InterMat Staff

Matt Azevedo (Photo/Drexel University) PHILADELPHIA -- Drexel University Athletics announced today the creation of the Mert and Joanne Hill Head Wrestling Coach position -- the first named male coaching position at Drexel. The endowment was made possible through a substantial and meaningful commitment made by two Drexel alumni, Albert "Mert" Hill '67 and Joanne Hill '69. "Our wrestling program has a very rich and proud history," Drexel University Director of Athletics Dr. Eric Zillmer said. "I am certain that we have one of the brightest and most innovative minds in college wrestling in Matt Azevedo. Endowing the Drexel Wrestling head coaching position ensures that our program will be one of the top teams nationally." Mert and Joanne Hill (Photo/Drexel Athletics) "The support Mert and Joanne have provided the Drexel wrestling program is truly transformational," Drexel University Assistant Vice President of Development Kerry DiBlasio said. "We are so thankful for their generosity and are appreciative of their leadership in taking our wrestling program to the next level. We are extremely proud to name our head coaching position after Mert and Joanne". Mert Hill graduated from the College of Engineering in 1967 and competed for Drexel Wrestling from 1962 to 1966. He received the F.C. Walton Award in 1966 as the program's most valuable performer and served as co-captain that year as well. Joanne Hill is a 1969 graduate of the College of Home Economics. The couple currently resides in San Diego. "I am so thankful for Mert and Joanne Hill's unparalleled excitement and generosity towards the Drexel wrestling program," Mert and Joanne Hill Head Coach of Wrestling Matt Azevedo said. "Endowing the position is a landmark moment for the program, and this gift will have a tremendous impact on our wrestlers for generations to come." The family has been a long-time financial champion of the Drexel wrestling program and made a prior commitment to the Jack Childs Wrestling Room. "It has been a pleasure getting to know Coach Azevedo during his time at Drexel and seeing the success the program has had," Mert Hill said. "The job that he has done with the program is to be commended, and we are honored to support him in this generous way." Now in his ninth season in University City, Azevedo is the eighth head coach in program history and replaced Drexel Hall of Famer Jack Childs in 2011. Azevedo led the Dragons to their first appearance in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll during the 2016-17 season and has guided 28 wrestlers to qualification for the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Academically, the Dragons have enjoyed unrivaled success under Azevedo's watch. Drexel has finished as an NWCA Division I Top 30 All-Academic Team for six-straight seasons and owned the highest grade-point average (3.63) among Division I wrestling teams in 2019. "The Hills have supported this team and our vision since the day I got here, so I think it is fitting that Mert and Joanne's names will be forever tied to Drexel Wrestling," Azevedo said.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-- A fast start was all the Beavers needed as Oregon State never looked back and collected a 21-15 victory at No. 22 Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Oregon State emerged victorious in six of its ten matches on the day as they racked up five decisions as a team. The Beavers ended the dual with a total of ten takedowns and eighteen escapes in the annual edition of the Joe Wells Classic. There were four bouts (125, 141, 157, 197) that featured wrestlers ranked in the top 30 of their weight class and Oregon State earned victories in two of the four matches. Brandon Kaylor returned to the Beaver lineup after three weeks and represented OSU in the first bout of the afternoon as the sophomore dropped his first major decision of the season to Michigan's Jack Medley, 11-0. From there, the Beavers would win three straight matches starting with redshirt junior Devan Turner taking his bout by forfeit at 133 pounds for six quick team points. Turner's victory by forfeit brings his record to 17-7 on the season. Grant Willits helped extend the early lead with a 6-5 decision over No. 9 Cole Mattin in the 141-pound match. Willits helped ice the match with a third-period ride out and a late takedown which brought the team score to 9-4 OSU. In the 149-pound match, Lane Stigall kept things rolling with a 5-2 decision over Michigan's Nick Freeman. Stigall's victory included a riding time point and two takedowns which furthered the lead to 12-4 OSU. Logan Meek fought at 157 pounds and dropped an 11-5 decision to No. 9 Will Lewan, bringing the score to 12-7 with five matches remaining. The Beavers responded once again as Aaron Olmos helped control his bout at 165 pounds by riding out in the second period and also picking up a late takedown to hold on for a 5-2 decision. Jackson McKinney lost a 12-3 major decision to Max Maylor, respectively, in the seventh match of the afternoon. In one of the most anticipated bouts of the match, Beavers senior Colt Doyle (184) took on Michigan's Bobby Striggow. Both wrestlers are nationally ranked wrestlers in their weight class. Doyle got off to a fast start and used a 5-0 advantage in the second period to earn his victory. With over five minutes of riding time on his side, Doyle picked up the 8-2 decision and extended the team score to 18-11 with only two bouts remaining. With the Beavers clinging to a lead, a crucial match by J.J. Dixon (197) helped seal the team victory as a 4-3 decision proved to be enough. A pair of takedowns and a late escape gave Dixon his eighth win of the season. Heading into the heavyweight bout, the Beavers led 21-11. Jamarcus Grant battled No. 3 Mason Parris to close out the dual. Parris used a big first-period to build up a lead and would end the afternoon by collecting a 15-5 major decision over Grant (first maj. dec. of the season). Results: 125 -- Jack Medley (U-M) major dec. Brandon Kaylor, 11-0 -- U-M, 4-0 133 -- Devan Turner (OSU) won by forfeit -- OSU, 6-4 141 -- Grant Willits (OSU) dec. Cole Mattin, 6-5 -- OSU, 9-4 149 -- Lane Stigall (OSU) dec. Nick Freeman, 5-2 -- OSU, 12-4 157 -- #15 Will Lewan (U-M) dec. Logan Meek, 11-5 -- OSU, 12-7 165 -- Aaron Olmos (OSU) dec. Tyler Meisinger, 5-2 -- OSU, 15-7 174 -- Max Maylor (U-M) major dec. Jackson McKinney, 12-3 -- OSU, 15-11 184 -- Colt Doyle (OSU) dec. Bobby Striggow, 8-2 -- OSU, 18-11 197 -- J.J. Dixon (OSU) dec. Jackson Striggow, 5-3 -- OSU, 21-11 Hwt -- #3 Mason Parris (U-M) major dec. Jamarcus Grant, 15-5 -- OSU, 21-15 Next Up The Beavers open up Pac-12 conference play as they take on Northern Colorado for its first home dual of the season on Jan. 10. The meet is slated for 7 p.m. PT inside Gill Coliseum.

ATHENS, Ohio -- No. 20/NR/23 Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) rolled past the Ohio Bobcats (2-4, 0-1 MAC), 35-6, in its final non-conference dual on Sunday at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The Sooners took advantage of a trio of pins from Dom Demas, Justin Thomas and Anthony Mantanona and victories from five more Oklahoma wrestlers to record the program's most dominant dual victory since Nov. 11, 2017, when it defeated Sacred Heart, 53-0. At 125, redshirt senior Christian Moody secured the first win for the Sooners against Ohio's Trevor Giallombardo. Moody began with two early takedowns and added two escapes in the second period to record an 8-4 decision. No. 16 Anthony Madrigal (133) gave the Sooners an 8-0 lead with a 19-4 tech fall victory against Ohio's Derek Giallombardo. Madrigal scored first with a takedown, followed by a two-point nearfall to increase his lead to 4-0. Although Giallombardo escaped twice, Madrigal added three more takedowns on his way to victory. Oklahoma's next win of the day came courtesty No. 3 Demas at 141 pounds, who defeated Shakur Laney with a fall in 1:13, advancing the Sooner lead to 14-0. At 149, Jacob Butler continued the Sooners' momentum, recording an 8-4 victory over No. 23 Alec Hagan. The redshirt freshman struck first with a takedown and four-point nearfall, stretching his lead to 6-0. Despite an Ohio takedown in the second period, Butler held on to the lead and put the Sooners up 17-0. It was the third time Butler and Hagan have met on the season, with Butler owning a 2-1 advantage. No. 18 Thomas secured a pin over Zac Carson as time expired at 157 pounds, stretching the Sooners' lead to 23-0. After a scoreless first period, Thomas struck first in the second period with a quick escape. Carson evened the score with his own escape to open the third period and grabbed the lead with a takedown. With five seconds left in the match, Thomas recorded Oklahoma's second fall of the day. No. 11 Mantanona (174) joined the party, pinning Ohio's Logan Stanley in just 24 seconds. The pin was Mantanona's team-leading seventh of the season, passing his 2018-19 total of six. The redshirt sophomore's 24-second fall was also the fastest of his 13 career pins. At 184, Darrien Roberts secured a 4-0 decision victory over Mason Kroenig. The freshman tallied a pair of takedowns to secure the shutout decision. No. 9 Jake Woodley (197) notched the Sooners' eighth victory on the day. Woodley scored first with a takedown and, after an escape from Ohio's Jake Walker, the redshirt sophomore recorded another takedown, extending the lead to 4-1. Woodley held on to win, 5-3. At 165, Sam Dover fell to Joe Terry following a 6-2 decision. Despite earning the first point, Terry went on a five-point run, putting the Bobcats on the board for the first time in the dual. In the heavyweight bout, Josiah Jones fell to Jordan Earnest in a 4-2 decision. After a scoreless first period, Earnest led after the second period, 1-0. Jones took a 2-1 advantage, but the Bobcat secured the victory after a late takedown. Results: 125: Christian Moody (Oklahoma) dec. Trevor Giallombardo (Ohio), 8-4 133: Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) tech. fall Derek Giallombardo (Ohio), 19-4 141: Dom Demas (Oklahoma) pinned Shakur Laney (Ohio), 1:13 149: Jacob Butler (Oklahoma) dec. Alec Hagan (Ohio), 8-4 157: Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) pinned Zac Carson (Ohio), 8:59 165: Joe Terry (Ohio) dec. Sam Dover (Oklahoma), 6-2 174: Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) pinned Logan Stanley (Ohio), 0:24 184: Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma) dec. Mason Kroening (Ohio), 4-0 197: Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) dec Jake Walker (Ohio), 5-3 285: Jordan Earnest (Ohio) dec. Josiah Jones (Oklahoma, 4-2 Up Next OU returns home to square off with Big 12 foe West Virginia at McCasland Field House on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 1 p.m. CT. Tickets for Oklahoma's five remaining home duals can be purchased online or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424. For updates, follow @OU_Wrestling on Twitter, or like Oklahoma Wrestling on Facebook.

DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University wrestling team turned in an impressive performance as it posted a 19-12 victory over Central Michigan at Victor E. Court Sunday. The win was the Huskies' first over CMU since Jan. 31, 2003 when NIU earned a 16-15 victory over the Chippewas. "This is one of the biggest dual meet victories we've had, just in terms of not beating Central in so long," NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig said. "We talked about team effort, everybody pulling together, fighting their fights, whether they be ugly fights or glamorous fights. I couldn't be prouder of our guys for their effort, attitude and their willingness to put it all out there for each other." NIU (6-3, 3-1) won six of the 10 bouts on the day. Brit Wilson provided the match-clinching win on the afternoon. With NIU leading 15-6 with three matches remaining, the Huskie sophomore earned a 19-6 maj. dec. win over Ben Cushman at 184. Wilson's bonus-point victory gave NIU a 13-point lead heading into the final two matches. "These dual meets come down to bonus points," Ludwig said. "Brit Wilson, with his leadership, being able to post a maj. dec. to put that dual meet out of reach was just what a guy like Brit does. The 24th-ranked Chippewas took the first match at 125 to open a 3-0 lead over NIU, however, the Huskies went on to win the next three bouts. Caleb Brooks earned a 5-4 decision over Brock Bergelin at 133, while Anthony Gibson posted an 8-3 win over No. 18 Dresden Simon at 141. McCoy Kent's 5-3 win over Corbyn Munson gave the Huskies a six-point advantage. After a setback at 157, Izzak Olejnik put NIU back in the win column with an 8-3 decision at 165. Kenny Moore extended the Huskie lead to 15-6 when he outlasted Jake Lowell, 6-5, at 174. NIU returns to action Fri., Jan. 10 when the Huskies travel out West for a match with Cal Poly. The match begins at 9 p.m. CT. Results: 125: Drew Hildebrandt (CMU) dec. Bryce West (NIU), 8-2 133: Caleb Brooks (NIU) dec. Brock Bergelin (CMU), 5-4 141: Anthony Gibson (NIU) dec. Dresden Simon (CMU), 9-3 149: McCoy Kent (NIU) dec. Corbyn Munson (CMU), 5-3 157: Logan Parks (CMU) dec. Dylan Thurston (NIU), 8-2 165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) dec. Tracy Hubbard (CMU), 8-3 174: Kenny Moore (NIU) dec. Jake Lowell (CMU), 6-5 184: Brit Wilson (NIU) maj. dec. Ben Cushman (CMU), 16-7 197: Landon Pelham (CMU) dec. Gage Braun (NIU), 5-3 285: Matt Stencel (CMU) dec. Max Ihry (NIU), 5-3

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Junior Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) earned an 8-4 decision at 133 pounds in the final bout of the day to lift the Bloomsburg University wrestling team to a 20-19 victory via tiebreaker at Hofstra University on Sunday afternoon for the Huskies' second consecutive dual victory. Bloomsburg improved to 2-3 overall while the Pride dropped to 1-4 on the season. Trailing 19-16 heading to the last match, Orem found himself needing an individual win to put the Huskies in position for their second straight team dual victory. Orem scored a quick takedown against Hofstra's Garrett Lambert before Lambert scored a reversal and two back points to take a 4-2 advantage. Orem countered with a reversal in the closing seconds of the first period to tie the match at 4-4. Orem then scored a reversal in the second and a takedown in the period to earn the 8-4 victory. With the victory, the match ended all square at 19-19 and went to a tiebreaker where the Huskies won on the third tiebreaker (most points scored in decisions, major decisions, and technical falls) to earn the bonus point and the 20-19 victory. Orem improved to 9-5 overall and has won five straight matches. The match started at 141 pounds and Hofstra's Vinny Vespa was able to pin freshman Marlon Argueta-Diaz (Meriden, Conn./Orville H. Platt) with 22 seconds left to give the Pride a 6-0 lead. Bloomsburg sophomore Aaron Coleman (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) returned the favor at 149 pounds when he pinned Hofstra's Reece Heller midway through the second period to tie the dual at 6-6. Coleman improved to 6-5 on the season with the victory. Sophomore Alex Carida (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) followed with a 7-2 decision over Holden Heller at 157 pounds to give the Huskies their first lead of the afternoon, 9-6. Carida scored the only points of the first period with a takedown and then took a 4-1 lead into the third before posting the five-point victory. Carida has now won two straight to improve to 9-7 on the year. The Pride won both the 165- and 174-pound matches - one via major decision - to take a 13-9 advantage before the Huskies responded with a major decision victory from redshirt senior Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) at 184 pounds and a decision from senior Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) at 197 pounds as Bloomsburg reclaimed a 16-13 lead. Allard improved to 14-1 overall and 5-0 in duals with his 11-3 win over Charles Small at 184. Allard jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the opening period and led 6-1 after two periods. Murphy, who has now won two straight to move to 6-10 on the year, knocked off Trey Rogers by a 7-3 final. Murphy and Rogers were knotted at 3-3 early in the third before Murphy scored an escape, a takedown, and the riding time point to earn the win. Hofstra earned back-to-back decisions at 285 and 125 to retake a 19-16 lead which led to Orem's last-bout heroics. The Huskies do not return to action until Thursday, January 16, when they host the Fighting Scots of Edinboro University in a Mid-American Conference (MAC) matchup at the Nelson Field House. Action gets underway at 7:00 p.m. Results: 141: Vinny Vespa (HOF) fall over Marlon Argueta-Diaz (Meriden, Conn./Orville H. Platt) (BLOOM), 6:38 149: Aaron Coleman (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) (BLOOM) fall over Reece Heller (HOF), 4:05 157: Alex Carida (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) (BLOOM) decision over Holden Heller (HOF), 7-2 165: Ricky Stamm (HOF) decision over Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) (BLOOM), 7-6 174: Sage Heller (HOF) major decision over Anthony Vetrano (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) (BLOOM), 9-0 184: Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) (BLOOM) major decision over Charles Small (HOF), 11-3 197: Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) (BLOOM) decision over Trey Rogers (HOF), 7-3 285: Zachary Knighton-Ward (HOF) decision over Jarrett Walters (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) (BLOOM), 8-4 125: Dylan Ryder (HOF) decision over Christian Gannone (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) (BLOOM), 4-2 133: Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) (BLOOM) decision over Garrett Lambert (HOF), 8-4

EDINBORO, Pa. -- The University at Buffalo wrestling team capped a successful weekend by sweeping duals against Edinboro and Gannon on Sunday afternoon. The wins extended UB's winning streak to four straight duals. In the opener against Mid-American Conference opponent Edinboro, the Bulls relied on their horses to defeat the Fighting Scots, 25-13. Derek Spann got UB on the board with a 19-0 technical fall over Tye Varndell. It was Spann's sixth tech fall of the season. Marcus Robinson followed with a 12-3 major decision over Nate Hagan at 141 to extend the Buffalo lead to 9-4. After dropping the 149 bout, the Bulls pulled away over the next two matches. Michael Petite improved to 3-0 in duals on the season with 19-5 major decision over Peter Pappas. Troy Keller followed with a first-period pin of Derek Ciavarro to extend the UB lead with 19-6. Pete Acciardi (184) and Sam Schuyler (197) each posted wins to ice the victory for the Bulls. Acciardi won a 5-3 decision over Cody Mulligan and Schuyler followed with 6-4 decision over Dylan Reynolds thanks to a takedown in the final seconds of the match. Gannon entered today as one of the top Division II programs in the country, ranking 10th in the nation. The Knights have seven wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 in the national rankings. It was a repeat performance for Spann against Gannon as the redshirt-junior once again won by tech fall, defeating Andrew Ischo, 17-0. Spann now has seven tech fall wins in 11 duals this season. Buffalo followed with four straight wins to extend its lead to 18-4. Robinson (9-5), Arceri (6-3), Petite (7-3) all won by decision and Keller (10-0) won by major decision. Lars Schaelfe, wrestling his second dual of the season, won an 8-4 decision over Joel Leise at 184. Sam Schuyler followed with a 9-1 major decision win at 197. Nolan Terrance earned his second fall of the weekend, pinning Gehrig Hutchinson early in the second period. "It was a great day of wrestling," head coach John Stutzman said. "This team is starting to figure it out. I'm so excited to watch these guys continue to improve." The Bulls will return home to host SIU-Edwardsville on Friday. BUFFALO 25, EDINBORO 13 125 - Lucas Rodriguez (EU) won by major decision over Jordan Reyes (UB), 7-1 133 - #15 Derek Spann (UB) won by technical fall over Tye Varndell (EU), 19-0 141 - Marcus Robinson (UB) won by major decision over Nate Hagan (EU), 12-3 149 - Tyler Vath (EU) win by decision over John Arceri (UB), 5-2 157 - Michael Petite (UB) won by major decision over Peter Pappas (EU), 19-5 165 - Troy Keller (UB) won by fall over Derek Ciavarro (EU), x 174 - Jacob Oliver (EU) won by major decision over Jake Lanning (UB), 12-0 184 - Pete Acciardi (UB) won by decision over Cody Mulligan (EU), 5-3 197 - Sam Schuyler (UB) won by decision over Dylan Reynolds (EU), 6-4 285 - Jon Spaulding (EU) won by decision over Nolan Terrance (UB), 5-0 BUFFALO 31, GANNON 10 125 - Jacob Dunlop (GU) won by major decision over Jordan Reyes (UB), 14-2 133 - #15 Derek Spann (UB) won by technical fall over Andrew Ischo (GU), 17-0 141 - Marcus Robinson (UB) won by decision over Nick Young (GU), 9-5 149 - John Arceri (UB) won by decision over Dominic Means (GU), 6-3 157 - Michael Petite (UB) won by decision over Evan Fisler (GU), 7-3 165 - Troy Keller (UB) won by major decision Alex Farenchak (GU), 10-0 174 - Connor Day (GU) won by fall over Jake Lanning (UB), 1:47 184 - Lars Schaefle (UB) won by decision over Joel Leise (GU), 8-4 197 - Sam Schuyler (UB) won by major decision over Jud Ramage (GU), 9-1 285 - Nolan Terrance (UB) won by fall over Gehrig Hutchinson (GU), 3:58

The first weekend of January was a busy one across the country with many events and outcomes involving nationally ranked teams and athletes. Here is a recap with some of the highlights. No. 5 Buchanan cuts through a loaded Doc Buchanan Invitational field Tuesday evening, Buchanan (Calif.) had most things go wrong in a 26-25 dual meet loss to Montini Catholic (Ill.) at the Garlic City Rumble in Gilroy; the Bears went 0-4 in one-point matches and lost an additional two-point match in that upset dual meet defeat. However, over the course of Friday and Saturday, the current national No. 5 (former national No. 3) Buchanan bounced back in spectacular fashion. Competing in the absolutely loaded Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis High School, the Bears placed a tournament high nine wrestlers on the way to 185.5 points and a repeat tournament title. Read story. No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central wins its home Invitational The toughest in-season tournament in the state of Michigan took place in Novi on Saturday with four nationally ranked teams and seven other teams that were ranked in the top ten of their respective division by Michigan Grappler among the 22 schools present. When all was said and done, it was the host Shamrocks that came through with the decisive victory. Thirteen of the 14 starters placed within the top six, which was a tournament high, along with eight finalists; winning weight class titles were No. 5 (at 138) Josh Edmond at 140 pounds, Manuel Rojas at 171, Brendin Yatooma at 215, and No. 12 Steven Kolcheff at 285. Finishing second in the standings was No. 16 Davison with 225 points led by a tournament high five champions, as the Cardinals went 5-1 in championship matches while placing a total of 10 wrestlers in the top six. Highlighting the weight class champions was No. 1 (at 170) Alex Facundo winning the 160 final by a 9-3 decision over No. 7 Derek Gilcher. Also winning titles were Aden Williams (103), Andrew Chambal (130), along with freshmen Josh Barr (152) and Max Callahan (189); Barr beat two-time state placer Logan Sanom (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 15-8 while Callahan rallied for an 11-9 vitcory over state medalist Kayleb Venema (Whitehall). No. 17 Brighton finished third with 195 points depiste a 1-5 performance in championship bouts, as the Bulldogs put nine wrestlers into the top six placement positions. Their lone champion was Mason Shrader (125), who rallied for a 6-5 win over state medalist Cole Skinner (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio). Fourth place was earned by Lowell, the perennial favorites in Division 2. They were led by the title earned by No. 4 Austin Boone (145) who pinned two-time state medalist Mark Shaeffer (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) in the final; eight other Red Arrows wrestlers placed, including James Fotis (152) and Jacob Hough (215) taking third. No. 30 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle placed fifth in the tournament with 112 points led by weight class champion Jake Niffenegger (135), who knocked off state champion Eddie Homrock (Brighton, Mich.) in the championship match. The Lancers entered just nine wrestlers in the tournament, and are missing No. 13 Dustin Norris (12) along with multiple other starters. Rounding out the weight class champions were Jacob Brya (St. John's) at 112 and Joe Haynes (Warren Woods Tower) at 119; Brya knocked off No. 12 (at 106) Caden Horwath (Davison) 15-8 in his finals bout. Shakopee won the title at The Clash No. 23 Shakopee is winner-take-all at The Clash Entering the last match of The Clash 2020, the Sabres had completely dominated their first five opponents of the event. On Friday, to clear their bracket in the afternoon/evening, they went a combined 35-7 in the course of a 55-6 opening match victory over Gale-Ettrick-Trempelau (Wis.), a 56-11 semifinal victory over Long Prairie-Grey Eagle (Minn.), and a 49-9 finals victory over Glenbard North (Ill.). The first two matches of Saturday evening were tighter, but still clear victories; both came by the score of 41-21 in which Shakopee took nine of the 14 weight classes against Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) and Minisink Valley (N.Y.). This set up a championship match with in-state rival St. Michael-Albertville who had been tested a bit more in their first five matches. To win their Friday evening bracket, the Knights outlasted Don Bosco (Iowa) 35-21; Don Bosco would go on to win the second place pool on Saturday evening to finish fifth overall in the event. Then, they opened the championship pool with a 40-24 victory over Minisink Valley winning eight bouts, before being extended in a 31-25 victory over Waverly-Shell Rock where the bouts were split. Two-time state placer Wyatt Lidberg opened the final dual with a 7-0 victory over two-time state qualifier Jack Casey in the 182 pound weight class. However, Shakopee responded with three straight wins to open a 10-3 lead headed to the turn for the lower weights; those wins were 16-9 by state placer Joey Johnson, 9-1 major decision from state placer Tommy Johnson, and a 4-0 decision from Ben Relland. A key event that gave St. Michael-Albertville hope was that the Sabres had to forfeit at 120, with state champion Paxton Creese having suffered an injury in the previous dual meet. Another turn in favor of the Knights came at 152 when Jonah Hayes pinned Sam Treiml in overtime to cut the deficit to 27-23 after a team point deduction. In the penultimate match, Hayden Lemonds beat returning state medalist Connor Raines 6-1 to set up the final bout for all the marbles. In that match, Sabres star Carson Manville came through with a 6-4 win over state placer Carl Leuer; with a point deduction for STMA calculated, the final score was 30-25 Shakopee. Four wrestlers went 6-0 for the champion Sabres: Blake West (113), Pierson Manville (126), Ben Lunn (132), and Joey Johnson (195). Manville had the most notable win of the group, an 8-4 win over fellow top three overall Junior High wrestler Zach Ryder (Minisink Valley) on Saturday evening. No. 21 Simley gets the Cheesehead Both tournament champion Simley (Minn.) and runner-up No. 24 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel had nine wrestlers place in the championship bracket with a tenth wrestler earn ninth, which meant that said wrestler won the consolation bracket. However, the Spartans had all nine of their championship bracket participants place within the top four on the way to 614.5 points. Leading the way were weight class champions Chase DeBlaere (126) and Bennett Tabor (220). Placing second were No. 9 Ryan Sokol (138), Nolan Wanzek (170), and Quayin Short (195); Sokol led 8-3 in the evening final program's feature bout before giving up a second half splurge to No. 3 (at 132) Joel Vandervere (Warren Township, Ill.). Vandervere won the bout 12-9 and earned Outstanding Wrestler honors in the tournament. Third place finishers for Simley were Reid (113) and Gavin (182) Nelson, while Cash Raymond (106) and Cael Berg (145) each placed fourth. The Caravan placed second with 554.5 points, led by their sole weight class champion Sergio Lemley (113). Placing second were Colton Drousias (120) and Noah Mis (132), Connor Gaynor (145) placed third, Michael Kelly (152) was fourth, Elliott Lewis (285) was sixth, Zach Rotkvich (138) and Ashton Breen (160) were seventh, while Nik Mishka (220) placed eighth. No. 20 Southeast Polk (Iowa) was third in the standings with 506.5 points led by a pair of weight class champions in No. 14 Nathan Jesuroga (106) and No. 5 Gabe Christenson (195); placing third were Joel Jesuroga (132) and Connor Brown (285), Carson Martinson (145) and Kaleb Runyon (220) placed sixth, and Cooper Hanson (113) earned eighth to round out the championship bracket contingent. Three additional Rams were in consolation bracket finals (one finished ninth, and the other two in tenth). Joining Simley and Southeast Polk with multiple weight class champions on Saturday evening were Kasson-Mantorville (Minn.); winning gold for the Komets were No. 12 Bennett Berge (170) and No. 1 Patrick Kennedy (182). The other ranked vs. ranked showdown for a championship came at 160 pounds, where No. 1 Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.) upended No. 8 Luke Odom (Edwardsville, Ill.) 10-5. Rounding out the weight class champions were Brady Hankin (Woodland Park, Ill.) at 120 pounds, Cameron Johnson (Aurora Christian, Ill.) at 132, Alek Martin (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) at 145, No. 12 D.J. Hamiti (Joliet Catholic, Ill.) at 152, and James Howard (McCallie, Tenn.) at 285. Friday night upset in the Lehigh Valley Based on the current Fab50 national high school team rankings, it was an upset when No. 47 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) won eight weight classes on the way to a 34-27 victory at home against No. 25 Notre Dame-Green Pond (Pa.). However, most local observers viewed the host Hawks as pre-match favorites, as they had been banged up through the month of December and had the deeper lineup; though the major bracket tournaments clearly showed the Crusaders to have more "top end talent". Of note was the return to competition for Bethlehem Catholic of two-time state placer Matt Mayer (120) and Matthew Lackman (145), and the season debut for upper-weight Tavion Banks. Quick hitters Canon-McMillan (Pa.) knocked off No. 38 Waynesburg (Pa.) to win the TriCada title this weekend by a score of 283.5 to 257.5. Waynesburg had out-pointed Canon-McMillan narrowly last weekend at the Powerade Wrestling Tournament, finishing third as opposed to fourth in that event. It should be noted that Waynesburg was without Luca Augustine (160), who placed at both the Ironman and Powerade. No. 40 Baylor School (Tenn.) won the Prep Slam this weekend at Holy Innocents, which is just outside of Atlanta, by a narrow margin over Tampa Jesuit (Fla.). Both teams placed seven wrestlers, all inside the top three (four in first, two in second, and one in third). However, Baylor School earned the title by a 252-231 count. Most notable among the championship matches were a pair involving Tampa Jesuit wrestlers: Nick Corday (Baylor School) upset No. 7 Kai Owen 2-1 in the 106 pound final, while Braden Basile knocked off Super 32 runner-up Nico Provo (Green Farms Academy, Ct.) 12-10 in the 120 final. No. 41 Indianapolis Cathedral won the IHSWCA Team State in Class 3A with a 32-26 victory in the championship match over Evansville Mater Dei, as the teams split matches seven-apiece. That came after Mater Dei upended No. 48 Brownsburg 32-23 in the semifinal round, as Mater Dei won eight of fourteen bouts. There were two nationally ranked matchups in the championship finals at the Sam Cali Memorial on Saturday afternoon. At 113 pounds, No. 17 Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) beat No. 15 Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North, N.J.) 10-5; while at 160, it was No. 6 Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) outlasting No. 18 Brian Soldano (High Point, N.J.) 11-8.

Buchanan claimed the team title at the Doc Buchanan Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Tuesday evening, Buchanan (Calif.) had most things go wrong in a 26-25 dual meet loss to Montini Catholic (Ill.) at the Garlic City Rumble in Gilroy; the Bears went 0-4 in one-point matches and lost an additional two-point match in that upset dual meet defeat. However, over the course of Friday and Saturday, the current national No. 5 (former national No. 3) Buchanan bounced back in spectacular fashion. Competing in the absolutely loaded Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis High School, the Bears placed a tournament high nine wrestlers on the way to 185.5 points and a repeat tournament title. Leading the way for Buchanan was the weight class title earned by Raymond Lopez at 106 pounds, which was keyed by a 15-14 semifinal victory over No. 13 Beau Mantanona (Palm Desert, Calif.). Two additional wrestlers placed in the top three, No. 6 Carlos Negrete (120) lost 4-3 in the final to No. 15 (at 126) Tristan Lujan (Selma, Calif.); while No. 19 Rocco Contino (170) placed third after losing by first period pin in the semifinal to eventual champion No. 5 (at 182) Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.). Placing fourth for the Bears were Logan Gioffre (145) and No. 10 Joseph Martin (182); No. 9 Jack Gioffre (113) finished fifth; No. 8 Maximo Renteria (126) placed in joint sixth, defaulting out of the tournament after losing in the semifinal to No. 9 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.); also placing sixth was Hunter Leake (132), while Kyler Lake (138) earned eighth. Second place at the Doc Buchanan went to No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.) for a second straight season, as the Broncos scored 147 points on the strength of eight placers led by weight class champion No. 7 Dylan Ragusin (126). Ragusin earned a 15-6 major decision over No. 19 Chance Lamer (Crescent Valley, Ore.) in the semifinal before upending Rundell 4-3 in the championship match. No. 16 Fidel Mayora (145) finished third, while the other six placing wrestlers were fifth or below: Joe Fernau (106) and Trevor Swier (182) in fifth, Joe Roberts (152) and Colin Baker (285) in seventh, along with Nain Vazquez (120) and Josh LaBarbera (195) in eighth. Finishing a close third was No. 11 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) with 146 points led by weight class champion No. 8 (at 145) Justin Rivera, who upended No. 17 Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, Colo.) 2-1 for gold at 138 pounds. Six other Highlanders ascended on the podium: No. 14 (at 138) Chris Rivera (132) placed third, Danny Nini (120) and Matt Kaplan (220) took fourth, No. 10 Noah Castillo (152) was fifth, Dominic Isola (160) placed sixth, and Bailey Flanagan (170) earned eighth. Three wrestlers ranked first in the country earned weight class titles at the Doc Buchanan on Saturday night: Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) at 113 pounds, Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) at 132, and Chase Saldate (Gilroy, Calif.) at 152. Dominick Serrano gets in on a shot against Bergen Catholic's Dylan Cedeno in the finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Figueroa and Saldate earned two victories over ranked opponents in the event. Figueroa pinned No. 18 Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) in 1:47 before upending No. 3 Joey Cruz (Clovis North, Calif.) 3-2 in the final, which came after Cruz earned a 11-3 major decision in the semifinal over Gioffre; Saldate scored a 9-4 semifinal victory over No. 16 Tyler Badgett (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) before knocking off No. 19 (at 160) Matthew Singleton (Woodward Academy, Ga.) 5-1 in the final, which came after Singleton knocked off former national No. 1 Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 9-2 in the semifinal in his first tournament back from injury. Serrano pinned No. 14 Wayne Joint (Lemoore, Calif.) late in the semifinal, before upending Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) 3-1 in the final, which was after Cedeno upset Rivera 3-0 in the semifinal. Three championship matches saw lower ranked opponents earn victories over those ranked higher. At 160 pounds, No. 3 Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) had a four takedown to none advantage in a comprehensive 9-5 victory over No. 2 Padraic Gallagher (St. Edward, Ohio). He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. It was No. 9 Isaiah Salazar (Windsor, Colo.) beating No. 6 Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 9-8 in the tiebreaker, after Salazar beat No. 10 Martin by a 6-2 score in the semifinal; while No. 9 Josiah Hill (Bakersfield, Calif.) won the proverbial rubber match of the season series against No. 8 Nicholas Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.) by an 8-2 decision. Rounding out the weight class champions were No. 19 (at 152) Luka Wick (San Marino, Calif.) at 152 pounds, No. 20 Guillermo Escobedo (Los Altos, calif.) at 195, and Justin Darter (Bakersfield, Calif.) at 220. Team standings: 1. No. 5 Buchanan, Calif. 185.5 (9 placers) 2. No. 4 Montini Catholic, Ill. 147 (8) 3. No. 11 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. 146 (7) 4. No. 14 Delbarton, N.J. 132 (6) 5. No. 6 St. Edward, Ohio 119 (5) 6. No. 18 St. John Bosco, Calif. 117 (5) 7. No. 19 Gilroy, Calif. 110 (5) 8. No. 28 Clovis, Calif. 102 (4) 9. No. 31 Crescent Valley, Ore. 81 (3) (tie) No. 32 Selma, Calif. (2) 11. Oak Park River Forest, Ill. 80 (2) 12. No. 7 Bergen Catholic, N.J. 76 (4) 13. No. 37 Clovis North, Calif. 73 (2) 14. No. 46 Windsor, Colo. 70 (3) 17. No. 44 Pomona, Colo. 58.5 (2) Championship matches: 106: Raymond Lopez (Buchanan, Calif.) pin Michael Torres (Oakdale, Calif.) 3:12 113: No. 1 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) dec. No. 3 Joey Cruz (Clovis North, Calif.) 3-2 120: No. 15 (at 126) Tristan Lujan (Selma, Calif.) dec. No. 6 Carlos Negrete (Buchanan, Calif.) 4-3 126: No. 7 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.) dec. No. 9 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) 4-3 132: No. 1 Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) dec. Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) 3-1 138: No. 8 (at 145) Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) dec. No. 17 Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, Colo.) 2-1 145: No. 19 (at 152) Luka Wick (San Marino, Calif.) major dec. Luke Geog (St. Edward, Ohio) 8-0 152: No. 1 Chase Saldate (Gilroy, Calif.) dec. No. 19 (at 152) Matthew Singleton (Woodward Academy, Ga.) 5-1 160: No. 3 Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) dec. No. 2 Padraic Gallagher (St. Edward, Ohio) 9-5 170: No. 5 (at 182) Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.) dec. No. 14 Gianno Petrucelli (Clovis, Calif.) 4-1 182: No. 9 Isaiah Salazar (Windsor, Colo.) dec. No. 6 Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 9-8, tiebreaker 195: No. 20 Guillermo Escobedo (Los Altos, Calif.) dec. Daemyen Middlebrooks (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) 8-5 220: Justin Darter (Bakersfield, Calif.) dec. P.J. Casale (Delbarton, N.J.) 7-5 285: No. 9 Josiah Hill (Bakersfield, Calif.) dec. No. 8 Nicholas Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.) 8-2

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- UNI picked up bonus points at five different weights, including a pin by Jay Schwarm at 125 and rolled to a 32-12 victory over Utah Valley in the Panther's Big 12 opener Saturday evening at the West Gym in Cedar Falls. The match opened at 125 where Schwarm made quick work of UVU's William Edelblute. Edleblute picked up an early takedown, but Schwarm earned a reversal and picked up the pin with just 1:46 into the first period. At 133, UVU's Taylor Lamont earned a 4-2 decision over Jack Skudlarczyk, but Michael Blockhus responded with a 6-4 win over Cameron Hunsaker after a late take down and two-point nearfall in the third period. Utah Valley forfeited the 149 match, giving the Panthers a 15-3 lead. Paden Moore, wrestling in his first dual of the season, earned a 12-2 major decision over UVU's Jerry Rubio at 157 and Austin Yant picked up a 2-0 win over Koy Wilkinson at 165. Bryce Steiert and Taylor Lujan earned technical falls on their bouts, but accomplished the feat in vastly different ways. Steiert notched three four-point near falls en route to the 18-0 win. Lujan notched 10 take downs to earn the 25-9 win at 184. Utah Valley earned wins at 197 and 285 to cut the final tally to 32-12. The Panthers are now 1-2 in duals this season and 1-0 in Big 12 action. NOTES Schwarm now has 43 career pins. He is fifth all-time. John Kriebs is next on the list with 53 career pins. With the win, Taylor Lujan now has 99 career victories. UP NEXT The Panthers are home for a pair of duals next weekend, starting with South Dakota State at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. Results: 25: #18 Jay Schwarm (UNI) FALL Will Edelblute (UVU), 1:46 133: #25 Taylor LaMont (UVU) DEC Jack Skudlarczyk (UNI), 4-2 141: #19 Michael Blockhus (UNI) DEC Cameron Hunsaker (UVU), 6-4 149: #7 Max Thomsen (UNI) wins by FORFEIT 157: Paden Moore (UNI) MD Jerry Rubio (UVU), 12-2 165: Austin Yant (UNI) DEC Koy Wilkinson (UVU), 2-0 174: #5 Bryce Steiert (UNI) TF Grant LaMont (UVU), 18-0 (4:28) 184: #4 Taylor Lujan (UNI) TF Jacob Armstrong (UVU), 25-9 (6:40) 197: #14 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) FALL Noah Glasser (UNI), 4:45 285: #6 Tate Orndorff (UVU) DEC #14 Carter Isley (UNI), 8-2

WEST POINT, N.Y. --- No. 17 North Carolina won all three matches in Saturday's Army Duals, defeating No. 21 Army, Wyoming and American. No. 15 Zach Sherman and No. 17 Kennedy Monday won all three matches, while No. 2 Austin O'Connor, A.C. Headlee, Clay Lautt and Joey Mazzara all knocked off top-15 opponents. In the team's first dual against Army, UNC won three consecutive matches against ranked wrestlers. The performance was capped by Clay Lautt, who pushed No. 11 Ben Harvey to sudden victory and used a perfectly-executed takedown to take the match, 3-1. Headlee added another ranked win to his resume (No. 14 Markus Hartman), while Monday topped No. 20 Cael McCormick. Jeremiah Derby won his first dual meet match as a Tar Heel to kick off the team's win over Wyoming – his 7-4 decision over Doyle Trout earned UNC early momentum in the eventual 20-15 win over the Cowboys. After Jaime Hernandez fell narrowly to No. 7 Montorie Bridges, Zach Sherman and Austin O'Connor won with major decisions to turn the match in Carolina's direction. O'Connor knocked off No. 18 Jaron Jensen, 14-4. Sherman's 13-4 major decision over Chase Zollmann marked his second win with bonus points on the afternoon. The Heels strung together three straight wins after O'Connor's dominant performance – including Headlee's late 7-5 win over Dewey Krueger – to put away the match. Against American, the Tar Heels dropped the match at 125 pounds but battled back to win the next nine bouts. Joey Mazzara highlighted the dual, knocking off No. 9 Tanner Harvey at 184 pounds (5-2). The bout of the dual came when No. 9 Kizhan Clarke battled with O'Connor at 149 pounds. The two wrestled tight for seven minutes and went to sudden victory tied at three. After 55 seconds of back-and-forth, O'Connor found his opportunity and capitalized with a takedown as time expired to lock in a 5-3 decision. Both Sawyer Davidson (174) and Brandon Whitman (197) won via fall. The Tar Heels will return to the mat Friday, January 10tat Carmichael Arena against No. 12 Princeton. The dual is set for 7 p.m. No. 17 North Carolina 19, No. 21 Army 12 125: Trey Chalifoux (ARMY) dec. Timothy Decatur (UNC), 8-5 – Army leads, 3-0 133: Jaime Hernandez (UNC) dec. Lane Peters (ARMY), 11-8 – Tied, 3-3 141: No. 15 Zach Sherman (UNC) tech fall Logan Brown (ARMY), 21-5 – UNC leads, 8-3 149: Austin O'Connor (UNC) dec. P.J. Ogunsanya (ARMY), 9-2 – UNC leads, 11-3 157: A.C. Headlee dec. No. 14 Markus Hartman (ARMY), 3-2 – UNC leads, 14-3 165: No. 17 Kennedy Monday dec. No. 20 Cael McCormick (ARMY), 6-2 – UNC leads, 17-3 174: Clay Lautt (UNC) dec. No. 11 Ben Harvey (ARMY), 3-1 (SV1) – UNC leads, 20-3 184: No. 18 Noah Stewart (ARMY) dec. Joey Mazzara (UNC), 12-6 – UNC leads, 20-6 197: Alex Hopkins (ARMY) dec. Brandon Whitman (UNC), 3-2 – UNC leads, 19-9 285: Ben Sullivan (ARMY) dec. Andrew Gunning (UNC), 3-2 – UNC wins, 19-12 *UNC was deducted a team point in the 197-pound match No. 17 North Carolina 20, Wyoming 15 125: Jeremiah Derby (UNC) dec. Doyle Trout (WYO), 7-4 – UNC leads, 3-0 133: No. 7 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. Jaime Hernandez (UNC), 4-2 – Tied, 3-3 141: No. 15 Zach Sherman (UNC) maj. dec. Chase Zollmann (WYO), 13-4 – UNC leads, 7-3 149: Austin O'Connor (UNC) maj. dec. No. 18 Jaron Jensen (WYO), 14-4 – UNC leads, 11-3 157: A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Dewey Krueger (WYO), 7-5 – UNC leads, 14-3 165: No. 17 Kennedy Monday (UNC) dec. Cole Moody (WYO), 11-7 – UNC leads, 17-3 174: Clay Lautt (UNC) dec. Casey Randles (WYO), 11-5 – UNC leads, 20-3 184: No. 16 Tate Samuelson (WYO) pinned Joey Mazzara (UNC), 0:59 – UNC leads, 20-9 197: Stephen Buchanan (WYO) dec. Brandon Whitman (UNC), 6-2 – UNC leads, 20-12 285: No. 18 Brian Andrews (WYO) dec. Andrew Gunning (UNC), 2-1 (TB1) – UNC wins, 20-15 No. 17 North Carolina 37, American 4 125: No. 19 Gage Curry (AU) maj. dec. Timothy Decatur (UNC), 9-1 – American leads, 4-0 133: Jeremiah Derby (UNC) dec. Daniel Kidd (AU), 6-2 – American leads, 4-3 141: No. 15 Zach Sherman (UNC) dec. Sal Profaci (AU), 7-4 – UNC leads, 6-4 149: No. 2 Austin O'Connor (UNC) dec. No. 9 Kizhan Clarke (AU), 5-3 (SV1) – UNC leads, 9-4 157: Josh McClure (UNC) won by inj. def. Ethan Karsten (AU) – UNC leads, 15-4 165: No. 17 Kennedy Monday (UNC) maj. dec. Tim Fitzpatrick (AU), 21-7 – UNC leads, 19-4 174: Sawyer Davidson (UNC) pinned Connor Bourne (AU), 4:03 – UNC leads, 25-4 184: Joey Mazzara (UNC) dec. No. 9 Tanner Harvey (AU), 5-2 – UNC leads, 28-4 197: Brandon Whitman (UNC) pinned Will Jarrell, 1:16 – UNC leads, 34-4 285: Andrew Gunning (UNC) dec. Niko Camacho – UNC wins, 37-4

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Bloomsburg University wrestling team picked up its first dual victory of the season on Friday night as it handled Long Island University (LIU), 40-3, at the Nelson Field House. The Huskies improved to 1-3 overall while the Sharks dropped to 2-14 on the season in its inaugural year at the Division I level. The Huskies won nine of the ten bouts on the evening and scored bonus points in eight of the victories - five major decisions, one technical fall, one fall, and one forfeit - en route to its first team win of the year and the program's first dual victory since a 38-3 win at Franklin & Marshall on February 9, 2019. Meanwhile, the 40 points scored by the Huskies marked the most in a single dual since a 43-0 win over Davidson on November 11, 2017. Bloomsburg won the first six bouts of the night to jump out to a 26-0 advantage before the Sharks picked up their lone win of the evening at 174 pounds. The Huskies then closed out the night with a pair of major decisions and a fall for the final margin. Freshman Christian Gannone (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) started the evening with a hard-fought 7-5 decision over LIU's James Ryan to give the Huskies a 3-0 lead. After falling behind 2-0 after the opening period, Gannone scored a reversal and a takedown in the second - sandwiched around a Ryan escape - to take a 4-3 advantage into the third. Ryan tied the match at 4-4 early in the final period before a late takedown secured Gannone the victory. After starting 1-6, Gannone has now won six of his last seven to even his record at 7-7 on the year. After redshirt freshman Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) earned a forfeit victory at 133 pounds, junior Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) took the mat and jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead with a takedown and four back points against Michael Blando. Blando scored a reversal to close out the first period before Orem countered early in the second. In the third, Orem pulled away by scoring ten points in the final two minutes to earn an 18-7 major decision victory. Orem improved to 8-5 overall and has won four straight matches. Sophomore Aaron Coleman (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) made quick work of Adam Barker at 149 pounds as he scored 14 first-period points and then ended the bout early in the second with a reversal for a 17-0 technical fall victory. Coleman moved to 5-5 overall and picked up his first technical fall win of the year. At 157 pounds, sophomore Alex Carida (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) kept the Huskies' streak alive with a 10-1 major decision over Kenneth Cooper to push the Bloomsburg margin to 22-0. Carida led 4-1 after the opening period and then scored the final six points of the bout to improve to 8-7 on the season. It was Carida's third major decision win of the year and snapped a five-match losing skid. Senior Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) followed with an 11-0 major decision over Dominick Demarco at 165 pounds to balloon the lead to 26-0. Newberry moved into double figures with the win as he improved to 10-5 overall and 4-0 in duals. He has won eight of his last ten matches. Following LIU's only win of the night at 174 pounds, redshirt senior Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) improved to 13-1 overall and 4-0 in duals with a 12-1 major decision over Dan McClure at 184. Allard, ranked 16th in the country according to the latest InterMat rankings, earned his second major decision of the year and collected his 85th career win with the victory. Senior Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) followed with a 10-1 major decision win at 197 to improve to 5-10 on the year. After a scoreless first period, Murphy scored seven points in the second to run away with the win. It was his first bonus-point win of the year. Redshirt sophomore Jarrett Walters (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) closed out the night in tremendous fashion as he needed just 36 seconds to pin Lawrence Horl in front of a number of family members, Danville junior high and high school wrestlers, and friends. Walters also moved into double figures as he improved to 10-6 overall with his fourth victory by fall of the season. The Danville native scored a quick takedown and, after a restart, turned Horl onto his back for the pin - his fourth fall of the year. The Huskies will get right back to work on Sunday, January 5, as they head to Hofstra University to take on the Pride. Action gets underway at 1:00 p.m. Results: 125: Christian Gannone (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) (BLOOM) decision over James Ryan (LIU), 7-5 133: Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) (BLOOM) won by forfeit 141: Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) (BLOOM) major decision over Michael Blando (LIU), 18-7 149: Aaron Coleman (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) (BLOOM) technical fall over Adam Barker (LIU), 17-0, 3:15 157: Alex Carida (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) (BLOOM) major decision over Kenneth Cooper (LIU), 10-1 165: Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) (BLOOM) major decision over Dominick Demarco (LIU), 11-0 174: James Langan (LIU) decision over Anthony Vetrano (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) (BLOOM), 5-3 (SV-1) 184: #16 Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) (BLOOM) major decision over Dan McClure (LIU), 12-1 197: Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) (BLOOM) major decision over Mark Malico (LIU), 10-1 285: Jarrett Walters (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) (BLOOM) fall over Lawrence Horl (LIU), 0:36

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Virginia Tech wrestling won their fifth dual of the season Friday night over No. 24 Central Michigan to remain undefeated. With the win, the No. 5 Hokies improve to 4-0 over ranked opponents this season. Virginia Tech previously beat No. 9 Missouri, No. 21 Northwestern and No. 3 Ohio State. MATCH HIGHLIGHTS With the Hokies trailing 3-0, Collin Gerardi got Tech on the board with a 7-6 decision over Drew Marten. He was trailing 6-5 with under 40 seconds remaining, but Gerardi pulled off a reversal to take the match by one point. The win gives Gerardi a 4-1 record in duals this season. Bryce Andonian took the mat in a dual for the second time in his career, and he picked up his second career dual win. Squaring off against Corbyn Munson, Andonian used a reversal and a four-point near-fall to take an 8-3 lead and never gave it back to win the match 13-8. B.C. LaPrade gave the Hokies their first lead of the dual after beating #16 Logan Parks 3-2. With the match tied 2-2, LaPrade had an escape in the third period and was able to hang on to pull of the upset over Parks. LaPrade is now 4-1 in duals this season and 2-2 against ranked opponents. David McFadden was the second Hokie to pick up bonus points Friday night with a 22-9 major decision over Tracy Hubbard. With the win, McFadden ups his win total to 99 career wins. He is now in sole possession of 13th on the Virginia Tech all-time wins list. McFadden is one win away from 100, a feat only 12 Hokies have accomplished. Cody Hughes extended the Hokies' lead to 16-7 after winning a 7-4 decision over Jake Lowell. Hughes has now won three straight dual matches, giving him a 3-2 record in duals this season and 7-6 overall. Hunter Bolen clinched the dual victory for the Hokies after an 18-4 major decision over Ben Cushman extended the lead to 20-7. Bolen remains an undefeated 5-0 in duals this season and improves his overall record to an impressive 15-1. Results: 125: #11 Drew Hildebrandt dec. #12 Joey Prata, 3-1 133: Collin Gerardi dec. Drew Marten, 7-6 141: Dresden Simon MD Josh Baier, 18-4 149: Bryce Andonian dec. Corbyn Munson, 13-8 157: B.C. LaPrade dec. #16 Logan Parks, 3-2 165: #4 David McFadden MD Tracy Hubbard, 22-9 174: Cody Hughes dec. Jake Lowell, 7-4 184: #3 Hunter Bolen MD Ben Cushman, 18-4 197: Landon Pelham WBF Stanley Smeltzer, 3:21 285: #5 Matt Stencel dec. #18 John Borst, 3-1 UP NEXT Virginia Tech is set to take the mat in Cassell Coliseum for the first time in 2020 against West Virginia Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7:00 p.m. The dual will be the Hokies sixth of the season and can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

Sarah Hildebrandt at the Final X press conference (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Sarah Hildebrandt, a world silver medalist in 2018, will be dropping in weight to to 50 kilograms for her Olympic run. She has been competing at 53 kilograms. She made the announcement Friday on Twitter. "Hi friends. I have decided to publicly announce that I will be going down to 50 kgs for the Olympic year," tweeted Hildebrandt. "Many things played into this, but ultimately, I am just chasing my dream. Thank you and let's freaking DO THISSSSS." Hildebrandt has represented the United States at the World Championships three times. After winning a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships, Hildebrandt spent much of 2019 ranked No. 1 in the world. She has won gold medals at the Pan American Championships in each of the past two years, and won gold at the Pan American Games in 2019. She is expected to compete in mid-January at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, Italy, a UWW Rankings Series event. Five-time World Team member Whitney Conder is currently ranked No. 1 in the United States at 50 kilograms.

Brian Keck competing in Real Pro Wrestling (Photo/Danielle Hobeika) This past year saw the passing of a number of individuals who participated in the oldest and greatest sport in some capacity, whether that was decades ago ... or if they were still active. Legends on the mat In 2019, the wrestling community lost a number of wrestlers who had made names for themselves in their mat careers. Arguably one of the best-known was Brian Keck, 48, who died in Mexico in late November. Keck became a fixture in international competition in both freestyle and Greco-Roman ... but started his long wrestling career as a high school freshman in Ohio, where he won a state title. He continued his mat career in college, becoming a Junior College National Champion for Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, then headed east to Pennsylvania where he was a starter at Bloomsburg University. A trio of mat greats from the 1950s died this year. Gene Lybbert, successful wrestler at two of the top mat programs in the state of Iowa in the post-World War II era -- Cresco High School, and University of Northern Iowa -- passed away in June at age 89. He was a two-time Iowa state championship finalist at Cresco, then headed west to what then Iowa State Teachers College, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American, winning the 130-pound crown at the 1952 NCAAs. Lybbert later became wrestling coach at Blue Earth High School in Minnesota. In September, Roy Minter died at age 83. He was a Minnesota high school state wrestling champion who continued his wrestling career at Mankato State, where he was a three-time NCAA All-American, facing Oklahoma's Dan Hodge in the finals at the 1956 national championships. Minter later became a successful high school and college wrestling coach. Dean Corner, a two-time Big 8 Conference champion and 1957 NCAA All-American for legendary Iowa State head wrestling coach Harold Nichols, passed away in Springfield, Missouri, in November at age 83. Prior to wrestling for the Cyclones, Corner was a three-time Nebraska state champ at Omaha Tech High School ... then shared his knowledge as a high school coach to build a successful program at Cedarburg High in Wisconsin. Denny McCabe as a high school senior in 1961Denny McCabe, a wrestler who made his mark in the 1960s as a two-time Army wrestling champ and titlewinner at the first-ever Midlands tournament in 1963-- and, more recently, a longtime contributor to online amateur wrestling forums -- lost a long battle against illness in February at age 75. As a wrestler at Maine East High in suburban Chicago, McCabe placed third in the 165-pound bracket at the 1961 Illinois state championships ... then continued his mat career at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he was expected to be in the hunt for the 191-pound title at the 1964 NCAAs until he blew out his knee. Fast-forward to the 1980s ... Chris DeLong, a two-time NCAA Division I qualifier and an All-American in 1984 for Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, passed away in late August at age 58, having been diagnosed with leukemia five months ago. Coaches A number of coaches who found success in mentoring wrestlers at the high school, collegiate and international levels, left us in 2019. James "JJ" Johnson, a major force in Greco-Roman wrestling as an athlete and a coach for the past four decades, died in early September at age 61. He wrestled at the now-defunct University of Kentucky mat program where he was an NCAA qualifier. He excelled in the 1980s and 1990s as a wrestler while competing at 100 kilograms (220 pounds) on the Senior level in Greco. He placed fifth at the 1993 World Championships and was named USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman Athlete of the Year. He made 12 U.S. National Teams during his career. JJ then went on to a long and highly successful career as a coach with the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, earning a place on numerous United States coaching staffs over the years. Joe Seay and Kevin Jackson coach Sammie Henson at the 2005 World Championships (Photo/Larry Slater) Joe Seay, 1998 inductee into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his decades of involvement in the sport as a wrestler as well as a high school, college and freestyle coach, passed away at 80. He was a Kansas state champ for Wellington High School ... then wrestled at the now-defunct mat program at Kansas State University in Manhattan, where he was a three-time NCAA championships qualifier from 1962-64. In addition, Seay competed in international-style wrestling. After Seay launched his coaching career at Bakersfield South High School in California, he then took the helm at the then-brand-new Cal State Bakersfield wrestling program. Seay then headed to Oklahoma State, where his Cowboys went 114-8-2, earning back-to-back Division I team titles in 1989 and 1990. With that, Seay became the first collegiate wrestling coach to claim both Division I and II team titles. Donny Wichmann Donny Wichmann, champion wrestler and assistant coach at Augsburg University who only recently was announced for induction into the National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division III Hall of Fame, passed away this summer at age 53 after a four-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Considered one of the top middleweight wrestlers in Augsburg history, Wichmann claimed three MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) individual titles in the late 1980s, and earned All-American honors at the 1989 NCAA Division III National Championships. After completing his on-the-mat career, Wichmann served as an Augsburg men's wrestling assistant coach for 19 seasons. Jim Morgan and John Farr -- two men who shared University of Tennessee Chattanooga wrestling heritage and made major contributions to the sport in the Volunteer State and beyond -- both died on the same date -- January 18, just hours apart. Morgan, 80, guided the Mocs' wrestling program for 16 seasons, from 1969 to 1983, posting a career record of 209-70-3, making him the winningest coach in UTC wrestling history. Farr, 84, a wrestler at what is now UTC) in the 1950s, later launched a number of high school wrestling programs in the Chattanooga area. Farr also directed state tournaments, officiated NCAA Division I tournaments and served on the High School National Federation Wrestling Rules Committee. George Heebner, long-time Pennsylvania high school wrestling coach and official who was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame a decade ago, died in early June 2... just three days after his wife Brenda. Ben Knaub, former Colorado high school and college wrestler who served as a high school coach for nearly a quarter-century, and as a mat official for a dozen years, passed away in early September at age 92. Ray Judkins, considered to be the father of the wrestling program at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College -- the two-year public community college in Miami, Okla. -- passed away in October at age 82. Judkins launched the Golden Norse wrestling program at NEO in 1975, guiding it to two regional championships, two conference titles as well as a number of invitational tournament championships. Minnesota Hall of Fame coach Don Dravis -- who guided the Staples High School to seven state titles -- died in November at 82. Anthony Dunbar, former North Carolina State University wrestler who had wrestled at Cary (N.C.) High School then returned to his prep alma mater as coach, passed away in his sleep just before Christmas at age 40. And, in a truly heartbreaking situation, Tracy Lee, 51, a long-time attorney who had just realized his dream of being hired as a high school wrestling coach in Florida (having wrestled at Sarasota High School), died immediately after a match with a college-age wrestler at the Sunshine State Games in June. Men of many hats InterMat paid tribute to individuals who died in 2019 after having experienced multi-dimensional involvement in the sport of wrestling. Larry SciacchetanoLarry Sciacchetano, who had served as president of USA Wrestling, was instrumental in the formation of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame, while also serving on the Board of Governors for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame board -- and had found success as a coach and wrestler -- passed away in October at age 77. Frank Lignelli, whose connections to Clarion University athletics as a wrestler, coach and athletic director spanned from the end of World War II to 1990, died in September 1 at 94. As the Pennsylvania school's official announcement stated, "He can truly be called the person responsible for Clarion's outstanding athletic tradition and was the catalyst for the Golden Eagles' greatest successes for more than six decades." Robert "Bob" Dieli Sr., an icon in central Ohio wrestling as a high school wrestler who then joined the roster at Ohio State, then went on to launch the Ohio Wrestling Club, serve as a coach at all levels (including at international events), and arguably known to the widest audience as host of the popular "Matside with Bob Dieli" show on Columbus cable TV for a quarter-century, passed away in late June. He was 94. Pat O'Connell, assistant wrestling coach at Joliet Junior College outside Chicago who was instrumental in bringing back the school's intercollegiate mat program in 2017, passed away at the end of March after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 62. He had wrestled at Joliet East High School and at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, then served as a teacher and wrestling coach at high schools in the Joliet area before coming to JJC. Don Gooder, the last surviving founding member of the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame which honors individuals who have been instrumental in growing the sport within the state of Iowa, passed away in late September. He was 86. Don Sayenga, long-time amateur wrestling historian well-known for his historical column "The Oldest Sport," an enduring feature in Amateur Wrestling News from 1964 to 2014 and two-time winner of that magazine's Bob Dellinger Award (presented to the nation's top wrestling writer), died Feb. 26 after a long battle with cancer at age 84. Sayenga had wrestled heavyweight for Pennsylvania's Lafayette College in the 1950s. Died in service to us A trio of men with wrestling backgrounds died in service to their country this summer. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Scott A. Koppenhafer -- a former Colorado high school wrestler who went on to compete at Adams State University -- was killed in combat in Iraq in August. Koppenhafer, 35, was a critical skills operator with 2nd Marine Raider Battalion. That same month, Army Paratrooper Pfc. Brandon Kreischer, a former wrestler at Bryan High School in northwest Ohio, was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan at age 20, one year after his graduation. And, a member of the West Point wrestling team, Cadet Christopher J. Morgan, 22, died from injuries in a vehicle rollover while on the way to a field training exercise near the U.S. Military Academy. Morgan, a member of the Class of 2020, had wrestled at 184 pounds, compiling a 28-22 overall record, with 13 of those wins resulting in bonus points. 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. Gone too soon Over the past twelve months, InterMat paid tribute to a number of individuals who had left their mark on the oldest and greatest sport at a young age. On New Year's Day 2019, Alex Sebahie, 21, a New Jersey state championships medalist for Paramus High School and former Rider University wrestler, was killed in a one-car crash on the Garden State Parkway. New Year's Day. Kenny Anderson, three-time NCAA Division III wrestling champ for Wartburg College less than a decade ago, then served on the coaching staff at his college alma mater before moving on to Cornell College of Iowa, passed away on October 20 in New Orleans at age 29. In August, Vinnie Harvey, Iowa state championships finalist for St. Edmond High School in Fort Dodge who continued his mat career in his hometown at Iowa Central Community College, drowned in Lake Okoboji in northwestern Iowa. He was 23. Zander Laurin, 16, a Florida high school wrestler scheduled to become a lead petty officer in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps in St. Augustine, was struck and killed by a driver this week while on his morning run. The year 2019 ended on a sad note for the wrestling community in north-central Ohio, with the death of Jesse Campbell, 31, a 2007 Ohio state champ for Sullivan Black River High (and wrestled at Ohio State) who coached first at his high school alma mater, then at Crestwood High near Ashland, killed in a head-on car crash on December 30. Patriarch of a famous wrestling family Lee Roy Smith Sr., father of Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lee Roy Smith Jr., four-time NCAA champion Pat Smith and three-time All-American Mark Smith, passed away in March… just as the Cowboys were winning the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championships, their 53rd conference crown. He was 85. To learn more about any of the individuals named here, simply type the person's name + "InterMat" in your favorite search engine such as Google or Bing.

Navid Zanganeh Navid Zanganeh, a member of Iran's U23 national freestyle wrestling team who was reportedly detained for 2-3 days during anti-government protests in Iran in mid-November, is now in Canada. The 23-year-old Zanganeh, who earned a bronze medal in freestyle at the 2018 World U23 Wrestling Championships in Bucharest, Romania at 74 kilograms/163 pounds, has reportedly sought asylum in Canada and will represent that nation in a wrestling tournament, according to a news report at Radio Farda, which reported these developments had been confirmed by the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) on Thursday, Jan. 2. Zanganeh has not publicly confirmed that he is seeking asylum in Canada nor that he plans to wrestle for that nation. In late November, news stories out of Iran reported that the Islamic Republic intelligence agents had detained Zanganeh after he had been shot with a pellet during a public protest event, taken to a hospital, and held 2-3 days before being released, according to one report on Twitter. Radio Farda also reported that, immediately after his release, "Zanganeh's club, Atrak Khorasan, unilaterally canceled its contract with him and deprived him of competing in the World Cup Club championships." Radio Farda is a service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, designed to provide news to citizens of Iran.

With the Midlands Championships and Southern Scuffle finishing up this week, the NCAA Division I wrestling season has officially hit its midseason mark. So, what have we learned? Right now, Iowa is in control of its championship destiny. They broke the Midlands scoring record, have a new top wrestler in Pat Lugo, and are simply wrestling better than any other program. While some uncertainty remains around Spencer Lee -- who is both coming off his dominant run at Senior Nationals in freestyle and a medical forfeit at Midlands -- there is no question that Iowa has the firepower to break through and win the 2020 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis. Purdue and Army are having excellent seasons. Teams once forgotten are showing signs of competing and winning at the highest levels. For Army, Markus Hartman (157) beat Quincy Monday (Princeton) at Midlands and dropped a closer 5-3 match to Kaleb Young in the finals. Army had its best-ever performance at the tournament with its highest team finish, most placers, and highest individual placer. The Black Knights also finished seventh in the team standings with 78.5 total points. Purdue is ranked in the top ten and had two champs with Dylan Lydy (174) and Christian Brunner (197). Kendall Coleman (157) will also be an All-American contender for the Boilermakers. Oh, and can-you-believe that Princeton is ranked higher than Cornell?! The NCAA rules are flawed, and I don't believe that many people would disagree they need to be updated as soon as possible. The level and style of modern wrestling has far outpaced the ability of the current rule structure and enforcement procedures to create a fair product that is both athletically competitive and rewarding of best talent, while also understandable and fan friendly. Very few people could accurately describe to my mother-in-law what the hell happened at the end of the Austin DeSanto-Seth Gross match, nor could anyone accurately detail the motivation for an out of bounds line that fails to function in its titular role. As always, there is much more to reflect on during the midway point, but moist importantly it's turning out to be an entertaining season with plenty of plot lines to follow into the conference dual meet season. To your questions … Jordan Oliver before his Senior Nationals finals match (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: For years I've enjoyed watching Jordan Oliver wrestle. He is consistently one of the most dynamic U.S. wrestlers and I thought by now he would have achieved more on the international stage, especially given how good he is on his feet. Is there something about his style that has kept him from competing for senior world medals, or is there a specific aspect of his wrestling that needs improvement? -- Vince M. Foley: From my perspective Jordan just needed a stricter training program. With his recent success I think he's found that among friends and like-minded individuals in Chapel Hill. The offensive explosion and the fact he won his five matches by a combined score of 50-0 shows that he's currently the United States' most offensively potent 65-kilogram wrestler. The Olympic Trials will certainly be interesting to watch, but also keep in mind that well before those bouts Team USA (i.e. Zain Retherford) will be heading to Ottawa to qualify the spot for Tokyo 2020. If for some reason that doesn't happen, it will be up to the winner of the Olympic Trials to get the ticket punched at the last chance qualifier in early May. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME UWW Freestyle Wrestler of the Year UWW Women's Wrestler of the Year Q: Best college wrestler of the decade? Best American freestyle wrestler of the decade? Best American Greco-Roman wrestler of the decade? Best women's freestyle wrestler of the decade? -- Mike C. Foley: College: Kyle Dake Freestyle: Jordan Burroughs Women's: Adeline Gray Greco-Roman: Adam Coon Q: Some of these college matches are taking forever with all the challenges/video reviews. Then, in many cases, they are still getting all the calls wrong. How could the challenge/video review system be fixed in college wrestling? -- Mike C. Foley: Yeah, the time has come for the NCAA to hire some outside consultants to fix these problems. One of the greatest outcomes of the 2013 Olympic-elimination was that wrestling had to access outside consultants on ways to improve a myriad sport and sport presentation issues. The resulting thirty-second shot clock, criteria, and point simplifications has likely done as much as anything else to increase viewership and assist in the accumulation of marketing and TV/streaming deals. The NCAA rule set makes zero sense. The rules -- which are made to drive wrestlers towards more pinning combinations -- is instead creating a nitpicky game of Buck 'em Bronco where the cowboy with most time on the bull gets the W. That's just not entertaining wrestling and what's more the razor-thin margins determining control are being over litigated, promoted by a system that provides very little disincentive for challenging each and every questionable call. The best fix is to give the coaches one challenge per match. Win and you keep your challenge. Lose and your opponent gains a point. Make the replays viewable on the main screen. Open the microphones of the referees. And allow a small panel of referees to sit at the event and intercede if/when an Ian Miller type of wrong call does happen. I know that when providing coaches the tools to challenge the outcomes can sometimes be drug out, but I think that a balanced system filled with disincentives can cut into some of the more erratic challenges we see in dual meets and tournaments.

FRESNO, Calif. -- The Fresno State wrestling team opened the New Year with a pair of dual meet victories at the Save Mart Center on Thursday evening downing Cal Poly, 24-16 and Big 12 opponent Utah Valley, 24-19 in front of 2,705 Red Wave supporters. Fresno State (3-4, 2-0 B12) earned six victories apiece in each dual as three Bulldogs went a perfect 2-0 on the evening. Redshirt junior DJ Lloren at 141 pounds, redshirt sophomore Jacob Wright at 157 pounds and redshirt sophomore Brandon Martino at 174 pounds tallied two wins apiece while six other 'Dogs collected one win. How It Happened vs. Cal Poly With the dual starting at 165 pounds, the Mustangs struck first with a 7-2 win by redshirt freshman Bernie Truax over the 'Dogs Adam Kemp. The 'Dogs quickly responded with a fall by Martino at 174 pounds in 3:48 as the Clovis native made quick work of Cal Poly's Nathan Tausch. With the 'Dogs holding a 6-3 lead, redshirt freshman Hunter Cruz extended it to 9-3 with a 9-5 decision over Trent Tracy. Cal Poly responded with a 11-0 major decision by No. 7 Tom Lane over the 'Dogs Isaiah Perez at 197 pounds, but senior heavyweight Josh Hokit answered right back with a major decision of his own downing Sam Aguilar, 11-2. Making his Save Mart Center debut at heavyweight after earning All-American honors at 197 pounds last season, Hokit built a three-point lead after two periods to eight in the final two minutes and after adding a point for riding time claimed his first dual win of the season. With Cal Poly winning by forfeit at 125 pounds to tie the match at 13-13, the 'Dogs won three of the final four matches getting back-to-back major decisions from redshirt sophomore Gary Joint at 133 pounds and Lloren at 141 pounds to take a 21-13 lead. A 4-0 upset win by the Mustangs' Joshy Cortez over No. 20 Greg Gaxiola at 149 pounds kept Cal Poly within striking distance at 21-16, but a 7-6 win by Wright over Cal Poly's Brawley Lamer sealed a Bulldog win. How It Happened vs. Utah Valley With a quick turnaround before facing Utah Valley, the dual again got started at 165 pounds with redshirt senior Ricky Padilla earning a hard-fought 3-2 win over Koy Wilkinson to give the 'Dogs a early 3-0 lead. Martino continued the early momentum with a 4-1 win over Grant LaMont at 174 pounds and redshirt senior Dominic Kincaid extended the Fresno State lead to 9-0 with a 7-3 win over Ashton Seely at 184 pounds. The Wolverines responded with four straight wins, including three by bonus points, to take a 19-9 lead. Utah Valley picked up a fall by No. 18 Tanner Orndorff at 197 pounds over Danny Salas before the match of the dual pitted UVU's No. 6 Tate Orndorff against the 'Dogs No. 12 Josh Hokit at heavyweight. An escape and takedown by Orndorff proved to be too much for Hokit to overcome as he fell by a 3-1 decision. A forfeit by the Bulldogs at 125 pounds followed by a major decision by No. 25 Taylor LaMont at 133 pounds over Joint gave the visitors a 10-point lead, but the 'Dogs would respond winning the final three matches to seal the win. A former Utah Valley Wolverine student-athlete himself before transferring to Fresno State last spring, Lloren defeated freshman Cameron Hunsaker, 7-1 at 141 pounds to cut the deficit to 19-12 before an injury default by the Wolverine's Brigg Hoopes at 149 pounds gave Gaxiola the win and the Bulldogs six team points. Facing a 19-18 deficit, Wright completed the 'Dogs comeback with a fall over Jerry Rubio in 6:22 (watch) as the Bulldogs locked up the win. Notables Fresno State improves to 3-1 at home this season. The 'Dogs recorded their fifth straight win over the Mustangs and second in a row over the Wolverines. The Bulldogs move to 2-0 in Big 12 duals. The 'Dogs next Big 12 dual is at home against No. 11 Iowa State on Jan. 31. Wright moves to 16-3 on the season and notched his first fall of the season against Utah Valley. Lloren improves to 14-3 and picked up his second major decision of the season versus Cal Poly. Martino recorded his first fall of the season against Cal Poly. Attendance for the pair of duals on Thursday was 2,705. Up next Fresno State heads to the East Coast next weekend traveling to the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va. on Jan. 10 & 11. The 'Dogs will be one of eight teams in the field joined by Duke, Kent State, Maryland, Old Dominion, Penn, No. 25 Rider and No. 23 Virginia. Cal Poly (16) at Fresno State (24) Results 165: Bernie Truax (CP) dec. Adam Kemp (FS), 7-2 | CP 3, FS 0 174: Brandon Martino (FS) won by fall over Nathan Tausch (CP), 3:48 | FS 6, CP 3 184: Hunter Cruz (FS) dec. Trent Tracy (CP), 9-5 | FS 9, CP 3 197: No. 7/10/14 Tom Lane (CP) maj. dec. Isaiah Perez (FS), 11-0 | FS 9, CP 7 HWT: No. 12/15/13 Josh Hokit (FS) maj dec. Sam Aguilar (FS), 11-2 | FS 13, CP 7 125: Benny Martinez (CP) won by forfeit | FS 13, CP 13 133: Gary Joint (FS) maj. dec. Trae Vasquez (CP), 11-2 | FS 17, CP 13 141: No. 25/-/21 DJ Lloren (FS) maj. dec. Jake Ryan (CP), 16-2 | FS 21, CP 13 149: Joshy Cortez (CP) dec. No. 20/-/28 Greg Gaxiola (FS), 4-0 | FS 21, CP 16 157: No. 23/10/20 Jacob Wright (FS) dec. Brawley Lamer (CP), 7-6 | FS 24, CP 16 Utah Valley (19) at Fresno State (24) Results 165: Ricky Padilla (FS) dec. Koy Wilkinson (UVU), 3-2 | FS 3, UVU 0 174: Brandon Martino (FS) dec. Grant LaMont (UVU), 4-1 | FS 6, UVU 0 184: Dominic Kincaid (FS) dec. Ashton Seely (UVU), 7-3 | FS 9, UVU 0 197: No. 18/-/20 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) won by fall over Danny Salas (FS), 4:38 | FS 9, UVU 6 HWT: No. 7/8/6 Tate Orndorff (UVU) dec. No. 12/15/13 Josh Hokit (FS), 3-1 | FS 9, UVU 9 125: Will Edelblute (UVU) won by forfeit | UVU 15, FS 9 133: No. -/-/25 Taylor LaMont (UVU) maj. dec. Gary Joint (FS), 10-1 | UVU 19, FS 9 141: No. 25/-/21 DJ Lloren (FS) dec. Cameron Hunsaker (UVU), 7-1 | UVU 19, FS 12 149: No. 20/-/28 Greg Gaxiola (FS) won by injury default over Brigg Hoopes (UVU), 3:42 | UVU 19, FS 18 157: No. 23/10/20 Jacob Wright (FS) won by fall over Jerry Rubio (UVU), 6:22 | FS 24, UVU 19

Jesse Campbell, wrestling and football coach at Crestview High School in north-central Ohio between Columbus and Cleveland who had wrestled at Ohio State and two other universities a decade ago, was killed in a three-car crash near Ashland, Ohio early Monday evening. He was 31. Jesse CampbellThe wreck took place on State Route 545. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Campbell attempted to pass another car while traveling north on the rural highway. Campbell's car hit a third car head-on, then struck the car it was trying to pass. Campbell was pronounced dead at the scene. Campbell was a three-time All-American wrestler at Sullivan Black River High, having won an Ohio state heavyweight title as a senior in 2007 after being a runner-up in 2006. He continued his academic and mat career at Ohio State, Ashland University and Tiffin University before returning to his high school alma mater to serve as wrestling coach before coaching the mat program at Crestview in fall 2018. The Crestview Cougars wrestling program posted this message on Facebook Tueseday morning: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Football and Wrestling Coach Jesse Campbell. Coach Campbell was a staple in both programs. He had a great drive and passion to push his athletes not just in sports but as individuals as well. Coach Campbell was a brother to many and a friend to all. The Crestview Wrestling and Football program will carry his memory high, and we are thankful to be able to call him coach and friend. "Grief Counselors will be at the High School today until noon for anyone that was impacted by the loss of Coach Jesse Campbell." Ohio Wrestling News and Events also shared the news on its Facebook page Tuesday: "Please keep the Crestview and Black River wrestling program in your prayers. We lost a great coach, friend, and most of all a piece of all our family. Jesse Campbell passed away last night in a car accident. The Campbell family has been in wrestling for years...it's in their blood. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers. 🙏🏻" Jesse Campbell was a member of a wrestling family that spanned two generations, according to a 2018 article from The Lorain County Gazette. His father Bruce won an Ohio state title for Oberlin High School during an undefeated season in 1976 and later wrestled at Cleveland State. Jesse had two younger brothers: Jacob, who in 2018 was finishing up his mat career at Black River, and Cory, who was a member of the Kent State wrestling program. What's more, Jesse Campbell was an inductee into the Lorain County Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame. UPDATE 1/4/20 A memorial service for Jesse Campbell has already been held. To honor his memory, in lieu of flowers, contributions in Jesse's name can be made out to the Black River or Ashland Crestview High School Wrestling Programs for future scholarships in Jesse's name. Online condolences may also be made to www.cowlingfuneralhomeoh.com

Oklahoma State won its first Southern Scuffle title since 2017 (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Two-time All-American Nick Piccininni repeated as Southern Scuffle champions and helped lead the Oklahoma State Cowboys to their first team title since 2017. Oklahoma State finished with 116 points, seven points ahead of runner-up North Carolina State (109). The fourth-ranked Piccininni was dominant all tournament at 125 pounds, earning bonus point victories in four of his matches. In the finals, he beat Lock Haven's Luke Werner, 10-0. Oklahoma State's only other finalist was No. 9 Kaden Gfeller at 141 pounds. He fell to No. 12 Real Woods of Stanford, 6-1. The Cowboys finished with seven placewinners, which included three third-place finishers. No. 2 Hayden Hidlay of NC State cruised to the title at 157 pounds with a 10-0 shutout over No. 7 Jesse Dellavecchia of Rider. Hayden's younger brother Trent Hidlay, also ranked No. 2, was edged in the finals at 184 pounds by Lou DePrez of Binghamton, 3-2, which flipped a result from earlier this season. Stanford had three champions and finished third in the team standings (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Stanford finished third in the team standings with 99.5 points on the strength of three individual champions, 12th-ranked Woods (141), redshirt Jaden Abas (149) and seventh-ranked Shane Griffith (165). West Virginia's Noah Adams was named the event's Outstanding Wrestler (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) West Virginia's Noah Adams remained undefeated on the season by capturing the title at 197 pounds in a field that included seven ranked wrestlers and three ranked in the top eight. Adams had three straight victories over ranked wrestlers, including a pin in the finals against No. 8 Nathan Traxler of Stanford. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Unranked Sammy Alvarez of Rutgers was one of the major surprises of the tournament. He entered the tournament unranked but came through to twin the title at 133 pounds with victories over two wrestlers ranked in the top 10: No. 4 Micky Phillippi of Pitt (semifinals) and No. 9 Cam Sykora (North Dakota State). Penn State redshirt Carter Starocci earned the title at 174 pounds with an 11-6 victory in the finals over Pitt's Gregg Harvey. Iowa State's Gannon Gremmel claimed the title at heavyweight, winning by injury default in the finals over Northern Colorado's Dalton Robertson. George Mason's Colston DiBlasi picked up the Gorriaran Award (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) George Mason's Colston DiBlasi (149) was named the Gorriaran Award winner for the most falls in the least amount of time. Team Standings (Top 5) 1. Oklahoma State 116 2. NC State 109 3. Stanford 99.5 4. Pittsburgh 93 5. North Dakota State 92.5 Placement Match Results 125: 1st: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) maj dec. Luke Werner (Lock Haven), 10-0 3rd: Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec. Logan Treaster (Navy), 2-1 5th: Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) by medical forfeit over Michael McGee (Old Dominion) 7th: Sean Carter (Appalachian State) dec. No. 7 Nic Aguilar (Rutgers), 3-2 133: 1st: Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) dec. No. 9 Cam Sykora (North Dakota State), 5-4 3rd: No. 4 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) maj. dec. Kai Orine (NC State), 10-1 5th: Cole Manley (Lock Haven) dec. Devan Turner (Oregon State), 7-4 TB2 7th: No. 13 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado) dec. Casey Cobb (Navy), 6-4 141: 1st: No. 12 Real Woods (Stanford) dec. No. 9 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State), 6-1 3rd: Dusty Hone (Oklahoma State) dec. Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven), 3-1 5th: Alex Madrigal (George Mason) tech. fall Angelo Martinoni (Cal State Bakersfield), 16-0 4:36 7th: Evan Cheek (Cleveland State) by medical forfeit over No. 11 Tariq Wilson (NC State) 149: 1st: Jaden Abas (Stanford) dec. No. 18 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado), 3-2 3rd: Colston Diblasi (George Mason) pinned Jonathan Milner (Appalachian State), 4:26 5th: Tanner Smith (Chattanooga) by medical forfeit over No. 15 Requir Van der merwe (Stanford) 7th: Jason Kraisser (Campbell) dec. Jaden Van maanen (North Dakota State), 7-5 157: 1st: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) maj. dec. No. 7 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider), 10-0 3rd: Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) dec. Matt Zovistoski (Appalachian State), 3-1 5th: Luke Weber (North Dakota State) dec. Hunter Willits (Oregon State), 3-0 7th: Jared Franek (North Dakota State) dec. Michael VanBrill (Rutgers), 7-2 165: 1st: No. 7 Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec. No. 10 Tanner Skidgel (Navy), 2-1 3rd: No. 13 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 8 Thomas Bullard (NC State), 9-3 5th: Joe Lee (Penn State) dec. No. 11 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh), 10-3 7th: Brett Donner (Rutgers) by medical forfeit over No. 19 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel) 174: 1st: Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh), 11-6 3rd: Daniel Bullard (NC State) dec. Chris Foca (Finger Lakes RTC), 4-2 SV 5th: Neal Richards (Virginia Military Institute) dec. Dean Sherry (Rider), 7-6 7th: Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State) dec. Jake Logan (Lehigh), 6-5 184: 1st: No. 6 Lou DePrez (Binghamton) dec. No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State), 3-2 3rd: Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) maj. dec. Matthew Waddell (Tennessee-Chattanooga), 13-1 5th: David Key (Naval Academy Prep School) by medical forfeit over Anthony Montalvo (Oklahoma State) 7th: Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado) maj. dec. Colt Doyle (Oregon State), 11-2 197: 1st: No. 13 Noah Adams (West Virginia) pinned No. 8 Nathan Traxler (Stanford), 2:22 3rd: No. 18 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec. Michael Beard (Penn State), 9-7 5th: No. 6 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) dec. Jacob Cardenas (Finger Lakes RTC), 7-3 7th: No. 19 Jordan Pagano (Rutgers) by medical forfeit over No. 4 Nick Reenan (NC State) 285: 1st: Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) by injury default over Dalton Robertson (Northern Colorado) 3rd: Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh) dec. Brandon Metz (North Dakota State), 6-0 5th: Lewis Fernandes (Finger Lakes RTC) dec. Cary Miller (Appalachian State), 9-3 7th: Deonte Wilson (NC State) dec. Dan Stibral (North Dakota State), 7-2

125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), 6-4 Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) dec. Jonathan Tropea (Rider), 5-3 Luke Werner (Lock Haven) pinned Colton Camacho (Pittsburgh), 6:23 Michael McGee (Old Dominion) dec. No. 7 Nic Aguilar (Rutgers), 5-4 133: No. 4 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) dec. No. 18 Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State), 4-3 Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) dec. Kai Orine (NC State), 4-2 Devan Turner (Oregon St.) dec. No. 13 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado), 4-3 No. 9 Cam Sykora (North Dakota State) pinned Chandler Olson (Drexel), 4:03 141: No. 9 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec. Anthony Sparacio (Binghamton), 6-3 No. 16 Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) dec. Jojo Aragona (Rutgers), 6-5 No. 12 Real Woods (Stanford) maj. dec. Evan Cheek (Cleveland State), 12-3 Dusty Hone (Oklahoma State) dec. Alex Madrigal (George Mason), 4-2 149: Jonathan Milner (Appalachian State) dec. No. 15 Requir Van der merwe (Stanford), 4-3 No. 18 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) DEF Aj Leitten (NC State) Colston Diblasi (George Mason) pinned Russell Rohlfing (Cal State Bakersfield), 5:33 Jaden Abas (Stanford) dec. Jason Kraisser (Campbell), 10-3 157: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) maj. dec. Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 12-2 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) dec. Kolby Ho (George Mason), 8-3 Luke Weber (North Dakota State) pinned Hunter Willits (Oregon St.), 1:45 No. 7 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) maj. dec. Michael Vanbrill (Rutgers), 14-5 165: No. 7 Shane Griffith (Stanford) maj. dec. Chase Straw (Iowa State), 11-2 No. 13 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 11 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh), 7-3 Thomas Bullard (NC State) dec. Joe Lee (Penn State), 9-4 No. 10 Tanner Skidgel (Navy) dec. No. 19 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel), 3-1 SV 174: Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh) maj. dec. Lorenzo De la riva (North Dakota State), 8-0 Dean Sherry (Rider) dec. No. 17 Daniel Bullard (NC State), 10-5 Carter Starocci (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 16 Spencer Carey (Navy), 13-5 Neal Richards (Virginia Military Institute) tech. fall Chris Foca (Finger Lakes), 18-3 6:10 184: No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. David Key (Naval Academy Prep School), 3-2 Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) dec. Chris Kober (Campbell), 3-2 No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) maj. dec. Julien Broderson (Iowa State), 17-4 No. 6 Lou Deprez (Binghamton) dec. Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado), 6-3 197: No. 18 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec. No. 6 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State), 3-2 No. 13 Noah Adams (West Virginia) maj. dec. No. 17 Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado), 10-2 Michael Beard (Penn State) dec. No. 4 Nick Reenan (NC State), 1-0 No. 8 Nathan Traxler (Stanford) dec. Jacob Cardenas (Finger Lakes), 11-4 285: No. 10 Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh) dec. Deonte Wilson (NC State), 8-3 Dalton Robertson (Northern Colorado) maj. dec. Brandon Metz (North Dakota State), 14-3 No. 17 Cary Miller (Appalachian State) maj. dec. Dan Stibral (North Dakota State), 8-0 No. 12 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) dec. Lewis Fernandes (Finger Lakes), 5-1

The Southern Scuffle takes place at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn. (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Links: Results | Schedule A Twitter List by InterMat

The initial brackets have been released for the Southern Scuffle, which takes place Wednesday and Thursday in Chattanooga, Tenn. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET. Link: Brackets

Wisconsin's Seth Gross edged Iowa's Austin DeSanto, avenging a loss from Dec. 1 (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Midlands Championships remain one of the top events on the college wrestling schedule. This year's event featured its share of high-caliber competition on Sunday and Monday just outside Chicago. The top-ranked Hawkeyes dominated the field, crowning five champions while scoring a tournament record 196.5 points. Iowa set the previous tournament record of 189 points in 2014. Northern Iowa was second in the tournament with 101 points followed by Illinois (94.5), Wisconsin (93) and Princeton (84.5). Here are my top takeaways from the 2019 Midlands Championships: 133 finals bout lives up to billing There was a reason the 133-pound finals match between top-ranked Austin DeSanto of Iowa and second-ranked Seth Gross of Wisconsin was the featured bout. And the last match of the Midlands Championships delivered. Gross bolted to a 4-0 lead with a takedown and quick two-point near fall off a cradle before holding off a furious DeSanto rally. Gross prevailed 6-5 while avenging a loss to the Hawkeye junior from earlier this season. It was a highly entertaining bout between an NCAA champion in Gross and a returning All-American in DeSanto. Can't wait to see these guys meet again in the postseason. The most recent bout definitely lived up to its pre-match billing. It was a heck of a match between two outstanding wrestlers. Purdue's Christian Brunner won the title at 197 pounds with a victory over Virginia's Jay Aiello (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Boiler Up Top-seeded Dylan Lydy of Purdue finished on a leg attack in the final 30 seconds to break a 1-1 tie on his way to a 3-2 win over No. 2 Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa in the 174 finals. Lydy's teammate, Christian Brunner, followed suit by earning a 7-3 triumph over Virginia's Jay Aiello at 197 pounds. Brunner scored a late takedown to clinch the win. The Boilermakers look much-improved this year. Spencer Lee's early exit Two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa dominated the early competition while powering his way into the 125-pound semifinals. Lee didn't return on Day 2, taking a medical forfeit in the semis. He has had a busy late December. Just a week removed from winning the U.S. Nationals freestyle crown in Texas, Lee was wearing the large black brace he typically has on his leg on Day 1 of the Midlands. In the University of Iowa press release, it said Lee's medical forfeit on Monday was a coaches' decision. It would've been fun to see a Midlands final featuring the top-ranked Lee and No. 3 Pat Glory of Princeton, but that bout will have to wait. Glory went on to win the Midlands title Monday night. How about that 165-pound class? As expected, the loaded 165-pound Midlands bracket was entertaining to watch. It featured No. 2 Alex Marinelli of Iowa, No. 3 Evan Wick of Wisconsin and No. 6 David McFadden of Virginia Tech. The fireworks started in the semifinals when McFadden scored in a wild scramble with two seconds left to rally for a dramatic 6-5 win over Wick. In the finals, Marinelli was in control throughout in a 5-3 win over McFadden. Marinelli scored a pair of textbook takedowns to earn his third Midlands title. Markus Hartman defeated Penn's Anthony Artalona in the semifinals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Unseeded Hartman makes splash Army's Markus Hartman entered the Midlands unseeded, but he reached the finals with a superb performance at 157 pounds. Hartman scored an early upset when he stunned No. 1 Quincy Monday of Princeton with an overtime win. Hartman gave a strong effort in the finals, leading in the third period before eventually falling to No. 2 seed Kaleb Young of Iowa 5-3 in sudden victory. Lujan takes charge Northern Iowa senior Taylor Lujan won an early scramble to score the opening takedown that propelled him to a 4-0 win over surprise finalist Abe Assad of Iowa. Lujan was the top seed and used his power to score the shutout win over Assad, a promising true freshman who had an excellent tournament. Lujan looks strong at 184 as he hopes to finish strong in his final collegiate season with the Panthers. Assad is in his redshirt season with the Hawkeyes. Confusion in Gross-Rivera semifinal I watched the 133-pound semifinal match between Wisconsin's Seth Gross and Northwestern's Sebastian Rivera live before going back later to watch the replay of the bout. And I'm still trying to decipher exactly what happened. In the end, Gross earned an 8-7 win in a bout where there were numerous lengthy reviews. The second-ranked Gross, a 2018 NCAA champion, was trying to ride the No. 3 Rivera out for what seemed like an eternity at the end of the bout. The referee appeared confused on whether to call stalling or not while Gross appeared to have lost control. Rivera was actually awarded a reversal to give him a 9-8 lead, but it was waved off after a video review. I've watched thousands of college matches, but I'm still not quite sure what exactly happened at the end of this one. It did convince me that I'm sick of watching folkstyle matches where guys are trying to hang on from the top position. It's time to go to freestyle. Make someone earn the winning takedown instead of trying to hold onto an ankle before time runs out. Iowa's Pat Lugo gets his hand raised after winning a Midlands title over UNC's Austin O'Connor (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Lugo makes a statement Third-ranked Pat Lugo of Iowa scored two early takedowns en route to an impressive and decisive 8-4 win over No. 1 Austin O'Connor of North Carolina in the 149-pound finals. Lugo was in total command throughout the bout in a battle of returning All-Americans. Lugo is another Hawkeye who looks vastly improved on his feet this season. He may be No. 1 when the new rankings come out. Riding time needs to go I probably say it more than anyone, but riding time needs to go. It slows down the pace of matches and wrestlers are allowed to ride their opponents even when they look like they have no intention of working for a fall. Wrestling matches would be way more entertaining without it. If a wrestler isn't progressing toward a fall, put them back on their feet. Get rid of riding time. Trust me, it will make the sport better. Kemerer's absence Iowa was wrestling without two-time All-American Michael Kemerer, who did not compete at the Midlands. Iowa coach Tom Brands said Kemerer, ranked No. 2 nationally at 174 pounds, is fine and would have wrestled if it was March. Kemerer made the NCAA podium at 157 pounds as a freshman and sophomore before missing last season with an injury. He has bumped up two weight classes and has looked very good at 174 this season. 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.

Iowa won the Midlands title by 95.5 points and broke the tournament scoring record (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Top-ranked Iowa capped off a dominant performance at the 57th Midlands Championships on Monday by crowning five champions and 12 placewinners en route to breaking the all-time tournament scoring record. The Hawkeyes finished with 196.5 points, 95.5 points ahead of runner-up Northern Iowa. Illinois finished in third place with 94.5 points. Wisconsin (93) and Princeton (84.5) rounded out the top five teams Iowa's Max Murin opened the finals with a 5-3 victory over Campbell's Josh Heil at 141 pounds. Pat Lugo (149), Kaleb Young (157) and Alex Marinelli (165) followed up with titles. Tony Cassioppi gave Iowa its fifth champion as he defeated Matt Stencel, 5-1, at heavyweight. Alex Marinelli after winning his third Midlands title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) For Marinelli, it was his third Midlands title. He earned the Champion of Champions Award and won awards for most falls (4) and highest tournament point total (29). The main event match between Wisconsin's Seth Gross and Iowa's Austin DeSanto at 133 pounds lived up to the hype. It was an action-packed match filled with scrambles. Gross used an early cradle to go up 4-1 after the opening period. DeSanto picked up an escape in the second period and cut the deficit to 4-2 after the second. Gross, though, had over a minute of riding time. Gross started the third period on bottom. DeSanto was able to erase riding time before Gross picked up an escape to make the score 5-2. DeSanto immediately fired off a shot and secured a takedown to make the score 5-4 in favor of Gross. Gross escaped to make it 6-4. DeSanto continued to press forward and earned a point off a stall call to make it 6-5 with a little over a minute remaining. Gross was able to hold off DeSanto in the final minute and claim the victory. Purdue crowned a pair of champions with Dylan Lydy (174) and Christian Brunner (197). Lydy edged Northern Iowa's Bryce Steiert, 3-2. Brunner beat Virginia's Jay Aiello, 7-3. At 184 pounds, Northern Iowa's Taylor Lujan, ranked No. 4, shut out Iowa redshirt Abe Assad, 3-0. Third-ranked Pat Glory of Princeton captured the title at 125 pounds by blanking Northwestern's Michael DeAugustino, 3-0. Placewinners 125: 1st: No. 3 Pat Glory (Princeton) dec. No. 10 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), 4-0 3rd: No. 11 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) dec. No. 9 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan), 5-4 5th: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) and No. 8 Brock Hudkins (Indiana) double medical forfeit 7th: Chris Cannon (Northwestern) maj. dec. Nolan Hellickson (Harvard), 12-2 133: 1st: No. 2 Seth Gross (Wisconsin) dec. No. 1 Austin DeSanto (Iowa), 6-5 3rd: Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) by injury default over No. 3 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) 5th: Noah Gonser (Campbell) dec. Louie Hayes (Virginia), 3-2 7th: Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) maj. dec. Joe Heilmann (North Carolina), 13-0 141: 1st: No. 8 Max Murin (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Josh Heil (Campbell), 5-3 3rd: Zach Sherman (North Carolina) dec. Dylan Duncan (Illinois), 3-2 5th: No. 17 Shakur Laney (Ohio) by medical forfeit over No. 9 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin) 7th: Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) dec. Salvatore Profaci (American), 9-5 149: 1st: No. 3 Pat Lugo (Iowa) dec. No. 1 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), 8-4 3rd: No. 7 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) by medical forfeit over Vincent Turk (Iowa) 5th: No. 15 Kizhan Clarke (American) by medical forfeit over Jeron Glasser (Iowa) 7th: Kanen Storr (Michigan) dec. Alec Hagan (Ohio), 6-4 SV 157: 1st: No. 8 Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec. Markus Hartman (Army West Point), 5-3 3rd: No. 5 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec. No. 9 Kendall Coleman (Purdue), 5-3 5th: Logan Parks (Central Michigan) dec. No. 10 Anthony Artalona (Penn), 3-1 SV 7th: No. 19 Justin Ruffin (SIUE) by medical forfeit over Cade Devos (South Dakota State) 165: 1st: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. No. 6 David McFadden (Virginia Tech), 5-3 3rd: No. 3 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Danny Braunagel (Illinois), 13-3 5th: No. 19 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) dec. No. 15 Zach Hartman (Bucknell), 7-3 7th: No. 17 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) pinned Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois), 0:28 174: 1st: No. 4 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. No. 5 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-2 3rd: No. 10 Joey Gunther (Illinois) dec. No. 11 Ben Harvey (Army West Point), 4-2 5th: Jacob Covaciu (Indiana) by default over Donnell Washington (Indiana) 7th: Victor Marcelli (Virginia) by medical forfeit over Tyler Morland (Northwestern) 184: 1st: No. 4 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) dec. Abe Assad (Iowa), 3-0 3rd: Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec. Zach Braunagel (Illinois), 5-3 5th: Andrew Morgan (Campbell) dec. No. 12 Noah Stewart (Army West Point), 6-4 7th: Jack Jessen Villa (Northwestern) by medical forfeit over No. 20 Johnny Sebastian (Wisconsin) 197: 1st: No. 8 Christian Brunner (Purdue) dec. No. 16 Jay Aiello (Virginia), 7-3 3rd: No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) dec. No. 2 Jacob Warner (Iowa), 10-5 5th: Gage Braun (Northern Illinois) by medical forfeit over Hunter Ritter (Minnesota) 7th: J.T. Brown (Army West Point) by medical forfeit over Alex Hopkins (Army West Point) 285: 1st: No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. No. 8 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 5-1 3rd: No. 5 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec. Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard), 3-0 5th: No. 15 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) by medical forfeit over No. 13 Josh Hokit (Fresno State) 7th: Zach Elam (Missouri) dec. Bobby Heald Bedford (Army West Point), 6-0

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Newcomer Tanner Cook pinned two ranked opponents in leading the South Dakota State University wrestling team to a pair of victories Monday on the final day of the South Beach Duals. The Jackrabbits, who finished the two-day event with a 3-1 dual record, posted a 19-17 victory over Michigan State in the first match of the day and wrapped up the event with a 29-8 win against Old Dominion. SDSU improved to 4-3 overall, matching its win total in duals from a year ago. Versus Michigan State Cook, a freshman 165-pounder from Ilion, New York, swung the dual in the Jackrabbits' favor with a third-period pin of 25th-ranked Drew Hughes. Cook trailed 2-0 and faced a huge deficit in riding time entering the final period. However, he came up with a reversal to tie the bout, then got a turn to put Hughes' shoulders to the mat. Cook's victory gave the Jackrabbits a momentary 13-9 lead and was followed two matches later by a 7-6 decision by Zach Carlson, who outlasted the Spartans' Cameron Caffey, 7-6, in the 184-pound matchup. Tanner Sloan upped the SDSU lead to 19-14 with a 7-0 decision over Nick May at 197 pounds. Needing a pin to win the dual, the Spartans came up short as heavyweight Christian Rebottaro could only muster a 6-2 decision over the Jackrabbits' Blake Wolters. SDSU built an early 7-3 lead by winning two of the first three matches. Danny Vega won by major decision at 125 pounds and Clay Carlson added a decision in the 141-pound weight class. Michigan State closed the first half of the dual with wins by Alex Hrisopoulos (149 pounds) and Jake Tucker (157). Also winning for the Spartans was 25th-ranked 133-pounder Garrett Pepple, who scored a 4-2 decision over Zach Price. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 19, MICHIGAN STATE 17 125: Danny Vega (SDSU) major dec. Julian Saldana (MSU), 11-3 133: Garrett Pepple (MSU) dec. Zach Price (SDSU), 4-2 141: Clay Carlson (MSU) dec. Matt Santos (MSU), 6-2 149: Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU) dec. Peyton Smith (SDSU), 4-2 157: Jake Tucker (MSU) major dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 12-3 165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Drew Hughes (MSU), by fall 5:33 174: Layne Malczewski (MSU) tech. fall Cade King (SDSU), 17-1 184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) dec. Cameron Caffey (MSU), 7-6 197: Tanner Sloan (SDSU) dec. Nick May (MSU), 7-0 285: Christian Rebottaro (MSU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 6-2 Notes: MSU deducted one team point for misconduct Versus Old Dominion South Dakota State swept the second half of the dual in posting a 29-8 victory in its first-ever matchup against an Old Dominion squad that was receiving votes in the most recent NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. With the dual tied at 9-all through five matches, Cook again put the Jackrabbits in the driver's seat with a first-period pin of Shane Jones. Cade King followed Cook's victory with an 8-4 decision over Alex Cramer at 174 pounds, while Zach Carlson and Sloan added wins by major decision. Wolters closed out the dual with a 7-4 decision at heavyweight. Also winning by fall for the Jackrabbits was 125-pounder Danny Vega, who opened the dual by upsetting 12th-ranked Killian Cardinale with a pin in 39 seconds. Zach Price then turned in a 5-2 decision over Shannon Hanna at 133 pounds. All three of Old Dominion's wins came in succession, starting with a 7-4 decision by 15th-ranked Sa'Derian Perry over Clay Carlson at 141 pounds. Kenan Carter (149 pounds) and 14th-ranked Larry Early (157) also won by decision for the Monarchs. ODU later had a point deducted from its team total for lack of mat control. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 29, OLD DOMINION 8 125: Danny Vega (SDSU) def. Klilian Cardinale (ODU), by fall 0:39 133: Zach Price (SDSU) dec. Shannon Hanna (ODU), 5-2 141: Sa'Derian Perry (ODU) dec. Clay Carlson (SDSU), 7-4 149: Kenan Carter (ODU) dec. Peyton Smith (SDSU), 10-3 157: Larry Early (ODU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 6-4 165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Shane Jones (ODU), by fall 0:45 174: Cade King (SDSU) dec. Alex Cramer (ODU), 8-4 184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Antonio Agee (ODU), 15-3 197: Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Timothy Young (ODU), 13-0 285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. Jacob Bullock (ODU), 7-4 Notes: ODU deducted one team point for lack of mat control South Beach College Individual Recap Following dual action Monday, several Jackrabbits wrestled additional matches in the South Beach College Individual tournament. Leading the way for SDSU was Zach Price, who won by pin over Allan Hart of Missouri in 6 minutes and 25 seconds. Also recording wins for the Jackrabbits were Rylee Molitor (141 pounds), Garrett Jordan (165) and Kelby Hawkins (174). Midlands Recap Freshman 157-pounder Cade DeVos recorded an eighth-place finish at the Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The Altoona, Iowa, native finished the two-day tournament with a 5-2 record. He wrestled twice on Monday, advancing to the placing matches with a 6-3 decision over sixth-seeded A.C. Headlee of North Carolina. DeVos was upended by top-seeded Quincy Monday of Princeton, 6-3, in the next consolation round and later withdrew from his scheduled seventh-place match against Justin Ruffin of SIU-Edwardsville for medical reasons. UP NEXT The Jackrabbits return to dual action Jan. 10 at Northern Iowa. Start time for the Big 12 Conference dual is set for 7 p.m. at West Gym in Cedar Falls, Iowa.