InterMat Staff

SANTA MONICA -- Author John Irving and actor Billy Baldwin will join Olympic wrestling legend Dan Gable at a luncheon on Monday, Nov. 2, in support of the California Needs Wrestling initiative. The three will speak to the need for supporters of the sport to mount an effort to sustain college wrestling programs in California, where the state budget crisis has left many collegiate programs in dire need of funding. Irving, a University of Pittsburgh wrestler, and Baldwin, a Binghamton University Wrestler, who was instrumental in bringing wrestling back at Binghamton University after the sport was dropped, will speak to the role of the sport in helping to shape their lives. Irving, whose novels include The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992. He is currently touring to promote his new book, Last Night in Twisted River. Baldwin joined the crusade to restore wrestling at his alma mater after the university announced it was dropping the sport in 2003. With the help of Friends of Binghamton Wrestling and New York’s then-Gov. George Pataki, the program was restored the following year. Last March, Baldwin was on hand to applaud Binghamton’s first Division I All-American, Josh Patterson. Gable has devoted his life to the sport as an athlete, coach and advocate. A 1972 Olympic freestyle wrestling champion, he went on to coach the University of Iowa to an unprecedented 15 NCAA team championships and is now Iowa’s assistant athletic director. “Wrestling in California needs our help,” said Gable. “There are approximately 27,000 high school wrestlers in the state of California and only eight four-year college wrestling programs to support the exploding interest at the high school level. These programs are fighting to survive as California has already lost 85 college programs.” The luncheon is being held to: -Provide head college wrestling coaches in California with an opportunity to cultivate some of their most important alumni/donors and or key decision-making university administrators. This is particularly important in light of the current state budget crisis in the state of California. -Help college administrators recognize the educational value of wrestling through the testimonials of highly successful wrestling aficionados. -Promote the “NWCA All Star Classic, Presented by the Wrestling Alumni of the College of William and Mary,” scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton. The event is a fundraiser for the Cal State Fullerton wrestling program. The wrestling alumni from William and Mary have established the non-profit Society for the Preservation of Traditional Sport (SPOTS). Its mission is to help save wrestling and other traditional Olympic sport programs before such programs are cut.

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling team showed off what it learned thus far from new head coach Kevin Jackson at the Cardinal and Gold Intrasquad dual on the floor of the Lied Recreation Center on ISU’s campus Friday evening. Over 500 fans came out, forcing a standing-room-only environment for the first intrasquad event of the Jackson era. Jackson was pleased with what he saw from both the Cardinal and Gold divisions of the ISU squad. “We were glad to showcase our athletes to our fans tonight,” Jackson said. “We simulated a real dual experience for the wrestlers tonight, and I think they came out with a lot of intensity.” The ISU leader thought the dual was a great start in the process of building a championship squad. “We are trying to be the best in March,” Jackson said. “We saw our guys get after it and that is exactly what we were looking for tonight.” In one of the most exciting ISU matchups of the event, senior Joe Curran went head-to-head with returning NCAA qualifier Jerome Ward at 184 pounds. Curran, a native of Elk Point, S.D., defeated sophomore Billy Lewis by technical fall (16-0, 6:33) earlier in the evening for the right to face Ward. The match was knotted at 5-5 at the end of the third period, forcing the bout into sudden victory. Curran scored the win after finishing a takedown at the 0:38 mark. Cyclone junior Nate Carr Jr. fought off sophomore teammate Andrew Sorenson with a 5-4 decision. Sorenson pressured Carr Jr. into consecutive stalling warnings for two points late in the third period to narrow the final score. ISU true freshman Trent Weatherman gave senior Mitch Mueller all he could handle at 149 pounds. Mueller, a three-time NCAA qualifier, turned away Weatherman by decision, with a point for riding time, 5-4. The event began with redshirt freshman heavyweight Eric Thompson matching up with sophomore 197-pounder Kyle Simonson. Although giving up over 40 pounds to Thompson, Simonson put up a fight. Thompson thwarted his opponent’s efforts to win by a close decision, 10-9. Two-time All-American Cyclone Jon Reader notched 10 takedowns and over four minutes of riding time en route to a 23-9 major decision of ISU sophomore Mike Finch. True freshmen Iowa Staters Ben Cash and Tyler Grask gave Cyclone wrestling faithful a glimpse of the future in their bout at 133 pounds. Cash used two takedowns in the second period to power his way to a 5-2 decision over Grask. Another match between true freshmen pitted Cole Shafer and Tyler Christensen against each other at 184 pounds. Christensen, who hails from Middleton, Wisc., was victorious with a 4-3 decision. At 174 pounds, senior Iowa Stater Duke Burk turned away redshirt freshman Chris Spangler by a score of 3-2. ISU redshirt freshman Trevor Dearden tallied the only pin of the night when he stuck true freshman Dallas Collier in 1:55 at 125 pounds. To cap the evening, three-time NCAA finalist and U.S. World Team member Jake Varner was matched against Cyclone heavyweight Eric Thompson. Varner muscled his way to an 8-4 win by decision. The Cardinal and Gold teams were coached by assistant coaches Yero Washington and Chris Bono, respectively. ISU begins its 2009-10 dual schedule at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 against South Dakota State in Hilton Coliseum. MATCHES 197 pounds – Eric Thompson (RFr.) dec. Kyle Simonson (So.), 10-9 184 pounds – Joe Curran (Sr.) tech. fall Billy Lewis (So.), 16-0 (6:33) 184 pounds – Tyler Christensen (Fr.) dec. Cole Shafer (Fr. ), 4-3 125 pounds – Trevor Dearden (RFr.) pinned Dallas Collier (Fr.), 1:55 133 pounds – Ben Cash (Fr.) dec. Tyler Crask (Fr.), 5-2 149 pounds – Mitch Mueller (Sr.) dec. Trent Weatherman (Fr.), 5-4 157 pounds – Nate Carr Jr. (Jr.) dec. Andrew Sorenson (So.), 5-4 174 pounds – Jon Reader (Jr.) major dec. Mike Finch (So.), 23-9 174 pounds – Duke Burk (Sr.) dec. Chris Spangler (RFr.), 3-2 184 pounds – Joe Curran (Sr.) dec. Jerome Ward (So.), 7-5 (SV) 197 pounds – Jake Varner (Sr.) dec. Eric Thompson (RFr.), 8-4

Early this afternoon, journalists from The Open Mat broke the news that two-time defending NYS DI champion Nick Arujau had contacted the coaching staff at Hofstra University to inform them that he would be retracting the verbal commitment that he gave to the Hempstead, NY based school back in May. LHW contacted the No. 46 recruit and was able to get the validity of this story confirmed. The news comes approximately one week after Arujau put forth an incredibly solid showing at the Super 32 Challenge, finishing third in an extremely deep 125-pound weight class. While the loss of Arujau, the Pride’s most highly regarded recruit from the class of 2010, is certainly a disappointment to those of us who bleed the HU Blue and Gold, the truth is that even without the much heralded Syosset High School product, Hofstra should enjoy significant depth at the lower weights. Coach Tom Shifflet and company still have former state champions in the persons of Steve Bonanno, Jamie Franco, Cody Ruggirello, Luke Vaith, and Justin Accordino who should make for a more than sufficient 1-2-3-4 punch from 125-149. In speaking with Lighthouse Wrestling, Arujau was quite open about what the future might bring for him. At this point, the three-time NYS finalist, who was named as the No. 2 senior in the Empire State in an InterMat story, indicated that it is now highly likely that he will continue his academic and athletic career in the nation’s capital, wrestling for head coach, Mark Cody at American University. If you remember, the Eagles were one of the finalists on Arujau’s short list prior to his committing to HU. Once finalized, Arujau will become the first wrestler from the class of 2010 to formally commit to AU. The week long early signing period is set to commence on November 11. With the departure of Arujau, the Pride’s expected 2010 class instantly becomes a talented trio consisting of Ruggirello, Nick Terdick, and Matt Loew. It is unknown whether the HU coaching staff will use the scholarship formerly offered to Arujau to lock up another recruit from this senior class, or if they will elect instead to save it until 2011. Arujau becomes the fourth member of this truly peculiar/hard-to-predict senior class to renege on previously given verbal commitment. Already, the nation has stood witness as Josh Dziewa switched from Rutgers to the University of Iowa, Joe Duca from Rutgers to Indiana University, and most recently Max Huntley from the University of Missouri to the University of Michigan. While I express the sentiments of all Pride alums/enthusiasts in saying that we will miss seeing young Mr. Arujau do great things while donning the Blue and Gold, I also wish him the very best of luck on what should be an incredibly bright and success filled future on the collegiate level. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from LighthouseWrestling.com. http://lighthousewrestling.com/lhw/2009/10/30/lion-king-no-more-46-recruit-nick-arujau-decommits-from-hu

Eric Guerrero

MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 10 Wisconsin wrestling team hosted its annual intra-squad scrimmage in front of 535 fans at the UW Field House Thursday night. The red team took on the white team and hung on for the 20-14 victory. The match began with two semifinal bouts at 157 lbs., which were not included in the team scoring, and then nine matches at various weight classes. If you were unable to make it out to tonight's match, you can re-live all the action with the archived Web stream and the Wrestling Blog. A PDF of the scoresheet can also be found below. In the first semifinal match, freshman Eric Vanevenhoven took on junior Greg Burke. Burke jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first period and held on to win the match 9-3. In the second seminal match, redshirt freshman Brad Nardick faced off against freshman Kalvin York. Going into the third period, Nardick led 4-3, but a takedown by York with 20 seconds left gave him the edge, winning the match 6-5 and earning a spot in the finals at 157 lbs, which was the final event of the evening. After the semifinal bouts, senior Drew Hammen battled freshman Danny Arnel at 125 lbs. Hammen scored the first points of the match, scoring a takedown with 1:32 left on the clock in the first period. Hammen continued to build upon his lead by scoring a reversal and added riding time in the third period, resulting in a 5-0 victory and early 3-0 lead for the white team. No. 10 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff took on sophomore Tom Kelliher in a high scoring 133 lbs. match. Graff jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first period and scored seven more second period points before ending the match with a tech fall. Graff had four takedowns, a reversal and eight nearfall points giving the red team a 5-3 lead. Redshirt freshmen Cole Schmitt and Trey Bertram then met at 141 lbs. Schmitt scored a takedown in the first period with 1:55 left on the clock and never looked back, winning the match 5-2 and extending the red team's lead to 8-3. No. 2 senior Kyle Ruschell battled it out with freshman Shawn Perry at 149 lbs. Ruschell compiled two takedowns in the match and scored two nearfall points. Ruschell won the match by major decision 8-0, narrowing the red team's lead to 8-7. The 165 lbs. match featured No. 3 Andrew Howe and fellow sophomore Ben Jordan. Howe jumped out to an 8-3 lead at the end of the second period and held on the win the match by major decision 13-4,putting the white team back in the lead 11-8. Freshman Brendan Ard took on redshirt freshman Jimmy Duffy in an overtime match at 174 lbs. At the end of regulation, the score was tied 1-1, both scoring off of escapes. No points were scored in sudden victory, but an escape and a caution point awarded to Ard resulted in a 3-2 victory for the freshman and an overall tie at 11-11. At 184 lbs., freshman Derrick Borlie took on sophomore Travis Rutt. Rutt got out to a 3-1 lead before taking an injury timeout. No decision was called in the match but white was awarded the points to take the 17-11 lead. The heavyweight match featured junior Eric Bugenhagen, who is moving up to heavyweight this year after starting at 184 lbs. last year, and freshman Cole Tobin. Bugenhagen led 5-2 at the end of the second period, scoring a takedown in both the first and second period. He then held onto the lead, winning the match 6-3 and put the white team within three points at 17-14. In the final bout of the night, Burke took on York at 157 lbs. Burke registered two first period takedowns to take the 4-2 lead. York managed two escapes in the second to pull within two points at 6-4, but Burke added three more points with an escape and takedown to win 9-4 and cement the red team's victory, 20-14. The Badgers can next be seen when they host the season-opening meet against Old Dominion on Friday, Nov. 13 at the UW Field House.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team is set for its first live action of the season as they'll have their annual preseason team wrestle-offs this Saturday in the Blake Wrestling Center in Lambert Fieldhouse. The Boilermakers will conduct upwards of 25 matches on the afternoon, giving some of their young wrestlers their first collegiate action and deciding several starting jobs in the process. "Wrestle-offs are exciting for everyone because they mark the start of our season," said Purdue junior 141-pounder Juan Archuleta. "It's our first opportunity to see the results of the off-season's hard work and see how much we've all improved." The team will weigh-in approximately one hour before wrestling begins, getting a three-pound allowance from their coaches. The team will have two matches going at all times, starting at noon, and they'll have two/three certified officials in attendance to preside over competition. The matches are open to the public and can be viewed free of charge, but in the case of high attendance the Blake Wrestling Center's fire code will be observed. Among the several highly competitive battles scheduled for the room on Saturday will be decisive positional battles at 125 and 149 pounds. With junior Akif Eren bumping up to 133 pounds, the starting nod at 125 pounds is up for grabs between sophomore Matt Fields and true freshmen Cashé Quiroga and Camden Eppert. With Eppert scheduled to redshirt his inaugural season, the action will most likely boil down to Fields and Quiroga as Saturday will be the first of several deciding factors in that slot. The positional order at 149 pounds will be hotly contested as well with a trio of redshirt seniors lined up for matches. Matt Redmond is the team's lone returner at 149, while classmates Nick Bertucci and Sam Patacsil have dropped from 157 to vie for starting action. All three have impressive credentials, have started for the Boilermakers at one point in their careers and should have success throughout the year, regardless of the depth chart. "This is a great problem to have," said assistant coach Glen Lanham. "We're going into the season with three guys who we all know can do a great job at this weight and will be very competitive. These three will battle all season and should have a lot of success in the starting lineup and open tournaments." Other highlights of Saturday will include the debut of several Boilermakers at new weights. Eren is set for his first season at 133 pounds, while sophomore Jake Fleckenstein has bumped up to 141 pounds, junior Luke Manuel jumped to 174 pounds, and senior Nick Corpe and junior David Pisarcik both moved to 184 pounds with Corpe moving up from 174 and Pisarcik dropping from 197. A full recap and results of Saturday's action will be posted on PurdueSports.com after the conclusion of all the matches.

Columbia, Mo. – Missouri Wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith released the lineup for Sunday's, Nov. 1, Black and Gold wrestle-off's set to begin at 1 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. This year's event features 11 matches, including one exhibition bout. The afternoon dual is free and open to the public. “We're kicking off the season with the Black and Gold wrestle-off's,” Smith said. “This is always an intense competition for our wrestlers. Each grappler is fighting for a spot in our starting lineup. For the fans, it's a great experience. They'll have the opportunity to see some of the nation's top-ranked wrestlers in action as well as watch some of our younger guys on the mat.” Opening competition at 125 pounds, sophomore Troy Dolan (Blairsville, Pa.) will don the black singlet while newcomer Bradley Wisdom (Farmington, Mo.) will represent the Gold Team. Wisdom is one of three true freshmen competing in the Sunday event. 2009 NCAA qualifier Todd Schavrien (Poway, Calif.) will move up one weight class and represent the Gold Team in the 141 pound bout. Schavrien will pair with redshirt freshman Nicholas Hucke (Pewaukee, Wis.) in the third match of the day. The 11-match lineup features four newcomers including recent transfer Scott O'Donnell (Kansas City, Mo). O'Donnell will compete for the Black Team and challenge sophomore Brandon Wiest (O'Fallon, Mo.) at 149 pounds. This year's Black Team features two-time All-American Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) at 184 pounds and 2009 NCAA Champion Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) at heavyweight. The Gold Team is made up of two NCAA qualifiers in Schavrien and 174 pounder Dorian Henderson (Columbus, Ga.) as well as two-time All-American Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) at 165 pounds. Additionally, the Gold Team heavyweight representative is none other than Junior World Champion Dominique Bradley (Blue Springs, Mo.). The final bout of the day, an exhibition match, will feature redshirt freshman Cody Farinella (Maryland Heights, Mo.) against true freshman Kyle Bradley (St. Peters, Mo.) at 141 pounds. Missouri will begin its season Thursday, Nov. 12, with a 6:30 p.m. (CT) dual against border opponent Illinois.

Nick Purler

Jerome Robinson

When news surfaced in September that Ryland Geiger was leaving the University of Minnesota, it was more than just a small blip on the radar for the Gopher faithful. Ryland Geiger (Photo/Tracy Swisher/Clackamas CC)The 19-year-old Geiger, who was one of the nation's top recruits from the Class of 2008, was expected to make an immediate impact at 197 pounds for a young and talented Gopher team looking to get back to the top of the college wrestling world after coming off its worst NCAA finish (14th) since 1996. Great expectations had been placed on the broad shoulders of Geiger after a prep career that saw him capture two Oregon (OSAA) state titles and win titles at prestigious high school events such as NHSCA Nationals, Cadet Nationals, and Junior Nationals. He was ranked No. 1 in the country at 189 pounds by InterMat. Last season, as a redshirt for the Gophers, Geiger compiled a 19-3 record while competing in open tournaments. In the spring, Geiger won both the FILA Junior Nationals and FILA World Team Trials in freestyle to earn a spot on the Junior World Team. Geiger, though, chose not to compete at the Junior World Championships in Ankara, Turkey in August, and instead opted to stay in Minneapolis and focus on his summer term courses at Minnesota. Toward the end of summer, Geiger made the decision to leave Minnesota and head back home to wrestle at Clackamas Community College in Oregon. He says it was "a little bit of everything" that caused him to leave Minnesota, but "mostly academics." Ryland Geiger (far right) along with childhood friends Jayk Cobbs and Jared King of Great Bridge Middle School after the three won titles at the 2002 Virginia Challenge Summer Sizzler. Cobbs currently wrestles for Duquesne, King at Notre Dame College, and Geiger at Clackamas (Photo/Jason Bryant)"Everybody is going to be a little bitter that I left Minnesota," said Geiger. "I'm bitter. They're bitter. It sucks that I had to leave, but I'm pretty sure we ended things on a good note." Geiger's journey over the past 10 years could be best described as nomadic. His father, David, is in the military. Geiger grew up in Virginia, moved to Korea in middle school, spent his freshman year in the Philippines, moved back to the U.S. for his sophomore year and attended Blair Academy in New Jersey, and then moved to Oregon for his final two years of high school. In high school, Geiger was recruited by many of the nation's top college wrestling programs. He chose Minnesota over Lehigh, Arizona State, and Oregon State because of the combination of coaches, workout partners, facilities, and the fact that his best friend from his days at Blair Academy, Mario Mason, was also going to be wrestling for the Gophers. Then-Minnesota head assistant coach Marty Morgan played a key role in recruiting Geiger to Minnesota. Geiger expected Morgan to not only be one of his coaches, but also serve as a key training partner throughout his college wrestling career. But shortly before the college wrestling season began, Morgan resigned as the head assistant coach of the Gophers to train current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. "I was pretty shocked," said Geiger of Morgan's resignation. "We all had no idea that he was leaving. It was our understanding that he was going to be the coach. It was kind of terrible because he left and he has all that knowledge. It's good for him. I can't be mad at the guy. He's helping out probably the baddest man alive right now." Ryland Geiger pinned Brandon Jackson at in the Clackamas intrasquad on Thursday night (Photo/Tracy Swisher/Clackamas CC)Geiger, who roomed with Mason while at Minnesota, says it's a difficult transition going from high school wrestling to Division I college wrestling. "It's tough," said Geiger. "It's hard on your body, hard on your mind. It's a lot longer season than you expect it to be. You really have to be mentally tough to be able to get through every day." Last February, Geiger made the 90-mile trek from Minneapolis to Rochester, Minnesota to watch one of his best friends from Oregon, Tyrell Fortune, compete at the NJCAA Championships for Clackamas. Geiger and Fourtune, who became friends after their sophomore year of high school, were two of the nation's top upperweights from Oregon's Class of 2008. With Geiger in attendance, Fortune did not disappoint. He went 5-0 with five pins en route to winning the NJCAA title at heavyweight. He also won the Traphagen Award for the most falls in the least amount of time. Tyrell Fortune pinned Northwest's Landon Harris to win the 2009 NJCAA title at heavyweight. Fortune will redshirt this season (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)Moments after winning the NJCAA title, Fortune talked about his relationship with Geiger. "Me and Ryland are like best friends," said Fortune. "We're like brothers. Ever since he came to Oregon he has been my training partner, best friend, and part of my family." While in Rochester watching Fortune compete, Geiger also spent time with the Clackamas wrestling team and connected with Clackamas coach Josh Rhoden. Ultimately, it was the combination of reuniting with Fortune, coming back home to Oregon, and wrestling for Rhoden that made Clackamas the best fit after leaving Minnesota. Geiger began summer workouts at Clackamas in August and fall classes in September. "He's doing well," said Rhoden, who will be entering his fourth season as head coach at Clackamas. "It has been a little bit hectic for him just making the transition from being enrolled and ready to go to school at a different place and then jumping in and getting him some credits that are going to apply towards his associate degree so that he can get out of here as soon as possible. As far as academics go, he's a really intelligent kid. He's going to do well here, I think." Josh RhodenClackamas is coming off a third-place finish at the NJCAA Championships, which is the program's highest finish since 1989. Rhoden has All-Americans returning at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, but both wrestlers, Caleb Kociemba and Brett Sanchez, plan to drop down to 174 pounds and 184 pounds respectively, while Geiger is expected to slide in the Cougar lineup at 197 pounds. Fortune will redshirt this season, but will serve as a key training partner for Geiger. Geiger hovers around 205-210 pounds, while Fortune weighs around 230-240 pounds. So what are Rhoden's expectations for Geiger this season? "To be realistic for him, at the very least, it has to be to place high at the national championships," said Rhoden, who has coached 14 All-Americans, two finalists, and a national champion in just three seasons. "I know he mentioned that he wants to win a national championship. For him, let's be honest, it's a step down. He's a much more talented kid than most of the guys in our room besides maybe Tyrell and another kid or two. One of the things he said to me when we met early on was, 'I've just never really had to get in that great of shape.' So we put a priority on conditioning. I think it's more about how can we better his future both academically and wrestling-wise so that he can get back to Division I. Because that's where he needs to be." Geiger's transcripts are in the process of being evaluated. Because of the fact that Geiger enrolled in summer courses the past two years, Rhoden believes there is a very good possibility that he could have his associate degree after next summer's term and be ready to enroll at a four-year school in the fall of 2010. Ryland Geiger (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)While Geiger's stay at Clackamas may be brief, there is so shortage of things he hopes to achieve before he moves on. "I want to get better in every aspect," said Geiger. "I want to be more mentally strong. I want to be in better shape. I want to be better technically. I want to be able to break people. I want to get better and then make everybody on our team better. Hopefully win the national title as a team, too." As for where he wants to go after Clackamas, he's not sure at this point. He would even consider a return to Minnesota if the door is still open. "I would consider going back," said Geiger. "I haven't really thought about it too much. I mean, I would like to go back. It's pretty much up to them, I guess." "It was a tough decision to leave Minnesota. I put myself in a little bit of a hole there. I'm not taking anything away from either program, but you have to go back a little bit to keep going forward."

Garrett Scott has left the wrestling team at Edinboro, according to Fighting Scots coach Tim Flynn. Garrett Scott "Garrett has left the team," said Flynn. "We wish him good luck in the future." Scott enrolled at Edinboro last fall after he was dismissed from the Penn State wrestling team for violation of team rules. In 2007-08, while at Penn State, Scott compiled a record of 21-7 and qualified for the NCAA Championships at 141 pounds. Last season, Scott competed unattached in three open tournaments, going 14-1, with his only loss coming by injury default. Of his 14 victories, 13 came by major decision, technical fall, or pin. Scott was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion and ranked as the No. 4 overall recruit in the country in 2006. With the departure of Scott, Torsten Gillespie, who was contemplating redshirting this season, is now expected to be the starter at 149 pounds for the Fighting Scots. Gillespie went 27-19 last season and qualified for the NCAA Championships.

EDMOND -- Redshirt freshman Trison Graham upset a returning All-American for the Bronze team, but the Blue won three overtime matches to pull out a 22-19 victory in Central Oklahoma's intrasquad dual Wednesday night at Hamilton Field House. Graham knocked off senior All-American and No. 5-ranked Scott Berens 6-4 at 133 pounds to give the Bronze a 7-4 lead after three matches, with the Blue coming back to win six of the next seven bouts to grab a 22-10 lead en route to the win. The Blue got overtime victories from Michael Walkup at 141, Austin Standage at 149 and Tanner Keck at 165 in building its big lead before the Bronze made it close by claiming the last two matches, including a fall by Mikey Morgan. It was the first of two intrasquad duals for the No. 6-ranked Bronchos, who will hold another Blue-Bronze battle next Thursday in Norman. UCO opens the season on Nov. 8 at the Oklahoma City University Open. “I saw a lot of good things, especially from some of our young guys, but we obviously have a lot of work ahead of us,” said 28-year head coach David James. “It was good for us to get out of the room and compete in front of a crowd, because some guys wrestle better in those situations.” Freshman Casy Rowell started the dual with a 13-4 major decision to give the Blue a quick 4-0 lead, but Seth Johnson followed with a 12-2 rout for the Bronze to tie it. Graham then pulled off his upset of Berens, getting a reverse in the final minute of the match to take a 5-4 lead and controlling Berens the rest of the way to add a riding time point for the 6-4 victory. Walkup used two third-period takedowns to draw even with Tyson Bernardi at 6-6 and force overtime, then won it with another takedown 30 seconds into the sudden-victory period. Standage prevailed 5-3 over Chris Watson on a takedown just six seconds into the first OT and Keck earned a 3-2 win over Derrick Adkins with an escape in the second tiebreaker. Blue 22, Bronze 19 125: Casy Rowell, Blue, major dec. Nick Rice, 13-4. 125: Seth Johnson, Bronze, major dec. Andrew Schmauch, 12-2. 133: Trison Graham, Bronze, dec. Scott Berens, 6-4. 141: Michael Walkup, Blue, dec. Tyson Bernardi, 8-6 (SV). 149: Colby Robinson, Bronze, dec. Ryan Rosales, 4-0. 149: Austin Standage, Blue, dec. Chris Watson, 5-3 (SV). 157: Kelly Henderson, Blue, dec. Justin Suskey, 7-2. 157: Eden Berstein, Blue, dec. Joe Snedden, 5-1. 165: Tanner Keck, Blue, dec. Derrick Adkins, 2-1 (TB). 174: Cody Rowell, Blue, dec. Brennan Ochoa, 5-3. 174: Mikey Morgan, Bronze, pinned Rance Rue, 4:37. 184: Daniel Morrison, Bronze, dec. Kenny Meredith, 3-2.

The NWCA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the 44th NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the Wrestling Alumni of the College of William & Mary as they partner with the NWCA to raise awareness of the California State Fullerton Wrestling Program situation, and to highlight the talent showcased on November 22, 2009 at Titan Gym on the campus of California State Fullerton. William & Mary had their first and only ever All-Star participant in 1975, when Mark Belknap a two-time All-American at 134 pounds defeated Jim Miller of Northern Iowa. Twenty years later in 1995 the William & Mary program was dropped. Another athlete who saw his share of hardship was Rob Larmore who started his career off at Tennessee, who dropped the program his freshman year when he then transferred to William & Mary and in 1990 he also earned All-American status. This year they are pledging their support to help other Universities like California State Fullerton keep the dream alive and allow young athletes to keep competing well into the future. "Wrestling at William & Mary was a very big part of our lives during some of our most important formative years as young men. Wrestling taught us lessons and values that have served us very well throughout our adult lives. "The words that would come to one's mind if one was to read the resumes of our group can be described as a basket of superlatives," said Kirk Hankla. "We think that the dropping of university wrestling programs across the country is wrong and short sighted. Of all the sports, we believe that none provides the sense of pride and work ethic that derives from participation in the sport of wrestling." This particular group of wrestling alumni is working to preserve the sport that was near and dear to them in college. They have created The Society for the Preservation of Traditional Sport (SPOTS), a 501c3 non-profit organization that will focus specifically on wrestling and other "Olympic" style sports that are in the same situation. The NWCA All-Star Classic is a way to help launch awareness of SPOTS to the public and allow others to join forces in preserving the sports that have helped to change the lives of many. To learn more about this organization go to www.thespots.org. From past experiences Hankla knows the feeling of seeing his college program dropped, "It is much harder to start or re-start a wrestling program than to save one that is still in existence. When wrestling was dropped at William & Mary, a knife of sorts was driven in to the cores of our souls; it twists each time another wrestling program is dropped. Given what wrestling has meant to us, we have resolved that we will do what we can to see that the mistake which was perpetrated by the College of William & Mary is not repeated again and again. We hope that you will join us, a group of former collegiate wrestlers that attended a university on the other side of the country, to save wrestling at Cal State Fullerton." The 44th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic will take place on Sunday, November 22, 2009, at 2 p.m. on the campus of California State Fullerton in Titan Gym. Tickets can be purchased through TicketLeap: http://savefullertonwrestling.ticketleap.com.

Originally TDR was set to broadcast a regular room show at UNI this Saturday. Opportunity smiled and we now have the opportunity to present a live video stream of the UNI Wrestle-offs from the West Gym in Cedar Falls, Iowa. TDR starts at 9:06 AM CST for an hour pre-match show and then will continue through the wrestle offs. You can listen and watch by clicking on the live link on Takedownradio.com. That will take you to our partners at Livesportsvideo.com. We look forward to this first of the season event. The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team will take to the mat for the first time in the 2009-10 season, hosting its annual inter-squad scrimmage. The wrestle-offs will begin Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. in the West Gym. The event is free and open to the public. The Panthers are coming off a 22nd place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championships after capturing their 24th straight West Regional title. The Panthers return seven national qualifiers including Trent Washington and Christian Brantley. Both Washington and Brantley have found themselves ranked in preseason polls with Amateur Wrestling News ranking Washington No. 17 at the 141-pound slot and Brantley 11th in the heavyweight class. InterMat ranks Washington at No. 15 and Brantley at No. 12 for their respective weight classes. UNI will open the regular season Nov. 14 at the Northwestern Duals where they will take on Eastern Michigan, Purdue and Stanford. UNI's first home dual meet of the season will be Dec. 12 against Wisconsin at 2 p.m.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh fans will get their first look at the 2009-10 Mountain Hawks Friday night with the annual wrestle-offs held inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Head coach Pat Santoro has lined up a slate of 11 matches to kick off the 101st season of Lehigh wrestling as the Brown and White will take to the mat in preparation for the season opener November 8 against Rider. “Wrestle-offs are always difficult for the guys because you want to be intense and aggressive,” said Santoro, who begins his second season as head coach. “It’s tough for the guys to wrestle against teammates and friends. The important thing for our wrestlers is that they’ve worked so hard in the preseason. As coaches, we want to see them go out and just let it fly. We want to see them score points and be aggressive and opportunistic.” The lineup features nine returning starters from last season and six NCAA tournament qualifiers from a year ago. Three bouts will be rematches from last year as sophomore John McDonald squares off against junior Mitch Berger at 125 and junior Alex Caruso meets deferred freshman Robert Hamlin at 174. At heavyweight, sophomore Zach Rey will meet slimmed down senior Justin Allen. One of the more competitive battles in the preseason has been at 149, where as many as eight grapplers have challenged for the starting spot. The official starter likely will not be determined until next week, but Friday night sophomore Brian Tanen will meet true freshman Joey Napoli in the official wrestle-off at 149, while junior Kyle Rosser will meet deferred freshman Justin Koren in an exhibition bout. In addition, two other members of Lehigh’s true freshman class will compete as freshman Albert Woody will meet EIWA Champion Seth Ciasulli at 141 and Austin Meys will wrestle an exhibition bout against senior Mike Galante at 165. Santoro also indicated that one or two more exhibition bouts may be added to the slate. “The other important thing is to have the guys get their weight down and to get them in front of a crowd, with an official,” said Santoro. “We’ve seen what they can do in the room, now we can see how they perform in competition.” The wrestle-offs get underway at 7 p.m. Friday from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting the Lehigh ticket office, located in Grace Hall. For those unable to make it to Grace Hall on Friday, the wrestle-offs can be seen both live and on-demand at Lehighsports.com, with Lehigh wrestling historian Denny Diehl ’70 joining Steve Lomangino for the commentary. Friday’s probable match-ups: Weight Brown vs. White 125 John McDonald vs. Mitch Berger 133 Mike Margherita vs. Matt Fisk 141 Albert Woody vs. Seth Ciasulli 149 Brian Tanen vs. Joey Napoli 149 EX Kyle Rosser vs. Justin Koren 157 Sean Bilodeau vs. Josh Fitch 165 EX Mike Galante vs. Austin Meys 174 Alex Caruso vs. Robert Hamlin 184 Kadeem Samuels vs. David Craig 197 Robert Prigmore vs. Joe Kennedy 285 Zach Rey vs. Justin Allen

Oregon high school state champion. Two-time NCAA champion from Oregon State. Administrator at USA Wrestling. Coach Team Foxcatcher. Head coach at Lehigh. All of these describe Greg Strobel's long-time involvement in wrestling. However, even the most obsessive wrestling fans may not know about other aspects of Strobel's life as a devoted husband and father to two daughters, an avid fly fisherman, passionate about precision woodworking, and, since July 2008, Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations at Lehigh. The multiple dimensions of Greg Strobel's life and career are now revealed in Strobel: Stories From a Life With Wrestling, a brand-new 175-page book from Jamie Moffatt, produced by Exit Zero Publishing, Inc. This is Moffatt's third wrestling book. Two years ago, he wrote Wrestlers at the Trials, sharing the stories of wrestlers fighting for spots on U.S. Olympic teams from 1960-1988; in 2003, Moffatt teamed up with Roger Olesen on A Turning Point, which provided a fascinating look at the 1953 NCAAs at Penn State and the champs crowned there. With Strobel, Moffatt continues a thread established by his previous works -- providing a rather personal, you-are-there journey through wrestling history -- by telling the story of one man immersed in wrestling from an early age, in his own voice. Meet Greg Strobel Greg Strobel)Gregory Oscar Strobel was born in Montana on August 17, 1952, the fourth son of eight children. He was introduced to wrestling by his brothers ... but truly came into his own in the sport at Scappoose High School in Oregon, where he won three state titles (1968-1970). After turning down an offer from Oklahoma State to wrestle, Strobel chose Oregon State, where he competed for long-time coach Dale Thomas (who had been a member of the legendary Cornell College of Iowa wrestling team that won the 1947 NCAA team title). As a Beaver, Strobel was 126-8-1, for an incredible .940 winning percentage. He was a three-time NCAA All-American, three-time Pacific 8 (now Pac-10) Conference champ, and a two-time NCAA champ at 190 pounds in 1973-1974, winning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the 1973 national championships. After earning his Master's degree from Oregon State, Greg Strobel spent three years as a coach at Roseburg High in Oregon ... then returned to the Corvallis school to serve as an assistant coach for Dale Thomas, with the hope of replacing the long-serving coach upon retirement. However, when Thomas revealed he had no intentions of leaving the coaching job anytime soon, Strobel headed to Stillwater, Oklahoma to work at the then-headquarters of USA Wrestling. As National Teams Director for eight years, Strobel saw the world by attending international wrestling events ... and witnessed an endless parade of bosses. In 1991, Strobel was hired by John duPont as head coach at his Foxcatcher Farms facility outside Philadelphia. In 1995, Strobel got back into the college wrestling world by being hired as head coach at Lehigh University. The birth of a book When asked why he wrote a book on Greg Strobel, Jamie Moffatt cited Strobel's diverse wrestling resume: "His career covers so much ground -- an impressive high school career, wrestling for Dale Thomas at Oregon State, his involvement with USA Wrestling and Foxcatcher, and then Lehigh. I figured he must have so many great stories." Jamie Moffatt"I approached him in April or May of 2008 at the New York Athletic Club. I kind of knew him from my being an alum of Cornell University and seeing him at dual meets, EIWA championships and NCAAs. I put a bug in his ear about doing a biography. Two days later, he emailed me, saying ... 'I think you've got a great idea' and we started work." "We just started working together. There were no issues, no discussions about how things would be done. Greg is a very trusting person." "We had lots of interviews," Moffatt continued. "I have 28 tapes from talking to Greg." Most of the interviews were conducted in person at Lehigh, which is about three hours from Moffatt's home in southern New Jersey. "As I finished writing a section, I'd send it to him for him to correct any errors. If there was anything questionable or objectionable, we'd talk about it." Strobel speaks One of the more appealing aspects of Strobel is that it is written in the coach's voice, more like a memoir than a traditional biography. Brief interviews with other key individuals in his life -- including his wife Donna, their daughters, as well as wrestlers and friends -- are sprinkled throughout where appropriate. Greg StrobelWhy did Jamie Moffatt choose a first-person narrative style for the book on Greg Strobel? "He has an incredible memory. He could easily remember things from 20, 30, 40 years ago." "I really got lucky in terms of his ability to remember things, and his way of telling engaging stories." "For each interview session, I'd drive up to Lehigh in the morning, then spend 1 to three hours with him in person. He'd start talking wherever we were -- in his office, in the wrestling room -- and really let his hair down." "We even roomed together to Stillwater for the 2009 induction ceremonies at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame." "As I started writing, I had to decide what might readers might be interested in reading about," disclosed Moffatt. "A lot of good stuff was left in the editing room." Even the photos provide additional insight into who Greg Strobel is. Unlike most coaches' biographies that having nothing but pictures of their subject at work in the practice room or yelling from the sidelines, Strobel shares photos from Donna and Greg's scrapbooks, so there are plenty of images of Greg with his family ... sharing good times with friends ... or in solitary pursuits such as fly fishing. What makes Strobel special Jamie Moffatt described Greg Strobel as a "really solid guy. Extremely disciplined. A good thinker, very analytical." "He truly looked out for his wrestlers, both in terms of athletics, and academics" Greg StrobelIn the section of the book devoted to Strobel's 13 seasons as head coach at Lehigh, he demonstrated his concern for his wrestlers that went beyond teaching technique. For example, he encouraged his athletes to develop interests and skills they could use in the real world, such as public speaking, or taking up golf. "In college, it's hard for a student to find a mentor," said Moffatt. "Strobel filled that important role for a number of individuals." That level of care and concern extended to his own family. "Greg's always had very demanding jobs, requiring long hours, lots of travel, time spent away from home. He never lost touch with his family. He would bring them on overseas wrestling trips whenever possible, and include 'family time' away from the event, for sightseeing or relaxing ... He made the girls part of the wrestling room at Lehigh, where they served as team managers. They reveled in these experiences, with warm memories of time spent with wrestling greats like John Smith, Dave Schultz, Bruce Baumgartner." Another positive attribute of Strobel that Moffatt discovered in writing the book: "Greg is always looking at the big picture of wrestling. He has a different approach to the sport that goes beyond his own program. A broader vision, looking out for the overall success of the sport. He was actively involved in serving on committees for EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association), NCAA, USA Wrestling." One for the fans You don't have to be an Oregon State or Lehigh fan to enjoy reading Strobel: Stories From a Life With Wrestling. The book should appeal to anyone who wants to get to know more about all aspects about amateur wrestling, and one of the top wrestlers and coaches of the past 40 years. "I believe that wrestling fans who read the book will appreciate some insights about coaching -- could be any D1 sport -- that are not usually revealed," said Moffatt. "I think Greg does a great job of taking the reader behind the scenes with his stories in areas like the process of awarding coveted scholarships; the thinking behind making up the season schedule; the value of scouting reports on opponents -- key to some huge Lehigh individual NCAA victories; the handling of bad behavior and locker room lawyers' (how Strobel referred to guys who tried to subvert his efforts to build a unified team), and the whole recruiting process and how a team is built." "I think the reader will find things of interest beyond the headlines, stats and won-loss records that will add value to his or her understanding of the sport." To learn more about Strobel: Stories From a Life With Wrestling -- or to purchase a copy -- contact InterMat's Mark Palmer (mark@intermatwrestle.com) and he'll forward your request to book author Jamie Moffatt.

Greg Amos

John Trudgeon

Phil Davis

Bobby Telford

Chad Dubin

Mark Branch

Mel Hughes

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The West Virginia University wrestling team will conduct a free clinic for coaches and wrestlers, with donations encouraged, on Nov. 1, to benefit WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics employee Cindy Smith, and her husband, Sam, who suffered two strokes in August 2009. The clinic, which will run from noon until 4 p.m., will be held in the WVU wrestling room. The clinic will feature six instructors, including world-renowned Cary Kolat, who was a four-time NCAA All-American, two-time NCAA champion and a three-time World Cup medalist. WVU assistant coaches Greg Jones, a three-time NCAA champion, and Danny Felix, a member of the 2009 U.S. World Team and a three-time Pac-10 champion, also will be at the clinic. The other three instructors are: Jim Akerly (All-American in 1987), Drew Headlee (All-American in 2005) and Mark McKnight (All-American in 2008). "She and her family are going through a very challenging time and it's something that immediately came to us," Turnbull adds. "We wanted to try and help in some way because she's been a long-time employee and a long-time supporter. She has done wonderful work with the wrestling program. When someone else needed help, she would be first in line. The wrestling team would like to provide some support for her and her family while they go through this difficult time." Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, but all walk-ups are welcome to participate. In order to help the Smiths, 100 percent of all donations received will go directly to the family to help manage medical costs and the loss of income. "Her original employment at the university began with the wrestling program," coach Craig Turnbull says. "The wrestling program has been associated with Cindy and her work for quite a period of time. She's done almost every aspect of work-related activity on the administrative side for the wrestling program and she's done it very well. Cindy is one of those people who is always willing to help, always extends herself and is very pleasant and enjoyable to work with." For more information regarding the wrestling clinic, please visit MSNsportsNET.com and click wrestling, or contact assistant coach Greg Jones at (304) 293-9872 or Greg.Jones@mail.wvu.edu.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 15 Indiana University wrestling team held the 2009 intrasquad scrimmage Tuesday evening with nine matches on the docket, including 2008 National Champion Angel Escobedo in action. An exhibition heavyweight match started the night, pitting junior Joe Fagiano versus true freshman Jowan Gill. Fagiano, a likely redshirt for the 2009-10 season, made quick work of Gill, pinning him in 1:50. 149 LBS. -- r-Junior Alex Warren vs. Freshman Anthony Fretwell Warren jumped ahead 9-0 following the first period with a takedown and seven near-fall points. He then quickly recorded a reversal and two more near-falls to notch a 16-0 tech fall in the second period. Warren ran a very effective tilt to earn the majority of his back points. 141 LBS. -- r-Freshman Danny Monaco vs. r-Freshman Nick Viterisi After a scoreless opening period, Viterisi took a 1-0 advantage with an escape from his starting bottom position. Monaco quickly matched his escape in the final period before posting the only takedown of the match and going ahead 3-1. Viterisi would escapedonce again but fail to take down Monaco, dropping the match, 3-2. 133 LBS. -- r-Sophomore Matt Ortega vs. r-Freshman Geno Capezio Ortega tallied three takedowns in this contest, one in each period. He also added an escape while Capezio failed to score any offensive points. In the end it was Ortega coming out on top, 7-5. 174 LBS. -- r-Senior Trevor Perry vs. Freshman Bryce Grimes Perry controlled the pace from the get-go against Grimes, taking him down twice in the first period and five times for the match. Add-in an escape and riding time point for Perry, leading to a 12-3 victory for the three-time NCAA Qualifier. 165 LBS. -- r-Junior Paul Young vs. Freshman Ryan LeBlanc LeBlanc gave Young all he could handle in the 165-pound bout. LeBlanc, a top-50 recruit nationally, was the first to light the scoreboard with a first-period takedown on the edge of the mat. Young escaped from LeBlanc's grasp and tallied a takedown of his own, however, before the period came to an end. The two then exchanged escapes in the final two periods, resulting in a 4-3 winner for Young. HEAVYWEIGHT -- Senior Nate Everhart vs. Senior Justin Kuhn Everhart owned a 3-0 edge after two periods. Kuhn chose to start down in the final period and escaped after a long ride by the two-time NCAA Qualifier. Everhart then regained the top position once again and rode Kuhn out for the remainder of the period, grabbing a riding time point as well as the 6-1 win. 125 LBS. -- r-Senior Angel Escobedo vs. Freshman Justin Brooks It was a slow start for the 2008 national champion, taking a 2-0 lead into the second period. He then turned on the jets in period number two, increasing his lead to 10-4. Escobedo continued to add to his lead in the third period, completing the major decision, 15-6 157 LBS. -- r-Junior Kurt Kinser vs. r-Senior Matt Coughlin The marquee contest of the night, matching-up a pair of two-time NCAA qualifiers, began with a stalemate in the 0-0 opening period. The outcome remained very uncertain heading into the third period as Kinser held just a 1-0 advantage. He finally pulled away in the third period, however, snagging a couple of takedowns en route to a 7-1 triumph. The Hoosiers officially begin their 2009-10 campaign on Nov. 15, heading to the Michigan State Open. Indiana is slotted 15th nationally in the preseason coaches' poll.