InterMat Staff

THIS WEEK The defending NCAA and Big Ten champion Iowa wrestling team will open the 2010-11 season Friday, hosting the third-annual Iowa City Duals. The five-team event will be held on two mats at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Arena doors will open at 1 p.m. Following is the schedule of events: 2 p.m.: Iowa Central vs. Cornell College, Coe vs. SIU-Edwardsville 4 p.m.: Iowa vs. Iowa Central, Cornell College vs. SIU-Edwardsville 6 p.m.: Iowa vs. Coe, SIU-Edwardsville vs. Iowa Central Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands, who enters the season with a career dual coaching record of 99-26, will be looking to pick up his 100th victory. Iowa will also put its 61 overall dual and 25 home dual winning streaks on the line. If purchased in advance, tickets to the Iowa City Duals are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. If purchased at the door, tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for youth. The Iowa City Duals are also part of the Iowa wrestling season ticket package, which is $67 for the public and $55 for UI faculty and staff. Tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office, at (319) 335-9323, or online at hawkeyesports.com. It will be UIAA Appreciation Day. UI Alumni Association members get one free admission for the entire event when they show their membership card. Hawkeye football fans may also get free admission when they show their Iowa vs. Ohio State football ticket. LIVE BLOGGING FROM CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA A member of the UI Sports Information staff will offer interactive content for all of Iowa's home duals live via hawkeyesports.com. This feature gives Hawkeye fans the opportunity to voice their opinion by submitting questions and comments, while receiving up-to-the-minute play-by-play, notes and stats. The blog will begin approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the dual. WELCOME BACK The head coaches of all four teams coming to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa City Duals have ties to the Iowa wrestling program. John Oostendorp (Coe), Mike Duroe (Cornell), Luke Moffitt (Iowa Central) and David Ray (Southern Illinois Edwardsville) will all be making a return to Iowa City. Oostendorp (1990-93) was a two-time Hawkeye all-American at heavyweight, winning the 1992 Big Ten title. He and Hawkeye coaches Tom and Terry Brands were part of Iowa teams that won three NCAA and Big Ten titles, and posted a 55-1-2 dual mark. Duroe served as head coach of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club from 2003-05. Moffitt was a Big Ten champion at Iowa who earned outstanding wrestler honors at the 2002 Big Ten meet. He still fifth in Iowa school history for most pins in a season (19 in 2001-02). Ray lettered for the Hawkeyes in 1984. IOWA CITY DUALS PARKING INFORMATION Parking for the Iowa City Duals will be extremely limited in the vicinity of Carver-Hawkeye Arena throughout the entire day of competition. All parking lots will be screened and monitored to allow parking for only University of Iowa employees in their respective assigned lots. The Iowa Athletics Department is encouraging wrestling fans attending the Iowa City Duals to use a continuous free shuttle service from Hawkeye Commuter parking lots throughout the day. Buses will be designated to and from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The shuttle will start at 1 p.m. The last pick-up from Carver will be 8:30 p.m. The only exceptions for parking near Carver-Hawkeye Arena during the day are as follows: Lot 46: - Limited number of ADA parking - "State Issued Permits Only" - $5.00 parking fee upon entrance; Media - parking placard needs to be requested from Traci Wagner in the SID office; Arena Commuter Lot: Placard issued - assigned contributor parking - any entrance; Remainder of lot will open at 3:30 p.m. - $5.00 parking fee - west entrance; Lot 65 (Finkbine Commuter): Extremely limited number of parking spaces open to the public - $5.00 parking fee upon entrance - when full will be directed to Ramps 3 & 4; Ramps 3 (Clock Tower) & 4 (Field House): Regular hourly parking rate will be charged; Softball and Varsity Track Complex: Free wrestling parking within walking distance (15 minute walk); Downtown Iowa City: Use parking lots or ramps and use the regular free Cambus service; Hancher Parking Lot: Use regular free Cambus service, Red and Blue routes. WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS For dates and more information about 2011 Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com. ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC and hawkeyesports.com. At press time, all dual meets, except Iowa's duals against Chattanooga and Cornell College on Nov. 26, will be aired live on AM-800, KXIC. Action from the Big Ten and NCAA Championships, as well as the finals of the Midlands Championships, will also be aired live. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will be available online at hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Internet - The 2010-11 Hawkeye wrestling media guide, press releases, meet results, and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, hawkeyesports.com. Current staff and student-athlete head shots are available at pics.hawkeyesports.com. IOWA CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRITONS Head Coach Luke Moffitt and the Iowa Central Tritons will be making their second appearance at the Iowa City Duals. The Tritons, who are ranked fifth in the NJCCA Division I national pre-season poll, have won five consecutive NJCAA team titles. Returning All-Americans Joe Colon (133) and Nick Pica (197) each won titles at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open earlier this month. Colon won the NJCAA national 125-pound title last season, while Pica placed third at the national meet. Moffitt, who is 71-10 in seven seasons at Iowa Central, has a 71-3 record against junior college teams. He is a three-time NJCAA National Coach of the Year and four-time Region IX Coach of the Year. Moffitt is assisted by Troy Bennett, Mark Rial and Justin McClintock. Iowa leads the series with Iowa Central, 3-0. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting (52-0) at the inaugural Iowa City Duals in 2009. COE COLLEGE KOHAWKS Coe is ranked fourth nationally in the NWCA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll, returning three all-Americans and six NCAA qualifiers from the 2009-10 squad that went 16-3. Senior Clayton Rush (125) is ranked first in the nation, while junior Nick LeClere (165) is ranked fourth. Rush is a three-time all-American and the defending NCAA Division III Champion. LeClere is the younger brother of former Hawkeye Dan LeClere (2008-10). Sophomore Drew Hinschberger (133), junior Dale Handley (157) and senior Seth Rehn (184) are also ranked in the top 10 nationally. Assisting Oostendorp is Tyler Burkle, Eric Casey, Marcus Kurtz, Ted Drees, Dusty Coufal and Nick Cole. The Kohawks opened their 2010-11 season Wednesday at Central College in Pella. Iowa holds a 3-0 lead in the series, winning 39-3 in 2009-10, 51-0 in 2008-09 and 50-0 in 2006-07. INTERVIEW POLICIES & PROCEDURES Members of the Hawkeye wrestling team and coaching staff are available for interviews Tuesday afternoons from 2:40-3:25 p.m. in the Field House Practice Facility. If you are interested in scheduling an interview outside that time, please contact Assistant Sports Information Director Traci Wagner at 319-430-6349. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 180-18 (.909) in the arena, which includes a record 11 victories during the 2010 season. Iowa has recorded 18 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (11-0) occurring in 2009-10. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,955, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State (20-15) on December 6, 2008. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. IOWA WINNING STREAKS The Hawkeyes have won 61 straight dual matches, which is a school record. The current streak started with a win over Cornell (32-3) on Jan. 12, 2008, which was the first match after Iowa lost to Oklahoma State (19-14) on Jan. 5. That 61-match winning streak ranks fourth-best in NCAA wrestling history behind three Oklahoma State streaks. The Cowboys won 76 straight duals from 1937-51, and had two 69-match streaks (1921-32 and 1996-99). The Hawkeyes have also won 41 consecutive duals on the road, which is also a school record. That streak started with a 20-13 win at Iowa State on Dec. 9, 2007. Iowa has also won its last 25 duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That streak, which ranks fourth-best in school history, started with a 27-13 win over Penn State on Jan. 20, 2008, which was also the first home match after the loss to the Cowboys. The school record is 55 (1/9/1977-12/18/1983). Against Big Ten opponents, the Hawkeyes have won their last 27 duals, including 12 at home and 15 on the road. The 27 league duals rank second in school history, while the 12 home duals rank third and the 15 road duals rank fourth. Iowa's school record for consecutive Big Ten wins is 98 (12/13/1975-1/28/1989), while the records for Big Ten home wins is 63 (1/17/1975-1/3/1998) and road wins is 54 (1/19/1974-1/28/1989). IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 877-215-30 (.795) in 100 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 23 national titles and 34 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 51 NCAA champions have won a total of 78 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 15 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 102 Big Ten champions have won a total of 186 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 27 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 140 all-Americans have earned all-America status 286 times, including 17 four-time, 29 three-time and 37 two-time honorees. MCDONOUGH RETURNS TO LEAD HAWKEYES Defending NCAA Champion Matt McDonough returns to the lineup for his sophomore season. The 2010 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, McDonough posted a 37-1 record at 125 pounds last season. He boasted a perfect 23-0 dual record, going 8-0 in Big Ten duals and 11-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The 2009 Midlands Champion led Iowa in collegiate wins (37), dual wins (23), dual winning percentage (1.000) and major decisions (15), and ranked second in collegiate winning percentage (.974) and technical falls (4). He scored extra team points in 28 of his 37 wins, tallying 104 team points in dual comeptition. IN-STATE SUCCESS Eight of the 11 Hawkeye wrestlers listed in the probable lineup for Friday's duals hail from the state of Iowa, and three attended high school at Iowa City West. Sophomore Matt McDonough (125) is from Marion, redshirt freshman Nick Trizzino (133) is from Bettendorf, sophomore Mark Ballweg (141) hails from Waverly, sophomore Jeret Chiri (149) is from New London, junior Jake Kerr (165) is a native of Oskaloosa and junior Blake Rasing (Hwt.) is from New Hampton. Redshirt freshmen Dylan Carew (149-Tiffin) and Derek St. John (157-Parnell), and sophomore Grant Gambrall (184-Iowa City) all competed at Iowa City West High School. ALL IN THE FAMILY On the 2010-11 Hawkeye wrestling team, there are three sets of brothers, two wrestlers whose fathers wrestled at Iowa and two uncle-nephew combinations. Senior Matt Ballweg (157), sophomore Mark Ballweg (133/141) and freshman Jacob Ballweg (141) are brothers who hail from Waverly. They are the fifth set of three brothers to wrestle at Iowa, and the third set to be on the roster at the same time. The other sets of three brothers to compete for the Hawkeyes are Ed Banach, Lou Banach and Steve Banach; Marty Kistler, Harlan Kistler and Lindley Kistler; Mike Uker, Ben Uker and Joe Uker; and Lenny Zalesky, Larry Zalesky and Jim Zalesky. Junior Stew Gillmor (149/157) and freshman Walt Gillmor (165) are brothers from Donahue, while sophomore Nate Moore (133) and freshman Nick Moore (157/165) are brothers from Iowa City. Sophomore Matt McDonough (125/133) and redshirt freshman Nick Trizzino have fathers who wrestled for the Hawkeyes. Mike McDonough wrestled at Iowa from 1974-76, while Mark Trizzino was an all-American (1984) and four-year letterwinner (1981-84) for the Hawkeyes. Senior Luke Lofthouse (197) is the uncle of Hawkeye redshirt freshman Ethen Lofthouse (174). Nick Trizzino's uncle, Scott Trizzino, was a three-time all-American (1978-79-81) and four-time letterwinner (1977-79, 1981) for the Hawkeyes. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Mike Zadick, Kurt Backes and Danny Song earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, one Olympic bronze medal, five NCAA titles, nine conference titles and 12 All-America honors. UP NEXT The Hawkeyes will wrestle two duals Nov. 26 at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA. Iowa will face Chattanooga (2-1) at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell (0-0) at 8 p.m. at the Small Multi-Sport Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for youth ages 5-18.

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Sophomore Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) of the University of Michigan wrestling team was named Big Ten Conference co-Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday (Nov. 16) in recognition of his performance in U-M's dual opener against Pittsburgh. The weekly honor is the first for Boyle in his collegiate career and the first for the Wolverines this season. He shares the weekly recognition with Illinois' Kyle Dooley. Boyle secured his first collegiate win over a ranked opponent with an 8-5 decision against the Panthers' 14th-ranked Anthony Zanetta at 125 pounds and set up the Wolverines' comeback win by pulling his team within two team points with one match remaining. Boyle controlled the early portion of the bout, converting on single-leg takedowns in the first and second periods, and fought off Zanetta's late rally to seal the victory. In response to the win, the Wolverine sophomore made his first appearance in the national rankings, earning the No. 17 spot at 125 pounds in the latest InterMat listing. Boyle is a perfect 5-0 on the season. The Wolverines will hit the road next Friday (Nov. 19) to continue non-conference dual competition against Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. The dual is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Stabler Hall.

St. Cloud State University senior Gabe Suarez (Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron Memorial H.S.) was named as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wrestler of the week on Nov. 16. Suarez earned the league award by capturing first place at the 2010 Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Ames, Iowa. The tournament is hosted annually by NCAA Division I wrestling power Iowa State University. Suarez posted a 4-0 record to capture the championship at 141-pounds. To reach the top step of the awards platform, Suarez gained victories over three NCAA Division I opponents including Ian Squires of Boston University (dec. 13-3), and Ian Fisher of Oklahoma (dec. 7-3). In the championship match, Suarez posted a big 7-5 victory over Seth Noble of Northern Iowa. The trip to the Cyclone Open marked the beginning of the 2010-11 season for the Huskies, who were ranked #2 in the 2010-11 NWCA Division II preseason poll this year. SCSU was also selected as the top team in the 2010-11 NSIC preseason coaches' poll this winter. In 2009-19, St. Cloud State posted a 14-7 dual match record and placed 7th in the nation at the 2010 NCAA Division II championships under the leadership of Coach Steve Costanzo. Suarez is a returning NCAA Division II All-American at 141-pounds and he also serves as a team captain for the Huskies in 2010-11. SCSU will continue its season on Nov. 20 with a trip to the Auggie/Brute/Adidas Open in Minneapolis. Fans will want to mark Dec. 11 on their calendar, which is the date that St. Cloud State hosts the Holiday Inn/Husky Open in Halenbeck Hall. This all-day meet begins at 9 a.m. and it will feature many of the nation's top NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NJCAA wrestlers.

Lock Haven Pa. -- Clarion University 157-pound wrestler James Fleming (So. West Mifflin) was named the PSAC's “Wrestler of the Week” for his performances at the Knight Point Open and the Oklahoma Invitational during the last two weekends. On November 6 at the Knight Point Open, hosted by Clarion University, Fleming took first place at 157-pounds posting a 4-0 record. He opened with an 11-2 major decision over Keith Ryan (UPJ), then won a 15-0 tech fall over James Rafferty (Army), and wbf at 6:40 over Kirk Landon (Army) before posting an 11-1 major decision over Matt Jackson (Navy) in the finals. In the Oklahoma Invite hosted at Brockport, N.Y. on November 13, Fleming was 3-1 and finished second at 157-pounds among nationally ranked wrestlers. James reached the finals with wins over Clay Reeb (Oklahoma) fall 0:47, Rudy Chelednik (Army) major 12-0, and majored #2 seed Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) 11-0. Cocozzo was ranked #13 by Intermat. He lost to Oklahoma's Matt Lester 7-3 in the finals. “James has had a strong start to the 2011 season and is really deserving of this honor,” said Clarion's fifth year head coach Teague Moore. “He works very hard every day to improve his skills and has a great attitude towards wrestling. We're proud to have him in blue and gold.” Fleming had an outstanding freshman season at Clarion in 2010 posting an overall record of 28-8 at 149-pounds, placed 4th at PSAC's, 2nd at EWL's and qualified for the NCAA Division I Nationals. He was named the PSAC “Freshman of the Year”. Fleming, the son of John Fleming and Regina Fitzhenry, was a 4-time PIAA placewinner at West Mifflin High under coach Tony Salopek. He had a career record of 130-15. CLARION NOTES: Clarion wrestles Saturday on November 20th at the Body Bar Invitational in Ithaca, N.Y.

TEMPE -- A busy week of action awaits the No. 18 Arizona State University wrestling team this week as the Sun Devils (2-0, 0-0 Pac-10) play host to No. 8 Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena before hitting the road to compete in the Fullerton Open on Saturday in Fullerton, Calif. On top of those two events, both Anthony Robles (125) and Bubba Jenkins (157) will also travel to Fresno, Calif., on Sunday to compete in the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic presented by The Marines. OPENING WHISTLE • ASU is currently ranked No. 18 (NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll) • The program recently signed six prep standouts to join the team next fall • Robles (125) and Jenkins (157) are both ranked in the national Top 5 • Robles and Jenkins both will compete at the NWCA All-Star Classic (11/21) • ASU moved to 64-9-0 all-time vs. Arizona schools with its 44th win in a row • 5 Sun Devils made their debuts at GCU with all five posting victories • Sun Devils went 16-4 individually with 10 combined wins by major/fall/forfeit • ASU is now 35-14-0 in its first dual of the year after 29-8 win at Grand Canyon • ASU is 32-16-0 all-time in home openers (won four in a row), but 0-2 vs. Okla. • ASU is 14-25-1 against Oklahoma all-time (9-9-0 in Tempe) WEB CASTING FS Arizona will be on hand inside Wells Fargo Arena for all five of the Sun Devils' home duals this season, starting with Thursday's dual with No. 8 Oklahoma. Scott Powell will be on the call this week as Arizona State looks to knock-off the visiting Sooners. To watch the free web cast, visit the Sun Devil page on FoxSportsArizona.com (a link will be placed on that page on Thursday). YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE: • High school teams can gain free admission into the dual by filling out and sending in the appropriate form by Wednesday. The form, labeled Team Unofficial Visit Form, can be found on the right side of the wrestling page on thesundevils.com. • Thursday's dual is the team's annual Gold Game, so all fans are encouraged to wear their gold to show their support of the Sun Devil Wrestling program. IN THE RANKINGS - TEAM The Sun Devils entered the 2010-11 season ranked among the Top 25 in three different ranking services, including No. 18 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll that was released Tuesday (November 16). In the other rankings, InterMat has Arizona State at No. 10 and W.I.N. Magazine has the Sun Devils at No. 18. STRONG SCHEDULE Looking at the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, six of Arizona State's opponents are currently ranked in the Top 25 while the Sun Devils are one of four Pac-10 Conference teams in the rankings. Overall, ASU's schedule includes duals with No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 14 Nebraska, No. 17 Oregon State, No. 19 Iowa State and No. 25 Cal Poly. Along with ASU, OSU and CPU, the remaining nationally ranked Pac-10 team is Boise State, who is No. 3 this week. IN THE RANKINGS - INDIVIDUAL According to Amateur Wrestling News, four Sun Devils enter the season ranked in the national Top 15, including a pair of wrestlers in the Top 3 of their weight classes. Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins both head into their senior seasons ranked third nationally at 125 and 157, respectively, while senior Ben Ashmore (133) and junior Te Edwards (165) are both ranked No. 15 at their weights. ALL-STAR SELECTIONS The 45th NWCA All-Star Classic presented by The Marines will be held on Sunday, November 21, at the Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., and will feature a pair of Sun Devils as some of the best individuals in the nation get together for the annual exhibition competition. This year, Anthony Robles will face Zach Sanders (Minnesota) at 125 pounds while Bubba Jenkins will take on Adam Hall (Boise State) at 165, marking the 21st and 22nd times, respectively, a Sun Devil has been in the event. The last time a Sun Devil competed in the event came in 2007 when current assistant coach Brian Stith dropped a tough 2-1 decision to Trent Paulson (Iowa State). NEW ADDITIONS Last week began the early signing period around collegiate athletics and the Sun Devil wrestling program has added six individuals that will continue their academic and athletic careers at Arizona State beginning next fall. Those individuals include: Codey Combs, Kory DeBerry, Preston McCalmon, Lucio Murillo, Issah Meade and Blake Stone. DeBerry's older brother, Kyle, is currently a member of the Sun Devils. Look for more information to be released later on the newest Sun Devil wrestlers. QUICK RECAP: OPENING WEEKEND The Sun Devils opened their 2010-11 season on the road last Saturday as the visitors took wins of 29-8 at Grand Canyon and 41-6 at Embry-Riddle on the same day at two different locations. Overall, the Sun Devils went 8-2 individually in both duals and posted bonus points in 10 of those 16 combined wins, including four by major decision, five by pin and one by forfeit. ASU wrestled two road duals on the same day for the sixth time in program history and improved to 10-2 all-time on those days with four sweeps. COPPER STATE COMPETITIONS With the two wins on Saturday, the Sun Devils improved to 64-9-0 all-time against teams from the state of Arizona and extended their winning streak to 44 in a row in the process. The last time Arizona State lost to a fellow Copper State school came on February 13, 1973, when visiting Arizona won, 18-17. The Sun Devils also improved to 28-6-0 all-time in road duals inside the state after winning their 19th and 20th in a row. LIFTING THE LID With their 29-8 victory at Grand Canyon Saturday morning, the Sun Devils improved to 35-14-0 all-time in their first dual of the season. Following a 2-0 record on the road, the Sun Devils now turn their attention to their first home dual of the year with No. 8 Oklahoma in town. The Sun Devils are 32-16-0 all-time in their first home dual of the season and have won four in a row. The dual with the Sooners will mark the third time Arizona State has faced OU in its home opener with the Sooners winning the previous two instances, 32-7 (December 3, 1964) and 23-21 (December 4, 1985). DEBUTS Five individuals competed for Arizona State for the first time last weekend and all five won their debuts with the Sun Devils at Grand Canyon. The victorious newcomers included Kalin Goodsite at 141 (16-5 major decision); Luke Ashmore at 149 (12-5 decision); Bubba Jenkins at 157 (11-8 decision); Luke Macchiaroli at 197 (6-3 decision) and Levi Cooper at heavyweight (3-1 decision). STRONG STARTS Of the 10 Sun Devils that competed last weekend, six swept both of their duals on Saturday. Included in that list are Anthony Robles at 125 (two pins); Kalin Goodsite at 141 (two majors); Te Edwards at 165 (one decision, one major); Jake Meredith at 184 (one major, one fall); Luke Macchiaroli at 197 (one decision, one fall); and Levi Cooper (one decision, one forfeit). QUICK WORK Four different Sun Devils won by fall last Saturday, including Anthony Robles, who pinned both of his opponents. In all five pins, the Sun Devil picked up the victory in the first period each time. Against Grand Canyon, Robles had the lone pin at 125 pounds, winning in 1:49. He followed that later in the day at Embry-Riddle with a fall in 1:25. Also at ERAU, Eric Starks pinned his foe in 2:40 to get his first win of the year at 174 to start a stretch of three falls in a row that saw the team's fastest pin honor change hands twice. First, Jake Meredith stuck his foe in 1:19 of the 184 match to take the fastest pin from Robles (1:25), but, one match later at 197, Luke Macchiaroli stuck his opponent in 1:16 to take the fastest title early in the season. COUNTDOWN TO 100 Heading into his senior campaign, Anthony Robles holds a career record of 88-23 and needs 12 wins to become the 23rd different Sun Devil to break the century mark. Currently ranked 29th all-time in career wins at Arizona State, Robles will need 15 wins (103 total) to break into the Top 20 as he will tie with three others for 19th place, including current head coach Shawn Charles. With his 88 wins, Robles is currently tied for 27th all-time on the ASU wins list with current UFC World Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez. RETURN TO FORM At the end of the 2008 season, Bubba Jenkins walked off the mat at the NCAA Championships as the national runner-up at 157 pounds for Penn State. He followed that season with a perfect regular season before an injury saw him go 0-2 at the Big Ten and NCAA events. After sitting out last season and transferring to Arizona State, Jenkins is entering his final season ranked among the Top 5 nationally as he sets out to win a national title and collect his second All-America honor. He is currently 1-1 on the young season. PAC-3 One of the Sun Devils' newcomers at heavyweight this season is Levi Cooper, a native of Hubbard, Ore. The redshirt sophomore is not only entering his first season with Arizona State, he also is entering the third “first season” of his career. Coming out of high school, Cooper enrolled at Portland State, a member of the Pac-10, and competed for one year. At the end of that season, the program was discontinued, forcing Cooper to look elsewhere to compete collegiately. He got that chance last year at Cal State Bakersfield (also a Pac-10 member in wrestling) where he redshirted. After one year at CSUB, Cooper departed and is now in the mix for the starting nod at heavyweight this year for the Sun Devils. SCOUTING: #8 OKLAHOMA The Sooners are led by Jack Spates and come to Tempe with a 2-0 dual record following a 39-0 home victory over Central Oklahoma and a 28-7 road win at Buffalo. Recently, the Sooners won the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic for the 12th year in a row with five individuals winning titles. Four Oklahoma wrestlers are currently ranked among the national Top 20 (according to Amateur Wrestling News), including: No. 8 Jarrod Petterson (125), No. 1 Zack Bailey (141), No. 18 Erich Schmidtke (184) and No. 12 Nathan Fernandez (285). IN THE SERIES: SUN DEVILS vs. SOONERS Oklahoma holds a 25-14-1 advantage in the series and has won the last seven duals in a row and 13 of the last 14 meetings. The last time Arizona State won came on January 8, 2003, in Tempe in a 21-21 score (ties were broken that year based on criteria, which ASU won). The series is tied, 9-9-0, when the two teams meet in Tempe with the Sooner winning the last three meetings inside Wells Fargo Arena, including a 36-7 decision two years ago. Last year, OU won, 24-11, in Norman. MARQUEE MATCH While each team has four individuals ranked nationally heading into the dual, only one match will feature a meeting between two ranked foes as No. 3 Anthony Robles takes on No. 8 Jarrod Patterson at 125 pounds. The two met last year in the quarterfinals of the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational where then-No. 3 Robles scored a 17-2 technical fall over then-unranked Patterson. SCOUTING: FULLERTON OPEN The Fullerton Open on Saturday will have a distinct Pac-10 flavor to it as five of the Conference's teams will be in action, including ASU, Cal Poly, CS Bakersfield, host CS Fullerton and Stanford. Also set to compete are Cal Baptist, Grand Canyon and Embry-Riddle, along with several junior colleges. The tournament will feature 10 weight classes with team scoring used to crown a champion. SENIOR SEASONS Five individuals are entering their final collegiate seasons, including local standout Anthony Robles, who has earned a pair of All-American honors after a solid career at nearby Mesa High School. The remaining seniors include Ben Ashmore, Bubba Jenkins, Orlando Jimenez and Lucas Mariacher. All five will be honored before the team's dual with Cal Poly on January 30 (2:00 p.m.) ALL IN THE FAMILY In the history of the program, 28 different families have supplied the Sun Devils with multiple wrestlers, including a pair of brothers this year and a second-generation Sun Devil. Brothers Ben and Luke Ashmore are the 26th set of brothers to be members of the Arizona State program while Luke Macchiaroli is the second member of his family to join the Sun Devils as his father, Tom, was with the program in the late 1970s. ASKREN ON STAFF Several weeks ago, head coach Shawn Charles rounded out his coaching staff with the addition of Ben Askren as an assistant coach. The 2008 Olympian and two-time NCAA finalist (at Missouri), who served as the program's Director of Operations last year, will assist with day-to-day operations once again while also working with technique on the mat with the Sun Devils. He joins Brian Stith (fourth year) as the program's assistant coaches this season. EARLY ACTION Last weekend, 17 members of the program entered the Embry-Riddle Collegiate Championships in Prescott as unattached competitors with 12 returning the Valley of the Sun with Top 5 finishes. Three Sun Devils reached the final and placed second, including Josh Sandoval (125), Kevin Radford (184) and Levi Cooper (285). Kalin Goodsite (141) placed third while David Prado (133), Joel Smith (149), Kevin Maelfeyt (157), Wesley Moore (184) and Michael Hawkins (285) all finished fourth. Dalton Miller (125), Derek Felton (165) and Bobby Bowman (174) also finished fifth. HE'S THE CHAMP On October 23, a new UFC World Heavyweight Champion was crowned and that champion is former Sun Devil All-American Cain Velasquez. The first fighting champion of Mexican heritage, Velasquez dispatched of former champion Brock Lesnar with a first round TKO to take the belt at UFC 121 in Anaheim, Calif. Velasquez is now the is the fourth different Sun Devil wrestler to hold a belt in the UFC. ALUMNI UPDATE • Aaron Simpson (7-1) will be fighting at UFC 123 as he takes on fellow wrestler Mark Munoz (8-2) in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Saturday, November 20, live on Spike TV. If the name Munoz sounds familiar, it is the same Munoz that wrestled for Oklahoma State. • Also in the UFC, Ryan Bader (12-0) will meet Jon ‘Bones' Jones (11-1) in a light heavyweight bout in Las Vegas at UFC 126 on February 5. NEXT TIME OUT Compared to this week, next week will be very quite for the Sun Devils as only one dual is on the schedule. Arizona State will open its Pac-10 slate at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 27, inside Wells Fargo Arena as the Titans of CS Fullerton come to town. The event will be ASU's final dual of 2010 (two tournaments in December) and the last dual until No. 2 Oklahoma State comes to town for a 6 p.m. contest on January 2.

Though football is the main thing on the conscience of prep sports followers at this point in time, and for many states the start of wrestling is at least two weeks away, scholastic wrestling will be starting in a few states this coming weekend. And the season starts off with a major bang in the Sunshine State at the O'Town Showdown with a likely matchup between two of the best scholastic wrestling programs in the country. O'Town Showdown An absolute extravaganza of wrestling will convene upon the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort outside of Orlando, Florida. Prime among the events is a 32-team dual meet tournament to be held on Friday and Saturday involving nine teams that finished in the top ten of their classification at the Florida State Tournament in 2009-10. Website for information: http://golddotsports.com/index.html Wrestling will start with four pools of eight teams, each pool then split into two. The top eight teams will be seeded, and placed into each of the pools, with the remaining teams blindly placed into positions. Teams will first wrestle the three teams in their sub-pool. After the first three matches, the last place team will be eliminated from the main draw. Within each pool, the three remaining teams will wrestle those remaining from the other sub-pool. After those matches, the 24 teams will be split into three tiers of brackets. The top two in each pool advance to the championship bracket, the next two to the consolation championship bracket (places 9-16), and the last two to the consolation pride bracket (places 17-24). Teams will then compete in an eight-team "umbrella-style" bracket for the remaining three matches. The 32-team field is anchored by a pair of state championship teams, fourth-ranked Brandon and 17th-ranked Oviedo. Other featured teams in the field include Lake Gibson and Northside Christian, which finished third in their respective state tournament divisionsPalmetto Ridge, fourth at state; South Dade, fifth at state; Winter Springs and Lake Highland Prep, both finishing eighth in the state; and Bishop Moore, which finished tenth. The following wrestlers in this field are nationally ranked in their weight class: 103: No. 8 Colton Howell (Brandon) 119: No. 14 Earl Hall (South Dade) 125: No. 8 Rossi Bruno (Brandon) 130: No. 13 Kevin Norstrem (Brandon) 135: No. 6 Tyler Liberatore (Brandon) 152: No. 10 Clark Glass (Brandon) 160: No. 8 Wally Figaro (Brandon) 171: No. 15 Geordan Speiller (Oviedo) 285: No. 9 Doug Vollaro (Oviedo) A showcase feature of this weekend event will be three dual meets involving NCAA Division I programs on the featured mat at the Jostens Center between Indiana, The Citadel, and Columbia. 11:00 a.m. ET -- Indiana vs. The Citadel 1:00 p.m. ET -- Indiana vs. Columbia 3:00 p.m. ET – Columbia vs. The Citadel Also part of the weekend will be the Gold Dot JV Challenge conducted on Friday and the Middle and Elementary School Folkstyle National Championships on Saturday. 2010 Cliff Keen Kickoff Classic The opening leg of the Roller World of Wrestling triple crown (aka -- the Trinity Award) will be this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Expo Square Pavilion. Notable title winners in the 15-and-under division last year appearing in the high school rankings include Ryan Millhof (Archer, Georgia), Phillip Laux (Pekin, Iowa), Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, Oklahoma), and John Fahy (Trinity, Kentucky). Other champions at either the 15U or 12U levels that appear in the graduating class rankings include Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma), Ke-Shawn Hayes (Missouri), Luke Norland (Iowa), and Mason Manville (Virginia).

The University of Iowa wrestling program has long been a symbol of excellence. Just one indicator: the Hawkeyes claimed their 23rd team title at the 2010 NCAAs in March. The man at the helm for 15 of those national titles was none other than Dan Gable, Iowa's coach from 1977-1997. One book manages to capture the essence of both the Iowa mat program and coach Gable: the now-classic A Season on the Mat: Dan Gable and the Pursuit of Perfection. The book, originally published in hardcover in 1997, is available in an updated, tenth anniversary paperback edition from Simon & Schuster. A Season on the Mat provides an all-access backstage pass to the 1996-1997 wrestling season, Gable's last as head coach of the Hawkeyes. No writer is more uniquely qualified for the challenge than Nolan Zavoral. He once covered the University of Iowa wrestling team as a sportswriter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen ... then, years later, pretty much lived with the Hawkeyes for an entire season to write A Season on the Mat. Zavoral has been writing for over a quarter-century. He came to Iowa City from Milwaukee, first working as an editor at ACT (the organization that, among other things, produces the ACT college entrance exam), then as a columnist and sports editor at the Press-Citizen. "I covered a lot of Iowa wrestling for the paper," said Zavoral. "This was when Gable was head coach, and J Robinson was his assistant." While changing planes, a book comes to mind The idea for A Season on the Mat came to Nolan Zavoral at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, while still a writer for the Iowa City paper. "I was traveling with the team to Oklahoma State," said the author. "We were on a layover at the St. Louis airport, and (Gable) was reading a story in the paper about a serial rapist. He had this look on his face. Even realizing what had happened to his sister, it was a powerful moment." Nolan ZavoralAs a youngster, Dan Gable's teenage sister Diane -- his only sibling -- was brutally raped and murdered inside the Gable family home in Waterloo, Iowa while he and his parents were out-of-town on a fishing trip. "It gave me a reason to want to know more about him," according to Zavoral. With that observation in an airport waiting area, the sportswriter had his first thoughts about writing a book about Gable. After all, as Zavoral put it, "Interest in Dan Gable goes well beyond Iowa. People around the world want to know about him as a coach, and a person." However, the book would have to wait. Zavoral left the Iowa City Press-Citizen, first for USA Today, then, later, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Despite these career moves that took him away from the University of Iowa and the Hawkeye wrestling program, Zavoral held fast to the idea of authoring a book about Dan Gable and his wrestlers ... and kept in touch with the would-be book's subject. "Each year, I'd call Gable and ask if this was his last season." "Before the 1996-97 season, he said he was thinking 'this would be it.'" Gable gives the go-ahead Dan Gable (Photo/UNI Sports Information)With that message from Dan Gable, Nolan Zavoral took a leave of absence from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune -- without pay -- to pursue his dream of writing his book. "I wanted to be there for everything," said the author about his decision to spend the entire season with Gable and his wrestlers. However, it was very much an act of faith. "I didn't have an editor, didn't have a book deal ... I haven't felt that strongly about too many things in my life." From what Zavoral disclosed about his experience shadowing the Hawkeyes for an entire season, it seems he made the right choice. "There were so many stories -- grades, girlfriends, wives -- that went beyond the wrestling. I wanted to weave in these elements along with the main story of the last season of a great coach at a great program. Then the story became even more interesting as Gable had hip surgery in the middle of the season. He missed a couple duals, but he came out on crutches, thumping around. Nothing could stop him from his appointed rounds." An all-access pass For his book, Nolan Zavoral also sought to incorporate the stories of the Hawkeye wrestlers, such as Lincoln McIlravy, who was battling painful headaches, and Jessie Whitmer, who exceeded everyone's expectations by winning the 118-pound title at the 1997 NCAAs. All this was possible, thanks to Zavoral being granted total access to the inner workings of the program, including its coaches and wrestlers, for the entire season. The author sat in on team meetings, went to practice sessions, even traveled with the team to just about every wrestling event, from the first dual meet at Lake Okoboji in the far northern reaches of Iowa, to the NCAA Division I Championships at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, twin city to Dan Gable's hometown of Waterloo. Rather than conduct one-on-one interviews, Zavoral used a more subtle approach to gathering material for A Season on the Mat -- by observing. "I think the best material comes from observations -- sit back and watch others, listen to conversations -- rather than from direct interviews. I wanted people to be themselves." Going mano-a-mano with Gable Even with Zavoral's observational approach, there were some tense moments between author and coach. Larry Ownings gets his hand raised (Photo/AP)Sometimes, it was a quiet tension. A prime example: when Zavoral got Gable to watch a videotape of the TV broadcast of his upset loss to Larry Owings of the University of Washington in 142-pound finals at the 1970 NCAAs -- the Iowa coach's only loss in his entire high school and college career. [Link to Gable-Owings InterMat Rewind story] Here's how Zavoral described the scene in A Season on the Mat: A quarter-century later, Gable still had a tape of the match. He hadn't watched it in years -- too painful. But, at a friend's suggestion, in 1997, he brought it from home to the wrestling office and slipped it into the VCR ... This time, alone in the wrestling office, Gable watched grimly, pulling up a chair to just a couple feet of the screen. He saw himself score the first points of the match with a takedown. "Should have pinned him right there. But he was double-jointed in the shoulders or something. Always got away." He saw himself try an arm bar, and Owings slither out of it. "Got to get his arm back more." Gable sounded resigned ... The tape ran out. Gable took it out and switched off the VCR. "Well, that's it," he said. He meant, "That's enough." That wasn't the worst of it. "There were times when Gable said, 'We don't want you around,'" according to Zavoral. "I was taking an unpaid leave from work, racking up $13,000 in expenses. That's the last thing I wanted to hear." "I told him, 'The single-minded determination you want from your wrestlers, I'm putting into this book.'" "We had a number of come-to-Jesus meetings during the season." As the author explains it, "Gable wanted to read the finished book. I agreed to let him correct factual errors, but not other aspects." "He was concerned about how his parents were portrayed. I said, 'It helps others see who you are, where you came from.'" "From my work on the book, and as a writer for the Press-Citizen, Gable had seen me everywhere. In his estimation, however flawed the book may be in his point-of-view, I had paid my dues." Gable the wrestler and coach As A Season on the Mat makes clear, Dan Gable made a name for himself on the wrestling mat before becoming head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes ... first, at Waterloo West High, where he was an undefeated, three-time Iowa state champ ... then, at Iowa State, where he compiled an incredible 118-1 record, with two NCAA Division I titles ... then, in 1972, winning the gold medal at the Munich Olympics without being scored upon. Dan GableJust before heading to the Olympics, Iowa head coach Gary Kurdelmeier ... and the Cyclone became a Hawkeye. In 1976, Kurdelmeier took an administrative job at Iowa, and Dan Gable was named head coach. In the 21 seasons Gable was at the helm of the Hawkeyes, his teams built a truly amazing 355-21-5 record, for a .940 winning percentage. His teams won 21 straight Big Ten titles, and 15 NCAA team championships. His wrestlers won 108 Big Ten individual titles, and a total of 43 individual NCAA titles. With those impressive credentials, it's easy to see why so many young athletes aspired to wrestle for Gable and the Hawkeyes. According to Nolan Zavoral, wrestlers who chose the University of Iowa had a good idea of what to expect. "Iowa wrestlers knew Gable and his reputation for his hard-ass coaching and practice ways," said the author. "However, he wasn't tyrannical around his wrestlers." In fact, coach Gable customized his approach for each wrestler, said Zavoral. "Wrestling's such an individual sport. As much as anything, Gable realized that. For example, if a wrestler had a lab that interfered with the scheduled practice time, he would let them practice at a different time." Having spent considerable time with Dan Gable first as a newspaper reporter, then during an entire wrestling season in writing the book, Nolan Zavoral gained a strong sense of the man beyond his public persona as one of the all-time great college coaches. "Whatever line of work you're in, there's something to admire about Gable's level of determination ... Yet, he's very much a family guy. This is a guy who's in a very macho sport, but his life is full of women. (Dan and his wife Kathy have four daughters, no sons.) He has a notable respect for women." "He's not an overt personality. Very low-key ... He can be a very introspective person. Despite his quietness, he could recruit and coach, and be front and center of a program that is the envy of anyone, in any sport." "He was a coach ahead of his time ... He knew how to get through to a kid, to feel out people," Zavoral continued. "As an only child, I can say that he had that kind of empathy." "He knew there would not be another coach quite like him -- single-minded, unswerving, passionate. He was smart enough not to expect others to have that same focus." "Gable's a very complicated human being. It's not fair to try to reduce him to the notion of being merely a dominating wrestler/coach." After a season with the Hawkeyes, time in the monastery After spending the entire 1996-97 season with the Hawkeyes -- and armed with tons of notes, quotes and observations -- Nolan Zavoral had three months to put it all together into a book. As he put it in the interview for this profile, "I had three months to write 100,000 words." How would Zavoral be able to get the book written with that kind of deadline pressure? By leading the life of a monk. Zavoral spent three months at St. John's Abbey, a Benedictine monastery located in splendid isolation in the woods outside Collegeville, Minnesota, northwest of the Twin Cities. (He had been religion writer for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.) "I lived in a cell, as they call the rooms where the monks reside," said the author. "It was very small, very sparse ... Every inch of the floor was covered in my notes, media guides, etc." "They grew their own food. Someone would read aloud during dinner -- not religious material, but thoughtful books and articles." "It was a great experience." Nolan Zavoral described one not-so-great, heart-stopping incident during his time at St. John's: "I was writing the middle chapters of the book. I would send a chapter or two at a time to my editor at Simon & Schuster. To meet a deadline, I was trying to send a chapter at 3 a.m. during an electrical storm which knocked off the power. I yelled, 'Oh, (expletive)!' and all the lights suddenly came back on." Writing in a monastery apparently provided the author the inspiration he needed. In A Season on the Mat: Dan Gable and the Pursuit of Perfection, Zavoral crafts a multi-dimensional portrait of Gable the coach and Gable the man, weaving in elements of his past -- along with what was going on in that final season -- in a seamless tapestry that takes the reader not only inside one of the great sports programs of all time, but also inside the heart and mind of one of its greatest wrestlers and coaches. A Season on the Mat: Dan Gable and the Pursuit of Perfection by Nolan Zavoral, published by Simon & Schuster, is available for purchase online at Amazon.com. A tenth-anniversary edition produced in 2007 provides additional, updated information on Gable and the Iowa program, including insights into Jim Zalesky leaving the head coaching position which he had inherited after Gable's retirement, and the Republican party's efforts to draft Gable to run for Iowa governor.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team won early and late to edge No. 14 Pittsburgh, 17-15, in its dual-meet debut on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 14) in front of 716 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines claimed five individual bouts, including the final two of the afternoon, and earned a pair of major decisions. With the Wolverines trailing by two points entering the final bout at 133 pounds, junior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) picked up a dominant 16-5 major decision over Shelton Mack to wrap up his team's late rally. Stevens built a significant advantage in the first, converting on a double leg and subsequent snap down before using a leg turk to add three late back points. He scored on three additional takedowns, including one at the final buzzer, and accumulated 3:04 in riding-time advantage. Sophomore Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) put the Wolverines back into the driver's seat with an upset victory in the preceding match at 125 pounds, controlling 14th-ranked Anthony Zanetta from start to finish to claim an 8-5 decision. After taking the first lead on an illegal scissors around the head call, Boyle converted on a low single late in the opening frame and added a snatch single midway through the second to carry a 6-2 lead into the third. Zanetta cut the gap with a third-period single and was deep on another single for the final 25 seconds of the match, but Boyle neutralized the position along the edge to improve to 5-0 on the season. The Wolverines claimed three of the opening four matches to build up a significant lead prior the intermission. Senior/junior captain Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) opened the dual with an 11-2 major decision over Mike Tully at 141 pounds, using two takedowns and a pair of reversals to improve to 4-0 on the season. Fifth-year senior Aaron Hynes (Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) and sophomore/freshman Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) earned back-to-back decisions in key swing matches at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Hynes battled back from an early deficit against Donnie Tasser, scoring on a second-period reversal and third-period high crotch to win, 5-3. Yates cruised past the Panthers' Adam Counterman 7-0 in his varsity debut, earning the bulk of his points on a first-period body lock that put Counterman right to his back. He added a third-period escape and 2:26 in time advantage but, despite a couple flurries, could not quite find the final point necessary for bonus. Michigan's five losses were all decided by three points or less, while two required overtime. Sophomore/freshman Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) demonstrated his potential at 149 pounds, scoring on a body lock, a two-point tilt and a second-period reversal but gave up four takedowns, including a single leg midway through the sudden-victory period to provide Dane Johnson the 10-8 win. Grajales nearly had the Panther wrestler on his back after a headlock a minute into the match, but the situation produced no points. Pittsburgh also won four straight matches at the upperweights to secure a five-point team lead after the heavyweight bout. Junior/sophomore Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) nearly pulled off the upset against No. 11-ranked Ryan Tomei in the heavyweight contest but gave up some late points to fall, 8-7. An Apland single leg late in the second period appeared to put the Wolverine wrestler in the driver's seat, but Tomei scrambled for a reversal with just one second remaining on the clock to take a one-point advantage into the third. Apland escaped to tie and remained on the offensive, but Tomei countered a careless shot, scoring on a double leg late in the final period. The Wolverines will hit the road next Friday (Nov. 19) to continue non-conference dual competition against Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. The dual is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Grace Hall. Results: 141 -- #5 Kellen Russell (U-M) major dec. Mike Tully, 11-2 U-M, 4-0 149 -- Dane Johnson (Pitt) dec. Eric Grajales, 10-8 SV U-M, 4-3 157 -- Aaron Hynes (U-M) dec. Donnie Tasser, 5-3 U-M, 7-3 165 -- Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Adam Counterman, 7-0 U-M, 10-3 174 -- Ethan Headlee (Pitt) dec. #16 Justin Zeerip, 3-1 SV3 U-M, 10-6 184 -- Max Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. Hunter Collins, 5-3 U-M, 10-9 197 -- #12 Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. #5 Anthony Biondo, 3-0 Pitt, 12-10 Hwt -- #11 Ryan Tomei (Pitt) dec. Ben Apland, 8-7 Pitt, 15-10 125 -- Sean Boyle (U-M) dec. #14 Anthony Zanetta, 8-5 Pitt, 15-13 133 -- Zac Stevens (U-M) major dec. Shelton Mack, 16-5 U-M, 17-15

The Minnesota wrestling program opened the 2010-11 season with an impressive showing at the Bison Open on Saturday in Fargo, N.D. Nine Gophers captured individual titles at the event. All-American junior Zach Sanders took the title at 125 lbs. after sweeping four matches in his first tournament of the season. In his opening match, Sanders scored a fall at 4:56 over Southwest Minnesota State's Seifemichael Kenea before rallying off two-straight technical falls over Matt Garcia (25-10) and Corey Ulmer (23-5) to advance to championship match against North Dakota State's Trent Sprinkle. Sanders bested Sprinkle in the finals, scoring a 10-6 decision to pick up his first title of the season. The Gophers had five wrestlers competing at 133 lbs. on Saturday including sophomore Thane Antczak, who earned the title - beating a pair of teammates along the way. Antczak scored a fall at 5:42 in his opening match against Todd Reynolds and then earned three-straight decisions (5-2 over SMSU's Justin Reinsma, 11-5 over teammate Randy Hanson and 6-1 over teammate Bart Reiter in the championship match) in route to the title. Reiter swept through his first three matches including a fall at 3:41 over teammate Drew Lexvold in the quarterfinals to finish second to Antczak. Lexvold, who won his opening match against Mason Young with a fall only to lose to Reiter in the quarterfinals, battled back with four more wins to take third place at 133 lbs. All-American senior Mike Thorn also earned the title at 141 lbs., beating Gophers freshman Nick Dardanes 11-0 for a major decision in the finals. After a first round bye, Thorn earned a technical fall over Tanner Beaman (20-3, 4:31) in the second round and a fall at 2:42 over Devin Scott in the quarterfinals. Thorn then picked up a major decision (16-5) over Minnesota freshman Seth Lange in the semifinals before adding a second major decision (11-0) over Gophers freshman Nick Dardanes to win the 141 lbs. title. Dardanes finished his first collegiate invitational with a runner-up finish while Lange rallied after losing to Thorn to finish third with an 8-7 decision over NDSU's Trevor Johnson. The Gophers had a pair of co-champions in the 149 lbs. bracket as redshirt freshman Danny Zilverberg and freshman Dylan Ness shared top honors after both grapplers advanced to the finals. Zilverberg picked up four wins in the tournament including a pair of major decisions while Ness received a bye in the first round before posting three-straight wins including a major decision in the quarterfinals. Minnesota's only competitor at 165 lbs., sophomore Cody Yohn also earned an individual title - going 4-0 on Saturday with a technical fall against Samuel Bonsu (17-1) in the opening match, a fall over Jacob Bennett (5:00) in the quarterfinals, and then a pair of decisions against Kurtis Julson in the semifinals (5-1) and Tyler Johnson in the finals (7-6). Meanwhile, Gophers senior Scott Glasser posted three-straight major decisions to earn the 174 lbs. title. After a first-round bye, Glasser outscored his opponents 54-19 (21-6,17-5,16-6) in route to the title. At 184 lbs., redshirt freshman Kevin Steinhaus posted a pair of wins to reach the finals, where he earned a 10-4 decision over Concordia's Phil Moenkedick - a 2010 Division III national champion - for the individual medal. Steinhaus earned a major decision over Zach Deffinbuagh (18-5) in the preliminary round and scored a technical fall (16-1, 6:13) over Craig Draper-Johnson before adding a second major decision victory over Ken Moenkedick (10-2) to reach the finals. Minnesota Freshman Joel Bauman finished fourth at 184 lbs. - losing a 3-0 decision to Ken Moenkedick in the consolation bracket finals. Minnesota finished 1-2-3 at 197 lbs. with junior Sonny Yohn taking home top honors. Yohn earned a 6-1 decision over teammate Joe Nord in the finals while Scott Schiller took third in the weight class. The Gophers' Tony Nelson earned the ninth and final individual title in the heavyweight division, earning three decisions and a major decision on Saturday including a 3-0 decision over Matthew Meuleners in the finals.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 6 nationally, notched a 21-17 win over No. 15 Lehigh in its home opener in front of over 5,000 fans in a packed Rec Hall. Penn State got five wins, all from talented freshmen, and grabbed the victory thanks to two critical pins. Penn State, coming off a season-opening a 41-3 win at Bloomsburg two nights earlier, once again sent five freshmen to the mat and once again, all five won. Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) got things started for Penn State with a strong 11-6 win over Lehigh senior Mitch Berger. The Mountain Hawks answered with a major decision from Frank Cagnina to give LU a 4-3 lead. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 141, brought the fans to their feet in his Rec Hall debut with a quick pin at the 1:21 mark. With All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) still nursing an injury, Lehigh picked up a decision at 149 to cut the Lion lead to 9-7. Redshirt David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) answered, however, thrilling the crowd with a pin of Lehigh's Sean Bilodeau at the 3:33 mark, sending the Lions into the halftime locker room with a 15-7 lead. Freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) notched a key win, stunning 11th-ranked Brandon Hatchett 3-1 in sudden victory at 165. Kemerer scored on a shot just seconds into the extra period to give the Lions an 18-7 lead. No. 13 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) followed with a 7-5 win over talented Austin Meys at 174. The Lion faithful were stunned at 184, however, as No. 3 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) was upset by No. 14 Robert Hamlin 4-3, cutting Penn State's lead to 21-10. Lehigh won again at 197, getting a major from junior Joe Kennedy. The Hawks closed out the dual with a third straight win as No. 1 Zach Rey needed a tie-breaker to down No. 9 Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio). Still, the late flurry was not enough as Penn State downed LU 21-17. Penn State won the takedown battle 11-8. With each team winning five bouts, Penn State's 6-2 edge in bonus points was the difference for the Lions. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, will head to the Sprawl and Brawl Duals next Sunday in Binghamton, N.Y. Penn State faces Harvard at 11:30 a.m., West Virginia at 1:15 p.m. and No. 23 Rutgers at 3 p.m. The Nittany Lions' next home dual is on Dec. 12 when Lock Haven comes to town for a 2 p.m. dual. Season tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season are on sale now. This year's package features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package) and costs only $42 for adults and $28 for youth (18 and under). Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557. A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders. Single dual tickets will go on sale later this fall. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and WSQV (92.1 FM). All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Mitch Berger LU, 11-6 3-0 133: Frank Cagnina LU maj. dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 12-3 3-4 141: #14 Andrew Alton PSU pinned Stephen Dutton LU, WBF (1:21) 9-4 149: Joey Napoli LU dec. James English PSU, 6-4 9-7 157: #6 David Taylor PSU pinned Sean Bilodeau LU, WBF (3:33) 15-7 165: Jake Kemerer PSU dec. (SV) #11 Brandon Hatchett LU, 3-1 (SV) 18-7 174: #13 Ed Ruth PSU dec. Austin Meys, 7-5 21-7 184: #14 Robert Hamlin LU dec. #3 Quentin Wright PSU, 4-3 21-10 197: Joe Kennedy LU maj. dec. Justin Ortega PSU, 8-0 21-14 285: #1 Zach Rey LU dec. (TB) #9 Cameron Wade, 4-2 (TB) 21-17 Attendance: 5,257 Records: Penn State 2-0 (0-0 Big Ten), Lehigh 2-1 (0-0) Up Next for Penn State: at Sprawl and Brawl Duals, Sunday, Nov. 21, Binghamton, N.Y. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took on Lehigh senior Mitch Berger at 125. Martellotti wasted no time taking Berger down, using a low double to score just :10 into the bout. The talented Lion rookie maintained control of Berger, building up more than a minutes worth of riding time and turning him for three back points. Berger escaped at the 1:20 mark, only to fall victim to a strong throw by Martellotti. A quick Berger escape gave Martellotti a 7-2 lead with 1:00 left but the Lion freshman continued to pressure Berger, nearly scoring again. A reset was called with :30 left in the period, forcing action back to the center circle. Berger chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 7-3 deficit with 1:40 left (Martellotti worked his riding time edge up to 1:50). Berger got in on Martellotti's left ankle, trying to notch his first takedown and scrambled to a score at the :40 mark, cutting Martellotti's lead to 7-5 with :34 on the clock. Martellotti escaped to an 8-5 lead and began pressuring Berger to the edge of the mat for the rest of the period. Leading 8-5, Martellotti chose down to start the final period and scrambled his way to a two-point reversal at the 1:25 mark. Berger escaped with 1:16 left, cutting the lead to 10-6. Martellotti continued to pressure the senior Hawk and with :40 left, he worked his way into a low single that forced a stalemate with :17 left in the bout (and the riding time point was assured). Martellotti's strong performance lead to an 11-6 win and a 3-0 Penn State lead. 133: Nittany Lion sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) faced off against LU's Frank Cagnina at 133. Cagnina nearly scored early, working on a scramble in front of the Penn State bench. But Pearsall was able to work his way out of bounds and force a reset with 1:50 left. Cagnina forced another scramble on the Lion logo, but Pearsall was able to once again fight off the move and force another reset, this time with :26 on the clock. After an eventful but scoreless first period, Cagnina chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed Pearsall for a 2-0 lead. Two near fall points, nearly pinning Pearsall, gave the Lehigh grappler a 4-0 lead at the 1:05 mark. Pearsall escaped to a 4-1 deficit and nearly got his first takedown with a strong low double. But Cagnina was able to back out of bounds to keep his lead and force a reset with :38 left in the second period. Pearsall fought off a late Cagnina shot and trailed 4-1 heading into the final stanza. Pearsall chose down to start the final period and gave up two near fall points while trying to escape, falling behind 6-1. Pearsall escaped to a 6-2 deficit with 1:15 left and was taken down with 1:00 left, falling behind 8-3 after a quick escape. Cagnina was scrambling for another takedown to secure a major and countered a Pearsall shot with :14 left. Pearsall, needing an escape to avoid the major (Cagnina had the riding time point), gave up a point on two cautions. Cagnina posted the 12-3 major, giving LU a 4-3 lead. 141: True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 141, met Lehigh's Joey Dutton. Alton wasted no time in thrilling a capacity Rec Hall crowd, getting a quick takedown. But Dutton reversed Alton and the Lion rookie lead 3-2 after a quick escape. Alton then quickly worked his arms around Dutton's shoulders, tossed the Lehigh wrestler to the mat and brought the Penn State faithful to their feet with a pin at the 1:21 mark. It was Alton's second straight pin of the weekend. 149: Sophomore James English (York, Pa.) filled in for No. 3 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) once again. Coming off a solid win at Bloomsburg Friday night, English met Lehigh sophomore Joey Napoli. Napoli got the first takedown early and led 2-1 with 2:28 after a quick English escape. Napoli got in deep on English's foot, but the talented Lion sophomore countered the move, worked his way around him for his own takedown and tied the bout 3-3 after a quick LU escape. Napoli was undaunted, however, and picked up a takedown with just :02 left in the period to lead 5-3 after three minutes. English chose down to start the second period but could not work his way out of a strong Napoli ride until the 1:20 mark. The escape cut LU's lead to 5-4 (Napoli had :51 in riding time). Napoli got in deep on English one more time, but the Lion was able to force a tie-up and wind out the clock. Napoli, leading 5-4, chose down to start the third period and was cut loose by English to a 6-4 lead. Napoli took one more late shot, but English once again scrambled his way around behind, forcing a stalemate with :37 left in the bout. English worked hard for a shot, but Napoli was able to walk backwards away from the Lion and notch a 6-4 win, cutting PSU's lead to 9-7. 157: Redshirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 6 nationally at 157, faced off against Mountain Hawk junior Sean Bilodeau. Taylor scored quickly, taking Bilodeau down and nearly picking up early back points. Bilodeau was able to reverse Taylor, only to be reversed again and with 1:35 on the clock, Taylor led 4-2. Bilodeau escaped to a 4-3 deficit, but Taylor continued to attack. Taylor smartly stepped behind a slight Bilodeau shot and picked up another takedown, adding two near fall points to lead 8-3 with :11 on the clock. A ride out gave the young Lion a five point lead after the first period (with 1:51 in riding time). Bilodeau chose down to start the second period and paid for it. Taylor scrambled on the edge of the mat as Bilodeau tried to force a reversal. The talented Lion caught the Lehigh junior and put his shoulders to the mat for a thrilling pin at the 3:33 mark. The amazing move gave Penn State a 15-7 lead at intermission. 165: Redshirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) met one of three ranked Lehigh grapplers in the form of No. 11 Brandon Hatchett at 165. Kemerer and the ranked LU grappler put on a show on the edge of the mat, as each man worked for an early takedown, only to be countered by the other. An action packed first period still ended in a scoreless tie. Hatchett chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Kemerer nearly scored on a solid high double, lifting Hatchett off the ground. But the ranked LU man was able to fight his way out of trouble and hold his slim lead with :38 left in the period. Trailing by one, Kemerer chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 1-1 tie with 1:14 on the clock. Kemerer's offensive pressure forced the Lehigh junior into a first stall warning. Neither man scored over the final minute and action entered a sudden victory period tied 1-1. Kemerer brought the PSU fans to their feet once again, shooting low and fast off the opening buzzer to post a stunning 3-1 win over the 11th-ranked Hatchett. The victory put PSU up 18-7. 174: Redshirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 174, faced off against talented LU rookie Austin Meys. Ruth and Meys scrambled early, with the talented Mountain Hawk grappler nearly scoring early. Ruth was able to work his way out of bounds and force a reset with 1:50 left in the first period. Meys was able to get the first takedown, however, turning a low single into a takedown and a 2-1 lead after a Ruth escape at the 1:00 mark. Ruth forced a scramble after a reset but Meys forced a stalemate with :32 left. Ruth countered a Meys headlock and worked his way behind him for a go head takedown with :15 left on the clock. A quick ride out gave the Lion freshman a 3-2 lead heading into the second period. Ruth chose down to start the second period. The Lion rookie swiftly slid behind Meys for a reversal and a 5-2 lead. Meys escaped to cut into Ruth's lead and action returned to the center circle. Ruth turned a high single into another takedown and a 7-3 lead with :52 on the clock. Meys escaped with :26 left. Trailing 7-4, Meys chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-5 deficit. Meys got hit for a first stall warning at the 1:32 mark as Ruth's offense force him into constant defense. Ruth iced the match with a late single leg, working for a takedown as time wound out. While not getting the points, the Lions posted a convincing 7-5 win and gave the Lions a 21-7 lead. 184: All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 184, took on No. 14 Robert Hamlin in one of two bouts pitting ranked opponents against each other. Wright countered a Hamlin shot at the :40 mark and rolled his way around him for a takedown on the edge of the mat. A quick Hamlin escaped made the score 2-1 with :25 on the clock. Trailing 2-1, Hamlin chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Wright got called for a stall warning at the :35 mark and was then taken down by Hamlin at the :11 mark to take a 4-2 lead into the third period. Trailing by two, Wright chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 4-3 deficit. With just :40 left, Wright began scrambling for a go ahead takedown, but Hamlin was able to back away and stun the Lion faithful with a 4-3 upset win. 197: Sophomore Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) faced off against LU junior Joe Kennedy at 197. The duo battled through a scoreless first period with neither man finding an opening to score. Kennedy chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead :25 into the stanza. The Mountain Hawk then gained control of Ortega's right ankle, forcing a long scramble until he picked up the takedown with :40 left in the period, taking a 3-0 lead. Kennedy rode Ortega out and carried that lead into the final period. Ortega chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Kennedy. Kennedy turned the Lion sophomore for three near fall points to up his lead to 6-0 with 1:00 left in the match. With a riding time point assured, Kennedy worked for bonus point to try and pick up a major or more. Ortega gave up one stall point and with the riding time point, Kennedy notched an 8-0 major. Kennedy rode Ortega out and carried that lead into the final period. Ortega chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Kennedy. Kennedy turned the Lion sophomore for three near fall points to up his lead to 6-0 with 1:00 left in the match. With a riding time point assured, Kennedy worked for bonus point to try and pick up a major or more. Ortega gave up one stall point and with the riding time point, Kennedy notched an 8-0 major. PSU still lead 21-14. 285: Nittany Lion Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) faced off against Lehigh's Zach Rey in a battle of top-ten heavyweights. Wade entered the bout ranked No. 9 while Rey was the nation's top-ranked big man. The talented ranked duo wrestled evenly for the first three minutes, with neither grappler finding an opening to score. Rey chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to a reversal and a 2-0 lead. Rey let Wade loose after a reset with 1:05 left and Wade trailed 2-1. Trailing by one, Wade chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 2-2 tie. Wade began pressuring Rey, forcing the top-ranked Mountain Hawk backwards over the final minute. But the Nittany Lion junior could not break through and the bout headed to a sudden victory period. No one mounted a threat in the extra period and the bout moved to two :30 tie-breaker. Rey was down to start the first :30 and once again, the top-ranked Hawk reversed Wade to take a 4-2 lead. Wade took down to start his period and escaped to a 4-3 and worked for a reversal. Rey was able to hold him off and post a 4-2 (TB) decision. Still, Penn State notched a convincing 21-17 win over Lehigh.

BOISE, Idaho -- The 22nd-ranked Oregon State wrestling team overcame an early 14-0 deficit, winning 18 consecutive points in an 18-18 tie with second-ranked Boise State Saturday night at Taco Bell Arena. "This was a good opener for us," Oregon State head coach Jim Zalesky said. "I was happy with our ability to come back after they opened up with a sizeable lead and we battled the entire night. It was a great matchup between two top 25 teams that will end up meeting again later in the season." Colby Covington, Chad Hanke and Clayton Jack posted major decisions in the tie, Oregon State's first under Zalesky. Other winners included Brice Arand and Jason Lara. The meet at Boise State was the season opener for the Beavers and the second dual meet of the year for Boise State. And it was a tightly-contested event that saw both teams post large scoreless streaks before two weight classes at the end ultimately decided the meet was going to end as a tie. Boise State ran off 14 consecutive points, winning three each at 141, 149 and 165 pounds. Adam Hall posted the night's only technical fall, winning 22-7 over OSU freshman Alex Elder. But Covington ended that scoring streak for the Broncos, posting OSU's first points with a 13-4 major decision over Jake Swartz at the 174-pound class. Brice Arand (184 pounds) followed Covington with a strong 12-5 decision over Randy Larson that pushed the Beavers to a 14-7 deficit. They didn't stop there. Hanke tallied Oregon State's second major decision of the night, defeating Derek Toney, 13-3, at 197-pounds to give the Beavers four more points. OSU took the lead for the first time on the night with with the heavyweight wrestler Jack. He posted the Beavers' third and final major decision, getting it over Boise State's Toby Erickson. Jack's win earned the Beavers four more points for a 15-14 advantage. Jason Lara and Alan Bartelli had perhaps the night's most competitive bout at 125 pounds. The ninth bout of the night - the meet started at 141 pounds - saw two overtimes, ultimately being decided by a Lara escape 17 seconds into the second overtime. Bartelli and Lara managed just one point apiece in regular time. The nation's No. 1 wrestler at 133 pounds, Andrew Hochstrasser, was able to down Oregon State's Kelly Kubec, 11-0, for a major decision on the last bout of the night. That sent the Broncos to an 18-18 tie with the Beavers. Oregon State will next hit the mat Sunday, Nov. 21 when the Beavers travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on host Missouri and Hofstra. Results: 141 - Levi Jones (BSU) decision over Garrett Drucker (OSU), 9-8. BSU 3-0 149 - Jason Chamberlain (BSU) decision over Scott Sakaguchi (OSU), 4-3. BSU 6-0 157 - Adam Hall (BSU) technical fall over Alex Elder (OSU), 22-7. BSU 11-0 165 - Michael Cuthbertson (BSU) decision over Jon Brascetta (OSU), 4-3. BSU 14-0 174 - Colby Covington (OSU) major decision over Jake Swartz (BSU), 13-4. BSU 14-4 184 - Brice Arand (OSU) decision over Randy Larson (BSU), 12-5. BSU 14-7 197 - Chad Hanke (OSU) major decision over Derek Toney (BSU), 13-3. BSU 14-11 HWT - Clayton Jack (OSU) major decision over Toby Erickson (BSU), 13-4. OSU 15-14 125 - Jason Lara (OSU) decision over Alan Bartelli (BSU), 3-2 - 2 OT. OSU 18-14 133 - Andrew Hochstrasser (BSU) major decision over Kelly Kubec (OSU), 11-0. Tie 18-18

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley University wrestling head coach Greg Williams added two more highly touted wrestlers to the six he signed earlier in the week. Jade and Val Rauser, both seniors from Broadwater High School in Townsend, Montana, signed letters of intent Friday with the Wolverines. "Both Val and Jade are a great addition to our program," said Williams. "Their resumes are very impressive, but we were even more impressed with them as individuals. They are very grounded. They have a super work ethic and they bring a great deal of experience into our room. We are excited to have the opportunity to work with them as student-athletes and help them reach their goals." Jade was the first Triple Crown winner in USA Wrestling history winning national titles in 2009 in all three styles (folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-roman). He has gone undefeated his entire high school career as he holds an impressive 129-0 record and three state titles. He will be going for his fourth straight title this year. Val is a seven time All-American in Fargo, winning Greco-roman titles twice and runner-up finishes in freestyle twice. He also won the folkstyle nationals in 2008. His high school record is 136-4 and he has won two state titles and one runner-up finish. He will be going for his third title this year. A day earlier, Williams announced that he had received letter of intent from six other wrestlers; Kyle and Chase Cuthbertson (Scottsboro, Alabama), Logan Addis (Mingus, Arizona), Brian Chamberlain (Moses Lake, Washington), Chris Mayolo (La Center, Washington) and Derek Thomas (Layton, Utah). The signees mark the best recruiting class that UVU has ever had in its young history.

AMES, Iowa -- For the fourth time, Iowa State senior Jon Reader is a Harold Nichols Open champion. Reader continues to crush his opposition, and won his finals match by a 21-5 technical fall in the 174-pound weight class Saturday in the Bergstrom Athletic Training Facility. “This was another great opportunity to wrestle, compete and lead by example just like coach (Kevin Jackson) preaches,” Reader said. “I bleed cardinal and gold, and am proud to have won four titles here in front of my home crowd.” Joining Reader on the top of the podium were Iowa State true freshman Ryak Finch and Kyven Gadson and redshirt junior Kyle Simonson. Finch used a non-stop motor to power his way to the championship at 125-pounds. The youngster from Safford, Ariz. completely shut down his opposition’s offense the entire day, only allowing ten points in four matches, including a dominant 13-2 major decision in the finals. “It felt good coming into an environment like this for the first time,” Finch said. “There are so many Cyclone fans because this school has such a great tradition. I think that two freshman champions shows where this program is heading.” Gadson had a tough road to the finals of the 184-pound weight class, but made the most of his first appearance in-front of Iowa State fans. The freshman from Waterloo met up with seventh-ranked Josh Ihnen in the second round. The match was knotted at 2-2 before Gadson locked up a cradle and earned the fall in just under six minutes. He posted twin 3-2 victories in the semis and the finals to claim his first tournament victory as a Cyclone. “I thought that I wrestled alright, because it is the first time I have wrestled since February because of a torn labrum,” Gadson said. “It helps a lot when you know how much hard work you have put in and you know how hard you can push yourself. It really helps in those close matches.” Simonson, a junior from Algona, continued to show why the coaches are so excited about the heavyweight class this year. He used strong defense and excellent riding ability to completely shut-down his opposition. Simonson racked up a pin and a technical fall en route to the finals, where he claimed an 8-2 victory. “It feels good to wrestle well, it is exactly what we train for,” Simonson said. “I trained three years hard with Jake Varner and I think that has really helped me out a lot.” Brandon Jones pinned his first opponent of the day before falling in consecutive matches. For the second tournament in a row, Iowa State's Max Mayfield did things the hard way. After falling in his second match of the day by a score of 8-7, Mayfield reeled off an incredible six consecutive victories on the bottom side of the 149-pound bracket to come back all the way for a third-place finish. Iowa State’s success in the 149-pound weight class did not end there, with true freshman Joe Cozart also putting in an impressive performance. Cozart reached the semi-finals before falling to runner-up Justin DeAngelis of Oklahoma. Cozart then traversed his way through the consolation bracket and won a tight 3-2 match for fifth-place. Trent Weatherman continues to improve quickly in his redshirt freshman season at 157-pounds. After a big dual victory on Thursday night, Weatherman muscled his way all the way to the finals. He fell victim to an early five-point throw and could not fight his way back, earning himself a strong second-place finish. Michael Moreno gave Cyclone fans even more reason to be excited when the true freshman earned a third-place finish. Moreno’s only loss on the day came to Nebraska’s national champion Jordan Burroughs in the semi-finals. He was the third Iowa State true freshman to qualify for the semis in Saturday's action. “I really think that we came out today with more fire and intensity,” coach Jackson said. “Our freshman really came out and helped set the tone today, which really shows you where we are headed. I am happy with the results, because this is certainly the hardest we have competed so far this year.” Of the Cyclone trio of Tyler Christensen, Matt Riley and Cole Shafer at 184-pounds, it was Shafer who wrestled the best today. Shafer defeated Christensen by a score of 6-0 to make his way into the consolation finals, where he fell in a tough match with Nebraska’s seventh-rated Josh Ihnen. Iowa State's Jerome Ward breezed past his competition on this way to the finals to meet Wartburg’s Byron Tate. Ward fell behind late and could not quite recover, losing by a score of 8-5 to claim second place. Trevor Voelker also wrestled well at 197-pounds, as he had to wrestle through the consolation side of the bracket on his way to a sixth-place finish. “You are going to compete the way you practice, and we have been practicing hard,” Jackson said. “Jon Reader is really the leader in this. He performs at a very high level every day and puts everything on the line. The rest of the team is starting to follow his lead. Congratulations to him on his fourth title, he puts in the effort and is reaping the rewards.” 2010 Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open Finals Matches 125 pounds – Ryak Finch (ISU) mdec. Cruse Aarhus (UNI), 13-2 133 pounds – Ridge Kiley (NU) dec. Ryan Jauch (UNI), 4-3 141 pounds – Gabriel Suarez (SCSU) dec. Seth Noble (UNI), 7-5 149 pounds – Essai Dominguez (Unatt.) dec. Justin DeAngelis, 5-2 157 pounds – George Ivanov (Unatt.) dec. Trent Weatherman (ISU), 11-6 165 pounds – Jordan Burroughs (NU) forfeit over Robert Kokesh (NU) 174 pounds – Jon Reader (ISU) wbtf Ryan Pankoke (Unatt.), 21-5 184 pounds – Kyven Gadson (ISU) dec. Spencer Johnson (NU), 3-2 197 pounds – Byron Tate (Wartburg) dec. Jerome Ward (ISU), 8-5 285 pounds – Kyle Simonson (ISU) dec. John Helgerson (Wartburg), 8-2

TEMPE -- With five wins earning six team points and two other bonus point victories, the No. 16 Arizona State University wrestling team easily won its second road dual of the day, 41-6, during its first visit to No. 10 (NAIA) Embry-Riddle on Saturday night in Prescott, Ariz. The Sun Devils (2-0), who earlier in the day downed host No. 7 (NCAA-D2) Grand Canyon in Phoenix, won 8-of-10 matches against the Eagles and led the entire dual. Just as it happened earlier in the day, No. 3 Anthony Robles got the Sun Devils off to a fast start as he pinned John Garza (NAIA #11) in 1:25 of their 125-pound match, giving ASU a 6-0 lead and Robles his second pin of the day in under 1:50. The Sun Devils extended their lead with two more victories, including David Prado's first win of the season in a 6-4 decision over Alfonso Valles at 133 pounds. That win was followed by Kalin Goodsite recording his second major decision victory of the day at 141 pounds, this time with a 22-9 score over Jeremy Mazon. Leading 13-0, the tables turned as the Eagles took a pair of victories, including an upset at 157. First up, Josh Chang scored a 7-5 decision over Luke Ashmore to put the hosts on the board. Then, Tyler Chang, who is ranked No. 2 in NAIA, knocked off No. 3 Bubba Jenkins, 5-2. Despite the losses, the Sun Devils took the momentum away quickly at No. 15 Te Edwards scored a 14-4 major decision at 165 over Matthew Hamilton before a string of four, six-team-point wins were rattled off by the Sun Devils. Combined, ASU's next three wins took just over five minutes on the mat clocks as Eric Starks (174), Jake Meredith (184) and Luke Macchiaroli (197) all scored first-period wins by fall. Starks pinned Luke Riley in 2:40 before Meredith bettered that time with his pin of Brandon Martyn in 1:19. Macchiaroli bested both of them, as well as Robles, with his pin of Troy Killgore in 1:16. The dual ended with Levi Cooper winning by forfeit for the team's final six points. With the victory, the Sun Devils improved to 64-9-0 all-time against teams from the state of Arizona and extended its winning streak over Copper State schools to 44 in a row. Also, for the fourth time in six tries, the Sun Devils went 2-0 when competing in two road duals on the same day at different teams' home site. A busy week awaits the Sun Devils as they will host one dual, travel to a tournament and have two individuals compete in an all-star event. The week starts at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Wells Fargo Arena as ASU plays host to No. 8 Oklahoma (fans are encouraged to wear gold). Then, on Saturday, the Sun Devils will compete in the CS Fullerton Open in Fullerton, Calif., before Robles and Jenkins travel to Fresno, Calif., the next day to compete in the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic. Results: 125 - #3 Anthony Robles (AS) pinned #11 (NAIA) John Garza, 1:25 133 - David Prado (AS) dec. Alfonso Valles, 6-4 141 - Kalin Goodsite (AS) major Jeremy Mazon, 22-9 149 - Josh Chang (ER) dec. Luke Ashmore, 7-5 157 - #2 (NAIA) Tyler Chang (ER) dec. #3 Bubba Jenkins, 5-2 165 - #15 Te Edwards (AS) major Matthew Hamilton, 14-4 174 - Eric Starks (AS) pinned Luke Riley, 2:40 184 - Jake Meredith (AS) pinned Brandon Martyn, 1:19 197 - Luke Macchiaroli (AS) pinned Troy Killgore, 1:16 285 - Levi Cooper (AS) won by forfeit Arizona State begins season with win over Grand Canyon TEMPE -- The No. 16 Arizona State University wrestling team opened its 2010-11 season on the road Saturday and used victories in 8-of-10 matches, including three with bonus points, to take an opening win, 29-8, over host Grand Canyon (No. 7 in NCAA Division II) inside Antelope Gymnasium in Phoenix. Over 1,000 fans turned out to support both programs and watched ASU move to 1-0 on the year with one more dual against an Arizona foe later this evening. The dual opened at 125 pounds with No. 3 Anthony Robles taking the mat for the first time in his senior campaign. He was not on the mat long as he stuck AJ Chavez in 1:49 to secure the 87th win in his career and the 23rd win by fall. With a 6-0 lead through one match, the Sun Devils looked to build on that lead, but No. 3 (D2) Todd Wilcox did his part in keeping the Antelopes in the dual as he won a 16-1 technical fall over David Prado at 133 pounds to bring the hosts to within one point (6-5). The close team score was short lived, however, as the Sun Devils won the next four matches, including the first three by wrestlers making their Sun Devil debuts. At 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Kalin Goodsite posted a 16-5 major decision over Bobby Schofield to get the string of victories started before Luke Ashmore won his match at 149 pounds, 12-5, over Jose Navarro. No. 3 Bubba Jenkins then made his debut at 157 pounds and secured an 11-8 decision over Juan Carlos Maynes before No. 15 Te Edwards' 9-3 decision over Mike Fucci at 165 brought the team score to 19-5. At 174 pounds, GCU collected their second and final win of the dual as Victor Carazo, who is ranked among the Top 5 in the nation at 165 pounds, won a hard-fought 3-2 decision over Eric Starks. Following that loss, however, the Sun Devils would rebound and take the final three matches, starting with Jake Meredith's 9-1 major decision win over Ryan Becerra, a returning Division II All-American. The last two wins also came from Sun Devils making their debuts, including Luke Macchiaroli at 197 (won 6-3 decision over Kevin Treftz) and Levi Cooper at heavyweight (a 3-1 decision winner of Peter Anguiano). With the team win, the Sun Devils improved to 35-14-0 all-time in their first dual of the season and 5-0-0 when opening the season with a dual against another team from Arizona. ASU also improves to 63-9-0 all-time against fellow Copper State teams and has now won 43 in a row against Arizona State schools. The Sun Devils will be back action later this evening as they face the Eagles of Embry-Riddle in a 7 p.m. dual in Prescott, Ariz. Results: 125 - #3 Anthony Robles (AS) pinned AJ Chavez, 1:49 133 - #3 (D2) Todd Wilcox (GC) tech fall David Prado, 16-1 141 - Kalin Goodsite (AS) major Bobby Schofield, 16-5 149 - Luke Ashmore (ASU) dec. Jose Navarro, 12-5 157 - #3 Bubba Jenkins (AS) dec. Juan Carlos Maynes, 11-8 165 - #15 Te Edwards (AS) dec. Mike Fucci, 9-3 174 - Victor Carazo (GC) dec. Eric Starks, 3-2 184 - Jake Meredith (AS) major Ryan Becerra, 9-1 197 - Luke Macchiaroli (AS) dec. Kevin Treftz, 6-3 285 - Levi Cooper (AS) dec. Peter Anguiano, 3-1 Attendance: 1,021

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The No. 21 Virginia wrestling team ran its dual record to 6-0 with a trio of victories Saturday at The Duals at Hershey, held at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pa. Virginia scored an 18-13 win over No. 14 Kent State, marking the highest ranked opponent UVa has ever defeated. Virginia followed that up with a 25-13 win over Edinboro for the Cavaliers' first-ever win over the Fighting Scots. UVa opened the day with a 32-6 triumph over The Citadel. Nick Nelson (R-Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.), Chris Henrich (Sr., Lansdale, Pa.) and Jon Fausey (R-Fr., Dalmatia, Pa.) each swept their three matches Saturday at 141, 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. With his three victories Saturday, Henrich moves to 107 career wins and needs one victory to match Brent Jones (108, 2005-10) for fourth place in UVa history. After starting the day with a win over The Citadel, the Cavaliers followed with an impressive victory over Kent State for UVa's first win in six tries against the Golden Flashes. Virginia won six of their 10 matches. After the Cavaliers lost at 125 pounds to start the match, UVa ran off four straight wins by decision, culminated by a Shawn Harris (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio) 11-7 victory over No. 19 Matt Cathell at 157. The Golden Flashes are the highest-ranked foe UVa has ever defeated, topping the Cavaliers' win over then-No. 16 American last season. Virginia finished the day with a win over Edinboro, whom the Cavaliers were 0-3-1 against previously. UVa also won six of 10 bouts against the Fighting Scots, including falls from Henrich and Fausey. The Fighting Scots held a 13-7 lead through six matches before UVa stormed back to win the final four weight classes. Henrich pinned Chris Hrunka in 2:06, and Fausey followed with a pin of Ken Massey in just 49 seconds. Mike Salopek (R-So., North Huntingdon, Pa.) then won by decision at 197 before heavyweight Jack Danilkowicz (R-Sr., Green Oaks, Ill.) pulled out a 5-3 win over Ernest James in sudden victory time. In the opener against The Citadel, the Cavaliers won eight of 10 bouts to cruise to the win. UVa's lone losses each came in sudden victory time. Of the Cavaliers' eight wins, six resulted in bonus points, with Fausey and Danilkowicz each recording tech falls. Virginia is off next weekend but returns to dual-meet competition on Nov. 28 at the Northeast Duals. The Cavaliers will wrestle Columbia, Lehigh and Pittsburgh. No. 21 Virginia 32, The Citadel 6 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Tyler Sim (Citadel), 5-2; UVa 3-0 133: Joe Spisak (UVa) dec. Richard Alarcon Jr. (Citadel), 7-2; UVa 6-0 141: No. 16 Nick Nelson (UVa) major dec. Jordan Dix (Citadel), 12-3; UVa 10-0 149: Derek Royster (Citadel) dec. No. 19 Derek Valenti (UVa), 6-4 (SV); UVa 10-3 157: Shawn Harris (UVa) major dec. Pierre Frazile (Citadel), 8-0; UVa 14-3 165: Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel) dec. Conner Miller (UVa), 6-5 (SV); UVa 14-6 174: No. 2 Chris Henrich (UVa) major dec. James Oddo (Citadel), 13-2; UVa 18-6 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) tech fall Justin Sparrow (Citadel), 16-0 (4:13); UVa 23-6 197: No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa) major dec. Kelby Smith (Citadel), 10-1; UVa 27-6 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) tech fall Luke Johnson (Citadel), 18-1 (6:48); UVa 32-6 No. 21 Virginia 18, No. 14 Kent State 13 125: No. 6 Nic Bedelyon (KSU) dec. Matt Snyder (UVa), 7-2; KSU 3-0 133: Joe Spisak (UVa) dec. Tyler Small (KSU), 5-2; Tied 3-3 141: No. 16 Nick Nelson (UVa) dec. Chase Skonieczny (KSU), 3-2; UVa 6-3 149: No. 19 Derek Valenti (UVa) dec. Tommy Sasfy (KSU), 2-0, UVa 9-3 157: Shawn Harris (UVa) dec. No. 19 Matt Cathell (KSU), 11-7; UVa 12-3 165: Ross Tice dec. Conner Miller (UVa), 7-3; UVa 12-6 174: No. 2 Chris Henrich (UVa) dec. Brandon Johnson (KSU), 10-3; UVa 15-6 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) dec. Casey Newburg (KSU), 6-2; UVa 18-6 197: No. 3 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) major dec. No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa), 9-1; UVa 18-10 285: No. 13 Brendan Barlow (KSU) dec. Jack Danilkowicz (UVa), 3-2; UVa 18-13 No. 21 Virginia 25, Edinboro 13 125: Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Evan Yenolevich (Edinboro), 8-6; UVa 3-0 133: Eric Morrill (Edinboro) dec. Joe Spisak (UVa), 5-1; Tied 3-3 141: No. 16 Nick Nelson (UVa) major dec. Vinny Pisani (Edinboro), 14-4; UVa 7-3 149: No. 9 Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro) dec. No. 19 Derek Valenti (UVa), 5-1; UVa 7-6 157: Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro) dec. Shawn Harris (UVa), 9-4; Edinboro 9-7 165: Matt Laird (Edinboro) major dec. Conner Miller (UVa), 10-2; Edinboro 13-7 174: No. 2 Chris Henrich (UVa) pinned Chris Hrunka (Edinboro), 2:06; Tied 13-13 184: Jon Fausey (UVa) pinned Ken Massey (Edinboro), :49; UVa 19-13 197: No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa) dec. Shawn Fendone (Edinboro), 4-2; UVa 22-13 285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) dec. Ernest James (Edinboro), 5-3 (SV); UVa 25-13

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Purdue wrestling team continued its solid start to the 2010-11 season on Saturday, winning a pair of titles and placing five individuals at the Michigan State Open, hosted by the Spartans at Jenison Fieldhouse. Sixth-ranked junior A.J. Kissel led the way, winning four matches en route to the 184-pound open title. Kissel was solid throughout the tournament, posting a pair of major decisions and three shutouts as he cruised to a flawless 6-0 start to the season. He opened the day with a 9-0 major decision over Olivet’s Jim Neal, and followed up with another 9-0 shutout win over Joe Barczak of Illinois. The string of scoreless foes followed in the semifinals with a 4-0 blanking of Jake Burge of Notre Dame College, and Kissel capped the day with a 6-4 decision over Brad Dieckhaus of Northern Illinois. Freshman Camden Eppert finished second at 125 pounds, while senior Sam Patacsil placed fifth at 149 pounds to account for Purdue’s other two placewinners in the open division. Eppert battled to the finals with a trio of decisions, taking down Ben Sergent of Findlay, 4-2, nearly scoring a major decision over Justin Brooks of archrival Indiana, 9-3, and edging Central Michigan’s Christian Cullinan in overtime, 6-5. Eppert nearly gave the Boilermakers a second open title on the day, but fell to Bucknell’s Derick Reber, 6-4, moving to 4-2 on the year. Patacsil took fifth in a strong 149-pound weight class, posting a 4-2 record on the day to move to 5-3 on the season. He opened with an 11-2 major decision over Lawrence Cavello of Cleveland State, but suffered a 6-3 setback to Michigan State’s Dan Osterman in the second round to fall to the consolation bracket. Patacsil righted the ship in the wrestlebacks, notching a 14-0 major decision over Cleveland State’s Kyle Mays and posting a 15-8 victory over sophomore teammate Tommy Churchard. Patacsil fell a second time in the consolation semifinals, sustaining a 6-1 loss to Nick Walpole of Indianapolis, but closed out the day on a high note in the fifth-place match, notching an 8-2 decision over Northern Illinois’ Vince Castillo. Freshmen Kyle Mosier and Alex White both had excellent showings in the Frosh/Soph Division at Michigan State as Mosier won the tournament at 165 pounds, while White placed third among the heavyweights. After filling in for injured senior teammate Luke Manuel at 174 pounds last weekend, Mosier rolled out four victories at his natural weight of 165, including a pair of falls. He stuck Heidelberg’s Justin Wharton in just 1:06 to start the day, and followed that up with a 6-4 decision over Bucknell’s Stephen McPeek in the quarterfinals and a 9-6 decision over Jeff Weiss of Indianapolis in the semifinals. Mosier scored his second pin of the day in the finals, pinning Ohio’s Neal Williams in 5:22. White was victorious in four of five matches on the day, winning all four by decision. He took a 5-3 win from Trine’s Dylan Forbes in his opener and followed with a 3-1 sudden victory over Jordan Decker of Mott Community College. After a 7-1 loss to Olivet’s Logan Renas in the semifinals, White rebounded with a 6-1 win over Indianapolis’ Evan Wooding and a 2-1 victory over Wooding’s Greyhound teammate Kyle Connors. Other solid performances came from 133-pound junior Matt Fields, 141-pound senior Akif Eren, Churchard and senior heavyweight Roger Vukobratovich. Fields and Eren both won a pair of matches on the day, while Churchard and Vukobratovich each earned a victory before being eliminated from the tournament. Already wrestling without senior standouts Manuel and 157-pounder Colton Salazar, the setbacks continued for Purdue on Saturday as junior Jake Fleckenstein medically forfeited out of the tournament after his opener and ninth-ranked senior Logan Brown withdrew from the tournament after winning a pair of matches in the 197-pound open bracket. Brown notched a 10-2 major decision over Kent State’s Joe Tymoszczuk to start the day and needed just 42 seconds to pin Harper’s Mike Kelly before leaving East Lansing for personal reasons. Freshman Justin Dinius medically withdrew from the tournament as well, earning a pin in the Frosh/Soph 197-pound tournament before bowing out. Purdue returns to action Friday, heading to Whiting, Ind., to face Calumet College of St. Joseph. For more information and a full preview, visit PurdueSports.com on Wednesday. For full brackets of Saturday’s action, visit www.trackwrestling.com.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Indiana University wrestling team began the 2010-11 season on Saturday, competing the Michigan State Open. Head Coach Duane Goldman saw nine of his wrestlers place in the tournament, including 197-pound champion Matt Powless and four additional finalists. Powless ripped off four consecutive victories to earn the 197-pound title He opened his season with a 22-10 major decision over Cleveland State’s Ryan Crabtree and concluded the MSU Open by topping Matt Wilps of Pitt in an 8-5 decision. Kinser battled his way to the finals for the third straight year at the MSU Open, winning championships in both 2008 and 2009. In this season’s title match, No. 6 Kinser faced No. 5 Kevin LeValley of Bucknell, with the Bison posting a 5-0 winner. Ortega, Young and Alcala all joined Kinser in the finals. Ortega got right to business in his first match of the season, sticking his opening around opponent in just six seconds. He then followed with back-to-back decisions to advance to the championship match. Young bullied his way to the finals, pinning his first three adversaries before recording a 17-6 major decision in the semifinals. Young now has 27 career pins in Hoosier singlet, cracking the school’s all-time top-10. Alcala, a transfer from UC-Davis, made an impressive debut as a Hoosier. The California native had his hand raised after four of five bouts, earning a second place finish in the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, his teammate Joe Fagiano was also in the heavyweight bracket. Fagiano dropped just one decision as well, opposed to five wins for a third place showing. Brooks, a redshirt freshman, also made his Indiana debut on Saturday. Strung together four straight wins in the 125-pound wrestleback to take his spot on the podium in third place. Avery made a push to the 174-lbs. championship draw semifinals before suffering his first defeat of the day. The Foxboro, Mass., native then notched one more victory to finish fifth . Indiana’s final placer was true freshman Taylor Walsh. He had a long day for sure, falling in his first match before grinding through six triumphs in the 157-pound Freshman/Sophomore Division wrestlebacks to seize third place. The Cream and Crimson head to Wabash on Thursday, Nov. 18 for their first dual match of the season. That showdown is scheduled for a 6:30 pm start.

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Utah Valley senior 125-pounder Benjamin Kjar won his first tournament title of the season in his season debut Saturday at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. In all, all five Wolverine wrestlers that competed attached at the open ended up placing. Of the five, four of them reached the semifinals in their respective weight class. Four of the five also competed in the elite division on the day. Only redshirt-freshman Avery Garner wrestled in the amateur bracket. Wolverine sophomore 141-pounder Wyatt Ray was UVU's next highest finisher as the grappler placed second in his weight's elite division. Ray won his first four bouts before falling in the title match to Cole VonOhlen from conference-rival Air Force. In Ray's first match of the open he defeated host-Wyoming's Chase Smith by fall only a mere 0:53 into the bout. UVU redshirt-freshman 157-pounder Abner Cook also had a good showing at the open as he wrestled back to place third. Cook finished going an impressive 6-1 and won his third place match by fall (2:35) over CSU-Pueblo's Levi Jutila. Sophomore heavyweight Eric McAllister ended up placing fourth for UVU in the elite division as he went 2-2. In the amateur bracket, Garner too placed fourth at 141-pounds as he went 4-2 at the tournament. The No. 11 ranked 125-pounder in the country, Kjar, ended up going a perfect 3-0 for UVU as he won his weight bracket. In the finals, Kjar defeated Northern Colorado's Sam Bauer by decision, 3-1, to. Kjar won his other two matches by major decision (14-5) and decision (11-4). Two other wrestlers ended up placing at the open that were competing unattached for Utah Valley. Freshman 125-pounder Colby Christensen ended up winning the amateur lightweight bracket, while junior 184-pounder Brad Darrington placed fourth in the elite bracket. Christensen went a perfect 4-0 en route to his title, while Darrington finished 4-2 for his fourth place finish. The Wolverines will take the mat again next weekend, Nov. 20, when they head to Omaha, Neb., to compete in the Kaufman-Brand Open. Following the Kaufman-Brand, UVU will then head to Vegas on Dec. 3-4, to take part in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The defending NCAA and Big Ten champion University of Iowa wrestling team hosted its annual wrestle-off finals Saturday morning at the UI Field House practice gym. Twelve bouts were contested during the intrasquad event. "We've got a lot of obvious things to work on," said University of Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands. "Those things come into sharp focus when you have an event like this." Hawkeye fans got a look at the future of the wrestling team as 16 of Saturday's 24 competitors are underclassmen. Defending NCAA Champion Matt McDonough opened the meet at 125 with match-ending 20-3 technical fall in 6:08. Fans were treated to an exciting match at 133 between junior Tyler Clark and sophomore Nate Moore. Tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation, Clark kept Moore from escaping during the first 30-second tiebreak period, and then recorded a pin at the 8:48 mark. Two of the three Ballweg brothers posted victories, as sophomore Mark posted a 12-4 major decision over freshman Ethan Owens at 141, and freshman Jacob scored an 8-7 win over sophomore Jeret Chiri at 149. Redshirt freshman Derek St. John spoiled the Ballweg sweep with his 6-2 win over senior Matt at 157. Seniors Jake Kerr and Aaron Janssen battled at 165, with Kerr recording four takedowns for the 9-3 decision. The Lofthouse family had two victories to celebrate as redshirt freshmen Ethen scored a 4-2 win over freshman Mike Evans at 174. Luke Lofthouse, who is a senior and Ethen's uncle, scored a 14-4 major decision over redshirt freshman Tomas Lira at 197. At 184, sophomore Grant Gambrall scored an 8-2 win over junior Vinnie Wagner. Junior Blake Rasing scored a takedown in overtime to post a 3-1 decision over junior Jordan Johnson at heavyweight. Redshirt freshman Dylan Carew closed out the event, pinning sophomore Joe Moore in nine seconds at 149. Iowa will open the 2010-11 season Friday with the third-annual Iowa City Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Iowa Central at 4 p.m. and Coe College at 6 p.m. Season tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office, at (319) 335-9323, or online at hawkeyesports.com. Tickets are $67 for members of the public and $55 for UI faculty and staff. Tickets for the Iowa City Duals are $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $6 for youth if purchased at the door. Thursday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 - Tony Ramos tech. fall Charlie Joseph, 20-4 in 6:47 Friday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 – Nate Moore dec. Nick Trizzino, 3-2 133 – Tyler Clark dec. Tony Ramos, 3-2 TB 141 – Ethan Owens tech. fall Joe Moore, 17-1 in 4:57 149 – Jeret Chiri dec. Stew Gillmor, 8-5 149 – Jake Ballweg maj. dec. Ethan Sebert, 9-1 157 – Matt Ballweg dec. Nick Moore, 3-2 157 – Derek St. John dec. Michael Kelly, 11-4 174 – Mike Evans dec. Jeremy Fahler, 7-2 184 – Vinnie Wagner dec. Tomas Lira, 2-0 Hwt. – Jordan Johnson dec. Bobby Telford, 2-1 TB Saturday’s Wrestle-Off Results 125 – Matt McDonough tech. fall Matt Gurule, 20-3 in 6:08 133 – Tyler Clark pinned Nate Moore, 8:48 133 – Tony Ramos dec. Nick Trizzino, 4-3 141 – Mark Ballweg maj. dec. Ethan Owens, 12-4 149 – Jake Ballweg dec. Jeret Chiri, 8-7 157 – Derek St. John dec. Matt Ballweg, 6-2 165 – Jake Kerr dec. Aaron Janssen, 9-3 174 – Ethen Lofthouse dec. Mike Evans, 4-2 184 – Grant Gambrall dec. Vinnie Wagner, 8-2 197 – Luke Lofthouse maj. dec. Tomas Lira, 14-4 Hwt. – Blake Rasing dec. Jordan Johnson, 3-1 SV 149 – Dylan Carew pinned Joe Moore, 0:09

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 6 nationally, opened up the 2010-11 season with a resounding 41-3 win at Bloomsburg. The young Lions, with five freshmen starters, won nine of ten bouts and picked up three pins in front of a standing room only crowd in BU's Nelson Field House. Five of Penn State's starters were either true or red-shirt freshmen making their collegiate debuts and all five of them were victorious. True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) got the night started in fine fashion with a 5-3 win over Bloomsburg's Sean Boylan at 125. Sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) thrilled the many Penn State faithful with a fall over three-time New York state high school champion Nick Wilcox at the 2:59 mark at 133. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 141, made his much anticipated collegiate debut with a quick pin of BU's Derek Shingara at the :54 mark. Sophomore James English (York, Pa.), stepping in for No. 3 Frank Molinaro at 149, notched a thrilling 8-4 TB win against Bloomsburg's Josh Roosa. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), also making his collegiate debut, put on an offensive clinic. Ranked No. 6 at 157, Taylor posted a 20-5 technical fall in just 5:00. Taylor's show gave the Nittany Lions a 23-0 lead heading into intermission. Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) had a successful PSU debut, posting a 3-2 win over talented Huskie sophomore Josh Veltre at 165. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 174, then put on an offensive show, notching seven takedowns on his way to a 20-4 technical fall at the 6:16 mark. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 184, brought the many Penn State faithful in the capacity crowd to their feet with a quick second period pin. Wright got the fall just :07 into the middle stanza, putting Penn State up 37-0 at the 3:07 mark. Bloomsburg got its first win as Richard Perry posted a 7-4 win over Lion Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) at 197. Heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 9 at HWT, notched a convincing 8-0 major over BU junior Zac Walsh, a national qualifier. Penn State posted a convincing 24-3 edge in takedowns and, by virtue of three pins, two technical falls and a major, had 14 bonus points to BU's none. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, continues a busy opening weekend when No. 15 Lehigh invades Red Hall on Sunday, Nov. 14, for a 2 p.m. dual. Season tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season are on sale now. This year's package features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package) and costs only $42 for adults and $28 for youth (18 and under). Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557. A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders. Single dual tickets will go on sale later this fall. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and WSQV (92.1 FM). All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. Results: 125: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Sean Boylan BU, 5-3 3-0 133: Bryan Pearsall PSU pinned Nick Wilcox BU, WBF (2:59) 9-0 141: #14 Andrew Alton PSU pinned Derek Shingara BU, WBF (0:54) 15-0 149: James English PSU dec. (TB) Josh Roosa BU, 8-4 18-0 157: #6 David Taylor PSU tech. fall Frank Hickman BU, 20-5 (5:00) 23-0 165: Jake Kemerer PSU dec. JoshVeltre BU, 3-2 26-0 174: #13 Ed Ruth PSU tech. fall Mike Dessino BU, 20-4 (6:16) 31-0 184: #3 Quentin Wright PSU pinned Nate Graham BU, WBF (3:07) 37-0 197: Richard Perry BU dec. Justin Ortega PSU, 7-4 37-3 285: #9 Cameron Wade PSU maj. dec. Zac Walsh BU, 8-0 41-3 Attendance: 2,374 Records: Penn State 1-0 (0-0 Big Ten), Bloomsburg 3-1 (0-0 EWL) Up Next for Penn State: home vs. #17 Lehigh, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2 p.m. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made his collegiate debut against Bloomsburg rookie Sean Boylan at 125. Martellotti got on the board early, using a low single to score on the edge of the mat at the 1:53 mark, taking a 2-0 lead. The Lion rookie then put together a strong ride, maintaining control of Boylan for :32 before Boylan escaped to a 2-1 score. Martellotti nearly notched a second takedown as the period ended but time ran out. Boylan chose down to start the second period but could not break free of Martellotti's ride. The Lion freshman maintained control long enough to build up a 1:01 riding time edge before Boylan escaped to a 2-2 tie. Neither wrestler managed a scoring chance over the final minute and the bout went to a third period tied 2-2. Martellotti chose down to start the third period and this time it was Boylan that was tough on top. But Martellotti burst out from underneath at the 1:25 mark to take a 3-2 lead. Martellotti countered a quick Boylan shot with a strong double leg to take a 5-2 lead with another takedown at the :52 mark. Boylan escaped to a 5-3 deficit at the :24 mark with Martellotti owning only :54 in riding time. Martellotti nearly scored again but Boylan was able to keep from giving up any points. Still, the strong 5-3 decision for Martellotti put Penn State up 3-0. 133: Nittany Lion sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took on freshman Nick Wilcox at 133. Wilcox, a three-time New York state champion in high school, looked to score early, getting control of Pearsall's ankle early, but the Lion sophomore was able to move out of bounds to force a reset at the 2:00 mark. Another Wilcox shot led to a tie-up at the 1:25 mark, but Pearsall forced a scramble that allowed him to work his way around the side of the Huskie to get his own takedown at the :54 mark. Leading 2-0, Pearsall began to put together a very strong ride, looking to tilt the Huskie. With just :04 left, Pearsall worked Wilcox to his back and, with just :01 left got the pin. The fall put the Lions up 9-0. 141: True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 141, made his collegiate debut against Bloomsburg's Derek Shingara. Alton slipped under Shingara just :07 into his first bout to take an early 2-0 lead. The savvy Lion rookie quickly worked his way into control of Shingara's shoulders, deftly tossed him to the mat and wasted no time in getting the pin. Alton planted Shingara just :54 into his first collegiate bout and put the Lions up 15-0. 149: Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 3 at 149, was held out of the opener due to an injury and sophomore James English (York, Pa.) stepped in for the start. English took on Huskie sophomore Josh Roosa. The duo battled evenly for the first period and neither man found an opening in which to score. Tied 0-0, Roosa chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. English worked the center of the mat, forcing Roosa towards the outside circle for the bulk of the second period. Slight shots by the Nittany Lion were not enough to break through Roosa's pure defensive style and the Huskie held a 1-0 lead after two periods. English chose down to start the third period and quickly scrambled out to an escape and a 1-1 tie. Roosa took his first shot at the :51 mark of the third period, but English was able to easily step back out of trouble. The Lion then countered and nearly scored with :32 left, almost tossing Roosa to the mat. But Roosa worked his way out of trouble to keep the bout tied and send the match to a first sudden victory period. English took the period's first shot but Roosa fought it off. Roosa fought off two more late English shots to force two tie-breaker periods. English chose down for the first tie-breaker period and quickly reversed the Huskie and nearly pinned him. Three near fall points and an escape by Roosa gave English a 6-2 lead after :30. Roosa chose down to start the final :30, escaped and was quickly taken down again. A final escape by Roosa mattered not and English posted a thrilling 8-4 win, putting Penn State up 18-0. 157: Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 6 nationally at 157, made his collegiate debut against Bloom's Frank Hickman. Taylor wasted no time in getting his first collegiate takedown, scoring just :16 into the bout. Hickman escaped but was immediately taken down by Taylor again. Taylor tried to pin Hickman but the Huskie was able to scramble his way out of trouble and escape to a 4-2 deficit. Taylor then opened the floodgates. A quick takedown led to three near fall points and a 9-2 lead. Hickman managed to escape again, but Taylor used another quick single for a fourth takedown and quickly tilted Hickman for three more back points to lead 14-3 with 1:28 in riding time after one period. Taylor chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way free to an escape and a 15-3 lead. Hickman looked to score on a low single, but Taylor sat out and countered the move, forcing a tie-up with 1:12 left. Taylor then used a strong high double off the reset to take a 17-3 lead with 1:02 left. The Lion freshman began working for another tilt but got a bit loose on his move and was reversed by Hickman. The move cut Taylor's lead to 18-5 after a Taylor escape. With just :04 left, Taylor snagged a scrambling Hickman as he tried to scamper away and got a takedown to clinch a two-period technical fall. The 20-5 win at the 5:00 mark put Penn State up 23-0 heading into intermission. 165: Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) made his collegiate debut against Bloomsburg sophomore Josh Veltre at 165. Veltre got in deep on Kemerer's right leg and nearly took a 2-0 lead with a trip on the edge of the mat. But Kemerer was able to work his way out of bounds to keep the match scoreless a minute in. Kemerer matched Veltre's move, using a slow single to nearly score with :32 left. But this time, Veltre stepped out of bounds and forced the reset. Scoreless after one period, Veltre chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Kemerer nearly scored again at the :40 mark, almost finishing off a high single. But the Huskie sophomore was able to step back, out of trouble, and hold onto his slim lead. Trailing by one, Kemerer chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Kemerer continued to pressure Veltre and his work paid off as a low single led to a takedown at the 1:27 mark, the first of his collegiate career. Veltre escaped to a 3-2 deficit and action returned to the center circle. Kemerer countered a Veltre shot with :39 left and tried to work his way behind the Huskie for a clinching takedown. Veltre backed out of bounds, forcing a reset with :09 left. Kemerer fought off one late Veltre shot and notched a 3-2 win, putting Penn State up 26-0. 174: Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 174, made his collegiate debut against Huskie sophomore Mike Dessino. Ruth, like many of his fellow freshman, got on the board early with a takedown less than :30 into the bout. Dessino worked with way to an escape with 2:00 left, cutting the lead to 2-1. But Ruth was relentless, using a low single to take Dessino down for another takedown. This time, Ruth deftly turned Roosa for two back points and led 6-1. Dessino finally scrambled to an escaped with :45 left, only to get taken down by Ruth again with :32 left as the Lion freshman used a strong high double to move out to an 8-2 lead. A strong Ruth ride-out gave Ruth an 8-2 lead with 2:09 in riding time after one period. Ruth chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 9-2 lead. Ruth was relentless on offense, using a low trip to get his fourth takedown and move out to an 11-3 lead after a Dessino escape. With just :14 left, Ruth heard the call from the Penn State coaching staff to add one more takedown and the Lion promptly used a low double to take Dessino down and lead 13-3 after two periods. Dessino chose down to start the third period but Ruth quickly turned it into a far side cradle for three near fall points. Ruth added two more takedowns and posted a 20-4 tech fall at the 6:16 mark. 184: All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 184, returned to the mat for the first time since 2008-09 by taking on Bloomsburg senior Nate Graham. Wright scored just :04 into the period, taking Graham down with a low double. Graham, a senior, scrambled his way to an escape, cutting the lead to 2-1. The early takedown was the lone offense of the first period. Trailing 2-1, Graham chose down to start the second period, but Wright made him pay. The Lion All-American worked his arms around Graham's shoulders, moved his body over top of him and turned the Huskies' shoulders to the mat in just :07 to get the pin at the 3:07 mark. The victory put Penn State up 37-0. 197: Sophomore Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.), a starter at 174 last season, got the nod at 197 for Penn State and met Bloomsburg freshman Richard Perry. Perry used a strong high throw to get Bloomsburg's first takedown of the dual, taking a 2-0 lead at the 2:45 mark. Ortega worked his way to an escape, cutting the lead to 2-1, and action returned to the center circle. Perry's early score was the only takedown of the period and the Huskie took that 2-1 lead into the second stanza. Ortega chose down to start the second period but could not break free of a solid Perry ride until the 1:21 mark, giving Perry a 1:07 riding time edge. Tied 2-2, action returned to the center circle. With a 1:07 time edge, Perry chose neutral to start the final period. Ortega needed a takedown to try and keep Penn State's hopes of a shut-out alive. But Perry was able to back away from each Ortega charge. Ortega took a slight shot on the edge of the mat, but Perry stepped aside the move and countered for a second takedown and a 4-3 lead (after a quick Ortega escape). One more Perry takedown and an Ortega escape gave the Huskie a 7-4 win with the riding time point, breaking Penn State's shut-out hopes and cutting the Lion lead to 37-3. 285: Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 9 at heavyweight, faced off against Bloomsburg's Zac Walsh in the dual's final bout. Walsh, a junior, was an NCAA qualifier last year. After more than two minutes of battling, Wade used a single leg to trip Walsh to the mat and take a 2-0 lead with :28 left in the opening period. A Wade ride-out allowed him to carry that lead into the second period. Wade chose down to start that stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Wade gained control of Walsh's left leg and worked to pull him onto the mat. But the Huskie was able to force a stalemate at the :47 mark. Wade tripped Walsh to the mat with :24 left on the clock, getting a second takedown to move up to a 5-0 lead. Wade then rode the Huskie out once more to lead 5-0 after two periods. Walsh chose neutral to start the final stanza, but Wade was too much for the Bloomsburg junior. The ninth-ranked Lion countered a quick Walsh shot and moved over his hip for another takedown and a 7-0 lead. Another strong ride by the Lion senior gave him the bonus point and a very impressive 8-0 major decision. The four points gave Penn State a 41-3 dual meet win.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- No. 10 Illinois got big wins in swing matches from Eric Terrazas, Kyle Dooley and Mario Gonzalez to earn an 18-13 win over No. 11 Missouri in front of a sold-out crowd of 900 at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center on Friday. Dooley upset No. 20 Dan Gonsor, who pinned Dooley at the Lindenwood Open two weeks ago, 7-3, Terrazas scored a 7-2 win and Gonzalez earned a 7-0 victory that sealed the team victory. “The big thing was that we won the swing matches at 149 and 197, and we pulled out an upset at 157,” Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan said. “Dooley got pinned by that guy at a tournament two weeks ago, so it was huge for him to bounce back and get a big win tonight.” The night started with an exhibition between Illinois’ Daryl Thomas and Missouri’s Luke Cherep. Thomas gained control early and dominated Cherep for a 13-6 decision. At 125 pounds, Missouri’s Alan Waters got a leg on the edge of the mat and Arlis sprawled out. But Waters gained control of Arlis’ head, too, to earn the takedown. Waters rode him out for the 2-0 lead after a period. Arlis deferred and Waters started down to start the second period. Waters got out quickly and scored another takedown to go up 5-0. Arlis started down in the third and Waters scored a two-point near-fall before Arlis kicked out. Arlis scored a late takedown and was looking for a pin but couldn’t finish it as he dropped an 8-3 decision. B.J. Futrell started the scoring at 133, getting a leg from Nathan McCormick and finishing it on the edge of the mat. After putting on a ride of over one minute, McCormick escaped, but Futrell once again picked McCormick’s ankle and took him down for a 4-1 lead after one period. Futrell started down in the second and scrambled through for a reversal to go up 6-2 after McCormick escaped. Futrell added another takedown in the second period and rode out McCormick for an 8-2 lead after five minutes. McCormick started down in the third and escaped quickly. The two wrestlers ended the period on their feet with Futrell adding the riding-time point for a 9-3 win, tying the match at 3-3. No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy took an early shot and connected, eventually working it into a takedown after breaking No. 17 Todd Schavrien’s defensive hold. Schavrien escaped after Kennedy rode him for 45 seconds and the two finished the period on their feet with Kennedy leading 4-1. Kennedy started down in the second and Schavrien rode him hard, keeping control for the entire period. Schavrien then started down in the third and escaped to cut Kennedy’s lead to 4-2, but Kennedy gained control of Schavrien’s legs on the edge of the mat for the deciding takedown with 35 seconds left. Schavrien escaped but Kennedy held on for the 6-3 win to give the Illini a 6-3 lead. Eighty seconds into the match at 149, Eric Terrazas earned a penalty point after Missouri’s Kyle Bradley made an unsportsmanlike contact after the whistle had blown. Terrazas then got in on a double-leg and finished it for a takedown. Terrazas rode him out for a 3-0 lead with over a minute of riding time after one period. Bradley started down in the second and Terrazas rode him hard for the whole period, racking up 3:16 of riding time. Terrazas chose neutral to start the third but Bradley scored a takedown with 42 seconds left in the match. He cut Terrazas loose and Terrazas shot in on a single-leg, which he finished for a takedown with five seconds left for the 7-2 win after adding the riding-time point. Kyle Dooley shot in on a double-leg and planted Missouri’s No. 20 Dan Gonsor on the edge of the mat for a takedown. Gonsor escaped and had Dooley’s leg, but the Illini sophomore kept hold of the Tiger’s foot to force a stalemate. Doolely then worked through another takedown on the edge for a 4-1 lead with 90 seconds left in the first period. Gonsor escaped but the pair ended the period on their feet with Dooley leading 4-2. Dooley chose neutral to start the second, but Gonsor shot just 15 seconds into the period. Dooley fended it off for another stalemate, holding onto his lead. The two finished the period on their feet and Gonsor chose top position to start the third. Dooley was given a stalling warning with 63 seconds left, but he escaped Gonsor’s grasp and when the Tiger chased him, he got both ankles and scored a takedown on the edge of the mat for a 7-2 lead. He was called for stalling, giving Gonsor a point, but he rode out the Tiger for a 7-3 win that increased the Illini margin to 12-3. Conrad Polz had two good shots early in the first period, but No. 13 Zach Toal fended off both of them to keep the bout scoreless. After a blood timeout late in the first period, Toal shot off the whistle and got a takedown, but Polz escaped quickly. Polz started down in the second and got out in 17 seconds to tie the match 2-2. Toal picked Polz’ ankle and got the takedown but Polz escaped quickly to make Toal’s lead 4-3. Toal started down in the third and escaped in 15 seconds to go ahead 5-3. Toal added a takedown with 35 seconds left, Polz escaped and Toal countered a late shot by Polz to make the final score 10-4 with the riding-time point. No. 3 Jordan Blanton scored a takedown with two minutes left in the first period against Patrick Wright. Wright escaped and the two finished the period neutral before Blanton started down in the second. Blanton escaped and the pair wrestled neutral the rest of the period. Wright started down in the third and got out quickly. He got in on Blanton’s legs but the Illini junior kept hold of one of Wright’s legs as time ran out during the scramble, with Blanton winning 3-2 to increase Illinois’ lead to 15-6. Redshirt-freshman Tony Dallago fended off a couple of early shots from Missouri’s Dorian Henderson and nearly landed a takedown, but Henderson circled behind him and got a takedown of his own. Dallago scrambled free to make the score 2-1. Henderson started down in the second and reversed Dallago as the Illini tried to earn near-fall points. Henderson scored two near-fall points and Dallago escaped, but Henderson scored another takedown off a restart. Dallago started down in the third and escaped, but Henderson knocked him back and covered him for another takedown. Dallago escaped and Henderson scored another takedown. Dallago escaped and Henderson blocked a shot, scrambling into position. He added the riding-time point for the 15-5 win, cutting Illinois’ lead to 15-10. Redshirt-freshman Mario Gonzalez came out as the aggressor against Missouri’s Jake Glore, scoring a takedown with 1:30 left in the first period after winning a scramble. Gonzalez rode him out and started down in the second. He quickly reversed Glore and rode him out for a 4-0 lead after two periods. Glore chose neutral to start the third and Gonzalez took him down with 30 seconds left before riding him out for the 7-0 win, locking up Illinois’ team victory as the Illini went ahead 18-10. Missouri’s third-ranked Dom Bradley and Pat Walker wrestled a scoreless first period before Bradley started down in the second period and escaped. The two wrestled neutral through the second period and started neutral in the third before Bradley scored a takedown and rode out Walker for a 3-0 win. The Illini return to action as a team on Dec. 3-4 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but Blanton will wrestle at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 21. Results: 125: Alan Waters (MU) dec. Logan Arlis (ILL), 8-3 (0-3) 133: B.J. Futrell (ILL) dec. Nathan McCormick (MU), 9-3 (3-3) 141: #2 Jimmy Kennedy dec. #17 Todd Schavrien (MU), 6-3 (6-3) 149: Eric Terrazas (ILL) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 7-2 (9-3) 157: Kyle Dooley (ILL) dec. #20 Dan Gonsor (MU), 7-3 (12-3) 165: #13 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Conrad Polz (ILL), 10-4 (12-6) 174: #14 Jordan Blanton (ILL) dec. Patrick Wright (MU), 3-2 (15-6) 184: Dorian Henderson (MU) maj. dec. Tony Dallago (ILL), 15-5 (15-10) 197: Mario Gonzalez (ILL) dec. Jake Glore (MU), 7-0 (18-10) HWT: #3 Dom Bradley dec. Pat Walker (ILL), 3-0 (18-13)

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The Lehigh wrestling team put forth its second straight impressive performance to start the season, as the 15th-ranked Mountain Hawks won eight bouts in knocking off No. 14 Pittsburgh 29-7 Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House. Just like in Lehigh’s win over Drexel a week ago, junior Sean Bilodeau was a winner by fall, while Lehigh’s two true freshmen posted bonus-point wins. The win moves the Mountain Hawks to 2-0 on the season, while Pitt falls to 0-1. “We wrestled well and wrestled hard,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We’re still making some little mistakes but the guys are going hard for seven minutes. We have something to build off of. Today was a good test and we responded well by attacking and pushing the pace.” After winning all ten weight classes in the season opener against Drexel, Lehigh fell behind early on Friday, as senior Mitch Berger dropped a 17-4 major decision to 14th-ranked Panther Anthony Zanetta at 125. From there, however, it was all Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks rolled to seven straight wins to take a commanding 26-4 lead. Like last Friday, true freshmen Frank Cagnina and Stephen Dutton got the Brown and White going in the right direction. Cagnina picked up his second major in as many bouts with a 12-4 win over Shelton Mack at 133. Cagnina scored takedowns in each of the first two periods and broke the match open with three takedowns in the third to earn the major decision and tie the dual at four. With Pittsburgh missing Tyler Nauman at 141, Dutton took full advantage against backup Mike Tully to post a 15-2 major decision. Dutton built a 7-1 lead after one period with a pair of takedowns and a three-point near fall and added a reversal and two-point near fall to open the second period. Sophomore Joey Napoli won his second straight bout without the benefit of a takedown as he downed Dane Johnson 5-1 at 149. The difference in the bout was a three-point near fall for Napoli in the second period as he added a third-period escape and riding time. The wildest bout of the night took place at 157 where Bilodeau met Donnie Tasser. In the first period, Bilodeau took Tasser to his back for two-and-two and led 4-1 after the first three minutes, but the Panther Turned the tide with an escape, a takedown and a pair of three-point near falls in the second period to take a 10-5 lead. Bilodeau began the third period down but reversed Tasser before putting him on his back before securing the fall at 6:16. “Sean made a little mistake and gave up eight points in about 40 seconds,” Santoro explained. “But then he came right back and scored some big points of his own.” At 165, junior Brandon Hatchett made a first period takedown stand in a 5-1 win over Adam Counterman, setting the stage for a big win by freshman Austin Meys over 19th-ranked Ethan Headlee at 174. Meys avenged a loss to Headlee last season at the Penn State open by winning the battle on their feet with a first period takedown. The match was 2-2 going to the third period after a pair of Headlee escapes. In the final period, the two men traded reversals, before Meys escaped to take a 5-4 lead and with riding time prevailed 6-4 to extend Lehigh’s lead to 23-4. “Meys was very methodical but he really controlled the match,” Santoro said. “Headlee is a very tough kid, but Meys wrestled hard and was in control. That’s a good win for him.” Panther true freshman Max Thomusseit gave sophomore Robert Hamlin all he could handle in their matchup at 184. Thomusseit scored a pair of first period takedowns to lead 4-2 after one. Hamlin picked up a takedown in the second period, but was reversed by Thomusseit and trailed 7-5 after two periods. Hamlin took advantage of his superior conditioning in the third period with an escape and two takedowns to rally for a 10-8 victory. Pittsburgh finally stopped the Lehigh run with a win at 197 as Zac Thomusseit downed junior Joe Kennedy 7-4. Kennedy struggled to find his offense and gave up a four-point move in the third period which proved to be the difference. The only battle between two ranked wrestlers came in the final bout of the dual at heavyweight as junior Zach Rey squared off against Pitt’s Ryan Tomei. The wrestlers traded escapes in regulation and went to overtime tied at one. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Rey picked up an escape in the tiebreakers and kept Tomei from scoring to prevail 2-1. Lehigh will wrap-up its road trip on Sunday when the Mountain Hawks travel to No. 6 Penn State. The match is slated for a 2 p.m. start from Rec Hall. The dual will be broadcast on WLVR-FM as well as online at Lehighsports.com. Results: 125 – Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) maj. dec. Mitch Berger (Lehigh) 17-4 133 – Frank Cagnina (Lehigh) maj. dec. Shelton Mack (Pitt) 12-4 141 – Stephen Dutton (Lehigh) maj. dec. Mike Tully (Pitt) 15-2 149 – Joey Napoli (Lehigh) dec. Dane Johnson (Pitt) 5-1 157 – Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) Fall Donnie Tasser (Pitt) 6:16 165 – Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Adam Counterman (Pitt) 5-1 174 – Austin Meys (Lehigh) dec. Ethan Headlee (Pitt) 6-4 184 – Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. Max Thomusseit (Pitt) 10-8 197 – Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) 7-4 285 – Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Ryan Tomei (Pitt) 2-1, t.b.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The defending NCAA and Big Ten champion University of Iowa wrestling team hosted its annual wrestle-off semifinals Friday evening at the UI Field House practice gym. Ten bouts were contested during the intrasquad event. The Hawkeyes will hold their wrestle-off finals Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the UI Field House practice gym. Results will be posted on hawkeyesports.com after the matches. Five of Friday's 10 matches were decided by two points or less, and two extended into overtime. Posting wins and advancing to Saturday's finals were senior Matt Ballweg (157), juniors Tyler Clark (133), Jeret Chiri (149), Vinnie Wagner (184) and Jordan Johnson (Hwt)., sophomore Nate Moore (133), redshirt freshman Derek St. John (157) and true freshmen Ethan Owens (141), Jake Ballweg (149) and Mike Evans (174). Iowa will open the 2010-11 season Nov. 19 with the third-annual Iowa City Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Iowa Central at 4 p.m. and Coe College at 6 p.m. Season tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office, at (319) 335-9323, or online at hawkeyesports.com. Tickets are $67 for members of the public and $55 for UI faculty and staff. Tickets for the Iowa City Duals are $10 for adults and $5 for youth if purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $6 for youth if purchased at the door. Thursday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 - Tony Ramos tech. fall Charlie Joseph, 20-4 in 6:47 Friday’s Wrestle-Off Results 133 – Nate Moore dec. Nick Trizzino, 3-2 133 – Tyler Clark dec. Tony Ramos, 3-2 TB 141 – Ethan Owens tech. fall Joe Moore, 17-1 in 4:57 149 – Jeret Chiri dec. Stew Gillmor, 8-5 149 – Jake Ballweg maj. dec. Ethan Sebert, 9-1 157 – Matt Ballweg dec. Nick Moore, 3-2 157 – Derek St. John dec. Michael Kelly, 11-4 174 – Mike Evans dec. Jeremy Fahler, 7-2 184 – Vinnie Wagner dec. Tomas Lira, 2-0 Hwt. – Jordan Johnson dec. Bobby Telford, 2-1 TB Saturday’s Wrestle-Off Match-Ups - 10:30 a.m. 125 – Matt McDonough vs. Matt Gurule 133 – Nate Moore vs. Tyler Clark 141 – Mark Ballweg vs. Ethan Owens 149 – Jeret Chiri vs. Jake Ballweg 157 – Matt Ballweg vs. Derek St. John 165 – Aaron Janssen vs. Jake Kerr 174 – Ethen Lofthouse vs. Mike Evans 184 – Grant Gambrall vs. Vinnie Wagner Hwt. – Blake Rasing vs. Jordan Johnson

BUFFALO, NY -- The eighth-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling squad (2-0) cruised past Buffalo, 28-7, at Alumni Arena Friday to remain unbeaten on the season. “It was a good outing against a tough team,” head coach Jack Spates said. “They beat Nebraska last year and we wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t be among their victims. I thought the guys showed a lot of character. We seemed a little sluggish from the trip, but we were the ones winning the close matches and we were the ones coming from behind at the end. Overall, there were a lot of good things I saw.” Jarrod Patterson, the reigning Big 12 Champion at 125 pounds, got the Sooners started with a 4-1 victory over the Bulls’ Taylor Golba, which put the Sooners up 3-0. The Sooners fell behind 4-3 after OU’s Dustin Reed fell to Buffalo’s Kevin Smith at 133 pounds, 14-5. OU regained the lead, 7-4, when returning All-American Zack Bailey scored a 14-4 major decision victory over UB’s Andrew Schutt in the 141 pound bout. The bout at 149 pounds between OU’s Nick Lester and BU’s Desi Green went to seven overtimes before Lester finally claimed the victory, 6-2, with a four point near fall. “Nick Lester twisted his ankle early in the match and came back to beat Green, who is ranked No. 10, to upset him,” Spates said. “That was a good win for him.” Matt Lester became only the second Sooner victim to fall in the dual after he lost, 4-2, to the Bulls Mark Lewandoski. That narrowed the Sooners lead at 10-7. Oklahoma’s Chase Nelson got the Sooners back on the winning track after defeating UB’s John-Martin Cannon, 4-3, in overtime. “Chase Nelson also came back to force overtime against a ranked wrestler and got a good win,” Spates said. Returning All-American Tyler Caldwell made his debut for the Sooners at 174 pounds. The Wichita, Kan., product handled the Bulls Ron Majerus with a 7-1 win, putting OU up 16-7. In the 184 pound Bout OU’s Erich Schmidtke won a 4-0 decision over Jimmy Hamel to give the Sooners a 19-7 lead over the Bulls. Keldric Hall had three takedowns to claim a 9-4 decision over UB’s Josh Peters in the 197 pound bout. OU’s Nathan Fernandez had the only pin of the night over Buffalo’s Brett Correll with a time of 2:48. The fall ended the dual with a final score of 28-7. “A lot of tough bouts and a lot of good wins today,” Spates said. The Sooners get little rest as they go in search of their 12th-straight Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic title Saturday, Nov. 13, at Sunny Brockport. Results: 125 – No. 9 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. Taylor Golba (UB), 4-1 133 - No. 10 Kevin Smith (UB) maj. dec. Dustin Reed (OU), 14-5 141 – No. 1 Zack Bailey (OU) maj. dec. Andrew Schutt (UB), 14-4 149 - Nick Lester (OU) dec. No. 10 Desi Green (UB), 6-2 (7OT) 157 - Mark Lewandowski (UB) dec. Matt Lester (OU), 4-2 165 – Chase Nelson (OU) dec. No. 15 John Martin Cannon (UB), 4-3 174 – No. 8 Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. Ron Majerus (UB), 7-1 184 – No. 18 Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. No. 14 Jimmy Hamel (UB), 4-0 197 – Keldric Hall (OU) dec. Josh Peters (UB), 9-4 HWT – No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (OU) Fall 2:58 over Brett Correll (UB)

Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic