attack, but he sent a statement that he was ready for anything Neal was going to throw at him. Twenty seconds later, Neal attacked again. This time he used his quickness to get in deep on a single leg and switched off to a double leg. It looked like Neal was going to secure the takedown, but Lesnar sunk in a whizzer and powered out of it ... and the two wrestlers went out of bounds. It was on ... and the crowd erupted. Brock Lesnar and Stephen Neal faced off in one of the most anticipated NCAA finals matchups everThe two wrestlers went back to the center of the mat. As soon as the referee blew the whistle, Lesnar got overly aggressive and took an ill-advised shot that Neal easily countered to go up 2-0. As it turned out, that would be the only takedown of the match. The rest of the points scored in the match were off escapes and Neal held on for a 3-2 victory, which gave the Hawkeyes the team title over the Gophers. It was obvious to everyone who watched the match that there was a great deal of mutual respect between Lesnar, who is the current UFC heavyweight champion, and Neal, who now plays in the NFL for the New England Patriots and has won three Super Bowl rings. "Steve Neal always respects everybody," said Kerr. "He knew what was on the line. Iowa came up to him afterwards and said, 'We're going to get you a letter jacket for winning the tournament for us.' Of course, that never happened, which was kind of disappointing." J Robinson (Photo/The Guillotine)Robinson admits that Mendoza and Neal played a part in the Gophers not winning the national title in 1999, but their victories were only part of the equation. "There were any one of probably 20 things that could have changed the outcome of that tournament," said Robinson. So does Minnesota harbor any animosity toward the program that played a part in denying the Gophers their first national championship? Said Robinson: "Other than us not speaking to Cal State Bakersfield and me not talking to T.J. for the last nine years, or Mendoza, or Neal? I don't want anything to do with any of them ... No, I'm kidding. That's a joke. It's just part of the story. I don't think there is any great animosity." T.J. Kerr (Photo/Kirby Lee, Image of Sport)Not only is there no animosity between the two programs, but there is respect and admiration between the coaches. "I have a lot of respect for J," said Kerr. "One of the things that he has been able to do is be real innovative. He figures stuff out. He has done things to put his program in the elite. It's amazing." Robinson has high praise for Kerr. "I think T.J. is a great example of what a wrestling coach needs to be," said Robinson. "The phrase I would use is actively involved. Not only actively involved in the wrestling room, but outside the wrestling room. I've preached this for years. It's the one thing that wrestling needs. If there were more coaches like T.J., wrestling wouldn't be where it is." On paper, Minnesota is heavily favored over Cal State Bakersfield. But Saturday night's event is about much more than who wins and loses a college wrestling dual meet. It's about two programs from two completely different worlds, two thousand miles apart, under the leadership of two legendary coaches, coming together 10 years, 8 months, and 8 days after an event that will forever link the two programs. Saturday's dual meet between Minnesota and Cal State Bakersfield is set for 7 p.m. CT at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. All tickets for the dual meet are $1. Call 612.624.8080 or visit GopherSports.com.

Greg Williams

Frank Ramano

Hudson Taylor

Scott Goodale

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Utah Valley University junior 125-pounder Ben Kjar (Centerville, Utah/Viewmont HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Kjar the No. 11 ranked wrestler in the country (InterMat) had a very successful week last week where he went 6-0 overall, helped his team pick up three dual victories (as Utah Valley has started the season 3-0), and won the NC State Open at 125-pounds. On Saturday, Kjar went undefeated (3-0) at the NC State Open in Raleigh, N.C., as he defeated The Citadel's Tyler Sim, Hofstra's Jaime Franco and in the title match he beat Tennessee-Chattanooga's Demetrius Johnson by decision, 11-4. In dual action at NC State, at UNC Greensboro and against Gardner-Webb on neutral territory Kjar beat all three of his opponents. With UVU trailing in the team score late against UNC Greensboro Kjar defeated Eric Chandler by fall (2:15) to help the Wolverines win the dual. He also picked up a 15-3 major decision over NC State's Taylor Cummings, and with his team up big on Gardner-Webb won by forfeit over GWU. After the busy week in North Carolina Kjar is now 8-1 on the season. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other nominees: *Air Force - Tyler French, 174 lbs., Sr., Malta, Mont. (Malta HS) North Dakota State - Trent Sprenkle, 125 lbs. So., Billings, Mont. (Billings HS) Northern Iowa - Jarion Beets, 174 lbs., Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Kennedy HS) South Dakota State - Tyler Sorenson, 197 lbs., Sr., Garretson, S.D. (Garretson HS) Wyoming - Chase Smith, 141 lbs., So., Enumclaw, Wash. (Enumclaw HS) * 2009-10 WWC Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 10 - Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State) Nov. 17 - Michael Martinez (Wyoming) Nov. 24 - Ben Kjar (Utah Valley)

NEWARK, DE. --- The 17th Annual TGIFriday’s Beast of the East will be held December 19-20, 2009 at the University of Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center. Perennial powerhouse Blair Academy is seeking its 11th straight team title and returns five champions from a year ago: Mark Grey, Evan Silver, Chris Villalonga, and Austin Ormsbee as well as Cumberland Valley transfer Mike Evans. The 2009 TGIFriday’s Beast will feature nine returning champions: Grey, Silver, Villalonga, Simon Kitzis, Ormsbee, Anthony Baldasaro, Marshall Peppelman, Evans, and Bobby Telford. Villalonga and Peppelman look to become just the 5th and 6th three time Beast of the East Champions! Tickets, tournament information, and archived results are available online at http://www.beastwrestling.com. All proceeds benefit scholarships to our Delaware wrestlers who meet criteria in the fields of academics, sportsmanship, and community service. We have awarded over $495,000 from the proceeds of the previous 16 tournaments. Anyone seeking information on our efforts to "preserve the sport" or the TGIFriday’s Beast of the East can contact tournament director, Bob Shaw.