InterMat Staff

LAS VEGAS, NEV. -- Sparked by 22 bonus-point victories, No. 1-ranked Wartburg College pushed its consecutive duals win streak to 36 with four wins at the 2008 Desert Duals Sunday, Dec. 21. Head coach Jim Miller's Knights, moving to 5-0 on the 2008-09 campaign, rolled past Johnson and Wales of Rhode Island 36-7, the University of Great Falls of Montana 37-5, Williams College of Massachusetts 41-12, and Cortland State of New York 41-2. The four victories also continued another impressive streak for the Orange and Black as they moved to 24-0 in the six-year history of the Desert Duals event. Individual highlights were numerous for Wartburg. They came from junior 133-pounder Matt Kelly of Dubuque winning three matches, senior 149-pounder Jacob Naig of Emmetsburg going 3-0 in his first outing of the year with three falls, senior 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont of Pocahontas upping his win streak to 59 with three wins in the form of a technical fall, forfeit and fall, senior 165-pounder Justin Hanson of Dakota City going to 3-0 with two falls and a technical fall, junior 197-pounder Nick Shandri of Urbandale winning four matches, and sophomore heavyweight John Helgerson of West Union going 3-0. Wartburg's II team also was perfect on the day, posting three wins. They defeated Ohio Northern 21-15, Elmhurst II 29-15, and the University of Chicago 40-9. The Knights return to the mat for weekend tournaments at Cornell College of Mount Vernon and Loras College of Dubuque Friday and Saturday, Jan. 2 and 3.

HAWKEYES HEAD TO MIDLANDS The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (10-0) will vy for its 20th Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, IL. Iowa, the defending team champion, has won the most team titles (19) in the 45 years of the meet. All matches will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena on the Northwestern University campus. MIDLANDS SESSION & TICKET INFORMATION Tickets can be purchased from the Northwestern University Athletic Ticket Office at (847) 491-2287 or www.nusports.com. All-session passes are $48 for reserved theater-style seats, $36 for adult bleacher general admission and $30 for student bleacher general admission. Session start times and individual session ticket prices are as follows: Session - Day - Start Time - Ticket Prices (R/AB/SB) Session I - Monday - 9:30 a.m. - NA/$8/$6 Session II - Monday - 7 p.m. - $11/$9/$7 Session III - Tuesday - Noon - $13/$10/$8 Session IV - Tuesday - 7 p.m. - $15/$12/$9 R - reserved seats, AB - adult bleachers, SB - student bleachers ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call Tuesday's finals live on AM-800, KXIC. Live broadcasts from all four sessions are available on www.hawkeyesports.com using the XXL All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Television - The Big Ten Network will air Tuesday's finals live. Tim Johnson and Mark Massery will call the action. Internet - Press releases, tournament brackets and tournament notes will be available on the Northwestern University website, www.nusports.com. Session results and recaps will be available on the University of Iowa website, www.hawkeyesports.com. Current Hawkeye staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. EIGHT HAWKEYES EARN MIDLANDS EARLY PRE-SEEDS Eight Hawkeye wrestlers have earned early pre-seeds for the upcoming Midlands tournament. Defending Midlands champion Brent Metcalf (149), seniors Charlie Falck (125) and Alex Tsirtsis (141) and junior Jay Borschel (174) each earned the top pre-seed at their respective weight classes. Junior Phillip Keddy (184) is seeded second, juniors Daniel Dennis (133) and Ryan Morningstar (165) are each seeded third and junior Chad Beatty (197) is seeded seventh. MIDLANDS HISTORY AND HONORS Iowa has won the most team titles (19) in the 45 years of Midlands history. The Hawkeyes won their first team title in 1974, and proceded to win nine of the next 11 tournaments. Iowa also won team titles in 1990, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2008. Other team winners include Iowa State (8), Michigan State (3), Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club (3), Illinois (3), Michigan (2), Arizona State (1), Minnesota (1), North Carolina (1) and Oklahoma State (1). Team scores were not kept at four tournaments (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995.) Seven former Hawkeyes are enshrined in the Midlands Hall of Fame. They are Ed Banach, Chris Campbell, Steve Combs, Tim Cysewski, Barry Davis, Randy Lewis and Chuck Yagla. Former Hawkeye Heach Coach Dan Gable is also a Midlands Hall of Fame member. Former Hawkeye Joe Williams holds the most individual titles in Midlands history, winning 10. Other former Hawkeyes to win at least three titles are Tim Cysweski (5), Mark Ironside (4), Royce Alger (3), Ed Banach (3), Jim Heffernan (3), Randy Lewis (3) and Chuck Yagla (3). Several Hawkeyes also hold Midlands weight class records. Ironside has the most wins (27) at 141 pounds, and he and Cysewski hold the most titles (4 each) at that weight. Jim Heffernan holds the most titles (3) at 157, while Joe Williams holds the most wins (35) and titles (6) at 174. Pat Kennedy holds the fastest fall (11 seconds) at 165. Dan Gable holds the most titles (3) and falls (13) at 149 pounds. 2007 MIDLANDS REVIEW The Hawkeyes crowned four individual champions en route to winning the 2007 Midlands team title. Iowa won its 19th team title and its first since 2002. The Hawkeyes scored 185 points to win the 45th annual tournament. Defending team champion Iowa State placed second with 139. The Hawkeyes went four-for-five in the finals with senior Mark Perry (165) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141) and Brent Metcalf (149) each winning titles. It was Perry's second career title and his fourth appearance in the finals. It was the first title for Slaton, LeClere and Metcalf. Slaton set the tone for Iowa in the finals with a 6-2 upset over top seed Franklin Gomez of Indiana to remain undefeated. LeClere followed with a narrow 5-4 upset over second seed Zack Bailey of Oklahoma. Metcalf won Iowa's third straight title, racking up third-period points to beat fifth seed Jake Patascil of Purdue by an 18-5 major decision. Perry made Iowa four-for-four in the finals with his 8-0 major decision over fifth seed Jonathan Reader of Iowa State. Perry led the tournament field with four pins in a total time of 8:10. Sophomore Jay Borschel wrestled above his sixth seed, but could not pull the upset over top seed Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh and lost Iowa's final championship match, 13-4. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Alex Tsirtsis (141-3rd) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-8th), junior Charlie Falck (125-3rd), and sophomores Phillip Keddy (184-4th) and Ryan Morningstar (157-5th). Tsirtsis was wrestling unattached. HAWKEYES DOWN NORTHERN IOWA, 30-12 The top-ranked Hawkeye wrestling team improved to 10-0 on the season with a 30-12 win over Northern Iowa Dec. 11 at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. A crowd of 2,315 attended the dual. Northern Iowa fell to 0-1 with the loss. The dual started with Northern Iowa heavyweight Christian Brantley's 6-2 win over Hawkeye junior Dan Erekson. The Hawkeyes then rolled off four straight wins to build an 18-3 lead. Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck pinned Caleb Flores in 4:07 at 125, followed by junior Daniel Dennis' 17-7 major decision over Josh Baldridge at 133. Senior 141-pounder Alex Tsirtsis, who was named wrestler of the week by the Big Ten and TheMat.com for his performance against Iowa State on Dec. 6, scored a 14-2 major decision over Trent Washington to give the Hawkeyes a 14-3 lead. Hawkeye junior Brent Metcalf took Iowa into the intermission scoring his 45th career victory and 42nd straight win with in a 24-9 technical fall in 6:25 over Charlie Ettelson at 149. Northern Iowa picked up wins at 157 and 165 after the intermission. Panther junior Tyson Reiner scored an 8-2 win over Iowa sophomore Matt Ballweg at 157. Then second-ranked Moza Fay fought off a late takedown attempt by Hawkeye junior Ryan Morningstar to win 3-2 at 165. Iowa junior Jay Borschel responded, at 174, with a 4:10 pin over Jarion Beets, and junior Phillip Keddy received a forfeit at 184. Northern Iowa won the final bout of the night when senior Andrew Anderson posted a 10-5 win over Rick Loera at 197. Iowa 30, Northern Iowa 12 Hwt. - Christian Brantley (UNI) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 6-2 125 - Charlie Falck (I) pinned Caleb Flores (UNI), 4:07 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) maj. dec. Josh Baldridge (UNI), 17-7 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) maj. dec. Trent Washington (UNI), 14-2 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) tech. fall Charlie Ettelson (UNI), 24-9 in 6:25 157 - Tyson Reiner (UNI) dec. Matt Ballweg (I), 8-2 165 - Moza Fay (UNI) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 3-2 174 - Jay Borschel (I) pinned Jarion Beets (UNI), 4:10 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) won by forfeit 197 - Andrew Anderson (UNI) dec. Rick Loera (I), 10-5 HAWKEYES LOOK TO EXTEND WINNING STREAKS Iowa has won its last 24 duals, and its last 20 duals away from Iowa City. The school record for overall consecutive dual wins is 42 (1994-97), and for consecutive away dual wins is 31 (1994-97). The 20 straight away duals rank second in school history. Six Hawkeyes also have their own winning streaks to extend. Junior Brent Metcalf (149) has won his last 42 bouts, while junior Jay Borschel (174) is on an 12-match streak. Senior Charlie Falck (125) and junior Phillip Keddy (184) have each won their last 10 matches, and senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) has won his last eight. HAWKEYES SET ATTENDANCE RECORD Iowa set the national collegiate dual meet attendance record of 15,955 when it hosted #2 Iowa State Dec. 6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes won the dual, 20-15. HAWKEYE WRESTLING TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for Iowa's five remaining home duals are on sale at the UI Athletic Ticket Office at 800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. Against Wisconsin, Illinois, Bucknell and Purdue, tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Tickets purchased at the meet are $12 for adults, $6 for youth. University of Iowa students and children ages five and under will be admitted free. Against Minnesota, tickets purchased in advance are $13 for adults, $7 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under. Tickets purchased at the meet are $15 for adults, $8 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under. Due to the possibility of a sellout crowd, the first 1,000 general admission University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge after they log-in to their student account at www.hawkeyesports.com to reserve a seat and download a free paper ticket. After that allotment is sold out, students may purchase reserved seats at the youth price. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 838-215-30 (.787) in 97 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 21 national titles and 32 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 76 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 101 Big Ten champions have won a total of 182 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 135 all-Americans have earned all-America status 273 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 33 two-time honorees. UP NEXT Top-ranked Iowa will wrestle at the 2009 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Jan. 10-11 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The two-day annual tournament features 16 teams from NCAA Division I, 12 from Division II, 15 from Division III and NAIA, eight NJCAA teams, seven NCWA teams and five women's wrestling teams. Iowa - the defending National Duals team champion - has wrestled in the event 16 times, and has a 58-10-3 all time record at the tournament. The Hawkeyes have won the title four times, placed second three times, third six times, fifth once and sixth once. The Division I field includes eight of the top 10 ranked teams in the most recent USA Today/Intermat/NWCA coaches poll. Boise State, Buffalo, Cornell, Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Wyoming will battle the Hawkeyes for the title. All-session tickets are $40 for adults and $32 for seniors and students. Individual session tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the UNI-Dome box office at 877-216-3663 or 319-273-4849.

The two biggest high school tournaments of the season, Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East, are over and one thing is for sure: Blair Academy is the real deal. Coach Jeff Buxton's team battled two weeks ago to win the Walsh Ironman over returning national champion St. Paris Graham (Ohio), before cruising past Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) to win the Beast of the East this past weekend. RevWrestling.com recaps the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East. 103 Pounds Top-seeded Nick Brascetta of St. Paris Graham held off freshman sensation Mark Grey, 4-3, to win the championship at 103. Brascetta countered an early takedown and added two escapes to win the first of several titles for the Graham Falcons. However, Grey bounced back with a vengeance, winning the Beast of the East over Cadet Nationals runner-up Joe Orecchio of Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey), 8-0. Grey scored a big five-point move early and later added another takedown later in the match. Dominic Malone of Wyoming Seminary also placed in both tournaments as well. 112 Pounds National rankings in this weight class are certain to change after these two tournaments. Devin Carter of Christiansburg (Virginia) dominated defending Ironman champ Hunter Stieber of Monroeville (Ohio), 9-2, to win the Ironman. Carter demonstrated powerful leg attacks in beating Stieber. Carter was unable to win both tournaments though as he was knocked off in the finals by sleeper Evan Silver of Blair Academy (New Jersey). Silver defeated Cadet Nationals champ Zach Horan of Nazareth (Pennsylvania), 9-3, and defending Beast champ Sean Boylan, 3-2, before edging Carter, 3-2. 119 Pounds Jaime Clark of St. Edward(Ohio) finally has earned an Ironman crown. After two years of being a placewinner, Clark edged Sean Boyle of Blair Academy (New Jersey), 6-4. Despite surrendering the first takedown, Clark remained composed and scored on a late takedown to break a deadlocked match. Boyle, rebounded by defending his 2007 Beast championship by winning the tournament again. Boyle was not challenged throughout the tournament, defeating Shane Gentry of Colonial Forge (Virginia) who placed fourth and second in the Ironman and Beast respectively. 125 Pounds Sam White of Massillon Perry (Ohio) defeated Zach Neibert of St. Paris Graham in a wild overtime match to win the Ironman title at 125. White trailed until late in the second period when he scored on a double leg takedown. A controversial stalling call on White sent the match into overtime, where White scored soon after. Simon Kitzis of Wyoming Seminary seeded ninth was the champion at the Beast. Kitzis, who was knocked out of the Ironman, beat defending champ, Andrew Garafalo of Colonial Forge (Virginia) in the first of three over-time bouts on the day. Kitzis defeated Pat Owens of Germantown Academy (Pennsylvania) to win the championship. Garrett Frey of Blair Academy (New Jersey) placed third and sixth in the Ironman and Beast respectively. 130 Pounds Chris Villalonga of Blair Academy (New Jersey) showed why he is among the nation's best wrestlers in winning both tournaments. Villalonga went through an incredible weight class at Ironman beating freshman sensation Felipe Martinez of St. Paris Graham in the finals. Martinez had knocked off previously No. 1-ranked Tony Ramos of Glenbard North (Illinois) in the semifinals. Villalonga went on to later defend his Beast championship, winning a double overtime decision over Sam Sherlock of West Mifflin (Pennsylvania). Sherlock struck first with an early takedown, but Villalonga escaped in double overtime and rode Sherlock in the final 30 seconds for the win. 135 Pounds David Taylor of St. Paris Graham proved the doubters wrong. Taylor moved up four weight classes and still became the first four-time Ironman champ. There was a first round scare, but after that Taylor cruised to the championship majoring sleeper finalist Joe Waltko of North Allegheny (Pennsylvania). Junior National finalist Josh Kindig of Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania) was upset in the quarters, but wrestled back to third. Austin Ormsbee finished fourth at the Ironman, but rebounded to win the Beast. In the finals he met a familiar foe, Nicky Gordon of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania). Ormsbee had defeated Gordon in two close bouts at the Ironman; the Beast final was not as close with Ormsbee winning, 6-2. 140 Pounds Andrew Alton of Central Mountain (Pennsylvania) showed why he is the best at 140 pounds. Alton controlled defending champ Colin Palmer of St. Edward (Ohio). Alton dominated on his feet scoring numerous takedowns, and avoided Palmer's trademark power half. This was one of the premier matches at the Ironman. New Jersey state champ Anthony Baldasarro of Eastern Regional, a Beast Runner-up in 2007, moved up one spot this year. Baldasarro scored a late takedown to win the championship over Ryan Kemmerer of Boyertown (Pennsylvania). 145 Pounds Dylan Alton of Central Mountain (Pennsylvania) was the champion at Ironman, defeating Brian Stephens of St. Paris Graham (Ohio). Alton was in control early, but Stephens score a late takedown to make it close. Joey Napoli of Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) was the Beast champ, but not without some drama. In the semifinals, Napoli scored a takedown over Cadet National finalist Blake Roulo of Motoaca (Virginia) with two seconds to win the bout. In the finals, unseeded finalist Bo Candelaria of Middletown (Pennsylvania) almost reversed Napoli, but referees said time had expired first thus giving Napoli the title. 152 Pounds Brandon Rolnick of Lawrenville (New Jersey) was the champ at Ironman. Rolnick went through freshman sensation Jason Luster of Woodbury Forest (Virginia) in the semifinals before defeating Nick Sulzer of St. Edward(Ohio) in a close final bout. Rolnick scored a first period takedown, and added another one in the third to clinic the final. Marshall Peppleman of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) repeated as a Beast champ. Peppleman dominated on top with Central Dauphin's trademark Dauphin tilt. Adam Hogue of Blair Academy (New Jersey) wrestled Peppleman very tough, losing 3-2 in the finals. Peppleman scored on an early attack, and added a late escape. For those wondering who would win between the Beast and Ironman champ, Peppleman defeated Rolnick in the finals of Super 32. 160 Pounds Ohio State Champion Zach Toal of Troy Christian (Ohio) won a wild finals match against Kyle Lang of Brecksville (Ohio). This bout was highly entertaining with numerous scrambles. Toal trailed early but pulled away late in the match. Dallas Bailey of Catoosa (OK) won the Beast championship and OW in a deep 160 weight class with numerous nationally ranked wrestlers. Bailey went though Pennsylvania state placewinner Jimmy Sheptock of Northampton (Pennsylvania) before he too faced Kyle Lang of Brecksville (Ohio). Lang upset defending champ Kenny Courts of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) in the semifinals. 171 Pounds Ed Ruth of Blair Academy (New Jersey) won arguably the best weight class at the Ironman. Ruth defeated defending Ironman champion Chris Phillips of Monroeville (Ohio), 3-2, before beating Junior Nationals champion Ethan Lofthouse of Mountain Crest (Utah). In the finals, Ruth scored numerous takedowns proving he is one of the best in the nation. At the Beast, Ruth lost early. In the first round, he was up 10-0 before getting pinned. Ruth wrestled back to third, spoiling a chance for fans to see Ruth wrestle Beast champion Mike Evans of Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania). Evans dominated from the top position scoring numerous near fall points in the finals against Mason Bailey of East Fairmont (WV). 189 Pounds Max Huntley of Blair Academy accomplished the rare feat of winning both tournaments. After wrestling at Colonial Forge (Virginia) last season, Huntley enrolled at Blair, and it appears to be the difference-maker. Huntley defeated Max Thomusseit of St. Paris Graham (Ohio) to win the Ironman. Huntley scored from the neutral position in the first and final period. At the Beast, Huntley got a tough test from Joe Piro of Northampton (Pennsylvania) before rallying for the victory. In the finals, Huntley defeated Tony Dallago of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania), 4-3, for the victory. 215Pounds Joe McMullan of Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) was the champion at the Ironman. McMullan defeated Ben Krakower of Blair Academy to win the title. At the Beast, however, Krakower returned the favor scoring a last second takedown to upset McMullan in the semifinals. Jon Weber of Christiansburg (Virginia) was the sleeper of the weight class as he defeated Krakower in the final. Weber scored a takedown with under five seconds to win the title. 285 Pounds Jeremy Johnson of Brecksville (Ohio) had four falls on the way to winning the Ironman title. In the finals, he pinned Zach Cori of Central Mountain (Pennsylvania) in the first period to win the championship. However, at the Beast both Johnson and No. 1-ranked Andrew Miller of Bassett (Virginia) were upset. The final was fifth-seeded Karl Green of Mt. St. Josephs (Maryland) against 11th-seeded Bobby Telford of St. Marks (Delaware). In traditional heavyweight fashion, this bout was exciting and came down to the final seconds where Telford secured the victory.

Hello Wrestling Fans! Hope you are enjoying the season as much as I am. The Brute Adidas Studios of Takedown Radio hit the road this weekend for several great shows, Video's and Audio programming. So, with that said and our sincere Happy Holiday Wishes we bring to you the following- Saturday's Takedown Radio 9 AM to 11 AM will be Live from Wild Rose Resort in Clinton, Iowa. Maureen Roshar will join us as a special guest host. Our scheduled guests include: Eric Guerrero- Asst Head Coach of the Cowboys of Oklahoma State- Eric, will join us to discuss Cal Poly and Reno results and the season. What lies ahead? How do the Cowboys improve and how will they challenge for the championships. Milt Sherman- Author of "Wrestling Spoken Here" joins us to talk about his life in wrestling and the genesis of the book. Just read it by the way, fun read, great for kids getting interested in wrestling and it explains the sport very well. Tim Cysewski is in his 19th season as Northwestern's head wrestling coach. Under Cysewski's direction, 23 Wildcats have earned All-America honors and 73 wrestlers have qualified for the NCAA Championships. The dismantled Clarion, squeaked by Pitt and now Tim prepares for the greatest of the holiday Classics. The Randy Couture Joins us to talk about Brock and the January training Camp at XC is coming up. We now have dates set for the next Xtreme Couture Camp. The camp will be held on January 30th thru February 1st. Check back here next week for more info on guest trainers and other info relating to the camp. This camp will make a great holiday gift for the MMA fan in your life or use this opportunity to get the ball rolling on a healthy new year and keep that New Year's Resolution! When: January 30, 31, February 1, 2009 Where: Xtreme Couture MMA - Las Vegas, NV Live Video Stream: Yes Spots: Limited to 40 Cost: $450 for Xtreme Couture Members - $500 General Public ________________________________________________________________________________________ Sunday we'll stop by Sean Bormet's Overtime School of Wrestling in Naperville, IL to discover what designs he has on the world of MMA. Sean is sought after by some of the top names in the sport and happens to be one of the best coaches and corner men in the business. We'll record this visit for TDR.tv as you need to see the facility as well as hear from the man. After the Overtime Visit we'll drop by for a TDR.Tv visit to meet a great fight sponsor and MMASTOP.com Founder John Fosco. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Monday-Tuesday the mobile Brute Adidas Studios will present the Midlands Wrestling Championships LIVE from the Welsh Ryan Arena at Northwestern University. This historic event can be heard live free of charge. Tune in to Takedownradio.com for mat to mat coverage including the finals on Tuesday night. Join Steve Foster, Greg Zafros, Britt Malinsky, Scott Casber and special guests that make this old school event so very special. Happy Holidays Everyone!

University of Minnesota sophomore Joe Nord was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week today following an upset victory over Nebraska's No. 12 Tucker Lane this weekend. Nord defeated Lane with a 6-2 decision in heavyweight bout of the Gophers' 21-18 loss to No. 3 Nebraska on Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb. Nord rallied from a 1-0 deficit with a reversal in the opening seconds of the third period. A nearfall later in the final stanza helped the sophomore to gain the 6-2 victory. With the win, Nord improves his record to 8-2 this season. The Waconia, Minn. native has been splitting time with 18th-ranked teammate Ben Berhow at the heavyweight slot for the Gophers this season. This week's laurel marks the second time this season a Gopher has earned the weekly accolade. Mike Thorn was named the conference's Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 25. Nord and the Gophers open their home schedule when they welcome perennial power Oklahoma State to the Sports Pavilion on New Year's Day. Tickets still remain for Minnesota's 2:00 pm. dual with the No. 13 Cowboys and can be purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by contacting the Gopher Ticket Office at 612-624-8080.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State junior 285-pounder Jared Rosholt was recognized as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced today. Rosholt continues to dominate the opposition in 2008-09, as he ran his season record to 17-0 on the year after pinning Cal Poly's Kelan Bragg in 1:38 as part of a dual meet last Tuesday, then followed that up by toppling two ranked opponents on the way to winning the heavyweight title at the Reno Tournament of Champions last Thursday. The consensus No. 1 wrestler in the nation in his weight class, Rosholt beat No. 7 Mitch Monteiro of Cal State Bakersfield by a 13-5 major decision before handing No. 15 Konrad Dudziak of Duke a 5-4 defeat in the Reno title bout. When his 8-4 win over No. 3 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin at the NWCA All-Star Classic is added, Rosholt is a perfect 4-0 vs. ranked opponents this year, including a 3-0 mark vs. opponents ranked among the top seven in the nation. This week's honor marks the first Big 12 Wrestler of the Week recognition for Rosholt and is the first for any Cowboy wrestler this season. Both Jake Dieffenbach and Coleman Scott won the award last year. Since the inception of the Big 12 for the 1996-97 season, Cowboy wrestlers have combined to earn Big 12 Wrestler of the Week accolades a total of 30 times. Among the previous OSU winners of Big 12 Wrestler of the Week is Rosholt's older brother Jake, who was recognized in 2004 and again in 2005. Jared Rosholt and the Cowboys are back in action when they travel to Minneapolis to tangle with Minnesota on New Years Day. ----

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Senior Andrew Anderson led the University of Northern Iowa wrestling team to a 28-15 victory at George Mason on Sunday. Anderson knocked off previously undefeated and No. 6-ranked Cayle Byers at 197 pounds, 3-2. The Panthers moved to 2-2 on the season with its second win in as many days in the state of Virginia. UNI defeated No. 21 Old Dominion on Saturday, 25-15. George Mason dropped to 1-2 on the year. The dual started with George Mason scoring a forfeit victory at 141 pounds. But then the Panthers ripped off three straight wins to take a 13-6 lead in the dual. Trevor Kittleson used four two-point nearfalls and a riding time point to score a 9-0 major decision over GMU's Brandon Bucher at 149 pounds. Kittleson's win moved him to 14-4 on the season. Tyson Reiner improved to 9-4 on the year with a 19-6 major decision over GMU's Frankie McLaughlin at 157 pounds. Reiner led 10-4 after two periods and continued his assault in the third period as he gained a bonus point for the Panthers. UNI's Moza Fay returned to the mat for the first time since the Dec. 11 dual against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Fay rolled to a 17-1 technical fall over the Patriots' Aaron Keeton at 165 pounds. Fay scored a takedown two seconds into the match and added a pair of three-point nearfalls before the first period was over to take control of the matchup. Fay, who is ranked No.2 in the nation, moved to 7-0 on the season. GMU pulled to within one point, 13-12, in the dual following a third-period fall by Mendbagana Tovuujav over UNI's Jarion Beets at 174 pounds. Beets trailed 7-4 in the second period before rallying to tie the match at 9-9 in the final minute of the third period. But Tovuujav tallied a reversal and put Beets on his back for the fall with only six seconds left in the match. The Panthers' Scott Hazen stemmed the Patriots' tide with a 6-1 win over GMU's Jimmy Webb at 184 pounds. For the second straight day, Hazen scored the first takedown of the match en route to a victory. Hazen led 2-1 after he rode out Webb in the second period. Hazen closed out the win with an escape, a takedown and a riding time point in the third period. Hazen improved to 7-5 on the season, and 2-0 in dual competition. Anderson then scored his biggest win of the season to date with the 3-2 win over GMU's Cayle Byers at 197. Byers entered the match with a 10-0 record on the season. Anderson scored the only takedown of the match in the first period. Byers tied the match at 2-2 following an escape in the first period and another in the second. Anderson tallied the winning points on a third-period escape to secure the 3-2 victory. "Credit Andrew for staying in great position the entire match," head coach Brad Penrith said. "He competed hard and it was a good win for him." Redshirt freshman Christian Brantley was awarded a forfeit at heavyweight to move the UNI advantage to 25-12 with only two matches remaining. UNI's Caleb Flores moved to the lead to 28-12 following a 6-5 win over GMU's Brandon Wright at 125 pounds. Flores led the match 6-3 entering the third period and was able to hang on for the one-point victory, despite Wright scoring a two-point nearfall in the final stanza. GMU's Denny Herndon closed out the dual with a 6-5 win over UNI's Josh Baldridge at 133 pounds. Baldridge tied the match at 5-5, but Herndon scored an escape for the final margin. UNI's next action will occur on Dec. 29-30 at the Midlands championships in Evanston, Ill.

LINCOLN -- The No. 3 Nebraska wrestling team won six of its first seven matches before holding off No. 7 Minnesota for a 21-18 dual victory in front of 829 fans at the NU Coliseum on Sunday. Nebraska was led by its heavier weights, as Stephen Dwyer (165), Brandon Browne (174) and Craig Brester (197) notched major decision wins to help NU move to 4-0 in dual competition and hand Minnesota (3-1) its first loss of the season. A native of Howells, Neb., Brester wasted little time in improving his record to 13-0 on the year. The junior earned two takedowns in the first period and was constantly on the offensive against Minnesota's Gordon Bierschenk. Brester was awarded three stalling points and racked up 2:52 in riding time to post a 12-3 major decision. He has notched a bonus-point victory in every match except one this season. Browne was equally as impressive, earning a 20-8 major decision against UM's Kaleb Young. The senior scored two takedowns in each of the first two periods, but turned up the intensity and posted five takedowns in the final stanza. Browne now leads the Huskers with six major decisions on the year. Dwyer also held an early lead, but poured on the points late in his match with Minnesota's Matt Everson. Dwyer went into the third period leading 6-0 after a takedown, reversal and two stalling points. The junior notched three takedowns and a three-point nearfall to earn nine points in the final period and claim the 15-3 major decision. Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs, Vince Jones and Robert Sanders all scored victories over their Golden Gopher opponents. Burroughs completed a hat trick, as he is now 3-0 on the season against UM's Tyler Safratowich. In the only matchup of the night with two ranked wrestlers, No. 2 Burroughs scored two takedowns in the third period to pull away from No. 19 Safratwoich for a 9-4 win at 157. Jones, ranked No. 13 in the nation at 184, posted three reversals in his match to win 7-5, while Sanders scored a reversal with 14 seconds left to secure a 7-5 victory at 149. The Golden Gophers jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a pin at 141 pounds, but NU's six straight wins put the Huskers up 21-9. Minnesota scored the upset of the night at heavyweight, as unranked Joe Nord topped No. 12 Tucker Lane of Nebraska, 6-2, to close the gap. UM's Zach Sanders (125) and Jayson Ness (133) earned a technical fall and major decision, respectively, in the final matches of the day, but Minnesota still came up short. The Huskers are off for the holidays before returning to action on Jan. 4 with two duals against Northern Colorado and No. 15 Michigan. Nebraska battles the Bears at noon and faces the Wolverines at 4 p.m.

Jake Herbert will be the featured guest on Wrestling 411 Radio on Monday, December 22. This week's edition of Wrestling 411 Radio will air on Monday at 7 p.m. The show can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. An archive of the broadcast will be available immediately following the show. There will be no show on Thursday, Dec. 25. Herbert, a senior at Northwestern University, is currently ranked second at 184 pounds in the InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I individual rankings. He is currently 12-0 with seven pins on the season. The Wexford, Penn., native has compiled a 113-4 career college record. Herbert was an NCAA champion at 184 pounds in 2007. He placed second in 2006 and third in 2005, both at 174 pounds. Wrestling 411 Radio can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com.

NORFOLK, Va. -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling squad won seven of eight contested dual matches on Saturday en route to a 25-15 win at No. 21-ranked Old Dominion. The Panthers improved to 1-2 on the season with the victory in the Convocation Center. "We wrestled really well for getting in at 2 a.m. last night with all the weather-related travel troubles we had," head coach Brad Penrith said. "Josh Baldridge's win at 133 was the big win as he was trailing in his match but got the fall late for a big turnaround. You also have to give credit to Scott Hazen for getting a win in the first match of the day at 184 - that helped turn the momentum our way early." Hazen began the dual at 184 pounds with a 6-5 victory over ODU's Joe Budi. Hazen benefited from a pair of locked hands calls on Budi, and was able to finish off the win with a takedown with only 30 seconds left in the third period. Hazen rode out Budi over the final seconds to put the Panthers on top, 3-0. Senior Andrew Anderson extended the lead to 6-0 with a hard-fought 6-4 win over No. 18-ranked Jesse Strawn at 197 pounds. Anderson secured three takedowns in the match despite being ridden out in the third period. "Anderson was ridden hard in the third period, but he made Strawn work for that ride and didn't allow him to turn him," Penrith said. "That was a big win for Anderson." Redshirt freshman Christian Brantley continued the Panthers' winning way with a 9-3 victory at heavyweight over the Monarchs' Roy Dragon. After a scoreless first period, Brantley dominated the action with four takedowns to improve to 12-2 on the season. No. 4-ranked James Nicholson got the Monarchs on the board with a 10-3 victory over UNI's Caleb Flores at 125 pounds. Nicholson's win pulled ODU to within six points, 9-3. The tide swung the Panthers way at 133 pounds when senior Josh Baldridge rallied for a fall over ODU's Kyle Hutter, who is ranked No. 13 in the nation. Baldridge trailed late in the third period before catching Hutter on his back and netting the fall at the 6:21 mark. Baldridge's win stemmed the Monarch's comeback attempt as the home squad was poised to score an easy six points at 141 because of a Panther forfeit. Baldridge's win gave UNI a 15-3 dual lead. ODU's Ryan Williams earned a forfeit win at 141 after UNI's Trent Washington failed to make weight. UNI's Charlie Ettelson scored a 13-5 major decision over Joey Metzler at 149 pounds, and UNI's Tyson Reiner clinched the Panthers' first dual win of the year with a 9-3 win at 157 pounds over ODU's Dan Rivera. With the dual win clinched, Penrith decided to hold out 165-pounder Moza Fay. ODU's Chris Brown picked up a forfeit win at 165 lbs. UNI's Jarion Beets closed out the dual with a 4-1 victory over ODU's Eric Decker at 174 pounds. Beets scored a first period takedown and then tallied a late two-pointer to clinch the win. The Panthers will be in action Sunday at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., with the dual beginning at 11 a.m. (Central).

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- No. 9 Lehigh continued its impressive start to the dual season by sweeping a pair of duals Saturday in New Jersey. After downing Rutgers 27-6 earlier in the day the Mountain Hawks moved to 10-0 for the first time in 41 years with a 25-9 win over Rider Saturday night at Alumni Gymnasium. The Mountain Hawks captured eight wins against the Broncs to complete the Saturday sweep and match the program's best start since the 1966-67 season. "We have a great group of guys who are working very hard," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. "I'm very proud of how they have wrestled so hard but as a group they know that they still need to get better." The same eight wrestlers who picked up victories earlier in the day against the Scarlet Knights emerged victorious against Rider. After dropping the opening bout at 125, junior captain Matt Fisk put Lehigh on the scoreboard with bonus points, as he earned an 11-3 major decision over Matt Bradley. Fisk's second major decision win of the day helped offset a shocking loss by sophomore Mitch Berger at 125. Berger was leading Filiberto Colon 15-4 late in the third period when Colon hit a cement job and pinned Berger at the 6:29 mark. "That was kind of an early surprise," said Santoro. "Berger went from going for a tech fall to getting pinned, but Fisk really stepped up. He did not touch a mat for two weeks but came out and wrestled hard and found a way to win." Fisk's win was followed by back-to-back wins by decision as Seth Ciasulli edged Fred Rodgers 3-2 at 141 and Trevor Chinn won 6-2 over Nick Weaver at 149. Rider's second and final win came at 157, before the Mountain Hawks won the final five bouts, all by decision to cement their tenth straight win to open the season. After junior Mike Galante and sophomore Alex Caruso earned wins by decision for Lehigh, the stage was set for the featured bout of the night between junior David Craig and Rider's Doug Umbehauer at 184. The lead went back and forth and the match ended up in overtime. After neither wrestler scored in the sudden victory period, Craig rode out Umbehauer in the first 30 second tiebreaker and then reversed him in the final seconds of the second tiebreaker period en route to an 8-6 win. The final two bouts went the Mountain Hawks way as freshman Joe Kennedy was impressive in a 12-5 win over Tyler Smith at 197 and Zach Rey closed the dual with an 8-4 win over Ed Bordas. Earlier in the day Lehigh rolled to a 27-6 victory over Rutgers winning eight of ten bouts, including wins by major decision for Fisk, Chinn and Kennedy. The Mountain Hawks will now have another break of nearly two weeks before they return to the mats on Friday, January 2, when Lehigh visits West Virginia. The match is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. from the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. Lehigh's first dual of the new year will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as online at Lehighsports.com with streaming powered by Yahoo! Sports College Broadcast.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- In its final tune-up for the prestigious Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30, No. 20 Northwestern dominated its dual match against Clarion University, winning by a 29-3 margin to improve to 7-1. The match took place at North Allegheny (Pa.) High School, the alma mater of NU's 2007 national champion Jake Herbert, who posted a tech fall win (26-9) against Clarion's Clint Podish. Herbert, ranked second in the nation at 184 lbs., is now 12-0 in 2008 with seven pins. Herbert won a 2003 Pennsylvania state championship and compiled a 141-18 overall high school record while competing for North Allegheny. Clarion features two ranked wrestlers, including No. 19 Jay Ivanco at the 125-pound division. But NU's third-ranked Brandon Precin was too much, picking up an 8-2 decision to improve to 8-0 in dual match competition. At 157 lbs., No. 16 Jason Welch scored a hard-fought 6-5 win against 17th-ranked Hadley Harrison of Clarion. Welch opened with a takedown in the first and Harrison countered with a reversal to knot the bout at two after one period. It remained tight in the second frame as Welch recorded an escape, Harrison posted a takedown and Welch reversed back to take a 5-4 lead entering the third. Harrison escaped in the third, but Welch had 1:02 in riding time and earned the victory with the extra point. Welch is unbeaten in dual matches at 6-0 and 9-1 overall. Robert Joyce picked up his first dual victory of 2008 with a 7-2 decision of Danny Galvan at 133 lbs. while No. 6 Keith Sulzer rebounded after a tough loss Friday night against Pittsburgh with a 6-0 win against Sal Lascari. Robert Kellogg notched his second dramatic win in as many days for the 'Cats with an 8-7 overtime win vs. Scott Joseph at 174 lbs. Down 6-4 to start the third, Joseph escaped and took Kellogg down with about 40 seconds remaining to lead 7-6. Kellogg responded with an escape to tie the match. In overtime, Joseph had to take a second injury time, which gave Kellogg choice of starting position. He chose down and escaped to win 8-7 and has now won six of his last seven matches. Northwestern also received victories from Andrew Nadhir (149), Kyle Bertin (165) and Ben Kuhar (285). The Wildcats are now set to vie for Midlands titles when Northwestern hosts the annual event Mon.-Tue., Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena for the nation's elite college wrestlers. Fans interested in witnessing the tournament live should call 847-491-CATS for tickets. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the Midlands finals live from Evanston at 7 p.m. on Dec. 30.

The Nebraska wrestling team has postponed its dual with Kent State due to inclement weather conditions that will not allow the Golden Flashes to travel to Lincoln. The contest, originally planned for 2 p.m. on Saturday, will attempt to be rescheduled. New time and date details will be announced as they become available. Tickets for tomorrow's contest can be used for any remaining regular-season home duals. The Huskers' dual with Minnesota in the NU Coliseum at 2 p.m. on Sunday will be contested as scheduled.

TEMPE -- Anthony Robles and Chris Drouin each captured their first collegiate titles, winning five and six individual bouts on the day, respectively, to pace the Arizona State University wrestling team to a sixth-place finish at the 2008 Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev., Thursday. The Sun Devils scored 63 points and were 16 points out of a place in the Top 5. The tournament titles for both Robles and Drouin marked the first crowns captured in Reno by a Sun Devil individual since two All-Americans were victorious in 2003. That year, Reno-native Ryan Bader won the crown at 197 before Cain Velasquez took home the heavyweight title. No. 13 Oklahoma State won the team titles with 146.5 points and was followed by No. 17 Edinboro (132.5), North Carolina (94), CS Bakersfield (87) and Navy (79). CSUB was the lone Pac-10 team to finish ahead of the Sun Devils with conference rivals Oregon State (59.5), UC Davis (58.5) and CS Fullerton (57) placing eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively. The sixth-place showing for ASU gives the program its eighth Top 6 finish in 10 years in Reno. Robles, who was the tournament's top seed at 125 pounds, was dominant on the day as he won his first four bouts in impressive fashion before topping third-seeded Obenson Blanc (Oklahoma State), 9-2, in the final. Leading up to the final bout, Robles won a fall at 2:13 in the opening round over Andre Gonzalez (CS Fullerton) and a major decision of 17-5 over Jake Gonzales (Oregon State) before adding technical fall victories over Richard Alarcon (Citadel) and Kyle Fluke (Edinboro) in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Following his final victory, Robles was selected as the Outstanding Wrestler of the entire tournament. Not to be outdone, Drouin marched his way through the bracket to win his first collegiate crown, winning six bouts at the top-seed at 141 pounds. Drouin made quick work of his time to the quarterfinals as he pinned Jacub Bassett (Western Wyoming) in 1:28 in the opener and followed a medical forfeit victory in the second round with a 17-0 technical fall over Derek Royster (Citadel) in the third round. In the quarterfinals, he scored a 5-2 decision over Andrew Stella (Buffalo) before earning a 6-2 decision in the semifinals over Adin Duenas (CS Fullerton). The final was his toughest task of the day as he found himself scoring a takedown late the bout to force overtime where he scored a takedown over third-seeded Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) to win in sudden victory, 7-5. At 197 pounds, Nick Williams put together a strong run as he rebounded from a lost by pin fall in the first round to win four bouts in a row in the consolation rounds and advance to the consolation quarterfinals. In that bout, he fell, 7-4, to third-seeded and 19th-ranked Pat Bradshaw (Edinboro), bringing his tournament to an end with a 4-2 record. Had the tournament placed through eight (instead of only six), Williams would have placed as well. In all, 12 Sun Devils competed in the tournament with 11 of those wrestlers winning at least one bout on the day. ASU will return to the mats on December 29-30 as it will compete in the Midlands Championships inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Ill.

RENO, NV -- The Edinboro wrestling team crowned three champions and had eight wrestlers place at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Thursday. Gregor Gillespie, ranked number one at 157 lbs,. remained undefeated with an 18-0 record as he won the title. Jarrod King was dominant at 165 lbs. to imprive to 16-1 on the season, and Chris Honeycutt came away with the title at 184 lbs. Ricky Deubel finished second at 133 lbs., with Kyle Fluke capturing third at 125 lbs., Pat Bradshaw fourth at 197 lbs., and Joel Webster and Torsten Gillespie placed sixth at 141 and 149 lbs., respectively.

RENO, Nev. -- The 13th-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team won the Reno Tournament of Champions team title Thursday with 146.5 points, edging out No. 17 Edinboro, who placed second with 132.5 points. One of five Cowboy wrestlers to advance to the championship match in his respective weight class, heavyweight Jared Rosholt was OSU's lone individual champion at the event. Rosholt, the nation's top-ranked heavyweight since the season started, manhandled the competition in what was considered to be the deepest and most talented weight class at the Reno Tournament, as he beat No. 7 Mitch Monteiro of Cal State Bakersfield by a 13-5 major decision in the semifinals to set up a 5-4 decision over No. 15 Konrad Dudziak of Duke in the title bout. With his four wins Thursday, Rosholt ran his season record to 17-0, including three wins over ranked opponents. Similar to Rosholt, 197-pounder Clayton Foster entered the Reno Tournament undefeated, but suffered a shoulder injury in his second-round loss at the hands of Cal State Bakersfield's Brandon Halsey and was forced to medical forfeit his next bout. OSU 174-pounder Kevin Wainscott also injured his shoulder in competition and was forced to medical forfeit out of the tournament. The extent of the injuries to both wrestlers is unclear at this time and won't be known until the team returns to Stillwater. All tolled, OSU placed five wrestlers in the championship bouts of their respective weight classes, with Rosholt winning, 125-pounder Obenson Blanc losing in the finals to No. 8 Anthony Robles of Arizona State, 141-pounder Jamal Parks losing in the title bout to No. 5 Chris Drouin of Arizona State, 157-pounder Neil Erisman losing the championship to No. 1 Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro and 165-pounder Brandon Mason stumbling in the finals to No. 6 Jarrod King of Edinboro. Cowboy 133-pounder Chris Notte took third place in his weight class by beating North Carolina's Mark Rappo by a 9-5 decision in the consolation finals. OSU 149-pounder Luke Silver placed fifth in his bracket, with 184-pounders Jared Shelton (third) and Chris McNeil (fifth) both placing in their respective weight class. Oklahoma State breaks from competition for the holidays, then returns to action on New Years Day, when it faces No. 7 Minnesota in Minneapolis.

"What have I gotten myself into now?" That's the opening sentence of Wrestling Spoken Here, a novel about that tells the story of Robbie Renfro, a high school sophomore who is experiencing his first season as a wrestler and grappling with all sorts of challenges on and off the mat. This 312-page book, intended for junior and senior high readers but appropriate for all ages, is available from Lulu Publishing. The author's illustrious mat background Author Milt Sherman is uniquely equipped to craft an engaging story about a high school wrestler new to the sport -- as a former wrestler, coach, and instructor. Milt Sherman wrestled at Yorktown High School in Virginia before moving on to wrestle at East Carolina UniversitySherman wrestled at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia outside Washington, D.C. for legendary coach Chuck Harris, a member of the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee which governs high school wrestling. (Among Yorktown's more famous alums: CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, and the late Paul Wellstone, former Minnesota senator and ACC champion wrestler at the University of North Carolina.) Milt Sherman continued his mat career at East Carolina University. Coached by another legend, John Welborn, Sherman was a four-year starter, compiling a 101-13 record for an 88% winning percentage. Among his college highlights: defeating NCAA champs Mike Frick of Lehigh and Clarion's Gary Barton, and winning the 142-pound title at the 1973 Southern Conference championships (despite receiving a concussion after being elbowed in the temple). After college, Milt Sherman was a teacher and wrestling coach at D.H. Conley High School in Greenville, North Carolina for nearly 30 years, where his teams tallied 470 wins. He coached a state championship team, and three state runner-up teams. One of his wrestlers, James Johnson, later won three Open Division National Championships in Greco, and placed fifth at the 1994 World Championships. Coach becomes a writer While at Conley, Milt Sherman launched his writing career. During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he met Nicholas "Micky" Hirschl, who, prior to World War II, was European Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and had won bronze medals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics… but was forced to flee Nazi oppression in Europe because he was Jewish. Milt ShermanIn 1985, Sherman shared Hirschl's inspiring story with readers of Wrestling USA magazine. "I had never interviewed anyone, I had never written an article," discloses Sherman. "I thought I'd give it a shot." "A few years later, I wrote an article for Coach magazine," Sherman continues. "The magazine covered all sports, but usually didn't cover wrestling. I thought they should provide articles on wrestling, so I submitted a technique article. It came back all marked up in red, the most red marks I'd ever seen on a page. But they were constructive comments. I made revisions to that draft, resubmitted it, and that first article was published. It was the first of about a dozen technique articles." In the past two decades, Milt Sherman has published approximately two dozen articles, ranging from instructional features, to historical articles, to humorous pieces such as "Wrestling Is Better Than Basketball," for Coach, Amateur Wrestling News, W.I.N. Magazine, and Wrestling USA. Taking a shot at writing a novel "I was a high school teacher and coach for 29 years," says Milt Sherman. "I would walk into high school and public libraries all over, and would look for wrestling books, and usually found nothing. Not even technique books, let alone novels about wrestling." "I'm a wrestling guy, so I wanted to write a novel that drove people TO the sport, not away from it." Sherman explains: "Some wrestling novels emphasize negatives, like unhealthy weight-loss techniques, or feature characters who, when confronted with a challenge, quit the sport. That doesn't seem true to the sport and those who participate in it." "In writing (Wrestling Spoken Here), it was, 'let me take a shot.'" "Realize that I'm a wrestling coach who's done some writing, not a writer who's wrestled, like John Irving," says Sherman, referring to the author of bestsellers such as The World According to Garp, who won an Oscar for the screenplay adaptation of his novel The Cider-House Rules. "There were two things I had to overcome in making the transition from writing articles, to writing a novel. First, dialogue. In an article explaining wrestling technique, you don't have individuals talking. It was a challenge to write conversations that were realistic. The second issue was, the size of the job. Writing an article is like writing a chapter, in terms of the length, and the effort it takes." "I was about halfway through the writing process before I had firmed up the book's outline," according to Sherman. "The writing process became easier as I went along. It was like practice. Just like in wrestling, practice helped, and I think it made the writing better." Milt Sherman makes another link between wrestling and writing: "Writing is certainly a creative outlet. When I was wrestling, I never thought of it as a creative outlet, but it is. You have to be creative on the mat, think quickly, improvise. An athlete may know exactly what he wants to do, but it doesn't always go as planned. You make it up as you go along." Meet Robbie and Matt Wrestling Spoken Here introduces readers to wrestlers and coaches at Arthur L. Canady High School, with the spotlight on Robbie Renfro, a sophomore who's just taken up wrestling at the insistence of his friend Matt Ardmore, the 140-pound starter for the Pirates. Here's how author Milt Sherman describes the two main characters of his novel: "Matt is more experienced, more outgoing. Robbie is shy, very much a regular guy. He's new to the sport, so he gets beat by teammates, in the scrimmage, in matches, but he doesn't give up." "Being involved in school activities is a positive. It helps Robbie have friends, builds his confidence, gives him a reason to get up in the morning. In fact, kids involved in an extra-curricular activity are more likely to graduate than those who don't." The book takes the reader through the wrestling season at Canady High -- at least through the conference tournament. We spend time in the practice room, on road trips in the school activity bus, in dual meets and tournaments at home and away. It strives to describe the action in the wrestling room and at actual matches in a clear, compelling way that will be believable for fans and participants in the sport, yet is easily accessible to ANY reader. Here's an excerpt describing one of Robbie's matches: Starting on top in the third period, Robbie knew he had to turn his opponent to his back to earn a win, and he worked hard to do that. With a minute left and still on top, Robbie was still down 5-3 when they went out-of-bounds. As they returned to the center Coach Moore yelled out, "Step out and drive that head!" Resolved to do that, Robbie tried his 'cross-face cradle' again on the whistle, stepped his left foot out in front for leverage, and drove his opponent's head to his knee. Locking the cradle but unable to rock his opponent to his back, Robbie heard Coach Moore yelling again, "Bump him, Robbie! Do the bump!" Robbie did just that and rolled his man to his back. As the referee began counting the seconds for a near-fall, Robbie's opponent began pulling and twisting Robbie's grip. Breaking the grip, the Welborn High School. wrestler bridged over to his stomach as the ref called out, "Two, near fall." Robbie's parents glanced up nervously at the scoreboard which now read 5-5. Robbie quickly found out that there was no quit in his opponent either, as he worked up to his knees and worked to control Robbie's hands. Robbie couldn't hold him down, and he successfully stood up, peeled the hands, and escaped. "One, escape," called the ref. Many anxious fans quickly glanced at the scoreboard as it changed to 6-5 visitors." Not for wrestlers only "I think any athlete can read the book and follow the action," says Sherman. "It's a story that centers around wrestling, but isn't just about wrestling. Top athletes love to compete. I think this book speaks to that." Wrestling Spoken Here also addresses the challenges wrestlers go up against -- making weight, dealing with wrestle-offs, how to learn from loss -- with an overall upbeat, positive tone. "By design, something amusing happens each chapter," according to Milt Sherman. "It's a structural element, leading to the season's conclusion. For young readers, you need something each chapter to reward them, to keep interest." "I think this is a fun read for boys," continues the author. "I don't think kids today read enough." Wrestling Spoken Here doesn't shy away from universal issues that go beyond wrestling. As author Milt Sherman says, "I address issues such as bullying, racism, a parent who drinks too much." However, he does it in a way that's never heavy-handed. A spirit of optimism prevails throughout the book that makes it a compelling, quick-paced read that will win over readers of every age and background. To order a copy of Wrestling Spoken Here using a credit card, go to www.Amazon.com and type Wrestling Spoken Here into the search box. To order a signed copy send $19.50 or a purchase order ($16.50 + 3.00 shipping) to the author at 128 Harrell Street, Greenville, NC 27858. For questions contact miltsherman@hotmail.com

Jamie Moffatt will be the featured guest on Wrestling 411 Radio on Thursday, December 18. Augsburg College's KAUG radio serves as the online host of Wrestling 411 Radio. The hour-long show can be heard live this Tuesday from 7 – 8 p.m. Central Standard Time by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. Archives of each broadcast, along with a video from each show, will be available on the website as well. Moffatt is the author of the book "Wrestlers at the Trials." This book is a collection of stories - told by 90 remarkable wrestlers, coaches and officials - as the world-class athletes give their all trying to make their dream come true - winning a spot on the US Olympic Wrestling team. Wrestling 411 Radio can be heard live Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 – 8 p.m. CST by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Pins from Clayton Foster at 197 pounds and Jared Rosholt at 285 pounds, plus technical fall wins from Brandon Mason at 165 pounds and Jared Shelton at 184 pounds led the 13th-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team to a 37-6 victory over Cal Poly Tuesday at Mott Gymnasium. With the win, the Cowboys improved to 6-2 on the year. The evening started with a forfeit at 125 pounds, with Cowboy Obenson Blanc garnering six points for his team on the dual scoreboard without having to wrestle. OSU 133-pounder Chris Notte scored two takedowns and added an escape and riding time to expand the Cowboy lead to 9-0 with his 6-0 win over Jake Tanenbaum. At 141 pounds, OSU redshirt freshman Jamal Parks picked up his second consecutive win over a ranked opponent when he handed No. 19 Filip Novachkov an 8-7 defeat behind the strength of four takedowns. Parks' season total of 28 takedowns leads the team. Oklahoma State was slapped with a couple of losses at 149 pounds and 157 pounds, as Mustang 149-pounder Eric Maldonado beat Quinten Fuentes by a 5-2 score just before teammate and No. 12-ranked 157-pounder Chase Pami edged Newly McSpadden, 3-1. It was all Cowboys from there, however, as 165-pounder Brandon Mason and 184-pounder Jared Shelton both claimed technical fall victories, with Mason beating Joel Shaw by a 17-0 count before the bout was stopped at the 3:37 mark and Shelton handing Ryan Smith a 16-0 stomping before the bout was stopped with 6:02 left. 197-pounder Clayton Foster pinned Bo Lukehart at the 6:10 mark and Jared Rosholt put the exclamation point on the dual by pinning Kelan Bragg just 1:38 in. Both Foster and Rosholt improved their identical records to 13-0 on the year with their wins Tuesday, and the two have 23 bonus-point wins between them. The Cowboys return to action Thursday when they compete at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Ryan Bader, a former student-athlete on the Arizona State University wrestling team (2003-06), fought in the finale of season eight of the UFC's (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Ultimate Fighter series on Saturday inside the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., and won the light heavyweight division and a contract with the UFC. The second former Sun Devil in as many series to reach the final, Bader needed less than three minutes to win his fight and be crowned the Ultimate Fighter. 'Darth' Bader, as he is known in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), met up with Vinny Magalhaes in the finale and put his 8-0-0 professional record on the line against a multiple-time world champion in jiu-jitsu. With both fighters at home on the ground, Bader kept the fight on its feet to start and that strategy paid off for the Reno-native as Bader landed a strong right hand to the side of Magalhaes' head, dropping his foe to the mat. Once there, Bader moved in for several more punches before the referee stepped in at the 2:18 mark and giving Bader the TKO victory. Bader, who was a two-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 Champion for the Sun Devil wrestling program between 2002 and 2006, followed former teammate C.B. Dollaway (known as the Doberman) as fighters on the Ultimate Fighter series while becoming the first to win the show. Dollaway lost in the final of season seven. The victory for Bader was not the only win for the State of Arizona at the Ultimate Finale. In the lightweight finale, Yuma, Ariz., native and former Pima College All-American wrestler Efrain Escudero won a contract of his own with the UFC as he scored a unanimous decision victory over Phillipe Nover. One other fighter with Arizona ties also fought Saturday as former Sun Devil football player Kyle Kingsbury lost a unanimous decision to Tom Lawlor. The Ultimate Finale on Saturday also started a string of three shows in a row with former Sun Devils fighting on the card. Next up for former ASU student-athletes will be Dollaway's (8-2-0) return to the octagon on December 27 where he will fight Mike Massenzio (11-2-0) at UFC 92 - The Ultimate 2008 inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Then, on January 17, UFC 93 - Franklin vs. Henderson will take place inside the O2-Dublin Arena in Dublin, Ireland, with former Sun Devil ‘Dangerous' Dan Henderson (22-7-0) taking on Rich ‘Ace' Franklin (25-3-0) in the headline fight of the card.

Corey Morrison, a junior on the sixth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team, was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. It is the first weekly laurel of Morrison's career. Morrison, the 14th-ranked heavyweight, scored the match-deciding win against No. 8 Joey Fendone, 5-3, to lift the Buckeyes to a 19-12 victory at No. 17 Edinboro Sunday. Ohio State entered the final bout with a slim 16-12 lead before Morrison's win. Not only did the victory by the Shaker Heights, Ohio, native help propel the Buckeyes to their third dual win of the season, but he also handed Fendone his first loss of 2008-09. Fendone entered the match vs. Morrison, 14-0. The five points – two takedowns and an escape – scored by Morrison also were the most points scored on the Fighting Scot this season. Morrison earned the Big Ten honor a day after teammate Colt Sponseller was named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week. TheMat.com is the official web site of USA Wrestling. This is the second Big Ten weekly honor for the Buckeyes this season. Junior Reece Humphrey was named wrestler of the week Nov. 4.

Sooner sophomore Nathan Fernandez was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced Monday. Fernandez recorded a three-match sweep at the California tournament, pinning two of three opponents, including No. 4-ranked Mitch Monteiro of Cal-Bakersfield early in the second period (3:19). The Lawton, Oklahoma, native also recorded a fall versus Kelan Bragg (6:55) of Cal Poly and won by a 14-6 major decision over Kurt Klimek of Cal-Fullerton. "I am really proud of Nathan because he works so hard and always comes to wrestle," head coach Jack Spates said. "He was a key factor for us in defeating Oklahoma State and played a key role for us this past weekend in California. Nathan always gives himself a chance to win." After his successful weekend, the Lawton, Okla., native now owns an 11-4 overall record this season and a 6-1 dual tally. The No. 12th-ranked Sooners bested Cal Poly (35-7), Cal-Bakersfield (26-12) and Cal-Fullerton (29-7) to improve to 7-0. Fernandez and the undefeated Sooners are off to their best start since 1985, when Stan Abel's squad began 10-0. The Sooners are also 1-0 in the Big 12 for the first time since 1993. The team will break for the holidays until returning to action on Jan. 3, at the Lonestar Duals in Arlington, Texas.

Mike PoetaMike Poeta is one of the greatest wrestlers ever to compete at the University of Illinois. The two-time All-American is 88-13 in his career, a winning percentage of .871, which ranks third all-time at Illinois. He was NCAA runner-up last season at 157 pounds. RevWrestling.com recently caught up with Poeta and asked him about his injury and when he expects to return to competition, what his NCAA finals loss to Jordan Leen did to him, what makes Jimmy Kennedy so tough, what wrestlers he enjoys watching and learning from, whether he plans to continue wrestling freestyle after his college wrestling career, and much more. You have not competed yet this season due to injury. Describe your injury. Poeta: I've just had some problems with my knee over the summer and it continued on into the season, so it has taken a lot longer to recover than we anticipated. I've been practicing for about two weeks now with no limitation or restrictions … and I feel that I'm better now than I was before I got hurt. It was great for me mentally. I don't think I lost a step or lost a beat. I feel like I'm already starting to wrestle really well. So will you be back for the Midlands at the end of the month? Poeta: Most likely not. Do you have an expected return date? Poeta: The plan for a long time now has been January 9 against West Virginia. That's been the plan the whole time. But I think it's coming along a lot faster than everyone thought. But I think that's still the plan. You wrestled Jordan Leen in the NCAA finals, a wrestler you had never faced. Leen came through the bracket as the No. 8 seed. Being that you were one of the favorites to win the weight class, I imagine there some wrestlers you expected you might face in the finals. How surprised were you to see Leen in the NCAA finals? Mike Poeta (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Poeta: I have always known he's tough. He wrestled my old roommate, Joe Gomez, in the Senior National finals, and actually beat him pretty good … when Joe was one of the best at the time. Jordan Leen is a guy everyone has always known in the wrestling world. I knew he was tough. It's not like I took the match any lighter than if I was wrestling someone like Gregor Gillespie. I knew he was tough and I don't think I approached it any differently. I'm going to go back to a specific moment in that NCAA finals match. End of the second period, about 30 seconds left in the period, you get called for fleeing the mat at about the same you're close to securing a takedown on the edge of the mat. What are your thoughts on the call the referee made? Poeta: The thing is … when you're wrestling and the guy is in on a shot, the point is to counter. When a guy is on a sweep single, to counter the shot and get out of it, you're trying to kick. People who have seen me wrestle know that I don't stall. I'm always trying to score. In that situation, I turned and kicked, turned and kicked. He was still on my leg. I turned back, grabbed his hand, picked him up, and then ended up in on a shot of my own, which was about as clear cut of a takedown as can be. If they're giving Johny Hendricks those takedowns on Ryan Churella a few years back, then mine should have been more than a takedown. The thing is … you can't let the ref decide it. You have to pretend the ref is not there. I shouldn't have let it be that close. But it was a bad call. That's just the way it was. But I shouldn't let one call decide the national finals for me. What did that loss to Leen in the NCAA finals do to you? Poeta: It was tough. The following couple days, couple weeks were really tough. All wrestlers put so much into this sport … and to be so close to your dream and not get it, it was very tough. Just like with any loss, it's really motivating. I have a quote in my locker about it. It has just been motivating. The 157-pound weight class is widely considered to be the strongest of any weight class this season. Four of the top five from last season return, plus some All-Americans from 149 have moved up. What are your thoughts on the overall strength of the weight class this season? Poeta: There are five or six really tough kids, like you said, but you don't have to wrestle them all. At the national tournament, you're probably only going to wrestle two of them. It is tough. There are a lot of tough kids, but who cares … you have to beat everyone who is in front of you. If you were in charge of doing rankings, where would you be ranked right now at 157? Poeta: If I was wrestling, No. 1. I've been sitting out, so I probably wouldn't even put me in there until I wrestle. Although you were unable to compete at the NWCA All-Star Classic due to injury, you accompanied your teammate, Jimmy Kennedy, to the event. You did that on your own expense and on your own time. Why was it important for you to be there with Jimmy? Poeta: The wrestling team, and I'm sure it's like this at every school, it's a brotherhood. We're all brothers. We love each other. Our team was wrestling in Missouri, so he was traveling alone. I just wanted to go keep him company and make it a better time for him … and be a workout partner for him if he needed to do anything to make weight or get ready for his match. In a battle of returning All-Americans, Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois defeated Jayson Ness of Minnesota at the 2008 NWCA All-Star Classic at 133 pounds (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Jimmy Kennedy seems to be wrestling better than he ever has in his career. He is currently 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country at 133. He has a victory over Jayson Ness and recently won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitional. What are your thoughts on the way he's wrestling right now? Poeta: Jimmy Kennedy is an animal. There's no other way to put it. Not only is he probably the best wrestler at 133, but add on top of it, he's the most mentally tough kid I've been around since I started wrestling. Other 133-pounders better watch out. This kid is all business. I saw you in the Faces of the Big Ten commercial. You said that you pick up as much wrestling knowledge as you can from watching successful wrestlers. Who are some of those wrestlers that you enjoy watching and learning from? Poeta: I love watching (Bouvaisa) Saitiev. Everyone watches Saitiev. But you can't do any of the stuff he does. That's the problem with watching him. I love watching him, but the stuff he does is so unique. He has such a good feel for wrestling. I really can't do any of the stuff he does. I really love watching Stephen Abas and Bryan Snyder. I think Bryan Snyder the most just because I think he wrestles a lot like the way I wrestle. The stuff he does really works for me. Illinois is 5-0 this season. You were missing several starters at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational when you placed 13th. I think a lot of people are wondering where Illinois fits into the national picture. You have a mix of young, talented wrestlers in your lineup, plus some veteran leadership. How good can this Illinois team be? Poeta: I think we're a team that can be right up there in the top and be in the hunt. And then we're also a team that could drop back and be nowhere near the top. I think it depends on a lot of individuals. We have guys that can do very, very well. And at the same time, it's night and day. Those same guys might not perform up to their abilities. So honestly it's up in the air. I get more nervous for other guys on my team, especially a guy like Roger Smith-Bergsrud. He's a guy that I wrestle with daily. It's amazing to me how good this kid is … and then he doesn't always show it. If the kid that I wrestle with every day comes out, just like Jimmy Kennedy, he's going to be a scary kid for other wrestlers in his weight class. Mike Poeta is hoping FILA changes the weight classes (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)You have been successful in freestyle in your age group throughout your career. Do you plan to continue competing in freestyle after your college wrestling career? Poeta: I'm just going to wrestle until I die. I just couldn't imagine doing anything else. I'm going to go until my body tells me to stop. With my knee, I sat out for about four months. This was probably the hardest four months of my life. It's tough being away from it. What weight class? Poeta: I'm kind of hoping they switch them around a little bit. I'm one of those guys that is stuck right in the middle. 163 is big for me. When I'm wrestling every day, I'm in the 150s after every practice without really watching what I eat. And 145, that's unmakable. I wouldn't be able to do that. That's too little. So I'm right in between. If there was a low 150s weight class, that would be perfect for me. I'm hoping they switch them around. Otherwise, I'm going to have to sit down and make a decision on the plan going forward.

America's Wrestling Radio Show (TDR) returns to our home based Brute Adidas studios at KXNO for this loaded program. Steve Foster and possibly Jeff Murphy will man the guns as I will be covering a network event in South Florida. I know, rough duty considering the weather here. I promise to come back for a series of shows that will include a special video broadcast of a visit to Sean Bormet's Overtime School of Wrestling, the Midlands and the NWCA National Duals. Joining Steve, Jeff, Randy and crew will be: Ken Kraft- Founder of the Midlands Wrestling Championships. The 46th Annual Midlands will take place at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec 29th and 30th. This years field of competitors include 7 Big 10 programs and 2 Big 12 teams with a possible showdown between long time rivals Iowa and Iowa State. Visit the Nusports.com for additional information. Scott Hinkel- Head Coach of Purdue- A name synonymous with Purdue wrestling, Scott Hinkel became the Boilermakers' 13th Head Coach in school history in 2007, after 14 years as a Purdue assistant. Hinkel wasted no time in ushering success back into the Purdue program, becoming the third coach in school history to post a winning dual record in his first season along with Don Corrigan and Fred Miller. Jack Spates- Head Coach of the Sooners of Oklahoma. Fresh off a great west coast tour Spates and company find themselves undefeated (7-0) for the first time in years and still enjoying the second defeat in 2 years over the Cowboys of OSU. Andrew Pariano- Asst. Head Coach of Northwestern University. This young man has plenty on his plate, challenging for a Big 10 Conference Title, getting the facility and the team ready for the Midlands at home a National Duals position. Plenty to do, enough time? We'll find out. Chris Bono- Head Coach U of Tennessee at Chat. The Mocs are currently 4-5 on the season and 1-0 in Southern Conference action. Facing a demanding non-conference schedule, with three of their five losses coming against ranked opponents. Mocs have notched wins over Davidson, Newberry, Northern Illinois and Anderson, UTC has tough defeats against No. 25 Kent State, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 6 Nebraska and West Virginia. The only other loss was a 25-16 set back against E. Michigan. Wednesday night action- The Mocs are 5-2 all time against NAIA Cumberland, including a 42-3 win in Maclellan Gym on Nov. 10, 2007. UTC's last loss in the series was a 21-17 defeat on Feb. 11, 2002. Chattanooga is 4-0 all time against Gardner Webb, including a 46-6 win on Jan. 21, 2007, in their last meeting. UTC faces No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 5 Missouri and West Virginia before completing SoCon action. The match with the Sooners takes place in Maclellan Gym on Jan. 11 at 1:00 p.m. Joel Greenlee- Ohio University now in his 12th year as the head coach of the Bobcats. Ohio's Jacob Ison (Batavia, Ohio) is ranked 20th in the latest poll released by Intermat Wrestling. Ison is 8-1 on the season at 174 pounds. The Bobcats notched wins over Appalachian State and the Citadel, split at the Hossier Dual and Greenlee looks to improve that record with his young team. Listeners and viewers check out our new feature on Takedownradio.com, TDR TV. Great interviews and more to come. Recent postings include Lehigh and Pittsburg. We'll be filming a ton of video at the National Duals as well as providing the play by play from at least 3 mats. Tune in to Livesportsvideo.com for all the action of this years NWCA National Duals. Thanks for the tremendous listenership over the past 11 years. Happy Holidays to one and all!

The University of Minnesota wrestling program inked the top recruiting class in the country last season, and early indications are that J Robinson's 2009 class is no slouch either. This week, W.I.N. Magazine named Robinson's 2009 group of early signees tops in the Big Ten Conference. The magazine's Dec. 8 issue pegs the Minnesota class sixth-best nationally, ahead of Big Ten foes Wisconsin (7th), Iowa (8th), Michigan (11th), Ohio State (13th), and Indiana (17th) in the annual top-25 listing. Once again there is a strong local flavor in the Gophers' recruiting class, with five of the seven student-athletes signed on National Signing Day hailing from the state of Minnesota. The class includes Jake Kettler (Ramsey, Minn.), Alec Ortiz (Newberg Ore.), Bart Reiter (Gilbertville, Iowa), Pat Smith (Chaska, Minn.), Kevin Steinhaus (Pennock, Minn.), David Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) and Danny Zilverberg (Wayzata, Minn.). "Having five Minnesota High School wrestlers sign with us during the fall period is a tribute to the great programs for youth wrestling that exist here in Minnesota," Robinson said. "There is exceptional quality in this state and we are very excited about this incoming class. They have proven themselves on the national level and we expect big things from this group at the collegiate level." The Golden Gophers are on the road this weekend for a dual with No. 4 Nebraska on Sunday at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln. Minnesota hosts Big XII powerhouse Oklahoma State to open its home dual season in a 2:00 p.m. New Year's Day clash at the University Sports Pavilion. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by contacting the Gopher Ticket Office at 612.624.8080.