InterMat Staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa wrestling won 9-of-10 matches against Northwestern on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena to record a 38-3 final victory Friday night. The Hawkeyes (10-0, 5-0) allowed just two Wildcat (9-5, 1-4) takedowns in the competition. Highlighting the match were wins by No. 3 Brandon Sorensen over No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis at 149, and No. 9 Nick Moore over No. 6 Pierce Harger at 165. After a scoreless first period, Tsirtsis opened scoring with an escape in the second. After choosing down, Sorensen evened it up with an escape in the third to force overtime. After two more escapes and a second overtime, Sorensen escaped then rode it out in the second tie break period to record the 3-2 final win and hand defending national champion Tsirtsis his first loss of the season. "I was keeping my pressure on him high and I could feel him starting to fade, but I don't like close matches like that,” Sorensen said. “I need to get to my offense and really focus on getting my shots. "I had to really stay heavy and keep my hips behind his, keeping the pressure forward. Returning him to the mat at the end, that was big." Sorensen is now 4-1 against ranked opponents -- defeating the last four he’s met -- and improves 3-0 all-time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Hawkeye head coach Tom Brands is excited with what he has done with his opportunity at 149. "I think when you get an opportunity, you seize it and that's what he's done,” Brands said. “Good for him, good for the weight class, and it doesn't reflect anything on Brody Grothus. We've still got a guy there that has a couple of different options so we've got to keep getting building off of the injury, and he's been live this week so we've got to keep him moving forward as well. "Sorensen has done a good job with his opportunity and that's what you want from young guys." Moore earned his first victory over a top 10 opponent this season with his defeat of Harger at 165. With the score knotted 2-2 following a pair of escapes by Moore and a Harger reversal, the match headed into overtime where Moore secured the 4-2 win with a takedown at the 20 second mark. "Those guys are pretty stingy,” Moore said. “You just have to stay focused for seven minutes and you have to refocus during the match and make sure you're where you need to be. When something opens up, you need to be ready for it, and I was ready for it tonight. I have to build on this. It’s about opening things up instead of waiting for them to open up." “Our snaps are strong, he's strong, that was a match that we pointed to and we owed him a little bit,” Brands said. “That helps us for the end of the year when you're looking at seeding in the Big Ten and rankings. You've got an opportunity when you're in on that leg, seize it.” Also recording a win over a ranked opponent was No. 4 Nathan Burak at 197. He remains unblemished at 13-0 following a 4-3 win over No. 13 Alex Polizzi. Trailing 3-1 heading to the third period, Burak used an escape and a takedown with 13 seconds left to complete the come from behind win. It marks his 13th straight victory. A tech fall win at 125, pin at 133, decision at 141, tech fall at 157, forfeit at 174, and major decision at 184 rounded out scoring for the Hawkeyes. No. 5 Thomas Gilman set an aggressive tone, opening the dual with a 21-6 win over Garrison White at 125. He used six takedowns -- four of which came in the first minute -- and five nearfall points to close out the match and remain an undefeated 10-0 in dual action. At 133, No. 5 Cory Clark rebounded from his first loss in Carver-Hawkeye Arena a week ago, pinning his opponent Dominic Malone at the 2:56 mark. It was his 16th win of the season and his eighth by pin. No. 6 Josh Dziewa shut out Jameson Oster 6-0 with a take down, nearfall and 3:59 of riding time at 141, stretching his win streak to three in a row. Following Sorensen with a tech fall victory at 157 was No. 17 Michael Kelly. He used five takedowns, a pair of nearfalls and an escape to secure his 16-3 win. After a forfeit at 174, No. 8 Sammy Brooks recorded a major decision win over Mitch Sliga 18-6 with eight takedowns and 2:38 of riding time at 184. The lone loss for the Hawkeyes came in double overtime at 285. No. 4 Mike McMullan defeated No. 1 Bobby Telford 3-1 in double overtime, ending the fight with a takedown at the 17 second mark. The loss is the first of the season for Telford and ends his 18-match win streak. Top-ranked Iowa travels to Minneapolis to face No. 2 Minnesota in dual action on Friday, Jan. 30. The 6 p.m. (CT) competition will be shown live on the Big Ten Network. NOTES: Attendance was 8,104… #3 Brandon Sorensen defeated defending national champion and #1 ranked Jason Tsirtsis, handing him his first loss of the season… Sorensen is 4-1 against ranked opponents, defeating the last four he’s met (#17 Ken Theobold – Rutgers, #5 Hunter Stieber – Ohio State, #2 Josh Kindig – Oklahoma State, #1 Jason Tsirtsis)… Sorensen is 3-0 all-time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena… #9 Nick more defeated his first top 10 ranked opponent of the season with an overtime win over #6 Pierce Harger… Nathan Burak (13-0) remains undefeated on the season with a 4-3 win over #13 Alex Polizzi… Bobby Telford lost his first match of the year 3-1 in double overtime to #4 ranked Mike McMullan, ending his 18-match win streak. Results: 125 - #5 Thomas Gilman (IA) tech. fall Garrison White (NW), 21-6 in 4:16; 5-0 133 - #5 Cory Clark (IA) pinned Dominic Malone (NW), 2:56; 11-0 141 - #6 Josh Dziewa (IA) dec. Jameson Oster (NW), 6-0; 14-0 149 - #3 Brandon Sorensen (IA) dec. #1 Jason Tsirtsis (NW), 3-2 TB-2; 17-0 157 - #17 Michael Kelly (IA) tech. fall Ben Sullivan (NW), 18-3; 22-0 165 - #9 Nick Moore (IA) dec. #6 Pierce Harger (NW), 4-2 OT; 25-0 174 - #2 Mike Evans (IA) wins by forfeit, 31-0 184 - #8 Sammy Brooks (IA) maj. dec. Mitch Sliga (NW), 18-6; 35-0 197 - #4 Nathan Burak (IA) dec. #13 Alex Polizzi (NW), 4-3; 38-0 285 - #4 Mike McMullan (NW) dec. #1 Bobby Telford (IA), 3-1 2OT; 38-3

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mizzou wrestling continued its outstanding 2014-15 season Friday evening at the Hearnes Center with a 22-10 win over No. 7 Oklahoma State. The third-ranked Tigers took home wins in seven of 10 matches, en route to their 20th consecutive dual victory dating back to last season. Friday night's win gave the Tigers the best start to a season in program history. Mizzou's 16-0 record to begin the 2014-15 season surpasses the previous record of 15-0 by the 1967-68 Tigers squad. In all, 2,529 fans came through the turnstiles and witnessed the Tigers historic win. Friday's attendance marked the third largest all-time Mizzou wrestling crowd at the Hearnes Center. Sophomore J'den Cox remained perfect on the season, shutting out Luke Bean by a 5-0 decision. The win is Cox's 42nd consecutive triumph which stands as the longest individual winning streak in NCAA wrestling. Redshirt senior Drake Houdashelt tallied the lone bonus points for Mizzou, as he defeated Davey Dolan by 13-4 major decision. Redshirt senior Alan Waters, redshirt sophomore Lavion Mayes and redshirt freshman Willie Miklus all took home impressive wins over ranked Cowboys opponents. Waters gave Mizzou a quick team lead at 125 pounds after defeating No. 10 Eddie Klimara by 9-8 decision. After dropping the 133 pound contest, Mayes responded nicely for the Tigers with an 8-4 decision win over No. 18 Dean Heil. Houdashelt followed his teammate's 141 pound victory with his standout major decision at 149 pounds. Sophomore Joey Lavallee was up next at 157 pounds and produced an exciting 3-2 decision over Anthony Collica. After redshirt senior Johnny Eblen delivered a thrilling win in overtime at 174 pounds, Miklus took home the final ranked win of the night at 184 pounds with his 8-5 decision over No. 15 Nolan Boyd. Mizzou wraps up their weekend set on Sunday, Jan. 25 against MAC opponent Northern Illinois. The dual is set for a 1 p.m. (CT) start, and can be viewed for free online at MizzouNetwork.com. Check-in to MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou wrestling. You can also find the Tigers on social media, by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter (@MizzouWrestling). Results: 125: No. 1 Alan Waters (M) over No. 10 Eddie Klimara (OSU) by 9-8 decision 133: Gary Wayne Harding (OSU) over No. 18 Zach Synon (M) by 4-2 decision 141: No. 6 Lavion Mayes (M) over No. 18 Dean Heil (OSU) by 8-4 decision 149: No. 2 Drake Houdashelt (M) over Davey Dolan (OSU) by 13-4 major decision 157: No. 11 Joey Lavallee (M) over Anthony Collica (OSU) by 3-2 decision 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) over Mikey England (M) by 15-3 major decision 174: No. 5 Johnny Eblen (M) over Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) by 4-3 (TB1) decision 184: No. 9 Willie Miklus (M) over No. 15 Nolan Boyd (OSU) by 8-5 decision 197: No. 1 J'den Cox (M) over Luke Bean (OSU) by 5-0 decision HWT: No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) over No. 10 Devin Mellon (M) by 2-1 (TB1) decision

KRASNOYARSK, Russia -- Andrew Howe (Norman, Okla./New York AC) won a silver medal at 74 kilos/163 pounds on the first day of the highly-respected Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix. Andrew Howe of the USA scores a takedown during the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix on Friday, and went on to claim a silver medal (Photo/United World Wrestling)In the finals, Howe lost to Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov of Russia, 2-2. The Russian led 2-0, when Howe scored twice in the final minute. The Russian won the tie-breaker by having the highest value scoring move, a two-pointer. Gadzhimagomedov has previously won gold medals at the Ramzan Kadirov Cup, the Moscow Lights and the Intercontinental Cup tournaments in Russia, as well as the Copa Brazil and the Ukrainian Memorial International. Howe scored a 5-2 win over Boris Makoev of Russia in the semifinals. Makoev was second at the 2013 Dave Schultz Memorial in the USA. Read more

ANDERSON, S.C. -- Totaling three pins on the evening, Anderson University wrestling added its second Super Region 2 victory of the season, knocking off King, 28-21, Thursday evening at the Abney Athletic Center. The victory marked its 10th dual win of the season, as the Trojans have won two of their last three matches heading into the regional duals next week. Seniors Dan Telhada and Sean Turner were joined by freshman Austin Price with pins on the evening, as Telhada and Turner have won their last three respective bouts by pin. For Price, the win by fall was his first of his collegiate career. With the dual beginning at 184, Price gave AU an early 6-3 lead following his extra-time pin at the 7:48 mark. Despite the advantage, King bounced back with a pin at heavyweight, followed by a decision at 125, as it marched out to a 12-6 lead. Following a Tornado forfeit at 133, which handed junior Zak Hale his 14th victory of the season, King added to its lead with a win by fall at 141. With the pin, the visitors carried an 18-12 lead with four bouts remaining. Entering the night with eight pins on the season, it took Telhada just over four minutes to claim the pin over King’s Landon Reed at 149. With the victory, Telhada evened up the team score at 18-18. Turner fed off the momentum from Telhada’s win and needed just over two minutes to hand Anderson the lead back, as he pinned Travis Edwards at 149. For Turner, the win by fall was his seventh pin of the season, as he improves to 13-4 on the campaign. King’s Kody Eichlein brought the Tornado back within four with a narrow 3-2 decision over AU’s Jared Costa. With the dual on the line, sophomore Tre’vontay Rhodes secured the team triumph with a 16-2 major decision over Trevor Wentt at 174. The win was Rhodes’ 14th win of the season and fourth of his last five bouts. Anderson looks to continue its winning ways inside the region when it heads to the Super Region 2 Duals on Jan. 30 in Tiffin, Ohio. The Trojans will face four opponents in an eight-hour timeslot, beginning with Ashland at 9 a.m. and Findlay at 11 a.m. The Black and Gold close out the Duals with a 1 p.m. matchup with host, Tiffin, and eventually close the day with a 3 p.m. meeting against Lake Erie. Results: 184: Jesse Masters (KING) dec. Michael Gallagher (AU), 5-4 (KING 3-0) 197: Austin Price (AU) pinned Eldon Valery (KING), 7:48 (AU 6-3) 285: Garrett Fosdyck (KING) pinned Wyatt McCrackin (AU), 1:20 (KING 9-6) 125: Jon Boatman (KING) dec. Tyler Fitzpatrick (AU), 3-2 (KING 12-6) 133: Zak Hale (AU) won by forfeit (TIE 12-12) 141: Frank Yattoni (KING) pinned Charlton Clark (AU), 1:00 (KING 18-12) 149: Dan Telhada (AU) pinned Landon Reed (KING), 4:01 (TIE 18-18) 157: Sean Turner (AU) pinned Travis Edwards (KING), 2:09 (AU 24-18) 165: Kody Eichlein (KING) dec. Jared Costa (AU), 3-2 (AU 24-21) 174: Trevontay Rhodes (AU) maj. dec. Trevor Wentt (KING), 16-2 (AU 28-21) BOUT-BY-BOUT 184: Masters (KING) dec. Gallagher (AU), 5-4 Masters opened scoring with a takedown with just under two minutes left in the opening period. Following a Gallagher escape, Masters added his second takedown of the period with 49 seconds left, but Gallagher escaped with seven seconds left and faced a 4-2 deficit after the first period. Gallagher added his third escape early in the second period for the round’s only scoring. In the final two minutes, Masters posted his lone escape to take a 5-3 lead. The Tornado was called for a stall late in the period, but the deficit was too much for Gallagher to overcome. 197: Price (AU) pinned Valery (KING), 7:48 Both grapplers could not find much offense, as two early escapes in the second and third periods by each wrestler was the lone scoring in regulation. With the next point winning the bout, Price was able to toss Valery and capture the pin with just 12 seconds left in the sudden-victory round. 285: Fosdyck (KING) pinned McCrackin (AU), 1:20 Fosdyck grabbed an early takedown to open the bout and needed just over a minute to earn the pin in the heavyweight bout. 125: Boatman (KING) dec. Fitzpatrick (AU), 3-2 Boatman recorded a takedown with just under a minute remaining in the first period for the round’s only points. Boatman racked up the riding time in the second period, as he remained on top for the full two minutes of the round. In the third period, Boatman was called for stalling three times, handing Fitzpatrick two points to even the score at 2-2. With over a full minute of riding time when the final horn sounded, Boatman earned the extra point and claimed the decision. 133: Hale (AU) won by forfeit The two-time national qualifier has now won 14 of his last 15 bouts. 141: Yattoni (KING) pinned Clark (AU), 1:00 The Tornado posted an early takedown seconds in the bout was able to turn Clark for the first-round pin. 149: Telhada (AU) pinned Reed (KING), 4:01 The upset-minded Reed earned the first points with a takedown just 20 seconds into the bout. Looking to get on top for the first time, Telhada earned a reversal with two minutes left in the period and remained on top for the remainder of the bout. Telhada added to his lead with nine near-fall points to close out the first period. Telhada continued his attack in the second period, tallying three near-fall points 28 seconds into the bout, before eventually pinning Reed and tying the team score at 18-18. 157: Turner (AU) pinned Edwards (KING), 2:09 Two takedowns by each grappler handed Edwards a quick 3-2 lead a minute into the match. Looking to bounce back, Turned tallied a reversal and eventually followed with two near-fall points to take a 6-3 lead. While remaining on top, Turner began to flip Edwards and earn the first-period pin at 157. 165: Eichlein (KING) dec. Costa (AU), 3-2 A takedown from Eichlein with just over a minutes left in the first period, gave the Tornado an early 2-0 lead. Costa was able to escape Eichlein just six seconds later and faced a one-point deficit heading into the second period. Choosing to go on the bottom, Eichlein added to his lead with an escape and took the 3-1 lead into the final period. To open the final round, Costa escaped Eichlein just two seconds in, but could not find the score again, falling by decision. 174: Rhodes (AU) maj. dec. Wentt (KING), 16-2 Wentt claimed a takedown just before the two-minute mark, but Rhodes immediately countered and went on top with a reversal to even the score at 2-2. Moments later, Rhodes quickly added to his lead with six near-fall points to take an 8-2 lead into the second period. Starting neutral, Rhodes grabbed his second takedown of the bout early into the second round and later posted two near-points. With the scoring, Rhodes carried a 12-2 lead into the final two minutes. In the last round, Rhodes added two more takedowns to eventually take the 16-2 major decision.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- On Thursday night, the Western State Colorado University wrestling team defeated rivals Adams State University in convincing fashion. The Mountaineers surrendered only two matches, taking a 43-10 dual victory. Western (7-1, 3-0 RMAC), ranked 11th in Division II, remained undefeated in conference duals, notching a big road dual victory against ASU (0-4, 0-4 RMAC). In all Western's victories on Thursday, the Mountaineers scored bonus points. After dropping the first match of the night, ASU looked to have momentum in Plachy Hall Gym. However, the Grizzlies decided to forfeit the 133-pound match, tying the dual at six points. The Mountaineers then rattled off three victories. At 141 pounds, Corbin Bennetts (Jr., Buena Vista, Colorado) earned a 14-2 major decision before Ian Steen (So., Graham, Washington) earned a fall 25 seconds into the 149-pound match. Shawn Beiriger (RFr., Del Norte, Colorado) then followed with a fall of his own at 157 pounds, giving Western a 22-6 lead. ASU would get four points back at 165 pounds, the final points of the match for the home team. Returning All-American Elliot Copeland (Sr., Bennett, Colorado) at 174 pounds made quick work of his opponent in the next match. Copeland earned a 15-4 major decision in his first dual match of the season. The Mountaineers earned another forfeit at 184 pounds, before Sam Mangum (Sr., McAllen, Texas) earned his fourth tech fall of the season, 18-3. At 285 pounds, Peter Anguiano (Sr., Elk Grove, California) recorded his sixth fall of the season, 2:43 into the match. Western will send wrestlers to the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open on Saturday before continuing the dual season against Colorado State University - Pueblo on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. in Pueblo, Colorado.

United World Wrestling opted this week to change the sport of wrestling. After four decades of the same presentation of wrestling, the federation chose a massive overhaul of mat colors and uniforms for referees and wrestlers. The impact of the decision can't be overstated. The original mats, the bright yellow and red that are ubiquitous to wrestling rooms around the globe, were chosen for a different age. All the way back in 1972 ABC asked the federation to adopt the mat color to better coincide with -- get this -- the color of the broadcaster's jackets for the Munich Games. The motivation in using bright yellow was to help penetrate the black and white television still widely in use and provide some color-pop for television sets who were in the first phases of Technicolor. The new mats -- blue and orange in the theme of the federation's new style -- are not made darker to suit any broadcaster's jacket. In an attempt to provide an improved, more subtle viewing experience, the mats have been darkened to allow the colors of the athletes uniforms to be highlighted. There is less need to impress ABC and more need to impress online audiences. Gone are the standard red and blue of the international singlet. The new colors will be a representation of the flag, national animal, or whatever else is chosen by the member federations. Designs, meant to appeal to audiences and allow a quicker recognition of wrestlers from a distance, will be a massive boon to the sport's televised appeal. Against the darkened backdrop the uniforms will look in-place -- whereas set against curb yellow the viewing experience would be akin to watching the Wizard of Oz on acid. Wrestlers aren't the only ones to change their uniforms, referees will no longer dress like a traveling band of gypsies. The suit and yellow ties have been replaced with trousers and a polo shirt. The change will allow the referees more flexibility to get closer to the action and take the viewer's attention away from their wedding attire and back where it belongs: the wrestlers. And finally ... the death of the singlet. The favorite baton by which to whip the sport of wrestling has been eliminated. The distraction is gone and in its place an opportunity to increase youth participation and the revenue of teams who can market to those who want to "dress like the team." There will be different uniforms for all three styles, with women likely to keep an outfit more similar to the standard fare. Meanwhile Greco-Roman and freestyle will see drastic improvement, with much less exposed spandex and almost certainly some type of shorts. The uniform designs are still being tested, revised and reviewed. The sports community demanded that wrestling make modernizations to the sport, and it has responded. At its core the sport will remain the same, the truths about what it takes to succeed on the mat are unchanged by what the competitors are wearing. Wrestling is wrestling no matter the surface, no mind the color scheme, so why not make it better? To be clear, the singlet, like a bad first job, was not a mistake but a learning experience. In its time and place a single piece of shiny lycra was the solution, but after five decades of being battered by its bad publicity it's time to bury it for good. In America, lycra has come to define wrestling, but that wasn't always the case and a return to something more "modest" isn't without precedent. Also worth noting is that countries around the world have wrestled for centuries and never once have they worn a singlet. The change has arrived and though it wasn't as fast as some wanted and will feel unnatural to others, it's the next step in a long process of wrestling to reach more people around the globe. Wrestling is changing, and that's good for business. To your questions ... Q: Is Joey McKenna taking some sort of Olympic redshirt this year? -- @Robbybobbi Foley: No. He just hasn't enrolled in school. From what I understand he can take a year, or maybe two, to start his collegiate career, and he seems to be taking his time. Olympic redshirts can only be taken in Olympic years. Joey McKenna won a Junior World silver (Photo/T.R. Foley)Though much of the USA and the world has focused on the meteoric rise of Aaron Pico, McKenna matched his output at last year's Junior World Championships, earning a runner-up finish. Since then he's also placed third at Midlands and is signed up to compete at Medved -- who for those who don't know -- is one of the toughest tournaments of the year. McKenna has the chance to be a world-caliber wrestler and it'll be interesting to see if he makes his way to Stanford or stays closer to home to continue training at Lehigh. I've never been that talented at a physical thing so it's difficult to know which option is best. I'd imagine the best decision would be the one that feels most natural today, as he committed to Stanford 18 months ago -- well before his recent spat of success. Q: I'm interested in your thoughts on what is going to happen with wrestling as a result of the full cost of attendance now being granted for Power 5 conference schools. I work in athletics development at a major Division I university. We hit our goal this year of just over $15 million raised. Our increased cost for full cost of attendance in 2015 will be $700,000 and in 2016 by over $1.2 million (or approximately what it costs to run the wrestling program). There's no doubt that programs will be dropped by Power 5 schools -- wrestling, swimming, baseball, track ... you name it. I could foresee a situation where the Power 5 conferences will be whittled down to a handful of sports (a dozen teams or so). This is, of course, terrible news for wrestling and all Olympic sports. However, I wonder if it may turn into good news. I could foresee a scenario where Power 5 schools are basically semi-pro football and basketball with some women's sports thrown in to comply with Title IX. Then, the remaining conferences, not being able to offer the full cost of attendance stipend, being closer to the true essence of college athletics -- offering scholarships but not having the semi-professional funding that we have in the Power 5 today. Being more similar to a enrollment driven schools, I could see mid-majors adding Olympic sports with some scholarship but not fully funded, knowing that kids want the opportunity to compete in college. Interesting article here. -- John H. Foley: You paint an apocalyptic scene. I don't know what the implosion of college athletics will look like, but I'm hoping for less "The Road" and more a triumphant phoenix rising from the ashes. I'd even settle for a scene reminiscent of "Mad Max." The paid athletes won't extend past the top sports, and like you mentioned there will need to be an offset on the women's side. That could mean contraction, but don't count out the creative bookkeeping of America's top colleges and universities. There is value in an academic scholarship, and with the skyrocketing cost of tuition that number is very high. Don't be surprised if that is no longer counted as a benefit, but as a dollar amount, a payment made to an employee. In-kind donations like clothing and other benefits like a training table, physical therapy, weight room, tutors and other items will all be listed as a cost to the athlete. When tallying up that variety of services many scholarships are well in excess of $50,000 per year, an amount sure to satisfy the requirement of pay-to-play. For the outsiders, the big-time players of NCAA football and basketball, other considerations will need to be made, but those can also be offset by donations and individual sponsorship. Imagine if Johnny Manziel could sign autographs drunk at 4 a.m.? Kid would've been making $80k in cash and kill the argument about proper compensation. The line from fixed budgets to an open marketplace for the purchase and retention of talent, will not be straight. The process will be slow and complicated, but none of it will be adjusted at the insistence of a few hundred thousand wrestlers. The wrestling community has a nasty habit of not adapting to change, and should the athletes in basketball and football start cashing checks, it would be to our advantage to not complain. What had complaining ever earned the community. Title IX has been proven a loser cause in 2015, while Division I enrollment-based schools has been proven a winner. Even the Save Olympic Wrestling movement didn't succeed simply because we moaned loudly, but because we made changes. What might those changes need to be? I think wrestling needs to look at a model outside of the college system. We see in countries around the world that there can be a robust model at the club level. Will that support the 250k youth wrestlers in America? Unclear, but with creative leadership it might. Wrestling has its own media outlets and speaks to itself. Most wrestling programs are earning as much money from yearly donations as they are taking money from the school's they represent. Maybe not every school, but there are more than a few that can make that claim. Could wrestling convert those fans to adjoining Club programs? Life outside the NCAA might be more interesting. There would be less red tape and more opportunity to change the rules when necessary, as opposed to when the NCAA deems it appropriate. Maybe wrestling in America could adopt freestyle rules and better help prepare young wrestlers for the Russian and Iranian opponents they face on the international scene? If we accept that the sporting world is going to change, then we can be more capable of delivering a clear response. We'll need leadership and we'll need to absorb some losses, but wrestling -- the sport, the lifestyle you and I and so many others enjoy -- is not at threat. You can't eliminate something that exists in the blood of every human on the planet. You can erase the sport of curling from memory, because sliding a rock across ice isn't part of human nature, but you can never eliminate the desire to wrestle, or the role it has played in history. We are better off than 90 percent of the at-risk sports. If wrestling can put aside its indignation at being deemed "at-risk" we could avoid the way of the Dodo and recognize that sure as the world spins the people on it will change their minds. So should we. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Marcelo Garcia is likely the greatest grappler to have ever walked the planet. He also, by chance, is one of the planet's nicest. This month he promoted three brown belts to black, but before he did the ADCC and world champion took time to tell his class that it takes more than brawn and grit to become a black belt. It also takes generosity and kindness. The first ten minutes are the most interesting. Special congratulations to my best friend and college wrestling teammate Will Durkee who yesterday received his black belt from monster human being and jiu-jitsu royalty Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu. Durkee introduced me to jiu-jitsu and is one the biggest wrestling heads I know. I'm sure he'll be an excellent role model for lower belts and will continue to find success in competition. Best Move of the Year! Post by United World Wrestling. Q: I was wondering what your thoughts are on having dual meets held concurrently with other sporting events. I keep score at the University of Nebraska. For the second year, we held a both a dual meet and a gymnastics meet at the same time, on the same floor. We've come to label it as Tumble N Rumble. I think some other schools have done this too. We've also held high school duals before our duals too to draw in crowds and highlight the sport of wrestling. This year we also held two high school duals before the Rumble N Tumble, featuring some good schools, Grand Island and Omaha Skutt of Nebraska, and Blue Springs and Staley of Missouri. I think this has helped grow interest in both sports. I'm curious what your thoughts are and if you have experienced these types of events. -- Jared H. Foley: That's a very interesting idea -- a little bit of creative marketing has never ever hurt wrestling or gymnastics. I like gymnastics and consider it a cousin sport to wrestling, demanding a power to strength to body awareness combination not seen in basketball, football or ... curling. Though I haven't heard of this partnership until now, by mentioning this idea I'm sure more schools will look at creating this type of interaction. With what success is unclear, but in finding new fans the sport of wrestling can help grow on its recent success in the media. Best of luck! Q: Has anybody ever tried to have a pro wrestling tournament? Make it golf-style results, top X amount of finishers in each weight class get guaranteed money. It seems to me that when companies pick certain wrestlers to wrestle for money or try to create leagues, they come off as too manufactured. Everybody likes a tournament where the underdog can pull upsets and the winner is the actual best of that weight class. If sports like running, sailing, golf, spelling bees, etc. can get air time and sponsors, wrestling should be able to get them easily, in my somewhat unbiased opinion. Start off small and over time increase the money as popularity grows and so will the wrestlers and sponsors. This seems like a more stable platform for pro wrestling than coming up with semi-arbitrary dual meets. Your takedown tournaments would work in this format as well. -- Tom V. Foley: I have the solution: The Weight Class Grand Prix System. You invite the top, most marketable wrestlers in the world for a one-day weight class grand prix. Two groups of five with the top finishers in the group going for a cash prize. Sponsorships, livestreaming and media coverage would be easier than ever to access as the model has already proven effective in other sports, including the Copa Podio in jiu-jitsu. For example, the USA could host the 74 kilos Grand Prix in New Jersey. Get a well-outfitted 4k seat arena with VIP areas, beer sales and some good in-arena effects. Invite Burroughs, Dake, Howe and Taylor who are all guys from the region, throw in Tsargush (Russian from Brighton Beach) and any Iranian you choose (as we've seen, they travel very well). Now make the prize to win $100k and you will have a media frenzy. There would need to be 18 Grand Prix event and some of these would need to be doubled up within a country, but by spreading the wealth and making the event about one weight class, it's likely that the talent will concentrate for the experience, attention and cash. Interesting Comment of the Week! By Jacob R. I am not sure if this is something you have ever experienced, but on countless occasions while catching a cab or Uber to the airport, train station, or wherever, I have had the most interesting discussions about international wrestling with my drivers. If the dude is from Iran, it comes as no surprise that he will have great knowledge of who the best wrestlers are from that country as well as who the top guys are from the U.S. This is likewise the case for drivers from Mongolia, Turkey, and Russia. I can't wait to meet someone from Senegal! As a fan of international wrestling it is always a pleasure to talk with folks from other parts of the world and get their take on things. Follow-Up on Last Week's Big Ten Question: Paul Diefenbach of Okemos, Michigan: Of the 14 who won Big 10 titles every year, three were confirmed as unbeaten, five were found to have losses, and six could not be determined. Here is some info on two of the six: Jim Heffernan lost to Jude Skove of Ohio State in February 1985. Ed Banach was probably unbeaten. His sophomore- senior losses in 1981-84 were to Mark Schultz of Oklahoma (2), Mike Mann of Iowa State (3), and Colin Kilrain of Lehigh. His last freshman loss was to Rick Worel of Cal Poly. I can't find the other two losses, but both occurred before Christmas 1980 and therefore were not Big Ten duals.

The North Central College wrestling team hosted Wheaton College on Thursday night and earned a 24-23 conference win after both sides battled through injuries. The Cardinals took a different route with their lineup by moving six of their wrestlers up a weight class after inserting recent College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Wrestler of the Week (CCIW) Howard Beatty into the 141-pound class. At 125, sophomore Dominic Boggia started the night off against the Thunder's Carlos Fuentez. Fuentez won with a 19-5 major decision, putting the Thunder up 4-0. The Cardinals took the 133-pound class when Brandon Malone dominated the Thunder's Tom Foy with a 6-0 decision giving the team three points. This started off a string of success for the Cardinals with Beatty (141) and Layten Binion (149) winning both of their matches. Beatty quickly handled Jeremiah Brown of the Thunder by pinning him at 1:59. Binion had a tough matchup with the Thunder's Campbell Morton, but he pulled out a 6-2 decision to make the overall score 12-4. The dual took a bad turn for the Cardinals after the Thunder's Mark Savenok (157), Stephen Aiello (165) and Frank Aiello (174) all won their matchups. Savenok would beat the Cardinals' Nathan Segal (157) with a 7-2 decision. Blake Olson (165) lost his matchup with Stephen Aiello with a fall at 4:55 and Eric Kirkman (174) lost against Frank Aiello with a 13-5 major decision. The score stood at 17-12 with the Thunder in front before the Cardinals' Matt Marcotte (184) hit the mat against Tim Blickle. The match was in favor of Blickle for most of the time but Marcotte would roar back and come up with a surprise pin at 6:46 which put the Cardinals up 18-17. The Cardinal's Vincent Pizzo (197) faced a tougher matchup in the Thunder's Dan Olsen, who is 20-4 on the year. Pizzo gave a strong effort but would be pinned at 4:16. The Cardinals found some luck when the Thunder could not field a wrestler in the 285-class due to injuries, thus giving Dylan Mahler a victory due to medical forfeit. This final decision gave the Cardinals a 24-23 win, improving their overall record to 4-3 and their CCIW record to 1-1. The Cardinals travel to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday for the Border Brawl Duals that begin at 9:00 a.m. Links to live video and stats can be found at northcentralcardinals.com.

The No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling team won its 17th consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference dual match Thursday, taking seven of the 10 individual bouts to defeat fifth-ranked UW-La Crosse 23-9 on the road. The Warhawks (12-1 overall, 5-0 WIAC) secured two wins by major decision and another five by decision in a closely-contested bout. After the Eagles (15-4, 3-1) won at 133 pounds to tie the affair at 3-3, UW-Whitewater was victorious in three consecutive matches to surge to a 13-3 advantage. UW-La Crosse took two of the next three before the Warhawks finished with two straight victories to secure the win. Seniors Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall) and Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) highlighted the night for UW-Whitewater with major decisions at their respective weights. Perkin, ranked fourth by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and third by D3wrestle.com, knocked off No. 2/6 Kasey Einerson 10-2 at 149 pounds. Perkin jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first period with a takedown, reversal and near fall, and extended his lead to earn four points and improve his record to 7-3 for the year. Edgren, the consensus No. 8 wrestler in the nation at 285 pounds, enjoyed a big third period to down Cody Endres 9-0. Edgren recorded three near falls, including two three-pointers, to pick up four points. Junior Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel) improved to 18-2 at 197 pounds with an 8-3 decision over fellow top-five wrestler Eric Twohey. Siefert, the consensus No. 1 in the country, earned a takedown and two near falls against Twohey, ranked fifth, in the first period. Other winners for the Warhawks included juniors Matt Adcock (Bloomingdale, IL/Lake Park), Tom Gerszewski (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South), sophomores Zac Denny (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) and Jordan Newman (Blaine, MN/St. John's Military Academy). Adcock, who entered the match ranked eighth by D3wrestle.com and 10th by the NWCA at 141 pounds, overcame a 4-2 deficit in the second period to win 8-5 and to improve to 15-7 on the season. Gerszewski slotted 10th by the NWCA and ninth by D3wrestle.com, rode a first-period takedown to earn a 6-1 decision at 157. Denny (125 pounds) and Newman (174) each scored first in their respective matches and hung on late for victories. Denny tallied a 5-3 decision, while Newman, ranked 10th by the NWCA, registered a 4-2 decision. UW-Whitewater hosts the six-team Rocky Rococo Border Brawl Duals this Saturday at Kachel Fieldhouse. The Warhawks open the day against Concordia (Wis.) at 11 a.m. Results: 125: Z. Denny (UW-Whitewater) d. Ryan Weinmann (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 5-3 133: No. 10/10 Dustin Weinmann (UW-La Crosse) d. No. 5/7 R. Hauser (UW-Whitewater) by decision, 11-5 141: No. 10/8 M. Adcock (UW-Whitewater) d. Cody See (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 8-5 149: No. 4/3 E. Perkin (UW-Whitewater) d. No. 2/6 Kasey Einerson (UW-La Crosse) by major decision, 10-2 157: No. 10/9 T. Gerszewski (UW-Whitewater) d. Derek Weinmann (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 6-1 165: No. 6/5 Tyler Schneider (UW-La Crosse) d. T. Becker (UW-Whitewater) by decision, 5-1 174: No. 10 J. Newman (UW-Whitewater) d. Sean O'Neil (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 4-2 184: No. 5/5 Richard Carlson (UW-La Crosse) d. No. 8/9 R. Aprahamian (UW-Whitewater) by decision, 4-1 197: No. 1/1 S. Siefert (UW-Whitewater) d. No. 5/5 Eric Twohey (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 8-3 285: No. 8/8 A. Edgren (UW-Whitewater) d. Cody Endres (UW-La Crosse) by major decision, 9-0

No. 15 Fort Hays State picked up three falls, two technical falls and 17 bonus points on the way to a 41-8 victory over Newman on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers (6-5, 2-1 MIAA) secured the conference victory behind seven individual match wins, including falls from Bradley Little (157), Jon Inman (184) and Cash Drylie (197). Noah Killip (141) and Trey Page (285) had technical falls while Kregg Clarke picked up a major decision in the win. FHSU closed the dual with six consecutive victories. After an open weight at 125 pounds gave FHSU a 6-0 lead in the match, Newman cut the lead to three (6-3) after Dustin Reed (NU) won by decision, 5-2, against Anthony Calderon at 133 pounds. Killip (141) dominated in his bout with Travis Rodenbaugh to give FHSU an 11-3 lead, picking a 16-1 technical fall. Scoreless through the first, Killip exploded in the second period to take a 10-1 lead. Killip recorded two take downs, two two-point near-falls and a stalling point in the second. After a takedown to start the third, Killip turned Rodenbaugh for three near-fall points as time expired – recording the technical fall in seven minutes with a riding time point. Newman answered with a technical fall of its own at 149 pounds, as Taylor Mies (NU) won, 18-2, in 3:40 over Matt Ziegler to bring the Tigers' lead back to three (11-8). At 157 pounds, three first period takedowns helped Bradley Little take control early against Forlanda Parker (NU), though he wouldn't need the points after a second period reversal gave way towards a pin in 3:15. Kregg Clarke furthered the Tigers lead (21-8) at 165 pounds, knocking off Zach Duwe (NU) by major, 9-1. Clarke had takedowns in the first two periods to gain the advantage, earning the major with a three-point near-fall and over three minutes of riding time for the match. No. 8 Josh Rodriguez just missed a major decision in his match with Michael Kubik (NU), winning 7-1 after adding a riding time point to two takedowns and a reversal. FHSU led, 24-8, at that point. Inman, also ranked eighth nationally, made quick work of Newman's Dalton Weidl at 184 pounds, pinning his opponent in 2:45. Inman picked up a takedown early and after an official reset, stuck Weidl to pick up his 10th fall of the year. Drylie (197) followed with a pin of his own in 3:39 against Bobby Bowman. Up 3-2 after the first, Drylie reversed Bowman in the second before recording the pin near the midway point of the second to give FHSU a 36-8 lead. Sixth-ranked Page closed the match with the Tigers' second technical fall of the night, dominating his match with Lex Plummer to win, 15-0, in the first period. Page had a takedown and 13 near-fall points in the first 2:27 of the match to secure the win. Seniors Garrett Jones (133), Bryce Lewis (165), Rodriguez and Page were honored prior to the match for Senior Night. FHSU is back in action on Friday, Jan. 23 at No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney. Match time in Kearney, Neb., is set for 6 p.m. Results: 125 – Adam Ludwin (FHSU) wins by forfeit ... FHSU leads, 6-0 133 – Dustin Reed (NU) wins by decision (5-2) over Anthony Calderon (FHSU) … FHSU leads, 6-3 141 – Noah Killip (FHSU) wins by technical fall (16-1, 7:00) over Travis Rodenbaugh (NU) … FHSU leads, 11-3 149 – Taylor Mies (NU) wins by technical fall (18-2, 3:40) over Matt Ziegler (FHSU) … FHSU leads, 11-8 157 – Bradley Little (FHSU) wins by fall (3:15) over Forlanda Parker (NU) … FHSU leads, 17-8 165 – Kregg Clarke (FHSU) wins by major decision (9-1) over Zach Duwe (NU) … FHSU leads, 21-8 174 – No. 8 Josh Rodriguez (FHSU) wins by decision (7-1) over Michael Kubik (NU) … FHSU leads, 24-8 184 – No. 8 Jon Inman (FHSU) wins by fall (2:45) over Dalton Wiedl (NU) … FHSU leads, 30-8. 197 – Cash Drylie (FHSU) wins by fall (3:39) over Bobby Bowman (NU) … FHSU leads, 36-8 285 – No. 6 Trey Page (FHSU) wins by technical fall (15-0, 2:27) over Lex Plummer (NU) … FHSU leads, 41-8

WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- Waynesburg University and Washington & Jefferson got the 2014-15 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) schedule off to a thrilling start on Wednesday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. The Yellow Jackets bounced back from a slow start by winning the final three matches of the evening to pull out a 22-17 victory over the Presidents. The Yellow Jackets (15-6, 1-0) tied their program record for most dual victories in a season. Waynesburg and W&J's (2-10, 0-1) lineups featured a combined nine wrestlers who have been featured in either the D3wrestle.com or NWCA rankings this season. The Presidents got out to a fast start with decisions at 125, 133 and 141 pounds, respectively, to take a 9-0 lead. Waynesburg senior Luke Lohr got his team off the slide by notching an 11-2 major decision that trimmed the deficit down to 9-4. The Presidents responded with a major decision of their own at 157 pounds to go back up by nine points (13-4), before senior Sam Guidi put together perhaps the most dominant showing of the evening, which came by way of a pin in 1:04. W&J rebounded with a major decision win at 174 to make the score 17-10, but the Jackets were just about to finally put the match out of reach. Waynesburg senior Patrick Jennings got into some early trouble in his bout at 184 pounds, but was able to come back and grab a crucial 6-5 decision thanks to takedown late in the third period. A forfeit at 197 pounds gave the Jackets its first lead of the night at 19-17 and set up a winner-take-all bout at heavyweight. Jacket junior Greg Kumer faced off with President freshman Antonio Santoro. Both 285-pounders managed an escape each through regulation and the contest went into overtime. After a scoreless minute of sudden victory, the bout advance into the thirty-second ride-out periods. Santoro won the coin flip and escaped from the down position to go up 2-1. During the second-period Kumer not only escaped but was also able to pick up the bout and match-clinching takedown before time expired. With the win, Waynesburg improved to 7-0 against W&J under head coach Ron Headlee. The Jackets are off until Thursday, Jan. 29, when they host Penn State Dubois. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m. Results: 125 – Seth Carr (WJ) 6, Gordan Bieber 2 0-3 133 – Jacob Spearman (WJ) 5, Filippo Crivelli 3 0-6 141 – Daniel Pommerer (WJ) 12, Dom Ciaramella 8 0-9 149 – Luke Lohr (WU) 11-2 Maj. Dec. Logan Strope 4-9 157 – Nick Carr (WJ) 18-4 Maj. Dec. Derek Hull 4-1 3 165 – Sam Guidi (WU) Pin 1:04 Declan Haggerty 10-13 174 – Sonnieboy Blanco (WJ) 18-4 Maj. Dec. Eric Tuck 10-17 184 – Patrick Jennings (WU) 6, William Oberschelp 513-17 197 – Gennaro Bonaventura (WU) wins by forfeit 19-17 285 – Greg Kumer (WU) 4-2 OT Antonio Santoro 22-17 Exhib. (125) – Mike Roberts (WU) 7, Samuel Horwitz 4 Exhib. (157) – Landon Lohr (WU) 11, Blynn Shideler 4

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- No. 19 Colorado Mesa won eight of the ten bouts in a 39-7 win over Adams State in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling dual in Plachy Hall. The Mavericks benefited from a pair of forfeits in the dual and also picked up three pins on the night. The dual started at 133 pounds where the Mavericks picked up one of the two forfeits on the night. That brought Daniel Salazar up at 141 pounds. Salazar fell behind early 2-0 but rebounded with a pin of JC Henderson at the 4:16 mark of the match. No. 3 James Martinez earned the second pin of the night at 157 pounds when he pinned Jacob Deaguero at the 3:34 mark of the match. Martinez led the match 13-0 before putting Deaguero on his back for good. Jordan Passehl had the final pin of the night for Colorado Mesa. Passehl earned his pin in 41 seconds over Grizzly Austin Andrade. Nick Swanson, Bruno Nicoletti and Paco Retana all earned decision wins on the night as well. Colorado Mesa will take their 10-0 dual meet record to Pueblo for a dual tomorrow night with the CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves at 7:00pm. Results: 125: #3 Jerry Huff (ASU) dec Colby Christensen, 9-1 133: Jonathon Stelling (CMU) wins by forfeit 141: Daniel Salazar (CMU) pins JC Henderson, 4:16 149: Nick Swanson (CMU) dec Devin Vasquez, 9-4 157: #3 James Martinez (CMU) pins Jacob Deaguero, 3:34 165: Mark Mabry (ASU) dec Jessie Hoffschneider, 7-6 174: Bruno Nicoletti (CMU) dec Mario Garcia, 5-4 184: Mitch Wyatt (CMU) wins by forfeit 197: Paco Retana (CMU) dec Amer Tipura, 7-4 285: Jordan Passehl (CMU) pins Austin Andrade, 0:41

PEMBROKE -- Visiting Coker used Derrick Booth's 5-2 decision at 165 pounds to forge a 15-8 lead, but the 14th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team won each of the final four matches of the evening to register a 20-15 win over the upset-minded Cobras on Wednesday evening in the English E. Jones Center. The Braves (6-2) have now won 17 of their last 19 dual matches dating back to December 2013, including both series matchups with Coker. The setback snapped a four-match win streak for the Cobras (10-2) whose only other loss this season was to 12th-ranked Newberry. Coker grabbed each of the night's first two matches, including Derrick Nelson's first-period (1:44) pin of Quan Le at 133 pounds, to stake claim to an early 9-0 advantage, but Daniel Ownbey got the Braves on the board a short time later with a dominant 17-5 major decision over RaSean McArthur. Rashad Cunningham got the visitors back on track with an 11-4 decision over newcomer Hayden Fry in the 149-pound bout, but Reggie Allen helped the hosts chop into their deficit once again with a 12-2 major decision over Derrick Rothermel at 157 pounds. Booth took down a determined Joe Remaklus in the 165-pound match to pad Coker's lead back out to seven points, but Terrence Zaleski sparked a comeback for UNCP in the 174-pound contest when he rallied back from an early 5-2 deficit to slip by Rocco Hladney, 12-11. Mikey Thomas pulled out an overtime win over Luis Peguero at 184 pounds to pull the Black & Gold to within two points, before Stuart Nadeau gave his team the lead for good on the shoulders of a 4-2 decision over Robert Parland in the 197-pound bout. Chris Giddens sealed the outcome with a 5-2 win over John Allen Griswold in a battle of the heavyweights. The Braves will be back in action again on Thursday when they make the short trip up U.S. 74 to take on St. Andrews (6-6) on Harris Court. Wrestling action is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. Results: 125: Mikel Nelson (CC) dec. Caison Scott (UNCP) D 9-3 133: Derrick Nelson (CC) pinned Quan Le (UNCP) F 1:44 141: No. 2 Daniel Ownbey (UNCP) maj. dec. RaSean McArthur (CC) M 17-5 149: Rashad Cunningham (CC) dec. Hayden Fry (UNCP) D 11-4 157: Reggie Allen (UNCP) maj. dec. Derrick Rothermel (CC) M 12-2 165: Derrick Booth (CC) dec. Joe Remaklus (UNCP) D 5-2 174: No. 4 Terrence Zaleski (UNCP) dec. Rocco Hladney (CC) D 12-11 184: Mikey Thomas (UNCP) dec. Luis Peguero (CC) TB-1 4-3 197: Stuart Nadeau (UNCP) dec. Robert Parland (CC) D 4-2 285: Chris Giddens (UNCP) dec. John Allen Griswold (CC) D 5-2 Exh (133): Arie Freeman (UNCP) pinned Varlee Kelleh (CC) F 4:39 Exh (285): Alex Green (CC) dec. Danny Berrier (UNCP) D 3-2 Starting Weight: 125 Records: Coker 11-2; UNC Pembroke 6-2

Springfield, Mass. -- The Springfield College wrestling program picked up six individual victories in a dual meet with Norwich, and defeated the Cadets, 29-12 on Wednesday evening in the Springfield College Field House. After freshman Kyle Layne (Croster, N.J.) won by forfeit at 133, sophomore Jacob Strohman (East Longmeadow) defeated James Duncan (Brewster, N.Y.), 10-1, to give the Pride a 10-0 lead. At 149, sophomore Zach Joseph (Clifton Park, N.Y.) defeated Connor Gatto (Uxbridge, Mass.) by tech fall, 16-0, to give the Pride a 15-0 lead, before senior Eric Hamrick (Collingswood, N.J.) pinned Alex Kwmuntis (Peabody, Mass.) in 2:38 to give the Pride a 21-0 lead. At 165, the nation's top-ranked Dylan Foley (Southborough, Mass.) bested Tyler Jacobs (Madison, Conn.) by tech fall, 17-2 to give the Pride a 26-0 lead, only to have William Burns (Mascoutah, Illi.) topple Will Henson (Barnstable, Mass.), 11-5, to give Norwich its first points of the day. With a 26-4 lead, Norwich's Nick Smith (Hanover, Mass.) won by forfeit at 184 before Jacob Towse (West Springfield, Mass.) knocked off sophomore Hunter Ayen (Gouverneur, N.Y.) at 197 by a score of 5-3, to make it 26-12 in favor of the hosts. In the last bout of the day, junior Irakli Kakauridze (Howell, N.J.) knocked off Steven Maldonado (Nyack, N.Y.) at 285 by decision, 5-2, to give Springfield the 29-12 dual meet victory. Springfield will resume action this weekend when it will host the NEWA Dual Championships on Sunday, January 25 in the Springfield College Field House at 9:30 a.m. 125 - No contest 133 - Kyle Layne (SPR) - wins by forfeit (6-0) (6-0) 141- Jacob Strohman (SPR) def. James Duncan (NOR) - (Dec., 10-1) (10-0) 149 - Zach Joseph (SPR) vs. Connor Gatto (NOR) - (TF 16-0)(16-0) 157 - Eric Hamrick (SPR) vs. Alex Kwmuntis (NOR) - (Fall 2:38)(20-0) 165- Dylan Foley (SPR) vs Tyler Jacobs (NOR) - TF, 17-2 (26-0) 174 - William Burns (NOR) vs. Will Henson - (Dec.,11-5) (26-3) 184 - Nick Smith (NOR) wins by forfeit - (6-0)(26-9) 197 - Jacob Towse (NOR) def. Hunter Ayen (SPR) vs.- (Dec.,5-3) (26-12) 285 - Irakli Kakauridze (SPR) def. Steven Maldonado (NOR) - (Dec., 5-2) (29-12)

Seton Hill cut an early 13-point deficit to four, but the 18th-ranked Pitt-Johnstown wrestlers used pins from Corey Bush and Zac Bennett and pulled away from the Griffins for a 26-12 PSAC victory, Wednesday night in the Sports Center. Pitt-Johnstown made it five straight wins and improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC... (Full Results) The Mountain Cats jumped on the Griffins to start. Evan Link opened the match with a dominating 10-0 win over Mike Soria at 125 lbs., and Bush pinned Collin Dees at 4:31 to make it 10-0 Pitt-Johnstown. At 141 lbs., sixth-ranked Sam Hanau held off Pat Owens, 4-3, to increase it to 13-0. Seton Hill battled their way back in it with three straight decision wins. Ty Lydic's 3-1 overtime win over Cole Landowski at 149 lbs. got the Griffins on the board, before 2014 National Qualifier Zach Voytek dealt Steve Edwards a 6-3 loss at 157 lbs. Ryan Walters then earned a 9-5 decision over Boe Bonzo at 165 lbs. to get Seton Hill to within four. However, John Blankenship and Adam Nickelson followed with victories for the Mountain Cats to end the Griffins' run. At 174 lbs., Blankenship, ranked third in the region, dealt the region's sixth-ranked wrestler Brett Smith an 8-3 setback, and Nickelson dealt Christian Bosco a 12-3 major decision loss at 184 lbs. to build the Pitt-Johnstown lead to 20-9. After Devante Chance's lay-up extended it to 38-26, Dale Clancy hit a late free-throw for the Mountain Cats to make it 38-27 at the break. Seton Hill answered with a 7-6 overtime win by Morris Lawson over Forest Tuttle at 197 lbs., but it was a little too late for the Griffins. Bennett came out ant 285 lbs. and pinned Alex Soutiere at 58 seconds to give the Mountain Cats the 26-12 victory. With the loss, Seton Hill dropped to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the PSAC. Pitt-Johnstown travels to Millersville for a conference match on Saturday and to Wheeling Jesuit (WV) on January, 30, before returning home to host Lake Erie (OH) on February 6 at 7 p.m. and a tri-match with Ohio Valley (WV) and Tiffin (OH) on February 7. 125 lbs. Evan Link (UPJ) Major Decision Mike Soria (SHU) 10-0 4-0 UPJ 133 lbs. Corey Bush (UPJ) Fall Collin Dees (SHU) 4:31 10-0 UPJ 141 lbs. #6 Sam Hanau (UPJ) Decision Pat Owens (SHU) 5-4 13-0 UPJ 149 lbs. Ty Lydic (SHU) Decision Cole Landowski (UPJ) 3-1 SV1 13-3 UPJ 157 lbs. Zach Voytek (SHU) Decision Steve Edwards (UPJ) 6-3 13-6 UPJ 165 lbs. Ryan Walters (SHU) Decision Boe Bonzo (UPJ) 9-5 13-9 UPJ 174 lbs. John Blankenship (UPJ) Decision Brett Smith (SHU) 8-3 16-9 UPJ 184 lbs. Adam Nickelson (UPJ) Major Decision Christian Bosco (SHU) 12-3 20-9 UPJ 197 lbs. Morris Lawson (SHU) Decision Forest Tuttle (UPJ) 7-6 OT 20-12 UPJ 285 lbs. Zac Bennett (UPJ) Fall Alex Soutiere (SHU) :58 26-12 UPJ

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- No. 17 Augustana College wrestling recorded pins at 133 and 184 pounds and improved to 2-0 in NSIC action in a 35-3 win over MSU Moorhead (3-4, 0-3 NSIC) on Wednesday night at the Elmen Center. The Vikings are now 13-4 on the season and have won six straight duals. Augustana won nine of the 10 bouts on the night, including the two pins. Augustana also benefitted from major decisions at 141 and 197 pounds. Top-ranked TJ North gave the Vikings an early 3-0 lead over the Dragons winning a 10-3 decision over Shane Novak at 125 pounds. North nearly gave the Vikings a 4-0 lead but Novak was able to get an escape with just two seconds left in the third period to avoid the major decision. After trailing for much of the first period and into the second, Morgan Engbrecht got a takedown near the end of the second period to take a 5-4 lead into the period of the 133-pound bout. Engbrecht continued to put on the pressure and eventually pinned MSUM's Blake Bosch in 6:34 to give the Vikings a 9-0 lead in the dual. Fourth-ranked Jeremiah Peterson extended Augustana's lead to 13-0 after winning a 9-1 major decision over Philippe Walker. Peterson grabbed a 5-0 lead in the first period and never let it go, extending his lead to 9-0 after a late escape and a takedown to get the major decision after Walker gained one point for riding time. Augustana extended its lead to 16-0 after Jacob Anderson won an 8-3 decision over Isaac Novace in the 149-pound bout. Bradyn Neises (157 pounds) was the next Viking to pick up a victory, winning a 5-3 decision over Garret Hoffner to push the lead to 19-0 at the midway point of the dual. Parker Swanson (165 pounds) won his 14th match of the season earning a 6-1 decision over Dan Murakami pushing the Augustana lead to 22-0. The Dragons got on the board in the 174-pound bout when Michael Joseph won a 5-2 decision over Logan Henning to make the score 22-3. The Vikings answered quickly in the 184-pound match when Aero Amo pinned Shawn Porter in 25 seconds to push Augustana's lead to 28-3. Fifth-ranked Jayd Docken went to work in the 197-pound bout, sealing the victory with four takedowns in the third period, earning a 14-3 major decision over Chris Bascon making the score 32-3 after nine bouts. Trailing 1-0 heading into the third period in the 285-pound bout, Michael Lowman stormed back to earn a 3-1 victory to make the final score 35-3 in favor of the Vikings. Augustana returns to NSIC action this Saturday, traveling to Marshall, Minn., to take on Southwest Minnesota State at 7 p.m. Match Scores 125: No. 1 TJ North won by decision (10-3) over Shane Novak; AC 3, MSUM 0 133: Morgan Engbrecht pinned Blake Bosch in 6:34; AC 9, MSUM 0 141: No. 4 Jeremiah Peterson won by major decision (9-1) over Philippe Walker; AC 13, MSUM 0 149: Jacob Anderson won by decision (8-3) over Isaac Novacek; AC 16, MSUM 0 157: Bradyn Neises won by decision (5-3) over Garret Hoffner; AC 19, MSUM 0 165: Parker Swanson won by decision (6-1) over Dan Murakami; AC 22, MSUM 0 174: Michael Joseph won by decision (5-2) over Logan Henning: AC 22, MSUM 3 184: Aero Amo pinned Shawn Porter in 0:25; AC 28, MSUM 3 197: Jayd Docken won by major decision (14-3) over Chris Bascon; AC 32, MSUM 3 285: Michael Lowman won by decision (3-1) over Nader Abdullatif; AC 35, MSUM 3

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Cortland wrestling team won six matches, capped by Joe Giaramita's (Elwood/John H. Glenn) 12-0 major decision at 197 pounds, and the Red Dragons won a dual match at Oneonta, 19-18. Cortland (6-2) opened with a pair of tight decisions as sophomore Mat Bradice (Mastic/William Floyd) won 2-1 at 125 pounds and senior Paul Fields (New City/Clarkstown North) won 11-9 in overtime at 133 pounds. Oneonta's Adam Greene won 8-3 at 141 pounds, but Cortland freshman Greg Chery (Ronkonkoma/Connetquot) answered with an 8-4 victory at 149 pounds to give his squad a 9-3 lead. Oneonta (4-5) tied the match at 9-9 with a forfeit win at 157. The teams then traded decisions as Cortland sophomore Colin Barber (Westfield, NJ) won 12-6 at 165 pounds and Oneonta's Shaun Gillen won 6-4 at 174 pounds. Cortland gained the lead at 15-12 when senior Tyler Beckwith (Greene), ranked fourth nationally at 184 pounds, earned a 5-3 decision. Giaramita, ranked third nationally at 197 pounds, earned four points with his major decision, and that proved to be the difference as Oneonta scored six points at 285 pounds when James Bethel pinned nationally ninth-ranked Lance Moore (Johnson City) in 5:36. Cortland travels to Hunter College in New York City on Saturday, Jan. 24, to face Scranton at 10 a.m. and Hunter at 11:30 a.m. Results: 125 – Mat Bradice (CORT) dec. Dominic DeGraba, 2-1 133 – Paul Fields (CORT) dec. Sean Hanson, 11-9 (ot) 141 – Adam Greene (ONE) dec. Matt Norris, 8-3 149 – Greg Chery (CORT) dec. Curt Rowley, 8-4 157 – Evan Wallace (ONE) won by forfeit 165 – Colin Barber (CORT) dec. Mitchell Fisher, 12-6 174 – Shaun Gillen (ONE) dec. Joe Cataldo, 6-4 184 – Tyler Beckwith (CORT) dec. Vincent Provenzano, 5-3 197 – Joe Giaramita (CORT) major dec. Chad Obzud, 12-0 285 – James Bethel (ONE) pinned Lance Moore, 5:36 Records after the match: Cortland (Red Dragons) 6-2; Oneonta (Red Dragons) 4-5

Port Robertson is arguably one of the giants of collegiate sports in mid-20th century America, as a wrestler, freshman football coach, and long-time head wrestling coach at the University of Oklahoma. Port RobertsonBeyond those titles, Port Robertson's greatest impact was as the school's academic counselor to every Sooner male athlete for a couple generations -- from immediately after World War II, up until his retirement in the mid-1980s. Yet his name and accomplishments are not widely known outside the Sooner State ... and, now a decade after his death, many Oklahomans may not recognize the name. Sports writer Ed Frost has done his part to share the story of the OU athlete, coach and counselor in his new book, "Port Robertson: Behind the Scenes of Sooner Sports" published by the Oklahoma Heritage Association. The 411 on Port Robertson Porter Glen Robertson had a multi-dimensional career as athlete and coach. Of primary interest to InterMat would be his involvement in wrestling. Robertson wrestled for the University of Oklahoma from 1935-37, for then head coach Paul Keen, brother of legendary University of Michigan head coach Cliff Keen, who he later served as an assistant coach. As a Sooner matman, Robertson compiled a 20-4 overall record, claimed two Big Six conference crowns, and earned All-American honors at the 1935 NCAAs. After serving in World War II -- where he earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroic participation in the D-Day invasion of the beaches of Normandy, France -- Robertson returned to Norman, Oklahoma to join the athletic department at his college alma mater, as freshman football coach for the legendary OU gridiron program headed up by Bud Wilkinson, then Gomer Jones, and as academic counselor for all Sooner male athletes -- not just the gridiron guys and matmen, but the golfers and tennis players as well -- making sure ALL went to class and stayed out of trouble, or suffered the consequences, which usually involved running the steps at the football stadium or washing dishes in the dining hall, but, for more serious situations, could also mean loss of scholarship and being told to leave school. Wrestling fans with a sense of history may think of Robertson as the coach of the 1960 US Olympic freestyle wrestling team that brought home three gold medals from Rome ... and, as "the man who coached Dan Hodge at OU." But there's so much more. As head wrestling coach at Oklahoma for 15 seasons (1947-59, and for the 1962 season), Robertson led the Sooners to three NCAA team titles (1951, 1952 and 1957) as well as three second-place finishes, and eight straight Big Seven conference titles. His wrestlers won 15 individual NCAA titles, and five NCAA Outstanding Wrestler honors -- one for Dick Delgado, two each for Tommy Evans and Dan Hodge. Meet Ed Frost Ed FrostEd Frost has deep roots within the state of Oklahoma ... and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. However, he spent nearly four decades teaching Russian language and literature at three different universities outside the Sooner State, primarily at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. So how did a guy who taught Russian in the Land of Lincoln, come to write a book about one of the most significant figures in the athletic department at the University of Oklahoma? "I grew up in Hobart, a small agricultural community in Oklahoma," Frost told InterMat. "My parents both went to OU, and both were sports nuts. My dad went to Norman High School, where he played football. We went to OU football games." "I heard tales of early athletes and coaches. Papa had been sports editor of the OU student paper. I had pictures of Jim Thorpe, Babe Ruth and other all-time great athletes in my room." "My whole family was writers. My dad ran the hometown paper; mom was a columnist. My brother became an editor in New York City." "I thought I would be a sports reporter," Frost continued. "I even took Theory of Football at OU as a senior, the only non-athlete in the class." That dream was derailed by outside political forces from thousands of miles away. "Because of the Cold War, I became interested in Russia," according to Frost. "My brother was drafted, and went into language school. I followed the same path, learned Russian, and took a 40-year detour to teach Russian." After concluding his academic career, Frost returned to Norman to enjoy retirement ... and do what he could to rekindle that lifelong dream of becoming a sportswriter. "'Sooner Spectator' magazine on OU sports was launched, and I was a freelance writer," said Frost. "I did 'Sooner Flashbacks' which were features on OU coaches and athletes, including Dan Hodge." Hodge, who wrestled for the Sooners and coach Robertson in the mid-1950s, compiled a 46-0 record (with more than three-quarters of those victories by fall), winning three NCAA titles, and a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He owns the distinction of being the only US amateur wrestler to have graced the cover of "Sports Illustrated" as an amateur wrestler ... and his name appears on the annual award presented to the best college wrestler in the nation. A book comes to life "Some of the past athletes told me, ‘Why not write a book about Port Robertson?'" said Frost. "I never thought it would take three years to write." Frost described how Wayne Baughman -- a 1962 NCAA champ for Oklahoma who went on wrestle and coach at a number of Olympics, then served as head coach at the US Air Force Academy for 26 seasons -- had started gathering materials for a book about Robertson. "He was able to pass along contact information -- email addresses and phone numbers -- for a number of former OU athletes, which gave me a tremendous start." Frost's bio on Port Robertson is not your typical life story that opens with the subject's birth and concludes with his death. Instead, the book uses a unique thematic organization, featuring recollections and stories from Sooner athletes who worked with Robertson, placed in chapters with direct, to-the-point titles such as "Values", "OSU" (as in Oklahoma State), "Football", "Port-isms" (his favorite words and phrases, including his often-used endearment, "You Pea-head!") and "Steps" (referring to running the steps at the school's football stadium, Robertson's favorite punishment for wayward athletes). "It had occurred to me to organize it with a thematic approach," said Frost. That approach also made sense given the facts of the situation. "So many former OU athletes had hoped a book could be completed while he was still alive," said Frost. "By the time I started work on my book, Port, his wife, his two children and most of his siblings had already passed away. In addition, most of his contemporaries were also dead. The only person still alive who saw him wrestle was Stanley Henson, who was a sophomore when Port was a senior." (Henson wrestled at Oklahoma's fierce cross-state rival, Oklahoma State, in the late 1930s, where he suffered just one loss, to Bill Keas, Robertson's Sooner teammate. Henson, a three-time NCAA champ, was named top college wrestler of the pre-World War II era by both "Amateur Wrestling News" magazine and Jay Hammond's book "The History of Collegiate Wrestling". A retired surgeon living in Colorado, Henson is one of the oldest surviving college mat champs, along with John Harkness, 1939 NCAA 175-pound champ for Harvard.) "A lot of the guys I talked to had so many stories to tell," said Frost. "It made sense to let them share these memories Port that way." When asked to share his favorite story about Port Robertson, Ed Frost did not hesitate. "The story about the two football players challenging Port to a wrestling match. I got that one from at least fifteen guys," said Frost, describing an incident involving two Sooner gridiron stars of the late 1950s, Bobby Boyd and the late "Wahoo" McDaniel, both who went on to play in the NFL, with McDaniel also having a pro wrestling career. The two had skipped classes repeatedly, and, refusing to run the huge number of steps that had added up from the multiple violations, challenged the former wrestler and current mat coach -- by then, in his mid-40s -- to a tag-team wrestling match. The results were disastrous for Boyd and McDaniel, hilarious for the reader. Relevant beyond Soonerland A reader need not be an Oklahoma Sooner sports nut to appreciate "Port Robertson: Behind the Scenes of Sooner Sports" ... though, as author Ed Frost told InterMat, "If you're an OU fan, you ought to know Port Robertson." That said, Frost provided number of reasons to read the book, starting with reasons relevant to wrestling fans of any age and alma mater. From left: Port Robertson, Dan Hodge (in robe) and Gordon Roesler, 1956"Robertson was a colossal figure in amateur wrestling for 40 years," according to Frost. "He wrestled for Paul Keen at Oklahoma, then, coached with his brother Cliff Keen at Michigan. He coached some of the biggest names in wrestling in the 1950s, guys like Stan Abel, Tommy Evans, Dick Delgado, and, of course, Dan Hodge. He coached the U.S. wrestling team at the 1960 Olympics to three gold medals, a result far surpassing anything anyone rightfully expected. He was an advocate of action in wrestling, of putting emphasis on pinning." After citing Robertson's involvement in the great Sooner championship football teams of the 1950s, Frost then shifted to the coach's service to his country, saying, "His time in the military had a significant role in shaping who he was, especially his participation in (the invasion of) Normandy. He also actively supported the ROTC on campus, and urged his athletes to participate and serve their country." Ed Frost's "Port Robertson: Behind the Scenes of Sooner Sports" provides wrestling fans -- and fans of all college sports -- with an inside look at the athletic programs of a major public university at the time when its football and wrestling programs ruled, thanks in large part to a physically-imposing, powerfully-built yet soft-spoken, deeply religious coach who practiced "tough love" with his athletes long before that phrase became popular. The book shares hundreds of stories from dozens of athletes in various sports; many of the stories are amusing or downright funny ... but all athletes sharing the stories say they gained valuable life-lessons from Robertson, and came to love him as a father. In addition, Frost's book has dozens of photos, including plenty of images of Sooner mat stars of Robertson's era. This hardbound book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Readers interested in Port Robertson may also wish to check out Mike Chapman's book, "Oklahoma Shooter: The Story of Dan Hodge" ... and read other InterMat articles on the 1960 Olympics, and the three 1960 Olympic gold medalists Robertson coached: Terry McCann, Doug Blubaugh and Shelby Wilson.

The "race" at the top of the Fab 50 national team rankings this weekend was worth a follow, though it was mostly status quo. No. 1 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. took on No. 4 Clovis, Calif.; No. 2 St. Paris Graham, Ohio took on No. 15 St. Edward, Ohio; while No. 3 Blair Academy, N.J. took on No. 10 Bergen Catholic, N.J. The higher ranked team won each of the dual meets, with the strongest statement made by the nation's number one team. No. 1 Oak Park River Forest 35, No. 4 Clovis 18 The top-ranked Huskies were the last of six dual meets on a weekend trip to the Chicagoland area for fourth-ranked Clovis. Prior to this match, Clovis had upended four of the better teams in Illinois in part of their five weekend wins. On Friday night at Montini Catholic, Clovis took eleven matches in a 54-9 victory over Washington, which is ranked second in Class 2A; Clovis took ten matches in a 54-13 victory over No. 31 Marmion Academy; while Clovis split the fourteen weight classes against No. 16 Montini Catholic in a 38-27 victory. The other dual meets of the quad went as follows: Montini over Washington 34-27, winning nine bouts; Marmion over Washington on criteria, as the teams split bouts in a 32-32 match; and Montini over Marmion 33-27, with the victorious Broncos winning eight weight classes. A couple highlights on the individual side of things, Michael Johnson returned to the mats for Montini at 285 pounds. He went undefeated on the evening, and also went undefeated in competition on Saturday. Johnson returns back to the No. 1 ranking in the nation. The other one came from the Montini vs. Marmion dual meet, where Nathan Traxler (Marmion) beat Xavier Montalvo by 7-6 in the ultimate tiebreaker at 182 pounds; Traxler moved up two spots to No. 7 this week, while Montalvo drops three spots to No. 8 in the rankngs. Then on Saturday, Clovis traveled to Carl Sandburg for another trio of dual meets. In the opener, the Cougars upended New Trier by a 70-3 score, taking home victories in all but one weight class. The following match was a 43-13 victory over No. 20 Carl Sandburg, in which Clovis earned wins in ten weight classes. That would set up the showdown with the nation's best team. The box score is below, and is a decisive and impressive victory for the Huskies. 120: No. 10 Alex Madrigal (OPRF) tech. fall Tristan Gilliland, 15-0 126: Gabe Townsell (OPRF) dec. Dylan Martinez, 8-6 132: Jamie Hernandez (OPRF) dec. Brandon Martino, 5-3 138: Khristian Olivas (Clovis) dec. Savonne Bennette, 5-2 145: No. 4 Larry Early (OPRF) dec. Isaiah Hokit, 11-4 152: No. 1 Isaiah White (OPRF) tech. fall Lane Barnes, 23-6 160: No. 20 Matthew Rundell (OPRF) dec. Dominic Kincaid, 9-6 170: No. 7 Kamal Bey (OPRF) pin Josh Hokit, 3:45 182: A.J. Nevills (Clovis) dec. Max Metzger, 10-6 195: Adam Prentice (Clovis) dec. Ben Bergen, 7-1 220: Seth Nevills (Clovis) won by forfeit; Allen Stallings did not wrestle for OPRF 285: Adam Lemke-Bell (OPRF) dec. Hexton Coronado, 7-2 106: No. 13 Anthony Madrigal (OPRF) major dec. Wyatt Cornelison, 9-1 113: No. 2 Justin Mejia (Cloivs) dec. No. 3 Jason Renteria, 4-2 No. 2 St. Paris Graham 37, No. 15 St. Edward 22 The second-ranked Falcons rallied from a 16-9 halftime deficit to win six of the seven matches after the break in a 37-22 home victory over St. Edward. Two nationally ranked St. Paris Graham wrestlers lost to either an unranked wrestler, or one that was at the time below them in the rankings. A full recap of that dual meet is posted here. No. 3 Blair Academy 29, No. 10 Bergen Catholic 21 The top two teams in New Jersey took to the mats in the 3:00 p.m. concluding round of the Garden State Duals held on the campus of Rutgers University this past Saturday, and the matchup certainly lived to that billing. Blair Academy was missing two starters from the lineup, though only one of those missing wrestlers would have changed an end-game outcome. The Buccaneers took home eight of fourteen matches, would have been nine if Michael Monica was in the lineup at 145. Below is the detailed box score. 126: Peter Lipari (BC) tech. fall Zach Jones, 16-0 132: No. 7 Charles Tucker (Blair) dec. Shane Griffith, 11-5 138: No. 2 Matthew Kolodzik (Blair) maj. dec. Lauren Angelhina, 12-3 145: Brady Ford (BC) dec. Max Pickett, 3-2 152: No. 3 Jordan Kutler (Blair) pin Jared Rolon, 1:08 160: Peter Bearse (Blair) dec. Peter Brennan, 9-5 170: No. 8 Brandon Dallavia (Blair) dec. Joe Grello, 5-3 182: No. 14 Chase Singletary (Blair) dec. Kevin Mulligan, 5-0 195: Daniel DeLorenzi (BC) dec. Neil Putnam, 2-1 220: No. 10 David Showunmi (Blair) maj. dec. Jordan Michalski, 10-2 285: Joe Caggiano (BC) major dec. Ian Day, 10-2 106: Carmen Ferrante (BC) dec. Matthew Vinci, 8-3 113: No. 15 Zach Sherman (Blair) dec. Evan Quinn, 8-4 120: No. 2 Nick Suriano (BC) dec. Requir van der Merwe, 8-2 Onto this coming weekend, and we'll start with an overview of No. 2 Blair Academy, and their trip to No. 15 St. Edward (Ohio) to take on the host Eagles and No. 50 Marist (Illinois). Wrestling starts at Noon, with Blair vs. Marist, then St. Edward vs. Marist, and then St. Edward vs. Blair. No. 2 Blair Academy vs. No. 15 St. Edward 106: Matthew Vinci (Blair) vs. Matthew Kazimir (SE) -- Vinci went 1-2 at the Walsh Ironman, Kazimir won two matches to advance to the quarterfinals before bowing out a match short of placement; among their results was a match against a common opponent, Vinci lost 3-0, while Kazimir won 5-0. 113: No. 15 Zach Sherman vs. Allan Hart -- Hart out-placed Sherman at the Ironman, fifth as opposed to eighth. However, each had a different outcome when wrestling No. 8 Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) in dual meet competition this month; Sherman pulled off the 4-2 upset, while Moore beat Hart by 2-0 decision. 120: Requir van der Merwe vs. Cade Hepner or Mason Daugherty -- van der Merwe went 3-2 at the Ironman, while Hepner went two-and-out. Van der Merwe is also a returning National Prep placer. Even if Daugherty makes his varsity season debut, dropping to 120 pounds, this is an "on paper" loss for the Eagles. 126: Andrew Monohan vs. L.J. Bentley -- Monahan did not wrestle at the Ironman, but a relative co-equal peer in Andrew Merola went 2-2; Bentley also failed to place, as he advanced to the quarterfinals but lost two straight to bow out a match short. Both Blair Academy wrestlers have lost to No. 19 Eli Seipel (St. Paris Graham) this year, while Bentley pulled off a 6-5 upset in the dual meet last week. 132: No. 7 Charles Tucker vs. No. 16 Hunter Ladnier -- Tucker scored a 7-2 dec. over Ladnier in the third place bout at the Ironman. However, Ladnier was able to avenge his Ironman loss last weekend in a 9-1 major dec. over No. 18 Rocky Jordan; Tucker's front-side loss at the Ironman came in the semifinals, 6-4 to Jordan. 138: No. 2 Matthew Kolodzik vs. Isaac Collier -- Kolodzik finished as runner-up at the Ironman, while Collier went 1-2. 145: Michael Monica vs. Jack Conway -- Monica went 3-2 to finish a match short of placement at the Ironman, while Conway was out of the lineup. However, Monica has split matches this season against Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham), while Moore earned a decisive victory over Conway in the dual meet. 152: No. 3 Jordan Kutler vs. Michael Carpenter -- Kutler finished third at the Ironman, while Carpenter went two-and-out at 160 pounds. Against No. 14 Kyle Lawson (St. Paris Graham), Kutler won, while Carpenter lost decisively. 160: Peter Bearse vs. D.J. Williamson -- Neither wrestler was in the lineup for the Walsh Ironman, and they wrestled different opponents in the dual meet against St. Paris Graham. The best benchmark comparative is last week when Bearse upended Brennan of Bergen Catholic 9-5; Brennan and Williamson were both close to state qualification last year. 170: No. 8 Brandon Dallavia vs. Jared Leidich -- Dallavia placed third at the Ironman, while Leidich went two-and-out 182: No. 14 Chase Singletary vs. Tyler Stepic -- Singletary placed eighth in an absolutely loaded Ironman weight class, having to beat a nationally ranked wrestler just to place; while Stepic went 3-2. 195: Neil Putnam vs. Jared Campbell -- Putnam placed seventh at the Ironman, including a 6-2 front-side victory over Campbell, who went 2-2 220: No. 10 David Showunmi vs. Parker Knapp -- Showunmi placed first, while Knapp placed third at the Ironman, though the two did not wrestle; both are past Junior National freestyle All-Americans, Showunmi this past summer, with Knapp doing so in the summer of 2013 285: Ian Day vs. Mike O'Malley -- Neither competed at the Ironman, with O'Malley being the better wrestler and athlete. A week before the Ironman, O'Malley was making valuable contributions at the defensive end position to a state title-winning football team. Bound Brook in-season dual meet gauntlet continues The trek of No. 22 Bound Brook, N.J. to take on seemingly every in-state team that matters this season, as well as some other formidable out-of-state opponents, continued this past Saturday in the championship match of the Pequannock Duals. The Crusaders did battle with No. 42 DePaul Catholic, as they came out with a 33-30 victory, taking home nine weight classes. Key to the victory was the fact they went 4-0 in matches decided by two points or less. Bound Brook takes on four Fab 50 teams this week: No. 38 Phillipsburg, N.J. tonight, No. 45 Delbarton, N.J. on Friday, No. 35 Don Bosco Prep, N.J. on Saturday, and No. 36 St. Peter's Prep, N.J. on Monday. The Crusaders are also scheduled to take on Brick Memorial, N.J. on Saturday, which is ranked right around fifth in the Garden State. At the moment, Phillipsburg is missing its best wrestler, as No. 8 Brandon Paetzell (113) has been out of the lineup since after the Northampton, Pa. dual meet on January 3rd. Absent of Paetzell, the Stateliners feature two wrestlers who placed at the Beast of the East in Max Elling (160/170) and Jimmy Schuitema (160/170), with four other wrestlers that also placed at the Bethlehem Liberty Holiday Classic. Delbarton represents a stern test for Bound Brook through the lower and middle-weights, though the lack of quality in the upper-weights is likely to be the undoing for them against the Crusaders. Notable wrestlers in the Delbarton lineup include Powerade runner-up Patrick Glory (106), No. 18 Ty Agaisse (120), returning state placer Nick Farro (126), Beast of the East champion Travis Vasquez (145), and No. 18 Joseph Tavoso (152). Dual meets against Don Bosco Prep and St. Peter's Prep should be absolute slugfests, as each features talent in multiple segments of the lineup. Those two squads wrestled on Monday, with Don Bosco Prep winning on criteria after the teams split bouts in a 27-27 dual meet. Half of the matches were decided by two points or less, and each team won two matches by fall. Ed Winger Classic represents stern mid-term in Iowa Fredy Stroker is ranked No. 2 by InterMat at 145 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)After this weekend is done, there will only be two calendar weeks left of regular season wrestling in Iowa for Class 3A, or one if you are in either Class 2A or Class 1A. Given that premise, the time is now to start building momentum for the post-season. The twenty-team, one day event will be contested at Urbandale High School, and features six of the top ten ranked teams in the big-school division. It is anchored by a pair of Fab 50 nationally ranked teams in No. 8 Southeast Polk and No. 21 Bettendorf. The field also includes eleven of the fourteen weight class number one ranked wrestlers in the big-school division. The following top eight ranked individuals are expected to compete, as per rankings from January 8th posted by The Predicament. 106: Harlan Steffensmeier (Fort Madison), Gauge Perrien (Southeast Polk), Spencer Hutchinson (West Des Moines Valley), Max Tracy (Dallas Center Grimes) 113: No. 18 Jack Wagner (Bettendorf), Nathan Lendt (Southeast Polk), Ethan Ksiazek (Johnston), Matt Robertson (Pleasant Valley), Tate Bettani (Ballard Huxley) 120: Jacob Schwarm (Bettendorf), Tanner Rohweder (Iowa City West), Zach Barnes (Southeast Polk), Grant Stotts (West Des Moines Valley), Alec Ksiazek (Johnston) 126: Nolan Hellickson (Southeast Polk), Henry Pohlmeyer (Johnston), Darien Collins (Pleasant Valley), Jackson Gallagher (Bettendorf) 132: Paul Glynn (Bettendorf), Michael Zachary (Dowling Catholic), Spencer Nevills (Pleasant Valley), Tanner Hocker (Fort Madison), Nathan Macki (Ballard Huxley), Bradley Irwin (Centerville) 138: Daniel Kelly (Cedar Falls), Colton Clingenpeel (Council Bluffs Jefferson), Keegan Shaw (Southeast Polk), Merrick Purcell (Dowling Catholic), Shane Vaughan (Johnston), Chase Seaney (Fort Madison), Trevor Harsh (ADM Adel) 145: No. 2 Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf), Aaron Meyer (Southeast Polk), Christian Foote (Pleasant Valley), Jack Koethe (West Des Moines Valley) 152: Jacob Woodard (Bettendorf), Briar Dittmer (Southeast Polk), Marcus Coleman (Ames) 160: No. 7 Dayton Racer (Bettendorf), Jakkub Fahrenkrug (North Scott), Zach Johnston (ADM Adel) 170: No. 14 Isaiah Patton (Dowling Catholic), Casey Crawford (Indianola) 182: John Milani (Iowa City West), Hank Swalla (Ames), David Carr (Pleasant Valley) 195: No. 16 Colin Kreiter (North Scott), Donovan Doyle (Iowa City West), Deion Mikesell (Southeast Polk), Joe Brett (Dowling Catholic) 220: No. 8 Ethan Anderson (Southeast Polk), Cordell Eaton (North Scott), Cole Baker (Dallas Center Grimes), Brady Smith (West Des Moines Valley) 285: No. 3 Jacob Marnin (Southeast Polk), Jake Heinrich (Urbandale), Eli Alger (Dowling Catholic), Tom Dusen (Johnston), Alex Silberstein (Ballard Huxley) Notable ranked wrestler outcomes from the past week Top Gun 120-pound final -- Tyler Warner (Claymont, Ohio) upended Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker. Warner moved up three spots to No. 9, while Mackall drop four spots to No. 11 Escape the Rock, 126 pounds -- Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) beat Ben Lamantia (St. Anthony's, N.Y.) 3-0 in the semifinal, before losing 3-2 to Anthony Cefolo (Hanover Park, N.J.) in the final. Both Karam and Cefolo move up one spot, to No. 8 and No. 5 respectively, while Lamantia remains put at No. 17 Battle for the Belt 145-pound final -- No. 19 Ralphy Tovar (Poway, Calif.) beat No. 20 Zander Wick (San Marino, Calif.) by 3-1 decision. That represents a drop of one spot for each wrestler, due to a shift in weight class up to 145 by another wrestler. Hudson Super 16, 170 pounds -- Devin Skatzka (Richmond, Mich.) bumped up to this weight from 160, and lost in the semifinal to No. 20 Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.). Skatzka was hoping to meet No. 3 Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich.) in the final; however, it was Whitman who got that chance, Whitman lost by 21-6 tech. fall. Skatzka drops five spots in the 160 rankings to No. 13 Bill Dies Memorial, 182-pound final -- Kollin Moore (Norwayne, Ohio) pinned Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio) in 3:51. Furthermore, Moore was on the verge of scoring a tech. fall at the time of the pin. After the win, Moore moves up seven spots to No. 6 nationally, while Darmstadt dropped one spot to No. 9 nationally. The Rumble, 182-pound final -- No. 12 Seth McLeod (Post Falls, Idaho) beat No. 15 Jacob Armstrong (Salem Hills, Utah) by 5-0 decision. This represents a one spot drop for McLeod, due to Moore's move up in the rankings, while Armstrong held still in the rankings. Escape the Rock, 220-pound final -- No. 5 Andrew Dunn (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) dec. No. 6 Patrick Grayson (Colonial Forge, Va.) 10-5. The wrestlers remain in their ranking slots of last week.

UFC's weekend offering for the FOX network features a title eliminator between Alexander Gustaffson and Anthony Johnson, along with a pretty solid lineup of main card co-features. So most of the show is dedicated to breaking down the card. But with the news that the UFC is signing an old, very past his prime Mirko Cro Cop, Richard and John also delve into some of the organization's quite odd business decisions of late. It's one thing to criticize other promotions for signing freakshow fodder and then turning around to ink former WWE superstar CM Punk. But it's another to organize an event headlined by featherweight contenders Ricardo Lamas and Chad Mendes in Fairfax, Virginia, and have the main card start at 1 p.m. ... meaning that the undercard will start in the a.m. hours. Because that makes sense. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Dylan Cottrell MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- NCAA qualifier and West Virginia native Dylan Cottrell has joined the West Virginia University wrestling team, as announced by head coach Sammie Henson on Tuesday. “We are excited for Dylan’s arrival back home in the great state of West Virginia,” said Henson, who is in his first season at the helm of the Mountaineers. “He adds depth to our program and will be a huge asset for our team.” Cottrell comes to Morgantown from Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina, where he was the 2014 Southern Conference Champion at 149 pounds and 2013-14 SoCon Freshman of the Year. He posted a 26-3 mark in his redshirt freshman season and was 16-4 to start the 2014-15 season. Cottrell was ranked as high as 10th in the nation by InterMat and Flo Wrestling earlier this year. A native of Spencer, West Virginia, and a graduate of Roane County High, Cottrell entered last season’s NCAA Championships as the No. 12 seed at 149 pounds. He was upset by Penn State’s James English in the second tiebreaker, dropping a 5-4 decision. Cottrell then lost a 6-1 decision to Bryce Busler of Bloomsburg in the consolation bracket. Cottrell was an all-state first team honoree all four years at Roane County and was a four-time state, regional and conference champion. He won the 2012 Dutton Award as the best high school wrestler in the state of West Virginia and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the A-AA State Tournament. Due to NCAA rules Cottrell, a sophomore, will be ineligible for the remainder of the 2014-15 season. He will return in 2015-16 with two years of eligibility remaining.

Bob Steenlage and Josh Budke to go "On the Mat" is this Wed., Jan. 21. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. Steenlage was the first four-time state wrestling champion in Iowa history. A new award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is being named in his honor. Budke was a three-time state wrestling champion for Cedar Falls High School. He is one of two three-time state wrestling champions for the Tigers.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- After more than four decades without an upgrade to its sports presentation, United World Wrestling announced Thursday that it will be making substantial modifications to its wrestler and referee uniforms as well as changing the color of its competition mats. The new-look United World Wrestling mats will accent existing championship colors and will enhance the viewership experienceThe traditional wrestling mat colors of yellow and red, which were first adopted for the 1972 Games in Munich, will be replaced with dark blue and orange. The colors were chosen as part of a larger effort to improve the online and television viewership experience. The wrestling uniforms, though not finalized in design, will come in a variety of colors and will be adapted to appeal to a younger audience. Referees, who once wore a suit and tie, will now wear a polo shirt and trousers. “We are taking the steps to ensure that wrestling is attractive to viewers,” said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. “The traditional singlet is not something that is worn around the gym. We want apparel that our wrestlers and fans will feel proud to wear and we are going to make that happen.” The final uniform designs for all three wrestling styles are in the development phase and will be approved later this year. Lalovic and the United World Wrestling Bureau also passed several pieces of additional documentation, including the provisional recognition of the Wrestling Federation of Kosovo. Once finalized, Kosovo will increase the number of national federations to 179. The Bureau also voted to rename all five of their continental councils under the banner of “United World Wrestling – Region” (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania). The streamlined naming will promote better name identification for the international federation and continental bodies. The meeting took place a day after the organization’s successful launch of the “Super 8” campaign the international federation’s two-month campaign to raise awareness for women’s wrestling and grow female participation at all levels of the sport.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State wrestling team (6-5, 1-1 Pac-12) won eight of 10 bouts en route to a 31-6 win over CSU Bakersfield (3-4, 0-3 Pac-12) on Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena. “Until you win 10 matches in a dual meet, there is obviously things you can improve on,” head coach Zeke Jones said. “We have been talking about effort and the things we do in between every wrestling move and I think we did much better tonight. Ray (Waters) got a great win over a Pac-12 champion, and it bodes well going into next week.” The Sun Devils picked up three bonus-point wins on the night, a major decision from redshirt junior Blake Stauffer at 184 pounds, and pins from redshirt junior Josh DaSilveira at 197 pounds and junior Matt Kraus at 141 pounds. ASU’s first win came at 174 pounds, with junior Ray waters coming back to win with a late takedown with five seconds left in the third period against CSU Bakersfield’s All-American Bryce Hammond. At heavyweight, redshirt senior Chace Eskam used an escape with seconds to go in the third period to get the win over Alex Encarnarcion-Strand, and junior Ares Carpio followed after the intermission with a 10-3 win over Sergio Mendez at 125 pounds. The Sun Devils won the final three bouts of the night, starting with Kraus’ pin at 141 pounds, early on in the second period against Timmy Box. Redshirt freshman Christian Pagdilao stretched his win streak to 10 straight bouts as he edged out Coleman Hammond, 2-1, at 149 pounds, despite being held down for the entirety of the second period. In the final bout of the night, redshirt freshman Oliver Pierce picked up a 6-4 decision win over Spencer Hill. Up next, ASU will hit the road for a pair of Pac-12 matches, first facing Boise State on Friday at 8 p.m. MT, and then taking on Stanford on Sunday at Noon MT. The match against the Cardinal will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks. Results: 165: Adam Fierro (CSUB) def. Jacen Petersen (ASU): Dec 7-0 (ASU 0, CSUB 3) 174: Ray Waters (ASU) def. Bryce Hammond (CSUB): Dec 2-1 (ASU 3, CSUB 3) 184: Blake Stauffer (ASU) def. Sean Pollock (CSUB): Maj 13-1 (ASU 7, CSUB 3) 197: Josh DaSilveira (ASU) def. Matt Williams (CSUB): Fall 1:42 (ASU 13, CSUB 3) HWT: Chace Eksam (ASU) def. Alex Encarnarcion-Strand (CSUB): Dec 5-4 (ASU 16, CSUB 3) 125: Ares Carpio (ASU) def. Sergio Mendez (CSUB): Dec 10-3 (ASU 19, CSUB 3) 133: Ian Nickell (CSUB) def. Judson Preskitt (ASU): Dec 5-1 (ASU 19, CSUB 6) 141: Matt Kraus (ASU) def. Timmy Box (CSUB): Fall 4:40 (ASU 25, CSUB 6) 149: Christian Pagdilao (ASU) def. Coleman Hammond (CSUB): Dec 2-1 (ASU 28, CSUB6) 157: Oliver Pierce (ASU) def. Spencer Hill (CSUB): Dec 6-4 (ASU 31, CSUB 6)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Old Dominion Monarchs claimed their second-straight win, taking down American 26-15 on Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. ODU is now 7-3 in dual action on the season. “Our team competed hard today with the lineup we placed on the mat,” said Head Coach Steve Martin. “We had several guys put up bonus points which was good to see. Jake Henderson had a major decision built off of several takedowns. Tristan Warner had several leg attacks and turns and was one point away from a tech fall. Austin Coburn and Kevin Beazley were dominating their opponents when they pinned them. Lenny Richardson and Dechow were very offensive and put points on the board. We had a tough loss at 125 where Jeske lost to No. 16 Terao. Brandon had several scoring opportunities that he was close to converting on. We are now looking forward to competing at home for the next three weekends, as we start our MAC schedule. We are looking forward to competing against Buffalo on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and Kent State on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The match started with the heavyweight bout, featuring No. 29 Jake Henderson for the Monarchs and Scot Augustine for the Eagles. Henderson set the tone of the match early by defeating Augustine by a 10-2 major decision to give ODU a 4-0 lead. American bounced back, winning the next three bouts over the Monarchs. No. 20 Brandon Jeske fell by a narrow 2-0 decision to NCAA qualifier, No. 15 David Terao. Michael Hayes fell to Josh Terao at 133 pounds, while Jacob Kingett dropped his match to Michael Sprague in sudden victory. The Eagles led ODU by a 12-4 margin. No. 12 Lenny Richardson ended the Eagles’ run at 149 pounds, claiming an 8-4 decision over Tom Page, bringing the American lead down to five points. In the 157-pound bout, Devin Geoghegan fell by a narrow 4-0 decision to No. 17 John Boyle. With American leading 15-7, the Monarchs went on to win the last four bouts to claim the 26-15 victory. No. 14 Tristan Warner took care of business at 165 pounds, earning a 16-2 major decision over Brad Mutchnik, while Austin Coburn defeated Nicholas Carey by fall at the 1:51 mark at 174 pounds. No. 2 Jack Dechow and No. 22 Kevin Beazley closed out the day with a win over their respective opponent. Dechow took down Jason Grimes by a 7-5 decision, while Beazley earned a fall (4:29) over Brett Dempsey. The Monarchs will be back in action on Friday when they host Mid-American Conference rival, Buffalo, for a 7:30 p.m. match. Live stats will be available through trackwrestling.com. Fans can also watch through Monarch Media, with a subscription, and follow along on Twitter or the ODU wrestling Cover It Live blog. For an in depth look to everything Monarchs Wrestling, make sure to follow the team on Facebook, Twitter (@ODUWrestling) and YouTube and on ODUsports.com. Fans can join in on the conversation by using the hashtag #ODUWREST. Results: 285 - Jacob Henderson (ODU) over Scot Augustine (American), MD 10-2 125 – David Terao (American) over Brandon Jeske (ODU), Dec 2-0 133 – Josh Terao (American) over Michael Hayes (ODU), Fall 1:49 141 – Michael Sprague (American) over Jacob Kingett (ODU), SV-1 3-1 149 – Alexander Richardson (ODU) over Tom Page (American), Dec 8-4 157 – John Boyle (American) over Devin Geoghegan (ODU), Dec 4-0 165 – Tristan Warner (ODU) over Brad Mutchnik (American), MD 16-2 174 – Austin Coburn (ODU) over Nicholas Carey (American), Fall 1:51 184 – Jack Dechow (ODU) over Jason Grimes (American), D 7-5 197 – Kevin Beazley (ODU) over Brett Dempsey (American), Fall 4:29