InterMat Staff

Stillwater, Okla. -- Oklahoma State's Brandon Mason went from being a solid wrestler to becoming a challenger for the NCAA title last season. He was ranked outside of the top 10 going into the 2007 NCAA Championships, but finished fifth to earn All-America honors. As a result of his strong performance when it mattered most, this year's preseason rankings have Mason ranked as the third-best wrestler in the nation at 174 pounds. Though a fifth-place finish for someone ranked outside of the top 10 would be considered by most as a successful showing, Mason competes as part of an Oklahoma State wrestling team that has set a higher standard. Having won the NCAA team title 34 times, most recently in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, the Cowboys expect nothing but the best. "I was disappointed in being fifth. A lot of us could have done better," Mason said. "I could have placed higher. I should not have lost a few matches that I did lose at nationals. Every person factors in. It is individual, but it is also a team race. I should have won some more matches to help the team out." Mason was also upset with how he started last year as a redshirt sophomore, "I definitely don't want to start out 5-5 like I started out last year. That was ugly." Despite the slow start, Mason flipped the switch to win 22 of his last 30 matches to end with a season record of 27-13. With the momentum gained at the end of the season, Mason said he worked in the offseason on doing what he needs to do to be a national champion. "I have been working harder on my offensive shots. I started to get a few at the end of the season last year, but I have been working harder on them this year. My defense needs improving and I have been working on that this off-season," Mason explained. "On bottom, I need to be getting out faster. On top, I need to stop hanging as much as I have been. I need to switch up my breakdown techniques instead of doing the same one every time. Those are the four or five things that I really need to improve in order to be successful and win a national title this year." The biggest talk surrounding the Oklahoma State wrestling program during the off-season was of the grueling workouts coach John Smith threw at the team during the summer months of training. Mason said the training was vastly different from the past. "We ran a lot more and we wrestled a lot more in the length of our goes. The intensity was brought up from last year at the same point of the season," Mason said. Smith wanted to emphasize that his team would be physically fit and ready to rebound from a disappointing season. "[Running in the heat during the summer] really builds mental toughness for sure," Mason said. "I think coach turned it up because we have several guys who are stepping into the lineup for the first time. He wants them ready for the first match and he doesn't have a year for them to build that confidence so he is trying to get them mentally tough." Mason said the Cowboys are tougher, stronger and more intense than last year. From an individual perspective, his off-season workout and desire to improve have made Mason more competitive and he's ready to challenge for an NCAA title this year. "Mentally I am ready," Mason said. "I am really hungry this year. There are things I want to accomplish that I do not want to slip out of my grasp."

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced that two-time All-American Mack Reiter of the University of Minnesota has been selected to replace Missouri's Tyler McCormick at 133 pounds at the 42nd annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps. The University of Oregon's McArthur Court will host the event on November 19 at 7 p.m. (PST) It is Reiter's third All-Star Classic selection, however, he did not compete in the 2006 event after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament prior to the event. McCormick pulled out with a slight leg injury Reiter joins teammates Jayson Ness (125), Dustin Schlatter (149) and Roger Kish (184) as Golden Gophers as participants in the event. Minnesota wrestlers have made 20 previous appearances in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Reiter will face top-ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State at 133 pounds. The Iowa native is the second replacement in this year's event. On Monday, Wade Sauer of Cal State-Fullerton was named to replace Northwestern's Dustin Fox at heavyweight. MATCHUPS 125: No. 1 Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) vs. No. 4 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) 133: No. 1 Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 141: No. 2 Charles Griffin (Hofstra) vs. No. 3 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) 149: No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Josh Churella (Michigan) 157: No. 2 Craig Henning (Wisconsin) vs. No. 3 Mike Poeta (Illinois) 165: No. 2 Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) vs. No. 3 Patrick Pitsch (Arizona State) 174: No. 1 Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 2 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) 184: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. No. 2 Roger Kish (Minnesota) 197: No. 2 Phil Davis (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) 285: No. 1 (D2) Tervel Dlagnev (Neb.-Kearney) vs. No. 3 (D1) Wade Sauer (Fullerton) EXHIBITIONS 125: No. 1 (NAIA) Trevor Lofstedt (Southern Oregon) vs. Jake Gonzales (Oregon State) 174: Ron Lee (Oregon) vs. Luke Feist (Stanford)

EAST LANSING, Mich. –- Redshirt freshman Nick Stabile and freshman Michael Robinson each brought home individual titles in the Freshman/Sophomore Division, and junior Justin Dobies posted a third-place finish at heavyweight in the Open Division to lead North Carolina's contingent at the Michigan State Open Sunday at Jenison Field House. Stabile, who was victorious at 141 pounds, and Robinson, who won at 125, led a strong showing by the Tar Heels in the Freshman/Sophomore Division. Twelve of the 14 Carolina wrestlers entered placed in the top five of their respective weight classes. In addition to Stabile and Robinson, Danny Lopes (133), Keenan Duffie (149) and Thomas Scotton (157) each posted runner-up finishes. Jason DeLuca (third at 125), Jeremy Shaw (fifth at 133), Mike Rappo (third at 149), Thomas Ferguson (fourth at 157), Rudy Moures (fifth at 157), Kyle Kiss (fifth at 174) and Nick Tenpenny (fourth at 184) also finished as placewinners. Dobies, who was making his debut at heavyweight, led the Tar Heels in the open division with his third-place finish. Drew Forshey (fifth at 125), Dennis Drury (sixth at 197) and Kevin Owen (sixth at 174) were also placewinners. Dobies, who wrestled at 184 for two seasons before redshirting a year ago, suffered an opening round loss but rebounded to win five straight bouts to take third. He downed Travis Clark of Findlay in the third-place bout. In the Freshman/Sophomore Division, Robinson won his first collegiate bout with a pin of Manchester's Jason Ray and never looked back, taking the 125-pound title with a 4-0 record on the day. He topped Michigan State's Eric Owlanoski by a 5-3 margin in the final. Stabile brought home the Tar Heels second title with a 4-0 record at 141. He allowed just two points on the day and pinned Michigan's Mark Beaudry in the final in 2:35. Carolina is back in action Saturday at the second-annual ACC/Big Ten Clash at the Tar Heels' Eddie Smith Field House. UNC will face Michigan State at noon and Purdue at 4 p.m.

This weekend we take our mobile Brute Adidas Studios on the road for 6 brand new episodes 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. TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. Road Schedule- 11-14-07 to 11-19-07 11-14-07 Lehigh University Room Show- 3:30 PM Eastern 11-15-07 Bloomsburg University of PA Vs. Pitt- 6:30 PM Eastern 11-16-07 Rider University Vs. IA State- 6:00 PM Eastern 11-17-07 Cornell University- Body Bar Invitational 10:00 AM Eastern 11-18-07 Binghamton University's- Sprawl and Brawl 9:00 AM Eastern 11-19-07 Brown University Room Show- 3:00 PM Eastern Check the broadcast times for each program. Our Guests will Include: Coaches, Wrestlers and other folks will join us throughout each of these special days. 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!

Returning All-American Wade Sauer of Cal State-Fullerton has been selected to replace Northwestern's Dustin Fox at the 42nd annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps on November 19 in Eugene, Ore. Sauer, a junior, placed sixth at the NCAA Championships last year for Coach Dan Hicks' squad and finished the season with a 30-13 record. From Grass Valley, Calif., Sauer started his college career at Fresno State and transferred to Fullerton after the Bulldog wrestling program was dropped. Ironically, he defeated his former teammate at Fresno, Cody Parker, in the consolations at the NCAA Championships last season en route to his sixth-place finish. Parker was wrestling for Cal Poly. Among Sauer's wins at the NCAA tournament last year: Kyle Massey of Wisconsin, Parker, Reece Hopkin of Northern Colorado, Dustin Rogers of West Virginia and Payam Zarrinpour of Sacred Heart. Sauer is the first-ever representative from Cal State-Fullerton in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Fox withdrew after suffering an injury while competing last weekend. Cal State-Fullerton coach Dan Hicks was a two-time participant in the NWCA All-Star Classic as a wrestler for Oregon State. He defeated Sam Komar of Indiana 7-4 in 1978 when the event was hosted at Franklin & Marshall. In 1979, he defeated Michigan State's Jeff Therrian 6-3 when the event was held in Corvallis.

Mason City -- North Iowa Area Community College head wrestling coach Richard Fergola announced today the verbal commitment from Brock Coutu of Griswold, CT. Coutu was the 2007 Class S Connecticut state champion at 135 pounds. Coutu placed third in the state championships in 2006. Coutu is currently ranked No. 21 among the nation's top seniors by Wrestling USA magazine. Coutu will compete for the Trojans at 141 pounds. "I am very excited about the commitment of Brock", stated Fergola. He epitomizes exactly what we are looking for in a student-athlete. He gets the job done in the classroom as well as the mat."

BETHLEHEM -- The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team opened its 2007-08 season today at Lehigh University's Leeman-Turner Arena. The Panthers used multiple strong performances to hand the Mountain Hawks their first loss of the season by a tally of 24-9. The afternoon began with the 125 pound match up of junior Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) and Lehigh's Mitch Berger. Gentzle trailed Berger after the first period 3-2, but regained his composure and pinned the Mountain Hawk with just less than five minutes gone in the bout, giving the Panthers an early 6-0 advantage in the match. Sophomore Jimmy Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) was the next Panther to step to the line, as he squared off against Kevin Vinh. The New Jersey native found himself in a 5-2 hole after the first period and appeared to have gained the momentum back from Vinh, compiling well over a minute of riding time, but Vinh came on with a flurry to end the third period, taking the duel 7-6 and cutting the Panther's six point lead in half. Returning All-American and No. 11 ranked Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) jumped out to a 6-2 lead on Jeff Santo in the 141 match up after the first period and went on to take the bout by a score of 7-2. Junior Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) suffered two takedowns in the first period to fall behind Lehigh's Trevor Chinn 4-2. After trading escapes, Ecklof picked up two stalling points in the third, but another Chinn takedown with 11 seconds left sealed his fate and the 149 bout went to the Mountain Hawks, 7-6. Redshirt senior Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College), another of Pitt's three returning All-Americans, pummeled Dave Nakasone with a series of takedowns throughout the first two periods and appeared to have a major decision wrapped up until Nakasome scored a takedown late in the third to salvage some valuable team points for Lehigh. Kocher would claim victory in the bout by a score of 12-6. Lehigh's Mike Galante racked up 42 seconds of riding time against Pitt junior Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) in the first period and had extended that tally to 2:06 by the start of the third. Richmond registered two escapes during the bout, but was unable to muster any offense and the Mountain Hawks again cut Pitt's lead to three, 12-9. In the afternoon's most crowd pleasing bout, Redshirt senior Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), the nation's No. 1 ranked wrestler and last year's national runner-up in the 174 pound class, squared off with Lehigh's Alex Caruso in a very low scoring affair. After a scoreless first period, Caruso answered a Gavin escape in the second with one of his own in the third and sent the bout into overtime. After yet another stalemate in the overtime period, the two men once again traded escapes before Gavin registered a takedown to lock up a 4-2 victory. David Sullivan (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley/East Stroudsburg), a sophomore transfer from East Stroudsburg, turned the tide against Lehigh's 184 contestant David Craig with a two point reversal in the second and used a substantial amount of riding time to take his bout and stretch the team's lead to nine points with just two matches to go. Sophomore A.J. Hunte (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) jumped out to a 4-1 lead on Alex Iacocca in the 184 duel and held off the Mountain Hawk's advances, winning by a count of 5-3. In the heavyweight bout, former EWL Champion Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) controlled the match up for the beginning, as he registered a takedown against Justin Allen in the first and then smothered the Mountain Hawk heavyweight, accumulating almost four and a half minutes of riding time. Sheaffer took the bout 7-0 and set the final at 24-9. The Panthers will look to continue their winning ways this Thursday, Nov. 15th when they travel to Bloomsburg to take on the Huskies at 7:30 p.m.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team opened up the 2007-08 season with a big win over a talented Maryland Terrapin team in Rec Hall. Led by senior All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), head coach Troy Sunderland's squad won nine of ten bouts to claim a dominating 34-3 win over visiting Maryland. Despite facing a team that already had three duals under its belt, Penn State was dominant. The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts, including a technical fall from Davis in the day's marquee bout. Penn State got a pin from sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), Davis' technical fall and two majors to claim a 7-0 edge in bonus points as well. Junior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) and sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) got Penn State's majors. Action began with Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) posting a 3-2 win at 125 before Maryland got its only win as Terrapin Steve Bell posted a 12-11 overtime decision over Lion senior Tim Haas (Camp Hills, Pa.). Haas was making his return to the mat after missing a year with an injury while Bell remained undefeated on the year. Strayer followed with his 14-0 major over No. 20 Charlie Pinto of Maryland and then Jenkins thrilled the crowd with a pin of Maryland's Eric Medina midway through the second period at 149. Vallimont posted a 13-4 major at 157 and then Penn State's Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) grabbed a 7-5 win at 165. Nittany Lion junior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) also won 7-5 at 174 and then Lion junior Phil Bomberger grabbed a sound 12-6 win at 184. All this had Penn State with the dual meet in hand before Davis put his No. 2 national ranking on the line against No. 8 Hudson Taylor of Maryland. Taylor was no match for Davis as the three-time All-American posted a 17-2 technical fall at the 4:12 mark. Sophomore heavyweight Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) rounded out the scoring with a 3-2 win to give the Lions the 34-3 victory. Penn State moves to 1-0 while Maryland falls to 2-2. The Nittany Lions will host Hofstra in their next dual, welcoming the 13th-ranked Pride to Rec Hall on Saturday, Nov. 17, for a 1 p.m. dual. 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! Season tickets are $28 for adults and seniors while youth 18 and under season tickets are $21. Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual or season tickets. All Penn State duals will be broadcast locally on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com. All home duals will feature live scoring at www.GoPSUsports.com as well. Bout-By-Bout: 125: Nittany Lion senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 11 nationally, met Maryland's Brendan Byrne. Byrne scored the first points of the bout with a takedown to take a 2-1 lead just over :30 into the match. The move spurred McKnight into action as the Lion senior answered with his own takedown quickly thereafter to take a 3-2 lead. Byrne escaped to a 3-3 tie. McKnight got in low on Byrne's right ankle with :30 left, but Byrne fought the move off to force a stalemate and reset, sending the bout to the second period tied at 3-3. Byrne chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 4-3 lead. The Terp's advantage was short lived as McKnight notched his second takedown at the 1:35 mark to knot the bout at 5-5 after a Byrne escape. Byrne got hit with an illegal hold call trying to fight off another McKnight shot, giving the Lion senior a 6-5 lead with :30 left in the second. McKnight continued to be the aggressor, forcing Byrne into playing defense. Leading 6-5 after two, McKnight chose down to begin the final period. While McKnight escaped, Byrne got hit with another illegal hold call and, after the escape, McKnight led 8-5. A wild flurry with under :30 left nearly cost McKnight back points, but the Lion fought the move off. Byrne still added a takedown before time expired, but it was too little too late as McKnight posted an 8-7 win to give Penn State an early 3-0 lead. 133: Penn State senior Tim Haas (Camp Hills, Pa.) returned to the mats of Rec Hall after missing last year with an injury facing undefeated Maryland 133-pounder Steve Bell. Haas quickly broke out to a 2-0 lead with a fast takedown that nearly resulted in back points. Bell tied the match after being ridden for :59 seconds with a reversal and, after Haas escaped, the Nittany Lion senior had a 3-2 lead. Bell added his own takedown with :30 left to take a 4-3 lead, but Haas would escape as the period ended to send the bout into the middle stanza tied 4-4. Haas chose down to begin the second period. After two Maryland cautions on the start and a stall call, Haas worked himself free for a 5-4 lead at the 1:25 mark. Haas took a 7-4 lead with a solid single leg-to-takedown move with under :30 left but found himself once again reversed by Bell. Showcasing solid clock awareness, Haas managed a very important escape before the second period ended to carry an 8-6 lead into the final period. Bell chose down to begin the final period and notched his third reversal of Haas, tying the score briefly before Haas escaped to a 9-8 lead at the 1:40 mark. Byrne scored a go-ahead takedown with 1:23 left, taking a 10-9 lead with :50 left. Haas escaped to a 10-10 tie with :30 left, sending the match into a first sudden victory period. Bell and Haas scrambled in front of the scorers table as time wound down with neither wrestler scoring, sending the bout to the first of two tie-breaker periods. Haas chose down in the first tie-breaker and escaped to an 11-10 lead. Bell chose down to start the second tie-breaker stanza. Haas had the match in hand, nearly riding the Terrapin out for the win, but Bell once again scored a reversal, his fourth of the bout, with just one second left. The 12-11 tie-breaker win for Bell tied the team score at 3-3. Bell improved to 4-0 with the win. 141: Junior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), who placed seventh nationally at 133 last year, entered the new campaign up at 141. He put his pre-season No. 7 national ranking on the line against No. 20 Charlie Pinto of Maryland and came away with a commanding technical fall Strayer got the first takedown of the bout quickly and nearly pinned Pinto. Still, Strayer got the three-point near fall and led 5-0 early in period one. Strayer added another three-point move as the first period ended to lead 8-0 heading into the second period. Pinto chose neutral to start the middle stanza. Strayer continued his dominance with a quick takedown at the :45 mark and rode Pinto out to lead 10-0 with 3:00 of riding time heading into the final period. Strayer chose down to start the third period and escaped to an 11-0 lead. Pinto got in low on Strayer's left ankle in his first real scoring chance of the bout, But Strayer turned the move into a two-point takedown of his own with :35 left. Pinto managed to fight Strayer off to avoid the technical fall, but Strayer still posted a 14-0 major decision. The win put Penn State up 7-3. 149: Sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 7 nationally at his new weight, met Maryland's Eric Medina. Medina got the bout's first takedown with a nice move at the 2:17 to lead 2-1 after a Jenkins escape. Jenkins took his first lead of the year with a swift upper body move with :40 left. The Lion sophomore then proceeded to ride Medina out to lead 3-2 heading into the second period. Jenkins chose down to begin the period and escaped to a 4-2 lead. A thrilling upper body throw later, and Jenkins calmly worked Medina's back to the mat for a pin at the 3:56 mark. The six points put Penn State up 13-3. 157: Sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at his new weight of 157, got on top of Maryland's Brian Letters 2-0 just seconds into the bout, but Letters notched a reversal to tie the bout at 2-2 shortly after. Vallimont steadily worked his way to a reversal of his own, grabbing a 4-2 lead with 1:10 left in the period. Letters escaped to a 4-3 deficit with under :30 left in the first period. Letters chose down to start the second period and Vallimont let him up to a 4-4 tie. The Lion sophomore quickly got in low on Letters' feet and finished off the move to lead 6-4. Letters got hit with an illegal hold call to put Vallimont up by three and Vallimont proceeded to ride Letters out to carry that lead, and :50 riding time, into the final period. Vallimont chose down to start the final period. After steadily working his way to his feet, Vallimont got his escape at the 1:18 mark to lead 8-4. He then iced the bout with a nice upper body takedown and three back points to post a strong 13-4 major decision. The victory gave Penn State a 17-3 lead heading into a ten minute intermission. 165: 16th-ranked Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) took on Maryland's Ryan Kennett at 165. The true sophomore nearly got a takedown on the edge of the mat, but Kennett forced a stalemate with 1:15 left in the first period. Kennett, wrestling defensively, was hit with his first stall with :20 left in the period as Rella stayed in the Terrapin's face and forced the bout's tempo, despite the scoreless tie. Kennett chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead. Kennett then took his first shot of the bout, getting in on Rella's left foot. Rella fought the takedown off for nearly a minute before giving up the points with :50 left in the second. Trailing 3-0, Rella escaped to a 3-1 deficit and within seconds used a strong double-leg takedown to tie the bout at 3-3 with :22 left. Kennett managed an escape with :07 left to carry a 4-3 lead into the final period. Rella chose down to start the final period and used his muscle to force Kennett back for a two-point reversal and a 5-4 lead with 1:25 left. Kennett tied the bout with an escape at the 1:10 mark, but Rella was not to be denied, getting an athletic takedown on the edge of the mat to lead 7-5 with :31 left in the bout. Rella then rode Kennett out to post a 7-5 decision, putting Penn State up 20-3. 174: Junior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.), fresh off an energized and impressive win in Penn State's wrestle-offs a week earlier, met Maryland's Brad Nielsen at 174. No. 7 Mike Letts of Maryland missed the dual with an injury. Friend, building off his outstanding showing in Wrestle-Offs a week earlier, got the first takedown of the bout to lead 2-0 less than a minute in. Friend then rode Nielsen for over two minutes to lead 2-1 with 2:15 in riding time heading into the second period. Nielsen chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 2-2 tie less than :30 in. But Friend quickly got in high on Nielsen's right thigh and turned the move into two points to lead 4-2 at the 1:15 mark. Once again showcasing his strength on top, Friend rode Nielsen out to lead 4-2 with 3:51 in riding time after two periods. With a riding time point secured, Friend chose down to start the third period. The Nittany Lion junior steadily worked his way to his feet and escaped to a 5-2 lead at the 1:30 mark. Friend once again got in on Nielsen's left thigh, but this time Nielsen fought the move off and turned it into a takedown of his own. Nielsen let Friend up, giving Friend a 6-4 lead with :45 left. The Terrapin continued to pressure Friend. Friend gave up a stall point but Nielsen would not score another point and Friend grabbed a sound 7-5 victory to put the Nittany Lions up 23-3. 184: Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) took on Maryland's Joshua Haines and quickly opened up a 2-1 lead after a take-down/escape at the 1:40 mark. Bomberger continued to apply the pressure to Haines and got a second takedown at the 1:10 mark. The Nittany Lion junior added two back points to lead 6-2 after cutting Haines loose. Leading 6-2 after one period, Bomberger chose down to start the second stanza. Haines was strong on top, however, riding Bomberger for the entire period and forcing Bomberger into a stall warning as well. Still, Bomberger held a 6-2 lead heading into the final period. Haines chose top to start the third, hoping to turn Bomberger for back points. But Bomberger turned that decision into a thrilling reversal that nearly resulted in a pin. Haines escaped, but Bomberger still led 8-3 with just over a minute left. Not to be content with that, Bomberger continued to force the offense from his feet, notching another takedown to lead 10-4 (after a Haines escape). Working for a major, Bomberger got another takedown to lead 12-5 with just :12 left, barely missing out on the major but securing a strong 12-6 decision and giving the Lions a 26-3 lead. 197: Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally, met No. 8 Hudson Taylor of Maryland in the dual's most anticipated match-up. Davis began his mastery of Taylor with a takedown at the 2:28 mark to lead 2-1 after the Terrapin escaped. Davis used his strength and wingspan to wrap Taylor up from his shoulders and notch another takedown at the 1:20 mark. He then finished a cradle to put Taylor to his back and grab three back points to lead 7-2 after letting Taylor up. Quickly working in on Taylor's upper body, Davis proceeded to pick the eight-ranked grappler up and toss him to his back for another two-point take down, three point near fall move. Davis led 12-2 after one period and chose down to start the second stanza. Working well from underneath, Davis worked his way on top of Taylor for a reversal that led to yet another near fall situation. Five points later and Davis posted a 17-2 technical fall at the 4:12 mark. The win gave Penn State a 31-3 lead. HWT: Sophomore Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) made his Nittany Lion dual match debut in fine fashion with a solid decision over Maryland's Pat Gilmore. Tighe got his first takedown at the 2:30 mark to take a 2-1 lead early. The duo would battle for the remainder of the period scoreless and Tighe led 2-1 after a period. The Lion sophomore chose down to start the second and escaped to a 3-1 lead. Neither wrestler would manage a real scoring opportunity in the second, sending the bout the third with Tighe leading 3-1. Gilmore chose down to start the third and escaped to cut Tighe's lead to 3-2. Tighe could not break through Gilmore's defense. The first period takedown turned out to be enough for Tighe in his Penn State debut as he held on for a 3-2 win. The final three points gave Penn State a 34-3 win.

The defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team enjoyed a successful opening to their 2007-08 season Saturday, winning nine of 10 weight classes at the 38th annual Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. Seven Gophers captured individual crowns while four more Minnesota wrestlers shared co-champion status at the all-day event, held at the Fargo Sports Arena. Twelve other Gophers were top-five finishers. Jayson Ness successfully defended his 2006 Bison Open crown at 125 pounds, with each of his decisions coming by fall (1:18 and 1:45). He was crowned co-champion at the weight class along with fellow Gopher Zach Sanders. Sanders, a five-time Minnesota state high school champion and winner of the Dave Schultz award for the nation's most outstanding prep wrestler. Sanders stormed to a perfect 3-0 record, including a fall and two major decisions. Sophomore Mike Thorn picked up his first Bison Open title, cruising to a perfect 4-0 record while picking up one fall and one major decision. Gophers Eric Johnson, David Zilverberg and Jake Mellmer also competed at 133 pounds, with Mellmer gaining fourth place. At 141 pounds, senior and returning NCAA qualifier Manny Rivera picked up his third straight Bison Open crown Saturday. Rivera went a perfect 4-0 with two pins and one major decision. Two-time All-American and former national champion Dustin Schlatter also took home a third straight first-place mention at Saturday's event. Schlatter had two falls and two major decisions en route to a 4-0 record. Luke Mellmer went 3-2 for a fifth place decision at 149 pounds, while fellow freshman Brian Peterson claimed fourth place. In the absence of 2006-07 All-American C.P. Schlatter, freshman Joe Grygelko was able to claim second place at 157 pounds. Grygelko posted a 2-2 record, gaining one fall. At 165 pounds, Scott Glasser successfully defended his 2006 Bison Open title, reeling off three straight falls (in 1:18, 1:44 and 1:10) en route to a perfect 4-0 record. He was able to defeat teammate Tyler Safratowich by a 5-3 decision in the championship match. Safratowich picked up two major decisions before losing to Glasser, while Nate Matousek took home third place. Three-time NCAA qualifier Gabe Dretsch won another Bison Open individual championship at 174 pounds, defeating teammates Kaleb Young and Brandon Sitch on his way to a perfect 3-0 record. Sitch was the runner-up in the weight class, while Young finished fifth. Mitch Kuhlman placed fourth. Returning All-American Roger Kish and freshman Sonny Yohn were declared co-champions at 184 pounds, with each wrestler winning both of their matches on the day. Three Gophers placed at 197 pounds, with Chris McPhail coming out on top with a 3-0 record. McPhail defeated fellow Gopher Brent Eidenschink in the final, while Justin Bronson finished in third place after being beaten by Eidenschink 4-2 in the semifinals. In heavyweight competition, redshirt freshman Joe Nord appeared to take the lead in the battle to replace departed national champion Cole Konrad by taking first with a 3-0 record, including two falls. Ben Berhow, another redshirt freshman competing for a starting position, finished in fourth place. Minnesota has now accumulated 159 individual champions over the course of the Bison Open's 38-year history. Video highlights from the 2007 Bison Open will be available in the Gold Zone in the coming days. The Gophers will compete in another open tournament next Saturday, traveling to Omaha, Neb. for the Kaufman-Brand Open Nov. 17. Minnesota was dominant in Omaha last year, with Ness, Rivera, C.P. Schlatter, Dretsch and Glasser all brining home titles at the event. The Kaufman-Brand Open is hosted on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Omaha and will get underway at 9 a.m. Minnesota opens dual meet competition Nov. 24 in Rochester, Minn. at the first-ever Northern Quad invitational. Minnesota will square off with Northern Colorado, Northern Illinois and NDSU that Saturday at the UCR Regional Sports Complex. The Gophers will return home to square off with defending NCAA runner-up Iowa State on Dec. 2.

Laramie, Wyo. -– The 14th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team racked up two pins and two technical falls to cruise to a 47-0 win over Wyoming in Laramie on Friday night. Ironically, the shutout is NU's first since a 42-0 victory over Wyoming in Lincoln on Dec. 18, 2004. Friday night's dual was the Huskers first this season, but Nebraska wrestled to perfection on the night. Redshirt freshman Andy Johnson opened the competition with a statement as he pinned UW's Colt Reece in 2:06 at 184 pounds. After a UW forfeit at 197 pounds, senior Jon May continued his comeback from last season's injury with a 7-3 decision over the Cowboy's Jason Still. In the next match, Paul Donahoe, NU's returning national champion at 125 pounds, pinned UW's Cody Grant in 4:34 and the rout was on. Nebraska went on to record two technical falls as junior Chris Oliver defeated Wyoming's Clay Sondegeroth, 17-2, at 157 pounds and junior Brandon Browne won 20-3 over Kyle Morrow at 174. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs, wrestling at 149, contributed a 19-7 major decision over Cody Chipperfield, while sophomores Stephen Dwyer and Austin Baier both added decision at their weights. Dwyer won 6-3, while Baier brought home a 6-3 victory. Two Huskers made debuts for NU on the night as Johnson and Baier both started their first career dual starts for Nebraska. The Huskers continue their time in Wyoming on Saturday as the Huskers compete in the Cowboy Open in Laramie. Action begins at 10 a.m. CT as fans can access live updates through Huskers.com.

Matt Koz scored an 11-2 major decision over Ohio State's John Weakley in the 197-pound match Saturday to secure Chattanooga's 19-16 victory over the No. 8-ranked Buckeyes. Koz, an Ohio native ranked as high as No. 11 nationally, extended the 19th-ranked Mocs' lead from 15-10 to 19-10, an insurmountable lead with one match left. "This is big, huge for us," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "But we can't look at it like this made our season. It's the first match of the year. I wish they would practice like they came out to wrestle tonight. I'm going to expect this from them every day." UTC, which defeated the Buckeyes last year, 28-13 in Columbus, Ohio, earned victories in six of the 10 matches. Sophomore Joey Knox pulled off perhaps the surprise of the dual with a 6-3 victory over third-ranked Lance Palmer at 149. Javier Maldonado, ranked as high as No. 8 at 125 pounds, got the scoring going for the Mocs, 3-0, with a 7-1 decision over Nikko Triggas. OSU, 3-1, took a 6-3 lead on the strength of back-to-back decisions by Reece Humphrey at 133 and No. 6 J Jaggers at 141. After Knox tied the score, UTC strung together three consecutive wins. Seth Garvin edged Jason Johnstone 8-7 on a riding time point at 157, Nick Davis recorded a 16-6 major over Robel Campbell at 165 and No. 16 Lloyd Rogers defeated Alex Picazo 11-5 at 174. Mike Pucillo held true to his No. 4 national ranking with an 18-2 technical fall over Josh Edmondson in the 184-pound match. Fourth-ranked J. D. Bergman closed out the match following Koz's win with a pin of UTC's Ben O'Neill in the heavyweight final. Earlier in the day, the Mocs registered a 42-3 victory over Cumberland University and a 44-4 win over Anderson University. The Buckeyes defeated Anderson 44-3 and Cumberland 39-16. UTC picked up three pins, two tech falls and two major decisions in the win over Cumberland and recorded the same amount of bonus wins over Anderson. Picking up pins in the first two matches were Koz and Rogers with two apiece, and Maldonado and Garvin. The Mocs will compete at the Pennsylvania Open Nov. 18 in Philadelphia.

Hempstead, N.Y. -- In a dual that came down to the final bout of the night, the sixth-ranked Missouri wrestling team came from behind to take down No. 13 Hofstra, 22-21, in the David S. Mack Sports Complex. A technical fall by sophomore heavyweight Mark Ellis (Blue Springs, Mo.) proved the deciding factor in the night's dual. Needing five points to win the battle, Ellis managed a 21-6 win in 6:39 to help the Tigers improve to 2-0 on the season. "I'm pleased with the way our team fought back tonight," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We suffered some tough losses and we'll have to go back to the practice room and work on several things. But, it's still early in the season. We'll use these early duals to really find out where we are and what we need to work on." Down 14-0 entering the 149 pound match, Tiger senior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) was first to put points on the Tiger's side of the scoreboard. Holding on for a 5-2 win over 17th-ranked Mitch Smith, ninth-ranked Wagner and Smith entered the second period tied at two, but Wagner managed an escape in six seconds and a takedown with nine seconds left on the clock to take a 5-2 lead into the third period. Allowing Smith a single escape in the third, Wagner collected his first win of the season and started Missouri on a three-bout win streak. Junior NCAA qualifier and ninth-ranked Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) helped cut the Pride's lead in half by recording a 15-6 win by major decision over 15th-ranked Johnny Bonilla-Bowman. In his first start of the season, Chandler collected seven of his 14 points by nearfall, all in the third period. Each wrestler was awarded one point for either a stall call (Bonilla-Bowman) or technical violation (Chandler). Chandler was the first Tiger to score first in a bout, taking down Bonilla-Bowman 1:25 into the match. After quieting the large Pride crowd sophomore Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn.) moved to 2-0 on the season, shutting down 12th-ranked Ryan Patrovich, 10-2, at 165 pounds. Marable held the Hofstra wrestler to only two escapes, scoring a takedown and reversal in the second period and a takedown in the third. Hofstra increased its lead to seven points, but junior Raymond Jordan was quick to close the gap, pinning Jeff Siciliano in 4:20. The second Tiger fall of the very young season, Jordan showed his dominance at 184 pounds taking down Siciliano three times in the first period and scoring four points through back points before sticking the Pride wrestler. A loss at 197 pounds put the Tigers down 21-17, but Ellis' technical fall helped Missouri to its win. Ellis took downJames Guerin eight times in the match and managed 1:55 of riding time. Two duals into the season and Missouri has won seven of its 20 matches by bonus point victories. The Tiger wrestling team will return home to host the eighth annual Missouri Open Sunday, Nov. 18 in the Fieldhouse. The all-day tournament will begin at 9 a.m. (CT) with finals expected to start around 3 p.m. (CT). Volunteers are still needed to help with the annual event. If interested, please contact Smith at smithbq@missouri.edu.

Lawrenceville, N.J. -The sixth-ranked Missouri wrestling team opened its 62nd season of competition with a 34-4 win over 27th-ranked Rider in Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. N.J. Nine Tigers earned wins including first-time starters Tony Pescaglia (Columbia, Mo.) and Emanuel Brooks (Cahokia, Ill.) at 125 and 157 pounds, respectively. Three Tigers helped Missouri with extra point wins including sophomore Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) who pinned his opponent in 2:18. With the victory, Missouri improves to 33-29 in season openers having won its last five openers dating back to the start of the 2003-04 campaign Beginning the dual at 125 pounds, redshirt freshman Pescaglia earned a 10-4 win by decision over Mitch Fenton. Fenton scored first with a takedown in 1:02, but Pescaglia was quick to escape and score a takedown of his own. Choosing down to start the second period, Pescaglia added to his total with an escape and takedown, increasing his lead to 6-3. Finishing the dual with a takedown and awarded one point after Fenton was hit with his second warning, Pescaglia collected 2:45 of riding time for the double-digit win. Earning his first win of the season, second-ranked senior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) added to Missouri's point total with a 7-3 decision of 16th-ranked Zac Cunliffe. Missouri's returning All-American scored five unanswered points before Cunliffe managed an escape in the third period. Despite Cunliffe's 1:44 of riding time, which he accumulated in the first period, McCormick won the match and is now 71-33 on his career. Junior Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) came up with his sixth career dual win after holding off Fred Rodgers, 6-1. Hoehn scored a takedown on the edge of the mat and held Rodgers scoreless through the first two periods, cutting him in the third after the Bronc chose down. Hoehn tacked on 2:18 of riding time for the final 6-1 score. A back-and-forth match at 149 pounds, senior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) suffered a 17-9 loss by major decision to 2007 All-American Don Fisch. Wagner, ranked as high as ninth in the nation, scored first with a takedown nine seconds in the match and followed with a quick three-point nearfall. Fisch, ranked fourth at 141 pounds, responded with a takedown and nearfall but Wagner escaped to end the first period with a one point lead. Wagner deferred his choice in the second period and Fisch chose neutral. A takedown by the Bronc All-American and an escape by Wagner sent the match into the third period tied at seven. Wagner escaped three seconds into the third period, but was unable to score further points against Fisch, who managed two takedowns and two three-point nearfalls. Making his first collegiate starter after holding off teammate Michael Chandler by one point in the Black and Gold wrestle-off's, junior Brooks set off Missouri's six-match win streak with an 8-4 decision of Rob Morrison at 157 pounds.. Next on the mat, 12th-ranked sophomore Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn., tacked an additional five points to the Tiger scoreboard with the first of two Missouri wins by technical fall. One bout later, junior captain and sixth-ranked Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) won his match 22-7 against ninth-ranked Doug Umbehauer. In between the two technical fall victories was a 7-2 win by decision for senior James Williamson (Blue Springs, Mo.). Williamson, who becomes the first Tiger to wrestle at 174 pounds since the graduation of National Champion Ben Askren, held Joe Ferber down for 1:16 of riding time and scored two takedowns and a reversal for his seven points. Third-ranked sophomore Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) opened his second season at 197 pounds with a 7-6 win over 11th-ranked T.J. Morrison. The final bout of evening came to a close in 2:18 as 13th-ranked Tiger sophomore Ellis pinned Peter Reid. The fall is the fifth of Ellis' career and the first of the Tiger's season. The Missouri wrestling team will travel to 13th-ranked Hofstra for a Saturday, Nov. 10 dual beginning at 7 p.m. (CT). The dual can be heard live on WRHU by visiting Missouri's athletic website at www.mutigers.com and clicking on the schedule page of the Tiger wrestling program.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Former Northwestern volunteer assistant coach and current Wildcat Wrestling Club coach, Bill Scherr, has been selected as one of four finalists to receive a coaching position for the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in women's freestyle wrestling. Named as finalists for the volunteer women's coaching position for the U.S. team that will compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing, China, are: Scherr, Northwestern graduate Tadaaki Hatta of Elyria, Ohio, Troy Steiner of Corvallis, Ore., and Levi Weikel-Magden of Colorado Springs, Colo. The four finalists were selected by USA Wrestling's Women's Coach Selection Committee. One of these four volunteer coaches will be selected to serve on the coaching staff at the Beijing Games, along with USA Wrestling's National Women's Coach Terry Steiner. Three of the finalists have served as official Women's World Team Coaches at recent World Championships: Hatta (1991), Scherr (2005, 2006) and Steiner (2007). Weikel-Magden has been on the coaching staff of a number of U.S. World Teams. Scherr was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic freestyle team as an athlete, winning a bronze medal at 100 kg/220 lbs. He also won four World medals in his career, including a 1985 World gold medal. USA Wrestling expects its Olympic Coach selection process to be completed by late-November. Scherr served as a World Team coach of the 2006 U.S. Women's World Team, which competed in Guangzhou, China and placed seventh in the World Championships, led by two medalists Scherr was a World Team coach of the 2005 U.S. Women's World Team, which competed in Budapest, Hungary, placed third in the team standings and featured four medalists, including World champion Iris Smith. He is a coach for the women wrestlers with the Sunkist Kids, which won the 2007 U.S. Nationals team title and placed five athletes on the 2007 U.S. World Team. Scherr was an assistant coach at Northwestern Univ. last year, which placed fourth at the NCAA Championships, its highest finish in school history. He currently coaches the Wildcat WC freestyle wrestlers and is a volunteer with Northwestern Univ. program. He was an assistant coach at Indiana University for five years, from 1984-89, working with coach Jim Humphrey. The team was 2-17 the season before his arrival and had a 15-0 record his final year with the program. Scherr is also a widely respected clinician, working numerous camps and clinics around the nation. Scherr was one of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. freestyle history. He was a 1985 World champion and a 1988 Olympic bronze medalist. He ran off an amazing five-year run of consecutive World-level medals for the United States from 1985-89. He was also a 1986 and 1989 World silver medalist and a 1987 World bronze medalist. His five consecutive World-level medals is one of U.S. wrestling's greatest feats. Bill Scherr was a two-time World Cup champion, a Pan American Games champion, a World Grand Masters champion, a Goodwill Games champion and a four-time U.S. Nationals champion. In 1992, he made a late comeback to the sport, winning the U.S. Nationals title and making the finals of the Olympic Team Trials where he placed second. He is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Scherr was a 1984 NCAA champion at the Univ. of Nebraska, where he starred alongside his twin brother Jim. He was also a two-time high school state champion from Mobridge, S.D. He is a leader in the effort to bring the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago, serving as chairman of World Sport Chicago as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Chicago 2016 and heading up the efforts of the Wildcat Wrestling Club. Professionally, he is a Vice President with Goldman Sachs & Co.

AMES, Iowa -- The second-ranked Iowa State wrestling team stormed to a 39-4 season-opening victory over Northern Illinois Thursday night in Hilton Coliseum. In his debut as a Cyclone, redshirt freshman Jon Reader registered the first pin of his career at 165 pounds and sophomore David Zabriskie replicated the feat at heavyweight with a pin of his own. Mitch Mueller (149) and David Bertolino (197) provided a major decision and technical fall, respectively. “We brought in Northern Illinois because they are a well-coached team and are always in good condition,” Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. “They will be a factor in their conference and beyond this season. Overall, I thought we did a good job going after it and being aggressive. We have our things to work on.” For the 11th consecutive season, Iowa State claimed victory in its season opener. The Cyclones won nine of 10 bouts and did not surrender a takedown in any of those victories. On the night, ISU racked up 19 takedowns, while the Huskies managed to register only four takedowns - all in one match. Wrestling in his first match as a Cyclone grappler, Reader ignited Hilton Coliseum by pinning Bryan Deutsch in 4:42. One of the most sought after prep recruits nationally in 2006, Reader scored a trio of three-point nearfalls in the first period alone for an 11-0 advantage. After an exchange of reversals by both wrestlers to open the second period, Reader added a second reversal that pushed Deutsch’s shoulders to the mat for the pin. “We had a plan and I stuck to it,” Reader said. “I have waited a year to really get back into it. I wasn’t trying to pin him, but that is the way it went.” Zabriskie, currently ranked sixth as the defending Big 12 heavyweight champion, closed out the night by pinning David Benner in 6:12. Zabriskie, a Branchville, N.J., native put the first points on the board with an escape to start the second period and added a takedown to finish out the second period. With a 3-1 advantage to begin the third period, Zabriskie found his groove and took down the Huskie twice more before the pin was signaled. “The first period, I was kind of chasing him around the mat,” Zabriskie said. “I started catching up to him in the second and third periods. He (Benner) was getting tired.” Mueller, ranked 15th at 149 pounds, jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on Kalen Knull in the first period on two takedowns. He added three more takedowns in the final two periods and tallied 1:58 worth riding time for his first victory of his sophomore season. Bertolino began his senior campaign in dominating fashion by scoring a 16-1 technical fall of Jake Smith in 6:13. Bertolino was awarded nearfall points in the final minute of both the first and second periods. He held an 11-1 to open the third period and wasted no time by scoring a takedown and a three-point nearfall. Iowa State will compete in the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open Saturday at the Lied Recreation Center. Matches are set to get underway at 10 a.m. ISU will travel out East next weekend to take on Rider Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. CST and will then travel to Binghamton, N.Y., to wrestle in the Binghamton Duals against Clarion, Binghamton and West Virginia. Action will resume in Hilton Coliseum Dec. 9 as the Cyclones host intrastate rival, Iowa, at 2 p.m.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Monarchs wrestling program opened the 2007-08 campaign with a historical win Friday night. Old Dominion defeated Michigan State 20-16 and never trailed in the match as they improved to 1-0 on the season. ODU toppled a Big Ten opponent for just the third time in program history and for the first time since the 1990-91 season. Redshirt freshman James Nicholson (Des Moines, Iowa) had the biggest win of the night as he earned a technical fall in the 125-lb. weight class. ODU will remain at MSU for the weekend and wrestle in the MSU Open on Sunday. "It's obviously a big win anytime you beat a Big Ten opponent," said head coach Steve Martin. "However, we could have wrestled better. We had the potential to win every match tonight." The bout began at the 165-lb weight class, as 2006 wins leader Chris Brown (Chesapeake, Va.) won a 10-6 decision over Rex Kendle from Michigan State. The Monarchs would not look back, winning the first three to take a 9-0 lead. Nick Pullano and Jesse Strawn would follow Brown and win by decision in their matches for the early lead. Nationally ranked Joe Williams would then topple Old Dominion's nationally ranked grappler at 197-lbs. The 11-3 major decision would be followed by a win in the heavyweight division as Alan O'Dennell defeated Roy Dragon III by a slim 3-2 count. With the lead cut to two at 9-7 halfway through the match, Old Dominion would look to the redshirt freshman and 2007 Junior World Team alternate James Nicholson. The Iowa native earned his first collegiate technical fall in his first official collegiate bout by a score of 21-5. Michigan State would take the 133-lb. weight, as nationally ranked Franklin Gomez defeated Kyle Hutter 8-3. At 141, former NCAA Qualifier Ryan Williams would drop the Spartans Jeff Wimberley 4-2 to give ODU a 17-10 lead. Kaylen Baxter (Fairbanks, Alaska) then sealed the victory with an 8-5 decision over Eddie Skowneski at 149 lbs. The Monarchs 157 pounder, Dan Rivera would get pinned in the first period by John Fulger for the final tally of 20-16. "It's a step in the right direction, to be able to beat a team like Michigan State in hostile territory," said Martin. The Monarchs now face back-to-back tournaments in the midwest as they head into the MSU Open on Sunday and then into the Missouri Open next weekend.

DAVIS, Calif. -- Despite a young line-up that featured six wrestlers making their college debuts, the Arizona State University wrestling team opened its 2007-08 season with a hard-fought Pac-10 Conference dual victory over host UC Davis, 20-17, Friday night at The Pavilion in Davis, Calif. Four of those rookies recorded wins to help the Sun Devils move to 1-0 on the year and 1-0 in the Pac-10 while the Aggies fell to 0-1 and 0-1 in the conference. Rookie Anthony Robles opened things up by knocking off Marcos Orozco, the third-place finisher at the 2007 Pac-10 Championships, by a 7-5 score. Robles gave up an early takedown before scoring three two-point nearfalls in the second quarter to take a 6-2 lead. Ahead 6-3 at the start of the third, Orozco, a senior, took down Robles, but the Sun Devil escaped for the final 7-5 victory. Leading 3-0, the Sun Devils added four more points to their team total as rookie Todd Schavrien claimed a 14-3 major decision at 133 over Brandon Law. Schavrien built a 4-1 lead after the first period of action and scored a reversal and one point for an illegal hold on Law for a 7-1 lead through two. With a two-point nearfall, a pair of takedowns and the riding time point, Schavrien ended the bout with an 11-point victory. ASU built its lead to 10-0 after the 141 bout saw its third rookie, Chris Drouin, claim a 9-4 decision over Nexi Delgado. Drouin led the entire way as he scored a pair of takedowns in the first period for a 4-2 lead and improved it to 6-4 through two. In the final period, Drouin scored one more takedown and added the riding time bonus for the 9-4 final. Despite the large lead, the hosts jumped ahead, 14-10, by winning the next four bouts. Barrett Abel won a 16-0 technical fall over rookie Preston Pruett at 149 before Kyle Dubs downed Alex Pavlenko, 9-3, at 157 pounds. Dustin Noak gave the Aggies an 11-10 lead following the 165 bout with his 7-2 defeat of rookie Cory Nelson before Tyler Bernacchi won a 7-3 decision over senior Rick Renzi at 174 for a 14-10 UCD lead. Although his team was trailing, rookie and 19th-ranked Brent Chriswell made that deficit short-lived as the transfer from Purdue took down his opponent 31 seconds into the bout before pinning him two seconds later for the fall. The six team points earned put the Sun Devils back on top, 16-14, with two bouts remaining. No. 14 Jason Trulson extended the ASU lead to 20-14 after the 197 pound bout as the senior picked up a 14-2 major decision over Jordan Taghvai. Trulson took a 5-0 lead through one before extending the lead to 7-1 after the second. With a victory by Quinton Pruett at heavyweight or a loss of technical fall or less, the Sun Devils would win the bout. Although the junior captain came out on the losing end of a 7-2 decision to Ricky Alcala, the three team points was not enough to overtake the Sun Devils, giving the visitors the 20-17 victory. The Sun Devils will next head to Portland, Ore., on Sunday when they face three teams as part of the Portland State Duals inside the Stott Center. ASU will face Pacific (Ore.) at noon, Southern Oregon at 2 p.m. and host Portland State at 4 p.m. in a Pac-10 Conference dual.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University wrestling team began the 2007-08 campaign in fashion, shutting out Wabash with a 44-0 victory in the opening dual match of the season. The Hoosiers posted a pin, two tech falls and four major decisions on the night. No.3 Angel Escobedo got things started in the 125-pound match with a pin in under a minute, at the 0:32 mark of the first period to be exact. Wesley Fike then took a forfeit in the 133-pound match as Wabash did not have a wrestler available at that weight class. Scott Kelly and Nick Walpole each earned major decision victories in their respective matches. Kelly won by a score of 17-5 while Walpole captured a 13-0 triumph. Paul Young kept it coming for the Hoosiers at the 157-pound weight class, posting a 20-5 tech fall. No. 4 Matt Coughlin, who is one of four All-American returning to IU this season, outlasted Wabash's Stephen Mosier for the 9-4 win. A pair of NCAA qualifiers from a season ago, Trevor Perry and No. 8 Marc Bennett, each arose victorious as well. Perry defeated Robert Beeler 10-2, and Bennett picked up a tech fall at 18-3. In the 197-pound match, Eric Cameron grabbed an 11-3 decision before Justin Kuhn capped off the Hoosier shutout with a 5-0 victory at heavyweight. Alex Warren also wrestled for the Hoosiers on Friday, winning an exhibition match versus Justin Michaels by a score of 17-1. The Cream and Crimson gets little rest as IU heads to East Lansing for the Michigan State Open beginning on Sunday.

This weekend we take our mobile Brute Adidas Studios on the road for 2 brand new episodes of Takedown Radio as we come to LIVE from Ames, Iowa Saturday November 10th. 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 live broadcast every Saturday as we talk to the worlds greatest athletes. TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. We'll start this broadcast at 9:05 AM 11:00 AM Saturday. Our Guests will Include: Cyclone Wrestling Club President Jeff Murphy, Cyclone Head Coach Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson, Tim Hartung and Dylan Long, Paulson Brothers, Kurt Backes. Wrestlers and other folks will join us throughout the day. Our 2nd broadcast will begin 12 NOON CST to completion of the event. Join us for this special broadcast LIVE from Ames, Iowa at Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. 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!

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue junior tri-captain Jake Patacsil earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors from the conference office on Wednesday after winning the 149-pound championship at the Eastern Michigan Open on Saturday. Ranked eighth at 149 pounds in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) polls, Patacsil was nothing short of dominant at the Boilermakers' season-opening tournament. He shut out all of his opponents on the day, earning 16-0 technical-fall victories in his first three matches and pinning his fourth foe in 1:59. His 28 total back points on the day increased his career total to 312, and vaulted him from fourth to second on the Boilermakers' all-time records list. He's now just 79 back points short of the career record at Purdue, currently held by Boilermaker Head Coach Scott Hinkel at 391. Patacsil also holds spots on the career lists for reversals and falls, ranking 15th with 25 career reversals and 16th with 16 career falls. His 2007 campaign was one for the record books as well as he hit marks on four of the Purdue single-season record lists. He set the highest single-season back point total at 190, tied for seventh with 11 falls, tied for 14th with 34 wins and tied for 16th with 14 reversals. He capped all of this with his first career trip to the NCAA Tournament, making him the third member of his family to represent the Boilermakers at the national tournament. His grandfather, Joe Patacsil, won the 1950 128-Pound Championship, while his father, Frank Patacsil, qualified for the NCAA Championships in 1981 and 1983. Patacsil plans to skip this weekend's Michigan State Open and should return to action on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the ACC/Big Ten Clash in Chapel Hill, N.C.

IOWA CITY -- The preseason wrestling rankings have been posted and second-year University of Iowa coach Tom Brands already sees things he wants edited. "We need to be a lot better than where we're ranked right now," Brands said Wednesday at his media day press conference in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "If we're third in one poll (W.I.N. Magazine), we need to be two spots higher. If we're fourth in the other poll (USA Today/NWCA/Intermat) we need to be three spots higher. That's the mindset of the program." The Hawkeyes finished eighth at the NCAA Championship last season and return 13 letterwinners, six national qualifiers and three All-Americans in junior Charlie Falk (eighth at 125 pounds), senior Alex Tsirtsis (seventh at 141 in 2006) and senior Mark Perry (defending national champion at 165). Iowa will hold its annual team wrestle-offs to determine the starting lineup over a three-day period from Nov. 8-10. A partial squad will compete at the Harold Nichols Open on Saturday, Nov. 10, beginning at 10 a.m., in Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Brands said that he thinks the program is heading in the right direction in 2007-08, which was not the case a year ago. He said the team lacked the consistency it needed to excel during the entire season. "My expectations were certainly better than up and down," Brands said. "We have to be competing for titles across the weight class spectrum. Then we'll be competing for a title as a team." The Hawkeyes will not be lacking depth. Five transfers from Virginia Tech -- Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141), Brent Metcalf (149), T.H. Leet (165) and Jay Borschel (174) -- are all eligible. Add to the room 12 true freshmen and there will undoubtedly be vicious competition for every varsity spot. "We're getting some pretty good kids in the our room, that's what we're doing," Brands said. "The best guys will find their way into the lineup. What's hard is when you have one option and he's not coming around. Easy is letting the best guy go out there at whip some tail." Iowa was 14-5 overall last season, 5-3 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes were 3-3 in their final six duals and placed third in the conference tournament with one champion (Perry). There are nine league teams ranked in the top 17 of both preseason polls. "We're getting some pretty good kids in the our room, that's what we're doing. The best guys will find their way into the lineup. What's hard is when you have one option and he's not coming around. Easy is letting the best guy go out there at whip some tail." UI Coach Tom Brands "It's no different," Brands said. "The challenge is the same every year. The battle is in-state. The battle is Big Ten and regional. The battle is national. The battle is planet Earth. If they find life out there, then the battle will be universal." Brands said that a majority of the Hawkeye wrestlers believe they can win a national championship this season. That number has increased from what Brands viewed as a minority a year ago. "You see a lot more scraps on the mat," Brands said. "They're walking with that `I own the mat mentality' and when they're walking like that, they're feeling pretty good about being the next national champion at their weight class." One key off-season personnel move was the hiring of Doug Schwab as interim assistant coach. Schwab, a three-time All-American and Big Ten champions for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001, is also an integral gauge for Brands. If practice begins and Schwab is a busy man, then Brands is smiling. If not, there's still work to do. "Schwab is still waiting for more guys to go up to him and say, `I'm going with you today,'" Brands said. "So we're not quite there yet. When Schwab has a line up behind him of guys wanting to wrestle him, then we're where we want to be. Right now he's got Metcalf and Perry." Returning starters for Iowa are Falk at 125, Tsirtsis at 141, sophomore Ryan Morningstar at 157, Perry at 165, sophomore Phillip Keddy at 184, junior Dan Erekson at 197 and senior Matt Fields at 285. Last season Perry was a Big Ten champion, Falk was runner-up, Tsirtsis was third, Fields was fourth, Morningstar was fifth and Keddy was seventh.

IOWA CITY, IA -- WRESTLE-OFFS ANNOUNCED Iowa will hold its annual team wrestle-offs, to determine the 2007-08 lineup, over a three-day period this week. All matches will be held at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and are open to the public. Admission is free. The quarterfinal matches will be held Thursday at 3:30 p.m., semifinals will be Friday at 3:30 p.m. and finals will be Saturday at 9 a.m. Following are the scheduled matchups: Thursday's Quarterfinals 133 - Tyler Halverson vs. Tom Magnani 165 - Ryan Kurovski vs. Weston Marling Friday's Semifinals 133 - Daniel Dennis vs. Winner Halverson/Magnani 133 - Montel Marion vs. Joe Slaton 141 - Alex Tsirtsis vs. Ethan Sebert 141 - Derek Coorough vs. Dan LeClere 149 - Brent Metcalf vs. Stew Gillmor 149 - Nick LeClere vs. Matt Ballweg 157 - T.H. Leet vs. Brooks Kopsa 165 - Mark Perry vs. Winner Kurovski/Marling 165 - Michael Fahrer vs. Jake Kerr 184 - Vinnie Wagner vs. Rick Loera Hwt. - Blake Rasing vs. Jordan Johnson Saturday's Finals 125 - Charlie Falck vs. J.J. Krutsinger 133 - Winner Dennis/Halverson/Magnani vs. Winner Marion/Slaton 141 - Winner Tsirtsis/Sebert vs. Winner Coorough/ D. LeClere 149 - Winner Metcalf/Gillmor vs. Winner N. LeClere/Ballweg 157 - Ryan Morningstar vs. Winner Leet/Kopsa 165 - Winner Perry/Kurovski/Marling vs. Winner Fahrer/Kerr 184 - Phillip Keddy vs. Winner Wagner/Loera 197 - Derrick Mehmen vs. Brodie Ambrose Hwt. - Matt Fields vs. Winner Rasing/Johnson 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 Purchased in Advance - $8 - Adults, $4 - Youth Single-Match Tickets Purchased at the Door - $10 - Adults, $5 - Youth SEASON OPENER The Hawkeyes will send a partial team to the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open in Ames, IA. Competition is scheduled to start Saturday at 10 a.m. in Hilton Coliseum. 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 also 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, audio broadcasts and dual livestats 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. 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. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 809-214-30 (.783) in 95 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. 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). GABLE STEPS DOWN, SCHWAB PROMOTED Dan Gable, arguably the state of Iowa's most successful student-athlete and coach and the architect of one of college athletics' longest running dynasties, stepped down from from the position of assistant wrestling coach. He returned to his role as special assistant to the director of athletic on Oct. 1. Three-time all-American and former Hawkeye wrestler Doug Schwab was promoted from volunteer assistant to interim assistant in his place. Gable remains fully engaged in the day-to-day operations of Iowa's wrestling program, but without the title or on-the-mat responsibilities that come with the title of assistant coach. "Dan has been my coach and my mentor," said Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands. "What's important to me is that he's going to remain involved in the Hawkeye wrestling program and will continue to play a significant role as we continue to make progress toward the goal of domination." "My assistant coach's role was always temporary and I'm not going anywhere," explained Gable. "I'll be directly involved in our wrestling program as much as NCAA rules allow me to be. I'm very excited for everyone who loves the sport of wrestling and cares about wrestling at the University of Iowa and worldwide. I feel good about the direction of our program, the leadership and the young men who are involved. What isn't temporary, and what will never be temporary, is the respect and appreciation I have for Tom, his drive and determination, and the love he has for wrestling. We're in very, very good hands and there is absolutely no doubt we're headed in the right direction." Schwab served as Iowa's volunteer assistant coach last season and spent two seasons (2005-06) as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech University under Brands. "We got the best young coach in the country whose role will now expand into off campus recruiting," said Brands. "He has been very valuable to the structure of this program. He kows how to make our student-athletes better people and better wrestlers." Schwab was a three-time all-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes, lettering from 1998-2001. He won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins, which ranks 10th-best in school history. The Osage, IA, native has remained active in international competition. He won the 2007 U.S. Senior Freestyle title, earned a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Schwab's other post-college national wrestling accomplishments include winning the 145.5-pound title at the 2003 Sunkist Kids International Open and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in the freestyle event. In 2005, Schwab won the 145-pound division of Real Pro Wrestling, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors as part of the champion Iowa Stalkers team. WHAT I DID THIS SUMMER University of Iowa assistant wrestling coaches Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick, and Hawkeye redshirt freshman Jake Kerr all competed internationally last summer. Schwab and Zadick earned spots on the 2007 United States World Freestyle Team and competed at the World Championships, September 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Both won titles at the Senior Freestyle World Team Trials in Las Vegas, NV, in June. Zadick had to post a win over 2007 U.S. National Champion Nate Gallick in a special best-of-three wrestle-off in Colorado Springs, CO, to earn his world team spot. Zadick, won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, while Schwab picked up a bonze medal. At the world team trials, Schwab was the No. 6 seed at 66 kg entering the tournament, while Zadick was the top seed at 60 kg. Schwab upset the top three seeds during the challenge tournament, and beat defending U.S. National freestyle champion Chris Bono in the finals. He was named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for his performance. Zadick beat Zach Roberson of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in the finals. Kerr, who wrestles at 165 pounds for the Hawkeyes, represented the United States at the FILA Junior World Championships in Beijing, China. NEXT COMPETITION The Hawkeyes will compete at the annual Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE, Nov. 17. Competition starts at 9 a.m. at Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. A total of 42 teams and approximately 650 wrestlers will compete at the meet. It's easily the country's largest single-day collegiate meet. The tournament will be wrestled in two age-based divisions - an open division and a 20-and-under division.

The UFC announced this week that 2000 NCAA champion Brock Lesnar will make his debut at UFC 81 on Feb. 2 (Super Bowl weekend) against Frank Mir at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brock LesnarLesnar, a former WWE pro wrestling star who tried out for the Minnesota Vikings in 2004, is currently 1-0 in mixed martial arts. His lone fight came against Min Soo-Kim on June 2, 2007 on the K-1 Dynamite!! USA show at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. "Obviously, I don't think I'm ready for a title shot right away," Lesnar recently told the UFC, "but I will be there, and I'm not gonna turn down any opponent because I'm here to prove myself. I'm not here to pick and choose my fights. I'll fight whomever they want. I don't make the fights. That's not my job. I've got one job to do and that's to fight." Mir, who is known as a submission specialist, is a formidable opponent and a well-known fighter in the UFC. He is a former UFC heavyweight champion with a professional record of 10-3. Included on his resume is a victory in 2004 over former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. In September of 2004, Mir was in a serious accident that put him out of competition for nearly 20 months. In his last fight, Mir defeated Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74 with a Kimura in 1:17 of the first round.

COLUMBUS, Ohio –- With eight wins, including three pins to its credit, the eighth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team posted a 36-6 victory over Notre Dame College in its season opener Sunday at the Wylie Athletic Center in Maple Heights, Ohio. The Buckeyes now are 1-0, while the Falcons fall to 0-1. The four All-Americans from last spring – J Jaggers, Lance Palmer, Mike Pucillo and J.D. Bergman - came out strong, recording three pins and a technical fall. The sixth-ranked Jaggers, who wrestled at 141 pounds, downed Brett Freeman in 2:03. At 184 pounds, No. 4 Pucillo completed his match in 2:36 after pinning Cory Braden. Up a weight class to heavyweight this season, Bergman dropped No. 6 Nick Terifaj in 1:27. Third-ranked Lance Palmer scored 18 points against No. 6 Nate Spencer to win by a technical fall. "Our four All-Americans dominated like we expected them to," Tom Ryan, head coach, said. "But I give credit to Frank Romano for approaching our program and asking us to compete. Notre Dame College will win some titles in the NAIA if they keep grabbing some of the top players in the state of Ohio." The wrestling program at Notre Dame College is a member of the American Mideast Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). It is in its second year of existence and former Buckeye Frank Romano (1968-1970) serves as head coach. At 125 pounds, freshman Nikko Triggas earned a 5-2 victory against Tyler Savage to give the Buckeyes their first three points of the day. Sophomore Reece Humphrey followed with an 8-3 decision over Dante Rini at 133 pounds to extend the lead to 6-0. After missing last season because of injury, senior Alex Picazo returned to action at 174 pounds and posted a 9-2 decision over Paul Kordich. Sophomore Zack Weinrich garnered the final win for Ohio State when he beat Matt Kuti, 14-3, for the major decision. "This was a good event," Ryan said. "The crowd was great and it is proof why Northeast Ohio has some of the greatest wrestling in the country. As a team, it is a great start, but we still have plenty to work on." Freshman Robel Campbell wrestled at 165 pounds and lost, 6-4, to Mike Mahon and at 157 pounds, Jason Johnstone dropped a close 8-7 decision against Victor Crenshaw. Ohio State will travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the Chattanooga Duals Nov. 10 at Maclellan Gym. The event will begin at 1 p.m. Other teams scheduled to compete are Anderson and Cumberland Universities. The Buckeyes' first home dual is at 7 p.m. Nov. 26 vs. Rutgers in St. John Arena. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for students.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Nearly 1,800 fans filled Rec Hall as the 2007-08 wrestling season had its table set with Penn State's annual Wrestle-Offs. Twenty five Nittany Lion grapplers took to the mats to stake their claims on the Penn State depth chart this season. Head coach Troy Sunderland's two returning All-Americans, Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) at 197 and Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) at 141, did not wrestle in the event. Davis, ranked No. 2 nationally at 197, was the only wrestler entered at his weight while Strayer, ranked No. 7 at 141, did not compete due to a slight injury. At 125, No. 11 Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day, downing true freshman Desmond Moore (Easton, Pa.) with a pin at the 4:01 mark in the finals. The senior posted a technical fall over red-shirt freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) in his first bout. Senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day to claim the title at 133. He downed freshman Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.) twice, with an 11-3 major and a 9-3 decision in the finals. With Strayer not competing at 141, rookie Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) took the title with two wins over sophomore Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.). The true freshman from New Jersey posted a 10-6 win in the first round and an 8-3 victory in the finals. At 149, sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) claimed the crown. Jenkins, ranked No. 7 nationally, posted two major decisions over freshman Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.). Jenkins posted a 12-4 major to open up action at 149 and a 14-5 major in the finals. The 157-pound weight class featured two outstanding meetings between sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 12 nationally, and true freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.). Darling won his first round bout to set up the first meeting, with Vallimont claiming a 5-2 decision. After another Darling win in consolations set up another meeting in the finals. Vallimont, who was one win shy of being an All-American at 149 last season, claimed an 8-1 decision to take the title. Sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), ranked No. 16 in the country, went 3-0 on the day and capped off his title with a pin of freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) in the finals (5:33). At 174, juniors Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) and Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) met in the finals. Friend claimed a 7-1 decision to win wrestle-offs for the second straight season. No. 11 David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), coming off a red-shirt season, went 0-2 on the day, dropping a 4-3 decision to Friend and a 2-0 bout to Decker. The 184-pound weight class entered the day as one of two wide open spots. Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) and sophomore Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) split time at the weight last season and once again faced each other for the starting spot this year. Bomberger used a third period takedown in the first meeting of the afternoon and claim the first bout between the two, 4-1. Bomberger then used a 2-1 edge in the finals to secure the wrestle-offs spot. With No. 2 Davis the only entrant at 197, no action took place at this weight. The 285-pound weight class also featured a battle for the title. With the starting spot up for grabs, sophomore transfers Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) and John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) each won their first round bouts and faced each other in the winners bracket final. Tighe scored a takedown midway through the first period and fought off Laboranti long enough to post an early 3-2 win. True freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) stopped any thoughts of a rematch, however, with a solid 7-3 win over Laboranti in consolations, setting up a meeting with Tighe in the finals. Tighe then downed Wade 7-3 in the finals to secure the HWT title. Penn State will open up the 2007-08 season by hosting ACC foe Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 11, in a 1 p.m. dual in Rec Hall. Admission to wrestle-offs is free. 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 to wrestling events for free! Season tickets are $28 for adults and seniors, youth 18 and under season tickets are $21. Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order tickets. All home duals will be streamed live at gopsusports.com and over the air on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM. Nearly 1,800 fans filled Rec Hall as the 2007-08 wrestling season had its table set with Penn State's annual Wrestle-Offs. Twenty five Nittany Lion grapplers took to the mats to stake their claims on the Penn State depth chart this season. Head coach Troy Sunderland's two returning All-Americans, Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) at 197 and Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) at 141, did not wrestle in the event. Davis, ranked No. 2 nationally at 197, was the only wrestler entered at his weight while Strayer, ranked No. 7 at 141, did not compete due to a slight injury. At 125, No. 11 Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day, downing true freshman Desmond Moore (Easton, Pa.) with a pin at the 4:01 mark in the finals. The senior posted a technical fall over red-shirt freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) in his first bout. Senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day to claim the title at 133. He downed freshman Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.) twice, with an 11-3 major and a 9-3 decision in the finals. With Strayer not competing at 141, rookie Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) took the title with two wins over sophomore Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.). The true freshman from New Jersey posted a 10-6 win in the first round and an 8-3 victory in the finals. At 149, sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) claimed the crown. Jenkins, ranked No. 7 nationally, posted two major decisions over freshman Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.). Jenkins posted a 12-4 major to open up action at 149 and a 14-5 major in the finals. The 157-pound weight class featured two outstanding meetings between sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 12 nationally, and true freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.). Darling won his first round bout to set up the first meeting, with Vallimont claiming a 5-2 decision. After another Darling win in consolations set up another meeting in the finals. Vallimont, who was one win shy of being an All-American at 149 last season, claimed an 8-1 decision to take the title. Sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), ranked No. 16 in the country, went 3-0 on the day and capped off his title with a pin of freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) in the finals (5:33). At 174, juniors Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) and Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) met in the finals. Friend claimed a 7-1 decision to win wrestle-offs for the second straight season. No. 11 David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), coming off a red-shirt season, went 0-2 on the day, dropping a 4-3 decision to Friend and a 2-0 bout to Decker. The 184-pound weight class entered the day as one of two wide open spots. Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) and sophomore Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) split time at the weight last season and once again faced each other for the starting spot this year. Bomberger used a third period takedown in the first meeting of the afternoon and claim the first bout between the two, 4-1. Bomberger then used a 2-1 edge in the finals to secure the wrestle-offs spot. With No. 2 Davis the only entrant at 197, no action took place at this weight. The 285-pound weight class also featured a battle for the title. With the starting spot up for grabs, sophomore transfers Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) and John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) each won their first round bouts and faced each other in the winners bracket final. Tighe scored a takedown midway through the first period and fought off Laboranti long enough to post an early 3-2 win. True freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) stopped any thoughts of a rematch, however, with a solid 7-3 win over Laboranti in consolations, setting up a meeting with Tighe in the finals. Tighe then downed Wade 7-3 in the finals to secure the HWT title. Penn State will open up the 2007-08 season by hosting ACC foe Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 11, in a 1 p.m. dual in Rec Hall. Admission to wrestle-offs is free. 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 to wrestling events for free! Season tickets are $28 for adults and seniors, youth 18 and under season tickets are $21. Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order tickets. All home duals will be streamed live at gopsusports.com and over the air on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM.