InterMat Staff

Scott Casber of Takedown Radio has announced the TDR will broadcast live on radio stations 1460 AM (Iowa) and 101.5 FM (S. Minn) from 10 a.m. to noon. The entire tournament will be aired on the Internet at www.takedownradio.com Join regulars Scott Casber, Steve Foster along with very special guests Dan Gable, Mike Duroe and former Iowa Wrestling standout and star of NBC TV's America's Biggest Loser Matt Hoover for the calls, the action and color of Cornell Wrestling's 28th Annual Matman Invitational. Cornell will host the 28th Annual Cornell Matman Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 7, with wrestling beginning at 9 a.m., in the arena of the Small Multi-Sport Center. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for students. Takedown Radio will broadcast live on radio stations 1460 AM and 101.5 FM from 10 a.m. to noon. The entire tournament will be aired on the Internet at www.takedownradio.com. Coe, which has the longest championship streak in tournament history, is searching for its fifth consecutive title. Last season the Kohawks bested Augustana (Ill.) by 42 points (147 to 105). Cornell was eighth with 37 ½ points. Cornell Coach Mike Duroe expects up to 200 wrestlers and 18 teams at the tournament. Complete varsity squads from Augustana (Ill.), Buena Vista, Central, Coe, Cornell, University of Chicago, University of Dubuque, Morningside, St. John's (Minn.), Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wisconsin-Platteville and York (Neb.) will attend. Back-ups from Luther and Wartburg may also compete. "This will be one of the bigger Division III tournaments and obviously we're excited that it will be broadcast by Takedown Radio," Duroe said. "St. John's has a strong team and one of our immediate goals will be to close the gap on them. If Coe brings a full team, it will be right up there, too." St. John's was second with 124 ½ points at the Citrus Open Tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Dec. 29 and Cornell was third with 79 ½ points. The Rams (9-4 overall) host Wisconsin-Eau Claire (5-19) on Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. A victory would be the 10th of the season, which would tie for fourth all-time in school history for most dual wins. Cornell compiled a record of 47-37 at the Citrus Open Tournament on Dec. 29 and at the Citrus Duals on Dec. 30 in Florida. Senior John Ugaste (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) won all seven bouts and captured the 197-pound championship at the Citrus Open Tournament. He upset Dan Fiecke of St. John's in the finals, 7-5 in overtime. Fiecke is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division III. Ugaste followed the tournament championship by winning all three dual matches to improve to 23-3 on the season. "John had a very, very solid performance," Duroe said. "He's in excellent physical condition and uses his condition in the late periods. If he continues to improve I can see him having a real good ending to his career." Other seven-match winners for the Rams in Florida were freshman Justin Blumer (Holbrook, Pa./West Greene), who was 7-2 at 125 pounds; sophomore Pat McAuley (Austin, Texas/Lanier), who was 7-2 at 157; and freshman Caleb Wilson (Benton, Ill./Benton), who was 7-2 at 149. Cornell now has three wrestlers with 20 or more victories — Ugaste, McAuley (22-5) and freshman Dave Paramski (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville), who is 21-5 at 141 pounds. Blumer is 19-7. Blumer, Paramski and McAuley placed third at the Citrus Open Tournament. The only losses for Paramski and McAuley were to the eventual weight class champions. Blumer was third and Wilson was fifth. The 26th-rated Rams went 2-1 in duals on Dec. 30, losing to No. 22 Heidelberg 23-11 before downing Case Western Reserve 21-16 and Mount St. Joseph 28-12. "We're starting to work for bonus points and wrestle with the team in mind," Duroe said. "Now we're going into the tough part of our season and we'll be really tested over the next six weeks. We're making improvements technically and tactically and we certainly haven't peaked yet." Duroe said that sophomore Chris Heilman (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary's), who is rated No. 7 in the nation at 125 pounds, is expected to return to the lineup this weekend along with heavyweight Chris Gustafson (Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek). Neither competed in Florida because of prior commitments. Duroe added that 133-pound sophomore Greg Murphy (Cridersville, Ohio/Wapakoneta), who missed action because of a back injury, could also be back in the lineup. Cornell Matman Invitational Results Year Champion (points) Runner-up (points) Cornell Place (points) 2005 Coe (147) Augustana, Ill. (105) eighth (37 ½) 2004 Coe (167 ½) Augustana, Ill. (118) ninth (35) 2003 Coe (146) Wisconsin-Platteville (96 ½) seventh (37 ½) 2002 Coe (140 ½) Central (102) seventh (53) 2001 Buena Vista (101 ½) St. John's, Minn. (89) ninth (41 ½) 2000 Upper Iowa (109) Luther (106) 12th (38) 1999 Buena Vista (161) Wisconsin-LaCrosse (107) 11th (26) 1998 Simpson (178 ½) Buena Vista (140) seventh (69 ½) 1997 Wisconsin-LaCrosse (175) St. John's, Minn. (100 ½) tie 12th (38 ½) 1996 Wartburg (183 ½) St. John's, Minn. (110 ½) fifth (76) 1995 Wartburg (171) Buena Vista (128) sixth (77 ½) 1994 Wisconsin-LaCrosse (135 ¾) Wartburg (132 ¾) seventh (51 ½) 1993 Wartburg (151 ¾) Buena Vista (104 ½) fourth (88 ¼) 1992 Augustana, Ill. (99 ¾) Central (99) seventh (53) 1991 Central (103 ½) Augustana, Ill. (100 ½) sixth (77 ½) 1990 Buena Vista (114 ½) Wisconsin-Whitewater (103 ½) sixth (57 ½) 1989 Central (135 ½) Buena Vista (90 ½) seventh (47 ½) 1988 Buena Vista (96) Wisconsin-Whitewater (59 ¾) seventh (38 ¾) 1987 Central (118) Buena Vista (83 ¼) fifth (34 ½) 1986 Buena Vista (108 ¼) Central (89) 1985 Central (107 ½) Buena Vista (65 ½) third (59 ½) 1984 Central (96 ¼) Wisconsin-Whitewater (66 ½) sixth (42 ½) 1983 Wisconsin-Whitewater (65) Augustana, Ill. (63 ¾) ninth (31) 1982 Wisconsin-Whitewater (95) Cornell (78 ¾) second (78 ¾) 1981 Buena Vista (90) Augustana, Ill. (77) 1980 Buena Vista (89 ½) Cornell (80 ¾) second (80 ¾) 1979 Central (68 ¾) Cornell (66) second (66)

All-American Cole Konrad was named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week after recording seven straight wins. He won the heavyweight crown at the Southern Scuffle last Friday and then clinched Minnesota's win over Arizona State with a win against fourth-ranked Cain Velasquez. It is the second time Konrad has been honored this year. At the Southern Scuffle, Konrad rolled to the title with six straight victories, five coming by pin. He needed just 1:12 to pin Missouri's Sean Connole to advance to the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he dominated 15th-ranked Mike Faust of Virginia Tech with a 17-4 major decision. In the championship, he pinned eighth-ranked Tanner Garrett of Navy in just 1: 28. Last night with the second-ranked Golden Gophers holding a 20-19 lead over No. 16 Arizona State, Konrad delivered with a 3-2 decision against Velasquez. It was Konrad's fourth win in five tries against the Sun Devil All-American. Konrad is ranked number one in the country with a 20-0 record. Ten of his 20 wins have been by fall. The two-time All-American has won 49 of his last 50 matches and currently sports a 99-13 career record. Konrad and the Golden Gophers return to the mat on Jan. 14-15 when they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the National Duals.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Army's wrestling team resumes its 2005-06 campaign on Thursday (Jan. 5) when the Black Knights travel to Stillwater, Okla., for a pair of dual matches. Army (2-0-1) will face No. 22 Northern Iowa at 2 p.m., before going up against top-ranked and three-time defending national champion Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. Both matches will be contested inside historic Gallagher-Iba Arena on the campus of Oklahoma State University. A year after going 12-5 and achieving the most wins in the Army program since 1993-94, the Black Knights sprinted out of the gate this year with a pair of wins and a tie. Army, idle since defeating East Stroudsburg, 27-7, on Dec. 7, opened the season with an impressive 19-19 tie versus nationally-ranked Hofstra. A 44-0 blanking of Franklin & Marshall immediately preceded Army's 20-point win over East Stroudsburg as the Black, Gold and Gray finished the first half of the 2005-06 season with an unbeaten mark. Army performed well in its early season tournament competitions as well. The Black Knights registered a third-place showing at the season-opening Oklahoma Gold/Brockport Classic, before taking sixth at the Body Bar Systems Invitational. A plethora of Army grapplers were able to test their skills against some tough competition and it allowed Black Knight head coach Chuck Barbee the opportunity to fine-tune his starting lineup. Junior 133-pounder Frank Baughan leads all Army wrestlers with 15 wins. Senior team captain Patrick Simpson, who moved up to 149 pounds this season, lists second on the team with 14 victories. Army will be facing Oklahoma State for the first time when the two squads clash Thursday. The Black Knights will be taking on Northern Iowa for the second time. The Panthers lead the series 1-0 on the strength of a 27-14 victory earned during the 1988-89 season. Following Thursday's matches, Army will travel to Arlington, Texas, to compete in the ninth annual Lone Star Duals this Saturday (Jan. 7). Army will face Stanford and Chattanooga at the highly-competitive event, which always welcomes some of the finest wrestling programs in the country.

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Mid-American Conference season begins Thursday for the Ohio wrestling team as the Bobcats travel to Eastern Michigan for a 7 p.m. dual meet. Ohio (3-4), which had been competing most of the season so far with four of its starters in the lineup, suffered another blow this week when 197-pound junior Nick Terbay underwent surgery to repair a torn MCL in his knee. The Dayton, Ohio, native will be out of action for at least three weeks, according to Bobcat head coach Joel Greenlee. "This is obviously not the team we expected to have this year but a lot of our young guys are getting experience much earlier than we thought they would," said Greenlee. "Those guys are getting better and making significant improvements. We're moving in the right direction." Against Eastern Michigan (1-4), Ohio will be represented by four freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors and senior heavyweight Dave Campbell, unless junior starter Marcus Adelman is ready to compete for the first time since injuring his leg on Nov. 26. The Eagles are led by 149-pound junior Jermain Thompson and freshman 125-pounder Sean Clair. Thompson, ranked 17th in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine, holds a 6-2 record, including an 11-7 decision over sixth-ranked Doug Withstandley of Purdue on Dec. 10. At 19-8, Clair holds EMU's best record and boasts a fourth-place finish at the Dec. 29-30 Southern Scuffle, where he scored an 11-2 major decision over 19th-ranked Andrew Dominguez of Minnesota. "This is going to be a closely contested dual meet so we can't afford to give up big points and they can't afford to give up big points," Greenlee said. "If one team gets on a roll and wins two or three matches in a row, that could determine it." Complete match-by-match results for Thursday's dual will be posted on ohiobobcats.com as soon as they become available. Ohio's tentative lineup for Thursday's dual meet: 125 - Caleb Metcalf (10-9) 133 - Terry Jackson (4-4) 141 - Frank Brown (3-5) 149 - Aaron Gomoll (9-8) 157 - Mike Grandominico (1-5) 165 - Kent Smith (3-8) 174 - Ryan Knapp (12-10) 184 - Brian Cesear (12-8) 197 - Larry Reichard (5-6) HWT - Dave Campbell (1-6) or Marcus Adelman (5-3)

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Sun Angel Foundation and the Arizona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will conduct an open house and an official dedication ceremony for its three new facilities Saturday, Associate Athletic Director David Benedict announced Wednesday. The Riches Wrestling Complex, the John Spini Women's Gymnastics Training Center and the Cavanagh/Dickey Olympic Sports Plaza offer ASU student-athletes new state-of-the-art training facilities and will serve as the training home of the ASU wrestling and gymnastics teams. Doors will open at 10 a.m. MST on Saturday to both the wrestling and gymnastics complexes for an exhibition practice session. Following the practice sessions that are open to the public, the official dedication ceremony for all three facilities will begin at the Cavanagh/Dickey Olympic Sports Plaza at 11 a.m. The new facilities are located off of Rural Road on the east end of the Kajikawa Football Practice Facility and just north of Farrington Stadium (softball). Driving directions are as follows: From the North: Take Scottsdale Rd/Rural Rd. south to Sixth Street (The intersection just south of Rio Salado) and turn left at the Sixth Street light. Then upon entering the parking lot turn left. Follow the parking lot around the football practice field, as it turns to the right you follow it to the parking lot and we are the larger of the 2 silver buildings From the south Take Rural Rd. North to Sixth Street and turn Right at the Sixth Street light. (The intersection just north of University) Then upon entering the parking lot turn left. Follow the parking lot around the football practice field, as it turns to the right you follow it to the parking lot and we are the larger of the 2 silver buildings

Cowboys Host Army and Northern Iowa in Double Dual Oklahoma State returns to the mat on Thursday after a brief holiday layoff with a double dual against Army and Northern Iowa on Thursday. Northern Iowa and Army will wrestle each other at 2 p.m. inside Gallagher-Iba Arena before the Cowboys wrestle both schools beginning with Army at 6 p.m. OSU has never met the Black Knights before. Zack Esposito met Phillip Simpson in the NCAA finals at 149 last season and will face his brother Patrick who is currently 14-3 on the year. Army is coached by former Cowboy Chuck Barbee who won a 104 career matches and was a three-time All-American from 1989-91. OSU will follow the dual with Army with a dual against 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa. The Cowboys own a 17-2 series advantage. OSU won the only meeting last year 30-6 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Northern Iowa has never won in Stillwater in 10 tries. UNI's last win came during the 1990-91 season with a 21-16 triumph in Cedar Falls. OSU has won the last eight meetings in the series. Panther 165-pounder Nick Baima is coming off of a big weekend at the Midlands Championships that saw him named Outstanding Wrestler. Scouting the Black Knights Army comes into the dual with a 2-0-1 record. The Black Knights opened the season with a 19-19 tie against Hofstra. Army then went on the road to defeat Franklin and Marshal and East Stroudsburg. Army is led by senior Patrick Simpson whi boaasts a 14-3 record. The Knights will also have seniors Jon Anderson, Luke Calvert and Todd Wisman in the lineup to provide leadership for a young lineup that also features three freshmen and a sophomore. Scouting the Panthers Northern Iowa comes into the dual with a 2-3 record. The Panthers three losses all come to Big Ten schools, while they have victories over Old Dominion and Virginia Tech. Nick Baima leads the team with a 19-2 record and a No. 6 national ranking in the 165-pound weight class. The Panthers also boast ranked wrestlers at 141 in No. 13 C.J. Ettelson and 157 in No. 17 Chris Bitetto. Battle at 184 Rusty Blackmon made the first move towards claiming the 184-pound weight class with his last second decision over Oklahoma's 11th-ranked Justin Dyer. Blackmon previously lost to Lehigh's David Helfrich who has moved into the rankings at No. 17 this week. Jack Jensen wrestled in the first dual for the Cowboys losing to No. 18 Joe Williams of Michigan State. Clay Kehrer, the returning starter from last season, is still waiting for an opportunity to make his mark. John Smith Nearing Chesbro's Mark Head coach John Smith is approaching Tommy Chesbro's school record for career wins. Smith entered the season with 220 career wins, needing seven to tie Chesbro's mark. After starting the season 3-0, Smith is four wins away from equaling Chesbro. If the Cowboys remain undefeated, Smith would tie the mark anad pass it at National Duals Jan. 14-15. Cowboys Parade Through Reno TOC Oklahoma State held a parade at the Reno Tournament of Champions parading nine guys into the finals as the Cowboys won their fourth consecutive tournament title. Coleman Scott began the parade at 125, but tasted defeat to finish as the tournament runner-up. Nathan Morgan lost his first match of the season in the finals at 133. Also losing for the first time this season were Johny Hendricks and Jake Rosholt. Kevin Ward and Brandon Mason also suffered losses in the finals. OSU did take home three tournament titles. Daniel Frishkorn rebounded from a tough opening month to win his first tournament title at 141. Zack Esposito remained undefeated with a victory at 149. Steve Mocco also took home a tournament title at heavyweight. Two other Cowboys placed with Newly McSpadden finishing third at 157, while Rusty Blackmon finished fifth at 184. Cowboys Winning Streak Alive Oklahoma State improved its dual winning streak to 24 consecutive matches with a 23-12 victory over Bedlam rival Oklahoma. The Cowboys last loss was a home loss to Minnesota in the final dual of the 2003-04 season. The Cowboys still have a ways to go before equaling the school record of 76. OSU won 76 consecutive duals over 14 seasons from 1937 to 1951. The longest unbeaten streak in school history is 84. OSU went 82-0-2 over seven seasons from 1959 to 1966. Tough Shoes to Fill Redshirt freshman Brandon Mason has the unenviable task of replacing three-time All-American and two-time national champion Chris Pendleton. Mason took third at the recent Kaufman/Brand Open. He lost an early bout to Iowa State's David Bertolino, but came back to win in convincing fashion to claim third. On his way through the bracket he beat Bertolino before defeating Minnesota's 14th-ranked Gabe Dretsch with a resounding decision, 9-2. Mason also took a runner-up finish at Reno Tournament of Champions losing to third-ranked Jake Herbert in the finals. Mason is currently 11-4 in the early part of the 2005-06 season. Mocco Continues to Win Steve Mocco began his current string of 79 consecutive victories while he wrestled for the University of Iowa. His last loss came to Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State in the finals of the 2002 NCAA Championships. Mocco compiled a 34-0 record during his sophomore season at Iowa en route to winning his first NCAA title. After taking a redshirt year to train for the 2004 Olympics, Mocco transferred to Oklahoma State where he continued his incredible streak. In Mocco's first year at OSU, he went 37-0 and won the Dan Hodge Trophy. He recently suffered his first collegiate loss in the NWCA All-Star Classic since that title match his freshman season, but his streak remains intact as the All-Star matches do not count on your record. Mocco will be seeking his third national title at the Ford Center in March of 2006. If Mocco goes undefeated during the 2005-06 season he will pass Yojiro Uetake as OSU's winningest wrestler. Uetake went 58-0 from 1964-66. Mocco is currently 45-0 in his one plus years at Oklahoma State. Esposito Climbing the Charts Zack Esposito enters his senior season with 93 career victories. Head Coach John Smith's career record of 154 wins may be out of reach, but another national championship season could move Esposito into the top five on the career charts. Esposito's is currently 102-8 currently ranks eighth with a percentage of .927. Eric Wais and Tom Erikson are just in front of him with a percentage of .927. Esposito went over the 100 win plateau for his career with six wins at the Reno Tournament of Champions and he is five wins shy of catching Randy Couture for 20th on the all-time list.

Wartburg begins a busy month with a trip to the Philadelphia, Penn., area for a single dual with No. 27-ranked Delaware Valley College Friday, Jan. 6, and the Ursinus College North-South Duals Saturday, Jan. 7. Head coach Jim Miller's squad (9-0) faces York College (Penn.), Ursinus, SUNY-Oneonta and McDaniel College (Md.) in the North-South meet. Start times are 6 p.m. Central Standard Time Friday at the Delaware Valley Gym Complex in Doylestown, Penn., and 9 a.m. CST Saturday at Helfferich Hall in Collegeville, Penn. * Knights rewind - Wartburg College, ranked No. 2 in the Dec. 12 NWCA/Brute-Adidas top 30, racked up four wins at the 2005 Desert wrestling Duals Monday, Dec. 19, upping their season record to 9-0. The Knights toppled Menlo College of Atherton, Calif., 32-13, Augustana College of Rock Island, Ill., 32-9, Elmhurst College of Illinois 34-10, and Johnson and Wales College of Providence, Rhode Island, 33-9. The four victories increased the host school's win streak to 12 since the tournament began in 2003. Senior 125-pounder Tyler Hubbard of Blue Springs, Mo., and senior 174-pounder Scott Kauffman of Emmetsburg each opened their 2005 campaigns with solid results at the Duals. Hubbard finished the day 3-0, stopping Ohio Northern's Ty Klofta, 4-1, and previously-unbeaten Brandon McDonough of Johnson and Wales 7-5, both of whom were ranked in the top four of the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Brute-Adidas Division III individual top eight. Kauffman registered four falls, each coming in 2:54 or less. Senior 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger of Belle Plaine strengthened his number one ranking, going 3-0 on the day, while No. 1-ranked heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer and the 197-pound duo of senior Ryan Phillips of Burlington and junior T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls came through the day without losses as well. Going into the weekend, 12 individuals have earned 10 wins or more. Freshman 133-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City heads the list with 19 wins, while Hinschberger has 18 and a group of four, including Miller, Gillis, sophomore heavyweight Brian Borchers of Holstein, and sophomore 149-pounder Jacob Naig of Emmetsburg have 13 wins each. * Opponent outlooks - The Aggies of Delaware Valley take a 2-2 record into Friday's dual. Unranked heavyweight Kevin Orr leads the squad with a 12-3 record. York College brings a 5-3 record to the North-South tourney. The Spartans, ranked No. 9 in the nation, are led by senior 184-pounder Duane Bastress who is ranked No. 1 individually. The host Bears sport a 3-0 dual mark. Senior 184-pounder Mike Troutman is ranked No. 5 nationally. SUNY-Oneonta took a 1-1 record into the John Reese Duals Wednesday. Senior 174-pounder Kyle Hauptfleisch is the top returner for the Red Dragons, sporting a 33-11 record in 2004-05. The Green Terror of McDaniel, with a 3-2 record, are led by junior 149-pounder Mark Nakasone, senior 125-pounder Steve Colasuonno, senior 165-pounder Tony Howard and freshman 174-pounder Andrew Winfield. McDaniel brings a No. 23-ranking to the tourney as Howard, at No. 2, and Winfield, at No. 6, are each ranked nationally. * Next up – The National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals, presented by PayDay Pro, are set for the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 14 and 15. WARTBURG PROBABLES FOR WEEKEND 125 - Tyler Hubbard, sr., Blue Springs, Mo. 3-0 Returning All-American (133 last year) Has defeated #3, #4 and #6 ranked wrestlers to date Paul Reedy, sr., Emmetsburg, Iowa 8-7 133 - Zach McKray, fr., Iowa City, Iowa 19-1 Ranked No. 6 141 - Dustin Hinschberger, sr., Belle Plaine, Iowa 18-5 Two-time defending national champion - hasn't lost to a Division III opponent since his sophomore year - ranked No. 1 149 - Jacob Naig, so., Emmetsburg, Iowa 13-5 Returning All-American, ranked No. 2 Bob Kuennen, sr., Fort Atkinson, Iowa 12-6 Justin Hanson, so., Humboldt, Iowa 157 - Dustin Bliven, sr., Columbus Junction, Iowa 6-2 Was ranked No. 7 preseason 165 - Joe Bunne (pronounced bunny), fr., LeRoy, Minn. 5-6 174 - Scott Kauffman, sr., Emmetsburg, Iowa 4-0 Returning All-American (184 last year) Recorded four falls in 2:59 or less in first outing at Desert Duals 184 - Akeem Carter, sr., Waterloo, Iowa 7-2 Two-time defending national champion (197) Ranked No. 4 197 - Romeo Djoumessi, fr., Waverly, Iowa 11-1 Ryan Phillips, jr., Burlington, Iowa 11-4 Was ranked No. 6 preseason T.J. Miller, so., Cedar Falls, Iowa 13-2 Ranked No. 4 in nation HWT - Blake Gillis, jr., Spencer, Iowa 13-2 Two-time national runner-up Ranked No. 1 Brian Borchers, jr., Holstein, Iowa 13-1

Top-ranked Cole Konrad defeated fourth-ranked Cain Velasquez in the final match as the second-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team (8-0-0) defeated No. 16 Arizona State, 23 -19, at the Sports Pavilion on Tuesday night. Minnesota held off a late rally to earn its sixth straight win over the Sun Devils. With Minnesota leading 20-19 heading into the heavyweight match, Konrad took control early with a takedown 37 seconds into the match. He rode Velasquez for the remainder of the first period. After Velasquez rode Konrad out in the second period, he tied the match with a takedown eight seconds into the third. The match was stopped as Konrad twisted his knee on the play. After a brief timeout, Konrad started down and scored the escape to take a 3-2 lead. Velasquez got in on Konrad's leg four times in the final minute and a half, but was unable to gain control and score the takedown. Konrad's victory was the 99th win of his career and his fourth win over Velasquez. Velasquez upset Konrad, 4-3, in last year's dual meet matchup. He is one of just two wrestlers to beat Konrad in the past two seasons. Konrad is now 20-0 on the year and 99 -13 for his career. Arizona State took an early 4-0 lead as eighth-ranked Jeremy Mendoza earned an 8-0 major decision against junior Andrew Domingues at 125 pounds. After taking a 2-0 lead, Mendoza took control of the match with a three-point near fall early in the second. He added a third-period reversal to earn the bonus point. Minnesota responded with three straight wins to take a 14-4 lead. Fourth-ranked Mack Reiter held a 2-1 advantage over Adam Hickey at 133 pounds. In the second, Reiter got Hickey to his back and earned the pin. Reiter improved to 8-0 in the dual meet season. At 141 pounds, sophomore Manuel Rivera took an early lead on Jason Robbins at 141 pounds and held on for a 7-3 decision. He earned a takedown 23 seconds into the match and then opened the second period with a reversal to take a 4-1 lead. Rivera added a third-period takedown to put the match away. True freshman Dustin Schlatter needed just 2:42 to claim a 15-0 technical fall over Brandon Schad at 149 pounds. Schlatter earned the takedown 10 seconds into the match and then scored four near falls to earn five points for Minnesota. Ranked fifth in the country, Schlatter is now 22-1 on the year with a 7-1 record in dual meets. The Sun Devils regained a little momentum just before halftime. Ninth-ranked Brian Stith needed just 1:11 to pin junior Danny Williams at 157 pounds. Williams was filling in for eighth-ranked C.P. Schlatter who sat out the match due to a minor leg injury. After Arizona State forfeited at 165 pounds, the Sun Devils got back into the match thanks to three straight wins. Alex Pavlenko upset 10th-ranked Gabriel Dretsch, 9-5, at 174 pounds. Dretsch was unable to generate any offense until late in the match. Pavlenko held a 4-2 first period lead thanks to a pair of takedowns. Leading 4-3 in the third, Pavlenko scored another takedown and added back points. Dretsch scored the reversal, but time ran out on his comeback attempt. The roll continued as ninth-ranked C.B. Dollaway defeated sixth-ranked Roger Kish, 3-0, at 184 pounds. Leading 1-0, Dollaway earned the two-point takedown 13 seconds into the third period and rode Kish the rest of the way. It was Dollaway's first match of the season after missing time due to injury. The Sun Devils cut the Minnesota lead to 20-19 at 197 pounds as eighth-ranked Ryan Bader defeated Mitch Kuhlman, 6-1. Wrestling up two weight classes, Kuhlman kept the match close to allow the Golden Gophers to hang on to the lead. Bader took a 2-0 lead on a first-period takedown and added another takedown late in the second period. He finished with 1:45 in riding time. The Golden Gophers are off until Jan. 14-15, when they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the National Duals.

Columbia, Mo. -- Receiving recognition for his outstanding accomplishments at the close of 2005, junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for December. A two-time NCAA runner-up at 174 pounds, Askren possesses an unblemished 24-0 record this season, the only Tiger starter still undefeated. Ranked No. 1 in the nation at 174 pounds, Askren opened the month by successfully defending his title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 2-3. Breaking the Missouri mark for career falls, Askren pinned Nick Padazan of Pittsburgh in 2:12 recording the 48th pin of his career and erasing J.P. Reese's mark of 47, set in 2004. Continuing a dominant month, Askren pinned all three opponents he faced in dual competition, helping the Tigers to wins over Ohio State, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Finishing off the month in convincing fashion, Askren took home the second Southern Scuffle title of his career, pinning four opponents on his march through the bracket. The four falls, all of which came in the first period, brought Askren's season total to 19. Entering two dual matches Saturday, Jan. 7, against Eastern Illinois and Central Missouri State, the junior has a chance to overcome the mark of 20 falls he established a year ago and tie his own Tiger's record for consecutive wins at 26. Missouri's first dual against Eastern Illinois will begin at 12 p.m. CST in the Hearnes Center, followed immediately by the Tigers matchup with Central Missouri State.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Junior Seth Martin (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) has been named LHU Bookstore Athlete of the Week for his efforts in the week ending Jan. 1. This is the first honor for both Martin and the Lock Haven University wrestling team. Martin continues to gain ground in his quest for the 100-win club, as he now has 63 career victories after a 5-1 Southern Scuffle. The junior 157-pounder grabbed a third-place finish, the best for the Bald Eagles. Martin's only loss came to No. 11 C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota, the eventual runner-up. Martin beat Ohio State's Steve Sommer 13-6 in the third place bout, as well as Old Dominion's Chris Brown, Jake Yost of Chattanooga, Virginia's Kyle Artusio and VMI's Tommy Cunningham. Martin and the rest of the Bald Eagles are back in action Sunday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. when they host No. 8 Cornell University. The LHU Bookstore sponsors the Athlete of the Week to better promote Lock Haven student-athletes. The LHU Bookstore is available for all academic texts, LHU apparel and more. The Bookstore is located in the Parson's Union Building on the campus of Lock Haven University.

Dear Coaches- The 3rd Annual Dan Gable Open will be taking place next Friday January 13th, 2006 in the Kolf Sports Center Fieldhouse on the campus of UW-Oshkosh. Please see the attached letter and schedule with all pertinent information regarding the event. All proceeds for the event go directly toward the Endowment fund created to secure collegiate wrestling at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. I realize this is on the same weekend as the National Duals but even if you just make your reserves/redshirts aware of the event, it would be a great help to us. As an added bonus to this year's event, Dan Gable has graciously committed to attending the event. Coach Gable will be giving a speech to all coaches/competitors beginning at 8am in the fieldhouse. He will then speak downstairs to the general public at 9:30am. Please let me know if you are planning on sending any wrestlers to the event so that proper planning may take place. If there are any questions, please feel free to email me or give me a call at 920-424-1201. Thanks and I hope to see you at this year's event. Sincerely, Mike DeRoehn Head Wrestling Coach UW-Oshkosh 920-424-1201

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Jon Masa of Hofstra University was named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week, and Doug Umbehauer of Rider University was named the CAA Rookie of the Week, for all competition December 20-January 2. Masa, a senior from Long Beach, NY (Long Beach), returned to the Hofstra line up in style, defeating the fourth ranked 149 pounder in the nation, Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan, 13-4 in a major decision. Masa was granted a one semester Olympic waiver by the NCAA in late November. Last year Masa placed third at the NCAA Championships to earn his second All-America honors. Umbehauer, a freshman from Shamong, N.J. (Lenape) reached the quarter-finals of UNC-Greensboro's Southern Scuffle by defeating Luke Hogle of Cornell 5-4 in the third round before losing to 13th ranked Gabe Dretsch of Minnesota. After a first round bye, Umbehauer defeated Darius Caldwell of The Citadel 4-2 in the second round.

There is an old coaching adage: State championships aren't won in December. So true. However, for purposes of determining national high school rankings, titles are largely won in December. The majority of the action between top high school stars of different states this season has already take place -- at the Ironman, the Beast of the East, Reno, Powerade, Bethlehem, and even at preseason events like the Super 32 Challenge and the Lock Haven Fall Classic. With the dust settling from all of these "super tournaments," here are the competitors whose "stock" has gone up the most. Eric MedinaEric Medina -- A junior from Blair Academy, he is the best wrestler on the best team in the nation. However, while he was hailed as the best freshman in the country by almost all observers, his sophomore season was somewhat disappointing -- highlighted by his failure to repeat as champion at Cadet Nationals (Medina took third, losing by fall to Josh Stalcup of Oregon). This year, he has dominated all comers. At Ironman, he destroyed highly-touted Junior Nationals All-American Jason Welch of California, building a lead that was approaching a technical fall before securing the fall. Medina followed that up with a 9-6 win over the No. 1-ranked 152 in the nation, Josh Rohler. The match was not nearly as close at the score. Medina next dominated Phil Black of New Jersey in the Beast finals, 9-3. Finally, Medina defeated Pennsylvania AAA state champion Tim Darling for the second time this season (he also beat him at Lock Haven) and third time in the past year. The total combination of speed, power, and technique -- Medina is truly the total package -- equally tough on his feet or on the mat. Zach Kemmerer -- Many overlooked this competitor from Pennsylvania since he has not finished higher than fifth in his own state tournament. However, a closer look reveals that he defeated the state champion in his division, the outstanding Ashtin Primus, during the season last year. Kemmerer has been one of the biggest stories of the season thus far, winning the Ironman and Beast of the East tournaments. Kemmerer has posted wins over NHSCA Juniors Nationals champion Kevin Lipp, Sean Harris, and Pat McLemore -- all Ohio state champions -- as well as Junior National All-American Max Shanaman of Blair Academy. Look for Kemmerer to claim his first state title this year. Jamelle Jones -- Jones winning Beast was perhaps not a huge surprise. However, the ease with which he dispatched Matthew Edmondson of in the finals was. Edmondson had reached the finals on the strength of four falls and a 13-3 shellacking of New Jersey state runner-up Jeff Siciliano, and pinned nationally ranked David Green of Oviedo one week later. Against Jones, however, Edmondson was outmatched, as Jones scored four takedowns versus four escapes for Edmondson in an 8-4 win. Very light on his feet, Jones has a superb counter-offense. For his efforts, Jones moved up to No. 20 in the Rev Power Rankings. In this writer's view, Jones may be the top 189 in the nation. Nikko TriggasNikko Triggas -- Despite finishing third at Cadet Nationals, the junior from California was given little chance against RevWrestling.com's No. 1-rated freshman in the nation, Collin Palmer, in the Ironman finals. Displaying brute physical strength, Triggas handled Palmer, 13-2, nearly scoring the technical fall in the third. Triggas had previously defeated Pennsylvania AAA sate champion Chris Sheetz by a lopsided 14-3 score in the semifinals. As if he hadn't done enough, Triggas next breezed to the title at the Reno Tournament of Campions. Triggas has moved up to the No. 6-ranked junior in the Rev Power Rankings. John Weakley -- Never a state place-winner in Ohio, Weakley may be the most improved wrestler in the nation. As explosive an upper-weight as you will ever see, Weakley simply blows through most of his opponents with his "blast double." Weakley put his name on the map with a 14-5 drubbing of nationally ranked David Green of Oviedo (Flordia) High School in the Ironman finals. He also had a lopsided win over Beast of the East third place finisher Jamey Srock early in the year. While he was upset by St. Edward's Chris Honeycutt in overtime at the Medina Invitational, even in that match he scored three of the four takedowns in regulation. Cody Gardner -- The big man from Christiansburg, Virginia has won the Ironman, Beast of the East, and Powerade tournaments with only one close match -- a 4-3 win over Jared Platt of Blair Academy. His Ironman, Beast, and Powerade final results consisted of a 14-4 major decision and two falls. Gardner is brutal on top as well as extremely agile on his feet. Only a junior, he is without question the best 215 in the nation this year. Scott Winston -- The Cadet Nationals runner-up from New Jersey has taken his game to another level this fall. Winston was undefeated his freshman year (22-0) when he suffered a season-ending injury. Now a sophomore, Winston is still undefeated, and looking like a good bet to win his first of three New Jersey state titles. Winston recently won all of his matches at "The Clash," with his only close match coming when he bumped up to 152 to take on one of Illinois best, Eric Pretto. Most impressively, Winston defeated Eric Medina in the preseason this fall, despite being a weight class smaller. Winston threw Medina for five en route to a 7-3 win. Bubba Jenkins -- Jenkins fell off the radar of many due to failing to place at Junior Nationals last summer. However, a closer look at his 5-2 record at that tournament reveals that he had one close loss to the outstanding graduated senior Sean Reynolds of Illinois, five dominating victories, and one inexplicable loss to Kyle DeBerry. In other words, he was outstanding in six out of seven matches. At the Beast of the East, Jenkins overcame a big move to rebound against one of the nation's top juniors, Tim Darling of Pennsylvania, with a 10-7 win. In the finals, he handled Travis Blasco of Blair Academy, 7-3, on the strength of three solid takedowns. Blasco managed only three escapes. At the Powerade, Jenkins never went the distance up to the finals, where he won 15-7. This writer believes that Jenkins may be the best 145 in the nation right now. Luke Silver -- The junior from Bishop Lynch (Texas) was considered for the Rev Power Rankings and left off the top 50 juniors as a close "honorable mention." Silver has proven me wrong and is clearly one of the most talented juniors in the nation. First, he won the Super32 Challenge (easily the toughest preseason tournament in the nation). Silver's next major tournament was the Beast of the East. Remarkably, he did not allow an offensive point until the closing seconds of his bout with Jordan Frishkorn, rated as the No. 11 senior in the nation in the Rev Power Rankings and widely recognized as the second best 130 in the nation. That takedown gave Frishkorn the bout, 3-1. For his outstanding season thus far, Silver went from not being in the top 50, to being the No. 19 junior in the nation. He may still be too low. There is much great wrestling to go this year -- yet to come before the state tournaments are the NHSCA Final Four Duals and the St. Edward's/Blair Dual. Of course, most of these questions will be resolved not by rankings, but on the mat at NHSCA Senior and Junior Nationals in Pittsburgh in late March, but the picture of whom the nation's elite are is becoming much clearer. Stay tuned.

LINCOLN -- 13th-ranked Nebraska rode four straight bonus-point victories and five wins overall to build a 21-point lead en route to a 30-12 win over Bloomsburg Monday night at the Devaney Center Track. After a setback at 141 pounds, Ryan Davis picked up his first career dual win for Nebraska in dominant fashion, defeating George Hickman by technical fall, 17-1. After building a commanding 12-1 lead in the first three minutes of the match, Davis started the second period down and scored a reversal 18 seconds into the second frame. A near-fall 11 seconds later clinched the technical fall victory for Davis, who was awarded a bonus point for his 2:20 advantage in riding time. "As I go along, I want to get better," Davis said. "I wanted to get into the flow of things in a dual match tonight." Chris Oliver followed with a hard-fought win by fall over Aric Fuhrman at 157 pounds. Oliver took control of the match in the third period, outscoring Fuhrman, 6-1, before earning the pin with 22 seconds to go in the final period. "I tried to feel my way through the first two periods tonight," Oliver said. "I wanted to try some things in the first two periods, and I happened to get him on his back and get the pin in the third." At 165 pounds, Marc Harwood earned a major decision win over Frank Beasley, 16-5. Harwood took the lead six seconds into the match with a takedown, and had an 8-2 lead 1:13 into the first period after three takedowns and a two-point near fall. Nebraska saw its lead increase to 21-3 in the team race after sixth-ranked Jacob Klein turned a takedown 31 seconds into his match with Andrew Jordan into a win by fall. Klein needed just a minute to earn his first pin of the season. Brandon Browne followed at 184 pounds with a 6-5 triumph over Nate Shirk. With the match tied at three at the start of the third period, Browne earned an escape one second into the period, then a take down with 1:25 to go in the match to give him a 6-3 lead. A win by fall by Jesse Hasseman at 197 pounds broke Nebraska's five-match winning streak in the dual, but a 6-4 win by 14th-ranked Jon May at heavyweight over Mike Spaid clinched the dual for the Huskers. In the last two matches, NU suffered a setback at 125 pounds before Patrick Aleksanyan scored four takedowns on his way to an 8-3 win over Rick Donald to wrap up the match. The next action for Nebraska (5-2) will be a home dual with Virginia Tech on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Devaney Center Track. #13 Nebraska 30, Bloomsburg 12 Devaney Center Track, Lincoln, Neb. Jan. 2, 2005 Official-Tom Vincentini Attendance-315 141-Brad Forbes (BU) by dec. over #18 Dominick Moyer (NU), 4-3 149-Ryan Davis (NU) by tech. fall over George Hickman (BU), 17-1; 4:29 157-Chris Oliver (NU) by fall over Aric Fuhrman (BU), 6:38 165-Marc Harwood (NU) by major dec. over Frank Beasley (BU), 16-5 174-#6 Jacob Klein (NU) by fall over Andrew Jordan (BU), 1:00 184-Brandon Browne (NU) by dec. over Nate Shirk (BU), 6-5 197-Jesse Hasseman (BU) by fall over Casey Roberts (NU), 6:10 HWT-#14 Jon May (NU) by dec. over Mike Spaid (BU), 6-4 125-#14 Mike Sees (BU) by dec. over #8 Paul Donahoe (NU), 13-7 133-Patrick Aleksanyan (NU) by dec. over Rick Donald (BU), 8-3

Columbia, Mo. -- The No. 11 Missouri Tigers have announced a schedule change for the upcoming weekend, Jan. 6-8. The Tiger's original slate of competition dates included a dual against Eastern Illinois Friday, Jan. 6, and another versus Central Missouri State University Sunday, Jan. 8. Head Coach Brian Smith announced today that the schedule has changed and both duals will take place Saturday, Jan. 7, with the opening match against Eastern Illinois beginning at noon. The Tigers recently returned from a trip to North Carolina to compete in the Southern Scuffle, in which Missouri took second place in a field of 31 teams that included six teams ranked in the top 25. Junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) took first place at 174 pounds, and fellow junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) brought home a title at 165 pounds. Missouri boasts a 4-0 record in dual competition to this point in the season. Doors to the Hearnes Center open at 11:00 a.m CST, and Missouri begins its dual with Eastern Illinois at noon, followed immediately by its match against Central Missouri State.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Senior/junior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and fifth-year senior Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) collected quick falls as the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team opened the new year with a 25-13 victory over No. 21 Hofstra on Monday (Jan. 2) in front of 1,409 fans at Hofstra Arena. Moos made to make a big return to the U-M lineup at 133 pounds after missing the opening three dual meets with injury, pinning Jeff Santo at the 1:55 mark. Moos, ranked 13th nationally, built up a 5-0 advantage before using an armbar and half nelson combination to tilt the Pride wrestler and collect his second pin of the season. Wagner took immediate control in his heavyweight bout against Jon Andriac, using a single leg and leg sweep to dump the Pride wrestler to the mat. Wagner proceeded to work the top position, turning Andriac twice before securing the fall at 3:16 to improve to 9-0 on the season. Freshman Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) earned the first varsity win of his collegiate career to give the Wolverines the early advantage, scoring a 6-3 upset over 20th-ranked Dave Tomasette at 125 pounds. After scoring a quick first-period takedown, Watts used a cement mixer late in the frame to add a three-point near fall and gain a five-point lead after the opening three minutes. Tomasette cut away at that advantage in the second, countering a Watts shot to score a takedown of his own. Watts limited Tomasette to just an escape in the final frame to hold on to the decision. At 141 pounds, junior/sophomore Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) scored takedowns in the first and third periods to collect a 4-2 decision against Hofstra's Charles Griffen. The Pride wrestler kept the score close, riding out Churella through the entire second period and tying the score with a quick escape in the third, but the Wolverine connected on a single leg midway through the final frame to remain undefeated on the season. Fifth-year senior captain Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) used the edge of the mat to secure several takedowns against Chris Vondruska at 165 pounds, registering a 12-3 major decision to improve to 9-0 on the season. The Wolverine captain scored five takedowns, including three in the third period, while accumulating nearly five minutes in riding time to dominate throughout the entire seven-minute bout. At 184 pounds, sophomore/freshman Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) proved the importance of wrestling to the buzzer en route to a 4-0 decision over 16th-ranked Joe Rovelli, scoring a takedown at the end of the first period and securing a reversal at the end of the second. Todd rode out the Pride wrestler in the third frame to erase Rovelli's riding time advantage and remain undefeated in dual-meet action. The Wolverines lost the marquee match of the evening as fifth-ranked junior/sophomore Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) suffered a 13-4 major decision defeat against two-time All-American Jon Masa at 149 pounds. Masa countered a Tannenbaum double-leg attempt midway through the first period to take the Wolverine to his back for three back points. Tannenbaum continued to shoot and fight but could not recover from the early deficit as Masa added another pair of takedowns and a third-period reversal. Michigan (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) will wrap up its Empire State tour tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 3) with a non-conference dual meet against No. 8 Cornell in New York City. The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start at the New York Athletic Club.

Mark Cody is in his fourth season as head coach at American University. The heights to which he has brought his team in this short time can be found in the most recent rankings, where he has three wrestlers in the top ten. By far, the most talked about wrestler on his squad has been Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, known by many fans with poor international pronunciation skills as "Moose." Abdurakhmanov came to American University from Colby Community College, where he won two junior college titles -- the first at 157 and the second at 165. He originally hails from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he was a junior national champion. Despite his freestyle credentials, when Abdurakhmanov signed with Cody at American, college wrestling enthusiasts didn't automatically expect a big impact. Accomplishments in other styles of wrestling don't always translate to success in college. For example, Lazaro Reinoso never won a Division II national championship, despite beating John Smith at the 1992 Olympics. Mark Cody is in his fourth season as head coach at American University.Moreover, Abdurakhmanov was going to drop back down to 157 for his first season in D1 -- an already loaded weight class which featured two returning NCAA champs (Ryan Bertin in 2003 and Matt Gentry in 2004). Stock in Abdurakhmanov rose, however, just before the 2004-05 college wrestling season began. In late October, he competed in the Sunkist Open, where he beat NCAA champ Kirk White (4-1, 7-0) and NCAA runners-up Tyrone Lewis (2-4, 3-0, 3-0) and Jared Frayer (2-0, 4-0). In the finals, he lost a close match with Olympian and World bronze medalist (and three-time NCAA champ) Joe Williams 1-0, 2-0. Although this was still not folkstyle wrestling, the impressive list of opponents that Moose stormed through raised many eyebrows. As the season started, Abdurakhmanov faced standing NCAA runner-up Jake Percival at the finals of the Mat Town invitational. Percival had just come off a big (11-7) victory over Ryan Bertin at the 2004 NWCA All Star Classic and took Bertin down three times in the first period. Against Abdurakhmanov, Percival's impressive takedown skills were not as successful. Instead, it was Moose with three first-period takedowns before Percival had to default from an injury. After that match, even though it was a default, college wrestling followers had no choice but to view Abdurakhmanov as a force in the talented 157-pound DI field. However, as the season went on, the grind of college wrestling seemed to diminish Abdurakhmanov's effectiveness. He sustained a rib injury in the semifinals of the Midlands and then injured his knee in the second round of the EIWA Tournament. Moreover, the weight cut became increasingly difficult. He entered the 2005 NCAA Championships with only a single loss and the fourth seed. He exited the competition 2-2 and left many wrestling fans scratching their heads. This season, Abdurakhmanov has moved back up to 165. He again had an impressive, early season win against Minnesota's Matt Nagel. On paper, Nagel seemed like a tough opponent for Abdurakhmanov: a physical, well-conditioned Big Ten wrester with great defense and strong riding skills. However, Moose had little trouble and came out on top with a 13-3 major decision. (Ironically, like Percival the year before, Nagle was coming off a big win at the NWCA All-Star Classic against standing NCAA champ Johny Hendricks). So once again the expectation meter for this European standout is spiking. But because of how last season ended, skepticism remains -- and answers as to how he stacks up against top competition in tournament situations are not immediately forthcoming. Abdurakhmanov did not compete at the Midlands Championships over the weekend. "It was my decision to hold him," said Cody. "He's one hundred percent healthy, but he got injured there last year and I want to keep him fresh." Therefore, the rest of the regular season will not only deny opportunities for fans to see Abdurakhmanov face the top names in the weight class, but will also not give these wrestlers an opportunity to test out any game plan against him. Cody clarifies it's all about his athlete staying healthy and not scouting. "Even if they did, Muzaffar has such great technique, I don't think it would matter," said Cody. "I think he's a difficult opponent to scout against. If you stop one thing, he'll just go to something else." What is possibly most surprising about this European star is how strong he is from the bottom position. "This guy can get off bottom as good as anyone I've coached," said Cody. "Our main focus has been on top. We've been working very hard on his riding." When asked about position choice in a potential EIWA finals match-up against Troy Letters (known for his powerful crab ride), Cody remained confident. "You have to see how a match goes, but I would feel good about him taking down," said Cody. RevWrestling.com's Tom Franck went one-on-one with the enigmatic European dark horse of college wrestling. Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov was a national champion in Uzbekistan.I was wondering if you could talk about youth wrestling in Uzbekistan? Not many U.S. wrestling fans know much about youth wrestling in other countries. Are the teams based from clubs mostly or schools? Abdurakhmanov: We don't have it like here, like NCAA. We don't have it like that. But we mostly have like club. You can say it's a club, but it's just special places where you can learn wrestling. Do you have dual meets or is it mostly tournaments? Abdurakhmanov: Mostly tournaments. We have dual meets maybe if other countries come or if you go there. But not a lot. Mostly only for seniors. We don't have dual meets for young guys. But sometimes maybe our neighbors from, like, Kazakhstan, if they come, we may wrestle. But not a lot. How long is the season? Or is it year round? Abdurakhmanov: The season is the whole year. No break for that. Like in here, after the season, everybody takes a break for a little while. But there -- no way. You're training the whole year, especially in summer. They go for camps. Month and a half, two months, like three months. Usually we train whole year with no stop. Are there any tournaments that you try and peak for? Abdurakhmanov: Yeah. Like nationals for certain age. How did you wind up in the US? Abdurakhmanov: I talked to my friends who went to Colby, who I training before. And then one day he called me he said come over to America to wrestle and you'll have education for that, no? And after that, I just decided to come. It's hard first time when I get here. I have no idea how I'm going to speak English. I never learned English before. And I'm never thinking about learning English someday. And life is full of surprises. What was your experience like at Colby? Abdurakhmanov: I liked it a lot, but first year was like frustrating because my English was so bad. I can't understand what my teachers were saying. Collegiate -- it's different for me because I never wrestle college style. Was it difficult to learn to get out from the bottom position? Abdurakhmanov (laughs): Oh yeah. How you know, freestyle is…you don't have to get out. It's hard to learn, but I think now I'm okay. After like three years. Coach Cody said that he thought what made you so desirable to college coaches was that you could get out on the bottom -- even when you were at Colby. Abdurakhmanov: Yeah. First year I had pretty good partners who were good on top. And my coach at Colby is a pretty good coach. And he taught me a lot on top and bottom. And by the second semester, I felt I was getting better on bottom. When you were at Colby, did you know you wanted to go Division I after your two years? Abdurakhmanov: Yes. I wanted to go to Division I because it was kind of my goal. What did you think you needed to make the transition from junior college to Division I? Abdurakhmanov: It's tougher guys. It's much harder practices. You have to be in really good shape. It's a bit different from junior college. But now, I think I'm fine because it's my second year working with Coach Cody and he is doing a really good job with everybody. He knows everything we need. He's been coaching for a long time and he knows what he's doing. Especially coming from a top program like Oklahoma State, Nebraska, you know? He's been around good guys and he's coached a lot of good wrestlers. And I think he has really good experience. For me, it's worked great. I like to train with Coach Cody. Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov is currently ranked third in the country at 165Just before your first season at American, you wrestled at the Sunkist Open. And you beat Kirk White, Jared Frayer and Tyrone Lewis and then you lost a close match to Joe Williams. How did you feel about your performance? Abdurakhmanov: It's freestyle. I felt great over there because I did not cut weight. I think when I'm not cutting weight I feel good. It kind of helps me rather than cut weight and then wrestle. What was the decision like to go 157 your first year at American? You had won your junior college national title the year before at 165. Abdurakhmanov: Yeah. When I won at 65, I weighed like 166, 165 and I thought, 'It's only eight pounds, you know?' At end of the season, my weight is going up. It's like, I weigh a lot, but I can't go 165. I have to make the weight at 57. It kind of knocked me out. Do you think your two injuries had anything to do with you cutting so much weight? Abdurakhmanov: Some coaches tell me like if you're cutting too much weight sometimes your muscles will be weak. So that's when you get the most injuries. I can't say it's because of that. It's wrestling -- anything can happen. So how do you feel now at 165? Abdurakhmanov: I feel good, you know? I don't have to worry about cut weight. I just training and training. Eat good, you know? It's wrestling, you don't know again. So far, I feel good. In looking at the remainder of your schedule, it appears you won't face any of the wrestlers currently ranked ahead of you during the regular season. Do you think this benefits you in that it doesn't give them a chance to study you? Or would you rather face some of the top ranked guys? Abdurakhmanov: I don't know. In college everybody knows each other. It's who is most ready. I think I just see one time what he's doing. It's in my mind. I just got to be ready for that - but still wrestle my style, you know what I mean? Sometimes it doesn't help even when you see that, you know? Guys good on top moves. He's going to do anyway. You just go and wrestle, I think. What do you think you need to do to win the NCAA title this year? Abdurakhmanov: Just stay healthy and do everything coach says. And you know, hopefully wrestle how I can wrestle. After the season, what are your plans? Abdurakhmanov: I like to be a coach and still competing -- like everybody's doing here. Will you try and make the Uzbekistan national team? Abdurakhmanov: I don't know. I'm not thinking about that yet. First, I need to finish school and get coaching job if I can. And then we'll see. Do you miss freestyle? Abdurakhmanov: Oh yes. It's a good style. Would you like another shot at Joe Williams? Abdurakhmanov: Oh yes. Why not? He's a good wrestler. Wrestling him is fun, you know? What do you think you would need to do to beat him? Abdurakhmanov (laughs): Joe Williams is doing a double leg with everybody, you know what I mean? It's like what I was talking about. If he is good on some move, he's going to do it anyway. I mean, I knew before I wrestled him I knew he's going to shoot a double leg and he still got it. I think everybody in the world knows his double leg. Do you still follow world wrestling closely? Abdurakhmanov: Oh yes. What do you think the US needs to do to improve at the World Championships? Abdurakhmanov (laughing): They have to stop collegiate and spend all the time on freestyle. They spend all this time on collegiate and then they've got to change style to freestyle. This is why in Russia a 20 years guy, 19-year-old guy -- world champion, Olympic champion, you know what I mean? Because they wrestle in that style in all their lives and don't have to change it. Best of luck with the rest of the season. Abdurakhmanov: Thanks a lot. I appreciate it. I need that.

Greensboro, N.C. -- Competing at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center, the No. 11 Missouri Tigers took second place at the Southern Scuffle, losing only to No. 2 Minnesota, who placed five wrestlers in the finals and crowned four champions. Juniors Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) and Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) each took first place in their respective weight classes, the only two Tigers to advance to the final round. Ranked No. 4 at 165 pounds, Pell shook hands at center circle in the championship bout with Steve Anceravage of Cornell, the second time the pair have met on the mat this season. Opening quickly, Pell earned two points with a single-leg takedown just 14 seconds into the match, but Anceravage turned the tables with an escape and a takedown of his own to gain a 3-2 advantage. Pell evened the score by breaking free of his opponent's grasp, and the second period ended 3-3. Choosing the down position to start the second period, Pell broke ahead with an escape, a takedown and a two-point nearfall, establishing a lead that Anceravage was unable to overcome. Adding more points in the third, Pell walked off the mat with a 12-7 decision and the 165-pound title. The No. 1 wrestler at 174 pounds, Askren earned his second Southern Scuffle title in convincing fashion, pinning four opponents on his way to the title. All four pins came in the first period, and raised the junior's season total to 19, just one shy of the record-setting total he compiled last season. Breaking through to the title match, Askren completed the title as opponent Tyron Woodley defaulted. A two-time All-American for the Tigers, Woodley graduated last season and was competing unattached.

EVANSTON, Illinois -- Utah Valley State wrestler Erkin Tadzhimetov finished fourth at 133 lbs. at the Midlands Tournament after falling in the third place match to Central Michigan's Jason Borelli in a 7-4 overtime decision. Earlier in the day, Tadzhimetov lost to Iowa State's Jesse Sundell in the semifinals before beating Iowa's Dan Dennis 7-4 to advance to the third place match. "He's wrestled better the last two days than I've ever seen him wrestle," said Utah Valley State coach Cody Sanderson. "He's made a lot of progress, I'm really happy for him." The senior from Uzbekistan finished the tournament with a 4-2 record to move to 16-6 individually on the year. The Midlands is an invitation only tournament that is comprised of some of the top competition in the nation and Tadzhimetov's success there is a big boost for himself and for the Utah Valley State program. "There were a lot of people talking about him," said Sanderson. "It was great for us as a program to have him there and to wrestle as well as he did." Tadzhimetov advanced to Friday's semifinals after winning three times on Thursday. He opened the tournament with a quick fall over Joe Gomez (2:43), a 6-3 decision over Brent Skorup of Wheaton and a 5-2 decision over 3rd seeded Andy Hiatt of Northern Illinois. Utah Valley State wrestling will continue its action next week in the Lonestar Duals in Arlington Texas next Thursday, January 7th. They will wrestle three dual matches against Harvard, Navy, Oklahoma and Central Oklahoma. The next home dual will be Monday, January 16th against Northern Colorado.

REENSBORO, N.C. -- The Big Red took third place at the 2005 Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., recording 131 team points and taking three individual titles. Freshman Troy Nickerson won the 125 pound bracket for the third time in as many tournaments in his collegiate career, senior Dustin Manotti took the 157 title and junior Jerry Rinaldi won the crown at 197 pounds. Minnesota won the team title with 192 points and Missouri finished just ahead of the Big Red with 149 points. Nickerson breezed into the quarterfinals with a pair of major decisions and then advanced to the semis by beating UT-Chattanooga's Javier Maldonado 3-0. He then pinned Austin Devoe (Missouri) in 6:11 to move to the finals against Kent State's Chad Sportelli. Nickerson recorded a major decision (13-5) to remain undefeated at Cornell and take the title. Like Nickerson, Manotti had no trouble in the rounds of 32 and 16, scoring major decisions in each. In the quarters, the Cornell senior disposed of Kent State's Kurt Gross 8-1 for a spot in the semifinals. He beat Oregon State's Tony Hook 7-0 and then met C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota) in the championship match. He took the 157 pound title with a 4-1 win over Schlatter. Rinaldi took an 8-7 win in a tie breaker over NC State's Ryan Goodman to win the title at 197 pounds. He beat Mark Thompson (Citadel) and David Dashiell (North Carolina) to advance to the quarterfinals. He beat Lehigh's Paul Wiebel and Missouri's Alex Askren for a spot in the finals, setting up exciting championship bout with Goodman. Including the three individual titles, Cornell had seven place-winners at the Southern Scuffle. Sophomore Steve Anceravage (165) advanced to the finals with four consecutive wins before falling to Missouri's Matt Pell in the championship match. Senior John Cholish had an exciting run in his first action at 165 pounds, going 5-2 at the tournament, taking fourth place. Senior Mike Mormile (133) beat Matt Keller (UT-Chattanooga) 13-5 in the fifth-place match. Junior Luke Hogle went 6-2, taking home seventh place at 174 pounds. The Big Red will kick off its dual schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 3, when it faces Michigan at the New York Athletic Club. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The second-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team finished first at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., on Friday. Freshman Dustin Schlatter, sophomore Roger Kish and junior Cole Konrad won individual titles. Minnesota finished the 32-team tournament with 192 points, while 12th-ranked Missouri placed a distant second at 149 points. Cornell finished third with 131 points. Schlatter won the title at 149 pounds with a narrow 1-0 decision against J Jaggers of Ohio State. In the semifinals, he earned a 15-0 technical fall against 14th-ranked Josh Medina of Lock Haven. Kish won the title at 184 pounds for the second straight year. He defeated Virginia Tech's Steve Borja, 5-3, in the finals. Konrad improved to 19-0 on the year with a pin of eighth-ranked Tanner Garrett of Navy in just 1:28. Minnesota also had a pair of runner-ups. In a rematch of last year's NCAA semifinal, second-ranked Shawn Bunch of Edinboro defeated the Golden Gophers' Mack Reiter, 8-5, in the finals at 133 pounds. Sophomore C.P. Schlatter dropped a 4-1 decision to sixth- ranked Dustin Manotti of Cornell in the 157-pound championship. Other placewinners for the Golden Gophers included third-place finishers Matt Nagel at 165 and Gabriel Dretsch at 174. Travis Lang and Jeremy Larson placed fifth at 125 and 165 pounds, respectively. Minnesota returns to its dual meet schedule this Tuesday when it hosts No. 16 Arizona State at the Sports Pavilion. The match will begin at 7 p.m. Southern Scuffle Greensboro, N.C. December 30, 2005 Final Team Scores 1. Minnesota, 192.0 2. Missouri, 149.0 3. Cornell, 131.0 4. Edinboro, 103.0 5. Ohio State, 94.5 6. Lehigh, 86.0 7. Kent State, 82.5 8. Oregon State, 68.5 9. Navy, 55.0 10. North Carolina, 50.5

EVANSTON, Ill. -- He's done it. Northwestern's sophomore All-American Jake Herbert has become NU's first back-to-back Midlands champion. Herbert clinched the title by defeating Iowa's Mark Perry Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, earning the Art Kraft Champion of Champions trophy in the process. Matt Delguyd finished with a career-best fourth-place finish, while the Wildcats finished 10th in the team race. Herbert, the nation's second ranked grappler at 174 lbs., went 2-0 on the day while dominating the competition. In his first match, Herbert matched up with Michigan State's fourth-seeded R.J. Boudro. Herbert scored first and never looked back, increasing his lead throughout the match. Boudro made numerous late takedown attempts, but Herbert caught him, threw him over the top and rolled Boudro for the fall with 43 seconds left to advance to the finals. In one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year, Herbert met Iowa's third-ranked Mark Perry in the title bout. A 2004 Midlands titlist at 165 lbs., Perry moved up to 174 lbs. in 2005. In the match, Herbert dominated from beginning to end. While the first period went scoreless, Herbert missed taking a 2-0 lead on a takedown by just seconds. Herbert got on the board after a reversal with 52 seconds remaining in the second period, then tallied a three-point takedown as the time expired. Up 5-0 entering the third period, Hebert remained in control until the end. Perry hit on two last-second takedowns, but Herbert walked off with the 5-4 win. For his performance throughout the tournament, Herbert was named the 2005 Midlands Champion of Champions--an award voted on by all the tournament champions. Delguyd, a senior, fell in both of his matches on the second day of competition, but finished a career-best fourth at 197 lbs. In his first match, Delguyd fell to Illinois' Tyrone Byrd, 7-2. Delguyd faced Indiana's Brady Richardson in the third-place match and wrestled him to a scoreless first period. Delguyd tallied an escape early in the second period, taking a 1-0 lead. Richardson tallied an early escape of his own to open the third period, then hit a takedown with 33 seconds remaining to take a 3-1 lead. Delguyd got in an escape late in the match, but Richardson took the decision, 3-2. Sophomore Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) posted a 1-1 record on the day, placing at Midlands for the first time in his career. Fox's first match was a classic bout versus Northern Iowa's Tyler Rhodes. The two were neck and neck throughout the match, but Fox scored an escape late in the second tiebreaker round for a 3-2 win. Fox fell to UW-LaCrosse's Ryan Allen in his next match, but rebounded with a convincing 10-4 decision over American's Adam Lopiccolo to take seventh. At 165, Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) lost his first consolation match of the day, ending his run in the Midlands tournament. Durkee faced Stanford's eighth-seeded Ray Blake, going back-and-forth with Blake throughout the match. In the end, Blake notched a takedown in the second tiebreaker period to take the match, 5-3. As a team, Northwestern placed 10th out of 66 participating teams. The University of Illinois won the team race for the third-consecutive year, becoming only the third team in Midlands history to do so. They were challenged by the upstart Central Michigan team however, and didn't clinch the title until the second to last round. Michigan State, Iowa and Iowa State round out the top five teams. The Wildcats return to action at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8 at Eastern Illinois.

The fourth-ranked University of Illinois wrestling team accomplished a feat only seen by three teams in Midlands Tournament history and that is a three-peat for the team championship. Fueled by four wrestlers in the finals, the Illini scored 115.5 points for their third straight Midlands title. Seniors Alex Tirapelle (157) and Pete Friedl (184) brought home individual titles - Tirapelle winning his second and Friedl clinching the win for the team. Senior 157-pounder Tirapelle (Clovis, Calif.) won his second Midlands title as he defeated No. 2 seed Joe Johnston of Iowa, 3-0, in the finals. Tirapelle defeated the Hawkeye for the second time this year and the fourth time of his career. After no scoring in the first two periods, Tirapelle chose bottom and scored an escape and a takedown to secure the win. Friedl (Orland Park, Ill.) found himself in a familiar spot after clinching the Big Ten team title in 2005 with his win in the championship match. Once again his win at 184 pounds secured the team title for the Illini. He needed overtime to get it done and won in dramatic fashion getting the takedown over Purdue's Ben Wissel with only one second remaining in the match. After exchanging escape points in regulation, the two wrestlers went to sudden victory over time. Wissel got in a shot at the 27-second mark, but couldn't finish it out. Friedl took a shot with 10 seconds left, finally getting the call just before the buzzer. In a highly charged match, hometown favorite Mike Poeta (Fr., Highland Park, Ill.) faced off against Northern Iowa's Nick Biama. Poeta took control of the match early with two takedowns in the first two periods, but escape points kept Biama within a point. A Biama takedown in the third tied the match sending it to overtime. After no scoring in the sudden death period, the two wrestlers went to the second overtime period. Biama rode Poeta for the first 30-second period and Poeta gave Biama the escape to work on scoring the takedown. Poeta got close with a shot with 10 seconds remaining, but fell short in the 6-5 loss. Senior Tyrone Byrd dropped a close decision in the finals at 197 pounds to Central Michigan's No. 1 seed Wynn Michalek. The only points scored in the match were an escape point by Michalek in the second period. With a chance to tie the match, Byrd was ridden for the entire third period for the 2-0 loss. At 174 pounds, Donny Reynolds (Jr., Frankfort, Ill.) took fifth place via a medical forfeit. Earlier in the day, freshman Troy Tirapelle (Clovis, Calf.) took seventh at 149 pounds and tonight received the award for most falls in the least amount of time. He pinned four opponents in a total of 9:44. Notes: Comcast Sports Net will air the Midlands finals on four tape-delayed broadcasts - Jan. 11th (7 p.m.), 21st (3 p.m.), 24th (1 p.m.) and 28th (8 p.m.) ... The fourth-ranked Illini defeated 11 ranked teams to win their third Midlands title ... The Illini will be back in action on Jan. 13 in Fresno, Calif. against San Francisco State and Fresno State. 2005 MIDLANDS TEAM SCORES 1. Illinois - 115.5 2. Central Michigan - 112.5 3. Michigan State - 99.0 4. Iowa - 83.0 5. Iowa State - 83.5

Monday January, 2 follow the TDR Mic's to New York City as we bust down the doors of Brendan Buckley's Columbia wrestling room. We'll take a look at the new generation of Columbia Lions. Join Scott Casber and Greg Zafros for this very special look at Coach Buckley's inner sanctum. Broadcast time 2 PM Eastern/ 1 PM Central. Chat Room will be open. Monday Night we head out to the Island, LONG ISLAND, to visit our friends in Hempstead, New York. Coach Tom Ryan and his Flying Dutchmen of Hofstra (2-1-1) will engage Joe McFarland and his Wolverines of Michigan (2-1) The two teams met last January at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals at Cleveland State with the Wolverines pulling out a 19-18 victory on a pin in the final match (heavyweight) of the night. Monday night's match will mark the 2005-06 debut of Hofstra's two-time All-American, senior Jon Masa. Masa (Long Beach, NY), who was granted a one semester Olympic waiver by the NCAA in November, is 14-4 in open competition this season after placing third at the NCAA Championships last March. Masa will compete in the featured match at 149 pounds against fourth-ranked junior Eric Tannenbaum (8-2). The two All-Americans met twice last season with Tannenbaum winning 5-3 at the National Duals in January and Masa posting an 8-1 victory in the third-place match at the NCAA Championships in March. There will be a top 10 match-up at 174 pounds as Hofstra's fourth-ranked senior Mike Patrovich (Bohemia, NY/Islip) will face Michigan's seventh-ranked senior Nick Roy. Patrovich is 13-1 on the season with his only blemish coming in the championship match of the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational on December 3 to top-ranked Ben Askren from Missouri. Roy, who has battled injuries this season, enters the match with a 4-4 record. There will also be a top 20 match-up at 157 pounds as Hofstra junior James Strouse (Levittown, NY/MacArthur) will square off against Michigan's eighth-ranked freshman Steve Luke. Strouse, who is ranked 19th in the latest (12/20) USA Today/NWCA/Intermat poll, has recorded a 14-5 record this season including a fourth place finish at the East Stroudsburg Open and a 7th place finish at the Las Vegas Invitational. Monday night's match is also Chief Ray Downey Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund Night. Members of the Downey Family will be in attendance to present scholarship grants to Mike Patrovich and James Strouse in memory of the late FDNY hero who was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Join TDR Broadcast Team- Scott Casber, Greg Zafros, Jim B. Sheehan and Brendan Buckley and thier guests. Broadcast time 6:00 PM Eastern/ 5:00 PM Central. Chat Room will be open. Tuesday Night we head back to New York City and the New York Athletic Club for more action with Rob Koll and The Big Red of Cornell University (#9) and Joe McFarland's 3rd ranked Wolverines of the University of Michigan. Founded in 1868, the New York Athletic Club can boast of a unique history. The Club's founding premise was to bring structure to a sporting environment that was lacking in organization and uniformity of measurement. Quickly, the NYAC organized the first US championships in boxing, wrestling and outdoor track and field. Today, our New York City Club House stands in tribute to an unmatched athletic history and our ongoing commitment to the pursuit of sporting excellence. Note to Fans Planning to Attend the Jan. 3 Dual vs. Cornell Fans interested in attending U-M's dual meet against Cornell at the New York Athletic Club on Tuesday, Jan. 3, will need to dress according to the institution's dress code for admission to the building. Men must wear sport coats with a collared shirt or turtleneck and women must be in comparable business attire. No jeans or sneakers are allowed. Join TDR Broadcast Team- Scott Casber, Greg Zafros Bob Backlund, Arno Niemand and Brendan Buckley and their guests. Broadcast time 6:00 PM Eastern/ 5:00 PM Central. Chat Room will be open.

HEMPSTEAD, New York -- The 21st-ranked Pride wrestling team returns to action on Monday night, January 2 at the Hofstra Arena when they host the fifth-ranked Wolverines of the University of Michigan at 7 p.m. Hofstra comes into the match with a 2-1-1 record while Michigan is 2-1. The two teams met last January at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals at Cleveland State with the Wolverines pulling out a 19-18 victory on a pin in the final match (heavyweight) of the night. Monday night's match will mark the 2005-06 debut of Hofstra's two-time All-American, senior Jon Masa. The Long Beach, New York native, who was granted a one semester Olympic waiver by the NCAA in November, is 14-4 in open competition this season after placing third at the NCAA Championships last March. Masa will compete in the featured match at 149 pounds against fourth-ranked junior Eric Tannenbaum (8-2). The two All-Americans met twice last season with Tannenbaum winning 5-3 at the National Duals in January and Masa posting an 8-1 victory in the third-place match at the NCAA Championships in March. There will be a top 10 match-up at 174 pounds as Hofstra's fourth-ranked senior Mike Patrovich (Bohemia, NY/Islip) will face Michigan's seventh-ranked senior Nick Roy. Patrovich is 13-1 on the season with his only blemish coming in the championship match of the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational on December 3 to top-ranked Ben Askren from Missouri. Roy, who has battled injuries this season, enters the match with a 4-4 record. There will also be a top 20 match-up at 157 pounds as Hofstra junior James Strouse (Levittown, NY/MacArthur) will square off against Michigan's eighth-ranked freshman Steve Luke. Strouse, who is ranked 19th in the latest (12/20) USA Today/NWCA/Intermat poll, has recorded a 14-5 record this season including a 4th place finish at the East Stroudsburg Open and a 7th place finish at the Las Vegas Invitational. Monday night's match, which will be aired on the internet on Takedown Radio, is also Chief Ray Downey Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund Night. Members of the Downey Family will be in attendance to present scholarship grants to Mike Patrovich and James Strouse in memory of the late FDNY hero who was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.