InterMat Staff

HAMPTON, Va. -- The No. 22 Virginia wrestling team (4-1) opened the Virginia Duals with a strong performance on Friday (Jan. 10), taking a 23-12 victory over Kent State (3-6) in the first-round of the annual event at the Hampton Coliseum. Virginia, the top-seeded team in the event, will return to action in the semifinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 11) against fourth-seeded Old Dominion (2-5). Old Dominion advanced with an 18-13 win over the Penn Quakers on Friday. The Cavaliers won six of the 10 weight classes, including bonus-point wins from Justin McCoy (New Paris, Pa.) at 157 pounds and Quinn Miller (Lilburn, Ga.) at heavyweight. Patrick McCormick (Poquoson, Va.), Brian Courtney (Sayre, Pa.), Sam Martino (Colonial Heights, Va.) and Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) all won by decision on the way to the Virginia victory. "That was a close call and our guys had to find a way to pull that one out," said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. "A big shout out to Patrick McCormick, Brian Courtney, Justin McCoy, Sam Martino and Jay Aiello. Gritty wins are what seal dual meets and we won because of them. I'm happy for Quinn (Miller) and the way he got to end the match for us as well. He needed that. Now we have to get ready for a fight tomorrow against Old Dominion. They are a really talented team that likes to scrap." The match started with the teams trading bouts as McCormick and Courtney each picked up decisions at 125 pounds and 141 pounds, respectively, for the Cavaliers. McCormick got off to a quick start and held on for the 5-4 decision over Tomas Gutierrez at 125 pounds, while Courtney rallied with a third-period takedown on the way to a 6-5 decision over Corey Simpson. The overall dual score sat tied at six points for each side after the first four weight classes. McCoy gave the Cavaliers the first big push with his win at 157 pounds, using a flurry of scoring to grab a 20-5 tech fall over Brady Chisman and push Virginia out to a five-point lead in the overall dual score. Martino then followed it up with a 5-3 decision as he used a third-period takedown and the riding time point to secure a 5-3 decision over Kade Byland. Kent State would win the next two weight classes, taking a pair of decisions at 174 and 184 pounds to cut the overall lead to two points before Aiello and Miller would lock up the victory. Aiello rallied to take a 5-4 lead on Colin McCracken before riding out the entire third period to lock up a 6-4 decision over the Flash wrestler at 197 pounds. Heavyweight Miller then clinched the match with a pin of Spencer Berthold, surging to a 4-0 lead after the first period before locking up the pin at the 3:27 mark. Results: 125: Patrick McCormick dec. Tomas Gutierrez (KSU), 5-4 – UVA 3, KSU 0 133: Tim Rooney (KSU) dec. No. 18 Louie Hayes, 3-1 – UVA 3, KSU 3 141: Brian Courtney dec. Corey Simpson (KSU), 6-5 – UVA 6, KSU 3 149: Kody Komara (KSU) dec. Denton Spencer, 7-2 – UVA 6, KSU 6 157: Justin McCoy tech fall Brady Chrisman (KSU), 20-5 (7:00) – UVA 11, KSU 6 165: Sam Martino vs. Kade Byland (KSU), 5-3 – UVA 14, KSU 6 174: Andrew McNally (KSU) dec. Victor Marcelli, 10-6 – UVA 14, KSU 9 184: Lane Hinkle (KSU) dec. Michael Battista, 4-0 – UVA 14, KSU 12 197: No. 9 Jay Aiello dec. Colin McCracken (KSU), 6-4 – UVA 17, KSU 12 HWT: Quinn Miller pinned Spencer Berthold (KSU), 3:27 – UVA 23, KSU 12

The No. 1-ranked St. Cloud State University wrestling team (7-0, 2-0 NSIC) broke its own NCAA Division II record for consecutive dual wins on Friday, Jan. 10 with a solid 30-4 decision over Maryville University. The match was SCSU's first match of the day at the 2020 NWCA Division II National Duals tournament, which is being held this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. The victory was SCSU's 55th consecutive win, which breaks the old NCAA DII record of 54 consecutive wins set by the Huskies from Jan. 30, 2011 to Jan. 12, 2014. SCSU's current win streak dates back to a 22-17 loss to Indianapolis on Jan. 14, 2017. Since that time, SCSU has charted two consecutive undefeated seasons under the leadership of head coach Steve Costanzo, and the Huskies currently own a 7-0 record in 2019-20. St. Cloud State will now advance in the NWCA Duals bracket with a quarterfinal showdown against No. 7 ranked Tiffin University on Friday, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m. (CT) on Freedom Hall's Mat 7 in Louisville, Kentucky. In the match against Maryville, SCSU trailed 4-0 after a major decision loss at 125-pounds. That set proved to be the lone loss for the Huskies as they reeled off nine consecutive wins to gain the 30-4 triumph. At 133 pounds, No. 2 ranked Garrett Vos opened the run with an 8-2 win over Maryville's Alex Waggoner. At 141-pounds, SCSU's Joey Biachini posted an 11-3 major decision to give SCSU its first lead at 7-4. At 149 pounds, No. 2 James Pleski battled back to earn a 4-3 decision over Maryville's Tyler Stegall and then No. 1 ranked Jake Barzowski scored a 9-6 decision over Maryville's Tanner Sparks at 157 pounds. The wins continued with a big 9-6 decision tally by No. 3 Devin FitzPatrick over Maryville's No. 9 ranked Tyler Harrington at 165 pounds. At 174-pounds, SCSU's No. 2 Kolton Eischens added bonus points with a 13-4 major decision win over Maryville's Matt Pratt. The dual ward clinched at 184 pounds as Billy Pitzner posted a 7-4 win over MU's Bailey Kelly to give the Huskies a 24-4 lead. To ice the result, SCSU's No. 12 Noah Ryan scored an 8-3 win at 197-pounds and No. 9 ranked Ezayah Oropeza posted a 5-0 win at 285 pounds to make the final 30-4. The complete match results are listed below. Fans can follow all the action this weekend in Louisville on Trackwrestling.com Results: 125 Tyler Kreith (Maryville) over Robby Horsman (St. Cloud State) Maj 10-1 133 Garrett Vos (St. Cloud State) over Alex Waggoner (Maryville) Dec 8-2 141 Joey Bianchini (St. Cloud State) over Tristan Barr (Maryville) Maj 11-3 149 James Pleski (St. Cloud State) over Tyler Stegall (Maryville) Dec 4-3 157 Jake Barzowski (St. Cloud State) over Tanner Sparks (Maryville) Dec 9-6 165 Devin Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud State) over Tyler Harrington (Maryville) Maj 13-4 174 Kolton Eischens (St. Cloud State) over Matt Pratt (Maryville) Maj 13-0 184 Billy Pitzner (St. Cloud State) over Bailey Kelly (Maryville) Dec 7-4 197 Noah Ryan (St. Cloud State) over John Anderson (Maryville) Dec 8-3 285 Ezayah Oropeza (St. Cloud State) over Logan Radik (Maryville) Dec 5-0

HIRAM, Ohio -- Hiram College Athletic Director Todd W. Hibbs announced on Friday the addition of men's and women's wrestling programs as the Terriers' 17th and 18th varsity sports. "Men's and women's wrestling are strategic additions as we continue to grow the Hiram College athletic department," Hibbs said. "Similar to recent additions of men's volleyball and women's cheer and STUNT, we expect these programs to have an immediate impact on our campus." A search for a head men's wrestling coach and director of wrestling operations will begin immediately, with men's wrestling expected to begin competition in the 2020-21 season. A search for a head women's wrestling coach will begin no later than the fall of 2020 with the program expected to begin competing in 2021-22. The addition of men's wrestling re-establishes a program that competed from 1954 to 1971 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and from 1972 to 1987 in the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC). Over 33-years, 10 Terriers earned All-America honors, and 25 former wrestlers have since been inducted into the William H. Hollinger Hall of Fame. During their 17-year history in the OAC, 29 Terriers earned conference championships, 40 were named All-OAC and the Terriers won six OAC Tournaments. And in their 16 years in the PAC, 31 Terriers earned conference championships and five were named the PAC's Most-Outstanding Wrestler. "We will need assistance from our proud alumni base to ensure a quick rise to excellence for these programs," Hibbs said. "A high standard in collegiate wrestling was established under previous coaches and administrations, and we fully expect to rise to that level in each of these programs. I encourage anyone in the wrestling community who wants to be supportive to reach out to us." The Terriers will join 114 other men's wrestling programs competing at the NCAA Division III level in the 2020-21 season, including 18 in the Ohio, Michigan and Indiana area and two within the North Coast Athletic Conference, while the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics recently "recommended that all three divisions of the NCAA governance structure add women's wrestling as an NCAA emerging sport, effective August 1, 2020." Men's and women's wrestling are the first sports added by Hiram College since Cheer & STUNT and men's volleyball were added in 2017. With the addition of men's and women's wrestling, the Terriers will have more than 350 athletes competing across 18 varsity programs at the NCAA Division III level. Those interested in helping support the addition of men's and women's wrestling programs can reach out to Todd Hibbs at (330) 569-5340 or via email at hibbstw@hiram.edu.

Blair Academy coach Brian Antonelli congratulates Rylan Rogers after winning the Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) No. 2 in the country Blair Academy (N.J.) is hosting a multi-team dual meet event on Saturday starting at 12 Noon Eastern Time. Even though No. 9 Malvern Prep (Pa.) recently pulled out of the event, there are still four nationally ranked teams present among the five schools competing. Over the course of the four rounds of wrestling, there will be four matches placing nationally ranked teams against one another. Below is the schedule of matches: Round 1: No. 2 Blair Academy vs. Belmont Hill (Mass.), No. 40 Baylor School (Tenn.) vs. No. 34 St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.) Round 2: No. 2 Blair Academy vs. No. 11 Delbarton (N.J.), No. 40 Baylor School vs. Belmont Hill Round 3: No. 2 Blair Academy vs. No. 34 St. Joseph Montvale, No. 40 Baylor School vs. No. 11 Delbarton Round 4: No. 34 St. Joseph Montvale vs. Belmont Hill Here is a possible projected lineup for each of the participating teams No. 2 Blair Academy (N.J.) 106: No. 1 Marc-Anthony McGowan 113: Mason Stefanelli 120: No. 12 Ryan Miller 126: Daniel Wask or (if back from injury) Trevor Mastrogiovanni 132: Louis Colaiocco or (if back from injury) Shayne van Ness 138: No. 14 Lucas Chittum 145: Lorenzo Norman 152: TBD or No. 3 Travis Mastrogiovanni 160: Thomas Stewart 170: Oliver Tipton or No. 8 Domonic Mata 182: No. 8 Rylan Rogers 195: No. 9 Peyton Craft 220: No. 12 Noah Pettigrew 285: Elijah Anthony No. 11 Delbarton (N.J.) 106: No. 12 Tyler Vazquez 113: Joseph Davi or Thomas Fischer 120: Cross Wasilewski 126: No. 12 Nico Nardone 132: No. 4 Anthony Clark or Jack Napeloni 138: Simon Ruiz or Henry Forte 145: Andrew Troczynski 152: Colin Calvetti 160: Kieran Calvetti or Jack Sharma 170: Dante Stefanelli 182: Nicholas Olivieri 195: No. 17 Luke Chakonis 220: P.J. Casale 285: TBD or Liam Garay No. 34 St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.) 106: Josh Iannone 113: Joe Manno 120: No. 8 Alex Almeyda 126: Mateo Sgambellone 132: Justin Bierdumpfel 138: Michael Setta 145: Michael Dellagata 152: Stefano Sgambellone 160: Jean Carlos San Juan 170: A.J. Friccione 182: Jack Farinaro 195: Scott Schlett or Benjamin Pichardo 220: Michael Toranzo 285: Jim Mullen No. 40 Baylor School (Tenn.) 106: Nick Corday 113: Jackson Bond 120: Kade Hartine 126: Micah Tisdale or Jake Weekley 132: Noah Horst 138: Garrison Dendy 145: Alexander Moyer or Chase Radpour 152: Anthony Mannella or Bryce Waldrep 160: Omaury Alvarez 170: Porter Faulk or Gunner Garrigues 182: Connor Duffy 195: No. 15 David Harper 220: Barrett Chambers 285: Sam Christensen or Matthew Smith Belmont Hill (Mass.) 106: Freddie Pimental 113: Hamza Shemsu 120: Alex Gavronsky 126: Jimmy Harrington 132: TBD 138: Daniel Bittner 145: Kailen Richards 152: Jason Wolf 160: Jack Weldon 170: Joshua Houston-Davis 182: Harrison Shapiro 195: TBD 220: Tim Brown 285: TBD

Penn State announced this week that returning NCAA champion Anthony Cassar and All-American transfer Kyle Conel would be out for the remainder of the season. The announcement comes two weeks after Aaron Brooks had his redshirt pulled at 184 pounds and Shakur Rasheed was bumped to 197 pounds. The school also announced it would be bring Seth Nevills out of redshirt to fill in for Cassar. For Penn State wrestling fans the news creates a somewhat bleak outlook for winning the NCAA title in 2020. The Cassar points will be sorely missed, but you can't write off the Nittany Lions entirely since they are replacing outgoing wrestlers with proven five-star recruits. Still, the simple math seems to heavily favor Iowa at the NCAA tournament and only an injury bug is likely to change that calculus. The announcement and subsequent realization that Penn State's title chances are diminishing highlights just how incredible it is for a program to remain dominant for so long. The recruiting is unimpeachable, the development is mind-boggling, and the motivation given to the athletes to perform is obvious. Penn State's dynasty is not going extinct if they team earn second or third place at NCAAs, it's just regrouping -- possibly for another 10-15 years on top. But for now its Iowa's NCAA championship to lose. Can they perform? Will everyone on their roster stay healthy? Can Penn State make up the mileage and surprise everyone in Minneapolis? I'm not sure about you, but I welcome these new questions and the uncertainty of it all will add to the storylines come March and hopefully produce some great viewership and engagement numbers for the NCAA and their partners (which would reflect well on wrestling's future). To your questions … David Taylor battles Drew Foster at Beat The Streets (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: I have seen nothing on David Taylor. What is the story with David Taylor's recovery? Is he doing well enough that we'll see him in competition for the Olympics? -- Rich I. Foley: David is all over social media. You should follow along! Yes, he recently said that he was "back" and I'm guessing you'll see him compete at the Pan American Qualifier this March in Ottawa. As for his chances to compete at the Olympic Games, that will depend on his ability to fend off a new crop of 86-kilogram wrestlers at the Trials, which may or may not include J'den Cox. Most of the Olympic Team Trials spots are locked and we saw some great matchups. Have you heard any plans for getting more of our weights qualified? Suggestions or recommendations? -- @pbr54321 Foley: The process for the United States to earn additional Olympic qualification allocations for Tokyo 2020 is straightforward. There are 16 tickets per weight category with the first six earned by the top six placewinners at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan. The next eight are evenly divided among four continental tournaments and their finalists: Europeans (2), Asians (2), Pan Ams (2) and Africa/Oceania (2). The final two tickets are earned by weight category finalists at the Last Chance Qualifier held April 30-May 3 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Note that any nation who has qualified their weight category for Tokyo may not enter a subsequent qualification tournament. Currently the United States has qualified four weight categories across three styles. Freestyle: 74 kilograms, 97 kilograms Women's wrestling: 68 kilograms, 76 kilograms Greco-Roman: None The next opportunity for the team to qualify a weight will be the Pan American Qualifier in Ottawa in mid-March. Team USA is scheduled to send their 2019 World Championship squad, with the notable exception of David Taylor, a 2018 world champion who was out in 2019 due to injury. He has the right of first refusal on qualification. I'd also assume some other changes may occur before March 1. In freestyle there are no easy weights to qualify. Cuba is bringing Reineri Andreu Ortega (57 kilograms), Alejandro Valdes Tobier (65 kilograms), Yurieski Torreblanca (86 kilograms) and Oscar Pino Hinds (125 kilograms). And you'll also have Puerto Rico with Sebastian Rivera (57 kilograms) and Franklin Gomez (74 kilograms), Venezuela with Pedro Ceballos (86 kilograms), Luis Urbaneja (125 kilograms) and Canada with Korey Jarvis at 125 kilograms. The women's picture is a little clearer. Most of the top women who have yet to qualify are sitting in the driver's seat of the qualification process. The Canadian women and some unknowns from Cuba could disrupt a few weights along with upstarts from Ecuador. Greco-Roman has an excellent chance to qualify across the board so long as they are opposite the Cubans. Thankfully they have already qualified at 67 kilograms and 130 kilograms, leaving at least two Cuban-free weights. Q: Hope you're having a great start to 2020 and that the holiday season treated you and yours well! First, I sprung for Platinum. I love the site, and continuing to read up on wrestling, even as my career gets ever farther in the rear view, it's a fun way to stay connected. My dad, brother, and I are planning to attend Big Tens at Rutgers which should be fun. Secondly, I have a thought on riding time. In the past I've been a proponent of it, as I think in theory the rule rewards excellence in one of three situational positions that folkstyle wrestling puts athletes in. Unfortunately, it's clear the letter of the rule versus the spirit of it is now what's being adhered to. Creating the "buck'em bronco" situation you accurately described. As such it's clear that the intent of trying to incentivize pursuit of turns and pins isn't working. So the riding point should be eliminated. I also think that the 4-point nearfall should be eliminated and revert to two or three-point nearfall. Instead of those two "bonus point" scenarios perhaps the wrestler with the most exposure points at the end of the match gets a one-point bonus? This way the bonus point is actually connected to the direct action that you're looking to incentivize. It seems the issue with a riding point is that it assumes that time spent on top = higher likelihood of turns/pins which has not borne out. -- Jon G. Foley: One-hundred percent agreement. There are as many falls in freestyle as there are in folkstyle and there is almost no par terre. Most of the falls in freestyle, women's and Greco-Roman come from transitional positions where more can happen in returning to the mat. I also agree that four points is stupid. Really, really dumb. The extra points have only helped to slow down the pace of the matches once someone finds a turn. Again, freestyle got rid of the extra point for holding your opponent in position because it didn't show much in the way of additional dominance. Why should a cheap tilt be worth four points but a throw without control is nada? MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Who's ready for Bajrang vs. Oliver?! Best moves of 2019 Q: Do you have any insight on the location or timing for U23 Asian Championships? I noticed last year's in Mongolia may have been the first one. It seems like UWW (or someone) is putting a larger emphasis on this age category (whether we're calling it U23 or University). Is this the case? The U23 scene seems to be growing in the quality of the World Championships and in the slight increase in the number of international tournaments offering the age group. -- Jason W. Foley: Much more emphasis on the development of age class competitions. When wrestlers win a world or continental title they are often rewarded with funds for training by their local and national governments. That's a powerful incentive for UWW to help the IF's as they search for funding to keep the lights on. The calendar for the U23's comes together a little later each year, because there is no legacy to the event. Also, because it's an Olympic year that age category gets thinned out a bit as everyone is trying to make their nation's Olympic team and pushes back on attending other tournaments. Check back in a month or two and I think the U23 calendar will have more information. Q: After being somewhat dormant for a number of years the ACC Conference is looking like a power conference with three teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. To what do you attribute this resurgence as of late? Who's your pick win the ACC tournament and who do you think will have highest finish at NCAAs? -- Don C. Foley: The ACC has been competing well over the past several years, but I agree that the concentration of programs in the top ten is a next level for the conference. The NC State and UNC programs of the 80's and 90's would work their way into the top ten often, but I can't think of a time in which three programs from the ACC were all in the top ten. There has been a dramatic shift in conference power over the past 15 years, much of which can be credited to the elimination of historical data to allocate NCAA allotments for conferences. The RPI system is a much better indication of who is performing well throughout the year and gave coaches and athletes the confidence to try and build programs outside of the traditional powerhouse conferences of the Big 12 and Big Ten. Q: With Anthony Cassar out for the season, do you think Gable Steveson as a surefire national champion? Or could he be challenged by Mason Parris, Tony Cassioppi, Seth Nevills or someone else? -- Mike C. Foley: Big loss for Penn State. If I'm Cassar I go ahead and start training MMA. No reason to keep competing at the college level. Gable wins it walking away. I thought Cassioppi could challenge, but after seeing him compete more I'm just not sure he has the firepower to stay with Steveson. The rest of the crew, including the new Penn State heavyweight Seth Nevills face a similar battle. Steveson has the size, stamina, and technique of a great heavyweight but is complimented by athleticism and a school that loves to win NCAA heavyweight titles. Q: Looks like the Matteo Pellicone International in Rome, Italy, is loaded with talent. What are you most looking forward to seeing at the event? -- Mike C. Foley: The tournament is loaded! Women's wrestling has two Olympic champions and seven world champions, while freestyle could feature previous world champions Kyle Dake vs. Frank Chamizo competing at 74 kilograms and a rematch of the Dan Kolov final from last year with Jordan Oliver facing world bronze medalist Bajrang Punia at 65 kilograms. Going to be a perfect weekend of wrestling. Very much looking forward to seeing which wrestlers surprise us at 57 kilograms too.

OREM, Utah -- No. 11 Iowa State (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) put on a pinning clinic against Utah Valley (1-6, 0-4 Big 12), routing the Wolverines by a final score of 45-0. The Cyclones locked up five falls in the dual, including four in the first period. Joel Shapiro, Alex Mackall, Ian Parker, Ryan Leisure and David Carr made up the five ISU grapplers to secure six team points in the contest. How It Happened Shapiro got things going against Utah Valley's No. 17 Tanner Orndorff. Shapiro wasted no time, securing the first takedown of the match. Orndorff got to his feet and fired off an attack of his own. Shapiro countered perfectly and brought Orndorff's shoulders to the mat in 2:12. No. 10 Gannon Gremmel took on Chase Trussell at heavyweight. Gremmel scored a takedown late in the third to outlast Trussell, 3-2. At 125 pounds, No. 9 Mackall fell into a 6-1 hole against Will Edelblute. Edelblute scored on two takedowns and turned Mackall for a two count on the second takedown. Mackall reversed Edelblute to make the match 6-3 and then went to work on top. He was able to earn the fall over Edelblute in 2:55. The 133-pound match was a barnburner between No. 21 Todd Small and No. 17 Taylor LaMont. The two combined for eight takedowns in the match, but it was Small's takedown as time expired that proved to be the difference in the top-25 tilt. Small took out LaMont by a final score of 13-12. No. 5 Parker took on Cameron Hunsaker at 141 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Parker scored on an escape and a takedown in the second. He began the third period on top and did well to break Hunsaker down. Parker was able to earn the fall in 6:43 to bring the Cyclones into the intermission, leading 24-0. Out of the break, Leisure strapped it up with Landon Knutzen. Leisure scored a quick take down and turned Knutzen for a four-point nearfall. Leisure then bullied Knutzen over again and pinned the Wolverine in 1:50. Carr, ranked No. 3 at 157 pounds, was also quick to his attack, taking Jerry Rubio down off the whistle. He let Rubio out and took him back down and turned him for a four-point nearfall. Leading 8-1, Carr was patient and locked in the fall in 1:29. At 165 pounds, Chase Straw racked up four takedowns in a commanding 11-5 decision over Koy Wilkinson. The other big story line for the Cyclones on Thursday night was the lineup shuffle at 174 and 184 pounds. Sam Colbray is now down at 174 pounds and Marcus Coleman is making the bump up to 184 pounds. In their debuts at their new weights, Colbray and Coleman both earned victories. Colbray took out Grant LaMont by a score of 4-1, while Coleman iced away the shutout behind a 7-4 victory over Jacob Armstrong. Next Up Iowa State continues its trip out West on Saturday with the Sun Devil Duals. ISU will take on Campbell (12 p.m. CT), Harvard (2 p.m. CT) and Arizona State (8 p.m. CT) at Chase Field on Saturday. It will be the first wrestling event to ever be held at a Major League Baseball stadium. Results: 197: Joel Shapiro (ISU) pinned Tate Orndorff (UVU), 2:12. 285: Gannon Gremmel (ISU) dec. Chase Trussell (UVU), 3-2. 125: Alex Mackall (ISU) pinned Will Edelblute (UVU), 2:55. 133: Todd Small (ISU) dec. Taylor LaMont (UVU), 13-12. 141: Ian Parker (ISU) pinned Cameron Hunsaker (UVU), 6:45. 149: Ryan Leisure (ISU) pinned Landon Knutzen (UVU), 1:51. 157: David Carr (ISU) pinned Jerry Rubio (UVU), 1:29. 165: Chase Straw (ISU) dec. Koy Wilkinson (UVU), 7-5. 174: Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Grant LaMont (UVU), 4-1. 184: Marcus Coleman (ISU) dec. Jacob Armstrong (UVU), 7-4.

DAVIDSON -- A new year opened with a dominant road victory for California Baptist University over Davidson on Thursday. The Lancers came out aggressive and shot early and often to help them win nine of 10 matches and defeat the Wildcats 33-4 to open a four-dual road trip in the John M. Belk Arena. Zach Schrader, Arick Lopez, Garrett Strang and AJ Raya posted bonus-point victories for CBU, which also received overtime wins from Adam Velasquez and Zach Rowe. The Lancers improve to 3-2 on the year, while Davidson falls to 1-5. CBU will dual three more teams on Friday at Cormack Hall on the campus of the Virginia Military Institute. The Lancers open against VMI at 8 a.m. Pacific, followed by a 10 a.m. showdown with Cleveland State before concluding with a noon dual against Clarion. Schrader capped off the dual with a pin of Finlay Houston in the heavyweight bout for his eighth pin of the season and 15th of his career. He was leading 9-2 before recording the fall with 43 seconds left in the second period. The redshirt junior is just the 10th Lancer in school history to record at least 15 pins in a career. Thursday's victory also marked career win 51 for Schrader to move him up to No. 19 in CBU history in that category. Strang posted a 17-5 major decision victory over Gavin Henry, despite trailing the Wildcat 2-1 three minutes into the 184-pound bout. Strang dominated the second period, 7-0, to take a 9-2 lead into the third. The Temecula native added two more takedowns and a nearfall in the final 40 seconds of regulation to put the finishing touches on the victory. It is career win 37 for Strang, which ranks him 25th in CBU's record book. Both Schrader and Strang are now a perfect 5-0 in dual matches this season. Raya maintained the team lead in victories this season with an 11-2 major decision over Will Baldwin at 149 pounds. He got two takedowns in the first period and added a nearfall in the third period to run away with the win. Lopez and Jacob Cooper both shutout their opponents in the 197 and 174-pound matches, respectively. It was Lopez who was responsible for the fourth bonus-point win, as he posted 12 points for the major decision against Evan Clark. Cooper tallied seven points for the decision victory over Steven Newell. He got a takedown in the first 15 seconds of the match and never looked back. Velasquez outlasted David Loniewski for a 6-4 overtime win at 141. Rowe followed up the excitement with a 3-1 win in an extra period against Hunter Costa at 157. Dilan Atjun and Christian Nunez started the dual with 9-4 and 10-3 decision victories at 125 and 133, respectively. Atjun jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first period and Nunez also got a takedown in the first 10 seconds. Results: 125: Dilan Atjun (CBU) dec. over Cian Fischer (DAV), 9-4 133: Christian Nunez (CBU) dec. over Kyle Gorant (DAV), 10-3 141: Adam Velasquez (CBU) SV1 over David Loniewski (DAV), 6-4 149: AJ Raya (CBU) maj. dec. Will Baldwin (DAV), 11-2 157: Zachary Rowe (CBU) SV1 over Hunter Costa (DAV), 3-1 165: Noah Satterfield (DAV) maj. dec. over Cole Pruitt (CBU), 10-1 174: Jacob Cooper (CBU) dec. over Steven Newell (DAV), 7-0 184: Garrett Strang (CBU) maj. dec. over Gavin Henry (DAV), 17-5 197: Arick Lopez (CBU) maj. dec. over Evan Clark (DAV), 12-0 285: Zach Schrader (CBU) fall over Finlay Holston (DAV), 4:16

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. -- A second-period pin from Matt Zovistoski produced the strong start that App State wanted in its Southern Conference opener. Zovistoski delivered the first of four pins for the Mountaineers, who earned bonus points in six of their eight wins and posted a 40-9 road victory at Gardner-Webb on Thursday night. Julian Gorring, Cary Miller and Sean Carter also recorded wins by fall, with Gorring and Carter -- both true freshmen -- getting timely ones in the final 35 seconds of their matches. Thomas Flitz earned a major decision, Paul Carson avenged a recent loss with a seven-point victory, Bradley Irwin earned a hard-fought decision and Jonathan Millner closed the dual with a win by forfeit for the Mountaineers (2-2, 1-0). With the dual beginning at 157 pounds, Zovistoski faced Taylor Parks a week after winning a 6-3 decision against him at the Southern Scuffle. Leading 2-0 after one period Thursday, Zovistoski executed a reversal and then pinned Parks midway through the second period. Zovistoski became just the eighth wrestler in App State history to accumulate 90 career wins. App State led 6-3 after RJ Mosley's 10-4 decision against Will Formato, and Flitz entered the third period against Samuel Mora at 174 pounds with a 6-0 lead before building a double-digit advantage. Gorring took a 7-2 lead with two-plus minutes of riding time into the third period at 184 pounds and pinned Christian Salter with 23 seconds left. The Mountaineers increased their lead to 19-3 on Carson's 9-2 decision against Roderick Davis, who had pulled out a 4-3 win against Carson on a takedown in the closing seconds of their 197-pound match at the Southern Scuffle. Carson led 3-2 after one period Thursday, rode out Davis in the second period and broke the match open in the third, delivering a takedown with 41 seconds left. Miller needed only 1:42 to pin fellow heavyweight Gabriel Pickett for his fifth win by fall of the season and the 27th pin of his career. Carter made it back-to-back pins by registering one with just 33 seconds left in his match against Michael Pappaconstantinou at 125 pounds. Carter had a sizable riding time advantage while entering the third period with a 3-2 lead thanks to his ability to ride out the second period, and he dominated the third period before wrapping up the win with his second pin of the year. Gardner-Webb posted a pin at 133 pounds before Irwin and Millner combined for nine points in their victories. Irwin used a takedown in the last 40 seconds of the first period to take the lead for good against Brandon Bright at 141 pounds, and he also rode out his opponent for the entire second period. With the win by forfeit, Millner improved to 20-4 on the season. The 2019-20 wrestling season for App State is presented by Hungry Howies, and the Mountaineers are back in action Sunday at Varsity Gym for a SoCon doubleheader against Presbyterian and Davidson. The doubleheader begins at 2 p.m., and App State Wrestling alums who RSVP will be able to attend the annual Old Timers Match free of charge. Results: 157: Matt Zovistoski (APP) def. Taylor Parks (GWU), fall (4:05) 165: RJ Mosley (GWU) def. Will Formato (APP), 10-4 dec. 174: Thomas Flitz (APP) def. Samuel Mora (GWU), 13-2 maj. dec. 184: Julian Gorring (APP) def. Christian Salter (GWU), fall (6:37) 197: Paul Carson (APP) def. Roderick Davis (GWU), 9-2 dec. 285: Cary Miller (APP) def. Gabriel Pickett (GWU), fall (1:42) 125: Sean Carter (APP) def. Michael Pappaconstantinou, fall (6:27) 133: Trevon Majette (GWU) def. Codi Russell (APP), fall (0:57) 141: Bradley Irwin def. Brandon Bright (GWU), 4-1 dec. 149: Jonathan Millner (APP) won by forfeit

C.J. Morgan A long-standing tradition -- senior night for Army West Point wrestling -- will take on a new home this year ... all to honor a late Black Knights wrestler who died in a training accident last summer. West Point wrestlers will host Lehigh at the 2020 senior night on Friday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at West Orange High School in West Orange, New Jersey to honor C.J. Morgan, hometown student-athlete who was killed last June from injuries sustained from a military vehicle accident in the U.S. Military Academy's training area 50 miles north of New York City. Morgan, originally from West Orange, N.J., was a West Point Class of 2020 cadet studying law. He wrestled at 184 pounds, compiling a 28-22 overall record. Prior to taking to the mat for the Black Knights, Morgan wrestled at West Orange High School, where he placed fifth in the New Jersey state wrestling tournament in the 182-pound class as a senior in 2015. He had a 30-1 record that season with 20 pins. West Point head wrestling coach Kevin Ward explained how the U.S. Military Academy's mat program came to the decision to relocate the event this year. "We just felt like moving our senior day match to West Orange was the right thing to do," said Ward. "I left the decision up to our seniors, and they didn't hesitate, they knew they wanted to wrestle in C.J.'s home gym on senior night. I appreciate everyone's support in making this happen and we look forward to honoring C.J. on senior night."

Montreat College will be adding men's wrestling to its roster of intercollegiate athletic activities, the North Carolina school announced this week. In addition, Montreat will be also adding a co-ed cheer and dance program at the same time. Director of Athletics Jose Larios said, "With the support of the board of trustees and President (Paul J.) Maurer and his cabinet, we are excited to launch these two new athletic programs. Across the southeast, both collegiate wrestling and cheer and dance programs are growing rapidly. By offering these two new programs, with scholarship support, we are expanding our reach and making Montreat College a great option for students who want these programs to be a part of their education and collegiate experience." Montreat College's varsity sports programs compete under the Cavaliers name within the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). Montreat is a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC), which currently boasts six member schools with wrestling programs and an AAC conference championship event. Larios said, "Our immediate focus will be for our wrestling program to compete very well at our AAC championships, in hopes of qualifying as many individuals for the NAIA Wrestling Championships." Along with the AAC, nearby Conference Carolinas (NCAA DII) institutions will provide Montreat College's new wrestling program with additional opportunities to compete. For Fall 2020, Larios anticipates a wrestling roster of 12-15 student-athletes. A national search for a wrestling coach has already begun. Here's how the school describes itself at its official website: "Montreat College is a private, Christian, liberal arts college founded in 1916 and offering associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs for traditional and adult students. Montreat College's main campus for four-year traditional students is located in Montreat, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Asheville." Montreat College has a total enrollment of approximately 900 students.

EMORY, Va. -- Emory & Henry College Director of Athletics Anne Crutchfield has announced the addition of men's and women's wrestling as intercollegiate sports which will begin competition during the 2020-21 academic year. The teams expand the College's varsity sports offerings to 22 NCAA Division III programs, IDA and IHSA equestrian teams and competitive cheer and dance squads. "The popularity of wrestling in the region, as well as across the country, will provide Emory & Henry with a new pool of student-athletes to join our athletic programs," said Crutchfield. "We are in the process of hiring our coaching staff, and we are excited to grow our department. Our new programs will allow these dedicated student-athletes to continue their career and sport they're passionate about while in college." According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and its 2018-19 High School Participation Survey, girls' wrestling has climbed to the 17th-most popular high school sport and boys' wrestling remains seventh at the high school level in terms of participants. The combined number of high school wrestlers nationwide, including both boys and girls, grew to 268,565 -- an increase of 6,439 athletes (or 2.5%) -- in 2018-19. Wrestling has become a growing sport in NCAA Division III for both men and women. However, Emory & Henry will be just the second school in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) to offer both men's and women's wrestling. Currently, only Ferrum College provides both. Washington and Lee University currently offers men's wrestling while Roanoke College and Shenandoah University have recently made announcements to add the sport. "As wrestling continues to grow, we hope to see more ODAC schools add wrestling to allow us to compete on a conference level," added Crutchfield. "Until then, we will continue to offer high-level competition at matches on the regional and national levels." Crutchfield says the College plans to have a head coach for both men's and women's wrestling hired by the start of February. For more information on the teams, please contact Anne Crutchfield (acrutchfield@ehc.edu) or call the Admissions staff at 1-800-848-5493.

Adam Busiello competed at Beat the Streets last spring (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) It's been a busy, news-worthy week for Penn State wrestling off the mat. A day after the 2019 NCAA team titlewinners revealed that Anthony Cassar and Kyle Conel had suffered season-ending injuries, head coach Cael Sanderson announced Wednesday that redshirt freshman 125-pounder Brody Teske has entered the transfer portal ... while the school has confirmed that Adam Busiello is now officially a Nittany Lion. Teske had been a four-time Iowa state champ for Fort Dodge High School before coming to Penn State, where he compiled a career record of 11-4 in the past two seasons. Last season, there was some discussion that Teske had been dealing with weight and health issues. There is now speculation that Teske may be returning to his home state to enroll at the University of Iowa, in anticipation of replacing two-time NCAA 125-pound champ Spencer Lee who has only one year of eligibility left beyond this season. Busiello is a four-time New York state mat champ who originally committed to Penn State as a freshman at Eastport-South Manor High School ... but, as a senior, changed his mind to wrestle at Arizona State. However, Busiello entered the transfer portal just before the beginning of the current wrestling season, with speculation centering on his possible return to his original commitment to wrestle at 125 for the Nittany Lions. That speculation now is reality, as Busiello's arrival at Penn State has been confirmed by a Penn State spokesperson ... and a listing in the student directory.

The second weekend of January is upon us, with everyone back into the fold after the holidays are done. Below is the list of competitions for Fab 50 teams for the week of Jan. 8-14. No. 1 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. Competes at the Eastern States Classic on Friday and Saturday at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. No. 2 Blair Academy, N.J. Hosts the Blair Duals on Saturday No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. Hosts the Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals on Saturday No. 4 Buchanan, Calif. travels to Clovis East (Calif.) for dual meet tonight, travels to Bergen Catholic (N.J.) for a quad meet on Saturday; will also enter some wrestlers in the Five Counties Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Fountain Valley (Calif.) No. 5 Montini Catholic, Ill. Hosts Marmion Academy (Ill.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals on Saturday No. 6 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. Hosts district dual meet tournament on Thursday No. 7 St. Edward, Ohio Competes in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals on Saturday No. 8 Bergen Catholic, N.J. Hosts DePaul Catholic (N.J.) for dual meet tonight; travels to Paramus Catholic (N.J.) for dual meet on Friday; hosts quad on Saturday featuring No. 4 Buchanan (Calif.), St. Anthony's (N.Y.), and Penncrest (Pa.) No. 9 Malvern Prep, Pa. Hosts Germantown Academy (Pa.) for dual meet on Friday, competes in the Blair Academy (N.J.) Duals on Saturday No. 11 Delbarton, N.J. Hosts West Morris Central (N.J.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Blair Academy (N.J.) duals on Saturday No. 12 Tuttle, Okla. Competes in the Geary (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Hosts El Reno (Okla.) for dual meet on Tuesday 1/14 No. 13 Poway, Calif. Competes in the Battle for the Belt on Friday and Saturday at Temecula Valley (Calif.) No. 14 Allen, Texas Competes in the Cushing (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 15 Elyria, Ohio travels to Mentor (Ohio) for tri-meet on Thursday along with Euclid (Ohio) No. 16 Davison, Mich. Hosts Grand Blanc (Mich.) and Bay City Western (Mich.) in tri-meet tonight, competes in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals on Saturday No. 17 St. John Bosco, Calif. Competes in the Five Counties Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Fountain Valley (Calif.) No. 18 Brighton, Mich. Competes in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals on Saturday No. 19 Gilroy, Calif. travels to Hollister (Calif.) for dual meet tonight, competes in the Five Counties Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Fountain Valley (Calif.), travels to Salinas (Calif.) for dual meet on Tuesday 1/14 No. 20 Simley, Minn. Hosts Mahtomendi (Minn.) and North (Minn.) for tri-meet on Thursday No. 21 Stillwater, Minn. Travels to Irondale (Minn.) for tri-meet on Thursday along with Osseo (Minn.), Hosts the Pony Stampede Tournament on Saturday No. 22 Shakopee, Minn. Hosts Apple Valley (Minn.) for dual meet on Thursday No. 23 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel Hosts St. Laurence (Ill.) for dual meet tonight, Hosts Chicago (Ill.) St. Rita for dual meet on Thursday, competes in quad meet at Washington (Ill.) on Saturday No. 24 Clovis, Calif. Hosts Central (Calif.) for dual meet tonight No. 25 Southeast Polk, Iowa Hosts Waukee (Iowa) for dual meet on Thursday No. 26 Broken Arrow, Okla. Travels to No. 42 Mustang (Okla.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Geary (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Hosts Tulsa (Okla.) Union for dual meet on Tuesday 1/14 No. 27 Liberty, Mo. Hosts Park Hill (Mo.) for dual meet on Thursday, Hosts Staley (Mo.) for dual meet on Tuesday 1/14 No. 28 Selma, Calif. Hosts Golden Valley (Calif.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Five Counties Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Fountain Valley (Calif.) No. 29 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle Hosts Aurora (Ohio) and Ryle (Ky.) for tri-meet on Saturday No. 31 Millard South, Neb. Hosts Columbus (Neb.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Crossroads Duals on Saturday at Cameron (Mo.) No. 32 Mount St. Joseph, Md. Travels to St. Paul's School (Md.) for tri-meet on Friday along with Boys Latin (Md.), travels to Archbishop Curley (Md.) for tri-meet on Saturday along with John Carroll (Md.) No. 33 Nazareth, Pa. Hosts Whitehall (Pa.) for dual meet tonight, competes in the Virginia Duals on Friday and Saturday at Hampton (Va.) No. 34 St. Joseph Montvale, N.J. Hosts River Dell (N.J.) for dual meet tonight, travels to DePaul Catholic (N.J.) for dual meet on Friday, competes in the Blair Academy (N.J.) Duals on Saturday No. 35 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. Travels to Freedom (Pa.) for dual meet tonight, travels to Pocono Mountain West (Pa.) for dual meet on Monday 1/13 No. 36 Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa. Hosts Pen Argyl (Pa.) for dual meet on Thursday, travels to Bangor (Pa.) for dual meet on Monday 1/13 No. 37 Southern Columbia, Pa. Travels to Hughesville (Pa.) for dual meet on Thursday, travels to Muncy (Pa.) for dual meet on Saturday, Hosts Benton (Pa.) for dual meet on Tuesday 1/14 No. 38 Clovis North, Calif. Travels to Clovis West (Calif.) for dual meet tonight No. 39 Lisbon, Iowa Hosts Central City (Iowa) and North Linn (Iowa) for tri-meet on Thursday, competes in the Tripoli (Iowa) Invitational on Saturday No. 40 Baylor School, Tenn. Hosts Grace Academy (Tenn.) and Christian Academy of Knoxville (Tenn.) for tri-meet on Thursday, competes in the Blair Academy (N.J.) Duals on Saturday No. 41 Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral Hosts Columbus East (Ind.) for dual meet tonight No. 42 Mustang, Okla. Hosts No. 26 Broken Arrow (Okla.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Geary (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 43 Fort Dodge, Iowa Travels to West Des Moines Valley (Iowa) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Clear Lake (Iowa) Invitational on Saturday No. 44 Waynesburg, Pa. Hosts Connellsville (Pa.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Winners Choice Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Cameron (W.Va.) No. 45 McDonogh, Md. Competes in the Virginia Duals on Friday and Saturday at Hampton (Va.) No. 46 Windsor, Colo. Travels to Fort Morgan (Colo.) for dual meet on Friday, competes in the Torgerson Invitational on Saturday at Fort Collins (Colo.) No. 47 Evansville (Ind.) Mater Dei Travels to Evansville (Ind.) Central for dual meet on Thursday, travels to Perry Meridian (Ind.) for dual meet on Saturday No. 48 Crown Point, Ind. Travels to Merrillville (Ind.) for dual meet tonight No. 49 Dundee, Mich. Travels to Ida (Mich.) for tri-meet tonight along with Erie Mason (Mich.), competes in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals on Saturday No. 50 Pomona, Colo. Hosts Chatfield (Colo.) for dual meet tonight, competes in the Ron Granieri Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Arvada West (Colo.) Off this week: No. 10 Brecksville (Ohio), No. 30 Crescent Valley (Ore.)

Isaiah White gets in on a shot against Evan Wick in the NCAA consolation semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) After the big midseason tournament, the conference dual schedule really kicks into high gear. This weekend there are several key Big 10 matches as well as some interconference bouts. The following are some of the top matches on the dual meet slate this week. 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Devin Schroder (Purdue) After starting the season with three straight bonus victories, Lee took a hiatus from folkstyle in order to train for the 2019 Senior Nationals in freestyle. The two-time NCAA champion dominated his way to the tournament title and outscored his opponents 52-6 along the way. Lee returned to the collegiate mats at the Midlands Championship. He won his first three matches in less than six minutes combined. Lee then defaulted out of the tournament. Head coach Tom Brands has assured fans that it was a coach's decision, and the number-one ranked wrestler at 125 pounds will be good to go. After qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time last year, Schroder has worked his way all the way to the five spot in the rankings. He is 17-2 on the season, and he avenged his first loss of the season to No. 9 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) in the very same tournament. The Purdue wrestler has also knocked off No. 12 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) and No. 13 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State). Lee should be the clear favorite going into this match. Schroder has wrestled some of the top guys in the country tough, but it is hard to see him avoiding the tilts and turns from Lee. The real story here will be Lee's status. The teams wants it out there that he is fine, but a strong performance here would go a long way toward reinforcing that message. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) major decision over Schroder (Purdue) 133: No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) After a strong start to last season, Bravo-Young somewhat struggled down the stretch. However, he still pulled it out and finished with an eighth-place finish to become an All-American. This year, he has plowed his way through the competition and built a 10-0 record. He has not faced the toughest schedule, but he was able to knock off No. 17 Josh Kramer (Arizona State) and score bonus points in six of his 10 matches. Rivera moved up to 133 pounds after finishing third last year down at 125. He has been out of the lineup as he has pursued a spot of the freestyle national team for Puerto Rico. However, Rivera has made the most of his time. He dropped an extremely close match against No. 1 Seth Gross (Wisconsin) at the Midlands, and he has bested the rest of his competition. This should be a pretty interesting contest. Both wrestlers like to do the majority of their scoring on the feet, so this might come down to a single takedown. Rivera is still not 100% filled out at 133 pounds, but his ability in the neutral position should drive him to a victory here. Prediction: Rivera (Northwestern) decision over Bravo-Young (Penn State) 141: No. 3 Mitch McKee (Minnesota) vs. No. 11 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin) For his junior season McKee has started things off right. He has won 20 of his 21 matches on the year with his only loss coming against No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State). Not only has he been winning matches, but he has also been racking up the bonus points. His list of 20 wins includes eight falls and signature wins over No. 4 Dom Demas (Oklahoma), No. 5 Ian Parker (Iowa State) and No. 12 Sa'Deran Perry (Old Dominion). Moran transferred to Wisconsin from Oklahoma State for last season. He nearly became an All-American as he fell during the round of 12 at the NCAA tournament. This year Moran has started the season with a 13-2 record, and he has scored wins over the likes of No. 14 Zach Sherman (North Carolina) and No. 13 Grant Leeth (Missouri). These two went to overtime in their first meeting last year. It was tied at eight when Moran turned a deep whizzer into a roll and the fall. McKee got the better of the rematch at the NCAA tournament and walked away with a 7-6 victory. This match will almost certainly be close, but McKee has been wrestling some of his best matches so far this year. Prediction: McKee (Minnesota) decision over Moran (Wisconsin) 149: No. 4 Brock Mauller (Missouri) vs. No. 7 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) Mauller suffered his first loss of the season in the South Beach Duals as he fell against Jaron Jensen (Wyoming). Despite the upset, he has held onto his top ranking due to his overall season performance. After becoming an All-American as a true freshman, he has won 14 of his 15 matches this year. It should be an interesting season, since there is a lot of new challenges at this weight, and he has missed most of them so far. Thomsen is looking to get back on the podium this year. After becoming an All-American as a freshman, he has seen his season end in the round of 12 in back-to-back years. Thomsen recently had a solid performance at the Midlands. He made it to the semifinals before dropping a close match against No. 1 Pat Lugo (Iowa). These two have a bit of a history. They have wrestled twice before with Mauller taking both matches. He scored a 9-3 decision last January and followed that up with a late-match fall at the NCAA tournament. If Mauller is back in that form, but there is a question he may be still recovering from that upset. Prediction: Mauller (Missouri) decision over Thomsen (Northern Iowa) 157: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) vs. No. 5 Quincy Monday (Princeton) Since dropping a match against No. 1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern), Hidlay quickly returned to form. Since the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, he has won six straight matches and captured the tournament title at the Southern Scuffle. Along the way, he picked up a key victory over No. 7 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) via a 10-0 major decision. After dropping a match against Dellavecchia in the season opening Princeton Open, Monday went on a run through multiple duals that saw him defeat Dellavecchia in a rematch and knock off No. 6 Kaleb Young (Iowa). Monday had a bit of a hiccup as he dropped a match against No. 15 Markus Hartman (Army). However, he got back on track and defeated No. 8 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) in the third-place match. When Hidlay is at his best and getting to his offense, there are very few wrestlers who can hang with him at this weight. He has had some trouble with defensive wrestlers who are able to match him in the strength department. Monday has a lot of his success due to pace and scrambling. Look for Hidlay to control the pace of this match and take the decision victory. Prediction: Hidlay (North Carolina State) decision over Monday (Princeton) 165: No. 3 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) White is off to the best start he has had since transferring to Nebraska and moving up from the Division II level. His record currently stands at 12-0, and he has worked his way into the top three of the rankings. White has had limited opportunities against ranked competition, but he has made the most of them. He has already scored a pair of victories over No. 6 Josh Shields (Arizona State) and bested No. 13 Ethan Smith (Ohio State). Wick has already become an All-American twice during his career at Wisconsin, and he still has two more years left. This season he has gone 15-2, but both of his losses have been close matches against highly ranked wrestlers. He dropped a two-point match against rival No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) and dropped a one-point match against No. 4 David McFadden (Virginia Tech). This is an interesting match. On one hand, White holds the higher spot in the rankings and comes into this match with the more impressive record. On the other hand, Wick has the advantage in their series. White won their first meeting in 2018, but Wick has since won the next four matches. All of their bouts were close and one was in overtime. As always, Wick's ability to ride give him the edge in what is expected to be another close encounter. Prediction: Wick (Wisconsin) decision over White (Nebraska) 174: No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) Since Kemerer missed an entire season with injury and then moved up two weight classes, Iowa has been understandably careful with their 174-pounder this year. He has wrestled only four matches on the year, and he recently sat out the Midlands. With that being said, his time of the mat has been outstanding. He has won all four of those matches with bonus points including a fall, two technical falls and a major decision. Lydy came into his senior season after back-to-back finishes in the round of 12. He has won all 20 of his matches and took the tournament title at both the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Midlands. He benefited from Kemerer missing the Midlands, but they will likely face off here. Not only does Lydy have an impressive record, but his schedule has been tough. To reach 20 wins, he needed to defeat the likes of No. 20 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma), No. 14 Ben Harvey (Army), No. 12 Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley), No. 10 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), No. 6 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) and No. 5 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa). This will be Kemerer's first real test at this weight. He has passed the tests so far, but Lydy has been on a mission. With that being said, Kemerer's offense should create a lot of problems for the Purdue wrestler. Look for Kemerer to get out to an early lead and hold on for the victory. Prediction: Kemerer (Iowa) decision over Lydy (Purdue) 184: No. 9 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) vs. No. 12 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) It has been an up-and-down season for Colbray so far this year. He holds a 6-4 record, and he has dropped some tight matches against close competition. In his last match, Colbray scored an overtime win over Matthew Waddel (Chattanooga) who has proven himself to be a tough out so far this season. Morgan qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time last season, and he is looking to take another step forward during his senior season. He has gone 17-5, but he has had some of his best performances against tough competition. Morgan has already defeated Jack Jessen (Northwestern), No. 14 Noah Stewart (Army) and No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh). Matches like this one could easily turn out to be a preview of this year's round of 12. Both of these wrestlers will be on the bubble of All-American status at the end of the year. Colbray has been more steady this year, while Morgan has shown the better flashes. Prediction: Morgan (Campbell) decision over Colbray (Iowa State) 197: No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) vs. No. 8 Nick Reenan (North Carolina State) Brucki finished his sophomore season with only three losses and a fourth-place finish at the NCAAs. He already has two losses on the year this season. Despite that he has cemented himself as one of the top wrestlers at this weight. Brucki already avenged a loss against No. 5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) as well as defeated No. 10 Ethan Laird (Rider) and No. 11 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State). After wrestling in only one dual to start the season, Reenan entered the Southern Scuffle. He dropped a 1-0 match against Michael Beard (Penn State), but he scored three other major decisions before defaulting out of the tournament. Head coach Pat Poplizio has indicated that it was not due to an injury and more of a pitch count situation. The two-time NCAA qualifier certainly has the skill to be a player at this weight, but he has been slowed by injuries. Brucki should be the favorite in this contest. He has been much more active and much more successful as of late. However, Reenan is the type of wrestling who, if healthy, could give Brucki a lot of problems. The NC State wrestler is strong in the ties and does not get muscled around. This should be a good gauge to see where both of these competitors are at the moment. Prediction: Brucki (Princeton) decision over Reenan (North Carolina State) 285: No. 7 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) vs. No. 15 Jere Heino (Campbell) The ageless wonder is back for one final season for the Sun Devils. Hall has gone 11-3 on the season. In his last outing, he defeated Gary Traub (Ohio State), but he failed to pick up the major decision that would have pushed Arizona State to another impressive dual victory. Hall has lost to all the ranked wrestlers he has faced so far, but that could change in the near future. Heino has already won a pair of tournaments on the year. He took first place at both the Navy Classic and the Reno Tournament of Champions. He dropped a pair of matches at the Midlands tournament, but he has maintained his ranking for the most part of the year. Hall holds a 4-1 edge over Heino in their series. However, three of the bouts were decided by a single point. Their last match went all the way to sudden victory before Hall took home the win. If you are a fan of heavyweight style wrestling this will be the match for you. Prediction: Hall (Arizona State) decision over Heino (Campbell)

As most everyone knows, the college wrestling season is a grind. It's a long, grueling season that covers several months and runs over two semesters. And with the tough, demanding schedule, coaches face more than their share of challenges during the course of a season. The 2019-20 season has seen its share of obstacles that coaches have had to overcome with their teams. Here are some of the top coaching performances at the NCAA Division I level at this point in the season: Tom Brands, Iowa The Hawkeyes had an excellent first half of the season, powering to a record-setting performance at the Midlands Championships. Iowa has a loaded roster, led by two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee (125 pounds). The Hawkeyes have seven wrestlers ranked in the top four. Lee and Pat Lugo (149) are both ranked No. 1. Iowa is hungry and determined to capture its first NCAA team title in 10 years. Brands has his team on track for a special season. Zeke Jones guided ASU to a dual meet win over Penn State (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Zeke Jones, Arizona State The former U.S. National Coach continues to build his program in Tempe. The Sun Devils earned a huge early season dual meet win over Penn State. Senior Zahid Valencia leads the way for ASU. He is seeking his third national title after moving up a weight class to 184 this season. The Sun Devils are definitely a program on the rise under the guidance of one of the nation's best coaches in Jones. Mark Manning talks to Isaiah White at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Mark Manning, Nebraska Manning may have one of his best teams in Lincoln. The Huskers aren't a team of superstars, but they are strong up and down the lineup. Nebraska showed that when it won the team title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Manning's team could definitely earn a trophy in late March. The Huskers have proven wrestlers in Chad Red, Isaiah White, Mikey Labriola and Taylor Venz. They could score a bunch of points at the NCAA tournament. Pat Popolizio, North Carolina State The Wolfpack have continued to excel with another strong roster. Hayden Hidlay has been dominant this season and he definitely looks poised to make a run at the 157-pound national title. His brother, Trent, hasn't been bad either. He is a freshman who is ranked third nationally at 184 pounds. Trent Hidlay won a Junior world bronze medal in 2019. Tony Ersland coaching the finals of the Midlands Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Tony Ersland, Purdue The former Nebraska assistant has recruited well and now has his best team at Purdue. Ersland has four wrestlers -- Devin Schroder (125), Kendall Coleman (157), Dylan Lydy (174) and Christian Brunner (197) -- ranked in the top eight nationally. Purdue finished fifth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and eighth at the Midlands. The Boilermakers have the potential to score their share of points at the national tournament. Chris Ayres, Princeton The Tigers have had a superb season and continue to hold their own against top-flight competition. Third-ranked Pat Glory, who earned a championship at the Midlands, is a tough matchup for anyone in the 125-pound weight class. Patrick Brucki is ranked third at 197 and Quincy Monday is fifth at 157. Cael Sanderson, Penn State The Nittany Lions suffered an upset loss to Arizona State and have lost returning national champion heavyweight Anthony Cassar to an injury. But Cael Sanderson's team still has the firepower to win a national title in March. The loaded Nittany Lion lineup still features two-time NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph (165) and NCAA champion Mark Hall (174) along with All-Americans Nick Lee (141) and Shakur Rasheed (197). Third-ranked Roman Bravo-Young (133) and newcomer Aaron Brooks (184) have the potential to place high at NCAAs. Doug Schwab coaching at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Doug Schwab, Northern Iowa The energetic Schwab coached his first national champion at UNI last season with Drew Foster and the Panthers have built off that momentum this season. UNI is coming off a strong second-place showing at the Midlands where Taylor Lujan (184) won a title and Bryce Steiert (174) placed second. The Panthers also have All-American Max Thomsen (149) in their lineup. Hes ranked seventh. Brandon Eggum, Minnesota The Gophers have made a recent jump in the rankings with standout All-American Gable Steveson returning to the team at heavyweight. He has an excellent shot at winning NCAAs as a sophomore. Senior All-American Mitch McKee (141) is ranked third nationally for the Golden Gophers. Tom Ryan, Ohio State The Buckeyes continue to thrive despite having to retool their lineup again this season. Top-ranked wrestlers Luke Pletcher (141) and Kollin Moore (197) have had outstanding seasons for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are rounding into form again as we move closer to March. Ryan's teams have had a knack for peaking when the stakes are highest. Kevin Dresser, Iowa State The Cyclones definitely have the capability of finishing strong. Superstar freshman David Carr, a Junior world champion, is ranked third at 157 for Dressers third ISU team. Returning All-American Jarrett Degen (149) also has the potential to place high. Teammates Alex Mackall (125), Sam Colbray (184) and Gannon Gremmel (285) also could make a run at the NCAA medal podium. Chris Bono, Wisconsin The Badgers continue to build under enthusiastic second-year coach Chris Bono. Transfer Seth Gross, a 2018 NCAA champion for South Dakota State, is now ranked No. 1 nationally at 133 after winning a tough weight class at the Midlands. Two-time All-American Evan Wick is ranked fifth at 165 and heavyweight Trent Hillger is ranked sixth. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

SALEM, Va. -- Roanoke College Director of Athletics Scott Allison announced Wednesday the addition of wrestling as the College's 22nd NCAA Division III sponsored athletic program. The Maroons will begin competition in the Fall of 2021 with a search for a head coach beginning immediately. "We're pleased to add wrestling to our listing of men's intercollegiate athletic offerings," said Allison. "Our first challenge will be to find the right person to lead our program. Once we have our coach in place, it'll be time to hit the recruiting trail…hard. We think we can build a quality NCAA Division III wrestling program, one that can show evidence of success on the mat and in the classroom. We couldn't be more excited for the challenges that lie ahead." While wrestling is not currently a sponsored sport by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Roanoke joins Ferrum, Shenandoah (2020) and Washington and Lee as ODAC schools that sponsor the sport.

Cornell's Ben Darmstadt leads Division I with 11 falls (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released the debut standings for the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted for the awards they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. Division I is led in falls by Cornell 197-pounder Ben Darmstadt with 11 this season, but close behind is 2019 award winner Matt Stencel of Central Michigan with 10 in the category. George Mason's Colston DiBlasi rounds out the top three with nine falls at 149 pounds. Tiffin teammates Hayden Bronne and Nicholas Mason pace Division II with nine falls apiece. Bronne holds the early tiebreaker over 2019 197-pound national champion Mason with a 12-minute lead in aggregate time (13:20 - 25:42). Jacob Robb of Mercyhurst is just one back as the only wrestler in Division II with eight falls. Joe Salerno of Washington & Lee leads all NCAA divisions with 14 falls at 149 pounds in Division III, which is two more than his closest pursuers. A trio of wrestlers have tallied a dozen falls this season with Jordan Blanchard of Wisconsin-Oshkosh holding the tiebreaker with the lowest aggregate time of 17:54 over Kaidon Winters of RIT and Travis Brown of Castleton. George Mason redshirt senior Alex Madrigal already holds a commanding lead in the race for the most tech falls in Division I with 10, four more than second place Quentin Perez of Campbell. Purdue 125-pounder Devin Schroder holds the time tiebreaker over three other wrestlers with five tech falls to sit in third. Division II features a five-way tie of wrestlers with four tech falls to open the season. Last year's national runner-up at 125 pounds, Josh Portillo of Nebraska-Kearney, holds the tiebreaker advantage with an aggregate time of 15:32. That is more than two minutes better than second place Myles Starke of Lander. Ryan Vasbinder (McKendree), Curtis Cox (Alderson Broaddus) and Branson Proudlock (Findlay) round out the quartet of wrestlers with four tech falls in Division II. Roger Williams 149-pounder Tyler Gazaway is the sole leader in Division III tech falls with nine, while Ahken Chu (SUNY Oneonta) and Travis Jones (Ithaca) are right behind him with eight tech falls. Three more wrestlers are within striking distance with seven tech falls this season. The initial Most Dominant Wrestler standings will be released later this season to allow wrestlers to achieve the minimum amount of matches required to be eligible for the standings.

Montini Catholic's Dylan Ragusin is coming off a title at the Doc Buchanan Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The last calendar week set some narrative about who the best team in the country that is not Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) or Blair Academy (N.J.) should be. Entering the week, it was Buchanan (Calif.) holding that No. 3 overall position. However, on Dec. 31, Montini Catholic (Ill.) upended the Bears 26-25 as they won eight matches including all five that were decided by two points or less. Then, this past weekend, it was Buchanan that prevailed as champions of the Doc Buchanan Invitational, a tournament that featured 14 Fab 50 teams. Currently ranked No. 3 in the country is Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), who was ranked top five in the preseason and moved up to No. 4 very early in the season. The Shamrocks have dominated their competitions so far this season, including tournament titles in a seven day stretch at the Brecksville Holiday Tournament and DCC Invitational; each field featured five (or more) nationally ranked teams. Come Saturday, Detroit Catholic Central will host its annual Super Duals event, and this year's field is -- as always -- very strong. Six teams will join the Shamrocks for four rounds of dual meet action: No. 5 Montini Catholic, No. 7 St. Edward (Ohio), No. 16 Davison (Mich.), No. 18 Brighton (Mich.), No. 49 Dundee (Mich.), and Woodhaven Below is the schedule of competition, with the first round slated for a 9:30 a.m. ET start. Round 1: Brighton vs. Montini Catholic, Davison vs. St. Edward, Detroit Catholic Central vs. Dundee Round 2: Davison vs. Woodhaven, Detroit Catholic Central vs. Montini Catholic, Dundee vs. St. Edward Round 3: Brighton vs. Dundee, Detroit Catholic Central vs. Woodhaven, Montini Catholic vs. St. Edward Round 4: Brighton vs. Woodhaven, Davison vs. Montini Catholic, Detroit Catholic Central vs. St. Edward Below is a listing of notable wrestlers based on their projected weight class: 106: No. 14 Caden Horwath (Davison), Joseph Fernau (Montini Catholic), Wyatt Richter (St. Edward), Quaylon Newton (Brighton), Drew Heethuis (Detroit Catholic Central), Braeden Davis (Dundee) 113: Sean Seefeldt (St. Edward), Nick Gonzalez (Montini Catholic), Dylan Gilcher/Anthony Walker (Detroit Catholic Central), Aden Williams (Davison), Aiden Smith (Brighton) 120: Casey Swiderski (Dundee), Nain Vazquez (Montini Catholic), Richard Delsanter (St. Edward) 126: No. 7 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic), Mason Shrader (Brighton), Aiden Davis (Dundee) 132: Andrew Chambal (Davison), Scott Richter (St. Edward), Ethan Stiles (Montini Catholi), Sam Freeman (Brighton), Camden Trupp (Detroit Catholic Central), Austin Fietz (Dundee) 138: No. 5 Josh Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central), Eddie Homrock (Brighton), Christian Killion (Dundee), Evan Bennett (St. Edward) 145: No. 15 Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic), Luke Geog (St. Edward), Tyler Swiderski (Dundee), Mark Shaeffer (Detroit Catholic Central), Zach Johnson (Brighton), James Johnston (Davison) 152: No. 13 Bryce Hepner (St. Edward), Joe Roberts (Montini Catholic), Joshua Barr (Davison), Logan Sanom (Detroit Catholic Central), Dominic Lomazzo (Dundee) 160: No. 3 Padraic Gallagher (St. Edward), No. 7 Derek Gilcher (Detroit Catholic Central), Stoney Buell (Dundee), Brayden Thompson (Montini Catholic) 170: No. 1 Alex Facundo (Davison), Hudson Hightower (St. Edward), Manuel Rojas (Detroit Catholic Central), Dane Donabedian (Brighton), Jaxon Guinn (Dundee) 182: Trevor Swier (Montini Catholic), Michael Garcar (St. Edward), Jay Nivison/Max Callahan (Davison) 195: Josh LaBarbera (Montini Catholic) 220: Brendin Yatooma (Detroit Catholic Central), Greyson Stevens (Brighton), Jimmy Colley (Davison) 285: No. 12 Steven Kolcheff (Detroit Catholic Central), Luke Stanton (Brighton)

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling program announced Wednesday that it will distribute #SorensenStrong headbands to the first 3,000 fans through the doors of Carver-Hawkeye Arena when the top-ranked Hawkeyes host No. 2 Nebraska on Jan. 18. The #SorensenStrong headbands are a symbol of support for former Hawkeye All-American Brandon Sorensen, who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The red, white, and blue headbands were designed by former Hawkeye Jeret Chiri, and are being distributed in a partnership with ThinkIowaCity.com. For more information about the headbands, visit SorensenStrong.org.

BROOKVILLE, Pa. -- Competing in front of a packed house at Brookville High School, the Clarion wrestling team capped off an evening of wrestling action with a 30-13 win over Mid-American Conference opponent Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Tuesday night. Racking up a number of bonus point victories and two wins by fall, the Golden Eagles (3-3, 2-2 MAC) evened up their overall dual record as well as their conference mark. The team match started at 157 pounds, and it was clear early on that the uppermost weights relished the opportunity to put an early stamp on the match. Clarion every bout from 165 pounds to heavyweight, with three of those wins including bonus points. Mike Bartolo won his second straight with a technical fall over Chase Diehl at 165 pounds, and the duo of Max Wohlabaugh and Luke Funck contributed key decisions to put the Golden Eagles ahead. Rounding out the top weights was Greg Bulsak and Ty Bagoly, with that duo essentially pushing the match out of reach for the Cougars. Bulsak recorded his eighth Division I win by fall with a first period pin of Aric Bohn. Bagoly nearly pinned Tommy Helton in the first period of the heavyweight bout despite giving up 55 pounds to the Cougar heavyweight, but had to settle for a four-point near fall and a major decision to make it 21-3 with four bouts to go. Bagoly improved to 10-3 on the season with the win, including a 4-0 mark against MAC opponents and a 6-0 mark in duals. Seth Koleno snapped a modest slump in the 133-pound bout when he claimed a pin of his own, taking down Jake Blaha early on and posting an early near fall before finally flattening his opponent at the 1:28 mark. That victory officially sealed the match for Clarion, with Brookville native Brock Zacherl recording a win by decision for good measure. Going against 2018 national qualifier Tyshawn Williams in a low-scoring 149-pound bout, Zacherl recorded the sole takedown of the contest with just seconds remaining in sudden victory. Results: 157: Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville) over Avery Shay (Clarion) (Dec 7-0) 165: Mike Bartolo (Clarion) over Chase Diehl (SIU Edwardsville) (TF 18-3 4:52) 174: Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) over Kevin Gschwendtner (SIU Edwardsville) (Dec 12-5) 184: Luke Funck (Clarion) over Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville) (Dec 6-5) 197: Greg Bulsak (Clarion) over Aric Bohn (SIU Edwardsville) (Fall 2:17) 285: Ty Bagoly (Clarion) over Tommy Helton (SIU Edwardsville) (MD 11-0) 125: Gage Datlovsky (SIU Edwardsville) over Blake Jackson (Clarion) (Fall 2:35) 133: Seth Koleno (Clarion) over Jake Blaha (SIU Edwardsville) (Fall 1:28) 141: Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) over Alex Blake (Clarion) (MD 15-6) 149: Brock Zacherl (Clarion) over Tyshawn Williams (SIU Edwardsville) (SV-1 3-1)

KENT, OHIO -- Colin McCracken and Spencer Berthold each picked up falls to help lift the Golden Flashes to a 25-15 victory over the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars on Tuesday afternoon at the Dix Stadium Fieldhouse. The victory improves Kent State to 3-5 in duals this season and 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference. SIU-E drops to 1-5 in duals this year and is 0-2 in the MAC. Kent State started quick on Tuesday afternoon, Tomas Gutierrez earned his first conference win in a big way, shutting out Gage Datlovsky in a 13-0 victory by major decision. Gutierrez took control of the bout with a pair of near falls to take a commanding lead. Tim Rooney made it 7-0 Kent State as he improved to 5-3 in duals this season with a 12-6 victory by decision over Jake Blaha. The Cougars got on the board at 141 pounds as a defensive, back-and-forth match went the way of Saul Ervin who earned a narrow 5-3 victory by decision over Cory Simpson. A similar match at 149 went Kent State's way as Kody Komara closed strong to earn a 6-3 victory by decision, putting Kent State up 10-3. SIU-E would take the next two matches, including one by tech fall to give the Cougars an 11-10 lead. Andrew McNally gave the Flashes back the lead with his team-best 18th victory of the season. McNally pulled away late in his match with Kevin Gschwendtner and walked away with an 8-3 victory by decision to give Kent State a 13-11 advantage. Ryan Yarnell gave the Cougars their final lead of the night winning his match at 184 by major decision to give SIU-E a 15-13 lead, and setting Kent State up for a strong finish. Colin McCracken picked up his 14th win of the season and the team's first conference fall of the season. McCracken pinned Austin Andres mid-way through the second period, giving the Flashes a 19-15 lead and bringing the fieldhouse crowd to its feet. Spencer Berthold put the exclamation point on the victory with his sixth pin of the season. Berthold controlled the match with Tommy Helton before getting the fall just moments into the final period. Kent State is back in action this weekend with the Virginia Duals. The two-day event gets started on Friday morning. Results: 125 Tomas Guitierrez (Kent State) over Gage Datlovsky (SIU Edwardsville) (MD 13-0) 133 Tim Rooney (Kent State) over Jake Blaha (SIU Edwardsville) (Dec 12-6) 141 Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) over Cory Simpson (Kent State) (Dec 5-3) 149 Kody Komara (Kent State) over Max Kristoff (SIU Edwardsville) (Dec 6-3) 157 Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville) over Conan Becker (Kent State) (TF 16-0 4:56) 165 Chase Deihl (SIU Edwardsville) over Kade Byland (Kent State) (Dec 3-2) 174 Andrew McNally (Kent State) over Kevin Gschwendtner (SIU Edwardsville) (Dec 8-3) 184 Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville) over Tyler Bates (Kent State) (MD 8-0) 197 Colin McCracken (Kent State) over Austin Andres (SIU Edwardsville) (Fall 4:15) 285 Spencer Berthold (Kent State) over Tommy Helton (SIU Edwardsville) (Fall 5:22)

MANHEIM, Pa -- A record 92 college teams will be participating in Mat Mayhem this coming weekend at the Kentucky Exposition Center at the NWCA's annual National Duals. The 2020 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software and Defense Soap hosted by NUWAY takes place January 10-11 with Louisville as the host for the second straight year. "Last year, we saw great support from the wrestling community in Louisville and the state of Kentucky and we're excited to expand even more this year with the record number of teams participating and even some local high schools getting into the mix, hosting one of their regional dual meet events here at the Kansas Exposition Center," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. With the rapid growth of the women's college wrestling scene, the Women's Division has been split into two, with NCAA teams on one tournament, NAIA teams in the other. In 2019, the NAIA hosted its first invitational championship for women's wrestling. The NCAA is close to adding women's wrestling as an emerging sport. Of the 92 teams, 65 are nationally ranked, including the top-ranked teams in five of the six Divisions. Of the 92 squads competing, 12 different schools will have both their men's and women's wrestling teams in action. "This is a real unique and progressive opportunity to showcase the growth of new programs in both men's and women's wrestling," said Moyer. "We'll begin to see the camaraderie shared amongst the men's and women's wrestling teams at these schools like we do in other sports that compete and travel at the same events like in swimming and track. That's a win-win for our student-athletes, our coaches and the entire athletics model." Division II Men Top-seeded St. Cloud State has won 54 dual meets in a row, tying its own record for the longest in Division II history. The streak also ranks 11th all-time for dual meet wins in college wrestling history. The Huskies, winners of the last three Division II National Duals, will await the winner of the Mercyhurst-Maryville preliminary and sit in a bracket with No. 8 Tiffin, which opens up with Newberry. McKendree is seeded second and awaits the winner of the UW-Parkside vs. Seton Hill winner. Down in that quarter bracket is No. 7 Upper Iowa, which will open with Gannon. Third-seeded Pitt-Johnstown will face the winner of the Limestone-Mary opener with No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney and Bellarmine also in that quarter bracket. Nebraska-Kearney is a two-time winner of the event. Fourth-seeded Notre Dame College, a two-time winner of the event, opens with Lindenwood, while No. 5 Central Oklahoma, which won the first Division II National Duals in 2002, will open with Colorado School of Mines. Division III Men There hasn't been much imagination in the Division III field since 2002, where only two teams have ever won the event - Wartburg and Augsburg. Only eight different schools have ever made the finals, with Johnson & Wales breaking through last year, only to finish second to Augsburg, which won its second Division III title in a row and seventh overall. The Auggies are the top seed and await the winner of the Roger Williams-Olivet dual. Second-seeded Wartburg has won 11 Division II dual titles and has reached the final every year except 2019. The Knights have a bye and will face the winner of Millikin and UW-Oshkosh. Third-seeded Wabash awaits the winner of Heidelberg and UW-Whitewater, while fourth-seeded Loras will await the winner of the RIT-Washington & Jefferson dual. Up top with Loras is fifth-seeded Mount Union, which will face the winner NYU and Alma. Coe College, seeded sixth, will take on either Western New England or Ithaca. Baldwin Wallace comes in seeded seventh and will face either Luther or North Central. Up top, last year's runners-up, Johnson & Wales, is the No. 8 seed and will face the winner of Westminster (Mo.) and UW-La Crosse. NAIA Men Grand View is riding college wrestling's second best dual win streak in history and the Vikings show no signs of slowing down. Winners of 81 straight duals, Grand View is also seeking its ninth straight NAIA National Duals crown. Six different teams have fallen to Grand View in the finals since 2012. Grand View opens with Brewton-Parker with the winner facing either No. 8 Southeastern or Providence (Mont.). Reinhardt will make its first National Duals appearance and comes in ranked second in the country. Coach Jeff Bedard's team, on paper, could be a capable challenger to the crown, but first they'll have to get past Midway and the winner of the No. 7 Oklahoma City vs. Indiana Tech dual just to reach the semis. Campbellsville is seeded third and opens with Cumberland University with the winner facing either No. 6 University of the Cumberlands or Life University. Fourth-seeded Baker opens with Lourdes with the winner facing either No. 5 Lindsey Wilson or Missouri Valley, which has been second on two different occasions in its history. NCAA Women Fifteen teams will compete for the first NCAA Women's National Duals title. The NWCA has sponsored the Women's Division since 2005, but now with over 70 women's college teams, the time to expand has come. Top-seeded McKendree won last year's Women's title, defeating rival King in the final. The Bearcats come in as the top-ranked NCAA women's team and will have an opening round bye before facing the winner of No. 8 Augsburg and Presbyterian. Second-seeded Simon Fraser has been a powerhouse in women's wrestling. The Canadian university has strong tradition and previously won the Women's Division in 2013. Simon Fraser opens with Tiffin with the winner facing either Ferrum or seventh-seeded Adrian. King is seeded third and looks to win its first NCAA division title after winning four straight Women's Division championships from 2014-2017. The Tornado open with Schreiner (Texas) with the winner facing either MacMurray (Ill.) or sixth-seeded Gannon. Fourth-seeded Emmanuel will open with North Central with the winner facing either Limestone or fifth-seeded Colorado Mesa. Amongst the NCAA field are one Division I school, eight Division II schools and six Division III schools. NAIA Women Campbellsville, winners of the 2018 Women's Division, will be the tournament's top seed and will have an opening-round bye before facing off with the winner between No. 8 Lyon and Midland. Life, which was seventh in the Women's Division last year, is seeded second and will have a bye before wrestling either No. 7 Providence (Mont.) or Missouri Valley, one of the pioneer programs of women's wrestling. Third-seeded Menlo, last year's WCWA and NAIA invitational champions, will face five-time Women's Division champion Oklahoma City in the quarterfinals as both teams have opening-round byes. Fourth-seeded Wayland Baptist will face two-time winner and fifth-seeded U. of the Cumberlands in the quarterfinals. NJCAA Men Five different programs have claimed championships in the NJCAA and a sixth could be added to the list this season as seven of the eight teams in this year's field have not won titles. Top-seeded Niagara Community College (N.Y.) will open up with Northland (Minn.). Niagara's top finish came in 2013 when they finished fourth. Second-seeded Harper (Ill.) has a strong tradition and has placed 13 times in the event, placing third on three different occasions. Harper will open with Minnesota West. Third-seeded Rochester (Minn.) finished seventh in 2014 and will open with Rowan College of Gloucester County, which was formerly known as Gloucester County College. Fourth-seeded Nassau, the only school in the field with an NJCAA National Duals title, will open with Joliet Junior College, a school steeped in tradition which recently restarted its wrestling program. Nassau won the first two NJCAA National Duals titles in 2004 and 2005. One of the events highlights is to showcase the growth of college wrestling. Of the 92 teams in attendance, 53 started since 2000. "What's unique about this event and where we are with our sport is there are going to be those new opportunities on center stage," said Moyer. "Over half of our collegiate programs have been founded in the last 20 years and more than half of our teams here were started in the same era. These are schools building traditions before our own eyes." All-session adult passes are available at the door for $45, while student tickets are $30. A weekend corner pass is also available for $55. Single day tickets are $25 for adults, $17 for students and $32 for a corner pass. WHAT: 2020 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software and Defense Soap hosted by NUWAY WHERE: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky WHEN: January 10-11, 2020 WATCH: Trackwrestling.com (PPV) RESULTS & BRACKETS: Men's Divisions | Women's Divisions Participating Teams Division II Men (19): Bellarmine, Central Oklahoma, Colorado School of Mines, Gannon, Limestone, Lindenwood, Mary (ND), Maryville, McKendree, Mercyhurst, Nebraska at Kearney, Newberry, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill, St. Cloud State, Tiffin, Upper Iowa, Wisconsin-Parkside. Division III Men (24): Alma, Augsburg, Baldwin Wallace, Coe, Heidelberg, Ithaca, Johnson & Wales, Loras, Luther, Millikin, Mount Union, North Central, NYU, Olivet, RIT, Roger Williams, Wabash, Wartburg, Washington & Jefferson, Western New England, Westminster (Mo.), Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin-Whitewater. NAIA Men (16): Baker, Brewton-Parker, Campbellsville, Cumberland University, Grand View, Indiana Tech, Life, Lindsey Wilson, Lourdes (Ohio), Midway (Ky.), Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City, Providence (Mont.), Reinhardt (Ga.), Southeastern (Fla.), U. of the Cumberlands. NCAA Women (15): Adrian, Augsburg, Colorado Mesa, Emmanuel (Ga.), Ferrum, Gannon, King (Tenn.), Limestone, MacMurray (Ill.), McKendree , North Central, Presbyterian, Schreiner, Simon Fraser, Tiffin. NAIA Women (10): Campbellsville, Life, Lyon, Menlo, Midland (Neb.), Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City, Providence (Mont.), U. of the Cumberlands, Wayland Baptist. NJCAA Men (8): Harper, Joliet (Ill.), Minnesota West, Nassau, Niagara, Northland (Minn.), Rochester (Minn.), Rowan College at Gloucester County (N.J.).

Anthony Cassar gets interviewed by ESPN at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Four-time defending national champion Penn State has lost two key starters for the season. Returning NCAA champion Anthony Cassar (285) and 2018 All-American Kyle Conel (197) are out for the season due to injury. Nittany Lion head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson made the announcement Tuesday. Freshman Seth Nevills will replace Cassar at heavyweight, while All-American Shakur Rasheed will step in for Conel at 197 pounds. Nevills is 6-0 this season and won tournament titles at the Mat-Town Open and Wilkes Open. He was the nation's No. 6 overall recruit in the Class of 2018. Rasheed was a seventh-place finisher at the 2018 NCAAs at 197 pounds. He was a Big Ten runner-up last season at 184 pounds. Cassar, who started the season with a 3-0 record, recently reinjured his shoulder at Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas. He defaulted out of the competition. Cassar will now focus on rehabbing his shoulder with hopes of competing at the Olympic Team Trials in April. Conel, a transfer from Kent State, started the season with a 3-3 record. Penn State will return to action this weekend after not competing for over a month. The Nittany Lions host Illinois on Friday and Northwestern Sunday. Penn State is currently ranked No. 2 in InterMat's tournament rankings and No. 4 in the dual meet rankings.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The fourth-ranked Sun Devils of Arizona State University landed in Ohio with an unblemished 5-0 mark, including the stoppage of Penn State's 60-match winning streak on Nov. 22, and left with a 17-16 defeat in-hand after No. 7 Ohio State (4-1) garnered enough to bonus points to secure victory. A crowd of 4,132 assembled at the Covelli Center to witness the thrilling tussle. Senior captain Luke Pletcher's 19-4 tech fall at 141 pounds proved to be the difference for the triumphant Scarlet & Gray. He totaled five takedowns and eight near-fall points in yet another dominant performance. Sammy Sasso kept in going in the subsequent bout, taking down his top-25 opponent five times en route to a 10-3 decision. Following a pair of ASU wins, the pressure was on at 174 pounds. Ohio State's Kaleb Romero rose to the occasion and delivered a 7-3 victory over No. 9 Anthony Valencia. It represents Romero's second top-10 triumph of the season as he broke through for his highest-ranked career win. He put together a second-period ride to remember, smothering the Sun Devil for nearly the entire frame. For his efforts, Romero was named the Ohio State Wrestler of the Match. Gavin Hoffman found himself in a 10-3 hole after the first period against FloWrestling's No. 1-ranked 'pound-for-pound' wrestler in the country and two-time defending national champion Zahid Valencia. Hoffman scrapped until the very last second though, battling for his teammates. His grit was significant as well, fending off a tech fall and dropping a 19-5 major decision. Saving the lone team point was crucial in the Buckeye team win. Kollin Moore put Ohio State back on track in the 197-pound bout. He shook off Kordell Norfleet's bout-opening takedown and fought back to ultimately come out as an 11-9 winner. 'Gas Tank' Gary Traub had the fuel and revved his engine in the waning seconds once again. While he came up just short of the bout-tying takedown, Traub did as he'd done previously at the Covelli Center, firing away shots late in the third period much to the delight of the Buckeye faithful. Chants of 'Gar - ee, Gar -ee, Gar -ee!' once again engulfed the Covelli Center. The fan favorite came close to bringing No. 6 Tanner Hall into sudden victory. Results: 125 lbs |No. 14 Brandon Courtney (ASU) def. Malik Heinselman (OSU) | D, 9-5; Team Score: 0-3 133 lbs | Jordan Decatur (OSU) def. No. 16 Josh Kramer (ASU) | D, 5-3; TS: 3-3 141 lbs | No. 1 Luke Pletcher (OSU) def. Navonte Demison (ASU) | TF, 19-4; TS: 8-3 149 lbs | No. 6 Samy Sasso (OSU) def. Josh Maruca (ASU) | D, 10-3; TS: 11-3 157 lbs | Jacori Teemer (ASU) def. Elijah Cleary (OSU) | D, 6-2; TS: 11-6 165 lbs | No. 6 Josh Shields (ASU) def. No. 12 Ethan Smith (OSU) | D, 6-2; TS: 11-9 174 lbs | No. 12 Kaleb Romero (OSU) def. No. 9 Anthony Valencia (ASU) | D, 7-3; TS: 14-9 184 lbs | No. 1 Zahid Valencia (ASU) def. Gavin Hoffman (OSU) | MD, 19-5; TS: 14-13 197 lbs | No. 1 Kollin Moore (OSU) def. No. 14 Kordell Norfleet (ASU) | D, 11-9; TS: 17-13 HWT | No. 7 Tanner Hall (ASU) def. Gary Traub (OSU) | D, 3-2; TS: 17-16

Gable Steveson with Brock Lesnar International superstar Brock Lesnar has been named as an honorary Gophers coach for the team's Big Ten opener against Wisconsin on Friday January 10, 2020 as the program celebrates the 20th anniversary of his NCAA Championship. The 2000 NCAA National Champion will be honored during the dual as he celebrates the anniversary of his 3-2 victory over Iowa's Wes Hand in sudden victory. Plus, all kids in eighth-grade and below will get the opportunity to take a group photo with the legend. Lesnar, a two-time NCAA finalist in Maroon and Gold, is now known worldwide for as a WWE and UFC Champion. In his two seasons with Minnesota Lesnar racked up a 55-3 record and 23 pins. From Nov. 16, 1999 through February 18, 2000 he won 23 straight bouts. After graduation the South Dakota native moved on to the WWE where he grew into stardom. "The Beast" has the most reigns (three) and days (688) as WWE Universal Champion in history. Lesnar then found immediate success in mixed martial arts as he became the UFC Heavyweight Champion at UFC 91 on Nov. 15, 2008. Once again Lesnar would hold onto the belt for an extended duration, this time for 707 days with a pair of title defenses. Lesnar has returned to Minneapolis several times in the past few years to teach, mentor, and even wrestle the next generation of Gophers. Not only is Lesnar's return exciting, but the Gophers dual against the Badgers is deserving on it's own. The rivalry match-up features seven top-ten wrestlers including four bouts between ranked competitors.