InterMat Staff

My thanks to all of our guests from last weekends show. Especially Patricia Miranda who chose to come on our show and announce her return to active competition. Good Luck to Her! Other guests included- Cael Sanderson, Steve Foster, Bob Backlund, Don Taber, Scott Kluever, Tony Robie, Kelly Rundle, Patricia Miranda This week join us for a Special Presentation of the UNO Open- Brought to you by: the University of Nebraska - Omaha and Coach Mike Denney, Asics, Body Bar and 7 Flags. Join Steve Foster, Nick Passolano and Scott Casber and a bevy of great guests as they bring you news, interviews and results and yes some play by play of key match ups through out the event. This program is scheduled to begin at 10:05 CST and will conclude at the end of the day around 9 PM or so that night. Thanks to all of our coaches who do their job with the basic understanding of the real reason they are in the job that they are in, To impart knowledge to the young men in their charge. For you to lead by example is the best possible gift you can share with these young men and with the rest of the wrestling family. Thank you!

Columbia, Mo. -- Head Coach Brian Smith announced today that the Missouri wrestling program has signed six wrestlers for the 2006-07 class. The number represents the largest amount of athletes to commit during the early signing period in Smith's seven years at the head of the Missouri program. "Not only is this the biggest early signing class, but it's also one of the best we've had in terms of quality," Smith said. "We were able to sign wrestlers who will compete at seven different weights. We also brought in our first two recruits from the state of Ohio and brought in another talented wrestler from Pennsylvania in Ashtin Primus." Primus, who will wrestle at 141 pounds for the Tigers, is the fourth Tiger grappler to hail from Pennsylvania in three years, joining redshirt freshman Andrew Sherry, freshman Sean Connole and 2005 graduate Brad Cieleski. One of the top recruits in the nation, Primus has compiled a 132-19 record in three years and won the state championship as a junior in 2005. The native of South Connelsville, Penn., also helped the Connelsville High School wrestling team to a state title in 2005. One of two recruits from Ohio, Willie Saxton took third place at 125 pounds during the Ohio State Championships in 2005. A three-time state qualifier, the native of Rayland, Ohio, has made his mark at the national level as well, finishing second at the 2003 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and eighth in 2005. Saxton will compete at 133 pounds for the Tigers. A native of St. Clairesville, Ohio, Zach Schuller is a two-time state qualifier and recorded his highest finish, a third-place showing in 2005. A strong freestyle grappler, Schuller took seventh place at the 2004 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and earned a spot on the Cadet National dual team. Schuller continued his success in 2005 and became an American Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Freestyle Champion. Schuller is expected to compete at 149 pounds for the Tigers. The only member of the early signing class to have wrestled against collegiate competition, Emanuel Brooks crosses the Illinois-Missouri state line to grapple at 157 pounds for the Tigers. A talented wrestler who compiled a 109-22 record in four years at Cahokia High School in Illinois, Brooks took third place at the Illinois High School State Championships in 2004. Wrestling for Lincoln College as a freshman in 2005, Brooks won the National Junior College Athletic Association championship at 149 pounds, helping Lincoln College to a third-place finish. Rounding out the class are two wrestlers from Hannibal High School in Hannibal, Mo. A three-time state qualifier, Andrew Wood became a Missouri state champion at 152 pounds in 2005. In addition to compiling a 104-19 record on the mat, Wood is an outstanding student, ranked in the top 15 of his class with a 4.0 grade-point average. Wood plans to wrestle at 165 pounds for the Tigers. Joining Wood in the Tiger wrestling room is teammate Tyler Perry, a heavyweight prospect who earned a Missouri state championship at 275 pounds in 2005. Perry is currently ranked the No. 12 prospect in the nation at 275 pounds by Wrestling USA Magazine. A two-sport standout, Perry was also a valuable member of the offensive line for the Hannibal Pirates football team.

November 15, 2005 -- The University of Minnesota wrestling program has announced the signing of eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Brent Eidenschink, Scott Glasser, Jordan Kolbow, Yura Malamura, Jake Mellmer, Joe Nord, Brandon Sitch and Michael Thorn will wrestle for the Golden Gophers beginning in the fall of 2006. "We're excited to add these eight student-athletes to our program," head coach J Robinson said. "We have added talent and depth throughout our lineup. They bring impressive credentials both on and off the mat. Their outstanding talent coupled with their work ethic will be a great fit for Minnesota wrestling." Eidenschink is a two-time state placewinner out of Detroit Lake High School. Last year as a junior, he overcame the flu to secure third place at 215 pounds at the Minnesota State Wrestling Tournament. Eidenschink finished third at the 2005 National Junior Greco- Roman Championships. He is ranked third in the nation at 215 pounds by Intermat. Eidenschink is projected to wrestle at 197 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Glasser is a four-time North Dakota state champion out of Bismarck High School. He will pursue a school-record fifth straight title this season after claiming championships at 103, 119, 135 and 145 pounds. He is ranked fourth in the nation at 152 pounds by Intermat. Glasser is projected to wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Hailing from Forest Lake, Minn., Kolbow earned a runner-up finish at the Minnesota state tournament last year. He dropped a narrow decision at 145 pounds against current Golden Gopher freshman Mitch Millner. Kolbow earned second-place at the 2004 Cadet National Freestyle Championships at 135 pounds. He is projected to wrestle at 157 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Malamura is entering his second season at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash., after capturing the 2005 Junior College National Championship at 197 pounds. He was named Region 18's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Malamura is a graduate of Spanaway High School in Auburn, Wash. He is projected to wrestle at 197 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Mellmer is a three-time North Dakota state champion out of Dickinson High School. He won the 103-pound title as a freshman, 112 as a sophomore and 130 last season as a junior. Mellmer quarterbacked his high school to the North Dakota state championship earlier this month. He is the younger brother of current Golden Gopher redshirt freshman Marc Mellmer. Mellmer is projected to wrestle at 141 pounds. A native of Waconia, Minn., Nord is ranked second in the nation at 215 pounds by Intermat. He won the state championship last year as a junior with a 38-3 record. Nord was also a Junior National Freestyle All-American. He is projected to wrestle at heavyweight for the Golden Gophers. Sitch is a three-time Washington state champion out of Kelso High School. Kelso's assistant coach is former Golden Gopher All-American Pat Connors. Sitch currently has a career record of 104-4. He was a 2005 Junior National Greco-Roman runner-up and a double champion at the 2004 Cadet National Championships. Sitch is ranked second in the nation at 152 pounds by Intermat. He is projected to wrestle at 165 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Thorn is a two-time Minnesota state champion out of St. Michael-Albertville. He won the 112-pound title as a sophomore and claimed the 119-pound championship last year as a junior. Thorn claimed fifth place at the Junior National championships in freestyle this past July. He is ranked eighth in the nation at 125 pounds by Intermat. Thorn is projected to wrestle at 133 pounds for the Golden Gophers.

Four Viking wrestlers won individual places at the Central Missouri State Wrestling Open Sunday in Warrensburg, Mo. Willie Parks (Garden Grove, Calif.) finished in second place at 184 pounds. Parks lost a tie-breaker by one point in the championship round. Park's opponent in the championship match was the No. 3 ranked wrestler in NCAA Div. I, the University of Illinois's Pete Friedl. At 157 pounds, Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.) won four straight matches and finished in second place. Henderson lost his championship match to 2003 national runner-up Alex Tirapelle, also from the University of Illinois. At 141 pounds, Jimmy Rollins (Woodbury, N.J.) won 6 of 8 matches including 2 pins en route to a fourth place finish. Terrence Almond (Pelham, Ga.) also finished in fourth place. Almond went 6-2 at 149 pounds. Three Viking wrestlers were one match away from placing: Jacob Marquardt (285, Altoona, Iowa), Nick Wilkes (184, Onamia, Minn.) and Blair Alderman (197, Spokane, Wash.). "This is one of the tougher open tournaments we attend. The CMSU features many of the nation's top wrestlers and more importantly some of the top NAIA teams- Lindenwood and Missouri Valley," said Assistant Wrestling Coach Richard Fergola. "Our guys wrestled very well Sunday, but we still have a lot of work to do." Dana wrestling will host their first home dual of the season Friday night at 6 p.m. versus Bacone College. Viking Results 125 - James Hicks (Belle Glade, Fla.), 0-2 125 - Craig Trampe (Ord, Neb.). 1-2 133 - Sonny Silva (Kimberly, Idaho), 2-2 133 - Shawn Tsutsumi (Kaneohe, Hawaii), 2-2 133 - Brett Brandl (Madison, Neb.), 3-2 141 - Mike Santone (Omaha, Neb.), 1-2 141 - Clinton Dale (Las Vegas, N.M.), 0-2 141 - Jimmy Rollins (Woodbury, N.J.), 6-2, 4th Place 149 - Terrence Almond (Pelham, Ga.), 4-2, 4th Place 157 - Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.), 4-1, 2nd Place 165 - Trent Leichleiter (Harvard, Neb.), 3-2 165 - Ryan Tuzon (Wailuku, Hawaii), 2- 2 165 - Wade Danielson (Roanoke, Texas), 1- 2 174 - Kyle Frawley (Buckley, Wash.), 0- 2 184 - Chris Egan (Omaha, Neb.), 2- 2 184 - Nick Wilkes (Onamia, Minn.), 3- 2 184 - Willie Parks (Garden Grove, Calif.), 3- 1, 2nd Place 197 - Blair Alderman (Spokane, Wash.), 2- 2 285 - Jacob Marquardt (Altoona, Iowa), 2- 2 285 - Armando Montoya (Las Vegas, N.M.), 1- 2

THIS WEEK Iowa will compete at the 2005 Kaufman-Brand Open Saturday in Omaha, NE. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Sapp Field House on the University of Nebraska-Omaha campus. 2004 KAUFMAN-BRAND OPEN REVIEW Hawkeyes Joe Johnston (157) and Alex Tsirtsis (141) each won their open division weight classes at the 2004 Ryan Kaufman-Glen Brand Open. Johnston recorded two pins, two major decision and a decision en route to the finals, where he defeated Nebraska's B.J. Wright, 12-5. Tsirtsis recorded two decisions, a pin and a medical forfeit before defeating Northern Iowa's C.J. Ettelson, 3-2, in the finals. Also placing for the Hawkeyes in the open division were Lucas Magnani (125-2nd), Gabe Ruhkala (133-3rd), Ty Eustice (149-3rd), Mark Perry (165-3rd) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-3rd). 2005 NWCA All-STAR CLASSIC Three Hawkeye have been invited to compete at the 40th annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps. The event will be held November 21 at 7 p.m. (CT) at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK. Iowa seniors Joe Johnston (157) and Paul Bradley (184) and sophomore Mark Perry (174) will compete in the event. All three are scheduled to face Big Ten opponents. Johnston will wrestle Illinois' Alex Tirapelle, Perry will wrestle Northwestern's Jake Herbert and Bradley will face Illinois' Pete Friedl. Johnston has a 2-3 career mark against Tirapelle, scoring his most recent win (6-5) in the quarterfinals of the 2005 NCAA Championships. It will be the first meeting between Perry and Herbert, as Perry wrestled at 165 last season. It will also be the first meeting between Bradley and Friedl, as Friedl is moving up from 174. It will be Bradley's second appearance at the event, and Johnston and Perry's first. Bradley lost a 3-2 decision to West Virginia's Greg Jones last year. 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic Tenative Lineup 125 - Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. Nick Simmons (Michigan St.) 133 - Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 141 - Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa St.) 149 - Zack Esposito (Oklahom St.) vs. Jon Masa (Hofstra) 157 - Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs. Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) 165 - Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma St.) vs. Ryan Churella (Michigan) 174 - Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 184 - Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Pete Friedl (Northwestern) 197 - Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma St.) vs. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma) Hwt. - Steven Mocco (Oklahoma St.) vs. Cole Konrad (Minnesota) LAST WEEK The Hawkeyes won seven weight classes in their 2005-06 season opener at the Spartan Open in Dubuque, IA. Winning titles for the Hawkeyes were seniors Joe Johnston (157), Cole Pape (165) and Paul Bradley (184), junior Lucas Magnani (125), sophomore Matt Fields (Hwt.), and freshmen Thomas Magnani (125), Daniel Dennis (133) and Dan Erekson (197). The Magnani brothers shared the 125-pound title. Dennis, Johnston and Fields had impressive season debuts. Dennis recorded two pins, a technical fall, a major decision and a decision en route to his 133-pound title. Johnston scored a pin, two major decisions and two decisions on his way to first place at 157. Fields scored three pins and a major decision before winning a 3-1 decision in the first sudden victory period over teammate Ryan Fuller in the heavyweight finals. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Trent Goodale (3rd-125) and Gabe Ruhkala (5th-133), juniors Brett Stedman (3rd-149), Eric Luedke (3rd-165), Joe Uker (6th-165), Ben Stedman (2nd-174) and Ryan Fuller (2nd-Hwt.), sophomore Dane Pape (4th-184), redshirt freshman Michael Bucklin (3rd-Hwt.), and freshmen Christopher Johnson (6th-133), Ryan Morningstar (3rd-157) and Rick Loera (7th-174). Johnson pinned five opponents to lead the tournament field. HEAD COACH JIM ZALESKY Jim Zalesky is in his ninth season as head coach at the University of Iowa. He has a school and career record of 116-27 (.811). Named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999, and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004, he has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA (1998-00) and three Big Ten titles (1998, 2000, 2004). Zalesky has coached 10 NCAA Champions, 20 Big Ten Champions and 40 all-Americans at Iowa. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in June 2004, the University of Iowa Letterman's Club Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. A three-time national champion and one of Iowa's 15 four-time all-Americans, Zalesky was an assistant coach and head recruiter at Iowa under Dan Gable for seven seasons (1991-97). He was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the N.W.C.A. in 1992 and 1997. Undefeated as a junior and senior, Zalesky ended his career on an 89-match winning streak. HAWK TALK WITH JIM ZALESKY KXIC Radio (AM-800) will air the Hawk Talk with Jim Zalesky radio show this season. The show will be live from LaCasa Mexican Restaurant in Iowa City from 6-7 p.m. Here are the show dates: November 16 February 15, 28 December 7 March 7 January 3, 17, 31 IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 784-202-30 (.786) in 93 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 15, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA Champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 conference individual titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 127 all-Americans have earned all-America status 258 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 29 two-time honorees. 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. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge for all duals except Oklahoma State on January 7. Season Tickets $56 - General Public; $49 - University Faculty & Staff Single-Match Tickets (Purchased in Advance)* $8 - Adults; $4 - Youth * - Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. Single-Match Tickets (Purchased at the Door)* $10 - Adults; $5 - Youth * - Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. Group Rates* $4 - Per person with a group of 15 or more * -- The group rate for the Iowa vs. Oklahoma State dual is $5 per person. PACK THE PLACE - BREAK THE RECORD The Hawkeyes will try to regain the dual meet national attendance record when they host defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Oklahoma State on January 7. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m. The current national attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home for Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes have a record of 146-12 (.924) 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. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Jim Zalesky, Troy Steiner, Tim Hartung, Luke Eustice and Mike Zadick earned a total of six NCAA titles, 10 Big Ten titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 596-90-1 (.881), including four undefeated seasons. HAWKEYES LEAD NATION IN ATTENDANCE Iowa wrestling fans love their Hawkeyes, and have no problem coming out to show it. Iowa led the nation in home dual meet attendance last season, posting a season average of 5,073 fans per home dual. Oklahoma State was second (4,542) and Lehigh third (2,488). The Hawkeye's ability to draw crowds on the road has helped 10 schools set dual attendance records. In 2004-05, Cal Davis (5,150) and Illinois (3,573) set records when they hosted the Hawkeyes. The other eight schools are Minnesota (15,646 - 2002), Iowa State (14,507 - 1982), Penn State (11,245 - 1996), Northern Iowa (10,200 - 1976), North Dakota State (6,307 - 1992), Pennsylvania (5,109 - 2002), Wisconsin (4,800 - 1978) and Cleveland State (3,620 - 1987). Iowa has been a part of the 35 largest recorded dual meet crowds, helping to set the national attendance record 10 times. The current attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. Thirty-two of the top 35 matchups were with intra-state rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes have also wrestled in front of 44 of the 47 recorded dual crowds over 10,000. In 2004-05, Iowa competed in 11 of the top 20 reported dual crowds, hosting six (Iowa State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Indiana and Arizona State) and visiting for five (Oklahoma State, Cal-Davis, Illinois, Penn State and Northern Iowa). OH BROTHER There are four sets of brothers on the 2005-06 University of Iowa wrestling roster. Lucas and Thomas Magnani from Long Island, NY, Jacob and Justin Neuzil from Riverside and Ainsworth, IA, Cole and Dane Pape from Maquoketa, IA, and Ben and Brett Stedman from Sioux City, IA. The Stedmans are the fifth set of twins to wrestle for the University of Iowa. Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Troy and Terry Steiner and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas are the other four.

Assembling a list of the best active freestyle wrestlers on the planet is no easy task. Debates over who's truly better than who remain mostly unsettled for a number of reasons. Freestyle wrestling is such a dynamic sport that it's difficult to beat the top wrestlers in the world on any kind of regular basis. Coming out on top of a wild scramble can win you a match, but it in no way assures that one will be able to duplicate the success a second time. World level bouts are won and lost on the tiniest of breaks and the tiniest of mistakes. • Styles make matches. International wrestling sees countless examples of A beats B, B beats C, and C beats A. Freestyle technique and strategy can vary greatly from country to country and it's difficult to be equally prepared for all of them. • Unlike other athletic disciplines, international wrestling occurs at irregular intervals. This affords athletes with much time to incorporate new moves into their arsenals. In college wrestling, by the time the NCAA Tournament comes along, everyone pretty much knows what to expect technique-wise from everyone else. In international wrestling, it's quite natural for one to encounter unexpected takedowns and turns from an opponent, even if they faced that wrestler the year before. • Related to the above, video analysis of matches occurs at a very refined level and the ability of World-level wrestlers to make adjustments is huge. Mavlet Batriov of Russia lost to Stephen Abas of the U.S. in the opening round of the 2003 Worlds. By the time they met again in the Olympic finals the following year, Batriov had effectively dissected Abas' technique and came out a big winner. • Wrestlers can wake up inspired on a particular day and have a fantastic string of matches that they don't repeat. Great, one-shot performances no matter how impressive, shouldn't place a wrestler on the "best" list. Mourat Umakanov put together an amazing gold-medal run in 2000, whipping 1995 and 1999 World champ Elbrus Tedeev of Ukraine, 1996 and 1999 silver medalist Jae Sung Jang of Korea and 1998 World champ Serafim Barzakov of Bulgaria. With such an amazing string of victories, you'd have to think Umakanov would be one of the best around or that this was the start of a brilliant career. That was his only world medal. He placed 10th at 60 kilos in Athens. • The 2002 reduction and realignment in weight classes has had a severe impact on lists such as this. It's difficult not to speculate what additional medals such great athletes as Alireza Dabir of Iran and Daniel Igali of Canada would possess had they not been stuck between the new weights. I have to think that this contributed to their retirement. Likewise, it would seem that 2005 74-kilo bronze medalist Nicolai Paslar might be on the list if the 69-kilo weight class (where he won the worlds in 2001) hadn't gone away. • FILA's constant changing of a system of advancement has been quite unforgiving. Scrutinizing a wrestler's placement in the worlds from year to year often doesn't paint an accurate picture of their true abilities. In Athens last year, Eldar Kurtanidze, who had won two straight World titles, didn't advance out of his pool when he lost to longtime rival Alireza Heydari of Iran in his opening match. Upon such a loss, should we conclude that Kurtandize had "lost a step" and was no longer one of the very top wrestlers in the world? Considering he split matches with Olympic champ Gatsalov this year, I'd say not. As you can see, there are lot of elements to factor in with this list. In considering the various athletes and their credentials, I had three main philosophies. 1. You've got to win when it counts. Just like folkstyle wrestlers focus on peaking in the last tournament of the season, senior level freestyle wrestlers need to win at the Worlds and Olympics. 2. I place more stock in long-term consistency than the most recent results. 3. I give more weight to younger wrestlers winning their first medals than older wrestlers who finally "break through." This is simply because I believe the younger wrestler has a better chance of beginning a long medal run than the older wrestler. Honorable Mention: Cael Sanderson (USA, 84 kilos) I need to officially hear that Cael Sanderson has not retired before placing him on this list. Reports have said that international wrestling was quite stressful for Cael and that he really loves coaching at his alma mater. If Cael returns to competition, he'd probably take Romero's spot on the list. Cael's probably not the best "freestyler" but rather is such a good folkstyler that he forces international success. He doesn't get a lot of turns, but from his feet, everyone knows the ankle pick is coming and simply can't stop it. Sajid SajidovSajid Sajidov (Russia, 84 kilos) In 2003, Sajidov seemed like the best around. Now, after two disappointing World-level tourneys, the shine is off the apple. He was placed on this year's world team after not winning the Russian Nationals (he injury defaulted in the finals) and after this year's performance, I expect no such automatic placement on the team. Revaz Midorashivili (Georgia, 84 kilos) Midorashivili had an amazing tourney in Budapest, beating Sajidov and Romero. However, only subsequent results will illustrate if his 2005 performance was unusual, or merely representative of a new level of ability. Aydin Poltaci (Turkey, 120 kilos) Polatci could be at the beginning of a long medal run, but I'd like to see it extend at least one more year before being convinced he's in the top ten. Makhach Murtazaliev (Russia, 66 kilos) This is probably the omission that will get me into the most trouble. Murtazaliev is a young, crafty wrestler with wins over Tedeev, Barzakov and fellow countryman and 2003 World champ Farniev. In America, he's probably best known for his upset loss to Jamill Kelly in the semi finals of the Olympics. In all honesty, I'm probably personally turned off by Murtazaliev's style. He doesn't seem to be above gamesmanship and simply does whatever it takes to win. I also thought he got some calls this year against Barzakov. That said, I would hardly be surprised if Murtazaliev remained at the top of the podium for quite some time. If he wins again next year, he's definitely on the list. Alan Dudaev (Russia, 60 kilos) The young Dudaev had a great tourney in Budapest, but placed seventh at the 2005 European Championships. Only more competition will reveal how good he is. The List 10. Yoel Romero (Cuba, 84 kilos, 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) He's not the best in the world on top, but on his feet Romero is an explosive, powerful, flexible wrestler and has won a good number of medals over the years. He only has one gold, but I think the match-deciding overtime call against him in the World finals of 2002 was the wrong one. It sure looked to me like he took Adam Saitiev down. Born 4-30-77. 9. Alexis Rodriguez (Cuba, 120 kilos, 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) Another Cuban who hasn't won gold in a while, but has been earning World medals with regularity. Rodriguez has been beatable at various tournaments throughout the year, but seems to peak when it matters. That said, he was quite impressive in winning the 2003 FILA absolute championship where he beat David Moussoulbes, Steven Mocco and Georgi Gogchelidze. It's possible that Rodriguez has lost a step, but not much of one. His finals loss to Aydin Polatci in Budapest did go three periods. Born 7-7-78. 8. Yandro Miguel Quintana (Cuba, 60 kilos, 1 gold, 2 silver) Yandro Miguel QuintanaI'm putting Quintana ahead of his two teammates because I think he's currently closer to being at the top of his game. Quintana has looked awesome the last few years and only gave up one point in the tournament in Athens. He is very strong and has an amazing knee pick. Born 11-30-80. 7. Serafim Barzakov (Bulgaria, 66 kilos, 2 gold, 3 silver) He's been around a while, but Barzakov still looked sharp to me in Hungary. In the semifinals, he got revenge from his loss in the Olympics with an impressive pin over Spiridonov. In the finals, he got some bad breaks against Murtazaliev and lost. Barzakov is a funky wrestler who's able to turn many positions to his advantage. His long term rivalry with Elbrus Tedeev of Ukraine has been one of the most entertaining. It's my understanding that fellow Bulgarian and World champ Nicolai Paslar can also make 66 kilos, but can't beat out Barzakov. Born 7-22-75 6. Dilshod Mansurov (Uzbekistan, 55 kilos, 2 gold) Mansurov benefited this year from none of the three standing medalists competing in Hungary (Batriov and Abas have moved up in weight and Tanabe appears to have retired). Mansurov himself also competed at 60 kilos at the 2005 World Cup, so perhaps the weight is a struggle for him as well. If Mansurov can stay at 55 kilos it's difficult not to see the young talent from Uzbekistan winning more gold. He's VERY fast and his technique is certainly solid. Born 12-12-83. 5. Khadshimourad Gatsalov (Russia, 96 kilos, 2 gold) What's possibly most impressive about Gatsalov is just how much he improved once he moved up to 96 kilos from 84 kilos. In watching the way he steamrolls massive opponents with his double leg takedowns, you'd never guess he came from the lighter weight. Moreover the success was instantaneous. He made the switch between 2003 and 2004 and pummeled his way through a pretty deep field in Athens. Born 12-11-82. 4. Eldar Kurtanidze (Georgia, 96 kilos, 2 gold, 2 sliver, 3 bronze) Eldar KurtanidzeKurtanidze beat Gatsalov at this year's European Championships but lost to him in the finals of the Worlds in Hungary. I'm putting him ahead of Gatsalov because of his (very) long-term consistency. This short, powerful wrestler has one of the best defenses in the world and certainly has the most Popeye-like forearms. He's the oldest wrestler on this list but appears to show no signs of slowing down. Born 4-16-72. 3. Artur Taimazov (Uzbekistan, 120 kilos, 2 gold, 2 silver) I'm willing to give Taimazov the benefit of the doubt that he was not 100 percent in Budapest. The four medals he's won since debuting in 2000 suggest that something wasn't right in his second round loss this year. Taimazov is a big, athletic Heavyweight and has numerous wins over Kuramagomedov of Russia, Rodriquez of Cuba, and McCoy of the U.S., not to mention a solid 3-1 win over this year's World champ, Polatci of Turkey, in the semis of the 2004 Olympics. Born 7-20-79. 2. Elbrus Tedeev (Ukraine, 66 kilos, 4 gold, 1 bronze) To the best of my knowledge, Tedeev hasn't officially retired. Tedeev looked as good as he's ever been in Athens and has been at this game a long time. He's got amazing technique both on his feet and on the mat. Tedeev did lose to Murtazaliev in the finals of the 2004 European Championships, but it's my understanding that he had a lot of distractions during that period of his life. Tedeev has five world medals and rarely seems to have an out and out "bad" year as he often places very high. Born 12-5-74. 1. Buvaisar Saitiev (Russia, 76 kilos, 8 gold) Quite frankly, not enough has been written about the greatest active freestyle wrestler on the planet. It's difficult to imagine another wrestler coming around like the great Buvaisar Saitiev. Perhaps someone will match his medal tally, but I can't fathom someone doing it the way he wrestles. Saitiev has an uncanny ability to make last-second adjustments. He's able to turn positions that would be deadly to anyone else into points on the scoreboard. His offense is completely unconventional and he constantly does things that no one else can do. This is different than say, Sergei Beloglazov (another all time great), who's success stemmed from technique so classical that he'd have moves perfected down to the quarter-inch. And in the never-been-tougher world of international wrestling, the risks Saitiev takes are truly risks. His only Olympic loss came when American Brandon Slay merely waited for Saitiev to stand up out of position and then blasted a power double in overtime. Two years later, Saitiev had a 2-0 lead in the finals of the Russian Nationals but then got thrown for three from the clinch. These two blemishes say more to me about the toughness of the sport than of any chinks in Saitiev's armor. As far as how great Saitiev is against the successes wrestlers before him, if he wins another gold medal, he'll have one more than countrymen Beloglazov and Arsen Fadzaev (who won eight each). If he wins through Beijing, he'll have 11 gold medals, which will put him one ahead of Alexander Medved (who has 10). Buvaisar Saitiev is 30 years old now and it will certainly be interesting to see how long he can continue his dominance. Born 11-3-1975.

Fort Dodge, Iowa -- Nate Gallick (141), Jason Knipp (149), Trent Paulson (157) and Travis Paulson (165) claimed titles at the annual Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open Saturday at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. Trent captured his third career title while Gallick, Knipp and Travis Pauslon claimed their first. The seventh-ranked Cyclones (3-0, 0-0) defeated Utah Valley State, 33-9, Friday afternoon in their home opener. "This tournament gets better all the time. If you look at the scores of the matches, there are a lot of matches that are pretty close," head coach Bobby Douglas said. "We lost some matches on mistakes, but it is the time to make the mistakes. Overall, we wrestled exceptionally well." Trent Paulson, who captured titles in 2004 and 2005 at 157 pounds and a crown in 2002 at 149 pounds, topped Jonathan Reader of Sunkist Kids, 10-6. Paulson, ranked fourth in the nation, improved his season record to 7-0. Travis met Nick Baima of UNI in the 165 pound finals, winning by a 3-1 decision. At 149 pounds, Knipp cruised to the title outscoring his four opponents, 31-8. Knipp is 6-0 on the season. Gallick, a two-time All-American, ripped through the 141 pound bracket and topped Wartburg's top-ranked defending NCAA Div. III champion Dusty Hinchberger, who garnered his 100th career win earlier in the tournament. Amateur Wrestling News high school All-Americans Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Mitch Mueller and David Zabriskie saw their first action in their Cyclone careers wrestling unattached. Mueller finished third at 141 pounds, while Fanthorpe and Gallick placed fourth at 125 and 133 pounds. The freshmen foursome all scored bonus points in their first collegiate match. Fanthorpe registered a technical fall in 3:35, Mueller and Zabriskie scored major decisions and Gallick had a pin in 0:59. Zabriskie was lodged in a heavyweight class that included two-time Div. III national champion Ryan Allen from Wisconsin-La Crosse and Div. II national champion Les Sigman of Nebraska-Omaha. Sophomores Ben Hanisch (125) and David Bertolino (174) registered third and fourth place finishes. Mike Somsky scored a fall in 0:46 in his opening match at 165 pounds. Top-ranked defending NCAA Div. II champion Nebraska-Omaha had three champions and Utah Valley State, Nebraska and Wisconsin-La Crosse each had one. Third-ranked Div. III Wartburg had four runner-ups. Iowa State will be hosting in-state rival Iowa, Dec. 2 at Hilton Coliseum to continue the 2005-06 Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series. The Cyclones are seeking their third straight victory over the Hawkeyes.

AMES, Iowa -- ISU wrestling head coach Bobby Douglas was a recipient of the 2005 Iowa State University Alumni Association Impact Award. The Impact Award was established in 2002 by the Iowa State University Alumni Association Board of Directors to recognize an individual, business, an organization, or unit for achievements that expand the scope and reach of; increase the involvement of ISU alumni, students, and/or friends in the life and work of; create positive publicity and recognition for; and bring honor to ISU during the year prior to being nominated, have increased the involvement and visibility of alumni, students, and friends in the life and work of Iowa State University and the Alumni Association during the current academic year. Douglas' passion for the sport of wrestling is perhaps best exemplified by the amount of attention he is able to bring to it through his leadership, ability, and advocacy. His outstanding successes as Iowa State University's head wrestling coach have brought honor and respect to ISU, helping the university remain among wrestling's elite programs and bringing worldwide recognition to ISU, the state of Iowa and the sport he loves. This year, he was part of a dedicated group of advocates who worked to help ensure that Des Moines would win its recent bid to host the NCAA Wrestling Championships in 2008-2011, bringing further recognition to the tradition of wrestling excellence in the state. Douglas' resume speaks for itself. He is one of only four Division I wrestling coaches to amass 400 career wins. His best-known pupil is Cael Sanderson (fine arts '01), whom Douglas coached to a 159-0 college career at Iowa State before also serving on the 2004 Olympic coaching staff that saw Sanderson win gold in Athens. Douglas has produced six national champions in his 13 years as ISU's head coach. He has coached at various world championships and is a six-time Olympic coach, including a stint as head coach of the U.S. Olympic team in 1992. Douglas also coaches the Sunkist Kids, the most successful wrestling club in the country. In 2004, Douglas was honored for the second time (1992, 2004) as USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year. In addition, Douglas was named USA Wrestling Coach of the Year, which included all wrestling styles, in 1988 and 1992. He has been named conference coach of the year a total of 12 times--nine at Arizona State University, where he built the wrestling program from 1975 to 1992, and three at Iowa State. He was the USA Wrestling's Man of the Year in 1992 and the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2000. Douglas is a lifetime member of the ISU Alumni Association.

Competing against a field that included varsity wrestlers from the University of Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin, the Upper Iowa University wrestling team more than held its own at the 2005 Dubuque Spartan Open. The Peacocks crowned two champions and had eight other place winners. After winning all 10 weight classes last year, the fifth-ranked University of Iowa won seven individual titles this year. Besides Iowa and Wisconsin (ranked 15th in Division I), the tournament also included representatives from eighth-ranked Division III Loras College and 23rd-ranked Augustana College. Sophomore Kyle Burkle (Coggon, Iowa/North Linn HS) at 141 pounds and senior C.J. MacNaught (Walton, N.Y./Walton HS) at 174 pounds captured individual championships for the Peacocks. Burkle was a perfect 4-0, including a 5-3 overtime win over Wisconsin starter Tony Turner. MacNaught won all three of his matches. He defeated Loras College's Ryan Hagerty, an NCAA Division III National qualifier last year, in the semifinals before picking up a 13-4 major decision over Iowa's Ben Stedman in the finals. Senior Ralph Acosta (Orlando, Fla./University HS) had a third-place showing at 133 pounds. Acosta's only loss was an 8-3 decision to Daniel Dennis, Iowa's probable starter this year. Three Peacocks earned fifth-place: red-shirt freshman Cory Schmitz (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville HS) at 149 pounds, sophomore Brady Hakeman (La Porte City, Iowa/Union HS) at 165 pounds and junior Tyson Brown (Gladbrook, Iowa/Gladbrook-Reinbeck HS) at heavyweight. Schmitz and Hakeman each finished 5-2 in their respective draws. Hakeman defeated National qualifier Brian Daly from Augustana 4-3 and took fifth-place by claiming a 13-4 major decision over Iowa's Joe Uker. Brown compiled a 4-2 record with one of his losses coming at the hands of Ryan Fuller, a National qualifier from the University of Iowa. Red-shirt freshman Tyler Mumbulo (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford HS) went 3-1 to place sixth at 125 pounds. His only loss came to Purdue's Brandon Tucker, a Division I National qualifier from a year ago. Red-shirt freshman Tony Gehling (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville HS) and sophomore Matt Norton (Waverly, Iowa/Nashua-Plainfield HS) shared seventh-place at 184 pounds. Sophomore 197-pounder Daniel Goodson (Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) was another seventh-place finisher for the Peacocks. Several other Peacocks had solid showings despite not placing at the event. Junior Bruce Bearman (Nashua, Iowa/Nashua-Plainfield HS) finished 1-2 at 125 pounds. Included was a 6-4 loss to Loras College's Terry Morgan, the top-ranked Division III wrestler at 125 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Jacob Pedersen (Hudson, Iowa/Hudson HS) compiled a 2-2 record at 133 pounds. His first loss was a 4-2 decision to Wisconsin starter Josh Crass. Sophomore Jacob Elsbernd (Calmar, Iowa/South Winneshiek HS) picked up a win at 141 pounds. Sophomore Monterrious Adams (Bessemer, Ala./Vestavia Hills HS) and senior Mark Anson (Milaca, Minn./Milaca HS) competed at 149 pounds for the Peacocks. Adams finished 2-2 while Anson was 1-2. At 157 pounds, sophomore Scott Fisher (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook HS) compiled a 2-2 mark. Freshman Jase Clark (La Porte City, Iowa/Union HS) rounded-out the UIU entrants with a 1-2 record at 184 pounds. The Upper Iowa wrestling team returns to the mat Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Southern Illinois University. The dual meet in Edwardsville, Ill., begins at 7 p.m. Upper Iowa University, located in Fayette, is the only NCAA Division II institution in the state of Iowa.

LARAMIE, Wyoming -- Utah Valley State wrestler Rodney Sager rolled through his competition on Sunday, winning the 20 & Under division of the Cowboy Open at 133 lbs. Sager, who is redshirting this year, wrestled unattached and went 5-0 on the day, beating Nick Mammeliz of Western Wyoming 7-to-5 in the final. The win by Sager shows the depth the Wolverines have at 133 lbs. after Senior Erkin Tadzhimetov won the Cyclone Open in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Saturday. Three other Wolverines also competed unattached in the event. Sophomore Devin Siddoway went 2-2 in the open division while freshmen Kyle Burnett and Nick Swenson went 1-2 and 0-1, respectively. Both Burnett and Swenson wrestled in the 20 & under division. Utah Valley State will travel to Greeley, Colorado for the Old Chicago/Northern Colorado Open this Saturday. Their first home dual of the season will be December 10th against Western State.

FORT DODGE, IOWA/STEVENS POINT, WIS. -- Senior two-time defending NCAA Division III 141-pound national champion Dustin Hinschberger of Belle Plaine added to his sparkling Wartburg College wrestling career Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Harold Nichols Open, hosted by Iowa State University, at Iowa Central Community College. His first victory of the afternoon, a technical fall over ISU's Erik Johansen, moved him to the century mark for career wins. It was part of a runner-up finish for the two-time All-American in the multi-division field as he battled NCAA Division I All-American Nate Gallick of Iowa State to a thrilling, double-overtime contest in the championship, falling on criteria. Hinschberger's runner-up effort at the Harold Nichols meet was one of four runner-up marks for No. 3-ranked Wartburg. Two-time All-American heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer upset UW-La Crosse's Ryan Allen, the two-time defending NCAA Division III national champion, 1-0 in the semifinals before University of Nebraska-Omaha's Les Sigman , a three-time NCAA Division II national champion, stopped him in the final. Senior 184-pounder Akeem Carter of Waterloo, a two-time national champion at 197 pounds, rolled into the finals before UW-La Crosse's Jason Lulloff, ranked No. 4 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Brute-Adidas preseason Division III poll, upended him, while junior 197-pounder Ryan Phillips of Burlington was also a runner-up. Wartburg also sent a large contingent to the UW-Stevens Point Pointer Open Nov. 12. The freshman trio of 133-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City and 174-pounders Jordan Graham of Mason City and Dan Schulte of LaCrescent, Minn., were champions. Matt Schrupp of Watertown, Minn., a freshman 157-pounder, garnered a fourth-place finish, while freshman 184-pounder Nick Christensen of Ellendale, Minn., was fifth and freshman 141-pounder Kody Blazek of Marion took sixth. The Knights kick off the 2005-06 dual campaign at the Olivet College (Mich.) Comet Duals Saturday, Nov. 20. A second group of individuals will also compete at the Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn., Auggie Brute-Adidas Open Saturday.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Northwestern's wrestling team finished its first action of the season by placing eight wrestlers at the 2005 Michigan State Open Sunday. Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/Lakewood St. Edward), Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) each earned titles for the Wildcats this weekend. Lang won his semifinal match by pinning Findlay's Von Graham in 2:49. In the final round, Lang topped Michigan State's Nick Simmons in a tight title bout, 6-5. The first-seeded Herbert opened his second day of competition by rolling past Central Michigan's Brandon Sinnott, 7-1. Herbert was then crowned champion at 174 lbs. when he beat the Spartans' R.J. Boudro 9-1 in the final round. Herbert defeated his opponents by a total of 36-7 this weekend, adding a pin in the third round. Tamillow became the third Wildcat to go undefeated on the weekend when he recorded back-to-back wins Sunday. He recorded a semifinal-round victory over Central Michigan's Christian Sinnott, then topped Ben Kelto--also of Central Michigan--in a 7-0 title bout rout at 184 lbs. Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) won his semifinal-round match, a 3-2 decision over Michigan's Casey White. Delguyd fell in the championship round, earning him a second-place finish at 184 lbs.

Click here to vote on the greatest wrestling shoes of all-time.

DUBUQUE, IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won seven weight classes in their 2005-06 season opener at the Spartan Open in Dubuque, IA, on Sunday. Winning event titles for the Hawkeyes were seniors Joe Johnston (157), Cole Pape (165) and Paul Bradley (184), junior Lucas Magnani (125), sophomore Matt Fields (Hwt.), and freshmen Thomas Magnani (125), Daniel Dennis (133) and Dan Erekson (197). The Magnani brothers shared the 125-pound title. Dennis, Johnston and Fields had impressive season debuts. Dennis recorded two pins, a technical fall, a major decision and a decision en route to his 133-pound title. Johnston scored a pin, two major decisions and two decisions on his way to first place at 157. Fields scored three pins and a major decision before winning a 3-1 decision in the first sudden victory period over teammate Ryan Fuller in the heavyweight finals. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Trent Goodale (3rd-125) and Gabe Ruhkala (5th-133), juniors Brett Stedman (3rd-149), Eric Luedke (3rd-165), Joe Uker (6th-165), Ben Stedman (2nd-174) and Ryan Fuller (2nd-Hwt.), sophomore Dane Pape (4th-184), redshirt freshman Michael Bucklin (3rd-Hwt.), and freshmen Christopher Johnson (6th-133), Ryan Morningstar (3rd-157) and Rick Loera (7th-174), and Johnson pinned five opponents to lead the tournament field. The Hawkeyes will compete at the annual Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE, on Saturday. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Sapp Field House on the University of Nebraska-Omaha campus.

Warrensburg, Mo. -- Six Cardinal wrestlers placed at the Central Missouri State Open, including a trio of first-place finishes from Tanner Gardner, Josh Zupancic and Ray Blake. Stanford recorded 14 pins and amassed 48 wins from 14 different wrestlers, as every Cardinal entrant won at least one bout on the day. At 165 pounds, Blake finished in first place, pinning his first three opponents en route to a 5-0 outing. Junior Brian Perry also placed at 165 pounds, scoring fifth place with six wins on the day. Gardner opened the tournament with two pins and a tech fall en route to a 5-0 mark and a title at 125 pounds, while Zupancic opened with one pin before finishing in first place at 149 pounds with a 5-0 record. True freshman Tyler Parker was the fourth Cardinal wrestler to advance to the championship match, as he notched a second-place finish at 141 pounds, posting five-straight wins before losing a one-point decision in the finals. At 197 pounds, junior Ian Bork dropped his opening match, but battled back with two-straight pins to advance to a placing round. The, in the fifth-place match, Bork closed out the tournament by recording his third fall of the day. Stanford will be back on the mat at the California Open next Saturday in Fullerton.

BOONE, N.C. -- Led by 3-0 performances by David Dashiell, Spencer Nadolsky and All-America Evan Sola, the North Carolina wrestling team opened its season with victories over Appalachian State, VMI and Chattanooga Sunday at the Mat Jam Duals at ASU's Holmes Center. The Tar Heels opened with a win over the host Mountaineers (23-18) and followed with victories over VMI (32-15) and No. 22-ranked Chattanooga (24-15). Ranked fourth nationally at 133 pounds, Sola picked up his 100th career win with a 6-2 victory over Chattanooga's Matt Keller in his final bout of the day. The two-time All-America is now 100-26 in his career and also posted wins over ASU's Terreyl Williams (15-2) and VMI's Tyler Anthony (3-1) Sunday. Dashiell was unbeaten at 197 pounds, posting wins over ASU's Josh Carroll (4-2) and Chattanooga's Wes Taylor (7-4). He also scored the one of Tar Heels biggest win of the day with a 16-0 technical fall over VMI's Niels Madsen. Wrestling at heavyweight, Nadolsky was the third Tar Heel to go unbeaten in the season-opening event. He opened with a 6-3 win over ASU's David Hazell and followed with a victory against Scott Buhman of VMI (4-2) and a first-period fall against Zach Trammel of Chattanooga. Redshirt freshman Vincent Ramirez was also impressive in his Tar Heel debut, going 2-1 on the day at 141. The Durham native pinned Appalachian State's Marcus Cox in the second period and then logged a 6-0 win over VMI's David Metzler. Ramirez dropped his final bout of the day, 5-4, to the Mocs' Michael Keefe, who is ranked sixth nationally at 141. Sophomore Alex Maciag was also 2-1 on the day, earning both wins via fall. The Tar Heels return to action Nov. 19 at the East Stroudsburg Open.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team finished competition at the 2005 Michigan State Open at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Mich., Sunday. J Jaggers, the No. 2 seed at 149 pounds, claimed the tournament title. Overall, six Buckeyes placed in the Top 8, including two true freshmen. Jaggers (Fr., Bedford, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel), who recorded falls in both of his matches Saturday, went on to defeat OSU teammate Jordin Humphrey (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North), 10-2, in the semifinals of the championship bracket. In the championship match, Jaggers downed No. 1 seed Darren McKnight of Michigan State, 6-3, for his first MSU Open title. Humphrey was fifth at 149 after defeating Michigan State's Nick Fallico, 7-0. Alex Picazo (Jr., Columbus, Ohio/Grandview), a No. 4 seed, gained a third-place finish at 184 after recording a 10-6 win in opening action Sunday. Benefiting from a win via injury default, Picazo advanced to the third-place match and secured the victory after pinning Central Michigan's Christian Sinnott 2:27 into the contest. True freshmen Reece Humphrey (133) and Corey Morrison (197) made their OSU debuts with a third and sixth-place showing, respectively. After defeating Purdue's Sean Schmaltz, 4-3, and Daniel Quintela of Northwestern, 5-2, Reece Humphrey (Fr., Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) scored a 5-0 win over Central Michigan's Connor Beebe as a fifth seed. Morrison (Fr., Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) finished sixth after dropping a 13-3 decision to Casey White of Michigan and a 9-3 result to Jeff Clemens of Michigan State. Keegan Mueller (So., Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) finished seventh at 165 when Findlay's Adam Morris injury defaulted. "I saw them improving as the tournament went on," Russ Hellickson, head coach, said. "J (Jaggers) was pretty dominant throughout the tournament. He did a great job in the finals. It was nice to see Reece and Alex come back and take third. We improved as the competition progressed and I am pleased with that." Ohio State is back in action at the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 2-3. The Buckeyes will compete at the Cashman Center before kicking off their dual meet schedule at Missouri at 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.

The fifth-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team claimed nine of 10 titles at the season- opening Bison Open on Saturday in Fargo, N.D. Minnesota also had three wrestlers place second and four wrestlers place third. Andrew Domingues, Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera, Dustin Schlatter, C.P. Schlatter, Matt Nagel, Gabriel Dretsch, Roger Kish and Cole Konrad claimed championships. Seeking to replace two-time All-American Bobbe Lowe, Domingues won four straight matches to earn the title at 125 pounds. After a pin and technical fall in the first two rounds, he earned a 7-1 decision in the semifinals against teammate Jayson Ness in the semifinals. He followed that with a 7-3 win against fellow teammate Travis Lang in the final. While Lang placed second, Ness, a true freshman from Bloomington, claimed third with his third pin of the day. At 133 pounds, All-American sophomore Reiter picked up where he left off last season when he led the team with 15 pins. Reiter cruised to the finals with pins in 0:48, 1:31 and 0:51. He defeated Erik Sanders of North Dakota State in the finals by major decision, 12-1. Fighting two other Golden Gophers for the starting nod at 141 pounds, Rivera defeated his teammate Charles Lloyd in the semifinals, 6-2, and then won the title with a 10-1 major decision against Ben Keen of Minnesota State-Mankato. Lloyd, a 2004 National Junior College National Champion, claimed third place, while redshirt freshman Tyler Safratowich claimed fifth. 149 marked the debut of true freshman Dustin Schlatter (right), the nation's top recruit. Expected to start for Minnesota when the dual meet season begins later this month, Schlatter used two technical falls, a major decision and pin to win the title. He posted a 17-2 technical fall in the finals against Golden Gopher junior Danny Williams. Fellow junior Juan Martinez took third with a 6-3 decision against Gabe Mooney of North Dakota State. The Schlatter show continued at 157 as Dustin's older brother, C.P., claimed the championship. Schlatter defeated teammate Matthew Everson in the finals, 12-5. Schlatter advanced to the finals thanks to two major decisions and a technical fall. Everson advanced to the finals with a pin in 2:55 against Lee Rahrlien. All-American Nagel followed with another title at 165 pounds. Nagel rolled into the finals with three pins in just 1:22, 1:18 and 0:24. He defeated Minnesota State-Mankato's Nate Baker, 3-1, in the finals. True freshman Nate Matousek rallied from a quarterfinal loss to take fourth, while redshirt freshman Nick Davis claimed fifth. Minnesota took home first and third place at 174 pounds as sophomores Dretsch and Mitch Kuhlman placed. Dretsch won the title with a 9-2 decision against Gabe Harry of Dickinson State. Kuhlman rebounded from a quarterfinal loss to take third with a 3-1 decision against Minnesota State-Mankato's Skip Hoops. Kish had little trouble at 184 pounds as he posted two pins and two majors, including a 19-10 victory against Dan Willaert of St. John's in the finals. True freshman Chris MacPhail placed fourth in his Golden Gopher debut. As expected, Konrad dominated the heavyweight bracket with three pins in three matches. After pinning his first two opponents in 0:49 and 0:32, he needed 3:44 to earn the fall against Minnesota State-Mankato's Chris Tuchscherer in the finals. Konrad is ranked second in the nation after a runner-up finish at last year's NCAA Championships. Minnesota returns to the mat next Saturday when they travel to Omaha, Neb., for the Kaufman-Brand Open. Golden Gopher Placewinners 1st - Andrew Domingues, 125 1st – Mack Reiter, 133 1st – Manuel Rivera, 141 1st – Dustin Schlatter, 149 1st – C.P. Schlatter, 157 1st – Matt Nagel, 165 1st – Gabriel Dretsch , 174 1st – Roger Kish, 184 1st – Cole Konrad, HWT 2nd – Travis Lang, 125 2nd – Danny Williams, 149 2nd – Matthew Everson, 157 3rd – Jayson Ness, 125 3rd – Charles Lloyd, 141 3rd – Juan Martinez, 149 3rd – Mitch Kuhlman, 174 4th – Nate Matousek, 165 4th – Chris MacPhail, 184 4th – Justin Bronson, 197 5th – Tyler Safratowich, 141 6th - Mitch Miller, 149

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Junior Nick Simmons and freshman Rocky Cozart claimed tournament championships at 125 and 165 pounds, respectively, as eleven Michigan State wrestlers took home top-six finishes at the MSU Open on Nov. 13 at Jenison Field House. "Having two champions and 19 guys still alive on the second day of the tournament says a lot about where we are as a team, especially with the level of competition we faced this weekend," Michigan State head coach Tom Minkel said. "I am proud of our guys and think we are really moving in the right direction." In a rematch of last week's 125-pound final at the EMU Open, junior Nick Simmons defeated freshman Franklin Gomez, this time 4-0. Simmons tallied a takedown in each of the first two periods and improves his season record to 10-0. Gomez, who has wrestled outstanding in his first two tournaments as a Spartan, compiled an 8-2 record with his only losses coming to Simmons. For the tournament, Nick Simmons tallied a fall and outscored his other four opponents 40-2. Gomez dominated his four victories, tallying two major decisions and outscoring his opponents 41-11. In a thrilling match up between top five wrestlers in the 141-pound final, Andy Simmons narrowly dropped the decision, 6-5, to Northwestern's Ryan Lang. Lang put Simmons to his back early, but held on for the win down the stretch. Simmons' record now sits at 8-1 for the season. Darren McKnight also lost a close match in the final at 149 pounds, 6-3, to Jeff Jaggers of Ohio State. McKnight tallied a takedown in the first period, but was scored on late in the third. Another freshman that continues to impress, Rocky Cozart, took home the championship at 165 pounds. Compiling a 4-0 record over the course of the tournament, Cozart beat top-seeded Will Durkee of Northwestern in the finals, 6-4. Cozart notched a takedown in each of the three periods, and improved his season record to 9-2. In the 174-pound final, Northwestern All-American Jake Herbert, ranked second in the nation, defeated senior captain R.J. Boudro 9-1. Boudro was caught on his back early in the match, and could not make up the deficit. Eight other Spartans claimed top six finishes in their respective weight classes: Eddie Skowneski took third at 149 pounds, while Tim Hammer at 141 pounds, Greg Goidosik at 174 pounds, Jeff Clemens at 197 pounds and Max Lossen at 285 all took fifth place. Nick Fallico at 149 pounds was the lone Spartan to take sixth place. Tony Greathouse (157 pounds), Jeremy Bloom (174 pounds), John Murphy (184 pounds) and Freddie DeRamus (285 pounds) all took seventh place, while Jeff Wimberley (133 pounds) claimed eighth. Select Spartan freshmen and sophomores return to action next Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Ashland Open in Ohio, and Michigan State will open up its dual meet season Nov. 27, against defending national champion Oklahoma State.

State College, Pa. -- The No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions posted a thrilling 18-17 come from behind win over No. 8 Lehigh in front of over 1,800 fans in a raucous Rec Hall today. Trailing 17-9 with just two bouts left, Penn State got a pin and tight decision to grab the victory. Lock Haven finished third in the event while York College placed fourth. Penn State opened the tourney with an impressive 31-10 win over Pitt-Johnstown, the nation's third ranked DII team. Senior James Woodall (St. Dupont, Pa.) and sophomore Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) both garnered pins in the UPJ win, Teammates Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa. ) and DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) opened the dual with decisions to put the Nittany Lion up 9-o before Woodall posted his pin. Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) posted a major decision at 157 and James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) won at 174 before Davis got his fall. Senior heavyweight Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.) grabbed a 3-2 win to close out the dual. Head coach Troy Sunderland held out No. 1-ranked Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) at 184 to further recovery from an injury in preparation for next weekend's Big Ten opener vs. Wisconsin. The first win in round one was posted by No. 8 Lehigh, which claimed a 50-6 victory over NJCAA entrant Williams Trade. The Mountain Hawks notched five pins and a technical fall in the dual. Lock Haven notched a 25-17 win over Mercyhurst in its first round bout. Division III York College pulled off the first round's upset with a 25-15 win over Clarion. In Penn State's seminal dual vs. York College, Pataky at 125 and Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) at 133 got the Nittany Lions off to a solid start in their 47-3 win, posting a technical fall and a major decision for an early 9-0 team lead. Driscoll followed with a pin at 141 and the Lions had a solid 15-0 lead. Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) got a shot at 149 for Penn State and got a win before Galloway got a quick pin (at 1:03) at 157 to put Penn State up 24-0. Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.) got a technical fall at 165 followed by a Yonushonis fall at 174, giving Penn State a 35-0 lead. Davis got his second pin in as many outings at 197 and Edwards got a pin at HWT to post the final score. Lehigh downed Lock Haven in the other semifinal match, setting up a finals showdown with the Nittany Lions. Lock Haven won the first match, with Obe Blanc grabbing a win at 125. But the Mountain Hawks reeled off nine straight wins to post an impressive 32-3 win. Mercyhurst downed Williamson 48-3 in one consolation semifinal, earning a chance to wrestle for fifth place. Pitt-Johnstown downed Clarion 26-12 in the other consolation semifinal, setting up a fifth place bout between two of the top Division II teams in the country (Mercyhurst is No. 15, UPJ is No. 3). The much-anticipated championship match between No. 12 Penn State and No. 8 Lehigh began with a spirited 125-bout featuring two true-freshmen. Lehigh's Matt Fisk edging Pataky 13-9 to give the Mountain Hawks and early 3-0 lead. Penn State's Strayer, a red-shirt freshman, downed Lehigh's John Stout at 15-12 at 133 to knot the score at 3-3. Lehigh's Cory Cooperman posted an impressive 9-1 major decision over PSU's Driscoll at 141. Cooperman got a fall as time expired, plus a riding time bonus, for the eight-point advantage. The win gave Lehigh a 7-3 lead three bouts into the match. At 149, Woodall dominated Lehigh's Matt Ciasulli 10-4 to pull Penn State to within one, 7-6. State College native Galloway dropped a heart-breaking 2-1 double-overtime decision to Lehigh's Derek Zinck at 157, giving Lehigh a 10-6 lead at the halfway point. The Mountain Hawks extended their lead to 14-6 when Troy Letters posted a 10-1 major over Penn State's Cantalupi at 165. The crowd was energized at 174 when Nittany Lion Yonushonis claimed a 6-4 sudden victory over Lehigh's Travis Frick, pulling Penn State to within five, 14-9, with three bouts remaining. One of the day's most exciting bouts occurred at 194, where David Helfrich of Lehigh posted an 8-7 win over Nittany Lion Neil Bretz (Carlisle, Pa.), who was filling in for the injured Bradley. The win gave LU a 17-9 lead with two bouts left in the dual. But Penn State's Davis, a returning All-American at 197, made the final bout mean everything when he pinned Paul Weibel at 3:20 to close the gap to 17-15. In the afternoon's final bout, heavyweights Edwards of Penn State and Tom Curl of Lehigh put on a thrilling show from the outset. Curl opened up the match with a takedown and near fall to go up 4-0 before Edwards reversed out to close the gap to 5-2 at the end of the first period. Edwards rode Curl most of the second period but Curl escaped with seconds left to lead 6-2 with just two minutes to wrestle. Edwards owned the third period, however, scoring an escape and two take downs to tie the score at seven. His huge riding time advantage gave him an exciting 8-7 win and secured an 18-17 victory for the Nittany Lions. Lock Haven downed York 28-11 to claim third place. Pitt-Johnstown downed Mercyhurst 30-7 in a battle of Division II powers for fifth place. Clarion grabbed a win over Williamson, downing the Mechanics 49-0 for seventh place. Davis was awarded the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award and also took home the award for most falls in the least amount of time, getting three in his three bouts in just 13:35. Penn State will host No. 15 Wisconsin in its next dual match, opening up Big Ten play on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens. Team Scores: Round One: Lehigh 50, Williams 6 Lock Haven 25, Mercyhurst 17 York 25, Clarion 15 Penn State 31, Pitt-Johnstown 10 Semifinals: Penn State 47, York College 3 Lehigh 32, Lock Haven 3 Conso Semis: Mercyhurst 48, Williamson 3 Pitt-Johnstown 26, Clarion 12 Finals: Penn State 18, Lehigh 17 Third: Lock Haven 28, York 11 Fifth: Pitt-Johnstown 30, Mercyhurst 7 Seventh: Clarion 49, Williamson 0 Awards: Most Outstanding Wrestler: Phil Davis, Penn State Most Falls in Least Time: Phil Davis, Penn State, thee in 13:35 Attendance: 1,802

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The 2005-06 season got underway for the No. 10 Arizona State University wrestling team Saturday morning in Portland, Ore., as the Sun Devils went 3-0 at the Portland State Duals with seven of its competitors going undefeated on the day. ASU is now 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Pac-10 after defeating Portland State in a conference dual. Overall on the day, three Sun Devils made their collegiate debuts with two going undefeated. True freshman Jason Robbins (Oviedo, Fla.) won all three of his bouts at 141 while Pat Payne (So., Poway, Calif.) did the same in his first action for ASU after sitting out last year with an injury. Kevin Gaughan (Jr., New Fairfield, Conn.) won both his bouts at 157 by decision in his Sun Devil debut while Alex Pavlenko (Fr., Mesa, Ariz.) went 1-1 at 174 pounds and Chris Remsen (Fr., Rockport, Maine) lost his only appearance due to an injury. Added to the success of the new additions to the starting lineup was a group of four veterans that each went 3-0 on the day. Jeremy Mendoza (Sr., Temecula, Calif.) won twice by fall and one by major decision to lead off the duals while Patrick Pitsch (So., Spanaway, Wash.) posted a trio of victories by major decision at 165. The two heavier weights on the Sun Devil roster also dominated on the day as both Ryan Bader (Sr., Reno, Nev.) at 197 and Cain Velasquez (Sr., Yuma, Ariz.) each went 3-0 on the day with all three earning bonus points. Bader won his first bout by major decision before winning by injury default and fall in the last two matches while Velasquez won a major decision, technical fall and fall on the day. In the first dual of the day, the Sun Devils handed a 36-6 defeat to the Boxers of Pacific University, a team that competes at the NCAA Division III level, with ASU wrestlers capturing nine of the 10 contested bouts. Mendoza, Adam Hickey (So., Mayfield, Ohio) at 133, Robbins, Payne, Gaughan, Pitsch, Jason Trulson (So., Fountain Hills, Ariz.), Bader and Velasquez each won in the dual while an injury default at 174 was the lone loss. The Sun Devils followed up the win over Pacific with a 29-9 defeat of Southern Oregon, the No. 10 team in the nation at the NAIA level. ASU went 7-3 in the 10 bouts with five victories earning bonus points. Victorious Sun Devils included Mendoza, Robbins, Payne, Gaughan, Pitsch, Bader and Velasquez. The final dual of the day also was the Pac-10 opener for both ASU and PSU with the Sun Devils taking a 39-6 decision over the host Vikings. ASU won all nine bouts contested on the mats with the lone loss coming at 157 pounds on a forfeit from the Sun Devils. Mendoza, Hickey, Robbins, Payne, Pitsch, Pavlenko, Trulson, Bader and Velasquez all won while Mendoza, Bader and Velasquez each pinned their opponents. The Sun Devils return to the road next week for one dual and one tournament as they are set to meet No. 8 Lehigh in a 7 p.m. dual in Bethlehem, Pa., Thursday night before competing in the 2005 East Stroudsburg Open on Saturday.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma wrestling team opened the season Saturday by claiming its seventh straight SUNY-Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic team title with a score of 177 on Saturday in Brockport, NY. The Sooners also captured five individual titles. "Our guys came out and wrestled very well for our first action underneath the lights," OU head coach Jack Spates said. Sam Hazewinkel (125) defeated Mike Sees of Bloomsburg, 8-6; Teyon Ware (141) defeated Cesar Grajales of Pennsylvania, 4-1; Matt Storniolo (149) defeated Patrick Simpson of Army, 1-0; Jarrod King (165) defeated Mickey Moran of Buffalo, 3-2 and Jake Hager defeated Marcus Adelman of Ohio, 8-0. "Jarrod King is someone who we are very excited about and he showed why tonight," Spates said. "He came in as the No. 4 seed in the tournament and came away with the individual title. His performance was very impressive as he showed great technique and great character. Jarrod is going to get better each day and we expect great things to come from him. "We still need to make some technical adjustments but that is very normal for this time of year," Spates continued. "Our guys are in very good shape for this point in the season and that is something that will improve as we move on through our schedule." Justin Dyer placed third at 184 pounds as did Will Rowe at 145 pounds. Freshman Brad Farmer finished fourth in the heavyweight division. Hazewinkel had three pins on the day to win the Most Pins Award to go along with his individual title. The Sooners next travel to Columbia, Mo., to compete in the Missouri Open on Sunday, Nov. 20. TEAM SCORES 1. Oklahoma 171 2. Pennsylvania 166 3. Army 133 4. Kent State 130.5 5. Buffalo 119

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Daniel Elliott took a pin fall victory and won two other matches by decision to open his senior season with a 3-0 mark. Elliott, ranked No. 18 in the nation at 149 pounds, has now won 19 of his last 21 matches dating back to Dec. 30 of 2004. Elliott scored a pin fall victory over Codey Bearden at the 3:17 mark to push Gardner-Webb's lead to 19-0 over Anderson. The Bulldogs went on to take the team victory by a 38-12 score. Matt Taylor made his highly anticipated collegiate debut for the Bulldogs at 125 pounds by scoring a 13-4 major decision win. Josh Pniewski then gave GWU the 10-0 lead by registering a pin in 3:50 before A.J. Renteria took an 8-6 win at 141 pounds. After the Elliott pin fall victory pushed the spread to 19-0, Anderson took the next two matches by forfeit and pin fall to cut the deficit to 19-12. Sophomore Chad Davis pushed the lead to 25-12 with GWU's third pin of the match before Brandon Beach and Brent Blackwell posted wins at 184 and 197. Ricky Wilson Jr. then finished off the 38-12 victory by pinning Aaron Lambert at the 4:50 mark. Gardner-Webb won just four other matches on the day as the ‘Dogs suffered a 33-10 loss to Virginia and a 43-3 loss to the host UNCG squad. Renteria and Elliott pulled out back-to-back decisions at 141 and 149 against Virginia to trim the Cavalier lead to just three points at 9-6. Virginia then posted wins in the next five contests to open up a 33-6 lead before Wilson Jr. score a major decision victory at 285 to make the final 33-10 in favor of Virginia. Elliott then picked up Gardner-Webb's lone victory against UNCG as the Spartans took nine of the ten matches, rolling to the 43-3 win. Gardner-Webb (1-2) will be in action again on Saturday as it competes in the Buffalo Duals against Buffalo, Bloomsburg and the University of Findlay.

MADISON, Wis. -- Senior Lee Kraemer (DeForest, Wis.), along with redshirt freshmen Zach Tanelli (Millburn, N.J.) and Kyle Massey (Champlin, Minn.), captured first place titles in their respected weight classes on Saturday at the third annual Pointer Open hosted by UW-Stevens Point. Overall, the Badgers took six top-five finishes in the gold division along with two top-seven finishes in the silver. Kraemer, wrestling at 197 lbs. in the gold division finished the open with a perfect 4-0 record, notching two victories by fall. He pinned Kyle Coleman of UW-Oshkosh at 3:55, along with Mitch Szwet of UW-Stevens Point at 1:11. Tanelli and Massey also went undefeated at the open in the gold division. Tanelli, competing at 133 lbs., earned two major decision victories en route to his first place title, including a 14-1 win over Efrain Ayala of Mankato State. At heavyweight, Massey pinned two of his opponents in less than two minutes. He took down Jeff Zastrow of UW-Whitewater at 1:08 before defeating Ted Drees of Coe College at 1:40. Massey is now 5-0 on the season, with three of his wins coming as pins. Also in the gold division, Jake Donar (Cuba City, Wis.) and Dallas Herbst (Winneconne, Wis.), were runners-up in the 165 lbs. and 197 lbs. weight classes, respectively. Donar finished 3-1 in the open, while Herbst ended at 2-1. Collin Cudd out of River Falls, Wis., won his final four matches at 125 lbs. to capture third place in the gold division, while senior Ed Gutnik (Iselin, N.J.) placed fourth, going 3-2 on the day. Kyle Reeve, a true freshman out of Mazomanie, Wis., took second place in the silver division at 125 lbs. Reeve took down Andy Livingston of UW-Whitewater, 6-3, to advance to the championship match. He then faced Andy McArthur of Harper College, where he fell 11-4. Reeve finished the open 4-1, improving his overall record as a Badger to 5-1. The Badgers are in action again tomorrow as they send eight wrestlers to the Dubuque Open, in Dubuque, Iowa. Results can be found on uwbadgers.com.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Navy won 13 of 20 matches to cruise to two dual-meet victories over Cal State-Bakersfield and UC-Davis on Saturday to wrap up its West-Coast roadtrip with a 3-0 mark. The Mids defeated Cal State-Bakersfield, 30-13, in the opener, then followed with a 23-13 triumph over UC-Davis. John Cox, Adam Brochetti and Tanner Garrett all won each of their three matches, and Matt Gulosh got a key victory against UC-Davis, filling in at 165 pounds. "It feels good to be 3-0. We beat some decent teams this weekend, and put the kids in a difficult position with the long flight and the jet lag, but I thought we battled very hard today," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. In the first dual against Cal State-Bakersfield, Navy jumped out to a 13-4 lead, thanks to a Brad Canterbury fall at 133 pounds, John Cox's 6-4 win over 12th-ranked Anthony Baza and Adam Brochetti's major-decision win over Daniel Atondo. The Roadrunners battled back at 165 and 174 to tie the score at 13 each, but Navy won the last four matches, including two by major decision, one by fall and the other in overtime to come away with the win. In the second dual, a 23-13 win over UC-Davis, Navy rallied from a 6-0 deficit after two matches, by winning the next five matches to take a commanding 17-6 lead with just three weights to wrestle. During the run, John Cox scored his 10th career technical fall and Matt Gulosh filled in for an injured Craig Dziewiatkowski by wrestling up two weight classes and winning at 165 pounds. Tanner Garrett sealed the deal with a pin at heavyweight in 6:12. "I thought Matt Gulosh wrestled really well, moving up two weights," said Burnett. "Our older guys wrestled well, and our younger guys gained valuable experience. We competed hard and that is what we need to do. We made a few technical mistakes, but those are mistakes that can be fixed. We'll get back to practice and work on those mistakes." Navy will host the eight-team Navy Classic next Saturday at Halsey Field House, beginning at 9:00 a.m.