InterMat Staff

STILLWATER, OKLA. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum has announced the selection of the Class of 2008 Distinguished Members, as well as its special award honorees for the year. They will be inducted during the Honors Weekend Banquet and Induction Ceremony in Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 30-31, 2008. The event will mark the 32nd anniversary Class of the Hall of Fame & Museum. Four wrestling greats will be added as Distinguished Members in 2008. They are: • Ricky Bonomo of Harrisburg, Pa. • Mike Houck of Victoria, Minn. • Wayne Martin of Tulsa, Okla. (deceased) • Bobby Weaver of Easton, Pa. Houck and Weaver made their mark within international wrestling. Weaver was a gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif. and was a 1979 World silver medalist. Houck was the first U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the World Greco-Roman Championships with his historic victory at the 1985 World Championships in Kolbatn, Norway. Bonomo and Martin were among the best collegiate wrestlers of their eras, both winning three NCAA individual titles during their illustrious careers. Bonomo captured three NCAA titles for Bloomsburg University (1985-87). Martin was a three-time NCAA champion for the Univ. of Oklahoma (1934-36), also winning the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1936 NCAA Championships. Additional honorees to be inducted during the 2008 Honors Weekend will be: • Outstanding American recipient Dan T. Cathy of Atlanta, Ga. • Order of Merit recipient Richard Small of Tulsa, Okla. • Medal of Courage recipient Dr. James V. Mastro of Bemidji, Minn. • Lifetime Achievement for Officials award recipient Jerry Wager of Las Vegas, Nev. The Hall of Fame's Board of Governors approved these selections at its semi-annual meeting held in Las Vegas in December 2007. "I want to thank our Board of Governors and the various screening and selection committees involved in the six-month process that determines our honorees for induction. This is another exceptional class of inductees whose merits transcend our sport," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum. The four Distinguished Members were among the dominant athletes of their era. Bonomo was the greatest wrestler in the history of Bloomburg Univ., a Div. I program in Pennsylvania. For three straight years (1985-87), Bonomo won all of the major events on the schedule, capturing the NCAA Div. I title, along with the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) title and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title at 118 pounds. He was named the EWL and PSAC Wrestler of the Year all three of those seasons. Ricky's career record was a stellar 116-12-3. Ricky and his brother Rocky were the first twins to win Pennsylvania state titles side-by-side in 36 years when they won Class AA titles for Lake Lehman High in 1981, wrestling for the legendary Floyd "Shorty" Hitchcock. Rocky was also an All-American for Bloomsburg, making the Bonomo brothers the most feared lightweight tandem in college wrestling at the time. Houck made U.S. wrestling history in 1985, when he became the first American Greco-Roman wrestler to win a gold medal at the World Championships with his dramatic victory in Kolbatn, Norway. He competed on three U.S. World Teams during his career, and won three U.S. National titles. He also won an AAU National Greco-Roman title in 1981. Twice, Houck placed second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He competed for Maranatha Baptist Bible College, winning two Christian College National titles and three All-American honors. Houck worked as USA Wrestling's National Greco-Roman Coach from 1990-95. He coached the USA to two individual medals at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Houck was a founder and coached for the U.S. Olympic Training Center Greco-Roman Resident Program, which was created in 1993 and has become internationally respected for developing champion athletes. Martin won three NCAA titles for the Univ. of Oklahoma, competing for Coach Paul Keen. He was the first three-time NCAA champion in Sooner history, and the first athlete to win NCAA Div. I wrestling titles in three different weight classes. Martin was the 134-pound champion in 1934, the 145-pound champion in 1935 and the 135-pound champion in 1936, winning the Outstanding Wrestler as a senior. He was a three-time Big Six champion and had a career record of 39-2 with 21 falls. Martin won two Oklahoma state high school titles for Tulsa Central under its legendary coach Art Griffith. His son Mickey was a two-time NCAA champion, and they were the only father-son combination to win NCAA Outstanding Wrestler awards, when Mickey was honored in 1963. Wayne was also a coach for Elk City High School for a number of years and was inducted into the Helms Hall of Fame in 1962. Weaver was one of the nation's greatest lightweight freestyle wrestlers ever, capped off with his gold-medal victory at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif. He was one of seven U.S. freestyle champions in Los Angeles, competing under Dan Gable. Weaver also qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, which did not compete in the Moscow Olympics due to the U.S. government boycott. He was a silver medalist at the 1979 World Championships and fifth at the 1983 World Championships. Weaver won World Cup titles in 1980 and 1984, and was a 1977 Junior World silver medalist. Weaver won four AAU National titles and two USWF national titles. He competed at Lehigh Univ., where he was third in the 1982 NCAA Championships. Weaver won three Pennsylvania state titles for Easton High School (1975-77) and was a Prep School national champion for Blair Academy. The special honorees represent tremendous achievements both within wrestling and in society. Business giant Dan T. Cathy will be inducted as a 2008 Outstanding American, which honors past wrestlers for their success in other walks of life. Since 2001, Cathy has served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Chick-fil-A, one of the nation's largest family owned businesses. Cathy has led the Atlanta-based quick-service chicken restaurant chain to continued success in the industry. The chain was founded by his father S. Truett Cathy, and Dan participated in the business throughout his life. He also served as director of operations, senior director of operations, vice president of operations, and executive vice president before assuming his current duties. In his quest to provide customers with "2nd Mile Service" (exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant), Dan has defined a special role for himself – humbly saying, "I work in customer service." Dan and his brother Donald "Bubba" Cathy were high school state champions for the Woodward Academy. Dan won the state title at 119 pounds in 1971 and had a 40-4 record his last two years. He later wrestled for Furman University. For 20 years, Chick-fil-A and the Cathy family sponsored the state wrestling awards banquet. The 2008 Order of Merit, given for contributions that further the sport and elected by Hall of Fame Distinguished Members, goes to Richard P. Small, a former wrestler and successful businessman who has been a leader within the sport. Small was high school wrestler in Illinois, and a member of the legendary 1947 Cornell College team which won both the NCAA and AAU team championships. He was a Midwest Conference champion for Cornell. His corporate business career included serving as chairman and CEO for Cheker Oil Company, as well as president/CEO for Tri-Star Aerospace. Small has served many years on the Board of Governors of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. His leadership has helped the Hall of Fame to raise substantial funds to expand its facility, exhibits, and endowment fund. He remains the most benevolent benefactor of all-time to his alma-mater at Cornell College. The 2008 Medal of Courage recipient is Dr. James Mastro, who has been blind since birth, has been an outstanding wrestler and athlete, along with a lifetime of achievement in education and community work. He is a tenured full professor of professional education and physical education at Bemidji State University. Mastro is the first individual with a visual impairment to earn a Ph. D. in physical education in the United States. As a tenured full professor at Bemidji State, Dr. Mastro has authored or co-authored 47 published articles and 26 national and international presentations on adapted and developmental physical education for state and national organizations as well as athletes with disabilities. He is past president of the National Beep Baseball Association and was a member of the USABA Board of Directors. Mastro was a varsity wrestler at Augsburg College from 1968-73, winning a conference title. He also became nationally ranked in Greco-Roman. He won a bronze medal at the AAU Senior Greco-Roman Nationals, and qualified to compete in U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 1972 and 1976. He won numerous medals competing in goalball, judo, track and field, and wrestling in the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) National Championships. In 1995, he was named U.S. Olympic Committee Blind Athlete of the Year. Mastro was chosen flagbearer for the United States Paralympics Team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He won a gold medal at the 1995 World Judo Championships for the Blind. Mastro has been a wrestling coach since 1970, coaching on the youth, middle school, and high school levels. The winner of the Lifetime Achievement for Officials award goes to veteran international wrestling official Jerry Wager, who also had a distinguished coaching career. Wager was a Mid-American Conference champion at Toledo University, and competed in the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman. He was a coach with the Las Vegas YMCA from 1970-1980 and also coached seven age-group World Championships teams for the USA. Wager was a college wrestling official from 1960-1963 and was also the head official for the Southern Nevada High School program from 1963-66. His major achievements were on the international level, where he was a FILA Referee from 1962-1998. Wager officiated in over 50 major international meets, including the World Championships, Junior World Championships, Pan American Championships, and European Championships. Wager was the first U.S. official selected as a mat chairman, when he worked the 1985 World Greco-Roman Championships in Norway. He was head official for the World Police and Fire Games for 10 years. Wager was recognized as a FILA Lifetime Exceptionelle Referee, and was presented with the FILA Gold Medal. He also won national Official of the Year and Coach of the Year awards and served as National YMCA Wrestling Chairman for 10 years. The final award to be presented at Honors Weekend 2008, the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, will be announced later in the spring.

RENO, Nev. -- Central Michigan University claimed four individual titles en route to winning its second consecutive team championship at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Tuesday. Led by first-place finishes by Luke Smith (125 pounds), Brandon Sinnott (174), Christian Sinnott (184) and Wynn Michalak (197), the sixth-ranked Chippewas tallied 152.5 team points to defend their Reno team title. Oklahoma State finished second with 128 points, while Cornell was third with 99 points. A total of 10 Chippewas placed in the top six of their respective weight classes to contribute to the team score. Trevor Stewart finished runner-up at 165 pounds, Eric Kruger was third at 141, Nathaniel Holt (149) and Bubba Gritter (285) placed fifth and Conor Beebe (133) and Tyler Grayson (157) placed sixth. Also of note was Ben Kelto, competing unattached, advancing to the semis at 184 before eventually placing fifth. Smith entered the tournament seeded second at 125 pounds. He defeated the No. 3 seed, Cal Poly's Boris Navochkov, 3-1 in the semis before claiming a 4-3 decision over No. 1 seed Tanner Gardner (Stanford) in the championship match. Gardner, a 2007 All-American, entered the tournament ranked fourth nationally at 125. Brandon Sinnott, seeded third at 174 pounds, defeated the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to his title. After a pair of major decisions in his first two matches, Sinnott advanced to the semis via a 3-2 decision over an unattached Ryan Smith. A 4-2 decision over No. 2 seed Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State) in the semis qualified Sinnott for the finals, where he blanked top-seeded Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 4-0. Christian Sinnott matched his twin brother with a title at 184. An opening-round pin and a pair of decisions moved the second-seeded Sinnott into the semis, where he earned a 9-2 decision over Cornell's Michael Moore. Cal State Fullerton's Ian Murphy medical forfeited the championship match to Sinnott. Michalak proved worthy of the No. 1 seed at 197 pounds, recording two falls, a major decision and a technical fall, respectively, to advance to the finals. He clinched the championship with a 3-1 decision over Arizona State's Jason Trulson, a national qualifier in 2007. Stewart steamrolled his way to the finals at 165 pounds before falling to No. 3 seed Mack Lewness (Cornell). Stewart, seeded fourth, posted a 6-3 decision over No. 1 seed, and nationally fourth ranked, Pat Pitsch (Arizona State). Third-seeded Kruger was upset in his first-round match at 141 pounds but rebounded to win seven consecutive matches in the wrestle backs to place third. Of Kruger's seven wins, three were by major decision and one by technical fall; he claimed a 15-6 major decision over Elijah Nacita (Cal State Bakersfield) in the third-place match. Both Holt and Brandon Carter advanced to the quarterfinals at 149 pounds before Holt ultimately placed fifth. He defeated Jeremy Doyle (Cal State Bakersfield), 8-6, in the fifth-place match. CMU returns to action on Dec. 29-30, competing at Midlands in Evanston, Ill. The Chippewas placed fourth in the 56-team field last year.

Tickets for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, to be held at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena March 8 and 9, will go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 17. All-session tickets are $30 and may be purchased through gophersports.com, in person at the Minnesota athletics ticket office in Mariucci Arena or by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or 612-624-8080. Big Ten Championship all-session tickets will also be available for sale at all Minnesota home wrestling meets this season. "We're extremely excited to be hosting the Big Ten Championships this year," said J Robinson, head coach of the defending national champion Gophers. "This event always features some of the best collegiate wrestling in the country and we expect to get a lot of support from wrestling fans around the Upper Midwest." The 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships will feature a three-session format, with the Session 1 preliminary matches beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8. Session 2 will get underway at 6 p.m. that same day, and the Session 3 championship matches will start at noon on Sunday, March 9. Doors to Williams Arena open approximately one hour prior to the beginning of each session. Sessions 1 and 2 will feature four mats of action, while Session 3 will have live wrestling on three mats. The Williams Arena court will be extended to accommodate the four-mat setup. "The Big Ten Championships will showcase the very finest that college wrestling has to offer," said Marc Ryan, Minnesota associate athletics director. "We fully expect to have sellout crowds both days and that will create an electric atmosphere inside Williams Arena." The Big Ten Network is currently scheduled to provide live television coverage of Sunday's conference finals. The BTN is currently available in Minnesota on DirecTV (channel 220) and Dish Network (channel 439). Williams Arena has not played host to the Big Ten Championships since 1997, a year that saw Robinson's Gophers finish in second place to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Since that year, Minnesota has dominated the Big Ten and established itself as one of the most dominant teams in the country. The Gophers have won six Big Ten team titles in the last nine seasons and crowned a Big Ten-best 27 individual champions during that span. At the 2007 Big Ten Championships, hosted by Michigan State in East Lansing, the Gophers put on an utterly dominating performance. Minnesota's four individual champions – Jayson Ness (125 pounds), Dustin Schlatter (149), C.P. Schlatter (157) and Cole Konrad (Hwt.) – paved the way for a whopping 156 team points and a 55.5-point margin of victory over runner-up Wisconsin. Minnesota's team score was the highest at the Big Ten Championships since the 2002 team earned 174 points. Two weeks later, the Gophers would go on to win their third national title in the past seven years. The 2007 season also marked the second time in school history that the Gophers have won consecutive conference championships (Minnesota also won the 2006 Championships at Indiana), with the only other occurrence coming when they won three straight from 2001-03. Minnesota has finished first or second at the Big Ten Championships nine straight seasons and has placed in the top three each of the past 11 years. Single-session tickets, if available, will not go on sale until Monday, March 3. For more information on the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, please call 1-800-U-GOPHER, 612-624-8080 or log on to gophersports.com.

Columbia, Mo. -- Improving to 3-0 on the season, the eighth-ranked Missouri wrestling team held off No. 10 Chattanooga, 24-10, at Maclellan Stadium. Seven Tiger grapplers earned wins in their respective weight class, including sophomore Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.), who recorded his seventh fall of the season. With the victory, Missouri improves to 6-1 over the Mocs and takes its perfect three-dual win streak to Pittsburgh for a Wednesday, Dec. 19, match beginning at 6 p.m. (CT). Opening the afternoon contest at 125 pounds, two of the top-ranked wrestlers in the nation, Missouri's seventh-ranked redshirt freshman Tony Pescaglia (Columbia, Mo.) and UTC's No. 10 Javier Maldonado battled back-and-forth. Maldonado came out on top with a 9-7 win by decision putting Chattanooga ahead on the scoreboard. Returning to the mat after a five week absence, third-ranked Tiger senior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) recorded a 6-1 win by decision over Steve Hromada bringing the score to three points a piece. A loss at 141 put Missouri down again, but the Tigers rallied with three straight wins by decision to take the 12-6 advantage. A loss at 174 pounds brought the Mocs within two points, but an additional three straight Tiger wins, including a six-overtime bout between ninth-ranked Tiger sophomore Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) and 10th-ranked Matt Kox of UTC, gave Missouri the decisive win. Askren, who stands at 10-2 on the season, scored the only point in the overtime periods, winning the bout by a score of 4-3. Ellis ended the dual quickly, pinning Matt Lettner in 2:58. With 13 wins on the season, Ellis has won seven of his bouts by way of fall, the fastest clocked at 49 seconds against Pittsburgh grappler Zach Sheaffer at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1. Ellis and Scheaffer are expected to meet on the mat again Dec. 19. The loss was UTC's first of the season and first at home in 14 duals.

It's been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. However, In front of a bewildered crowd at Walsh Jesuit High School at the Walsh Ironman on Saturday, Dec. 8, Chris Phillips began his journey towards becoming Ohio's best ever with not so much a single step as a gigantic leap. In a gym full of the nation's premier superstars, the freshman 171 from Monroeville, Ohio stole the show. On Saturday morning (Dec. 8), Chris Phillips faced an unthinkable challenge. He had to go through nationally ranked Corey Peltier of Blair Academy, the No. 1-ranked wrestler in Division II in Ohio, Zac Thomusseit, and the nation's best 171 in Brian Roddy of St. Edward. What followed is something that was beyond jaw dropping. Phillips handled all three, scoring 10 takedowns to none for his three great adversaries. But even these numbers didn't really tell the whole story. As great as his offense was, his defense was even better. The fact is that in these three matches Phillips was never even close to being scored upon. Almost every flurry of action resulted in either a Phillips takedown or going out of bounds as Phillip was close to a takedown. Chris Phillips (Photo/Tony Rotundo)The final of course versus Brian Roddy was, as predicted, a match that fans will remember. Roddy, headed to Northwestern on full scholarship, was brilliant as usual in this tournament, defeating two of Ohio's best 171's, Nick Mills and Keith Witt, 22-9 and 11-3 respectively. One of the most intimidating high school wrestlers that has ever competed in this state -- the general consensus was that he would put an end to the latest "mutant freshman" (meant as a compliment) from Monroeville's great run. That was my feeling heading into the tournament, but after seeing Phillips completely outclass the excellent Peltier and Thomusseit, I wasn't so sure. While Peltier is a former Cadet Nationals champ, defending Beast of the East champion and FILA Cadet Nationals champ (who defeated one of the top seniors in the nation last summer in Mike Benefiel) the Thumusseit win almost impresses me more. My connections at Graham have been telling me for some time that Thomusseit was underrated and should be the No. 1-ranked 171 in Division II -- after Thomusseit's win over Peltier for third place they are certainly correct. Thomusseit, with lanky build and great defensive skills, has a style that can slow down even the most high-octane offenses. I saw him slow down Sean Nemec, Jason Welch of California (a scoring machine regarded as the best senior in the nation), and even Colt Sponseller last year. Phillips defeated him by about the same margin as the others, but having watched all of these bouts, Phillips was the most dominant against Thomusseit. While the other wrestlers found themselves frustrated by his defense with numerous stalemates -- Phillips took three shots in the first two periods, and finished all three, two of them without any sort of difficulty, before he began to tire in the third period and slowed his attacks (please note: not saying that Phillips is better than Jason Welch or Colt Sponseller, just that he had less trouble with Thomusseit than either). There are three high school matches that are indelibly etched in my mind. The first one was Dustin Schlatter-Brent Metcalf at the MIT with the crowd on their feet applauding both wrestlers before the match began, the second was Sponseller-Nemec last year, with the crowd exploding as (then) underdog Sponseller scored time and time again on the St. Edward star. This was the third, but it was a much different feel to it. The gym was dead silent during this match -- nobody shouting encouragement, nobody talking, just the entire crowd watching the match with 110% focus. You could hear a pin drop in the gymnasium (except when Phillips was scoring). There was a tension to the bout, a sense of the history perhaps, that you could cut with a knife. At one point, Chris Deshon of Walsh (half-kidding) reminded me to breathe. On a side note, much has been made of Brian Roddy getting physical with Phillips as the match wore on. To me, this is "much ado about nothing." Let's face it ... this isn't a game of croquet. Trying to get the freshman rattled is as good a strategy as any I can think of. It has also been noted that Brian Roddy was in a no-win situation, going from the hunter to the hunted. Very true, and I certainly didn't envy him, but what I saw over the entire weekend was a wrestler -- freshman in high school or not -- who was quite simply the best wrestler gymnasium chalk-full of national champions. Historical Perspective While a freshman in high school being the nation's best 171, and Ohio's best wrestler, period (with apologies to Jameson, Boyd, Taylor, Roddy, and Stieber) is incomprehensible. To some extent, it is just the natural progression of Phillips' career. There were many who felt that the young man from Monroeville, while outstanding, had been over-hyped (primarily by the state of Ohio). In fact, I have under-hyped him as I knew if I posted how good I really thought this kid was, I would be regarded as the village idiot. The fans had to see it for themselves to believe it. Thus, when I posted last year that eighth grader Chris Phillips could likely beat three-time state runner-up Derek Foore -- and was quickly derided as a fool (on my own forum no less) -- I just let it drop and said you'll see next year (it looks a bit less idiotic now, considering Roddy majored Foore last year). However, what I saw on Dec. 8 was truly even better than I had imagined. I first noted the name Chris Phillips while looking through the brackets of the OAC Junior High State in 2005. At that time, I noted that a sixth grader from Monroeville had won 12-0 in the finals of that single-division state tournament. Looking through the complete brackets, I then noted that 12 points was his closest match of the weekend. That really caught my attention, since it was remarkable for a sixth grader to be 12 points better than the best wrestlers in the state two years older than him (especially when you consider he was piling up that many points in a 4:30 match). Generally, even an excellent sixth grader could not even hang with a top eighth grader in this weight range. The next thing I noted was that the wrestler who Phillips defeated 12-0 (Andrew Gasber) came within a single win of All-American status at the Cadet Nationals later that summer. If Phillips was 12 points better than a wrestler who made it that far in Fargo ... that meant that, on paper, the sixth grader was good enough to place and probably place high against eighth, ninth, and 10th grade wrestlers at Cadet Nationals as a middleweight. It followed, in my estimation, that if he could place high at Fargo, he was good enough to place that season as a sixth grader at the state tournament wrestling at 119 pounds. Obviously, this wasn't even something the mind could comprehend, so the jury was still out as I waited to see more results. Chris Phillips (Photo/Tony Rotundo)Of course, I go to many tournaments and talk a lot of wrestling with people at those tournaments. The following year I had the following conversation with a number of fans on several different occasions: Fan: "Hey, you won't believe this, but a seventh grader came into our room and beat (insert state champion or high placer here). Admin: "Let me guess, from Monroeville?" Fan: Yeah, how did you know? You heard it enough times, about enough state champions and placers, from enough different people and you had to take notice. Aside from practice room reports, during the spring following that year the seventh grade Phillips traveled with the Ohio Samsons to the NHSCA Duals. Competing in the All-Star Division, Phillips was beaten just once, by a Pennsylvania state runner-up who is now wrestling for a Division I college. In that match, Phillips was leading 6-1 before getting pinned in a cradle late in the bout. He followed that up by winning by technical fall against Brent Terry, the fourth-place finisher in the state in Division II. In short, Chris Phillips has been good enough to place at the Ohio State Tournament since sixth grade and good enough to win state as a middleweight since seventh grade. So, when you consider how much improvement that one typically makes between seventh and ninth grade -- the fact that he may now be the nation's best 171 -- and possibly good enough to compete on a Big Ten wrestling mat at age 15 -- is not so much shocking, as the expected progression of a wrestler who has been light years ahead of others his age for years. If he can continue the progression that one might expect a high school wrestler to make in three years -- considering the level he is at now -- it is not out of the question that in three years Chris Phillips could be approaching a world-class level. Not only has there never been a freshman to compare Phillips to in Ohio among upperweights (the closest would be, ironically enough, Brian Roddy), there isn't a freshman that you can really compare him to nationally either that I am aware of. The level this Monroeville wrestler is at for his size and age is simply unprecedented, at least in the USA. In a prior article, shortly before Dustin Schlatter defeated Zack Esposito to kick off his great run that ended in an NCAA title as a true freshman, I wrote that Schlatter was the sort of wrestler who came along in a Ohio once in a generation, like Alan Fried was in his generation, and Tom Milkovich was in his. Mark down the prediction: there is so much that can happen between now and then, but I believe Chris Phillips will be the sort of wrestler who comes along not once in a generation, but once in a lifetime. Phillips is sort of like Dustin Schlatter, Harry Lester, and CP Schlatter rolled into one. He has the Dustin Schlatter-like positioning and instincts -- always in the right place at the right time, but with the speed of Harry Lester and the strength of CP Schlatter. Think Schlatter with a lot more ability to create his own offense. The well-meaning pundits who like to "overthink" these sort of things -- the same doubters who kept bringing up Sponseller's bad Fargo and looking for excuses for his opponents when he turned every top 160 in the nation into "Adam" last year -- will look for a fly in the ointment. Really, just go to Flowrestling.com -- and bearing in mind how great the wrestlers he's facing are, and that he is a freshman wrestling 171, and tell me I'm wrong. It occurs to me, that with the Ironman honoring Mike Milkovich -- the legendary Maple Heights coach who paved the way for so many great wrestlers in northeast Ohio by his teaching and by his example -- it was sort of appropriate that he was there on the night that what should be the greatest career in Ohio history began. One legend in his twilight, the other just beginning. Visit OhioWrestlingSite.com, the premier source for Ohio wrestling information.

103 1. Sean Boylan St Mark's 2. Devin Carter Christiansburg 3. Tyler Biscaha Jackson Memorial 4. Cam Sullivan Timberlane 5. Robert Deutsch Eastern Regional 6. Dan Dortone Springfield 7. Rob Jillard Delsea Regional 8. Jerry Pasquale Boardman 9. Evan Silver Blair 10. Brandon Davis Caravel Academy 11. Ryan Hunsberger Fauquier 12. Zach Horan Nazareth 13. Joe Orrechio Don Bosco Prep 112 1. Sean Boyle Blair Academy 2. Shane Gentry Colonial Forge 3. Sean Dolan St Mark's 4. Jordan Glykas Essex 5. Frank Goodwin Mt St Joe's 6. Jordan Grey Essex 7. Simon Rice Central Dauphin 8. Hunter Wood East Fairmont 9. Kyle Johnson Wyoming Seminary 10. Tucker Miller Western Branch 11. Chris Witte Hodsgon VoTech 12. Zach Huxford Jackson Memorial 119 1. Nick Schenk McDonogh 2. Matt Snyder Lewistown 3. Michael Garofalo Colonial Forge 4. Pat Owens Germantown 5. Andrew Bannister Bishop McNamara 6. Simon Kitzis Wyoming Seminary 7. Chris Kochinksy Middletown 8. Vinny Fava Don Bosco Prep 9. Kenny Knapp David Brearley 10. Tony Buxton Blair 11. Andrew Robertson Christiansburg 12. Colton McFatridge Hodgson VoTech 125 1. Joe Trause Bergen Catholic 2. Chris Villanlonga Blair Academy 3. Patrick Hunter St Benedicts Preps 4. Andrew Williams Tabb 5. Mike Holcomb Kellam 6. Justin "Nick" Shields Brother Martin 7. Derik Russel Jackson Memorial 8. Jake Longley Noble 9. Tyler Scarinzi Archbishop Curley 10. Trevor Dearden Salem NH 11. Wyatt Ray Roy 12. Chris Alexander Cardinal OHara 130 1. Anthony Valles Blair Academy 2. Zac Coulas Ocean Township 3. Andrew Grabfelder Germantown 4. Nicky Gordon Wyoming Seminary 5. Luke Fedechko Delsea 6. Ian Squires Colonial Forge 7. Mike Crowley Eastern 8. Kenny Stank Central Dauphin 9. Drew Jenkins East Fairmont 10. Bryan Anderson Noble 11. Jared Anongos James River 12. Benny Schaufele Mount St Joes 135 1. Cullen Isenberg Wyoming Seminary 2. Austin Ormsbee Blair 3. Joe Pantaleo Colonial Forge 4. Andrew VanDyke Ocean Township 5. Kenny Courts Central Dauphin 6. Albert Woody McDonogh 7. Joe Lospinoso David Brearley 8. Ben Dorsay Cox 9. John Renardo Kingsway 10. Hank Stinson Eastern 11. Alex Pittera Salem NH 12. Cody Carbine Smyrna 140 1. Marshall Peppelman Central Dauphin 2. Kyle Lang Brecksville 3. Bryan Peace Ryle 4. John Guzzo Blair Academy 5. Louis Johnson Great Bridge 6. Anthony Baldosaro Delsea 7. Matt Spatero Bergen Catholic 8. Josh Fitch McDonogh 9. Drew Squires Colonial Forge 10. Matt Dugan DeMatha 11. Dave Clemons Timberlane 12. Ricky Anderson Western Branch 145 1. Walter Peppelman Central Dauphin 2. Peter Yates Salem GA 3. Joey Napoli Cumberland Valley 4. Peter Bronder Noble 5. Nick Tiberi Hodgson VoTech 6. Eric Morris East Fairmont 7. Curtis Holmes McDonogh 8. Jackson Brady Camden Catholic 9. Jarad Smith Timberlane 10. Joey Grainger Great Bridge 11. Rich Bushby Kingsway 12. Justin Martinez Wyoming Seminary 152 1. Alex Meade Caesar Rodney 2. Nick Menditto Ocean Township 3. Mallie Shuster Big Spring 4. Sean Byrnes Jackson Memorial 5. Brandon Rohlnick Lawrenceville 6. Shane Millam McDonogh 7. Jonathon Weibel Quakertown 8. Preston Kieffer Eastern 9. Jimmy Sheptock Northampton 10. Brandon Hazel Sussex Central 11. Montrell Barbine Western Branch 12. Carter Lorant Blair Academy 160 1. Scott Winston Jackson Memorial 2. Tony Dallago Central Dauphin 3. Jared King Great Bridge 4. Keith Hynson William Penn 5. Sam Rakes Christiansburg 6. Ethen Rakes Mountain Crest 7. Kramer Whitelaw McDonogh 8. Jesse Shanaman Blair Academy 9. Mike Wechsler Northampton 10. Sean Abrams Kellam 11. Kevin Dufresne St Benedicts Prep 12. Umar Taramov David Brearley 171 1. Quinten Wright Bald Eagle Area 2. Corey Peltier Blair Academy 3. Bagna Tovuujav St Benedicts Prep 4. Mason Reid Ryle 5. Michael Harvey Germantown 6. Braden Carter Christiansburg 7. Peter Huntley Colonial Forge 8. Brock Budesheim Sussex Central 9. Colin Lenhardt Gloucester 10. Pat Murphy East Fairmont 11. Owen Smith Calvert Hall College 12. Jimmy Starr Cardinal OHara 189 1. Erich Schmidtke Aberdeen 2. Mac Mancuso Holy Spirit 3. Vinnie Ranauto Caravel 4. Max Huntley Colonial Forge 5. Jonathon Becker Bergen Catholic 6. Mike Aguggia DeMatha 7. Michael McMullen Wyoming Seminary 8. Zach Benzio Connellsville 9. Morgan Murphy East Fairmont 10. Ben Krakower Blair 11. Alex Pagnotta McDonogh 12. Alex Thomas Sussex Tech 215 1. Joe McMullan Wyoming Seminary 2. Glenn Carson Southern Regional 3. Jesse Boyden David Brearley 4. Lukasz Stala Don Bosco Prep 5. Steve Hanzlik Blair 6. Felton Banks Colonial Forge 7. Jon Weber Christiansburg 8. Jamar Beckett Sussex Tech 9. Ace Callwood Western Branch 10. Corey Olsen St Marks 11. Aaron Chamberlain Northampton 12. Jamie Reitzy Middletown 285 1. John Hiles St Francis DeSales 2. Nick Cook Fauquier 3. Justin Haines Connellsville 4. Brian Nicholl Timberlane 5. Jack Burbank Cox 6. Jeremy Johnson Brecksville 7. Kyle Hanson Blair Academy 8. Tim Watson Bald Eagle Area 9. Jared Bennett Upper Perkiomen 10. Lane Clelland McDonogh 11. Trey Dillon Christiansburg 12. Kris Deichert Eastern Regional

NORMAN, Okla. -- The ESPNU Wrestling Invitational presented by Conoco Phillips has been moved from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 20 to better accommodate ESPNU's national telecast of the event, it was announced today. The event, which will take place at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, features a pair of simultaneous dual matches. On one mat, Oklahoma State takes on Big 12 opponent Nebraska. On the other mat, Oklahoma battles Wisconsin. Both matches are set to start at 6 p.m. Oklahoma battles Wisconsin. Both matches are set to start at 6 p.m.

Matt Gentry, Stanford Wrestling's only NCAA Champion and current Volunteer Assistant Coach, will look to qualify for the Canadian Olympic Team this weekend at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Etobicoke, Ontario. Gentry, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, won his second consecutive Canadian Senior National Championship at 74 kg in April to earn his spot atop the Olympic Qualifying ladder this weekend. The event runs Friday and Saturday, with the Finals for the Freestyle portion set for Saturday afternoon, but, as the top qualifier, Gentry will sit out until Saturday's finals. He will then wrestle in a best of three match series, for a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team. The Canadian Olympic Team member will then look to qualify for next summer's Olympics, with the first opportunity being at the Pan Am Championships in February in Colorado Springs, Colo. Gentry won his first major international medal, a bronze, at the Pan Am Games in July. The event will be held at Etobicoke Olympium in Etobicoke, Ontario. The finals will take place beginning at noon on Saturday and will be webcast live at www.splitdraw.com.

IOWA CITY -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team improved to 7-0 Thursday night with wins over Northern Iowa (40-3) and Cornell College (51-0) in its first home duals of the 2007-08 season. The Hawkeyes went 19-1 on the night, losing the first match on a last-second takedown. Iowa rebounded to score eight pins, six major decisions and two technical falls in the remaining 19 matches. Senior Matt Fields (Hwt.), junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133) and Jay Borschel (174) all remain undefeated at 7-0 this season. Iowa recorded its 40th series win over Northern Iowa and its 20th win over the Panthers in Iowa City. Senior Mark Perry, who is ranked second at 165 pounds, pinned No. 3 Moza Fay in 48 seconds in the night's marquee matchup to pick up his 80th career victory. Perry also pinned Cornell's Christian Coffey in 4:17 to score his 30th career pin. He needs 10 more pins to break into Iowa's top 10 all-time career list. Sophomore Ryan Morningstar scored his 30th career win by pinning Panther Jarion Beets in sudden victory at 157 pounds. Iowa's win over Cornell was the first time the Hawkeyes scored more than 50 points since the 2003-04 season when they defeated Southwest State, 54-0. Falck recorded his 45th career win with a 12-2 major decision over Cornell's Chris Heilman, who is ranked second in Division III. Fields scored his 70th career win with a 4:57 pin over Josiah Payne. Iowa's next competition will be Dec. 29-30 at the 45th annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, IL. All matches will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena on the Northwestern University campus.

This weekend is the TGI Friday's Beast of the East. If it is anything like last weekend's Walsh Ironman, wrestling fans are going to be in for a treat. The Beast differs from other national tournaments because of its size and it more of an East-Coast flavor. RevWrestling.com has provided a weight-by-weight breakdown with predictions. 103 Pounds In a weight class traditionally dominated by freshman, sophomores Devin Carter of Christiansburg (Virginia) and Sean Boylan of Sr. Marks (Delaware) lead the pack. Boylan defeated Carter earlier this year, but Carter is coming off a solid performance at the Ironman. Anything short of a re-match here will be an upset. Keep an eye on Tyler Biscaha of Jackson Memorial (New Jersey) who wrestled Boylan tough at Super 32. The favorites: Devin Carter, Sean Boylan and Evan Silver of Blair Academy (New Jersey) The ones you may not know: Zachary Horan of Nazareth (Pennsylvania), Robert Deutsch of Eastern Regional (New Jersey) and Clayton Youtz of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) Predicted Final: Boylan over Carter 112 Pounds Sean Boyle of Blair Academy (New Jersey) came back strong after an early round upset last week to finish third at the Ironman. Look for him to carry that momentum into this week. Shane Gentry of Colonial Forge (Virginia) and Sean Dolan of St Marks (Delaware) could challenge. The favorites: Sean Boyle, Shane Gentry and Sean Dolan The ones you may not know: Hunter Wood of East Fairmont (West Virginia), Kyle Johnson of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) and Zach Huxford of Jackson Memorial (New Jersey) Predicted Final: Boyle over Gentry 119 Pounds Returning Beast champ and Fargo All-American Nick Schenk of McDonogh School (Maryland) moves up two weight classes this year. To repeat, he will have to go through Michael Garafalo of Colonial Forge (Virginia) and Matt Snyder of Lewistown (Pennsylvania). Also keep an eye on Ken Knapp of David Brearley (New Jersey), who finished third in the New Jersey States last year. The favorites: Nick Schenk, Matt Snyder, and Michael Garafalo The ones you may not know: Simon Kitzis of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania), Andrew Bannister of Bishop McNamara (Virginia) and Colton McFatridge of Sussex Vo-Tech (Delaware) Predicted Final: Garafalo over Fava 125 Pounds Definitely one of the deepest weights in the tournament with three studs from New Jersey: Two-Time State Champ Joe Trause of Bergen Catholic, Ironman Champ Chris Villalonga of Blair Academy and Patrick Hunter of St. Benedicts. The favorites: Joe Trause, Chris Villalonga and Patrick Hunter The ones you may not know: Derrick Russell of Jackson Memorial (New Jersey), Trevor Dearden of Salem (NH) and Mike Holcomb of Kellam (Virginia) Predicted Final: Trause over Hunter 130 Pounds In a wide open weight class, Anthony Valles of Blair Academy appears to be the front runner, but any number of wrestlers could win this weight class. Keep an eye on Mike Crowley of Eastern Regional (New Jersey) who could make a run out of the 7 seed. The favorites: Anthony Valles, Zac Coulas of Ocean Township (New Jersey), and Nick Gordon of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) The ones you may not know: Luke Fedecko of Delsea Regional (New Jersey), Mike Crowley of Eastern Regional (New Jersey) and Ben Schaufele of Mt. St. Joes (Maryland) Predicted Final: Valles over Coulas 135 Pounds Another weight class with no clear favorite, look for two freshmen to make a run at the title: Austin Ormsbee of Blair Academy (New Jersey) and Ken Courts of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania). Top Seeded Cullen Isenberg of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) should make it through the top bracket and see the finals. The favorites: Cullen Isenberg, Austin Ormsbee and Ken Courts The ones you may not know: John Renard of Kingsway Regional (New Jersey), Joe Lospinoso of David Brearley (New Jersey) and Ben Dorsay of Cox (Virginia) Predicted Final: Courts over Isenberg 140 Pounds One of the deeper weight classes now that Kyle Lang of Brecksville (Ohio) has moved up. Top seeded Marshall Peppleman of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) should meet up with John Guzzo of Blair Academy (New Jersey) in one of the more anticipated semifinals. The favorites: Marshall Peppleman, John Guzzo and Kyle Lang The ones you may not know: Anthony Baldasarro of Delsea Regional (New Jersey), Matt Spataro of Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) and Louis Johnson of Great Bridge (Virginia) Predicted Final: Baldasarro over Guzzo 145 Pounds Walter Peppeleman of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) is the clear front-runner here. Although expect Peter Yates of Salem (Georgia) to give him a match in the championship final. The favorites: Walter Peppelman, Peter Yates and Joey Napoli of Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) The ones you may not know: Jackson Brady of Camden Catholic (New Jersey), Rich Bushby of Kingsway Regional (New Jersey) and Joey Grainger of Great Bridge (Virginia) Predicted Final: Peppelman over Yates 152 Pounds Hands down, the deepest weight class in the tournament. Leading the pack is defending champ Alex Meade of Caesar Rodney (Delaware) and Nick Menditto of Ocean Township (New Jersey). Mallie Shuster of Big Spring (Pennsylvania) and Sean Byrnes of Jackson Memorial (New Jersey) round the top 4 seeded wrestlers. The favorites: Alex Meade, Nick Menditto, Mallie Shuster The ones you may not know: Brandon Rolnick of Lawrenceville (New Jersey), Preston Keiffer of Eastern Regional (New Jersey) and Jonathan Weibel of Quakertown (Pennsylvania) Predicted Final: Meade over Shuster 160 Pounds Although he suffered an out of season loss at Super 32, Scott Winston of Jackson Memorial (New Jersey) is a clear favorite here. The kid is the real deal and should keep his unbeaten streak going. Look for Keith Hynson of William Penn (Delaware) to give Winston a match in the semifinals. The favorites: Scott Winston, Keith Hynson and Tony Dallago of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) The ones you may not know: Jesse Shanman of Blair Academy (New Jersey), Sam Rakes of Christiansburg (Virginia) and Jared King of Great Bridge (Virginia) Predicted Final: Winston over Dallago 171 Pounds Similar to 160 pounds, there is one standout, Quentin Wright of Bald Eagle Area (Pennsylvania). Defending Beast champ Corey Peltier of Blair Academy (New Jersey) should make it interesting should they meet but Wright is definitely one of the nation's elite. The favorites: Corey Peltier and Quentin Wright The ones you may not know: Bagna Tovuujav of St. Benedicts, Michael Harvey of Germantown Prep (Pennsylvania) and Pat Murphy of East Fairmont (West Virginia) Predicted Final: Wright over Peltier 189 Pounds It is rare that a weight this high is so competitive, but this weight is flat out stacked with several nationally ranked kids. Leading the pack is Erich Schmidtke of Aberdeen (Washington) and Mac Mancuso of Holy Spirit (New Jersey). The favorites: Erich Schmidtke, Mac Mancuso and Max Huntley of Colonial Forge (Virginia). The ones you may not know: Jonathan Becker of Bergen Catholic (New Jersey), Vinnie Ranauto of Caravel Academy (Delaware) and Michael McMullen of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) Predicted Final: Mancuso over Schmidtke 215 Pounds Although Joe McMullen of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) is the top seed, should make it to the finals, look for the winner of the Carson/ Boyden match to win this bracket. There should be some interesting matches in the earlier rounds The favorites: Joe McMullen, Glen Carson of Southern Regional (New Jersey) and Jesse Boyden of David Brearley (New Jersey) The ones you may not know: Jon Weber of Christiansburg (Virginia), Corey Olsen of St. Marks (Delaware) and Steve Hanzlik of Blair Academy (New Jersey) Predicted Final: Carson over McMullen 285 Pounds In typical fashion, HWT features a couple favorites in John Hiles and Nick Cook who should get to the final, although with this weight class upsets certainly can happen. Keep an eye on Kyle Hanson of Blair Academy who had a strong performance at the Ironman last week. The favorites: John Hiles of St. Francis DeSales (Ohio), Nick Cook Fauquier (Virginia), and Kyle Hanson of Blair Academy (New Jersey) The ones you may not know: Justin Haines of Connellsville (Pennsylvania), and Jack Burbank of Cox (Virginia) Predicted Final: Hiles over Cook Team: Look for Blair Academy to rebound from last week's performance at the Ironman and win the team race over Northampton and Central Dauphin.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- The St. Andrews Presbyterian College and Anderson University wrestling teams split the 10 matches in Wednesday's East Region dual match at neutral Pinecrest High School but the Knights improved to 2-1 on the season with the only pin of the night. Anderson fell to 2-6. "It is exciting get our first win last week and then beat a team in our region," said second year head coach Joe Baranik. St. Andrews, only in its second season of NCAA Division II wrestling, picked up the programs first win a week earlier with a 24-16 victory over the Apprentice School "This was the first time we did not forfeit a weight since I have been there. We got the win with nine freshmen and one senior in the lineup. We still have a lot of work to but I am proud of the team because they work so hard. We have some correctable mistakes that can be easily fixed but we will keep moving forward." Freshman lightweight Eric Brown (Norfolk, Va.) gave St. Andrews a quick 6-0 lead with a first-period pin over Trojan freshman Nick Moreira (Miami, Fla.). Brown disposed of Moreira with his fastest pin fall of the year just one minute and six seconds into the match. Brown has three pins on the season. Freshman Casey Gashaw (Laurinburg, N.C.) increased the Knights lead to 9-0 with a 7-4 decision over sophomore Chris Francis (Columbia, S.C.) at the 133-pound ranks. Gashaw's win was his first collegiate dual match win and fourth overall. "Brown's pin was huge because it gave us momentum for the rest of the match as Gashaw won the next match and it continued down the line," expressed Baranik. "The early wins took the wind out of Anderson's sails as I don not think they thought would go down 9-0." Anderson fought back and tied the match at 9-9 after the DiCarlo brothers from Covington, Ga., won the next two bouts. Sophomore Anthony DiCarlo posted a 23-6 technical fall at 141-pounds while freshman Nick DiCarlo registered a 13-4 major decision at 149-lbs. Senior T.J. Selke (Irmo, S.C.) won the third straight contest for the Trojans with a 6-2 decision over freshman Greg Todd (Gloucester, Va.). Selke's win at 157-pounds gave AU a 12-9 team lead at the halfway point. Freshman 165-pounder Trevor Sanford (Sebastian, Fla.) increased the Trojan lead to 16-9 with a 21-8 major decision over Knights freshman Rickey Flood (Martinville, Va.). Freshman Eric Fulmer (Glenshaw, Pa.) pulled St. Andrews to within two, 16-14, with his third straight technical fall victory in dual matches to start his collegiate career. Fulmer posted the 16-1 tech fall after receiving riding time as he improved to 3-0 on the season at 174-lbs. "I got a little nervous after Todd lost, even though it was a close match against a tough opponent, being he is a state champion and his teammates look up to him and thought the losses could continue to snowball," stated Baranik. However, Fulmer came out and got us back in the match with a big win. Fulmer's match started off slow and I thought it was going to end up a close decision but he opened it up. Fulmer was pretty intimidating after he brought the Anderson wrestler up off the mat and then used a double-leg takedown to take control." St. Andrews catapulted back into the lead, 19-16, with its second straight technical fall. Freshman Will Hess (Lexington, N.C.) stopped the 184-pound showdown just 3:14 into the bout by building an 18-3 lead. Hess' tech fall was his first collegiate dual match victory. "I did not know how it was going to go in Hess' match being a true freshman but he got us another big win," remarked Baranik. "He came out aggressive and on fire. I see these things in practice but it is another thing to do it in a match. Hess finally did it on the match and I am waiting for the same thing to happen with Flood as they both show talent in practice." Senior Charles Richardson (Virginia Beach Va.), the only upperclassman in the St. Andrews starting lineup, doubled the Knights lead to 22-16 with his first victory of the season. Richardson gutted out a 7-2 decision over freshman Logan Watson (Lyons, Ga.) for SAPC to give the designated visitors a six-point lead heading into the heavyweight battle. "Charles is a special kid who is one of the few wrestlers who is still on the team that helped started the program and have been with the program since its foundation," complimented Baranik. "He stuck around and is hardest worker on the team. It was nice to see him fight back to get back into the starting lineup and then get the win." In the finale, senior Justin Smith (Valdosta, Ga.) edged freshman Andre Ellerbe (Laurinburg, N.C.) with a 6-2 decision to pull the margin of defeat to only three, 22-19. "Ellerbe did what he had to do to get us the win for the second straight dual match," added Baranik. "It was a good team match with great team effort and it is nice getting different wrestlers to come through in our two wins. It helps unite the team when everyone contributes. We now have a two week break that we can use to get healed and then start fresh. Timing was good for these wins," concluded Baranik. St. Andrews will return to the mat after the holiday break and will compete in the Sunshine Open in Lakeland, Florida on Friday and Saturday, December 28-29.

WATERLOO -- Randy Lewis, 1984 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Champion, will be putting on a three hour clinic at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, on Thursday, December 27 from 10:00AM until 1:00PM. The cost of the clinic is only $20 and is limited to the first 40 entries. Randy Lewis was a three-time prep state champion in South Dakota where he compiled a record of 89-0 with 83 falls his final three years. At the University of Iowa, Lewis won two NCAA titles and was a four-time All-American. Lewis was one of the most exciting and colorful wrestlers to ever take the mat. His international career included 24 victories over Olympic and World Champions. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from one of the greatest wrestlers in American history! Please call the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum at 319-233-0745 to reserve your spot for the clinic.

This week LIVE from our Brute Adidas Studios in Des Moines we'll deliver a brand new episode of Takedown Radio. Takedown Radio is now broadcast on the following internet outlets: Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. Please be sure to join our regular live broadcasts every Saturday as we talk to the worlds greatest athletes each Saturday AM from 9AM to 11:00AM CST. TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. Watch last weeks episode of TDR on Matchannel.com FREE of charge. TDR scheduled guests include: Jose Serrato-wrestler/athlete. this 20 year old is coached by Vince Silva at Santa Ana College (JC), wrestler of the week for TDR/the Mat.com. His record is: 33-3. This is a good kid and student/athlete. Lee Roy Smith- Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, we'll discuss NWHF's New project "Honoring African American National Champions and Olympians in conjunction with Black History Month". Kevin Dresser- Head Coach of the Hokies of Virginia Tech. We'll discuss Cody Gardner, Heart no longer in wrestling? 6 AND 1 this year. Dealing with school and rules. What does the balance of the season look like for Dresser's Hokies? Randy Couture- retires the Heavy Weight Title in the UFC. What does he have to say about the UFC and Dana White? What are his plans for the future? Extreme Couture Vegas has become a Mecca for wrestlers turned MMA talent. What does the future hold? Ken Kraft- Founder of the 45th Annual Midlands Tournament joins us to discuss the tournament and its history. This is a milestone year for the tournament and the founder. How has the tournament evolved and what changes are in store for the fans this year? Rashad Evans- Set for the biggest match up of his career. Rashad returned home recently to assist. Tom Minkel in the room at Mich. State. also to ground himself to his roots in wrestling. Drew Pariano- Assist. Coach at Northwestern. The 45th Annual Midlands Tournament is around the corner, we'll be broadcasting it. What will listeners hear? Who will be wrestling, what teams etc. Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com are our web partners. Wrestlers and MMA competitors join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast as well. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. Thanks for listening! HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALL OF US AT TAKEDOWN RADIO!

Team Ranking 1. Cornell 2. Penn 3. Navy 4. Army 5. Harvard 6. Columbia 7. Bucknell 8. Lehigh Individual Rankings 125_ 1. Rollie Peterkin, Penn 2. Fernando Martinez, Army 3. Brandon Kinney, Columbia 4. Greg Hart, Bucknell 5. Jasen Borshoff, American 6. Tony Communale, Princeton 133_ 1. Robbie Preston, Harvard 2. David Marble, Bucknell 3. Mike Grey, Cornell 4. Joe Baker, Navy 5. Whitt Dunning, Army 6. Rick Rappo, Penn 141_ 1. Matt Kyler, Army 2. Steve Adamcsik, Rutgers 3. Kyle Borshoff, American 4. Corey Jantzen, Harvard 5. Sean Carr, East Stroudsburg 6. Sal Tirico, Columbia 149_ 1. JP O'Connor, Harvard 2. Cesar Grajales, Penn 3. Trevor Chinn, Lehigh 4. Bryce Saddoris, Navy 5. Adam Frey, Cornell 6. Kevin LeValley, Bucknell 157_ 1. Jordan Leen, Cornell 2. Christian Snook, Army 3. David Nakasone, Lehigh 4. Derek Sickles, Columbia 5. Joel Ahern, Navy 6. Thomas Timothy, Penn 165_ 1. Mike Cannon, American 2. Mack Lewnes, Cornell 3. Andy Rendos, Bucknell 4. Zach Shanaman, Penn 5. Andrew Flanagan, Harvard 6. Mike Galante, Lehigh 174_ 1. Matt Stolpinski, Navy 2. Steve Anceravage, Cornell 3. Justin Herbert, Franklin & Marshall 4. Alex Caruso, Lehigh 5. Jeff Zannetti, Penn 6. Shane Riccio, Bucknell 184_ 1. Louis Caputo, Harvard 2. David Craig, Lehigh 3. Lior Zamir, Penn 4. Matt Parsons, Navy 5. Scott Ferguson, Army 6. David Thompson, Bucknell 197_ 1. Josh Glenn, American 2. Richard Starks, Army 3. Nick Sommerfield, Columbia 4. Dan Zander, Penn 5. Tyler Moyer, Navy 6. Lamar Brown, Rutgers 285_ 1. Scott Steele, Navy 2. Zach Hammond, Cornell 3. Nathan Thobaben, Army 4. Levon Mock, Brown 5. George Hingson, Bucknell 6. Nico Somers, Franklin & Marshall

THIS WEEK The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team (5-0) will host its 2007-08 home opener Thursday evening at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will face Northern Iowa (0-0-1) at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell (3-1) at 8 p.m. WELCOME BACK Iowa's No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/NWCA/Intermat coaches poll and by W.I.N. Magazine marks the first time the Hawkeyes have been ranked in the nation's top spot since the 2003-04 season. W.I.N. Magazine ranked Iowa in the top spot on Dec. 3, 2003. The last time Iowa was ranked No. 1 by Amateur Wrestling News was Nov. 13, 2000, and by InterMat on Nov. 29, 2000. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Season tickets and single meet tickets for Iowa's seven home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office or at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. University of Iowa students will be admitted free to all matches with a student ID. Following are the ticket prices: Season Tickets $48 - General Public, $42 University Faculty & Staff Single-Match Tickets $8 - Adults, $4 - Youth (Purchased in Advance) $10 - Adults, $5 - Youth (Purchased at the Event) ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC. All dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will be available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. To listen online, go to the wrestling schedule, click on the event and click on the Listen link. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($9.95 per month or $79.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($119.95 per year). Internet - Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live dual scoring, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. SCOUTING NORTHERN IOWA Northern Iowa is 0-0-1, tying Wisconsin (16-16) last weekend in Cedar Falls. Head Coach Brad Penrith is 63-52-4 in eight seasons with the Panthers. Penrith was an NCAA champion and three-time NCAA finalist, all-American and Big Ten champion at Iowa from 1986-88. He is assisted by Nebraska alums Jose DeAnda and Tolly Thompson, and Northern Iowa alums Randy Pugh and Sean Stender. The Panthers return four NCAA qualifiers in seniors C.J. Ettleson (141) and Alex Dolly (174), and juniors Moza Fay (165), and Andrew Anderson (197) from the 2006-07 squad that went 4-0 in the Western Conference and won the regional. Fay (8-1), Anderson (7-1) and Dolly (6-1) each have one loss this season. SCOUTING CORNELL COLLEGE Cornell is 3-1 and is ranked tenth nationally in the most recent Brute-Adidas NWCA Division III rankings. The Rams opened the season with a 31-13 loss at Wisconsin-LaCrosse but have won their last three duals (St. John's - 20-15, Loras - 27-12 and William Penn - 3-12). Head Coach Mike Duroe is 32-18-1 in three seasons at Cornell, and has a 114-45-1 career record in eight seasons as a college head coach. Duroe served as head coach for the University of Iowa's Hawkeye Wrestling Club from 2003-05. He is assisted by Mike Elliott and former Hawkeye two-time all-American Joe Johnston. Cornell is led by seniors Chris Heilman (125) and Pat McAuley (157). Heilman is 15-1 and ranked second in the nation, while McAuley is 14-5 and ranked fourth. THE SERIES Northern Iowa - Iowa leads the series, 39-8-2 and has won the last 31 meetings between the two teams. The Hawkeyes hold a 19-3-1 advantage in matches wrestled in Iowa City. Iowa's last win in the series was 18-15 last season, while Northern Iowa's last win was 17-15 in Cedar Falls during the 1973-74 season. Cornell - Cornell leads the series, 3-1. This will be the first time the teams wrestle in Iowa City, and the first meeting between the two teams in 38 years. Iowa won the last meeting, 22-11 in Mount Vernon during the 1969-70 season. Cornell's last win in the series was 17-11 in Mount Vernon in 1932-33. LAST MEETING - IOWA 18, NORTHERN IOWA 15 In a night of firsts, Iowa edged out Northern Iowa, 18-15, in Cedar Falls. It was Head Coach Tom Brands' first dual victory at the Hawkeye helm and Northern Iowa's first dual meet at its new McLeod Center. A crowd of 5,831 watched Iowa extend its winning streak in the series to 31. The Hawkeyes got wins from senior Mario Galanakis (133), redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar (157), junior Mark Perry (165), senior Eric Luedke (174) and junior Matt Fields (Hwt.). Galanakis scored the only bonus points of the night, pinning redshirt freshman Brett Robbins in 2:50. Morningstar scored a takedown in sudden victory to defeat sophomore Moza Fay, 5-3, and tie the team score at 9-9 at the intermission. Perry, who wrestled in the NWCA All-Star Dual in Dallas, TX, earlier in the week, scored a 3-0 win and accumulated 3:24 of riding time against senior Nick Baima. Luedke gave Iowa a 15-9 lead - its largest of the night - with his 7-4 decision against Alex Dolly. With the scored tied 15-15 going into the heavyweight match, Fields picked up his fourth career win over senior Tyler Rhodes and sealed the team win with a 5-0 decision. Iowa 18, Northern Iowa 15 125 - Kyle Anson (UNI) dec. Charlie Falck (I), 9-4 133 - Mario Galanakis (I) pinned Brett Robbins (UNI), 2:50 141 - C.J. Ettleson (UNI) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 5-2 149 - Charlie Ettelson (UNI) dec. Alex Grunder (I), 3-2 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Moza Fay (UNI), 5-3 SV-1 165 - Mark Perry (I) dec. Nick Baima (UNI), 3-0 174 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Alex Dolly (UNI), 7-4 184 - Danny Dunning (UNI) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 6-4 197 - Andrew Anderson (UNI) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 7-5 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Tyler Rhodes (UNI), 5-0 HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are series results for possible Iowa-Northern Iowa matchups: 141 - Dan LeClere (I) is 1-0 vs. C.J. Ettleson (UNI) LeClere dec. Ettleson, 7-6, at 2006 Nichols Open* 165 - Mark Perry (I) is 1-0 vs. Moza Fay (UNI) Perry pinned Fay in 5:51 at 2007 Kaufman-Brand Open* 174 - Jay Borschel (I) is 1-0 vs. Alex Dolly (UNI) Borschel dec. Dolly, 4-2, at 2006 UNI Open* 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) is 0-1 vs. Danny Dunning (UNI) Dunning dec. Keddy, 6-4, at 2006-07 dual 184 - Rick Loera (I) is 1-0 vs. Andy O'Loughlin (UNI) Loera maj. dec. O'Loughlin, 15-5, at 2007 Kaufman-Brand Open * - Hawkeye wrestler was competing unattached PERSONNEL NOTES • Iowa sophomore Joe Slaton (133) and Northern Iowa redshirt freshman Jarion Beets (157) and true freshman Cruse Aarhus (125) all attended Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. • Hawkeyes Dan (141) and Nick LeClere (149), and Cornell freshman Ryan Mulnix (141) are Coggon, IA, natives and wrestled at North-Linn high school. Dan LeClere and Mulnix are scheduled to meet in Thursday night's dual. • Hawkeye sophomore Ryan Morningstar (157) and Cornell freshman Zach Campion (125) were high school teammates at Lisbon. • Iowa freshman J.J. Krutsinger and Cornell freshman Mitchell Forness both wrestled at Waterloo Columbus high school. MORNINGSTAR, PERRY LOOK FOR CAREER MILESTONES Sophomore Ryan Morningstar (157) and senior Mark Perry (165) will each be looking for a career victory milestone this week. Morningstar will be going after his 30th victory, while Perry will be looking for his 80th. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 156-17 (.902) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2002-03. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. HAWKEYES KNOCK OFF TOP-RANKED IOWA STATE, 20-13 Iowa knocked off top-ranked Iowa State, 20-13, Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. A sold-out crowd of 8,988 saw Iowa improve to 5-0 and hand Iowa State (6-1) its first loss of the season. Iowa scored two points in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series with the win to make the series score 16-5. Iowa jumped out to a 13-0 lead with wins at the first four weights. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck scored an 8-4 decision over Cyclone redshirt freshman Mark Kist at 125 to open the dual. Iowa sophomore Joe Slaton handed Iowa State's Nick Fanthorpe his first loss of the season with a 6-5 win at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere followed with a 3-1 win over Nick Gallick at 141 to give Iowa a 9-0 lead, and sophomore Brent Metcalf scored the first bonus points of the dual with a 14-4 major decision over Iowa City native Mitch Mueller at 149. Iowa State put its first team points on the board when sophomore Cyler Sanderson scored a 10-5 major decision over sophomore Ryan Morningstar at 157. Sanderson took Morningstar to his back with over one minute remaining in the third period, but Morningstar held on to avoid the pin. Iowa State struck first after the intermission when redshirt freshman Jon Reader scored a 7-3 decision over Iowa redshirt freshman Jake Kerr at 165. Kerr was wrestling for Hawkeye starter Mark Perry, who was serving a one-meet suspension after being disqualified for misconduct during Iowa's Nov. 24 dual with Old Dominion. Hawkeye sophomore Jay Borschel scored crucial team points with an 18-7 win over Aron Scott at 174. The Cyclones rallied with wins at 184 and 197 to make the score 17-13. Hawkeye senior Matt Fields sealed the team win with a 6-3 decision over sophomore David Zabriskie at heavyweight. Following are the match results: Iowa 20, Iowa State 13 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Mark Kist (ISU), 8-4 133 - Joe Slaton (I) dec. Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 6-5 141 - Dan LeClere (I) dec. Nick Gallick (ISU), 3-1 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Mitch Mueller (ISU), 14-4 157 - Cyler Sanderson (ISU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 10-5 165 - Jon Reader (ISU) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 7-3 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Aron Scott (ISU), 18-7 184 - Jake Varner (ISU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 4-1 197 - David Bertolino (ISU) maj. dec. Chad Beatty (I), 16-5 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. David Zabriskie (ISU), 6-3 AMBROSE, EREKSON WIN TITLES AT JIM FOX OPEN University of Iowa junior Dan Erekson (Hwt.) and freshman Brodie Ambrose (197) won individual titles while competing unattached at the Jim Fox Open Saturday in Dubuque, IA. Iowa recorded a total of 13 placewinners at the tournament - eight of whom were competing unattached. Placing at the event were Hawkeye junior Michael Fahrer (165-4th), sophomores Luke Lofthouse (197-3rd) and Derek Coorough (141-5th), redshirt freshmen Matt Ballweg (149-2nd), Brooks Kopsa (157-2nd) and Aaron Janssen (165-3rd), and true freshmen Montell Marion (133-2nd), Vinnie Wagner (184-2nd), Blake Rasing (Hwt. - 2nd), Jordan Johnson (197-5th) and Tyler Halverson (133-6th). BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED The Big Ten Network has released its 2007-08 wrestling schedule. Nine dual matches and the finals of the 2007 Midlands Championships and 2008 Big Ten Championships are scheduled to be aired on the network. Iowa will have two televised duals. The Iowa-Oklahoma State dual on Jan. 5 in Iowa City will air Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. (CT), and the Iowa-Ohio State dual on Jan. 18 in Columbus will air live at 5 p.m. (CT). CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, four NCAA titles, six conference titles and 12 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 487-83-2 (.853). IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 814-214-30 (.783) in 96 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 48 NCAA champions have won a total of 74 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 100 Big Ten champions have won a total of 181 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 130 all-Americans have earned all-America status 266 times, including 16 four-time, 28 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. FAMILY FOUR PACK AVAILABLE The University of Iowa is offering a Family Four Pack ticket package for the Iowa vs. Indiana dual on Feb. 15. The package includes four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $30. Orders can be placed through the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office or at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or pics.hawkeyesports.com. JOHNSON COUNTY I-CLUB WRESTLING LUNCHEON The annual Johnson County I-Club wrestling luncheon will be held Jan. 4, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City. Tickets for the event are $13 and must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, make a check payable to the Johnson County I-Club and mail to: Iowa Wrestling ATTN: Luncheon 223 Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA 52242 NEXT COMPETITION Iowa (5-0) will compete at the 45th annual Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, IL. All matches will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena on the Northwestern University campus. Session times are as follows: Session I - Dec. 29 at 9:30 a.m. Session II - Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. Session III - Dec. 30 at Noon Final Session - Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - North Dakota State 141-pounder Gabriel Mooney has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. NDSU's Mooney (Greenbush, Minn./Greenbush-Middle River HS) continued his impressive start to the season by earning a pair of victories at the Northwestern Duals on Saturday, Dec. 8. The junior won a 9-5 decision over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's Nicholas Shumate, followed by a pin 2:22 into his match with ninth-ranked Northwestern's James Kohlberg. Mooney improved to 14-4 on the season, 4-1 in dual meets with 2 pins. 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 State and Wyoming. Others nominated: Northern Colorado - Tony Mustari UNI - Andrew Anderson South Dakota State - Ryan Meyer

Tickets on Sale for ESPNU Wrestling Invitational Presented by Phillips 66, Set to Feature Four Top-25 Teams, Two Top-Ranked Wrestlers Tickets for the 2007 ESPNU Wrestling Invitational Presented by Phillips 66 featuring four top-25 teams are now on sale at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. On Sunday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. CT, ESPNU will televise two matchups: Oklahoma vs. Wisconsin and Oklahoma State vs. Nebraska. The USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll released Nov. 26 ranks Oklahoma State at No. 3; Wisconsin is No. 9; Nebraska is No. 14; and Oklahoma is No. 21. "This is a great event to be a part of," Oklahoma coach Jack Spates said. "We are competing against a talented team in Wisconsin, inside a great venue in Oklahoma City at the Ford Center. It is going to be a fantastic event and a fan's delight." The Nebraska Cornhuskers feature junior Paul Donahoe, the nation's No. 1 individual wrestler in the 125-pound class. Oklahoma State boasts the No. 1 at 133 pounds, Cowboys senior Coleman Scott. Twenty-four other wrestlers from among the four schools are ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes. "This is a great opportunity for the schools involved and also for college wrestling as a whole," said Dave Martin, associate athletics director at Oklahoma State. "Everything about this event is first-class and we are proud to be part of what is sure to be an exciting day of wrestling." Oklahoma State coach John Smith agreed. "With ESPNU televising the event, it's a great opportunity for exposure for the sport of wrestling," he said. "We look forward to this event and it's something we have enjoyed being a part of." Tickets are available at the Ford Center box office, by phone at (405) 235-8288 and at all Ticketmaster locations. This is the second ESPNU Invitational doubleheader with the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State wrestling teams. The first was in January 2006, when Oklahoma faced off against Hofstra and Oklahoma State met Minnesota. Phillips 66 is the title sponsor of the event, and All Sports Association in Oklahoma City is a partner in the event.

PARK RIDGE, IL -- Iowa wrestler Joe Slaton has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. Ranked #20 last week, the Cedar Rapids, IA, native was honored for upsetting fourth-ranked Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State, 6-5, at 133 pounds Sunday in Ames. Slaton's win helped propel the Hawkeyes to a victory over top-ranked Iowa State, 20-13. Iowa moved into the nation's top spot yesterday for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Slaton is undefeated at 5-0 this season, and is the first Hawkeye to earn the weekly conference honor since Mark Perry in 2005. Iowa (5-0) will host its first home duals of the 2007-08 season Thursday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Northern Iowa (0-0-1) at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell College (3-1) at 8 p.m.

The heart and fiery character of former Lehigh wrestler Jon Trenge are captured in Veritas, a feature-length documentary written and directed by Howie Miller. The film takes the audience through an emotionally-filled ride through Trenge's senior season (2005) as he trains to win the NCAA title at 197 pounds. Miller does an excellent job of building the character of Jon Trenge through interviews with family members, coaches, teammates, and opponents. The shear force and skill of Trenge are dynamically captured through live match footage, practice drills and weight sessions. His life events are strung together as if scripted for Hollywood. Jon Trenge (Photo/Jeffrey Nolan)Despite common knowledge, there is still a sense of hope as the movie begins: Trenge skipping rope alone in the Lehigh Wrestling room wearing nothing but biker shorts and 200 pounds of shredded muscle. A progression through his first three seasons sets the stage for his final season at Lehigh University. Included along the way are painful flashbacks to his NCAA finals losses to Cael Sanderson of Iowa State (2002) and Damion Hahn of Minnesota (2003). The movie climaxes nicely at the NCAA Championships, where Trenge finishes a disappointing third place after an upset loss to Sean Stender of Northern Iowa in the semifinals. The season-ending banquet and college graduation remind the audience that there is more to life than wrestling. The word Veritas means Righteousness, Truth, and Integrity. While these virtues are the theme of the movie, it is Trenge's ongoing vision problems that consume the plotline. Therefore, the director is forced to use a rollercoaster ride of highs (two epic wins over three-time NCAA champion Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State) and lows (match disqualification for unsportsmanlike conduct and suspension) as the landscape for this film. Despite the creative restrictions inherent in documentaries, Miller is able to artfully convey the beauty and emotion behind the sport of wrestling. High shutter speed cinematography (the same effect used in Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan) captures the explosiveness of Trenge as he pins an early season opponent. There are instances in the movie in which the camera loses focus as Trenge removes his glasses, giving the audience a sneak-peak at what if feels like to wrestle blindly. As quick and strong as Cael?Reflecting on the movie and Trenge's career, the following thoughts come to mind: � The lopsided loss to Cael Sanderson was a reminder of Cael's dominance and an introduction to Trenge's naivete ("I don't think he was quicker than me, or any stronger than me"). Nevertheless, both wrestlers still had lifelong dreams to pursue -- Sanderson as an Olympic champion and Trenge as an NCAA champion. � Damion Hahn's win over Trenge in the NCAA finals was the turning point in his career and provided a longer lasting effect to Trenge due to the very nature of the defeat. Losing 4-3 in the third period, Hahn threw a lateral drop with only eight seconds left to steal the win and NCAA championship. The highlights brought back painful memories of Gerry Abas's meltdown against Lincoln McIlravy in the 1993 NCAA finals. For Trenge, the loss marked the beginning of long road ahead, which began with the "worst two months of (his) life". Meanwhile, the win for Damion Hahn transformed him from an underachieving bust to a Minnesota celebrity overnight, and gave him the confidence to succeed on both the college and international stage. � The director chose not to include the 2003-2004 season as part of Trenge's journey. That season, Trenge took a redshirt in order to train for the Sidney Olympics (he placed fifth at the 2004 Olympic Team Trials). Trenge removed his shoes and placed them in the center of the mat (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)� I couldn't help but feel empathy for Jon Trenge, who is faced to deal with circumstances outside of his control. The adversity he faces on and off the mat has molded him into a man driven to succeed but grounded in humility. He continues to serve as a role model to young wrestlers in the blue-collar community of the Lehigh Valley. This type of character development should be branded as part of the wrestling experience, and advertised using more real-life documentaries. � Following his third-place match, Trenge removed his wrestling shoes and placed them in the center of the mat. This gesture, common for athletes on the world and Olympic level, signifies the end of a wrestler's competitive career. For Jon Trenge, it marked his place in history as one of the best wrestlers never to win an NCAA championship. Vertitas is a very entertaining and inspiring movie that would make a great stocking-stuffer for any wrestling fan. Note to the amateur wrestling community: real-life stories of guys like Jon Trenge are the best way to gain more publicity for the sport. If you would like more information on Veritas and/or information on ordering the film, visit www.veritas-movie.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams, the 13th-ranked Ohio State wrestling team outlasted No. 10 Wisconsin, 23-13, in front of a crowd of 801 Monday night in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes improve to 5-1 overall and handed the Badgers their first loss of the season (4-1; 0-1 Big Ten). The win also marks the Buckeyes' first victory over Wisconsin since a 28-17 win in Madison Feb. 23, 2003. Ohio State won six of 10 matches, including a win by freshman Colt Sponseller, the 2007 National High School Senior Athlete of the Year. Sponseller, whose wrestling status was a match time decision, saw his first action as a Buckeye at 165 pounds and posted a 3-1 win over Jake Donar. The match ended on a dramatic note, with five lead changes and Ohio State up only four points heading into the final bout at heavyweight. However, senior and Oak Harbor, Ohio, native J.D. Bergman kept his perfect record in tact (11-0) by pinning 11th-ranked Kyle Massey 2:32 into the first period. Nikko Triggas earned his eighth win of the season, opening the match with a 16-0 technical fall over Drew Hammen at 125 pounds. A native of Campolindo, Calif., Triggas held an 11-0 advantage at the end of the first period. After scoring a two-point nearfall with 40 seconds remaining in the second, Triggas recorded another two-point nearfall with just one second left on the clock in the second period to end the bout, helping the Buckeyes jump out to a 5-0 lead. With the Buckeyes down 6-5 going into the 149-pound match, Columbia Station, Ohio, native Lance Palmer put Ohio State back on top (8-6) after notching an 8-2 win over Kendall Vogel. With a slim 2-0 lead on a takedown after the first period, the eighth-ranked Palmer increased his advantage after scoring an escape and a takedown in the second stanza. Vogel took the down position in the third and managed to escape to avoid the shutout, but Palmer answered with a takedown with 54 seconds left. Another escape by Vogel could not overcome Palmer's lead, which included an extra point for a 4:13 riding time advantage. Sponseller, a Millersburg, Ohio, native recorded the next OSU win and opened with a strong start, scoring an early takedown. Donar notched an escape with 35 seconds left in the first period to cut Sponseller's lead to one (2-1). However, an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Donar gave Sponseller an extra point and that 3-1 lead held for the remainder of the match. At 174 pounds, Alex Picazo improved to 7-3 after defeating Justin Peterson, 12-7. The local product out of Grandview Heights, Ohio, owned a 7-4 lead after the second period and two escapes, a takedown and a riding time of 1:40 in the third period was sufficient enough to overcome Peterson's escape and takedown. Fifth-ranked Mike Pucillo decisioned No. 12 Trevor Brandvold, 5-4, to move to 9-1 on the year at 184 pounds. It was a scoreless bout going into the third period, but an escape by Pucillo, a Strongsville, Ohio, native at the 1:48 mark ended the scoring drought. However, Brandvold answered with a takedown 19 seconds later (1:29). Continuing the back and forth affair, Pucillo recorded a reversal to go up 3-2. Brandvold scored a reversal of his own to regain the lead at 4-3, but Pucillo would not be denied the escape with two seconds left and the riding time advantage of 2:28. Jason Johnstone, a native of Massillon, Ohio, lost a hard-fought 1-0 contest to third-ranked Craig Henning at 157 pounds. A lone escape by Henning in the second period was enough for the Badger to earn the win. Reece Humphrey (133) and J Jaggers (141) could not hold on to their first-period leads in their respective weight classes. Fifteenth-ranked Humphrey had a slim 5-4 lead before dropping a 7-5 decision, while No. 7 Jaggers owned a 2-0 lead before losing 10-4. John Weakley lost a 12-2 major decision to fourth-ranked Dallas Herbst at 197 pounds. Ohio State hits the road for three consecutive matches, beginning with an all-day affair at the Ohio Duals Sunday in Athens, Ohio.

WAVERLY -– Albert White finished second at 149 pounds and T.J. Moen and DaVaughn Perkins placed third at 141 and 157 pounds respectively as North Iowa Area Community College finished eighth of 15 teams in the 35th annual Dick Walker Wrestling Invitational at Wartburg College Saturday. White won three straight matches en route to the finals, losing a closely-contested 7-6 decision to Wartburg's Jacob Naig in the 149-pound championship bout. He pinned Dugan O'Connor of Knox College (IL) in 39 seconds to start his day and won his other matches by scores of 7-1 and 10-6. Moen won five of six matches to earn third place in his weight class. He beat Alex Rizzo of Augustana College (IL) 14-3, defeated Tyler Faust of Augsburg University (MN) 14-4 and edged Niles Mercer of Coe College 4-2 before losing to eventual champion David Greenwood of Iowa Central Community College 10-5 in the semifinals. He regrouped and beat Wartburg's Kalen Lenz 3-1 and nipped Mercer 3-2 in the third-place bout. Perkins lost to Pat McAuley of Cornell College 11-6 but wrestled back to pin Cowan Brown of North Central College (IL) in 2:48 and beat Iowa Central's Carrington Banks 4-3 for third. He's now 19-5 on the season, the best record of any NIACC wrestler. NIACC competes next at 6 p.m. Friday in a home dual meet against Ellsworth Community College.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling squad got the home season underway in promising fashion on Saturday night with a 16-16 tie against the No. 10-ranked Wisconsin Badgers in the McLeod Center. The Panthers and Badgers each won five matches in the dual. UNI moved to 0-0-1 on the season, while Wisconsin's record went to 4-0-1. UNI head coach Brad Penrith said he was happy with the result of Saturday's dual against the highly-ranked Badgers. "We had our opportunities against a top-rated Wisconsin team that is well-coached," head coach Brad Penrith said. "We made some mistakes in our first dual meet that we need to improve on, but we also took a lot of positives away from this too. Sometimes in the first dual meet you have a lot of jitters and nerves. But the team came out and wrestled well. We'll learn from our mistakes. This shows we could have a good team by the end of the season." Senior Alex Dolly got the dual underway with a 7-3 win over Wisconsin's Justin Peterson at 174 pounds. Dolly secured the victory with a takedown in the final 30 seconds of the third period. Dolly said the difference in the match came down to scoring on the edge of the mat. "All three of my takedowns came at the edge of the line," Dolly said. (Peterson) always wanted to try and get out of bounds real quick but I was able to hold him in and get the takedown. I started getting down and getting under him. After the first takedown I knew I wouldn't have any trouble taking him down especially after he got tired." The Badgers' Trevor Brandvold notched a 6-4 win over UNI's Andy O'Loughlin in the 184-pound match. Brandvold jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but had to hang on in the final minute for the two-point victory. UNI's Andrew Anderson scored the night's biggest upset with a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 3-ranked Dallas Herbst at 197 pounds. The match was knotted at 2-2 in the third period when Herbst was whistled for locking hands and a point was awarded to Anderson. Herbst still had a riding time point in tow, before Anderson netted an escape with only eight seconds left in the match. "I knew (Herbst) was going to be tough on top and he had me tied up real good," Anderson said. "I was working the whole time and at one point he let up a little. I took advantage of his mistake and snuck out for the win. It was a pretty big match and the highest ranked wrestler I've ever wrestled. I had a good feeling about it coming in because I've wrestled him before. I knew it was going to be close." Penrith pointed to Anderson's effort as a key to the Panthers' total team effort. "Andrew hadn't beaten his opponent (No. 4-ranked Dallas Herbst) and toward the end it didn't look promising but Andrew exploded and he kept wrestling," Penrith said. "Andrew really earned his win." Wisconsin's Kyle Massey secured the Badgers' only bonus point of the night with a 12-0 major decision over UNI's Dustin Bauman in the heavyweight match. Massey led 5-0 after the first and increased his lead to 9-0 at the end of two periods. At 125 pounds, the Badgers' Drew Hammen scored a takedown with only three seconds left in the match to earn a 6-5 win over UNI's Caleb Flores. Flores led 5-2 entering the third period, but Hammen rallied for the victory with an escape, takedown and riding time point. "Flores went for the offensive shot, made a mistake and showed his youth," Penrith said. "But he'll continue to grow and get better." UNI freshman Trent Washington tallied a big win for the Panthers at 133 pounds with a triumph over Wisconsin's No. 18-ranked Zach Tanelli. Washington wasted little time in setting the tone for the match as he secured a takedown only three seconds into the match. Washington eventually scored five takedowns in the match before hanging on for a 14-11 win. Washington said his approach was to score early and often against the junior Tanelli. "That's the kind of wrestler I am," Washington said. "I want them to know right away that I will wrestle, especially since I was a freshman and he was a junior in this match. I wanted him to know that I was here to wrestle and was not going to be intimidated." At 141 pounds, Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell scored a last-second victory over UNI's C.J. Ettelson. The two were battling to what appeared to be a 4-4 tie and overtime would have to settle this match. However, Ruschell used a takedown with only one second left to earn the win. "It was a tough loss for C.J., but we'll learn from it and get it fixed for the next dual," Penrith said. UNI's Charlie Ettelson saw his brother lose in the closing seconds before he took the match and knew he had to turn the momentum back to the Panthers' side. Ettelson did not disappoint as he racked up the Panthers' lone bonus point with a 13-0 major decision over Wisconsin's Kendall Vogel at 149 pounds. "Whenever I wrestle after my brother, I try and use what he did to motivate me," Charlie said. "When he loses, I want to go out there and make up for the loss. I want to get our there and make things happen - it helps motivate me." Ettelson's major decision tied the dual at 13-13 with two matches left. Wisconsin's No. 3-ranked Craig Henning was able to tally the Badgers' final win of the night - a 4-0 victory over the Panthers' Jarion Beets at 157 pounds. Henning was a national runner-up last season at 157 pounds but led only 1-0 entering the final period. Henning was able to notch a takedown at the 1:38 mark of the third period and added a riding time point to close out the 4-0 win. UNI's Moza Fay then closed out the dual with a 9-5 win over the Badgers' Jake Donar. Fay looked like he might end the match early with a four-point move in the first period, but Donar battled back and almost pinned Fay in the second period with a five-point move of his own. But Fay settled down in the third period and rode out Donar for the victory. "I wasn't happy with the way I wrestled," Fay said. "I wrestled well but I wasn't happy with the throw he got on me. But tying the 10th-ranked team in the nation is saying something about how good this team can be." The Panthers will be in action again Thursday in Iowa City against the Iowa Hawkeyes at 6:30 p.m. UNI's next home meet will come next Sunday in the McLeod Center against the No. 1-ranked Iowa State Cyclones. The UNI-Iowa State dual will begin at 2 p.m.

Hempstead, NY -- The Pride won seven of the 10 matches including a tech fall victory by Lou Ruggirello as 14th-ranked Hofstra downed 25th-ranked Harvard, 25-12, before 1,045 fans at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday. The Pride improved to 3-3 on the season while Harvard is 0-1 in dual matches. Starting the match at 125 pounds, Hofstra's ninth-ranked senior Dave Tomasette jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first period on the way to a 13-1 major decision over unranked Crimson freshman Dan Kelly. Tomasette improved to 10-3 on the season. At 133, sophomore Lou Ruggirello, the Pride's second-ranked wrestler, improved to 13-2 on the season with a 17-2 tech fall victory over Harvard junior Thomas Picarsic. Hofstra senior Charles Griffin, ranked fifth in the country at 141 pounds, recorded the 100th victory of his Pride career with a 10-2 major decision over Crimson freshman Shay Warren. Griffin improved to 11-2 this season to boost the Hofstra lead in the match to 13-0. Harvard got on the board at 149 pounds as the Crimson's third-ranked sophomore J.P. O'Connor earned a hard-fought 4-2 decision over Hofstra sophomore Mitch Smith (0-6). O'Connor (10-1), who scored all of his points in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Smith posted an escape in the third and had O'Connor's ankle in the waning seconds of the match but could not take him down to tie the match with O'Connor adding the riding time point. Hofstra boosted its lead to 16-3 at 157 pounds as sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman evened his record at 4-4 on the season with a 12-7 decision over Harvard senior Bobby Latessa (4-4). It was Bonilla-Bowman's fourth victory in his last six matches. Pride freshman Ryan Patrovich improved to 7-5 on the year with a 6-0 blanking of Harvard senior Matt Button (5-4) at 165. Junior Alton Lucas, ranked 13th in the country at 174 pounds, remained undefeated on the season with an 8-3 victory over Harvard sophomore Frankie Colletta for a 22-3 advantage in the match. The Crimson captured the next two matches as eighth-ranked junior Louis Caputo (5-2) pinned Hofstra freshman Justin Danz (5-7) in 4:26 at 184 pounds to close the deficit to 22-9. Senior Billy Colgan (2-1) rallied in the final minute to record a 10-7 victory over Hofstra junior Richard Vitale (1-3) to close to 22-12. The final match of the afternoon was the closest, if not the most exciting as Hofstra junior James Guerin (1-5) defeated Harvard sophomore Andrew Knapp (3-4), 6-4 in the second sudden victory period. Guerin tied the match at 3-3 in the third period with an escape. Each wrestler had an escape in the first overtime period before Guerin tallied a takedown with nine seconds remaining in the second sudden victory period. Hofstra is now off for semester finals before they return for the 28-team Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina on December 29-30.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 5 nationally, used bonus points to post a stunning 21-18 win at No. 3 Oklahoma State. As Stillwater and the state of Oklahoma was hit with an ice storm, the Nittany Lions of veteran head coach Troy Sunderland chilled the crowd inside OSU's Iba Arena, utilizing five wins and pins from sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) to win the battle of bonus points. The win was Penn State's first victory over Oklahoma State since a 38-7 win on Jan. 30, 1993, here in Stillwater. The Nittany Lions and Cowboys each won five bouts, but in the end a 6-3 edge in riding time secured the victory. Nittany Lion senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 6 nationally, got things started with a thrilling last-second takedown to post a 4-3 win at 125. Top-ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State looked for bonus points of his own at 133, but feisty Penn State freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) held firm and only gave up a three-point decision. Tied 3-3, Penn State sent true freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) to the mat against No. 6 Nathan Morgan of OSU. Morgan gave OSU a 6-3 lead with a 6-3 win, but the edge was short-lived. Penn State sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 4 at 149, silenced the rowdy OSU crowd by pinning Mike Bizzle at the 6:42 mark, putting Penn State back on top 9-6. Sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) added to Penn State's lead with a critical 5-4 win at 157. Vallimont, ranked No. 10, downed No. 20 Newly McSpadden in the only bout that featured two ranked wrestlers. But the Cowboys would not go quietly as OSU got major decisions out of its 12th-ranked 165 pounder and fourth-ranked 174 pounder to retake the lead, 14-12, heading into the dual's final three bouts. Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) was once again impressive, downing talented Oklahoma State freshman 8-5 to give Penn State a 15-14 lead. Bomberger, ranked No. 19, posted a win that Penn State would not relinquish. Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) shook off the ghosts of a sluggish start to pin OSU's Clayton Foster at the 5:50 mark to clinch the dual match victory. OSU's Jared Rosholt, ranked No. 8 at HWT, posted a major decision in the dual's final match-up but Penn State had already secured the win and the Lions left Iba Arena with a 21-18 win. Penn State is off until Jan. 4 when No. 16 Cornell comes to Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual. All Penn State duals can be heard locally on WBLF AM (970) and WKVA (920 AM). Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual tickets. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Nittany Lion senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 6 nationally, took on Oklahoma State's talented freshman Ben Ashmore at 125. McKnight got in on Ashmore's left leg and finished off the takedown for a 2-1 lead at the 1:25 mark. Each wrestler had slight scoring opportunities over the next minute, but it was McKnight who had the best shot, nearly getting a second takedown as the first period ended. But Ashmore strongly fought the move off and McKnight led by one after one. The Lion senior chose down to start the second period. Ashmore put together a strong ride, keeping his control over McKnight for the full two minutes. Each wrestler was called for stalling once in the process. Down by one, Ashmore chose down to start the third and escaped to a 2-2 tie, but Ashmore's riding time advantage put the Cowboy in charge. While McKnight needed the takedown, it was Ashmore who got in on the Lion's left thigh and nearly took the Nittany Lion senior down for a takedown. While McKnight did manage to fight off the move, Ashmore ate up all but four seconds of the bout and, having the riding time point clinched, had the match won. But the Nittany Lion senior scored a stunning takedown after the reset with just one second left and posted an amazing 4-3 win. McKnight's low shot, leading to a solid takedown at Ashmore's waist came quickly and quieted a raucous Cowboy crowd that was sensing an early upset at 125. The last-second victory gave the Nittany Lions an early 3-0 lead. 133: Penn State freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.), continuing to fill in for injured starter Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.), took to the mats against the nation's top-ranked 133-pounder, Coleman Scott of OSU. Scott got the bout's first takedown at the 1:50 mark, getting Eagen to the mat at the 1:50 mark. Scott worked hard on top, looking to turn the Nittany Lion freshman to his back, but Eagen fought off the top-ranked Cowboy's efforts for the entire period and trailed only 2-0 after the first period. Scott, who had nearly two minutes of riding time in his favor, chose down to begin the second period and escaped to a 3-0 lead at the 1:46 mark. Scott added a second takedown at the :58 mark to up his lead to 5-0. Scott rode Eagen for the remainder of the period and led 5-0 after one period. Eagen chose down to begin the final period and was cut loose by Scott to a 5-1 deficit. Scott got in deep on Eagen's left ankle and added another takedown to lead 7-2 after cutting Eagen loose again. Scott also had a guaranteed riding time point. The Cowboy senior, needing one more takedown for bonus points, could not brake through Eagen's defense for the critical takedown and walked away with only an 8-2 decision. The victory tied the bout at 3-3. 141: True freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) made his Penn State dual match debut, filling in for starter Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), the third-ranked 141-pounder in the nation. Scott met No. 6 Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State and quickly announced his presence with a near takedown at the 2:20 mark. Morgan managed to step outside of the move to keep the bout scoreless. Morgan then got in on both of Scott's ankles for his first real scoring chance, finishing off the move for a 2-0 lead at the 1:24 mark. Scott escaped with :42 left, cutting the OSU lead to 2-1, a lead he would carry into the second period. Morgan chose down to begin the second stanza and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:33 left in the middle period. Morgan added a second takedown at the 1:05 mark to up his lead to 5-2 lead after a quick Scott escape. The Nittany Lion freshman began pressuring the Cowboy senior, but Morgan's strong defense kept Scott from getting a takedown. Down 5-2, Scott chose down to begin the third period and was looking to escape before Morgan to up his riding time edge to a minute. Scott did escape, but not until Morgan built up a total of 1:30 in time. The escape cut Morgan's lead to 5-3, but Scott essentially needed two takedowns or back points to secure a win. While the Nittany Lion freshman worked for a score, Morgan kept up his defense and ate away at the clock. Morgan countered a late Scott shot and nearly added another takedown, but regardless, the move allowed Morgan to get the decision, a 6-3 win that put Oklahoma State up 6-3 in the dual. 149: Fourth-ranked sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) met Mike Bizzle of Oklahoma State at 149. Jenkins was the early aggressor and used a cement mixer to take Bizzle to his back for an early 5-0 lead. The Lion sophomore nearly got the pin, but Bizzle did a nice job of keeping his shoulders off the mat. Jenkins proceeded to put together a very strong ride, building up 1:33 in riding time as he rode Bizzle out to lead 5-0 after one period. Bizzle chose down to begin the second period and was allowed up by Jenkins as the Nittany Lion sophomore began looking for important bonus points. Jenkins upped his lead to 7-1 with a quick ankle pick on the edge of the mat just ten seconds into the period. Jenkins allowed Bizzle up and quickly hit another cement mixer, sending Bizzle quickly to his back for another two point takedown and two more back points. Jenkins led 11-3 after letting Bizzle up. But Bizzle answered with a takedown of his own to cut Jenkins' lead to 11-5. With just :04 left, Jenkins managed a quick escape at a reset to lead 12-5 heading into the final period. The Nittany Lion sophomore chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 13-5 lead with 1:49 in riding time to boot. Bizzle once again got in on Jenkins' right leg, looking to get a critical takedown to avoid any bonus points. The duo scrambled for nearly a minute before Jenkins fought off Bizzle's single leg, quickly turned the Cowboy to his back and got a critical pin at the 6:42 mark. The six point victory put Penn State up 9-6 and set up the dual's marquee match-up. 157: Nittany Lion sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 10 nationally, met No. 20 Newly McSpadden at 157 in the lone match-up of ranked grapplers in the dual. Vallimont quickly gained control of McSpadden's right leg, getting in deep on the Cowboy junior and nearly getting an early takedown. But McSpadden managed to work his way off the mat to force a neutral reset. McSpadden took his turn with a solid offensive shot and forcing a scramble in the center of the mat. McSpadden got the early 2-0 lead. But Vallimont quickly tied the match by scoring a reversal off a reset with just :25 left in the period. Vallimont rode McSpadden out for the opening stanza's final seconds to keep the score tied at 2-2 heading into the second period. McSpadden chose down to begin the period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Vallimont took numerous shots, but McSpadden managed to step back, out of trouble each time. The Cowboy's defensive style allowed him to keep a 3-2 lead heading to the final period. Vallimont chose down to begin the final period and quickly escaped to tie the bout. A head-outside single by Vallimont gave the Nittany Lion sophomore another solid scoring chance and this time, he finished the chance with a takedown at the 1:10 mark to lead 5-3. McSpadden managed to escape with :38 left, cutting Vallimont's lead to 5-4. McSpadden quickly got in low on Vallimont's left, but the Lion sophomore managed to force a stalemate with just :11 left. Vallimont held off McSpadden's final offensive shots to post a critical 5-4 win and move Penn State out to a 12-6 lead. 165: Penn State's Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) met No. 12 Jake Dieffenbach in the next bout. Dieffenbach used a nice ankle pick to take an early 2-1 lead at the 2:05 mark. Rella began to work the Cowboy's shoulders and head, looking for an offensive opening. But neither wrestler could mount another real offensive charge and Dieffenbach took the 2-1 lead into the second period. The Cowboy senior chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Rella, a true sophomore, continued to look for offensive openings but Dieffenbach countered a Rella shot and managed to get a takedown call on the edge of the mat. The move put Dieffenbach up 5-1 with :48 left in the period. Rella escaped to a 5-2 deficit but Dieffenbach managed to trip Rella to the mat and his back for an outstanding five-point move and led 10-2 heading into the third period. Rella chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 10-3 deficit with 1:40 left. Riding time, at this point, was not a factor. Dieffenbach looked to secure bonus points with another takedown at the :38 mark and then rode Rella long enough to secure a 1:00 riding time edge before Rella escaped to a 12-4 deficit. But the Cowboy senior held on for a 13-4 major decision, cutting Penn State's lead to 12-10. 174: Yet another Nittany Lion sophomore, 174-pounder David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) met No. 4 Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State. Erwin took the bout's first shot but Mason countered and quickly finished a cradle, getting the takedown but not managing to turn Erwin to his back. The Nittany Lion sophomore did a fine job of fighting off the pin and avoiding the big scoring move. Still, the talented Cowboy junior built up over two minutes of riding time before finally getting the three-point near fall. Mason rode Erwin out and led 5-0 after one. Mason then chose the top to start the second period and continued to add to his two-plus minutes of riding time. Mason, an All-American last year, continued to work for back points but Erwin fought off his efforts for the entire period. Mason, however, kept his 5-0 lead and had a secured riding time point (4:43) heading into the final period. Erwin chose neutral to begin to final period and looked to keep Mason from posting a major decision and nearly got a takedown of his own. But Mason kept Erwin from completing a takedown and forced a reset with 1:10 left. Mason, however, got the critical takedown with :55 left to up his lead to 7-0. Erwin needed an escape to avoid the major decision. But Mason finished off the bout with a strong ride and posted an 8-0 major decision to allow the Cowboys to retake the lead, 14-12. 184: With the lead on the line in, Penn State junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), ranked No. 19 nationally at 184, squared off against Cowboy Cody Hill. Bomberger had the first real shot at a takedown, getting in on Hill's ankles twice early in the first. But the Cowboy freshman fought off each move to keep the bout scoreless. While Bomberger put forth the most offensive pressure in the opening three minutes, Hill's defense was solid enough to keep the bout scoreless after one period. Hill chose down to begin the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. After a double stall was called on both wrestlers, Hill got a close takedown call with :35 left to up his lead to 3-0. Bomberger, however, reversed the Cowboy grappler and nearly pinned him, picking up two near fall points to lead 4-3 after the second period. Bomberger then chose down to start the third and escaped to a 5-3 lead. But Hill took the Lion junior down to tie the bout with 1:41 left to tie the bout. Hill let Bomberger up to a 6-5 lead and took Hill down on the edge of the mat but was not awarded a takedown. But the Nittany Lion junior was not to be denied with a textbook takedown with :38 left to take an 8-5 lead. Bomberger then rode Hill out to post a critical 8-5 win and give Penn State a slim 15-14 lead. 197: Needing a win to increase Penn State's but a pin to clinch the dual, Nittany Lion senior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 nationally at 197, met OSU's Clayton Foster. The three time All-American gave up the first points, however, as Foster went up 2-0 with a takedown at the :45 mark. Davis escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Davis took a 3-2 lead with a takedown at the 1:10 mark and forced a reset with :54 left in the opening period. Davis began looking working for a far-side cradle, but Foster managed to keep the Lion senior from turning him to his back. Davis, leading 3-2 with :25 in riding time, chose down to begin the second stanza and was taken to his back for two near-fall points. Davis escaped to tie the bout at 4-4 and then quickly took foster down for a 6-4 lead at the 1:15 mark. The Harrisburg native continued to work for back points, but Foster was strong enough to keep Davis from increasing his lead. Foster, down 6-4, chose neutral to begin the third period but Davis was relentless, getting another takedown to increase his lead to 8-4 at the 1:40 mark. Davis then turned Foster to his back and fought his way to a thrilling dual-clinching pin at the 5:50 mark. The six points put Penn State up 21-14 and meant that the Nittany Lions would leave Stillwater with a thrilling road win over the third-ranked Cowboys. HWT: A fifth Penn State sophomore, heavyweight Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) met Oklahoma State sophomore Jared Rosholt at HWT. Rosholt entered the bout ranked No. 8 nationally. Rosholt managed to grab Tighe's left ankle and after a scramble, got an early takedown to lead 2-0 at the 2:15 mark. Rosholt then put together a very strong ride, building up a 2:14 riding time edge, turning Tighe briefly as the period ended, to lead 4-0 after one. Rosholt chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 5-0 lead. Tighe shot low on Rosholt midway through the second, nearly getting the Cowboy's ankles, but the eighth-ranked grappler managed to move back and keep his lead at 5-0. Tighe chose neutral to start the bout's final period and began working for a takedown of his own. The Nittany Lion sophomore was the offensive aggressor early in the third and nearly got a takedown with 1:20 left, but as the grapplers moved down to the mat, Rosholt managed to step behind Tighe and get a takedown of his own to lead 7-0 (with a guaranteed riding time point. Tighe also gave up a riding time point and Rosholt ended up with a solid 9-0 major decision. The four-points made the final score Penn State 21, Oklahoma State 18.

AMES, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team knocked off top-ranked Iowa State, 20-13, Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. A sold-out crowd of 8,988 saw Iowa improve to 5-0 and hand Iowa State (6-1) its first loss of the season. Iowa scored two points in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series with the win to make the series score 16-5. Iowa State clinched the 2007-08 series title earlier this week. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 13-0 lead with wins at the first four weights. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck scored an 8-4 decision over Cyclone redshirt freshman Mark Kist at 125 to open the dual. Iowa sophomore Joe Slaton handed Iowa State's Nick Fanthorpe his first loss of the season with a 6-5 win at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere followed with a 3-1 win over Nick Gallick at 141 to give Iowa a 9-0 advantage, and sophomore Brent Metcalf scored the first bonus points of the dual with a 14-4 major decision over Iowa City native Mitch Mueller at 149. Iowa State put its first team points on the board when sophomore Cyler Sanderson scored a 10-5 major decision over sophomore Ryan Morningstar at 157. Sanderson took Morningstar to his back with over one minute remaining in the third period, but the Morningstar held on to avoid the pin. Iowa State struck first after the intermission when redshirt freshman Jon Reader scored a 7-3 decision over Iowa redshirt freshman Jake Kerr at 165. Kerr was wrestling for Hawkeye starter Mark Perry, who was serving a one-meet suspension after being disqualified for misconduct during Iowa's Nov. 24 dual with Old Dominion. Hawkeye sophomore Jay Borschel scored crucial team points with an 18-7 win over Aron Scott at 174. The Cyclones rallied with wins at 184 and 197 to make the score 17-13. Iowa State sophomore Jake Varner improved his undefeated mark to 6-0 with a 4-1 win over Hawkeye sophomore Phillip Keddy at 184, and senior David Bertolino scored a 16-5 major decision over sophomore Chad Beatty at 197. Hawkeye senior Matt Fields sealed the team win with a 6-3 decision over sophomore David Zabriskie at heavyweight. Iowa (5-0) will host its first duals of the 2007-08 season Thursday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Northern Iowa (0-0-1) at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell (3-1) at 8:00 p.m.