InterMat Staff

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University wrestling team improved to 5-2 after a three-win sweep of the Hoosier Duals, topping SIUE (2-4), Bucknell (2-1) and Gardner-Webb (2-4) by a combined score of 80-33. The Hoosiers controlled the action most of the day, racking up 46 takedowns while allowing just 19. A quartet of Hoosiers posted perfect 3-0 marks individually; a foursome including Eric Roach (141 lbs.), Taylor Walsh (157 lbs.), Luke Sheridan (184 lbs.) and heavyweight Adam Chalfant. Chalfant, ranked seventh nationally, pushed his season record to 15-1 while Taylor Walsh also tallied win number 15 to go along with his second and third tech falls of the 2012-13 campaign. Roach’s 3-0 day moves him to 12-5 and Sheridan sits at 11-5 after the round-robin event. Additional multi-match winners were Joe Duca (125 lbs.), Quin Murphy (133 lbs.), Ryan LeBlanc (165 lbs.) and Cheney Dale (174 lbs.) ROUND ONE RESULTS Indiana 33, SIUE 11 125 lbs. – Joe Duca (IU) wins by forfeit; Team Score: 6-0 133 lbs. - Patrick Myers (SIUE) tech falls Quin Murphy (IU), 17-2; TS: 6-5 141 lbs. – Eric Roach (IU) maj. dec. Drew Vrbenec (SIUE). 13-5; TS: 10-5 149 lbs. – Geno Capezio (IU) dec. Dillon Pousson (SIUE), 5-3; TS: 13-5 157 lbs. - #23 Taylor Walsh (IU) tech falls Kyle Lowman (SIUE), 17-2; TS: 18-5 165 lbs. - #16 Ryan LeBlanc (IU) dec. Jake Residori (SIUE), 9-5; TS: 21-5 174 lbs. – Cheney Dale (IU) dec. Deshoun White (SIUE), 4-1; TS: 24-5 184 lbs. – Luke Sheridan (IU) dec. Jake Tindle (SIUE), 9-7; TS: 27-5 197 lbs. – Josh Wood (SIUE) pins Tarek Alaruri (IU), 2:02; TS: 27-11 285 lbs. - #7 Adam Chalfant (IU) wins by forfeit; TS: 33-11 Bucknell 27, Gardner-Webb 15 125 lbs. – Austin Miller (BU) pins Tyler Ziegler (GW), 5:54; Team Score: 6-0 133 lbs. – Paul Petrov (BU) dec. Robbie Golde (GW), 9-5; TS: 9-0 141 lbs. – Davante Andujar (GW) dec. Derrik Russell (BU), 5-3; TS: 9-3 149 lbs. – Ryan Medved (GW) dec. Adam Healey (BU), 2-0; TS: 9-6 157 lbs. –Alex Medved (GW) dec. Vincent Favia (BU), 8-1; TS: 9-9 165 lbs. - #14 Corey Lear (BU) pins Justin Guthrie (GW), 2:13; TS: 15-9 174 lbs. – Stephen McPeak (BU) pins Aaron Rabin (GW), 2:19; TS: 21-9 184 lbs. – Gray Jones (GW) dec. Robert Marchese (BU), 3-1; TS: 21-12 197 lbs. – Tyler Lyster (BU) pins Blake Salyer (GW), 4:31; TS: 27-12 285 lbs. – Travis Porter (GW) dec. Joe Stolfi (BU), 5-3; TS: 27-15 ROUND TWO RESULTS Indiana 18, Bucknell 15 125 lbs. – Austin Miller (BU) dec. Joe Duca (IU), 6-2; Team Score: 0-3 133 lbs. – Quin Murphy (IU) dec. Paul Petrov (BU), 9-2; TS: 3-3 141 lbs. – Eric Roach (IU) dec. Derrik Russell (BU), 7-2; TS: 6-3 149 lbs. – Adam Healey (BU) dec. Geno Capezio (IU), 3-2; TS: 6-6 157 lbs. - #23 Taylor Walsh (IU) tech falls Robert Schlitt (BU), 16-0; TS: 11-6 165 lbs. - #14 Corey Lear (BU) dec. #16 Ryan LeBlanc (IU), 5-3; TS: 11-9 174 lbs. – Stephen McPeak (BU) dec. Cheney Dale (IU), 1-0; TS: 11-12 184 lbs. – Luke Sheridan (IU) dec. Robert Marchese (BU), 2-0; TS: 14-12 197 lbs. – Tyler Lyster (BU) dec. Tarek Alaruri (IU), 6-1; TS: 14-15 285 lbs. - #7 Adam Chalfant (IU) maj. dec. Joe Stolfi (BU); TS: 18-15 Gardner-Webb 21, SIUE 24 125 lbs. – Tyler Ziegler (GW) wins by forfeit; Team Score: 6-0 133 lbs. – Patrick Myers (SIUE) dec. Robbie Golde (GW), 12-7; TS: 6-3 141 lbs. – Davante Andujar (GW) dec. Brandon Brindley (SIUE), 4-0; TS: 9-3 149 lbs. – Ryan Medved (GW) dec. Dillon Pousson (SIUE), 6-5; TS: 12-3 157 lbs. – Kyle Lowman (SIUE) pins Alex Medved (GW), 1:54; TS: 12-9 165 lbs. – Jake Residori (SIUE) dec. Justin Guthrie (GW), 8-3; TS: 12-12 174 lbs. – Deshoun White (SIUE) pins Aaron Rabin (GW), 4:48; TS: 12-18 184 lbs. – Gray Jones (GW) dec. Jake Tindle (SIUE), 4-2 (SV); TS: 15-18 197 lbs. – Josh Wood (SIUE) pins Blake Salyer (GW), 1:57; TS: 15-24 285 lbs – Travis Porter (GW) wins by forfeit,; TS: 21-24 ROUND THREE RESULTS Indiana 29, Gardner-Webb 7 125 lbs. – Joe Duca (IU) dec. Tyler Ziegler (GW), 8-2; Team Score: 3-0 133 lbs. – Quin Murphy (IU) maj. dec. Robbie Golde (GW), 14-4; TS: 7-0 141 lbs. – Eric Roach (IU) dec. Davante Andujar (GW), 9-3; TS: 10-0 149 lbs. – Ryan Medved (GW) maj. dec. Alexander Gregory (IU), 10-2; TS: 10-4 157 lbs. - #23 Taylor Walsh (IU) dec. Alex Medved (GW), 6-2; TS: 13-4 165 lbs. - #16 Ryan LeBlanc (IU) maj. dec. Justin Guthrie (GW), 16-5; TS: 17-4 174 lbs. – Cheney Dale (IU) pins Aaron Rabin (GW), 2:26; TS: 23-4 184 lbs. – Luke Sheridan (IU) dec. Gray Jones (GW), 2-0; TS: 26-4 197 lbs. – Blake Salyer (GW) dec. Tarek Alaruri (IU), 4-0; TS: 26-7 285 lbs. - #7 Adam Chalfant (IU) dec. Travis Porter (GW), 8-3; 29-7 Bucknell 25, SIUE 15 125 lbs. – Austin Miller (BU) wins by forfeit; Team Score: 6-0 133 lbs. – Patrick Myers (SIUE) dec. Paul Petrov (BU), 4-3 (TB1); TS: 6-3 141 lbs. – Derrik Russell (BU) dec. Brandon Brindley (SIUE), 3-1; TS: 9-3 149 lbs. – Dillon Pousson (SIUE) pins Adam Healey (BU), 4:24; TS: 9-9 157 lbs. – Vincent Favia (BU) dec. Kyle Lowman (SIUE), 6-3; TS:12-9 165 lbs. - #14 Corey Lear (BU) dec. Jake Residori (SIUE), 2-0; TSL 15-9 174 lbs. – Stephen McPeak (BU) maj. dec. Deshoun White (SIUE), 13-2; TS: 19-9 184 lbs. – Jake Tindle (SIUE) dec. Robert Marchese (BU), 10-8; TS: 19-12 197 lbs. – Josh Wood (SIUE) dec. Tyler Lyster (BU), 7-3; TS: 19-15 285 lbs. – Joe Stolfi (BU) wins by forfeit; TS: 25-15 Indiana hops into the Big Ten season next Sunday (Nov. 9), traveling to Happy Valley for a showdown with #1 Penn State at 2 pm.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Quakers finally have their signature win. After a couple close calls against top-ranked teams last season, the Red and Blue silenced the Leeman-Turner Arena crowd on Saturday in a 24-12 win over No. 21 Lehigh. The win is the first in Grace Hall for the Quakers since a 21-15 win on Feb. 18, 2007 and is Penn's first road win over a ranked opponent since a 20-13 win over No. 24 Penn State in Happy Valley on Feb. 20, 2009 - a span of seven such matches. The Red and Blue won the first four matches to take a 15-0 lead, but it was a pair of impressive wins after intermission that sealed the win for the Quakers. In the first bout after the break, Casey Kent scored a takedown with five seconds left in the match to break a tie and defeat No. 17 Eric Hess, 4-2, and give Penn a commanding 18-4 lead. After a pair of losses at 174 and 184, Canaan Bethea came through up a weight and defeated John Bolich, 3-1, at 197 pounds to secure the win for the Quakers. After twice getting called for stalling before a single shot was taken in the match, Bethea rebounded for the decisive takedown in the first period, riding out the opening frame. Steven Graziano concluded the dual with a 3-1 win at heavyweight. Momentum came quickly in the form of a pin from #20 Mark Rappo over Alex Abreu in just 1:05. Rappo took down Abreu just before the one-minute mark, locking in a cradle and securing his first fall of the season. Geoffrey Bostany added points to the team score with a 6-0 win over Cody Kievman at 133 pounds. Bostany scored a takedown in the first period and added a second in the middle period at the 4:25 mark. Bostany was tough on top, looking for backpoints, but settled for 5:02 of riding time. C.J. Cobb rallied after conceding the first takedown to Anthony Salupo, scoring with five seconds left in the first period to lead, 3-2. In the second period, Cobb added three more points on an escape and a takedown before opening up in the third for three takedowns in hunt of bonus points. The major decision did not materialize, but a 12-5 decision gave Penn a 12-0 lead after three bouts. Andrew Lenzi picked up his biggest win as a Quaker, defeating defending EIWA champion and national No. 19 Shane Welch, 3-2. Lenzi scored the only takedown of the match at the 1:20 mark, getting the decisive point via his 1:09 of riding time gained with riding to start the second period. Just as important was Lenzi's defense in the final seconds, stuffing two late shot attempts from Welch. In the final match before intermission, Lehigh got on the board via an 11-1 major decision from No. 4 Joey Napoli at 157 pounds over Troy Hernandez. After a scoreless first period, Napoli escaped and then took Hernandez down before adding three nearfall points. Hernandez fought in the third period, allowing three more nearfall points, but keeping his shoulders off the mat and keeping the team score damage to just four points. The Quakers open the home portion of their 2012-13 dual season on Sunday against Hofstra at 1 p.m. Results: 125: #20 Mark Rappo (Penn) def. Alex Abreu (Lehigh), FALL 1:05 Penn leads, 6-0 133: Geoffrey Bostany (Penn) def. Cody Kievman (Lehigh), 6-0 Penn leads, 9-0 141: C.J. Cobb (Penn) def. Anthony Salupo (Lehigh), 12-5 Penn leads, 12-0 149: Andrew Lenzi (Penn) def. #19 Shane Welch (Lehigh), 3-2 Penn leads, 15-0 157: #4 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) def. Troy Hernandez (Penn), 11-1 Penn leads, 15-4 165: Casey Kent (Penn) def. #17 Eric Hess (Lehigh), 4-2 Penn leads, 18-4 174: #19 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) def. Ian Korb (Penn), 7-1 Penn leads, 18-7 184: #3 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) def. Harrison Cook (Penn), 17-2 Penn leads, 18-12 197: Canaan Bethea (Penn) def. John Bolich (Lehigh), 3-1 Penn leads, 21-12 285: Steven Graziano (Penn) def. Jack Delia (Lehigh), 3-1 Penn leads, 24-12

125: No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. No. 10 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) 133: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 8 Nathan McCormick (Missouri) 141: No. 2 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) 149: No. 5 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) vs. No. 10 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) 157: No. 18 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) vs. Jedd Moore (Virginia) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. No. 8 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) 174: No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. No. 13 Dan Yates (Michigan) 184: No. 6 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) vs. No. 9 Mike Larson (Missouri) 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) vs. No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) 285: No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) vs. No. 6 Chad Hanke (Oregon State)

125: No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) dec. Nikko Triggas (Ohio State), 4-3 No. 10 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) maj. dec. Josh Martinez (Air Force), 10-1 133: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) pinned Devon Lotito (Cal Poly), 0:39 No. 8 Nathan McCormick (Missouri) dec. No. 17 George DiCamillo (Virginia), 5-3 141: No. 2 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 9 Mike Nevinger (Cornell), 6-4 No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) dec. No. 8 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), 5-4 TB 149: No. 10 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) dec. No. 17 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 11-9 No. 5 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) dec. No. 13 Cam Tessari (Ohio State), 6-4 157: Jedd Moore (Virginia) maj. dec. Gabe Martinez (Air Force), 9-1 No. 18 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) dec. Andy McCulley (Wyoming), 10-3 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 15 Zach Toal (Missouri), 14-3 No. 8 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) dec. No. 7 Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 1-0 174: No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) maj. dec. No. 15 Matt Miller (Navy), 17-5 No. 13 Dan Yates (Michigan) dec. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 3-1 184: No. 6 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) dec. No. 12 Jake Swartz (Boise State), 3-2 No. 9 Mike Larson (Missouri) dec. No. 7 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), 3-2 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) dec. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State), 6-3 No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) dec. No. 5 Brent Haynes (Missouri), 7-3 285: No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) dec. No. 15 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 2-1 No. 6 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) dec. No. 18 Peter Capone (Ohio State), 7-4

MINNEAPOLIS -- Fourth-ranked Oklahoma State defeated second-ranked Minnesota 22-15 on Sunday at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. Results: 125: Corey Hodowanic (MINN) dec. Tyler Dorrell (OSU), 5-4 133: No. 6 Chris Dardanes (MINN) dec. No. 9 Jon Morrison (OSU), 3-1 SV 141: Julian Feikert (OSU) pinned No. 11 Nick Dardanes (MINN), 0:52 149: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) pinned Seth Lange (MINN), 2:19 157: No. 10 Alex Dieringer (OSU) dec. Danny Zilverberg (MINN), 4-2 SV 165: No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. No. 9 Cody Yohn (MINN), 8-1 174: No. 1 Chris Perry(OSU) MD Alec Ortiz (MINN), 12-4 184: No. 4 Kevin Steinhaus (MINN) dec. Chris Chionuma (OSU), 8-6 197: No. 10 Scott Schiller (MINN) dec. Zach White (OSU), 6-2 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (MINN) dec. No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU), 2-0 Oklahoma State at Minnesota

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team won its third-consecutive match Friday evening, Nov. 30, with a 21-15 triumph over Cleveland State University at Bowen Field House. The Eagles overcame a nine-point deficit to even their season record at 3-3 and defeated the Vikings (0-2) for a sixth season in-a-row. CSU held the lead all the way until the 184 lbs. match until redshirt junior Phillip Joseph knotted the contest at 15 apiece with a pin of Bobby Blankenship at the 2:30 mark. At 197 lbs. redshirt freshman Anthony Abro gave the Eagles an 18-15 edge with a decision, and heavyweight Chris Eggert used a strong third period to win by decision and seal the victory for the home team. Two matches went into overtime Friday evening as redshirt senior Aaron Sulzer got past Matt Donohoe at 157 lbs. and redshirt sophomore Jacob Dorulla needed the extra period to defeat Corey Carlo at 165 lbs. Redshirt junior Jared Germaine got the Eagles off to a fast start with a 10-3 decision over Ben Willeford at 125 lbs. to put the Green and White ahead, 3-0. The next trio of matches belonged to the Vikings, with redshirt freshmen Vincent Pizzuto (133 lbs.), Mike Shaw (141 lbs.) and Justin Melick (149 lbs.) each dropping their matches to give CSU a 12-3 edge. Sulzer's overtime winner pulled the Eagles back to within six, 12-6, but Xavier Dye put EMU's back against the wall when he bested redshirt sophomore Mike Curby, 8-2, at 165 lbs. to put the Vikings up, 15-6, with just four matches remaining. Droulla touched off a furious comeback for the Eagles with his overtime takedown of Carlo. Joseph needed less than a period to take care of Blankenship and draw the home team even, 15-15. Abro then came up with another clutch performance against Nick Anthony to give EMU its first lead since the opening match, and Eggert tallied his first decision of the season in the final bout of the evening versus Riley Shaw to give Eastern Michigan the six-point victory. The Eagles begin Mid-American Conference dual-meets with a matchup against Ohio University Sunday, Dec. 2. Action gets underway at 5:30 p.m. in Athens, Ohio. Results: 125: Jared Germaine (EMU) dec. Ben Willeford (CSU), 10-3 EMU 3 CSU 0 133: Mike Carlone (CSU) fall Vincent Pizzuto (EMU), 4:00 CSU 6 EMU 3 141: Nick Flannery (CSU) dec. Mike Shaw (EMU), 7-2 CSU 9 EMU 3 149: Mike Mencini (CSU) dec. Justin Melick (EMU), 7-3 CSU 12 EMU 3 157: Aaron Sulzer (EMU) dec. Matt Donohoe (CSU), 6-4 (OT) CSU 12 EMU 6 165: Xavier Dye (CSU) dec. Mike Curby (EMU), 8-2 CSU 15 EMU 6 174: Jacob Dorulla (EMU) dec. Corey Carlo (CSU), 6-4 (OT) CSU 15 EMU 9 184: Phillip Joseph (EMU) fall Bobby Blankenship (CSU), 2:30 EMU 15 CSU 15 197: Anthony Abro (EMU) dec. Nick Anthony (CSU), 5-1 EMU 18 CSU 15 285: Chris Eggert (EMU) dec. Riley Shaw (CSU), 4-1 EMU 21 CSU 15

EAST LANSING, Mi. -- The 17th-ranked Edinboro wrestling team opened its dual match season with a 22-12 win at Michigan State at Jemison Field House on Friday night. The loss dropped Michigan State to 1-1, and Edinboro has now won all five meetings with the Spartans. The match got underway at 149 lbs., and Edinboro found itself trailing 12-9 after seven bouts. But that still left the heart of the lineup for the Fighting Scots, and Edinboro would win the final three matches. In fact, after nothing but decisions decided by no fewer than four points, Edinboro would win two of the final three matches with bonus points. Kory Mines gave Edinboro the lead for good at 13-12, as the sophomore improved to 6-3 with a 13-2 major decision over Josh Heinzer at 125 lbs. Fifth-ranked A.J. Schopp followed with his fourth fall in five matches this year, needing just 1:16 to pin Christian Olanowski in the 133 lb. match. Mitchell Port, ranked fifth at 141 lbs., wrapped things up with a 3-0 decision over Nick Trimble. Dave Habat, ranked 18th, started the match with a 3-1 win over Dan Osterman at 149 lbs. Michael DePalma made his debut at 157 lbs., but the redshirt freshman dropped a 4-0 decision to David Cheza. 16th-ranked Johnny Greisheimer boosted his record to 7-2 with a 4-0 decision at 165 lbs. over Ryan Watts, but the Spartans would proceed to win three of the next four matches. The one win Edinboro did pick up was key, though. Redshirt freshman Warren Bosch won a 6-4 decision in sudden victory over Nick McDiarmid. A year ago McDiarmid gave All-American Chris Honeycutt a battle in the dual between the two teams. In the highlight match of the night, 12th-ranked Mike McClure of MSU edged 20th-ranked Ernest James, 2-0, at heavyweight. McClure earlier defeated James, 4-2, but a year ago James provided the winning points in an 18-15 win without a 3-1 decision over McClure. Edinboro will return to action on Sunday, December 2 hosting 11th-ranked Virginia Tech in the first home dual of the season. That match gets underway at 1 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse. Fans can receive free admission with the donation of a new, unwrapped toy benefitting the Toys for Tots program. Results: 149 lbs. #18 Dave Habat (EU) dec. Dan Osterman (MSU) 3-1 157 lbs. David Cheza (MSU) dec. Michael DePalma (EU) 4-0 165 lbs. #16 Johnny Greisheimer (EU) dec. Ryan Watts (MSU) 4-0 174 lbs. Jordan Wohlfert (MSU) dec. Patrick Jennings (EU) 5-3 sv2 184 lbs. John Rizqallah (MSU) dec. Vince Pickett (EU) 5-1 197 lbs. Warren Bosch (EU) dec. Nick McDiarmid (MSU) 6-4 sv HWT #12 Mike McClure (MSU) dec. #20 Ernest James 2-0 125 lbs. Kory Mines (EU) major dec. Josh Heinzer (MSU) 13-2 133 lbs. #5 A.J. Schopp (EU) fall Christian Olanowski (MSU) 1:16 141 lbs. #5 Mitchell Port (EU) dec. Nick Trimble (MSU) 3-0

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- In its first action in nearly two weeks, No. 21 Lehigh returned home with a 34-7 win over Hofstra Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Sophomore Anthony Salupo knocked off eighth-ranked Luke Vaith 8-5 at 141 highlighting a night in which the Mountain Hawks won eight bouts, scoring bonus points in five of the eight wins with two pins, a technical fall and two major decisions. The win improves Lehigh’s season record to 3-1, while Hofstra falls to 0-7. “We have a young team with a lot of fight,” explained Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “They know they have to continue to get better. This was a big dual for a lot of different reasons tonight. A lot of guys did some great things mentally getting ready for this match, but I’m really impressed with the fight.” The Pride won the dual’s opening and closing bouts, getting a bonus point from Steve Bonanno, who earned a 12-3 major decision over junior Alex Abreu at 125. A strong third period from freshman Laike Gardner got things rolling for the Mountain Hawks. Gardner trailed 2-1 against Jaime Franco after two periods at 133. Working from the top position to open the third period, Gardner locked up a cradle and put Franco on his back for a three-point near fall to take a 4-1 lead. Gardner built a riding time advantage of 1:28 which was needed as Franco battled back within a point after a penalty point for locked hands and an escape. Riding time would have been enough for the win, but Gardner added a counter takedown at the buzzer to win 7-4. “That was a big win for Laike,” Santoro said. “Franco’s really talented. Laike just keeps battling and keeps wrestling. He wears people out and that’s what he did tonight.” Salupo followed with an 8-5 win over Vaith to give Lehigh a 6-4 lead which it would not relinquish. The Lakewood, Ohio native opened the match with a lightning-quick takedown and added a second takedown in the second period to lead 4-3 after two. Salupo escaped to open the third period and after Vaith scored his only takedown, he cut Salupo loose to give the Mountain Hawk a 6-5 lead. After some solid late match defending, Salupo took an aggressive shot and converted one final takedown at the buzzer to earn the win. “That was about as nice a shot as I’ve seen from anyone all year,” Santoro said about Salupo’s first takedown. “That match was a battle. They went back and forth that whole match. It was also nice to see that takedown at the end. It was nice to see him score instead of trying to win by one.” At 149, senior Shane Welsh started a run of five straight bonus wins with a 20-3 technical fall over Matt Spataro. Welsh built a 9-0 lead after two periods, and appeared headed towards a major, before converting a four-point move in the final seconds of the third period to go up 16 points, plus a bonus point for his nearly three minutes of riding time. Junior Joey Napoli gave Lehigh a 17-4 lead at intermission as he built a 6-1 lead against Cody Ruggirello before pinning the Pride wrestler at 4:27. Coming out of intermission, freshman Eric Hess delivered Lehigh’s second consecutive fall and his second pin in as many home duals, using an arm bar-half nelson combination to deck Jay Lysne in the first period. The run of bonus wins concluded with back-to-back major decisions by sophomore Nathaniel Brown at 174 and senior Robert Hamlin at 184. Brown collected takedowns in each of the first two periods and added two in the third in a 10-1 win over Jermaine John, while Hamlin overcame a slow start, scoring all 14 of his points in the final two periods in a 14-3 major over Taras Luzhnyy. At 197, freshman John Bolich collected his first varsity win, downing Tim Murphy 7-2. Bolich scored on a double leg takedown in the first period and added a reversal and two point near fall in the second plus riding time. In the final bout of the dual, freshman Jack Delia scored a late takedown to force overtime against Paul Snyder, but Snyder countered a Delia shot for a spin-behind takedown 14 seconds into sudden victory to win 5-3. The Mountain Hawks will be back on the mats on Saturday as Lehigh welcomes Penn to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for the annual Sheridan Dual in the EIWA opener for both teams. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start and tickets can be purchased Saturday morning at Grace Hall or online any time at Lehighsports.com. Results: 125 – Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) major dec. Alex Abreu (Lehigh) 13-2 133 – Laike Gardner (Lehigh) dec. Jaime Franco (Hofstra) 7-4 141 – Anthony Salupo (Lehigh) dec. Luke Vaith (Hofstra) 8-5 149 – Shane Welsh (Lehigh) tech fall Matt Spataro (Hofstra) 20-3, 7:00 157 – Joey Napoli (Lehigh) pinned Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) 4:27 165 – Eric Hess (Lehigh) pinned Jay Lysne (Hofstra) 1:39 174 – Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) major dec. Jermaine John (Hofstra) 10-1 184 – Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) major dec. Taras Luzhnyy (Hofstra) 14-3 197 – John Bolich (Lehigh) dec. Tim Murphy (Hofstra) 7-2 285 – Paul Snyder (Hofstra) dec. Jack Delia (Lehigh) 5-3, s.v.

PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team opened up its 2012-13 home slate with a dramatic, 18-16, victory against No. 11 Virginia Tech this evening at Fitzgerald Field House. In the third overtime, with his squad trailing in the team score by a 16-12 mark, redshirt senior heavyweight Zac Thomusseit pinned David Marone to give the Panthers six team points and their first victory of the season. “We’re very fortunate to have a group of strong leaders who can bail us out when we are down,” said associate head coach Jason Peters. “Zac wanted to win. He wanted to pin the guy to go out and he got it done.” After Virginia Tech picked up a major at 125, Shelton Mack got the Panthers on the board with a 3-2 decision over Eric Spjut at 133 pounds. After a scoreless first, Spjut started down and got a quick escape. Mack was able to get on the board with a nice double on the edge to take the 2-1 lead but Mack couldn’t hold Spjut down to end the frame and the two went to the third tied at 2-2. Mack began the final frame down and earned a quick escape as was able to keep Spjut at bay for the remainder of the match to collect his sixth victory of the year. The Hokies picked up decisions at the next four weight classes to take a 16-3 advantage into the 174 pound bout where Nick Bonaccorsi was able to secure three big points for the Panthers. After Bonaccorsi and Austin Gabel exchanged escapes in regulation the two grapplers went to overtime tied at 1-1. Bonaccorsi was the aggressor in the overtimes getting in on a couple of shots but was unable to finish and the match went on. After Gabel earned an escape in the fifth period to take the lead, Bonaccorsi was awarded a point when Gabel was called for locking hands in the sixth. The seventh period started with Bonaccorsi attempting several shots at Gabel who eventually got called for stalling to give the Panther the point and the victory. Max Thomusseit kept the Pitt momentum going with a 3-1 decision over Nick Vetterlein at 184 pounds. After the two exchanged escapes in the second and third, Thomusseit was able to get in on a high crotch and finish with a double with 18 seconds remaining in regulation to claim the victory. At 197 pounds, Matt Wilps continued his stellar season with an 8-2 decision over Derrick Borlie. Leading 5-0 and having the riding time point secured going into the final period, Wilps cut Borlie free and earned a takedown to push his lead to 7-1. Unfortunately for the senior, he was unable to secure another takedown after another Borlie free escape to earn the major putting the pressure on Zac Thomusseit in the night’s final match. Needing a major decision to tie the match or a tech fall or pin for the victory, Zac Thomusseit delivered in the clutch for the Panthers. After a scoreless first, Thomusseit started down in the second and earned a quick escape to take a 1-0 lead into the final period. Marone started down in the third and was able to reverse Thomusseit while he was trying to turn the Hokie heavyweight. Thomusseit kept his cool and quickly escaped to even the match at 2-2. Neither wrestler was able to connect on a shot at the end of regulation and the match went into overtime. In the first overtime, Pitt fans thought that Thomusseit had won the match with a pin on the edge but the referee ruled that time had expired prior to the fall. After Thomusseit rode Marone out in the second OT period, Thomusseit started down in the third. With Thomusseit trying to get to his feet to secure the decision the referee called a stalemate sending the two to the center of the mat. After the restart, Thomusseit was able to roll through, kick over and get Marone on his back in a scramble to secure the pin and the win at the 8:49 mark sending the crowd at Fitzgerald Field House into a frenzy. The Panthers return to action next Friday, Dec. 7, when they welcome Maryland to Fitzgerald Field House for a 7 p.m. dual. Results: 125: No. 7 Jarrod Garnett (V) m. dec. Derrick Nelson (P), 14-3; VT leads, 4-0 133: No. 7 Shelton Mack (P) dec. Eric Spjut (V), 3-2; VT leads, 4-3 141: No. 10 Zach Neibert (V) dec. Travis Shaffer (P), 6-3; VT leads, 7-3 149: No. 10 Nick Brascetta (V) dec. Donnie Tasser (P), 10-3; VT leads, 10-3 157: No. 8 Jesse Dong (V) dec. Troy Reaghard (P), 9-3; VT leads, 13-3 165: No. 4 Pete Yates (V) dec. No. 11 Tyler Wilps (P), 4-2; VT leads, 16-3 174: Nick Bonaccorsi (P) dec. Austin Gabel (V), 3-2 (OT); VT leads, 16-6 184: No. 14 Max Thomusseit (P) dec. Nick Vetterlein (V), 3-1; VT leads, 16-9 197: No. 2 Matt Wilps (P) dec. Derrick Borlie (V), 8-2; VT leads, 16-12 285: No. 9 Zac Thomusseit (P) pins David Marone (V), 8:49 (OT); Pitt wins, 18-16

125: No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. 11 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) No. 10 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Josh Martinez (Air Force) 133: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Devon Lotito (Cal Poly) No. 8 Nathan McCormick (Missouri) vs. No. 17 George DiCamillo (Virginia) 141: No. 2 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 9 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) vs. No. 8 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) 149: No. 10 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) vs. No. 17 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) No. 5 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) vs. No. 13 Cam Tessari (Ohio State) 157: Jedd Moore (Virginia) vs. Gabe Martinez (Air Force) No. 18 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) vs. Andy McCulley (Wyoming) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. No. 15 Zach Toal (Missouri) No. 7 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) vs. No. 8 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) 174: No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. No. 15 Matt Miller (Navy) No. 13 Dan Yates (Michigan) vs. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) 184: No. 6 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) vs. No. 12 Jake Swartz (Boise State) No. 7 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 9 Mike Larson (Missouri) 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) vs. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State) No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) vs. No. 5 Brent Haynes (Missouri) 285: No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) vs. No. 15 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) No. 6 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) vs. No. 18 Peter Capone (Ohio State)

Peter Capone was one six Buckeyes to reach the semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) LAS VEGAS -- Cam Tessari entered this week's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with little pressure. The true sophomore returning All-American from Ohio State suffered two losses in the first month of the season, which he chalked up to nerves and having a target on his back. Those losses caused Tessari's ranking to drop from No. 5 to No. 13. He came into this week's event seeded sixth at 149 pounds. Cam TessariBut after a 3-0 day on Friday, Tessari now finds himself in the semifinals, two wins away from a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational championship. "I feel like I've been wrestling pretty well this weekend," said Tessari, who advanced to Saturday morning's semifinals by pinning surprise quarterfinalist Tanner Hiatt of Northern Iowa. "After my first tournament this year I didn't get what I expected, so I've been working real hard. I've been real pleased with the way I've been wrestling so far this tournament." Tessari will now face All-American Jason Chamberlain of Boise State in the semifinals. Chamberlain was a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion in 2010 and redshirted last season. "I've never wrestled Chamberlain, but I've watched him wrestle," said Tessari. "He's a great athlete." Tessari and the Buckeyes lead the team race after Day 1 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, and have six wrestlers in the semifinals. Two of those wrestlers are Tessari's high school teammates from Monroeville (Ohio), Logan Stieber (133) and Hunter Stieber, both top seeds. Tessari said he feeds off the Stieber brothers. "It's a competition," said Tessari. "If they go out there and do well, and I don't, I'm going to get crap for that. But I'm going to do the same thing if it's the other way around." Ohio State's three other semifinalists are Nikko Triggas (125), Andrew Campolattano (197), and Peter Capone (285). Missouri finished the day in second place, 4.5 points behind Ohio State and 27 points in front of third place teams Cornell and Oregon State. The Tigers, like the Buckeyes, advanced six wrestlers to the semifinals. Missouri's Alan Waters cruised to the semifinals at 125 pounds with a pin and two major decisions despite not feeling well. "I'm not feeling the greatest, but I've been getting some good wins and pushing through it," said Waters. So I think I'm doing fine with how I'm feeling, but hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow." Waters will now face Ohio State's Nikko Triggas, a 2010 All-American, which will be a critical match from a team standpoint with both wrestlers being on the top two teams. "I think that will be a big match to get some teams point and help our team out," said Waters. "We're not very far behind Ohio State. It's real close." Missouri's other semifinalists are Nathan McCormick (133), Zach Toal (165), Mike Larson (184), Brent Haynes (197), and Dom Bradley (285). Two No. 1 seeds were upset on Friday night: Oregon State's Scott Sakaguchi (149) and Nebraska's James Green (157). Sakaguchi fell to Nebraska's Jake Sueflohn 9-7 in sudden victory, while Green suffered a 7-6 loss to Virginia's Jedd Moore. Jedd MooreMoore fell behind early, but battled back to win on the strength of his top wrestling. "I knew I had to ride him," said Moore, who entered the tournament seeded ninth. "That's been a big problem with me in the past. I don't know ... for whatever reason I get bored on top sometimes. I was pretty diligent on top. I just tried to keep the pressure on him and keep the pace high. That's where I'm best." Moore, a senior, failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament last season after a disappointing ACC tournament, which he described as a "bad day on the wrong day." Now Moore just wants to finish his college wrestling career strong. "So far this year I've been doing a good job of not putting pressure on myself," said Moore. "I just wrestle and have fun and let the score take care of itself. I would rather go hard and lose than be conservative." Team Standings (Top Ten) 1. Ohio State 85 2. Missouri 80.5 3. Cornell 53.5 3. Oregon State 53.5 5. Nebraska 50 6. Virginia 49 7. Air Force 42 8. Boise State 39.5 9. Wyoming 34.5 10. Wisconsin 32.5 Semifinal Pairings 125: No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. 11 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) No. 10 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Josh Martinez (Air Force) 133: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Devon Lotito (Cal Poly) No. 8 Nathan McCormick (Missouri) vs. No. 17 George DiCamillo (Virginia) 141: No. 2 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 9 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) vs. No. 8 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) 149: No. 10 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) vs. No. 17 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) No. 5 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) vs. No. 13 Cam Tessari (Ohio State) 157: Jedd Moore (Virginia) vs. Gabe Martinez (Air Force) No. 18 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) vs. Andy McCulley (Wyoming) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. No. 15 Zach Toal (Missouri) No. 7 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) vs. No. 8 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) 174: No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. No. 15 Matt Miller (Navy) No. 13 Dan Yates (Michigan) vs. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) 184: No. 6 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) vs. No. 12 Jake Swartz (Boise State) No. 7 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 9 Mike Larson (Missouri) 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) vs. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State) No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) vs. No. 5 Brent Haynes (Missouri) 285: No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) vs. No. 15 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) No. 6 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) vs. No. 18 Peter Capone (Ohio State)

LAS VEGAS -- The quarterfinals are set at the 2012 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Tonight's session gets underway at 6 p.m. PST and will include the quarterfinals and two rounds of consolation matches. Ranked Wrestlers to Lose in Opening Session First Round: 141: Naveed Bagheri (San Francisco State) tech. fall No. 12 Camryn Jackson (Michigan), 16-1 141: Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) dec. No. 14 Nick Hucke (Missouri), 4-2 174: Magi Fraizier (San Francisco State) dec. No. 20 Cody Caldwell (Northern Iowa), 7-5 Second Round: 125: Val Rauser dec. No. 13 Sean Boyle (Michigan), 12-7 133: Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State) dec. No. 10 Brian Owen (Boise State), 3-2 133: Kyle Bauer (Kent State) dec. No. 18 Ian Nickell (CSU Bakersfield), 4-1 149: Tanner Hiatt (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 9 Eric Grajales (Michigan), 13-6 174: Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) dec. No. 9 Jon Fausey (Virginia), 6-4 285: Stryker Lane (Cornell) dec. No. 10 Ben Apland (Michigan) Consolation First Round: 141: John Boyle (American) dec. No. 12 Camryn Jackson (Michigan), 6-4 SV Quarterfinal Pairings 125: No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. David Terao (American) 11 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) vs. Jeff Ott (Harvard) Val Rauser vs. Josh Martinez (Air Force) No. 10 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Tyler Cox (Wyoming) 133: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa) Devon Lotito (Cal Poly) vs. Kyle Bauer (Kent State) No. 17 George DiCamillo (Virginia) vs. Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State) No. 8 Nathan McCormick (Missouri) vs. No. 20 Colin Johnston (West Virginia) 141: No. 2 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 20 Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia) No. 9 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) vs. Tim Box (CSU Bakersfield) No. 8 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) vs. No. 15 Steven Keith (Harvard) No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) vs. Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) 149: No. 4 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) vs. No. 17 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) No. 10 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) vs. No. 12 Derek Valenti (Virginia) No. 13 Cam Tessari (Ohio State) vs. Tanner Hiatt (Northern Iowa) No. 5 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) vs. No. 16 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) 157: No. 6 James Green (Nebraska) vs. Jedd Moore (Virginia) No. 14 David Bonin (Northern Iowa) vs. Gabe Martinez (Air Force) No. 17 George Ivanov (Boise State) vs. No. 18 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) No. 15 Josh Demas (Ohio State) vs. Andy McCulley (Wyoming) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. Holden Packard (Boise State) No. 10 Taylor Massa (Michigan) vs. No. 15 Zach Toal (Missouri) No. 7 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) vs. Peyton Walsh (Navy) No. 8 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) vs. Joseph Brewster (South Dakota State) 174: No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. Scott Liegel (Wisconsin) No. 15 Matt Miller (Navy) vs. No. 18 Todd Porter (Missouri) No. 13 Dan Yates (Michigan) vs. Ray Hall (Northern Colorado-Pueblo) Duke Pickett (Cornell) vs. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) 184: No. 6 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) vs. No. 20 Kevin Radford (Arizona State) No. 12 Jake Swartz (Boise State) vs. No. 15 Casey Newburg (Kent State) No. 9 Mike Larson (Missouri) vs. No. 18 Ty Vinson (Oregon State) No. 7 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) vs. Craig Scott (Cornell) 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) vs. Jace Bennett (Cornell) No. 11 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) vs. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State) No. 5 Brent Haynes (Missouri) vs. No. 19 Max Huntley (Michigan) No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) vs. No. 17 Jake Meredith (Arizona State) 285: No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) vs. Atticus Disney (Cal Poly) No. 15 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) vs. Stryker Lane (Cornell) No. 11 Levi Cooper (Arizona State) vs. No. 18 Peter Capone (Ohio State) No. 6 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) vs. Blake Herrin (American)

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? View archives. The Mailbag is the most fun I have writing all week, but sometimes it's a bear to deliver on time. I'll normally write on Thursday night and send it to my editor to review, format and post. He'll then post it up around 5 a.m. on Friday. But sometimes, like this week, we are both traveling and the mailbag ends up being delayed by circumstance until mid-day Friday. We'll keep aiming to do better, but understand we're a skeleton crew and sometimes delays occur. Thanks for your patience! The Cliff Las Vegas Invitational is this week and InterMat will be providing coverage with articles and a live blog. For those of you who need to watch, you can stream parts of the tournament on Flo. They're charging, but hey if you weren't able to cancel after the All-Star Match you might as well enjoy some wrestling with the money from your forced investment! I kid, I kid. If you haven't already, please check out this week's podcast featuring Columbia University head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer. I know he looks intimidating, but he's an excellent conversationalist with sharp insights into the sport. Also, please remember to SUBSCRIBE to the podcast. We've been pleasantly shocked at the number of new subscribers, but we aren't satisfied. Our goal is to have 10k by New Years, it's lofty but I know we can do it. To subscribe, you simply go into iTunes, search "Back Points" and then hit Subscribe on the bottom of the page. You'll then be sent new episodes directly. Kinda nifty, eh? To your questions ... Q: How well do you think Shawn Bunch will do in his MMA debut? I'm unsure of who his opponent is, but it's kind of nuts that he'll be debuting in arguably the second best promotion. One thing is certain … I will be cheering him on! -- Nick B Shawn Bunch (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: I recently traveled to San Jose to profile Daniel Cormier for the cover of FIGHT! Magazine, and spent some time watching Bunch train at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). What struck me most was how dedicated he was to making a quick, but solid transfer from wrestling to MMA. He lives with Mo Lawal in San Jose and from all my conversations that weekend with Bunch and later with Mo, it's apparent that he and Bunch spend all their free time watching old fights. Lawal is the most well-educated, well-versed fighting expert I've ever met (not just "for a fighter," I mean overall). He has instant recall of 4k fights and with many of them on video he's showing Bunch that to win you have to be a student of the sport. Bunch's standup seemed to be coming along. Like many wrestlers he'll go out and at least look like he can throw a punch, but without more time in the cage I'd expect that Bunch's first match with be a few jabs, a few parries and a big double leg attack. From there I'd expect some ground and pound and possibly a choke. He's a talented competitor and should do really well in the sport. Q: I saw Taylor Massa wrestle a number of times throughout his high school career. He dominated most of his high school competitors ... but will have to get quite a bit better to be a top-flight college wrestler. I see he lost earlier this season to a then-unranked wrestler. Have you seen him wrestle? -- Jim C. Foley: Only on video. Taylor Massa is the future and wrestling fans are always excited about young talent challenging the more seasoned competitors. I commend Massa and the Michigan staff for keeping the kid at 165. I know there was probably a little temptation to see him bump to 174 and take on a less crowded field, but instead they've chosen to let him hash it out in arguably one of the toughest weight classes in the history of the sport. If Massa responds and finds a place anywhere on the podium, it'll signal the real possibility that Michigan will have another three-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion-caliber wrestler on their roster. Q: Is Kevin Jackson on the hot seat this year? The Cyclones do not appear to have gotten much better under his tenure and I would think a loss to ODU wouldn't help his cause. Is Steve Martin a coach who could be considered for other openings at bigger programs based on what he's done at ODU? -- Daniel L. Foley: The wrestling community is tight knit and talking with coaches and wrestlers there is an army of top-flight wrestlers that are loyal to Kevin Jackson and point to him as the man who led them to success on and off the mat. He's got a great reputation as a leader, so it's tough to write, but you're probably correct. The 2012-2013 season would need to turn around in a hiccup from Jackson to have any real chance of keeping his job for another season. The life of a college wrestling coach is no longer just technique and discipline. The CEO coach is the new norm, and though I have no idea how Coach Jackson conducts the business of Iowa State wrestling, I can see plainly that the product they're producing isn't up to the level that many Cyclone fans have come to expect. However, it is totally possible that he's been able to create a wider, more proactive fundraising base giving himself more time to sort out the on-the-mat issues the team seems to be enduring. He also may not have done that type of work. Like with any sport that receives media attention, it never seems too early to speculate on who might replace a head coach, but I don't want to trek that path right now. Coach Jackson deserves the rest of the season to focus on creating a competitive team for the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME I can't post the following video of my appearance on MMA Live without acknowledging it's totally self-aggrandizing. However, it's about wrestling so it's relevant to the mailbag. We rundown Chuck's list of the top five MMA wrestlers as a way to introduce my article on the top ten MMA wrestlers. It's an ESPN Insider piece, which means it costs about the same as an InterMat Platinum subscription to sign up, but with it you get access to all types of info on baseball, football, betting, etc. If you decide to invest, make sure to sign up from the landing page of my article -- makes me look good to the higher-ups. I CHOOSE not to take the stairs ... Q: Any word on the fate of the EWL after the departure of Pitt and WVU? Joining the MAC would make some sense. -- S. Greida Foley: The EWL might be in some trouble. When Pitt leaves next season the EWL will have five teams remaining: Bloomsburg, Clarion, Cleveland State, Edinboro and Lock Haven. That's enough for the NCAA but in the times of mega-conferences and consolidating overhead costs, it might be prudent for the EWL to fracture and send teams shopping or new organizations. Though I'll try and predict where each goes, know that there are internal dynamics at work in the athletic administrations of most colleges. The athletic directors or school president might be besties with a conference president, or more likely wrap the wrestling team into a larger deal to find profits in football and basketball. It's an almost impossible Jenga to solve with so many pieces missing. Cleveland State should go to the MAC. It's a regional affiliate and will help boost their recruitment of local talent by giving them a more competitive conference affiliation. Lock Haven and Clarion should join the EIWA. Edinboro and Bloomsburg should head to the SoCon. Yes, you read that last part correctly, the Southern Conference. Adding a few Pennsylvania schools to the mix will increase the national competitiveness of the conference. It's a regional nightmare, but with prestige comes attention, comes money. It's a bold move, but it could really work well to distribute talent across the eastern seaboard. Q: First: I have noticed that another Rosholt brother has broken the barrier of the top 20 national rankings. Seeing this an opinion-based question came to mind (kind of with a static and factual answer), but who would you say is the most successful wrestling family in most recent years? Second: Seeing the success of so many families/brothers in recent years in the sport, who would you say is the most successful group of wrestling twins competing today? -- Christian O. Foley: The Rosholts are a good choice. I know that right now there are a few dozen of them sitting in house for John Smith to call and give 'em a pre-match slap on the rear. Though there are actually only three Rosholt men (Jake, Jared, and Blake), I think that an All-American performance or two by Blake would make them the most successful family in terms of numbers of family members. However, in terms of All-American and NCAA titles the top family from the past 15 years is the Sandersons family, led by Cael (four time NCAA champion), Cody (two-time NCAA runner-up), Cyler (two-time All-American), and Cole (four-time NCAA qualifier). Twins? Oy. Let's go with the Trent and Travis Paulson. I like 'em and they're still on the freestyle circuit! Q: Do you know anything about an Illinois high school wrestler named Ronnie Sribniak? I see on YouTube Ronnie had quite a spladle move (which I enjoyed seeing Nick Simmons use during his college career). I wonder if Ronnie has since gone on to college to wrestle? I know he was a pretty good pole-vaulter as well. Just wondering. -- Jim C. Foley: I don't think I've heard of Ronnie. However, I do love a spladle! At Virginia our starting 141-pounder decked dozens of guys with his own version of a spladle. In fact, it was such a popular move that head coach Lenny Bernstein even named his dog Spladle. Q: Just curious about what has happened with Pat Downey? I am a wrestling fan in Maryland and he was quite the hot topic on the forums. Last I heard, he was done at OTC and committed to Nebraska. I looked on their roster and he is not there. I also heard Oregon State was in the mix, but do not see him there either. Is he staying at OTC or becoming wasted talent? -- Joe P. Foley: He committed to Nebraska last week.

125: 1. Alan Waters (Missouri) -- No. 4 2. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) -- No. 10 3. Sean Boyle (Michigan) -- No. 13 4. Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) -- No. 11 5. Tyler Iwamura (CSU Bakersfield) 6. Josh Martinez (Air Force) 133: 1. Logan Stieber (Ohio State) -- No. 1 2. Nathan McCormick (Missouri) -- No. 8 3. Brian Owen (Boise State) -- No. 10 4. Ian Nickell (CSU Bakersfield) -- No. 18 5. Devon Lotito (Cal Poly) 6. George DiCamillo (Virginia) -- No. 17 7. Colin Johnston (West Virginia) -- No. 20 8. Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa) 141: 1. Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) -- No. 2 2. Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) -- No. 4 3. Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) -- No. 8 4. Mike Nevinger (Cornell) -- No. 9 5. Camryn Jackson (Michigan) -- No. 12 6. Steven Keith (Harvard) -- No. 15 7. Nick Hucke (Missouri) -- No. 14 8. Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia) -- No. 20 149: 1. Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) -- No. 4 2. Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) -- No. 5 3. Eric Grajales (Michigan) -- No. 9 4. Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) -- No. 10 5. Derek Valenti (Virginia) -- No. 12 6. Cam Tessari (Ohio State) -- No. 13 7. Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) -- No. 16 8. Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) -- No. 17 9. Dustin Walraven (South Dakota State) 10. Daniel Young (Army) -- No. 20 157: 1. James Green (Nebraska) -- No. 6 2. Josh Demas (Ohio State) -- No. 15 3. R.J. Pena (Oregon State) -- No. 18 4. Bobby Barnhisel (Navy) 5. David Bonin (Northern Iowa) -- No. 14 6. George Ivanov (Boise State) -- No. 17 7. Andy McCulley (Wyoming) 8. Kyle Bradley (Missouri) 9. Jedd Moore (Virginia) 10. Cody Pack (South Dakota State) 165: 1. Kyle Dake (Cornell) -- No. 1 2. Steven Monk (North Dakota State) -- No. 8 3. Nick Sulzer (Virginia) -- No. 7 4. Zach Toal (Missouri) -- No. 15 5. Taylor Massa (Michigan) -- No. 10 6. Austin Wilson (Nebraska) 7. Joseph Brewster (South Dakota State) 8. Holden Packard (Boise State) 174: 1. Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) -- No. 8 2. Jon Fausey (Virginia) -- No. 9 3. Dan Yates (Michigan) -- No. 13 4. Matt Miller (Navy) -- No. 15 5. Todd Porter (Missouri) -- No. 18 6. Austin Morehead (Oregon State) 7. Cody Caldwell (Northern Iowa) -- No. 20 184: 1. Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) -- No. 6 2. Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) -- No. 7 3. Mike Larson (Missouri) -- No. 9 4. Jake Swartz (Boise State) -- No. 12 5. Casey Newburg (Kent State) -- No. 15 6. Ty Vinson (Oregon State) -- No. 18 7. Craig Scott (Cornell) 8. Kevin Radford (Arizona State) -- No. 20 197: 1. Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) -- No. 1 2. Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) -- No. 4 3. Brent Haynes (Missouri) -- No. 5 4. Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) -- No. 11 5. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State) 6. Max Huntley (Michigan) -- No. 19 7. Jake Meredith (Arizona State) -- No. 17 8. Jackson Hein (Wisconsin) 9. Jace Bennett (Cornell) 285: 1. Dom Bradley (Missouri) -- No. 2 2. Chad Hanke (Oregon State) -- No. 6 3. Levi Cooper (Arizona State) -- No. 11 4. Ben Apland (Michigan) -- No. 10 5. Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) -- No. 15 6. Peter Capone (Ohio State) -- No. 18 7. Blake Herrin (American) 8. Tanner Harms (Wyoming) 9. Atticus Disney (Cal Poly)

Columbia University head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer joins to talk about wrestling in NYC and the truth and fiction behind his pre-match diet as a competitor. Brian Muir takes us through a few of the weekend's most interesting matchups. Do you want to listen to a past episode? View archives.

Related Links: Seeds | Brackets Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

The top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will send the bulk of its roster into action at the 2012 Nittany Lion Open, hosted by the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, on Sunday, Dec. 2. The action begins in Rec Hall at 8:30 a.m. The event is not part of Penn State's season ticket package and tickets for the event are available at the door. Penn State is coming off a super start to the 2012-13 season two weekends ago. The Nittany Lions downed No. 24 Lehigh 29-6 on Nov. 16 and then won at West Virginia, 44-3, two days later in Morgantown. Penn State out-scored its first two opponents 73-9, won 17 of 20 bouts and posted a 58-8 edge in takedowns through 20 dual meet bouts. The Nittany Lions will send nearly their entire line-up into Sunday's tournament. While no team scores are kept, there are 10 individual titles up for grabs. Eight ranked Lions will take part, including No. 2 Nico Megaludis at 125, No. 19 Bryan Pearsall at 141, No. 6 Andrew Alton at 149, No. 5 Dylan Alton at 157, No. 2 David Taylor at 165, No. 3 Matt Brown at 174, No. 1 Ed Ruth at 184 and No. 3 Quentin Wright at 197. In all over 30 Nittany Lions are set to take part. The event, run by the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, will feature upwards of perhaps 500 wrestlers from over 30 teams from around the East Coast and the Midwest. Penn State looks to have over 30 wrestlers compete. The Nittany Lions return to action in their Big Ten opener against the visiting Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. Penn State's full season of home duals is sold out. For information on which duals have a limited number of SRO tickets available and to purchase tickets, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2012-13 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. #1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-0, 0-0 B1G) WT NAME EL HT/HS REC 125 #2 Nico Megaludis So. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 2-0 133 Jordan Conaway Fr. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford 1-0 Frank Martellotti Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side 0-0 141 #19 Bryan Pearsall Sr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 2-0 149 #6 Andrew Alton So. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 0-0 OR James English Sr. York, Pa./Central York 2-0 157 #5 Dylan Alton So. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 1-1 165 #2 David Taylor Jr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 2-0 174 #3 Matt Brown So. West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus 2-0 184 #1 Ed Ruth Jr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 2-0 197 #3 Quentin Wright Sr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 2-0 285 Jimmy Lawson So. Tom's River, N.J./Manchester Township 3-0 Jon Gingrich So. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 4-1 PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MAJORITY OF PENN STATE'S ROSTER WILL BE COMPETING IN THE NLO! All Rankings are Intermat as of 11/27/12 HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson Cael Sanderson, last year's Intermat National Coach of the Year, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team. The veteran head coach now has two straight NCAA and Big Ten titles in hand as the 2012-13 season unfolds. THE PENN STATE YEARS... In his first year at Penn State (2009-10), he guided the Lions to a 13-6-1 dual meet mark, 5-3 in Big Ten action, and crowned his first Big Ten Champion. The Lions finished No. 10 in the final USA?Today/Coaches dual meet poll and placed ninth at NCAAs. In 2010-11, Sanderson guided the Nittany Lions to its first-ever Southern Scuffle Co-Championship and its first Virginia Duals Championship since 1991. In guiding Penn State to a 6-1-1 conference mark, Sanderson equaled the most Big Ten dual meet wins in Penn State history in just his second year at the helm of the Nittany Lions (Penn State won six Big Ten duals in 1998). Sanderson led Penn State to the school's first ever Big Ten Championship on March 5-6 and was named 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Saving the best for last, he led the Nittany Lions to the 2011 NCAA?National Championship in Philadelphia on March 17-19, Penn State's first since 1953 and Sanderson's first as a collegiate head coach. Last year, Sanderson led Penn State to a school record 7-1 Big Ten dual record and a share of the 2012 Big Ten dual meet championship. Sanderson then made it two in a row by leading Penn State to the 2012 Big Ten Championship at Purdue on March 3-4 and was named 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the second straight season. Two weeks later, Sanderson led Penn State to a second straight NCAA crown, helping Penn State to become just the fourth team in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles. In three years as Penn State's coach, Sanderson has led the Nittany Lions to two-straight conference titles, two straight national titles, collected 14 All-Americans, three national champions, two Gorriaran winners, one NCAA tourney OW and one Hodge Trophy winner. This year, Penn State is 2-0 overall. Coach Sanderson now sports an 89-18-2 dual meet mark in this, his seventh year as a head coach. He is 45-8-2 and in his fourth year at Penn State. THE IOWA STATE YEARS... Sanderson came to Penn State after three extremely successful years as the head coach at his alma mater. Sanderson's teams did not finish any lower than fifth at the NCAA Championships and never had a wrestler not qualify for nationals, getting 30 of 30 grapplers through to the championship tournament. In 2007, Sanderson's rookie campaign, he led ISU to a 13-3 dual meet record and the first of three straight Big 12 Championships. An NCAA Runner-Up finished in Detroit capped off a wildly successful year as the Cyclones crowned one national championship and Sanderson was honored as Big 12 Coach of the Year, National Rookie Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year. The next year, Sanderson led ISU to a 16-4 dual meet mark, another Big 12 title and a fifth place finish at nationals. Iowa State's seven All-Americans in 2008 were the most at the school since 1993. In his final year at ISU, Sanderson's team went 15-3 in duals, won its third straight Big 12 title and took third place at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis (just 12 points out of first place). The Cyclones also crowned another national champion. In three years, Sanderson's teams went 44-10, won three conference crowns, qualified all 30 wrestlers for nationals, and earned 15 All-America awards and two individual national titles. LAWSON CLAIMS MAT-TOWN TITLE Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jimmy Lawson was the lone Penn Stater competing at the 2012 Mat-Town Open at nearby Lock Haven University. Lawson stormed through the field to claim the heavyweight title at the event. The sophomore heavyweight began the day with two wins over unattached non-collegiate wrestlers (meaning the results do not count towards his official record). Lawson posted a first period pin (1:11) and a quick tech fall in those two bouts. He then downed Penn's Steven Graziano 5-1 in the semifinals before beating Lock Haven's Harry Turner 4-1 in the finals. Lawson went 2-0 on the day officially plus picked up a pin and tech fall against non-collegiate wrestlers. PENN STATE USES FOUR PINS TO HAMMER WEST VIRGINIA 44-3 IN ROAD DUAL The Nittany Lion wrestlers used four pins to coast to a 44-3 road dual win at West Virginia on 11/18. Penn State got falls from Nico Megaludis at 125 (5:53), Dylan Alton at 157 (2:28), Matt Brown at 174 (4:10) and Quentin Wright at 197 (0:25). The Lions also got majors from Jimmy Lawson at 285, Ed Ruth at 184 and James English at 149 as well as a tech fall from David Taylor at 165. PEARSALL TAKES DOWN #19 PENNESI IN WIN AT WVU Senior Bryan Pearsall picked up an impressive win in Penn State's 44-3 dual victory at West Virginia on 11/18. The 141-pounder used an impressive third period ride-out (along with a second period escape) to post the 2-0 win over #19 Nathan Pennesi in the win. LAWSON WINS IN NITTANY LION DEBUT AT WVU Sophomore heavyweight Jimmy Lawson was impressive in his first bout in the Blue and White singlet. Lawson beat West Virginia senior Phil Mandzik handily in PSU's 44-3 win at WVU on 11/18, posting a convincing 9-0 major to cap off Penn State's lopsided win in Morgantown. BROWN AND RUTH LEAD NITTANY LIONS OVER #24 LEHIGH IN SEASON OPENER The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team won eight of ten bouts on its way to a 29-6 win over #24 Lehigh in the season opener for Cael Sanderson's Lions. Wrestled in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd over nearly 6,500, Penn State got two tech falls (Nico Megaludis and David Taylor) and a major (Matt Brown) in the win. All-American Ed Ruth posted a strong 11-9 win over #3 Robert Hamlin and Brown majored #18 Nathaniel Brown 12-1 at 174. CONAWAY WINS DUAL MEET DEBUT Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway made his Penn State dual meet debut against Lehigh on 11/16 and grabbed an impressive win in the process. Conaway got a takedown with just :07 left to post a 3-2 win over Laike Gardner in Penn State's 29-6 win over Lehigh in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd. ENGLISH DOWNS #18 WELSH IN SEASON OPENER Senior James English got the nod at 149 in Penn State's season opening dual against Lehigh on 11/18 and answered with a strong performance. English dominated #18 Shane Welsh of Lehigh on his way to a 5-2 win, helping spur Penn State on to a 29-6 win in Rec Hall. McINTOSH AND VOLLRATH WIN TITLES AT ESU OPEN Fifteen members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team took part in the East Stroudsburg Open, which concluded late last evening. Red-shirting sophomore Morgan McIntosh and junior James Vollrath each claimed titles at the event in which most Lions wrestled unattached. McIntosh was unstoppable, going 4-0 with three majors and a technical fall to win the 197 pound crown. Vollrath was equally impressive, going 4-0 with a pin and a major to win the championship at 157. True freshman Jimmy Gulibon took second at 133, going 4-1 with two majors. Red-shirt freshman James Frascella had an outstanding tournament, going 4-1 with a tech fall to place second at 174. Also placing for Penn State were the Beitz brothers. Sophomore Seth Beitz went 5-2 with a major to take fourth at 149 while true freshman Zack Beitz was 7-2 with two majors at 141 to take fifth. GINGRICH WINS HWT CROWN AT BINGHAMTON OPEN The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team sent 17 wrestlers to the Binghamton Open at Binghamton University. Seven Nittany Lions placed at the event, which featured over 300 wrestlers, led by sophomore heavyweight Jon Gingrich who won the crown at 285. Most of the Nittany Lions competing were wrestling unattached. Gingrich was a perfect 4-0 on the day, including a 9-1 major decision over Lock Haven's Harry Turner in the finals. Gingrich was one of seven Nittany Lions to place. Penn State had champ (Gingrich), four third-place finishers, a fourth-place finisher and a fifth-place finisher. True freshman Jimmy Gulibon went 6-1 with two majors at 133 to take third place. Sophomore Seth Beitz was 6-1 with two pins and two majors at 149 and also placed third. Junior James Vollrath went 7-1 with a major, a tech fall and a pin, and finished third at 157. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh posted a 4-1 mark at 197 with a pin and a major and finished third as well. Senior Nick Fischer was 6-1 with a tech fall and two majors and placed fourth at 165 and red-shirt freshman James Frascella was 5-2 with a pin to finish fifth at 174. REGULAR SEASON SOLD OUT! ONLY LIMITED SRO TIX ARE AVAILABLE HEADING INTO 2012-13 SEASON The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team has, for the first time in school history, sold out its entire season in advance of the first dual. A limited number of Standing Room Only tickets will go on sale, on a single dual basis, beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m. for select events. For information on which duals have SRO tickets available and to purchase tickets, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, will host seven home duals in front of what will be sold out Rec Hall crowds. The Nittany Lions host Indiana on Dec. 9 at 2 p.m., Lock Haven on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m., Michigan State on Jan. 13 at 2 p.m., Wisconsin on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., Nebraska on Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. and Rider on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. FOUR LIONS COMPETE AT CLARION KNIGHT POINT OPEN Four members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team opened up the 2012-13 open tournament season at the Knight Point Open at Clarion University on Sunday. Each grappler wrestled unattached at the event which concluded late yesterday evening. Junior Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) posted a 4-2 record at 174, advancing to the consolation quarterfinals. True freshman Wes Phipps (Grove City, Pa.) debuted at 184 and 2-2, advancing to the consolation semifinals. Phipps tallied two majors. Red-shirt freshman David Owens (Derry, N.H.) wrestled at 149 and went 0-2 and true freshman Caleb Livingston (Drexel Hill, Pa.) went 1-2 at 165 with a pin (a 2:59 pin over Kent State's Mike Crawford). SEVEN NITTANY LIONS RANKED IN TOP 6 BY INTERMAT AS PENN STATE HOLDS #1 SPOT IN TEAM TPI Seven members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team remain ranked nationally by Intermat, all of whom now appear in the top six at their respective weights. In addition, head coach Cael Sanderson's two-time defending NCAA and Big Ten Champions are the No. 1 team on Intermat's Tournament Power Index (TPI). The full list of national rankings is available at www.intermatwrestle.com. Sophomore Nico Megaludis is No. 2 at 125, senior Bryan Pearsall is No. 19 at 141, sophomore Andrew Alton is No. 6 at 149, sophomore Dylan Alton is No. 5 at 157, junior David Taylor is No. 2 at 165, sophomore Matt Brown is No. 3 at 174, junior Ed Ruth is No. 1 at 184 and senior Quentin Wright is No. 3 at 197.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The fifth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team will participate in the 31st Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Buckeyes won the event a season ago, collecting 129 points behind six Top 5 finishes, including 133-pound champion Logan Stieber. Tournament Schedule Friday, Nov. 30 Noon – Pigtails, Rounds 1-2, Consolation Pigtails and Consolation Round 1 10 p.m. – Quarterfinals and Consolations Rounds 2-3 Saturday, Dec. 1 Noon – Consolation Round 4 1 p.m. – Semifinals and Consolation Round 5, Consolation Semifinals and Consolation Finals 6 p.m. – Championship Finals *Eastern Times This and That • So far, Ohio State has outscored its opponents 89-26 – (W, 40-3 at Davidson; W, 23-10 at No. 12 Virginia Tech; W, 26-13 vs. No. 18 Pittsburgh). • After three dual matches, Ohio State has scored 56 points on bonus points. In all, the Buckeyes have tallied five pins, two technical falls and four major decisions. • Among starters, sophomore Hunter Stieber (141 pounds) has recorded the fastest fall time at 23 seconds vs. William Honer of American International in the opening round of the UB Invitational. Stieber also leads the team in recorded major decisions with four. • Among the starting 10, redshirt freshman Kenny Courts (184 pounds) leads the team in wins with 11. Freshman Mark Martin (165 pounds) and sophomore Hunter Stieber (141 pounds) are not far behind with 10 victories each. • Senior Nikko Triggas continues to add to his falls record total. Triggas now has three this season and 39 for his career, which is fifth all-time at Ohio State. Quick Review Ohio State is 3-0 after impressive wins at Davidson and No. 12 Virginia Tech and vs. No. 18 Pittsburgh. Opening the dual season in Davidson, N.C., Nov. 15, the Buckeyes downed Davidson, 40-3. Nikko Triggas, Randy Languis and C.J. Magrum provided six points each to the team score with pins. Logan Stieber added a technical fall at 133 pounds, while freshman Mark Martin and redshirt junior Peter Capone scored major decisions at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively (recap). The following day, Ohio State beat the Hokies, 23-10, in Blacksburg, Va. Trailing only once after the opening match at 125 pounds, the Buckeyes held a narrow 8-7 advantage following the 149-pound bout before clinching their second dual win of the season on Magrum’s 7-4 decision over Derrick Borlie in the 197-pound matchup (recap). In their home opener Nov. 18, the Buckeyes secured a 26-13 win vs. Pittsburgh in St. John Arena. A fast start that included two pins and a pair of major decisions in the first four matches helped lift the Buckeyes to 3-0 record on the season. In all, Ohio State won six of 10 matches and had a 23-0 lead at the halfway mark (recap). Bonus Time With four of his 10 wins earned via a major decision and one by fall, half of sophomore Hunter Stieber’s victories this season have been bonus point wins. In all, Stieber has garnered 22 bonus points. Just as impressive, Stieber’s older brother Logan Stieber has compiled 32 bonus points courtesy of one major decision, two technical falls and three pins. Eighty-six percent of Logan’s wins have been bonus point victories as he has recorded a 7-0 record so far this season. Collecting 10 wins vs. four losses in his freshman campaign so far, Mark Martin has scored three major decisions, one technical fall and two pins, placing his bonus point win percentage at 60 percent. Fifty-five percent of redshirt freshman Kenny Courts' wins have come via bonus points – three major decisions and three technical falls. Courts currently has an 11-3 record. Grapple at the Garden Fourteen of the top collegiate wrestling programs in the nation will participate in the inaugural Grapple at the Garden in historical Madison Square Garden Dec. 16 (tickets). Eight of the 14 teams, including Ohio State are ranked in the Top 25 of the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll released Nov. 27. Harris Open Champion Freshman heavyweight Nick Tavanello is having a productive open-tournament season after collecting his second championship and third Top 3 finish at the Harris Open Nov. 17 in Ashland, Ohio. Wrestling unattached for the Buckeyes, Tavanello won the Michigan State Open title Nov. 11 and prior to that finished third at the UB invitational Nov. 4. Up Next Ohio State will host No. 23 Kent State at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series vs. the Golden Flashes, 12-6, including a 22-15 win in Kent, Ohio, last season.

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling team (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) will travel to Iowa City on Saturday to take on instate rival No. 3 Iowa (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at 7:30 p.m. in Carver Hawkeye Arena. Saturday night's dual will be a part of the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, which Iowa State currently leads, 9-2. "It's a great environment to compete in," Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson said. "We will embrace the challenge. This dual always informs us where we are at early in the season.” The Hawkeyes come into the match with a 6-0 dual record, including a 3-0 mark at home after defeating SIUE (49-0), Cornell College (49-3) and Iowa Central CC (45-6) in the Iowa City Duals on Nov. 24. The Hawkeyes' lineup features eight ranked wrestlers, including two that are No. 1 in their respective weight classes in Matt McDonough (125) and Derek St. John (157). A number of notable matches will feature ranked wrestlers from each squad. At 125 pounds, No. 19 Ryak Finch will face top-ranked McDonough as he looks to bounce back after losing a 5-4 decision to No. 17 Jerome Robinson of Old Dominion in the Cyclones’ season opening dual. Other hotly contested matches are expected at 141 pounds between Iowa State's No. 18 Luke Goettl and No. 13 Mark Ballweg of Iowa, as well as at 184 pounds where No. 16 Boaz Beard will face No. 8 Ethen Lofthouse. Beard, of Iowa State, is 1-0 on the season and is coming off a 10-2 major decision victory over Old Dominion’s Austin Coburn. Lofthouse is currently 5-0. At 285, reigning Big 12 heavyweight champion Matt Gibson is ranked No. 16 by Intermat and will wrestle Iowa's Bobby Telford, currently ranked No.5. Gibson will look to build on his 4-3 win over Old Dominion’s Matt Tourdot. Who: Iowa State (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. No. 4 Iowa (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten) Where: Iowa City, Iowa - Carver Hawkeye Arena When: Saturday, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m. (CST) TV: Mediacom Live stats: Live stats will be available at www.trackwrestling.com Live blog: Join in on a virtual press row for Sunday’s meet with an interactive live blog put on by members of the Iowa State athletics communications department. Fans are encouraged to participate by asking questions on

The 31st annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, one of the nation's premier college wrestling events, takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year's field includes 11 of the nation's Top 25 NCAA Division I college wrestling programs. In addition, approximately 70 ranked wrestlers are expected to compete, including three NCAA champions: Logan Stieber of Ohio State (133), Kyle Dake of Cornell (165), and Dustin Kilgore of Kent State (197). Four champions from last year's event will be looking for back-to-back titles: Stieber (133), Michael Mangrum of Oregon State (141), Eric Grajales of Michigan (149), and Dake (165). Jason Chamberlain of Boise State (149) was a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion in 2010, but redshirted last season. InterMat will be providing coverage from Las Vegas, which will include a live blog for fans to follow the action and interact, as well as written content. Wrestling gets underway at 9 a.m. PST on Friday. Top 25 Teams No. 5 Ohio State No. 7 Missouri No. 8 Cornell No. 12 Oregon State No. 16 Nebraska No. 18 Northern Iowa No. 19 Kent State No. 21 Boise State No. 21 Virginia No. 24 North Dakota State No. 25 Michigan Ranked Wrestlers 125: No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) No. 5 Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State) No. 8 Matt Snyder (Virginia) No. 10 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) No. 11 Nikko Triggas (Ohio State) No. 13 Sean Boyle (Michigan) 133: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) No. 8 Nathan McCormick (Missouri) No. 10 Brian Owen (Boise State) No. 11 Nick Arujau (Cornell) No. 17 George DiCamillo (Virginia) No. 18 Ian Nickell (CSU Bakersfield) No. 20 Colin Johnston (West Virginia) 141: No. 2 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) No. 8 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) No. 9 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) No. 12 Camryn Jackson (Michigan) No. 14 Nick Hucke (Missouri) No. 15 Steven Keith (Harvard) No. 20 Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia) 149: No. 4 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) No. 5 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) No. 9 Eric Grajales (Michigan) No. 10 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) No. 12 Derek Valenti (Virginia) No. 13 Cam Tessari (Ohio State) No. 16 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) No. 17 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) No. 20 Daniel Young (Army) 157: No. 6 James Green (Nebraska) No. 14 David Bonin (Northern Iowa) No. 15 Josh Demas (Ohio State) No. 17 George Ivanov (Boise State) No. 18 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) No. 7 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) No. 8 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) No. 10 Taylor Massa (Michigan) No. 15 Zach Toal (Missouri) 174: No. 2 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) No. 9 Jon Fausey (Virginia) No. 12 Dom Kastl (Cal Poly) No. 13 Dan Yates (Michigan) No. 14 Cole Gracey (Army) No. 15 Matt Miller (Navy) No. 18 Todd Porter (Missouri) No. 20 Cody Caldwell (Northern Iowa) 184: No. 6 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) No. 7 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) No. 9 Mike Larson (Missouri) No. 12 Jake Swartz (Boise State) No. 15 Casey Newburg (Kent State) No. 17 Mac Stoll (North Dakota State) No. 18 Ty Vinson (Oregon State) No. 20 Kevin Radford (Arizona State) 197: No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) No. 5 Brent Haynes (Missouri) No. 11 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) No. 16 C.J. Magrum (Ohio State) No. 17 Jake Meredith (Arizona State) No. 19 Max Huntley (Michigan) No. 20 James Fox (Harvard) 285: No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) No. 6 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) No. 10 Ben Apland (Michigan) No. 11 Levi Cooper (Arizona State) No. 15 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) No. 18 Peter Capone (Ohio State)

The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational has become one of college wrestling's premier tournaments. Every season recently plumped wrestlers from across the country descend on Sin City to test their mettle against the nation's best. Every year the tournament has some surprising results, or must-see scrambles, and this year should be no different. The matches below are five that I'd like to see and who I think will come out victorious. And just a note for any of you who are traveling out to Vegas ... The tournament is excellent fun, and though the casinos and lounge acts might compel you and your wallet at 3 a.m., remember that the city wasn't built on winners. If you want to keep your money try sitting at a low-limit poker game or betting on some games at the sports book. Blackjack is for suckers, and in spite of what you think there is NO SYSTEM that can beat roulette. If you're betting on wrestling, I have a tip for you. Keep an eye on Cal Poly freshman Devon Lotito. Three weeks ago at the Keystone Classic the upstart bested then-No. 10 Levi Mele Northwestern. He's a big scorer and someone to make a bet on if you can find a sucker who doesn't know his name ... or his style. 125: No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. No. 5 Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State) Both wrestlers are undefeated this season and have been wrestling well with some impressive results. Waters has a win over Oklahoma's Jarrod Patterson this year, while Sprenkle just defeated Minnesota's David Thorn. These two did meet last season with Waters winning 4-2. It's less objective, but with Sammie "The Bull" Henson in Waters' ear, it's tough to imagine he won't improve on last year's result and earn a few more takedowns and a set of back points. Prediction: Waters dec. Sprenkle, 8-3 141: No. 2 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) A rivalry from last season, Stieber and Mangrum should renew the rivalry they formed last season. The two wrestlers met three times during the 2011-2012 season, with Mangrum earning a victory in the first match, in the finals of the Cliff Vegas Invitational. Stieber earned the equalizer, before falling to the Oregon State wrestler during their rubber match at the NCAA tournament. Both earned All-American status. Though they've both found their way into this year's starting spot, it wasn't easy, with both Mangrum and Stieber both losing their team's wrestle-offs. Prediction: Stieber dec. Mangrum, 3-1 149: No. 4 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) vs. No. 5 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) Whoever says the Pac-12 doesn't have its fair share of wrestling talent hasn't been paying much attention to 149 pounds, where the No. 4 and No.5 wrestlers in the country have been building a nice rivalry. Sakaguchi and Chamberlain face off for the second time this season. The opening salvo tilted in Sakaguchi's favor, but Chamberlain, who had a monster year off in 2012, won all five of their matches two seasons ago, each by three points or less. Prediction: Chamberlain dec. Sakaguchi, 5-3 SV 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. No. 10 Taylor Massa (Michigan) Anyone who knows anything about wrestling has by now heard of Kyle Dake and his push to become only the third ever four-time NCAA Division I champion. To add to that feat he's attempting to do it at four different weight classes -- weight classes that have traditionally been the most stacked with talent. Massa, a true freshman from St. Johns, Mich., is the wrestler of the future, a thoroughbred of a human with ample coaching and workout opportunities in Ann Arbor. Though Massa took an early-season loss to Pitt's Tyler Wilps, it could very well have just been some freshman jitters or a mismanaged weight cut. Also remember that when Dake has lost, it has typically been early in the season. Could Massa pull the biggest upset of the tournament, and maybe the biggest upset of the season? No. Prediction: Dake dec. Massa, 9-2 285: No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) vs. No. 6 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) The almost always entertaining Bradley was underwhelming at the Northeast Duals, winning in tiebreaker over Stanford's Dan Scherer. The Mizzou wrestler sat out the 2011-2012 season in hopes of making the Olympic squad, so his early fumblings might just be a repatriating to the folkstyle season. Hanke, who is also coming off an Olympic redshirt, is only wrestler to defeat Oklahoma State's Alan Gelogaev in the past 12 months. Look for both wrestlers to be aggressive on their feet (for heavyweights), but look for most of the points to come via escapes and riding time. Prediction: Hanke dec. Bradley, 3-1

The Walsh Ironman is one of the nation's premier high school wrestling events (Photo/Rob Preston) Saturday marks the first day of December, and it is this weekend that the high school wrestling regular season will begin in true earnest. No. 25 McDonogh, Md., hosts its annual Ray Oliver Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday, and the 20-team field features many elite wrestlers from the Mid-Atlantic region. Nationally ranked wrestlers in the field include Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), seventh at 113 pounds; Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.), eighth at 138 pounds; Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), eighth at 145; Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.), 10th at 152; Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.), fifth at 160; Troy Murtha (Georgetown Prep, Md.), 16th at 182; and Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), champion at 220. Mt. Carmel, Ill., hosts a quad on Saturday that also includes Machensey Park Harlem, Ill.; No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill.; and No. 13 Marist, Ill. The host Caravan is anchored by the Bryce Brill, who is ranked No. 2 nationally at 145 pounds; and Harlem features state champion (also a two-time state finalist) Jordan Northrup at 120, along with two-time state placer Zac Denny at 126. Even though Montini will be without three returning state qualifiers/placers due to playing in the state football title game this past weekend, and Marist is without returning state placer Peter Andreotti (160) due to football injury, both lineups are littered with talent. The featured matchup would be at 120 pounds, with two-time state placers Jordan Laster (Montini) and Mark Duda projected to compete. Arguably the best individual bracket tournament of the season in the Southeastern United States will be held this Friday and Saturday outside of Tampa at the Strawberry Festival Grounds. The Durant Cougar Invitational does not have any nationally ranked teams, but features regional powerhouses such as Collins Hill, Ga.; Lake Highland Prep, Fla.; Osceola, Fla.; and South Dade, Fla. No. 38 West Delaware Manchester, Iowa hosts a tournament on Saturday that will also include No. 36 Davenport Assumption, Iowa as well as a formidable Linn Mar, Iowa squad that returns five state placers. The other event of the weekend featuring multiple nationally ranked teams is Saturday's Dick Shiels Invitational in Faribault, Minn., which includes No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn. and No. 18 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. However, this is but one weekend of the season. Below is a calendar of key events to be held throughout the rest of the high school season. December: Dec. 6: Allen, Texas and Tuttle, Okla., at Broken Arrow, Okla. Dec. 7: Simley at St. Michael-Albertville,-Kasson-Mantorville at Apple Valley (Minnesota Showdowns) Dec. 7-8: Mid-America Nationals (Tulsa, Okla.); Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman Invitational Dec. 14-15: Battle of Waterloo (Iowa); Kansas City (Mo.) Wrestling Classic; King of the Mountain (Central Mountain, Pa.); Minnesota Christmas Tournament (Rochester, Minn.); Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions; Tri-State Invitational (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) Dec. 22: Kyle Maynard Duals (Collins Hill, Ga.) Dec. 22-23: Beast of the East (Newark, Del.); Dvorak Memorial Invitational (Machesney Park, Ill.) Dec. 28-29: Bethlehem (Pa.) Hurricane Classic; Granite City (Illinois) Invitational; Medina (Ohio) Invitational; POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament (Canon-McMillan, Pa.); The Clash XI – National High School Wrestling Duals (Rochester, Minn.) January: Jan. 4-5: Cheesehead Invitational (Kaukauna, Wis.); Doc Buchanan Invitational (Clovis, Calif.); Geary (Okla.) Invitational Jan. 5: St. Paris Graham, Ohio at Blair Academy, N.J.; Marines.com Battlefield Duals (Colonial Forge, Va.) Jan. 11-12: Basheor (Kan.) Tournament; Virginia Duals (Hampton, Va.) Jan. 12: Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals; NHSCA Festival of Wrestling (York, Pa.) Jan. 18: Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., vs. St. Johns, Mich., at the University of Michigan Jan. 18-19: Clinch Gear Battle for the Belt (Temecula Valley, Calif.); Oklahoma City University Duals; Top Gun Wrestling Tournament (Alliance, Ohio) Jan. 19-20: Escape the Rock Wrestling Tournament (Council Rock South, Pa.) Jan. 23: Montini Catholic, Ill., at Oak Park River Forest, Ill. Jan. 25-26: Reser's Tournament of Champions (Portland, Ore.) February: Feb. 2: Blair Academy, N.J., at St. Edward, Ohio State Championships Individual Dec. 7-8: Alaska (Class 123A) Feb. 1-2: Alaska (Class 4A) Feb. 7-9: Arizona Feb. 8-9: Montana, Nevada Feb. 13-16: Utah Feb. 14-16: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee Feb. 15-16: Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Virginia, Washington Feb. 21-23: Colorado, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin Feb. 22-23: Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, National Prep Championships, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Wyoming Feb. 23-24: South Dakota Feb. 28-March 2: Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio March 1-2: California, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New England Regional March 7-9: Pennsylvania March 8-10: New Jersey Dual Meet Jan. 11-12: Georgia Feb. 1-2: Tennessee Feb. 7-9: Pennsylvania Feb. 9: Maryland, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina Feb. 12: Delaware Feb. 13: Iowa Feb. 14: North Dakota Feb. 16: North Carolina Feb. 17: New Jersey Feb. 22-23: Michigan Feb. 23: Illinois, Nebraska Feb. 28: Minnesota March 1-2: Wisconsin Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we saw the opening weekend of competition in the Land of Lincoln. Highlighting that docket was a 26-25 victory for No. 13 Oak Park River Forest on the road at No. 12 Marist. Both squads were able to win seven matches in this tightly contested dual meet. Key individual matches came at 195 pounds, where OPRF junior Andre Lee upset returning state placer Josh Pruitt with a takedown in overtime; at 220 pounds, with Marist junior Mark Duda upending sophomore Matthew Rundell 11-6 in a battle of returning state runners-up; at 138 with Marist junior Mario Leveille beating Junior Greco-Roman All-American Jake O'Mara 6-5; and at 145 with Marist senior Matt Sears defeating state qualifier Johnny Gahagan 6-4. However, Marist was without state placer Peter Andreotti at 160, and Oak Park River Forest used a fall in that match to seal the dual meet. Despite sliding back slightly last season, then again who wouldn't given the personnel that left the program, Marmion Academy showed they are back and a forced to be reckoned with at the season opening Moore-Prettyman Wrestling Invitational. The Cadets dominated the 28-school field at Barrington with seven finalists, including four championships from Anthony Bosco (106), No. 11 Johnny Jimenez (120), No. 14 George Fisher (132), and Cody Snodgrass (195). They scored 274 points, while runner-up Libertyville had 185.5 points.

Fresh off the Thanksgiving break, Richard and John get back into the MMA discussion with a preview of UFC on FOX 5, focusing on the busy preliminary card and most of the main card. Next week get ready for a detailed breakdown of the UFC lightweight title bout between champion Benson Henderson and challenger Nate Diaz, as well as a conversation with The Ultimate Fighter alum and Bellator competitor Jimmie Rivera. Do you want to listen to a past episode? View archives.

Tommy Pawelski (right) was a Junior National Greco-Roman runner-up in Fargo (Photo/Dave Jedlicka) One weekend after losing a 26-25 home dual against No. 13 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.), No. 12 Marist (Ill.) will travel to Mount Carmel for a quad meet on Saturday that also includes No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill., and Machesney Park Harlem, Ill. Even without state qualifier Anthony Ferraro (195) and state placers Michael Maduko (170) and Edgar Ruano (220/285), five-time defending state champion Montini Catholic will present a more than formidable team on the mat. The Broncos will be anchored by state champion Tommy Pawelski (113), along with a pair of two-time state placers in Jordan Laster (120) and Chris Garcia (138). They are also prohibitive favorites to win a sixth consecutive state title this year in Class 2A (medium-school). The other three teams in this quad meet are Class 3A (big school) squads. Marist was ranked first in the preseason rankings per Illinois Matmen, Harlem entered the season fourth, while Mount Carmel was 13th. Harlem features four wrestlers with state tournament experience: state champion Jordan Northrup (120), two-time state placer Zac Denny (126), state qualifier Tanner Anthony (132), and two-time state qualifier Sage Hecox (195). Mount Carmel is anchored by Bryce Brill (145), who is ranked No. 2 in the nation at this weight class, along with state qualifier Notay Jackson (160) and state placer David Denne (220). Here is a breakdown of the potential individual matchups within the featured dual meet, Montini Catholic vs. Marist. 106: Jimmy Pawelski (MON) vs. Nick Lukanich (MAR) The sophomore Lukanich was a Cadet National freestyle runner-up at 94 pounds this summer. 113: Tommy Pawelski (MON) vs. Mullaney (MAR) The Stanford-bound Pawleski was a state champion last year and runner-up at 106 pounds in Greco-Roman this summer at the Junior Nationals. 120: Jordan Laster (MON) vs. Mark Duda (MAR) Both wrestlers are two-time state placers: the Princeton-bound Laster fifth and third, while Duda has finished fifth and second in his first two high school campaigns. 126: Vincent Turk (MON) vs. David Kasper (MAR) Turk was a reserve wrestler during his freshman season, but was a Cadet National Greco-Roman champion this summer; while Kasper placed sixth at 106 pounds in his freshman campaign. 132: Jose Champagne (MON) vs. Nick Gasbarro (MAR) Champagne ranks as the nation’s 12th best freshman overall and was eighth in freestyle at the Cadet Nationals. Gasbarro started for portions of his freshman season, including placing 6th in the Dvorak Invitational at 106 pounds. 138: Chris Garcia (MON) vs. Mario Leveille (MAR) The junior Garcia is a two-time state placer, finishing third and second in his first two state tournament campaigns. Fellow junior Leveille qualified for state last year at 120 pounds, and had a 6-5 upset win over Junior Greco All-American Jake O’Mara (Oak Park River Forest) this past weekend. 145: Michael Sepke (MON) vs. Matt Sears (MAR) Sepke placed fourth at 126 pounds as a junior, while Sears was one match from state in his junior campaign. This past weekend, Sears upended state qualifier Johnny Gahagan (Oak Park River Forest) 6-4. 152: Xavier Montalvo (MON) vs. Ray Hodorowicz (MAR) Montalvo qualified for state as a freshman and was a Cadet National double All-American this past summer, third in Greco-Roman and fourth in freestyle. Hodorowicz was one match away from state in his junior campaign. 160: Luke Fortuna (MON) vs. D. Drew (MAR) Fortuna qualified for state last year in his freshman campaign. 170: TBD (MON) vs. Alex Benoit (MAR) Benoit placed fifth at state as a freshman last year. 182: Jake Turk (MON) vs. Ethan Benoit (MAR). Turk placed fourth at state in his junior campaign, while Benoit was one match away from state in his junior season. 195: TBD (MON) vs. Josh Pruitt (MAR) The senior Pruitt placed fourth at state last season. 220: TBD (MON) vs. Josh Hickey (MAR) The senior Hickey placed sixth at state last year in the 285 pound weight class. 285: TBD (MON) vs. Tom Howell (MAR) The senior Howell is a two-time state qualifier.

PHOENIX -- Grand Canyon University announced today it has accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference and will begin the process of reclassification from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I status in athletics during the 2013-14 academic year. "This is an historic day in the life of Grand Canyon University,” said Brian Mueller, the University's president and chief executive officer. "We have made a commitment to excellence in athletics, just as we have academically, and that commitment has been recognized by the invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference, a conference with a storied past. NCAA Division I status will raise our university's profile and illuminate the great things happening at Grand Canyon.” "We welcome Grand Canyon University to the WAC and look forward to helping them make the transition in becoming a highly competitive Division I institution,” said WAC Interim Commissioner Jeff Hurd. "This is another important step in the rebuilding process of the WAC as we continue to strengthen the conference.” GCU is currently a member of the NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference and will remain eligible for all PacWest Championships as well as NCAA Division II postseason play in 2012-13. GCU's athletic teams will begin competing as Division I programs beginning next year. Reclassification to Division I athletics is a four-year process, during which time GCU will not be eligible for NCAA Championships. Following the transitional four-year period, providing the University has met all NCAA standards, GCU will become a full Division I member. "Grand Canyon University is extremely grateful and thankful that this day has come,” said Director of Athletics, Keith Baker. "This is obviously not an overnight process. We are appreciative that the Western Athletic Conference Board has presented this invitation of membership, permitting GCU the opportunity to apply for reclassification of our athletics program to NCAA Division I, a process that we have already begun.” The Antelopes are coming off of an impressive 2011-12 campaign that saw them crowned as winners of the Division II Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, which recognizes the top university based on athletic performance. GCU won a national title in men's indoor track and field and saw 16 teams make a postseason appearance. "We owe special thanks to so many,” said Baker. "Our fellow Pacific West Conference member schools have been patient with us in this process. We will continue our devotion to furthering the significance of that association of schools over the coming months. The PacWest has provided a great platform from which to launch the next phase of our own institutional development.” The 2012-13 season has started off well, too. The men's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, while the women's volleyball team is preparing to compete in the NCAA West Regional. The Antelopes also had representation in the NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championships. Winter sports programs, consisting of men's swimming, women's swimming, wrestling and women's basketball, are all nationally-ranked. "We have a great group of student-athletes at GCU,” added Baker. "The process that we are about to enter will provide them with a new competitive environment. We are committed to helping them continue to have successful student-athlete experiences.” GCU also boasts some of the finest athletic facilities in the nation, including the newly built 5,000-seat Grand Canyon University Arena, home to the men's and women's basketball teams, and a state-of-the-art Recreation Center, a 55,000 sq. foot building that features three basketball courts and practice facilities for both wrestling and volleyball. About Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU offers degree programs for both traditional undergraduate students and the working professional in seven colleges: the Ken Blanchard College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Theology, the College of Fine Arts and Production, and the College of Doctoral Studies. GCU offers traditional programs on its growing campus, as well as online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. The University's curriculum fuses academic and clinical rigor with Christian values to prepare its students to be skilled, caring professionals. For more information about GCU, visit www.gcu.edu. About The Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference was formed in 1962 and will be comprised of the following six universities for the 2013-14 season: Cal State University, Bakersfield; Grand Canyon University; University of Idaho; New Mexico State University; Seattle University and Utah Valley University. The WAC crowns team and individual champions in 19 sports – eight men's and 11 women's. The WAC office is located in Denver, Colo. For more information on the conference, visit www.wacsports.com.