InterMat Staff

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The semifinals are set at the Southern Scuffle, and will take place at 1:30 p.m. ET. Penn State leads the team race with 100 points, followed by Oklahoma State with 91 points. Cornell sits in third place with 73.5 points. Below are the semifinal matchups. 125: No. 4 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) vs. No. 13 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) No. 5 Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) vs. Brent Fleetwood (Central Michigan) 133: No. 1 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. No. 10 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) No. 4 George DiCamillo (Virginia) vs. No. 6 Jordan Conaway (Penn State) 141: No. 1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 11 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) No. 4 Joey McKenna (Stanford) vs. No. 16 Zach Horan (Central Michigan) 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Matthew Cimato (Drexel) No. 7 at 141 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) vs. Mitch Finesilver (Duke) 157: No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 10 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) vs. Ian Brown (Lehigh) 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. John Staudenmayer (North Carolina) Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. No. 14 Duke Pickett (Cornell) 174: No. 1 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) vs. No. 5 Bo Nickal (Penn State) No. 2 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 at 165 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 15 Matthew Miller (Navy) No. 4 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) vs. No. 6 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) 197: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Jacob A. Smith (West Virginia) No. 3 Conner Hartmann (Duke) vs. No. 5 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) 285: No. 4 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 12 Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) No. 6 Michael Kroells (Minnesota) vs. No. 13 Denzel Dejournette (Appalachian State)

CHATANOOGA, Tenn. -- No. 1 Penn State (6-0, 1-0 B1G) is leading the field after day one of the 2016 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, are looking to claim their sixth straight Southern Scuffle title. Penn State owns a slim three point lead over second place Oklahoma State at the event's midway point. Penn State advanced ten wrestlers into tomorrow morning's quarterfinals after a solid first round that saw the team advance 12 of its 16 wrestlers into the third round. Penn State then went 10-2 in the third round to move ten grapplers into the quarters. Penn State sits in first place with 47.5 points while Oklahoma State is a close second with 44.5. Penn State's first quarterfinalist was senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) at 125. Megaludis, the top seed and ranked No. 4 nationally, was the victim of a bracketing error, receiving two byes (instead of a bye and a forfeit win) when his first opponent did not make weight and the tournament directors chose not to redraw the bracket after weigh-ins. The decision cost Megaludis a victory and critical team bonus points and kept the senior inactive for the entire morning session. The issue is being clarified and could change overnight. The Lion senior's third round win; a 14-5 major over Mitch Rogaliner of Michigan State, was the 98th of his career and has him in tomorrow morning's quarterfinals. Senior All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 133 and the second-seed, went 2-0 on the day, including a tech fall and a 6-1 win over Gardner-Webb's Tyler Ziegler to advance to the quarterfinals. Sophomore Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) went 3-0 on day one, including a first round pin. He posted a thrilling 4-3 (tb) win over Campbell's Lucas Stewart at 141, riding him out to claim the tie-breaker victory and move into the quarterfinals. Sophomore All-American Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the top seed at 149 and ranked No. 1 nationally, rolled to two victories to move to the quarterfinals. Retherford got a pin and a technical fall to roll into the quarters and pick up big team bonus points along the way. Freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 157 and the tournament's top seed, rolled to two technical falls by a combined 48-18 score to move into tomorrow's quarterfinals. Nolf's second tech fall was a 23-8 win over Cornell's Chris Dowdy. Junior Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.) also advanced to the quarters at 157, going 3-0 on day one, including a technical fall in the opening round. Junior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.), ranked No. 18 at 165, went 2-0 to advance to the quarters at 165. Morelli posted a 20-5 tech fall in his Scuffle opener and then escaped with a hard-fought 6-5 (tb) win over Appalachian State's Forest Przybysz to advance to the quarterfinals. Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 5 at 174, rolled to a 3-0 mark with two tech falls and a major, advancing to the quarterfinals by a combined score of 53-9. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 184, went 2-0 with a pin to move to the quarterfinals. McCutcheon posted a hard-fought 5-4 win over North Carolina's Michael Macchiavello in his second bout, avenging his only loss of the year (suffered at the Nittany Lion Open in December). Senior All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the top seed and ranked No. 1 at 197, went 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals as well. McIntosh notched a technical fall and a major in his two Scuffle bouts. Red-shirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) got a pin in his first Scuffle bout of the day and the lost a hard-fought 5-3 decision to Michigan's Logan Massa in his next bout. The 1-1 day has Rasheed in consolation round four tomorrow. Sophomore Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) went 1-1 on day one, including a major. A 7-4 loss in the second round has Hammond in the fourth round of consolation action tomorrow. Penn State suffered a major upset loss in the second round at 141 where junior All-American Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 6, lost his opening match 4-3 to Lehigh's Cortland Schuyler. Gulibon rebounded to beat Appalachian State's Payton Shuford but was then upset again in the third round of consolation action, 6-3 by Michigan's Zac Hall. Gulibon went 1-2 at the Scuffle and bowed out on day one. True freshman Gary Dinmore (Skillman, N.J.), wrestling unattached at 149, won his first round bout (a 10-1 major over Chattanooga's Roman Boylan) then lost in the second round. He opened consolation action by majoring Michigan State's Kaelen Richards. He was leading his third round conso bout over Army's Mark Marchetti before having to take an injury default and bowing out of the tournament with a 2-2 record (including two majors). True freshman Jan Johnson (Mohnton, Pa.) got a first round bye and then missed on a last second takedown attempt to drop a 3-2 second round decision to Cornell's McZiggy Richards. Johnson then dropped a 5-3 decision to Central Michigan's Adam Robinson to bow out of the tournament with a 0-2 mark. Red-shirt Kenny Yanovich (Effort, Pa.) won his first round match up before losing in the second round. He closed out day one with a loss in his first consolation bout and ended his tournament with a 1-2 mark. Penn State went 28-10 one with a whopping 19 wins for bonus points. Sanderson's aggressive Lions notched seven majors, eight technical falls and four pins during the first day of action in McKenzie Arena. Day two of the Scuffle begins tomorrow, January 2, at 9 a.m. back in McKenzie Arena. Penn State's next home dual is on Friday, Jan. 15, when it hosts Nebraska at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. With the remaining Rec Hall duals already at seated capacity, a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets (SROs) can be purchased for each of those duals as well. Rec Hall SROs may only be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY and are $15 per person. A few limited tickets remain for the second BJC Dual, the Feb. 5 date against Ohio State. Fans can purchase those tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY as well. BJC Dual tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for students. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2015-16 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Team Standings: 1: PENN STATE - 47.5 2: Oklahoma State - 44.5 3: Cornell - 38.5 4: Lehigh - 36.5 Attendance: 2,670

Happy New Year, wrestling fans! The Professional Wrestling League of India wrapped up this week with Adeline Gray's Mumbai team taking the championship trophy. I was in India to profile Adeline for ESPN and was impressed with wrestling's newest venture into the professional realm. The in-arena and on-camera production values were second-to-none and the interest within the wrestling community was much higher than I anticipated. Also, women wrestlers were not only prominently featured, but were often the stars of the event as witnessed in the applauses, cheers and media requests. But that's all I'll report for now. Unfortunately a few days after landing I had an emergency appendectomy. I don't know if India was somehow the cause, but it certainly felt a little too coincidental. Anyway, I'll keep this week's column shorter to allow me more time to relax, and you, likely in a hungover stupor, to reflect on the decisions you made last night. To your questions … Q: Is it just me, or is Kyle Dake simply David Taylor's Kryptonite? And this is from a huge Taylor fan who thinks he's one of the best ever college champs. But he just can't get past Dake. Why not drop back down to 74 kilos where he matches up much better against Jordan Burroughs? -- Lon S. Foley: That would be a terrible idea! David Taylor may not have won many matches against Kyle Dake, but there is even less chance that the Penn State grad is going to outwrestle Burroughs two of three times. I just finished watching "Terry" and couldn't help but see some hope for Taylor in the story of Kendall Cross. All he really has to do is focus on the one guy … Q: How well do you think Eric Grajales will do in MMA? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Nobody can predict the long-term success of an MMA fighter because there are too many variables figuring into their in-cage and out-of-cage progression. From a tactical standpoint I think Grajales is well-suited to succeed in MMA. He's extremely athletic, which means he should pick up striking and jiu-jitsu faster than most. Grajales is also talented with upper-body throws, which means he can control where the fight goes much better than a leg-first wrestler. In that way he could be a lot like Daniel Cormier the current light heavyweight champion. A knock on Grajales is his conditioning. He's gassed quite a few times, though it's not clear if that's from weight cutting, bad dieting, or just a stunted Vo2 max. As we've seen with Conor McGregor, Grajales may just need to learn how to promote himself for fights. If he can get the media interested and pump up ticket sales then he'll get a chance to fight in the bigger organizations. If he sits back and hopes that results speak for themselves, then he'll be passed over for fighters willing to engage fans and motivate them to push play on a $70 PPV package. Q: It seems that the Aaron Pico hype machine has been very quiet lately. There was a time when the young kid was the hottest thing in amateur wrestling with speculation that he could beat Brent Metcalf while still of high school age. Since showing himself to not be invincible there is a lot less excitement around the young man. He's kind of blended into the rest of the group on the senior level. But he is 19! He's handling guys that were multiple-time NCAA champs in senior level freestyle tournaments while being the age of true freshman. My question is do you feel Pico is under appreciated? If he never achieves world medal success before he moves on to MMA he will never be mentioned in the same breath as other great wrestlers who have big NCAA success. Even though it's an easy assumption that he would be a multiple-time national champ. I say "easy assumption" because he's beating old champs right now. The same thing for Henry Cejudo and he even won a gold medal. But since he didn't have a long illustrious college career he fades to the back of our minds. Your thoughts? -- Dustin K. Aaron Pico battles Logan Stieber at the U.S. Senior Nationals/Trials Qualifier (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: Pico is appreciated by plenty of fans keen to the international scene. However, I agree that there is less attention on his successes than there are on collegiate stars who have done less in freestyle. That might be frustrating for some, but I don't get the sense that Pico is bothered by that disparity. As you mentioned, Pico is still young and being developed in a way that is unfamiliar to many in the wrestling community. If you look at the international World champions you'll see that most are roughly 24 years old, or the approximate age of Pico during the 2020 cycle. I think it's fair to assume he'll progress the most over that quad, though nothing is guaranteed, especially with MMA looming in the background. I've talked with Pico about all of this on several occasions and I get the sense that he's enjoying the opportunity to see the world and meet interesting people. He's confident and mature in a way that almost nobody his age can match. Another four years of bopping around the world to train and learn about the world is (in my mind) to great an opportunity to pass up -- perceptions of his success at home be damned. Taking everything into account, and assuming he makes a run at 2020, I don't think he'll fade away at all. I think that win or lose Pico is someone who will be talked about for a long time to come because he had the courage to take his own path and has pursued it with passion. MULTIMEDIA HALFIME Points for technique Points for control

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kyle Snyder, who intended to take an Olympic wavier and redshirt for the entirety of the 2015-16 season, will enroll in classes for the spring semester and compete for the Buckeyes this year, head coach Tom Ryan announced today. Kyle Snyder flexes after winning his semifinal match at the World Championships (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Snyder became the youngest freestyle World champion in U.S. wrestling history this past September and continues to train for the 2016 Summer Olympics. His 2015-16 debut will come Feb. 5 when Ohio State travels to State College, Pa. to tangle with No. 1 Penn State. Prior to that, he is slated to participate in the Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix Jan. 29-31 and the Alexander Medved International Feb. 18-19. Snyder could also compete in the Buckeyes' dual vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 12. He will wrestle in the Big Ten Championships (March 5-6, 2016 at Iowa City, Iowa) and the NCAA Championships (March 17-19, 2016 at Madison Square Garden, New York City). Snyder originally committed to the Buckeyes three years ago today (Jan. 1, 2013). "Kyle is a leader and recognizes that his team can win a second consecutive NCAA title by his return to the lineup," said Ryan, the 2015 National Coach of the Year. "He has selflessly chosen to enroll second semester and compete in four events. Kyle is mature beyond his years and our team will get a great boost with his return. His choice speaks volumes about him as well as the culture of the program. He will continue to focus his training on making the Olympic team in April as he will travel overseas twice over the next two months leading up to the Big Ten's and NCAA's." "I'm excited to be back on the mat helping my teammates as we chase another title," said Snyder, who will compete for the Buckeyes at heavyweight. "I can get all the freestyle experience I need to be prepared for the Trials in April while also wrestling at the collegiate level. I love Ohio State, the wrestling program and want to do all I can to add to its championship history. This was a well-thought-out plan and I am excited to see how it unfolds." Snyder's explosion to the top of the freestyle scene is well documented - last summer, he won gold at the U.S. Open, U.S. World Team Trials, Pan Am Games and World Championships. Along the way, he defeated 2012 Olympic goal medalist Jake Varner three times and edged returning World champion Abdusalam Gadisov of Russia the gold medal match at the World Championships. Snyder is currently No. 1 at 97kg (215 lbs.) in the United World Wrestling freestyle rankings. He has already qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which is slated to take place April 8-10 at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. In his freshman season for the Scarlet and Gray, Snyder went 30-4 with a team-high 15 major decisions and two technical falls. He was the Big Ten and NCAA runner up at 197 pounds, finishing 15-1 in the regular season against Big Ten competition. His victory over defending champion J'Den Cox in the 197 lbs. NCAA semifinals was instrumental in helping Ohio State earn its first team national title in school history. In the classroom, Snyder, a sport industry major, is a OSU Scholar-Athlete and was named in August to the NWCA True Freshman All-Academic Team.

The initial brackets for the 2016 Defense Soap & Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle have been released. There may be a few changes before tomorrow's action begins. View Southern Scuffle Initial Brackets

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Chuck Clausen, a high school state mat champ who wrestled and played football at the University of New Mexico before going on to coach football at a number of high school, college and NFL teams ranging from the Buckeyes to the Eagles, died on Christmas Eve in Gainesville, Ga. at age 75. Born in Anamosa, Iowa in June 1940, Charles Richard Clausen came to New Mexico with his family in the mid-1950s when his father Dick Clausen took a football coaching job at University of New Mexico. The younger Clausen quickly made a name for himself on the gridiron and on the mat, winning two state heavyweight wrestling titles at Albuquerque's Highland High School. When his dad accepted the Athletic Director position at University of Arizona, Clausen first enrolled at University of Iowa, according to the Albuquerque Journal ... but then transferred to UNM, where the 6'2", 230-pound Clausen was starting center and linebacker for the Lobos, helping them win the inaugural Western Athletic Conference championship his senior year in 1962. Described by his friends as a "big bear of a man" and a "gentle giant," Clausen also wrestled heavyweight for the New Mexico Lobos, winning 90% of his matches, according to his bio at the UNM Hall of Fame website , which also described Clausen as an academic star in addition to his athletic accomplishments. After graduating from UNM, Clausen launched his coaching career, serving as a head wrestling coach at Gallup High School in New Mexico and at Washington High School in Fremont, Calif. However, the greatest portion of Clausen's professional career was spent as an assistant football coach, starting as an assistant with Marv Levy at The College of William & Mary in Virginia in 1958. Later, Clausen accepted a coaching position working with head coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State through the early 1970s, helping to take the Buckeyes to four consecutive Rose Bowl appearances. After a decade-and-a-half in the collegiate football coaching ranks, Clausen then moved on to the NFL, as an assistant coach for Dick Vermeil and Marion Campbell with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-1985, earning a Super Bowl ring in the process when the Eagles' lost to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV. Clausen later served as an assistant for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers before retiring from coaching in 1991. He worked in commercial real estate in Gainesville, Ga., some 55 miles northeast of Atlanta. However, Clausen didn't leave the sports world completely. While in Gainesville, he began writing a high school sports column for the local newspaper and serving as a color commentator on high school football broadcasts on WDUN. A memorial service for Clausen will be held Saturday, Jan. 9 at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Gainesville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Boys & Girls Club of Hall County, PO Box 691, Gainesville, GA 30503 or Eagle Ranch, P.O. Box 7200, Chestnut Mountain, GA 30502, www.eagleranch.org .

In the past year, a number of individuals who once wrestled, coached or otherwise contributed to the sport passed away. There were young athletes, still competing in high school or college ... as well as those whose time in the sport was decades ago. InterMat pays tribute to these individuals who left us in 2015. Active wrestlers Three active high school wrestlers died during the 2015-16 season. In November, Tristan White, 14, of Treynor High School in western Iowa was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle while doing roadwork with his teammates after school. Earlier this month, Cullen Porter, 17, a senior at Franklin High School in Virginia died after being injured in wrestling practice. Then, on Dec. 19, Austin Roberts, 18, a 220-pound placer at the Iowa state wrestling championships in March, collapsed during the finals at a tournament in his home gym at Spencer High School, passing away later that evening at the local hospital. At least two current collegiate wrestlers died in 2015. In June, Steven Kelly, 157-pound starter for the Colorado State University-Pueblo wrestling squad, drowned while tubing in the Arkansas River near Pueblo. He was 23. In February, Nick Gavazzi, an 18-year-old freshman member of the Clarion University wrestling team, was killed when his car collided with a coal truck in Armstrong County, Pa. Olympians Dan Brand was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in 2011 (Photo/Larry Slater)A quartet of wrestlers who represented the U.S. at the Olympics in the 1950s and 60s died within the past 12 months. Dan Brand, University of Nebraska All-American heavyweight and two-time U.S. Olympic wrestler who earned a bronze medal at the 1964 Tokyo Games, died in February at age 79. Bill Kerslake, three-time Olympian (1952, 1956, 1960) who wrestled heavyweight at what is now Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, died in September at 85. Hugh Perry, a three-time NCAA champ at University of Pittsburgh who wrestled for the U.S. at the '56 Melbourne Games, passed away in January at age 84. A couple weeks earlier, Dick Beattie, 82, two-time NCAA titlewinner for Oklahoma State (1958, 1959) who earned a place on the '56 Olympic team but was forced to sit out because of an emergency appendectomy just before the Games, was killed in a car accident in his native Oklahoma. Two Olympic alternates also left us this year. Bradley Glass, 1951 NCAA heavyweight champ for Princeton University who was a U.S. Olympic alternate for the 1956 Melbourne Games, died at age 84 in August. Verne Gagne, two-time NCAA champ for Minnesota (1948, 1949) and 1948 London Olympics alternate who went on to become a major pro wrestling star in a career that spanned decades, lost his decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease in May. He was 89. College mat stars of the past In addition to Olympians with college mat titles already mentioned, at least three NCAA champs passed away this year. Bob Hoke, a two-time Big Ten conference champion and 1954 NCAA titlewinner for Michigan State who enjoyed a long career in medicine, died in May at age 82. Steve Fernandes, former Western New England College wrestler who won a 1982 NCAA Division III championship at what was then called Trenton State (now College of New Jersey), died at age 54 in September. The following month saw the passing of Jim Harmon, 81, 1953 NCAA champ for Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa). As for other former collegiate wrestlers who died in 2015 ... Greg Plitt, a 2000 West Point graduate who wrestled for Army, then went on to become a fitness model featured on dozens of magazine covers (and was the subject of 2007 InterMat profile), died in January after being struck by a commuter train in suburban Los Angeles. He was 37. Gary Dillingham, a 1962 SUNY Athletic Conference champion wrestler at SUNY-Cortland who went on to a long coaching career at Cortland High School, died of an apparent heart attack while maintaining statistics at a high school wrestling event in January. Frank Rader, a former Davidson College wrestler and leader in USA Wrestling, passed away in his North Carolina home in May at age 66. George Hobbs, three-time Big Ten finalist and 1962 NCAA All-American for Michigan State who went on to coach the now-defunct mat program at Western Michigan University, died in July. In October, Carl Abell, two-time Big Ten runner-up in the late 1940s at Ohio State, passed away at age 88. Russ Doan, a three-time Interstate conference champ for Kent State in the late 1930s who went on to a long high school coaching/athletic director career in northeast Ohio, died in December at age 99. Emanuel Yarbrough, larger-than-life two-time NCAA heavyweight All-American for Morgan State in the 1980s who went on to compete in sumo and mixed martial arts, died of a heart attack just before Christmas. Chuck Clausen, heavyweight wrestler for the University of New Mexico in the early 1960s who went on to coach football at big-time college programs as well as the NFL, died Christmas Eve at 75. Coaches Death took a trio of well-known, highly-respected former college mat coaches. Joe Wells, former University of Iowa wrestler and retired head coach at Oregon State who led the Beavers to a 161-94-3 record in 14 seasons from 1993-2006, died in April at age 67. Dean Sensenbaugh, who created the intercollegiate wrestling program at California's Modesto Junior College and served as its head coach for nearly 30 years, died in August after suffering a stroke on his 91st birthday. Also passing away in August: Jim Aguiar, 68, former head wrestling coach at New Hampshire's Plymouth State and Minnesota State University Moorhead. In December, it was announced that Dave Foster, long-time wrestling coach at California's Lassen Community College, had passed away. A number of top-notch high school coaching legends who made their mark in intense wrestling hotbeds passed away in 2015. Ray Nunamaker, Penn State wrestler who became a legendary coach at Nazareth High School in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, died in July at age 74, having been diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. John T. Toggas, the first York County, Pa. wrestling coach to reach 300 victories, passed away in October at 83. George Munnich, long associated with wrestling on Long Island - as a wrestler at the storied Mepham High School program in the early 1950s, then at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and later as wrestling coach on the middle and high school level - passed away at age 78 after suffering a stroke in November. The wrestling community also felt the loss of individuals with strong connections to the sport. Ruth McCain Nichols, widow of all-time great Iowa State head wrestling coach Harold Nichols, passed away in September at age 92. That same month, Jillian Tsirtsis, 33, sister of Northwestern wrestling champ Jason Tsirtsis and former Iowa All-American Alex Tsirtsis, was killed in an accident on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. Doug Reiter, patriarch of a wrestling family that included two sons who won four Iowa state titles and who served the Don Bosco High School wrestling program in a number of ways, passed away this fall after a two-year battle with brain cancer. On December 1, Allen Brown, College Editor for the amateur wrestling website WrestlingReport.com and popular, highly respected participant in various online amateur wrestling forums under the name "Stove Pipe" passed away days after suffering a stroke.

In terms of intercollegiate wrestling programs, the year 2015 saw a number of birth announcements for new programs ... sadly, a few obituaries concerning the death of a handful of programs ... and, even a few programs that returned from the grave to wrestle another day. New programs The roll call of college programs announced in 2015 came from geographically diverse locations throughout the U.S. For the most part, the new programs built on a trend of the past few years of smaller colleges adding wrestling to their roster of sports offerings to attract and keep a diverse student body. The year started off with Greensboro College of North Carolina reporting it would add men's wrestling to its roster of intercollegiate sports competing in NCAA Division III. In April, Ferrum College in Virginia revealed it would build on the success of its current men's wrestling program with the addition of women's wrestling and men's club wrestling. In June, Bacone College in Oklahoma announced it would be adding a women's intercollegiate program to go with its successful men's program. In July, Otterbein University just outside Columbus, Ohio let it be known they would add a men's wrestling program to their roster of Division III sports. The fall saw even more news of new programs. In September, Otero Junior College revealed it was adding a mat program, the first two-year college in Colorado to do so... all with the idea of offering more opportunities for wrestlers in that state and neighboring Kansas. Just last month, Drury University in Springfield, Mo. announced it was launching a men's wrestling program which would compete in NCAA Division II ... while, just before Thanksgiving, Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky. -- a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio -- announced it would be adding a varsity Division III wrestling program as well as a dance team to its roster of sports programs in the fall of 2016. Rounding out the newly announced programs for 2015 ... Castleton University, the oldest institution of higher learning in Vermont (founded in 1787), just named Scott Legacy to head up its new wrestling program which takes to the mats in 2016. Reinstated programs Some schools brought back wrestling programs that had been eliminated a number of years earlier. In January, Millikin University of Decatur, Ill. revealed it was bringing back its Division III mat program which had been eliminated in 2008. Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, which had axed its Division III men's program three decades ago, announced its return ... becoming only the third all-male school to offer D3 wrestling. In July, Nebraska Wesleyan announced it was bringing back its D3 program that had been in existence from 1962-1982. Arguably the most eagerly anticipated "return" was Fresno State. After months of statements and speculation, the California university made it official in February: the Bulldogs will be back on the mat in 2018-19 after the program was axed in 2007. Resurrection A couple schools announced they would be saying goodbye to their mat programs ... only to reverse their decisions a couple weeks later. Less than a month after announcing in March it was "suspending" its NCAA Division II wrestling program for two seasons, Northern State University of South Dakota changed its mind and reinstated its Wolves mat program immediately. Cleveland State wrestling teamAbout the same time, Cleveland State revealed it would defund its 52-year-old Division I wrestling program, and replace it with a men's lacrosse program. However, thanks to the efforts of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and Wrestlers in Business Network, coupled with the outrage that erupted from the wrestling community -- not just in the wrestling hotbed of northern Ohio, but throughout the nation, along with the news that the CSU athletic director was a former lacrosse star still involved in the sport, and the embarrassment of having the school host the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships without having a mat program -- forced the school to change its mind, reinstating and reestablishing funding for the Viking mat program, while staying true to its plan to add a men's lacrosse program. Dealt a death blow Sadly, some college mat programs received the death penalty, with no expectation of being resurrected anytime soon. Darton State College announced it would be axing its intercollegiate wrestling program at the end of the 2014-15 season. The school, located in Albany, Ga., cited significant decreases in revenue and continued decline in enrollment among the reasons. The Darton mat program had generated negative national headlines in September 2013, when a total of three wrestlers had collapsed during outdoor workouts in summer heat on two separate days. One of the wrestlers, 20-year-old Ben Richards of Tampa, Fla. died nine days after collapsing during a five-mile run. Three weeks after placing seventh in the team standings at the 2015 National Collegiate Wrestling Association Championships, the wrestling club at Glendale Community College in Arizona was eliminated in March. In June, Knox College extinguished its Prairie Fire NCAA Division III wrestling program after 65 years, effective with the 2015-16 season. The school, located in Galesburg, Ill., cited low roster numbers and a succession of three coaches each serving only one season as primary reasons for the decision. That same month, New York City's Yeshiva University eliminated its wrestling program launched 65 years ago by legendary Olympic wrestler Henry Wittenberg, and dismissed its head coach of 45 years, Neil Ellman, with a phone call from the athletic directed who cited the school's "pressing financial needs."  

The path to the New Jersey high school state wrestling championships will remain as it has for both public and non-public schools, as the state's Commissioner of Education reversed a decision made earlier this month by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association which would have mandated a separate set of qualifying tournaments for private school wrestlers to qualify for the state tournament. In what the NorthJersey.com website described as "a stunning announcement" late Monday, state Commissioner of Education David Hespe reversed the decisions made by the membership of the NJSIAA earlier this month to separate public and non-public schools in football and on the road to the state tournament in wrestling NJ.com -- website for a number of New Jersey newspapers, including the Newark Star-Ledger -- opened its article announcing Monday's news: "In one of the most significant decisions ever in New Jersey high school sports, State Commissioner of Education David Hespe ruled Monday to reverse a pair of controversial votes separating public and non-public schools in football and wrestling for the first time in state history." Under the plan approved by the NJSIAA in early December but reversed Monday by Hespe, there would have been four districts and one separate region for wrestlers at nonpublic schools in the state individual wrestling tournament. In addition, Hespe asked the NJSIAA to further study the nonpublic/public issue. NJSIAA member schools voted by a nearly 2-to-1 margin to split non-public wrestling programs into their own district and region tournaments before advancing to Atlantic City for the state tournament, echoing a proposal made by the NJSIAA in 2008 but shot down by a previous commissioner of education in January 2009. In a letter to the NJSIAA on Monday, Hespe wrote, "It is clear that some NJSIAA member schools are frustrated by the non-competitive nature of playing elite non-public schools, raising both fairness and safety concerns. However, non-public schools have also raised concerns about discrimination, equal athletic opportunity and the ability to develop full schedules without increased burdens to the non-public schools." Addressing the wrestling proposal, Hespe said that while the proposal is "somewhat different" from the 2008 proposal, it "does not clearly demonstrate an unfair competitive disadvantage for public school participants at the individual State wrestling tournament." He went on to say that even if the proposal was able to demonstrate an unfair advantage, "the submission fails to address how the proposal maintains equal athletic opportunity for non-public school students." In responding to Hespe's decision, Steve Timko, executive director of the NJSIAA, said, "It was a long-awaited decision. I was anticipating a response like everybody else." "When we get back from vacation, we'll be taking a close look at his letter to me and starting our strategy from there," Timko added.

The preseeds for the 2016 Defense Soap & Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle are listed below. We are just a day after from the start of action, so here is where the top competitors sit in each weight class. Hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Southern Scuffle takes place in the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Jan. 1-2. For tickets, local attractions and hotel information, visit www.TheSouthernScuffle.com. Flowrestling and Trackwrestling provide complete coverage of the event through live video and live scoring. Links for both are on www.TheSouthernScuffle.com. Once again, the official hashtag of the Southern Scuffle is #LetsScuffle. The tournament trended nationally on social media each year it has been in Chattanooga. Be sure to use the #LetsScuffle hashtag when tweeting about the event. 125: 1. Nico Megaludis (Penn State) 2. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 3. Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) 4. Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 5. Drew Templeman (Wyoming) 6. Connor Schram (Stanford) 7. Sean Russell (Edinboro) 8. Emilio Martinez (Virginia) 9. Dalton Macri (Cornell) 10. Brent Fleetwood (Central Michigan) 133: 1. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) 2. Jordan Conaway (Penn State) 3. George DiCamillo (Virginia) 4. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 5. Josh Martinez (Air Force) 6. David Pearce (Drexel) 7. Caleb Richardson (Penn) 8. Nathan Kraisser (Campbell 9. Sam Brancale (Minnesota) 10. Keegan Moore (West Virginia) 141: 1. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) 2. Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) 3. Joey McKenna (Stanford) 4. Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) 5. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) 6. Randy Cruz (Lehigh) 7. Zach Horan (Central Michigan) 8. Kevin Devoy (Drexel) 9. Kade Moss (Penn State) 10. Javier Gasca (Michigan State) 149: 1. Zain Retherford (Penn State) 2. Evan Henderson (North Carolina) 3. C.J. Cobb (Penn) 4. Colin Heffernan (Central Michigan) 5. Jake Short (Minnesota) 6. Matthew Cimato (Drexel) 7. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) 8. Patricio Lugo (Edinboro) 9. Laike Gardner (Lehigh) 10. Paul Fox (Stanford) 157: 1. Jason Nolf (Penn State) 2. Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) 3. Lucas Smith (Central Michigan) 4. Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) 5. Dylan Cottrell (West Virginia) 6. Dylan Palacio (Cornell) 7. Russell Parsons (Army) 8. Aaron Walker (The Citadel) 9. Andrew Atkinson (Virginia) 10. Zack Beitz (Penn State) 165: 1. Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 2. Jim Wilson (Stanford) 3. Duke Pickett (Cornell) 4. Casey Fuller (Edinboro) 5. Jake Faust (Duke) 6. Geno Morelli (Penn State) 7. Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) 8. Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) 9. Garrett Hammond (Penn State) 10. Logan Massa (Michigan) 174: 1. Brian Realbuto (Cornell) 2. Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) 3. Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) 4. Bo Nickal (Penn State) 5. Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan) 6. Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) 7. Benjamin Stroh (Wyoming) 8. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) 9. Brian Harvey (Army) 10. Casey Kent (Penn) 184: 1. Gabe Dean (Cornell) 2. Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) 3. Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) 4. Matt McCutcheon (Penn State) 5. Matthew Miller (Navy) 6. Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) 7. Alex Utley (North Carolina) 8. Jordan Rogers (Oklahoma State) 9. Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan) 10. Austin Severn (Central Michigan) 197: 1. Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) 2. Conner Hartmann (Duke) 3. Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) 4. Jacob A. Smith (West Virginia) 5. Zach Nye (Virginia) 6. John Bolich (Lehigh 7. Marshall Haas (The Citadel) 8. J.T. Goodwin (Cal Poly) 9. Vince Pickett (Edinboro) 10. Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga) 285: 1. Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) 2. Michael Kroells (Minnesota) 3. Denzel Dejournette (Appalachian State) 4. Max Wessell (Lehigh) 5. Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) 6. Jared Johnson (Chattanooga) 7. Tanner Harms (Wyoming) 8. Billy Miller (Edinboro) 9. Nathan Butler (Stanford) 10. Jeramy Sweany (Cornell)

Evanston, Ill. -- For the first time in program history, a member of the NC State wrestling team capture a first place finish at the prestigious Midlands Championships - and the Wolfpack did so twice tonight. Redshirt-seniors Tommy Gantt (157 pounds) and Nick Gwiazdowski (285) each won NC State's first titles at the Midlands Championships. Gantt claimed the Pack's first-ever title at the Midlands Championships, cruising to a 6-0 record and the title at 157 pounds. Going 4-0 on Tuesday to reach the semifinals, Gantt picked up two wins over ranked foes in Wednesday action for the championship. He started with a 6-4 win in overtime over No. 15 Chad Walsh of Rider. In the title bout, Gantt defeated top-seed and No. 7 Cody Pack of South Dakota State, 4-2. Gwiazdowski was dominating enroute to his title win, and extends his NCAA-best winning streak to 71 straight matches in the process. He used three bonus point wins - two falls and a major decision - to reach Wednesday's semifinals. Just like Gantt, Gwiazdowski beat two ranked foes on Wednesday to win the title. He took out No. 13 Sam Stoll of Iowa in the afternoon session with a 10-1 major decision, then in the night-cap defeated No. 15 Tanner Hall of Arizona State, 4-3. Both Gantt and Gwiazdowski remain undefeated on the season, combining to go 28-0, including nine wins over ranked foes. In addition to Gantt and Gwiazdowski's wins, NC State also had two other grapplers on the final podium as So. Kevin Jack was third at 141 pounds, and Jr. Pete Renda was fifth at 184. Jack was a perfect 4-0 in action on Wednesday in the wrestlebacks. He started with a 16-1 technical fall, followed by decisions of 7-4 and 6-3. In the third place bout, Jack topped No. 4 Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers 5-2. Renda scored a pair of wins over ranked foes on his way to a fifth place finish. His first match resulted in a first-period pin, and then downed No. 20 Nicholas Gravina of Rutgers. Renda narrowly fell to No. 9 Sammy Brooks of Iowa, 8-7, but finished strong with a 3-2 win over No. 17 Abram Ayala of Princeton in his final bout. In the team standings, NC State placed fourth with 95.5 points. No. 2 Iowa won the event with 152 points, followed by Nebraska (135) and Rutgers (110). Up Next: NC State will be in action for the first time this season, when the Wolfpack travels to Duke on Jan. 6 for a 7 p.m. dual.

Viking junior Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) made program history on Wednesday, becoming the first Grand View wrestler to win a title at The Midlands Championships held in Evanston, Ill. He is also the first NAIA champion to win a title at the Midlands since 2003 and the first non-NCAA Div I wrestler to win a championship since 2006. Long won the 141 pound championship, competing in a bracket that included four NCAA Div I All-Americans. Seeded fourth, Long dominated the 141 bracket with a fall over Will Clark of North Carolina (6:32) in his first match, followed by a 14-4 major decision over Tyler Scotten of American University. He collected another fall over Danny Sabatello of Purdue (6:09) to advance to the semifinals where he recorded a tech fall (25-8) over Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven. In the championship bout, Long matched up against Northern Illinois' Steve Bleise. Long nearly pinned Bleise on two occasions, but settled for another tech fall (23-6) to claim the title. At the conclusion of the tournament, Long was named the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler as well as the Art Kraft Champion of Champions, an award voted upon by the other first place finishers in the tournament. As a team, Grand View tallied 38 points and finished 16th of the 43 mostly NCAA Div I teams in the tournament. In addition to Long, five more Vikings competed at the prestigious Midlands Tourney - Tristan Bundy (125), Jacob Colon (133), Godwin Cutler (133), Elijah Sullivan (149), and Dean Broghammer (285).

Evanston, Ill. -- Led by two finalists, No. 9 Nebraska finished second in the 53rd Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday. The Huskers scored 135 points for the tournament to finish behind team champion Iowa (152). Rutgers rounded out the top three with 110 points. All-American TJ Dudley (184) and redshirt freshman Derek White (197) each advanced to the finals, but fell by narrow decisions to collect runner-up honors. Dudley, the No. 8 wrestler by InterMat, pinned No. 16 Abram Ayala of Princeton in the semifinals. Dudley fell to two-time NCAA champion David Taylor, a former Penn State wrestler, by a 5-3 decision in the finals. At 197 pounds, White won a 6-2 decision in the semifinals over Rutgers' Hayden Hrymack. In the finals, White fell to fourth-ranked Nathan Burak of Iowa, 6-1. White, a redshirt freshman from Edmond, Okla., moves to 8-2 on the season. No. 10 Tim Lambert (125), No. 14 Eric Montoya (133) and No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (149) each finished third. Lambert, a junior from Forest Hills, Mich., went 5-1 in the tournament and has won 11 of his last 12 matches. Montoya defeated 20th-ranked Anthony Giraldo of Rutgers in the third-place match, 4-2. Montoya went 7-1 in the tournament, which included one pin and three major decisions. Sueflohn fell to No. 2 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa in the semifinals, but responded with two victories to finish third. Sueflohn won a 10-1 major decision over fourth-ranked Alexander Richardson of Old Dominion in the third-place match. No. 12 Micah Barnes (174) and No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (197) each finished fourth. No. 11 Austin Wilson (165) took fifth place with a 7-2 showing at the Midlands Championships. Freshman Kris Williams (125), wrestling unattached, also finished fifth. He went 6-2 with four bonus-point wins. No. 18 Tyler Berger finished seventh at 157 pounds after a 5-2 performance in the tournament. No. 15 Collin Jensen (HWT) also wrestled on Wednesday, but did not place. The Huskers resume their Big Ten dual slate on Friday, Jan. 8 at Wisconsin at 7 p.m. (CT). On Sunday, Jan. 10, NU will host Minnesota at the Devaney Center at 2 p.m. Both duals will be streamed on BTN Plus.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won three individual titles and scored a team total of 152 points to win the 53rd annual Midlands Championships on Wednesday night. In the team point race, Iowa was followed by Nebraska (135), Rutgers (110), North Carolina State (95.5), and Rider (67). Iowa crowned three champions -- Thomas Gilman (125), Brandon Sorensen (149), and Nathan Burak (197). No. 1 seeded Gilman took the 125 title for the second time in three years at the Midlands Championships. He collected first place in 2013 and took second in 2014. Gilman surpassed second seeded Ronnie Rios (Oregon St.), 5-1, to improve his Midlands record to 14-3 and advance his season record to 12-0. "It's a feather in your cap", the Iowa junior said. "It's not really about winning the Midlands, it's how you win it and the way I won it was a little too close. I've got to get guys to start coming into me and keep scoring those bonus points". Sorensen, seeded first at 149, gathered his first Midlands Championship with a 3-1 overtime victory over No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern). At the end of regulation, the wrestlers were tied at one, but Sorensen delivered a takedown shortly into sudden victory to secure the title. The win improves the head-to-head record between the competitors to 2-2 and advances Sorensen's season record to 13-0. "It's big, I've been here three times now, finally getting the Midlands title is really what I wanted", Sorensen said. "Moving on still undefeated, let's keep it that way". Burak defended his championship title at 197 after a 6-1 decision over No. 14 seed Derek White from Nebraska. This is the second consecutive year an Iowa wrestler has become a repeat champion (Mike Evans, 174-pounds). "A big takeaway for me is just to score quick and stay on the guy", Burak said reflecting on the tournament. "It feels pretty good (to win two years in a row), it's definitely exciting and I'm gonna try to keep winning". The Hawkeyes also closed out the Midlands Championships with two third-place finishes, as first-seeded Alex Meyer (174) and fourth-seeded Sam Stoll (285) each won their consolation finals matches. Meyer tallies his second consecutive third place finish at the Midlands Championships with a medical forfeit from No. 2 seed Micah Barnes (Nebraska). Stoll recorded a 11-1 major decision over sixth-seeded Ross Larson (Oklahoma) to place for the first time in his career at the Midlands. Sammy Brooks collected a fourth-place finish at 185 pounds. The junior was defeated by the No. 5 seed Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), in a 9-5 decision. This was the third meeting between Brooks and Zillmer, most recently during the Midlands quarterfinals where Brooks took the match 5-2 to advance to the semis. Freshman Michael Kemerer, wrestling unattached, placed fifth in his Midlands debut after a medical forfeit by the fifth-seed, Bryant Clagon (Rider), in the finals. Kemerer went 6-2 at the tournament, four of his victories resulting in bonus points. So far this season, Kemerer holds a 20-2 overall record and tallied bonus points in 16 of those matches. "We've got to do a better job of scoring takedowns", UI head coach Tom Brands critiqued as he summarized the tournament. "We've got to score takedowns. Positive is that we had three in the finals and we went three for three, that's important to me. Winning finals is important". Iowa returns to action on Friday, Jan. 8 at Illinois. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Huff Hall.

1. Iowa 152 2. Nebraska 135 3. Rutgers 110 4. North Carolina State 95.5 5. Rider 67 6. Iowa State 64 7. Old Dominion 63.5 8. Princeton 63 9. Northwestern 61 10. South Dakota State 57 11. Purdue 54.5 12. Oregon State 50 13. Northern Iowa 45 14. Oklahoma 41 15. Ohio 40.5 16. Grand View 38 17. North Dakota State 37.5 18. Arizona State 36 19. American U. 35 20. Northern Illinois 35 21. Maryland 33 22. CSU Bakersfield 31 23. Nittany Lion WC 26 24. Buffalo 23 25. Columbia 20 26. Wisconsin 17.5 27. Eastern Michigan 16.5 28. George Mason 16 29. Lock Haven 13 30. Cal Baptist 12.5 31. Kent State 10.5 32. Lehigh 8.5 33. Indiana 5.5 34. SIU-Edwardsville 5.5 35. Bloomsburg 4.5 36. Illinois 3.5 37. Messiah College 2.5 38. Poeta WC 1 39. Bears Wrestling Club 0 39 Chicago 0 39. Franklin & Marshall 0 39. Wabash College 0 39. Wisconsin-Whitewater 0

125: 1st: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State), 5-1 3rd: No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) dec. No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 4-2 5th: Kris Williams (Nebraska) maj. dec. Kegan Calkins (Oregon State), 12-4 7th: Ben Thornton (Purdue) dec. Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion), 6-4 133: 1st: Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) dec. No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), 4-2 SV2 3rd: No. 14 Eric Montoya (Nebraska) dec. No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers), 4-2 5th: Dom Malone (Northwestern) by medical forfeit over Cory Clark (Iowa) 7th: No. 5 Earl Hall (Iowa State) maj. dec. No. 17 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 11-3 141: 1st: Andrew Long (Grand View) tech. fall No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois), 23-6 3rd: No. 5 Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) dec. No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers), 5-2 5th: Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 8-6 7th: No. 19 Rick Durso (Franklin & Marshall) dec. No. 3 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-1 149: 1st: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), 3-1 SV 3rd: No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) maj. dec. No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion), 10-1 5th: Michael Kemerer (Iowa) by medical forfeit over No. 14 Bryant Clagon (Rider) 7th: Ken Theobald (Rutgers) pinned No. 16 Gabe Moreno (Iowa State), 1:12 157: 1st: No. 7 Thomas Gantt (North Carolina State) dec. No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota State), 4-2 3rd: No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider) maj. dec. No. 17 Richie Lewis (Rutgers), 10-1 5th: Greg Flournoy (George Mason) by medical forfeit over No. 11 John Boyle (American) 7th: No. 18 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Markus Scheidel (Columbia), 5-2 165: 1st: No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) pinned No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa St.), 3:54 3rd: No. 19 Connor Brennan (Rider) dec. Mitch Wightman (American), 6-2 5th: No. 11 Austin Wilson (Nebraska) dec. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield), 3-1 7th: Patrick Rhoads (Iowa) pinned Tyler Rill (Buffalo), 6:42 174: 1st: No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) dec. No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton), 1-0 3rd: No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa) by medical forfeit over No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska) 5th: Phil Bakuckas (Rutgers) dec. David Kocer (South Dakota State), 4-1 7th: No. 15 Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State) pinned Trace Engelkes (Northern Illinois), 0:18 184: 1st: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) dec. No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska), 5-3 3rd: No. 12 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) dec. No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 9-5 5th: No. 17 Pete Renda (North Carolina State) dec. No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton), 3-2 7th: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) pinned No. 20 Nick Gravina (Rutgers), 2:44 197: 1st: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. Derek White (Nebraska), 6-1 3rd: No. 13 Brett Harner (Princeton) pinned No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), 2:50 5th: No. 6 Reuben Franklin (CSU Bakersfield) by medical forfeit over Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers) 7th: No. 12 Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) dec. Ryan Wolfe (Rider), 7-3 285: 1st: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) dec. No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State), 4-3 3rd: No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma), 11-1 5th: No. 9 Billy Smith (Rutgers) dec. Dawson Peck (Maryland), 5-0 7th: Gage Hutchison (Eastern Michigan) tech. fall Joseph Fagiano (Cal Baptist), 26-8

125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 4-1 No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) pinned No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), 2:21 133: Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) by medical forfeit over No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers), 5-2 141: Andrew Long (Grand View) tech. fall Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 25-8 No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) dec. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), 5-4 TB 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 7-4 No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion), 3-1 SV 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota State) dec. No. 11 John Boyle (American), 6-2 No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) dec. No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider), 6-4 165: No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) dec. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield), 10-4 No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) maj. dec. Mitch Wightman (American), 15-2 174: No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) dec. No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa), 7-0 No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) dec. No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska), 5-4 TB2 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) dec. No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 7-2 No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) pinned No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton), 6:55 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), 4-2 Derek White (Nebraska) dec. Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers), 6-2 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) maj. dec. No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa), 10-1 No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) maj. dec. No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma), 10-2 Finals Matchups: 125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) 133: No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) vs. Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) 141: Andrew Long (Grand View) vs. No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota State) vs. No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) 165: No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) vs. No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) 174: No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) vs. No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) vs. No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) vs. Derek White (Nebraska) 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) vs. No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Myles Martin, a highly-touted true freshman on the Ohio State wrestling team, will make his 2015-16 debut in the Buckeyes' starting lineup this Sunday at No. 11 Illinois, head coach Tom Ryan announced today. Martin, who is 18-2 so far this season wrestling unattached in open tournaments, came to Ohio State as the nation's top-ranked recruit at 182 pounds and was the No. 3 pound for pound prospect by Flowrestling. He will wrestle at 174 pounds this season for the No. 6 Buckeyes. “We're excited to see Myles compete in the varsity line up,” said Ryan, the 2015 National Coach of the Year. “He is an elite recruit and the past six months I have witnessed his world class work ethic. He will have a significant impact in our lineup. He is selfless and we expect big things from him at 174 pounds.” “My training partners in the practice room and coaches have prepared me for this and I couldn't be more excited,” said Martin. “I came to Ohio State because I knew I'd be around people who would push me to be better, to reach my full potential – and that's exactly what's happened. I'm ready to help this team in any and every way that I can.” Included in Martin's resume this year are titles at the Eastern Michigan Open, Findlay Open and a second place showing at the Penn State Open. Thirteen of his 18 wins have come via bonus points (six tech falls, five falls, two major decisions). On his way to his Findlay Open title, Martin had pins in the first and second rounds before winning his final three matches by a combined score of 52-6 (all tech falls). At Eastern Michigan, he went 5-0 with a pin, tech fall and major decision before edging Indiana's Nate Jackson, a NCAA qualifier last year, 7-5 in the championship match. Martin, a Penns Grove, N.J. native, comes to the Buckeyes from the McDonogh School, where he was a four-time national prep finalist and junior freestyle national champion. Martin twice won the Beast of the East Tournament and placed first at the 2014 National Preps. He went 46-1 as a junior with 25 pins in leading McDonough to a triple crown: the MIAA dual meet title, tournament title and MIS wrestling team title. In his final two high school seasons, Martin was 92-2. He won 171 matches over his four-year career. True freshmen making a major impact in Ohio State's lineup in not uncommon. Under Ryan, the Buckeyes have produced five true freshmen All-Americans -- JD Bergman, Lance Palmer, Cam Tessari, Hunter Stieber and Kyle Snyder. Snyder's run to the 197-pound NCAA finals last March was key in Ohio State's first-ever team national title. Ohio State's match at Illinois on Sunday can be seen live on FightingIllini.com (subscription required). The Illini feature sixth-ranked Zac Brunson (13-0) at 174 lbs.

The recent death of Austin Roberts, Spencer (Iowa) High School senior wrestler who collapsed during the 220-pound finals at a tournament in his home gym the Saturday before Christmas and died in the hospital hours later, can only give pause to those involved in the sport. Yet athletes, coaches, families and fans can take comfort in knowing that wrestler deaths tied directly to an incident during workouts, practice or in an actual match are incredibly rare. Since Roberts' passing, the Des Moines Register cited a report from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, which found just one fatality in high school wrestling across the country for the 2012-13 school year, the most recent year for which statistics were available. The National Federation of State High School Associations lists 278,890 high school wrestling participants in that season. To provide additional perspective ... in a separate article, the Des Moines Register cited statistics from another report from the same organization which found four fatalities from all high school winter sports nationwide for the 2012-13 school year. (This article was published in light of the deaths of two prep athletes in Iowa while directly participating in their respective sports. In addition to Roberts, a high school basketball player collapsed during a game in early December, and passed away one week later.) The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that there isn't a record of wrestling-related deaths in Iowa, according to Iowa High School Athletic Association officials. That said Roberts' death was the first in Executive Director Alan Beste's 28 years with the ISHAA. To be eligible to participate, Iowa high school male athletes must pass a yearly physical conducted by a "physician and surgeon, osteopathic physician and surgeon, osteopath, qualified doctor of chiropractic, licensed physician's assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner," the IHSAA rules state. An autopsy was performed on Roberts the day before Christmas. As of this writing, results have not been made public. An initial exam indicated the late Spencer High wrestler -- who was a placer at the Iowa high school state championships in March, and was 12-0 this season -- died of natural causes, and had not been injured or poisoned. Austin Roberts' father Travis Roberts told NBC News that his son had no history of collapsing during matches or workouts, nor any other known health issues. Witnesses to Austin Roberts' last match on Dec. 19 said there was no collision or slam or any other incident. InterMat has reported on the deaths of three high school wrestlers so far during the 2015-16 season. Two involved prep wrestlers in the state of Iowa. In addition to the passing of Roberts this month, in November, Tristan White, 14, of Treynor High in western Iowa, was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle while doing roadwork with his wrestling teammates on a country road not far from home. A third death took place in Virginia; in early December, Cullen Porter, 17, a senior at Franklin High School, died after being injured in wrestling practice. No cause of death had been reported in the local media. Anecdotal evidence may provide additional comfort for wrestlers, their families and friends beyond statistics. In 2009, this writer began producing news stories about U.S. amateur wrestling, including reporting on the deaths of active and former participants in the sport. In that time, most of the deaths involving current high school or college wrestlers have taken place far from the sport. Prior to the deaths of the three high school matmen this season, the last U.S. amateur wrestler to have died while involved in an activity related directly to his sport was in September 2013, when a wrestler at Georgia's Darton State College collapsed during an outdoor team run in extreme heat, and died nine days later. From my experience, the two most common causes of death for active wrestlers have involved vehicle accidents, with accidental drownings ranking a close second.

EVANSTON, Illinois -- The University of Iowa wrestling team posted a 7-3 record in the quarterfinal round of the Midlands Championship on Tuesday night. The Hawkeyes have individual title hopes in seven weights, with all No. 1 seeded wrestlers remaining en route to the championships. Iowa sits in first place with 96 points. Nebraska is a distant second with 78 points, followed by Rutgers (62), North Carolina State (49.5), and Northwestern (42.5). "It's up, then it's down, but it's a lot more up than down," said UI head coach Tom Brands. "Advancing seven wrestlers is good, even with takedowns at what seems like a premium right now". First-seeded Thomas Gilman continued to rake in bonus points for the Hawkeyes, delivering a pin to No. 8 Keegan Calkins (Oregon State) at 2:53. The fall is Gilman's fifth of the season and 14th overall. "Gilman, every time he comes out tries to wrestle harder and he has wrestled harder", Brands said of the 125 pounder. "That match was like an avalanche for that guy and that's what we've got to have. That seems to be Gilman's best chance to dominate and he has, so good for him". Defending champion Cory Clark secured a semifinal berth for the second consecutive year at 133 pounds. Clark collected a 7-1 decision over Columbia's Angelo Amenta, recording two takedowns to continue his run towards the finals. Brandon Sorensen, seeded first at 149, advances to the semifinals for the third time in as many years at the Midlands. The sophomore posted a 9-5 decision against eighth-seeded Ken Theobald, wrestling unattached from Rutgers. Alex Meyer (174) collected a 3-1 decision over #9 Phil Bakuckas (Rutgers) and Sammy Brooks (184) used a 5-2 decision against #5 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) to continue into the semifinal matches. Senior Nathan Burak continues his advancement towards consecutive titles at 197, earning a spot in the semifinals with an 8-2 decision over North Carolina State's eighth seeded Michael Boykin. The victory pushes Burak's season record to 10-0 on the season. Continuing his streak of firsts, Sam Stoll will be making his Midlands semifinals debut at heavyweight after collecting a tight 2-0 decision victory over fifth-ranked Billy Smith (Rutgers). "The biggest thing in tournaments like these is getting ready for multiple matches and being ready for whatever is thrown at you," Brands said. "If you're looking too far ahead, you could be the one that gets upset so you want to be focused one match at a time and keep things going." Session III of the Midlands Championships is set to begin at 12 p.m. (CT) Wednesday. Updated team standings and complete tournament brackets are available throughout the tournament at nusports.com and on trackwrestling.com.

125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. Kegan Calkins (Oregon State), 2:53 No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State) dec. Alex Madrigal (Old Dominion), 2-1 No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) dec. Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion), 7-1 No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) maj. dec. Garrison White (Northwestern), 13-4 133: No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. Angelo Amenta (Columbia), 7-1 Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) dec. No. 17 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 4-2 SV No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) dec. Cameron Kelly (Ohio), 10-5 No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers) dec. No. 5 Earl Hall (Iowa State), 5-4 141: Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. No. 3 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-2 Andrew Long (Grand View) pinned Danny Sabatello (Purdue), 6:09 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. No. 19 Rick Durso (Franklin & Marshall), 6-3 No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) dec. No. 5 Kevin Jack (North Carolina State), 4-2 SV 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Ken Theobold (Rutgers), 9-5 No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) pinned No. 14 B.J. Clagon (Rider), 6:47 No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) dec. Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 11-9 No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 16 Gabe Moreno (Iowa State), 8-2 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota) pinned Markus Scheidel (Columbia), 5:52 No. 11 John Boyle (American) dec. Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-1 SV No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider) pinned No. 15 Lou Mascola (Maryland), 6:21 No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) maj. dec. No. 16 Edwin Cooper (Iowa), 17-6 165: Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield) dec. Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), 6-4 No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) pinned Patrick Rhoads (Iowa), 0:46 No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) by medical forfeit over No. 13 Clark Glass (Oklahoma) Mitch Wightman (American) dec. Seth Thomas (Oregon State), 8-4 174: No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa) dec. Phil Bakuckas (Rutgers), 3-1 No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) dec. Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State), 7-2 No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) dec. Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa), 9-5 No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska) dec. Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 6-5 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) tech. fall Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), 15-0 No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) dec. No. 12 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), 5-2 No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) dec. No. 17 Pete Renda (NC State), 6-5 No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton) dec. No. 3 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 8-7 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. No. 17 Michael Boykin (North Carolina State), 8-2 No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) dec. No. 13 Brett Harner (Princeton), 3-1 SV Derek White (Nebraska) dec. No. 11 Phil Wellington (Ohio), 7-4 Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers) dec. Josh DaSilveira (Arizona State), 11-5 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) maj. dec. No. 15 Collin Jensen (Nebraska), 11-3 No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa) dec. No. 9 Billy Smith (Rutgers), 2-0 No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma) dec. No. 7 Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa), 6-3 No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) dec. No. 5 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State), 6-5 Semifinal Matchups: 125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) vs. No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State) No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) vs. No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) 133: No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers) 141: Andrew Long (Grand View) vs. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) vs. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) vs. No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota) vs. No. 11 John Boyle (American) No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) vs. No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider) 165: No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) vs. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield) No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) vs. Mitch Wightman (American) 174: No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa) vs. No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska) No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) vs. No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) vs. No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton) 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) vs. No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) Derek White (Nebraska) vs. Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers) 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) vs. No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa) No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma) vs. No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State)

Live Blog Midlands Championships

Link: Brackets EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Midlands Championship Committee released the official brackets and seeding Monday night for the 53rd annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. #Midlands53 begins tomorrow morning, Dec. 29, at 9:30 a.m. and runs through the finals on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. The championship round will air live on Big Ten Network. Top seeds include: Thomas Gilman, Iowa (125); Cory Clark, Iowa (133); Chris Mecate, Old Dominion (141); Brandon Sorensen, Iowa (149); Cody Pack, South Dakota State (157); Anthony Perrotti, Rutgers (165); Alex Meyer, Iowa (174); David Taylor, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (184); Nathan Burak, Iowa (197); Nick Gwiazdowski, North Carolina State (285). For more information, please visit the Midlands home page at NUsports.com and TrackWrestling.

Funeral services have been set for Brad Paddock, upstate New York wrestler and coach who mentored a number of athletes to state titles and college success, who passed away this week at age 50. Visitation will take place this Saturday and Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. each day, at Robinson & Hackemer Funeral Home in Warsaw, N.Y. The funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday in Warsaw, at Valley Chapel Free Methodist Church. Brad Paddock died Tuesday after multiple diseases caused organ failure over the course of about three weeks at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported Thursday. Brad Paddock owned and operated a business that offered breeding services for livestock and dairy supplies. He had described himself as a "decent wrestler" during his days at Perry High School, winning the 167-pound Livingston County title in 1983, according to the Livingston County News. However, it can be argued that it was as an assistant coach at Warsaw High School -- and as founder of the nationally-recognized Team X wrestling club -- where Paddock's greatest accomplishments took place. At Warsaw, Paddock coached his wrestlers to 90 Section V individual championships, eight Section V team titles, and three New York State team titles. His Team X wrestlers included 50 NYS place finishers, 20 NYS individual champs, and 30 NCAA All-Americans. Nearly two-dozen of Brad Paddock's wrestlers went on to compete at NCAA Div. I programs, including three of his sons: Ian, who wrestled at Ohio State, Paul at Edinboro University, and Burke at the University of Iowa. Two other sons also wrestled: Joey followed in his father's footsteps to Liberty University ... while Aaron continues his high school career at 195 pounds. "Brad Paddock was an amazing man," Jackie Carman, the wife of longtime Geneseo head wrestling coach Danny Carman, told the Livingston County News. "He was a gentle giant who in his quiet way brought the best out in many young wrestlers. He opened his home and his heart to so many who will be forever impacted by his touch." "Brad was all about the kids, all of the time," Warsaw Athletic Director Ed Stores Jr. said. "He worked extremely hard for his own kids and he meant everything to his kids. He opened his doors up to all Warsaw kids, particularly our wrestlers. He opened his doors up to wrestlers from neighboring districts as well. If they were willing to put the work in, he was willing to work with them. He was without question a major factor and major contributor to our success we have experienced over the last 15 years." "We have all lost an amazing coach, friend, and father today," said Rob Hirsch, who was head coach at Warsaw High from 2000-2012. "But we are so much stronger for having him with us in our lives. We now know what the '10' stands for in Team X. Think of the most amazing person in your life and then times it by 10 and you will understand what Brad meant to people." Brad Paddock is survived by his wife Jeanie, nine children (ranging in age from 16 to 30 years old), and two grandchildren.