Flashes Split 10 Matches with No. 5 Northern Iowa in Tiebreaker Loss

2/9/2014 5:27:00 PM
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – In an unimaginable turn of events, No. 5 Northern Iowa’s 59 match points to Kent State’s 58 made the tiebreaking difference in a 19-18 Panther’s win Sunday afternoon at West Gymnasium. In its slimmest margin of victory this season, UNI remained unbeaten (11-0, 6-0 MAC). Each team won five matches: three by decision, one major decision and one technical fall.

“I knew it would be tough without Ian (Miller) in the lineup, but going in I thought we matched up well against them,” Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. “I was really happy with the effort our guys gave. Even the matches we lost, we wrestled hard throughout.”

All four Golden Flashes who lost on Saturday at Northern Illinois, bounced back for victories on Sunday, while junior Tyler Small completed a 2-0 weekend. Small’s three-point tilt in the second period helped him to a 7-2 victory over Levi Wolfensperger.

Sophomore Michael DePalma then perfected his two-on-one tilt in a 17-2 tech fall over Tyler Patten. Tied 2-2 after one period, DePalma meticulously executed four different three-point tilts in the second and on in the third.

“That just shows you how important it is to be good on top,” Andrassy said.

Senior T.J. Keklak extended the Flashes’ lead to 11-5 with a 9-7 decision over Jarrett Jensen. Keklak opened the match with a four-point fireman’s carry and hung on for his first career MAC dual win.

“There isn’t a kid who deserves it more,” Andrassy said of the team captain’s work ethic. “That could end up being his last dual and he deserves to go out on top.”

The Flashes (10-9, 4-3 MAC) then dropped three consecutive tight matches from 165 to 184. Riding time made the difference in sophomore Tyler Buckwalter’s 5-4 loss to No. 11 Cooper Moore. Junior Caleb Marsh was tied 1-1 with a minute left in the third period, before getting caught in a five-point cradle.

Sophomore Cole Baxter gave Kent State the lead back 15-14, with a 9-1 major decision over Basil Minto. Baxter scored takedowns on front headlocks three different times and built up several minutes of riding time.

Riding time was even more crucial at heavyweight in redshirt freshman Mimmo Lytle’s 2-1 win over Blaize Cabell. Both wrestlers earned escapes, but Cabell’s did not come until late in the third period.

“Two or three months ago, I don’t think Mimmo wins that match,” Andrassy said. “He used his weight to his advantage on top and he’s figuring out how to win close matches.”
In the final match, No. 6 Dylan Peters claimed a 13-5 major decision over sophomore Del Vinas, to temporarily tie the dual at 18-18 all. When the first two tiebreaking criteria were not met, officials counted and recounted total match points, discovering Northern Iowa’s one-point edge.

“We looked much better than yesterday,” Andrassy said. “That was a very good team and we need to compete like that every time out. We also showed we have that ability against Michigan and Virginia Tech. But we need to be more consistent.”

Kent State heads to Ohio State’s St. John Arena Feb. 16-17 for the NWCA National Duals. Pairings for the 14-team dual tournament are expected to be released Tuesday.

Results
133 – #1 Joe Colon (UNI) tech fall Mack McGuire (KSU), 17-2 (4:38)
141 – Tyler Small (KSU) dec. Levi Wolfensperger (UNI), 7-2
149 – Mike DePalma (KSU) tech fall Tyler Patten (UNI), 17-2 (5:17)
157 – T.J. Keklak (KSU) dec. Jarrett Jensen (UNI), 9-7
165 – #11 Cooper Moore (UNI) dec. Tyler Buckwalter (KSU), 5-4
174 –#17 Cody Caldwell (UNI) dec. Caleb Marsh (KSU), 6-1
184 – #5 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. #13 Sam Wheeler (KSU), 5-2
197 – Cole Baxter (KSU) maj. dec. Basil Minto (UNI), 9-1
285 – Mimmo Lytle (KSU) dec. Blaize Cabell (UNI), 2-1
125 –#6 Dylan Peters (UNI) maj. dec. Del Vinas (KSU), 13-5

No. 8 Cowboys Take Out the Sooners, 29-9

Feb. 9, 2014

STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State wrestling squad finished Big 12 competition with an unblemished 3-0 record, defeating in-state rival and No. 10 Oklahoma, 29-9, in front of more than 5,000 fans. The Pokes are now 8-4 on the season, winning four-straight duals.

OSU redeemed an early-season loss to the Sooners in a non-conference dual in December.

“I like the score, and 29 points in Bedlam tells you that you won a lot of matches and scored some good bonus points,” Smith said. “The matchups were a little different than I thought, but it’s definitely something that we can move forward with. Getting back on the winning side of Bedlam is always good.”

Bonus points came early in Gallagher-Iba Arena as No. 20 Eddie Klimara stuck Sean Williams, who replaced an injured Jarrod Patterson, early in the second period, giving the Cowboys a swing of momentum heading into a top-10 matchup at 133 pounds.

“I’ve really been working on my technique when I’m on top,” Klimara said. “His arms started to get tired, and the move wasn’t really a decision I had to make. These past couple matches, I’ve just been going out there and wrestling instead of over thinking it. That has helped me out a lot.”

No. 4 Jon Morrison improved to 5-0 in the series against No. 7 Cody Brewer, earning a 7-3 decision. The Orland Park, Ill., native is 6-1 against ranked opponents on the season.

Anthony Collica, ranked 20th in the nation at 141 pounds, shut out returning All-American Nick Lester, 4-0. It was his second win over Lester this season.

Another top-10 matchup was in order at 149 pounds as No. 10 Josh Kindig faced No. 2 Kendric Maple. Kindig scored the first points in the bout with a second-period escape, but he could not overcome Maple’s attacks and was handed a 7-3 loss.

No. 2 Alex Dieringer answered by adding five more points for the Pokes with his 18-2 technical fall over OU’s Dryden Dennis, who filled in for Justin DeAngelis. The bout was finished in just under six minutes, with Dieringer collecting a heap of points, including five takedowns and two nearfalls.

At 165 pounds, No. 5 Tyler Caldwell defeated Clark Glass for the second time this season, pulling out a 5-1 win over the Sooner.

Chris Perry, ranked No. 2 in the nation, was denied a much-anticipated rematch against top-ranked Andrew Howe at 174 pounds. He instead faced off against Derek Geiges, who he pinned in 1:51.

At 184 pounds, Jordan Rogers took on Howe. The Cowboy put up a fight but was defeated, 9-2, marking the Pokes second loss of the day.

Nolan Boyd bumped up to 197 pounds, where he went head-to-head with No. 4 Travis Rutt. Boyd earned four escapes, but it was not enough as Rutt walked away with a 9-4 victory. That would be the last win for the crimson and cream.

No. 19 Austin Marsden closed out the dual with a win, scoring five points in the final 10 seconds to defeat Zach Merrill, 8-2.

Oklahoma State returns to action next week, traveling to Clarion, Pa., to take on the Golden Eagles on Saturday before heading to State College, Pa., to face the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 29, No. 10 Oklahoma 9
Feb. 9, 2014 :: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.) :: Attendance – 5,135

125: No. 20 Eddie Klimara (OSU) fall Sean Williams (OU), 3:31
133: No. 4 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. No. 7 Cody Brewer (OU), 7-3
141: No. 17 Anthony Collica (OSU) vs. No. 20 Nick Lester (OU), 4-0
149: No. 2 Kendric Maple (OU) dec. No. 10 Josh Kindig (OSU), 7-3
157: No. 2 Alex Dieringer (OSU) TF5 Dryden Dennis (OU), 18-2
165: No. 5 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. Clark Glass (OU), 5-1
174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) fall Derek Geiges (OU), 1:51
184: Andrew Howe (OU) dec. Jordan Rogers (OSU), 9-2
197: No. 4 Travis Rutt (OSU) dec. Nolan Boyd (OSU), 9-4
285: No. 19 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. Zach Merrill (OU), 8-2

Bloomsburg Takes Down George Mason

2/9/2014 3:57:00 PM
Wrestling Team Takes Down George Mason
BLOOMSBURG—Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) won by fall to earn his 100th career victory to help lead the 25th-Bloomsburg University wrestling team to a 36-3 win over George Mason on Sunday in an EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) matchup. Prior to the match the Huskies honored the 15 members of its senior class.

Dessino jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one period and was leading 7-0 when he got his opponent turned and eventually worked the pin. The pin was the 44th for Dessino in his career, third best in school history, and gave him career win number 100 in grand style.

In addition to Dessino’s big win, Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) wrestled for the first time in a month and scored a win by technical fall, 18-1, at 149 pounds, while Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown), ranked 5th in the country at 197, won his 24th straight match with a 19-8 victory at 197 pounds.

Before the match the Huskies honored the senior members of its team: Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks), Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central), Elliot Zackoski (Scranton/West Scranton), Matt Hicks (Allentown (Annapolis, MD)/St. Mary’s, MD), Derek Goodwin (Hamburg/Hamburg), Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley), Kevin Hartnett (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell), Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia), Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex), Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West), Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown), Justin Grant (Easton/Easton), Tim Santry (Hatboro/Upper Moreland), Craig Barker (Lecanto, FL/Citrus) and Mike Testen (Sayre/Athens).

Bloomsburg, 8-6, 4-2 in the EWL, will be back in action on Feb. 16-17 at the National Wrestling Duals at Ohio State. George Mason falls to 6-13, 0-2 in the EWL.

#25 Bloomsburg 36, George Mason 3
125 Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) (BU) won by forfeit.
133 Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) (BU) won by decision over Vince Rodriguez (GMU) 1-0.
141 Sahid Kargbo (GMU) won by decision over Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) (BU) 9-3.
149 Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) (BU) won by tech fall over Donald Takagi (GMU) 4:28 18-1.
157 Kevin Hartnett (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) (BU) won by decision over Gregory Flournoy (GMU) 6-1.
165 #15 Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) (BU) won by decision over Ryan Forrest (GMU) 6-1.
174 Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) (BU) won by pin over Zachary Martinez (GMU) 4:48.
184 Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) (BU) won by decision over Ryan Hembury (GMU) 8-2.
197 #5 Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) (BU) won by major decision over Matt Meadows (GMU) 19-8.
285 #16 Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) (BU) won by decision over Jacob Kettler (GMU) 4-0.
Individual Rankings by AWN

Match-By-Match Summary

125- Sean Boylan (Seaville, NJ/St. Marks) won by forfeit

133- Nick Wilcox (Greene, NY/Greene Central) vs. Vince Rodriguez
Locked up at the shoulders early…Fighting for hand position as they go down to the mat…Now they stand up…They reset and engage again…To the edge they go…Out of bounds they will reset at center…They stay locked up off the whistle…Both wrestlers showing patience…Rodriguez has a leg looking for the trip…Wilcox regains his footing…1st period ends scoreless…They start the 2nd in neutral…Once again they lock up off the whistle…Passive start to the 2nd so far…Yet again Rodriguez with a failed trip attempt…Under 1 minute remaining in the 2nd…Still no score…They stay locked up at center and the 2nd ends still scoreless…Wilcox starts the 3rd on bottom…Wilcox stands and escapes for the first point of the match…They lock up at center…Rodriguez has a leg…Wilcox stays on his feet…An exchange forces them out of bounds…They reset at center…1 minute left in the match…Wilcox leads 1-0…Down to the mat they go…Wilcox being defensive…An exchange in the final seconds leads to no points…Wilcox wins 1-0.

141- Matt Rappo (Holland/Council Rock South) vs. Sahid Kargbo
Off the whistle they show patience…At center they lock up…Out of bounds they will reset at center…Hand fighting but no scoring yet in the first…Down to the mat they engage…Locked up again at center…Passive 1st period ends…Rappo starts the 2nd on bottom…Scoreless until Rappo breaks free for an escape to open the scoring…Again they lock up…Near the edge Kargbo gains an arm and turns Rappo for a takedown and the lead…1 minute left in the 2nd…Rappo escapes to tie it at 2…Down to the mat they go locked up…Now they stand…Kargbo spins and scores a takedown in the dying seconds…3rd starts in neutral…Kargbo leads 4-2…They lock up at center…Kargbo shoots and drives them toward the edge…On the edge Kargbo knocks Rappo down for a takedown…It’s now a 6-2 lead for Kargbo…Under 1 minute remaining in the 3rd…Rappo gets within 3 with a late escape…Kargbo counters with a takedown of his own…With riding time Kargbo wins 9-3.

149- Bryce Busler (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) vs. Shohei Takagi
Off the whistle they lock up…Quickly they spin out of bounds…Off the reset they lock up at center…They spin and Busler opens the scoring with a takedown…Followed by a conceded escape to Takagi…From the mat they stand up…Out of bounds they will reset…Busler gains a leg for another takedown…Busler leads 4-1 with 1 minute remaining in the 1st…Busler gets an arm up…Pressures Takagi to his back for 3 points…End of 1 Busler leads 7-1…Busler starts the 2nd on top…Busler maintains control off the whistle…Forces Takagi to his back for another 3 count…Increases the lead to 10-1…Yet again Busler forces Takagi to his back…3 points…Same sequence same result…Bulser wins by tech fall 18-1.

157- Kevin Hartnett (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) vs. Greg Flornouy
At center they show patience…Flornouy with control early…Now they mutually reset…They engage and lock up at the shoulders…Flornouy gains a leg…Hartnett puts pressure on Flornouy’s head…Hartnett changes the tide and scores the first takedown…Near the edge they stay in…Toeing the line and then they go out…Short time in the 1st Hartnett leads 2-0…That’s how the 2nd will start…Hartnett starts on top on the mat and the board…Off the whistle they stand…Flornouy breaks free for 1…At center they lock up…Down to the mat they go…They engage…Hartnett overpowers Flornouy for a takedown near the edge…Out of bounds they will reset…Hartnett leads 4-1 under 1 minute left in the 2nd…Off the whistle they stand but Hartnett holds control…To the edge they go…The score remains 4-1 going to the 3rd…Hartnett starts on bottom…Off the whistle Hartnett fights to stand…Flornouy concedes the escape…Standing near center they lock up at the shoulders…They engage and spin to the edge…Out of bounds they’ll reset again…Off the reset they lock up…Down to the mat they go…Short time remaining…Hartnett holds on for a 6-1 decision with riding time.

165- Josh Veltre (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) vs. Ryan Forrest
Fighting for hand position off the whistle…To the edge they go…Circling around near the line…Locked up at the shoulders…Mutual reset at center…Now they engage and tie up at the shoulders…1 minute remaining in the 1st, no score…Down to the mat they go…Passive 1st period ends scoreless…Veltre starts the 2nd on bottom…Veltre breaks away for an escape to open the scoring…At center they lock up again…Veltre trying to outmuscle Forrest…Down on the mat they spin…Veltre gains position behind Forrest for a takedown…Short time remaining in the 2nd Veltre leads 3-0…That score goes to the 3rd…They start at neutral…Veltre showing patience…A sequence sends them out of bounds…They reset at center…1 minute remaining in the 3rd…Veltre with a shot…Gets behind Forrest for 2 points…Lead increased to 5-0…Forrest scores an escape in the dying seconds…Veltre wins with riding time for a 6-1 decision.

174- Mike Dessino (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) vs. Zach Martinez
At center off the whistle they tie up…They stay locked up at the shoulders at center…Down to the mat they go…Now they stand again…Down again with Dessino spinning behind Martinez for the first points of the match…Martinez warned for stalling…Dessino trying for an arm to turn Martinez…He gets an arm…Dessino cranks the arm…Period ends before the whistle is blown…Dessino earns 3 points…He’ll start the 2nd on bottom leading 5-0…Dessino has an ankle…Reverses Martinez for 2 points…Dessino with the headlock forces Martinez to his back for a count…Again Dessino cranks the arm…Dessino earns the pin at 4:48.

184- Sam Shirey (Beaver Springs/Midd-West) vs. Ryan Hembury
They tie up at the shoulders off the whistle…At center they remain locked…A sequence of spins and then a mutual reset…1 minute remaining in the 1st…Another sequence of spins leads to another lock up…Shirey goes in for a single leg shot…No points…A passive 1st comes to an end…No score…Shirey starts the 2nd on bottom…Shirey breaks free and escapes to open the scoring…Shirey gets a leg and gains position for a takedown and a 3-0 lead…Hembury springs free for an escape…At center they spin and engage down on the mat…3-1 Shirey going to the 3rd…Shirey starts the 3rd on top on the mat and the board…Hembury takes the conceded escape as they mutually reset…Locked up at the shoulders again…Short time remaining in the 3rd…Shirey catches Hembury and scores a takedown and 3 back points…Shirey holds on for the 8-3 decision.

197- Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) vs. Matt Meadows
Off the whistle they spin and go out…Right back where they started at center…To the edge they go…Meadows gets a leg…Now Perry has a leg…Down on the mat they engage and tie up…Meadows gains control on both legs to open the scoring…Perry with a quick escape and takedown combination for 3 points…A Meadows escape ties it at 3…Perry quickly scores a takedown and 2 back points…Meadows escapes again…Short time remaining in the 1st…High scoring 1st ends with Perry up 7-4…He starts the 2nd on top…Off the whistle they go down to the mat…Perry holds control early in the period…Meadows stands and spins for an escape…Lead cut to 7-5…Perry scores a hard charging double leg takedown…He pushes Meadows’s head into the mat…Perry holds control…Short time remaining in the 2nd…Perry takes a 9-5 lead to the 3rd…He’ll start on bottom…Perry scores an escape to increase his lead to 10-5…Perry takes advantage of a missed Meadows shot and gains position for another 2 points…Meadows takes a conceded escape…Down to the mat they spin…Perry with another 2…Followed by another conceded escape for Meadows…Short time remaining in the 3rd…Another takedown and conceded escape for Perry…Perry scores a takedown in the dying seconds and wins by major 19-8.

285- Justin Grant (Easton/Easton) vs. Jake Kettler
At center they tie up at the shoulders…Fighting for hand position they mutually reset…Under 1 minute remaining in the 1st…Grant slams Kettler to the mat to open the scoring…Minimal scoring in the 1st…Grant leads 2-0…He’ll start the 2nd on bottom…After fighting off being slammed Grant spins away for an escape…Increases the lead to 3-0…At center they lock up…A spinning sequence sends them out of bounds…They reset at center…Short time remaining in the 2nd…Grant leads 3-0…That score goes to the 3rd…Grant starts on top…Grant lifts Kettler and slams him to the mat…Grant maintains control…1 minute remaining…Near the edge they battle…On the mat Grant holds control…Short time remaining in the match…Grant holds on for the 4-0 decision with riding time.

No. 3 Gophers Upset No. 1 Penn State

Dylan Ness lifts the Gophers over Penn State with important bout win

Feb. 9, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 3 University of Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team upset No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions in front of 5,603 fans at the Sports Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. With the victory over Penn State, the Gophers clinched a share of the 2014 Big Ten Dual Meet Championship.

The dual started with a bout at 125 between No. 2 Nico Megaludis of Penn State and Jordan Kingsley of Minnesota. Kingsley was unable to top second-ranked Megaludis and fell by major decision giving the Nittany Lions an opportunity to pull ahead by four early on.

No. 8 David Thorn won by decision over No. 16 Jimmy Gulibon allowing the Gophers to come within one of the Nittany Lions after the second bout.

No. 6 Chris Dardanes rejoined the starting lineup at 141 but ultimately fell to No. 2 Zain Retherford allowing Penn State to lead 7-3 going into 149. No. 3 Nick Dardanes came away with a victory in the second thirty second sudden victory, catching the Gophers up to the Nittany Lions 7-6.

No. 8 Dylan Ness had the crowd on its feet after an electrifying victory over No. 4 Dylan Alton of Penn State by fall at 5:23. The Gophers went into the intermission leading 12-7.

After the half, Danny Zilverberg fell by major decision to No. 1 David Taylor, 13-3 but the Gophers held onto the lead, 12-11.

No. 6 Logan Storley came up big for the Gophers as he defeated No. 3 Matt Brown by decision, 8-3, allowing the Golden Gophers to sit at a 14-11 advantage. The Gophers would go on to lose the next two duals as No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus and No. 1 Scott Schiller were unable to defeat their Penn State opponents. The loss for Schiller ended a 24-bout winning streak for the redshirt junior. After the two Gophers losses at 174 and 184, Minnesota was down by three with one bout to decide it all.

No. 5 Tony Nelson was able to win it for the Gophers with a 6-0 decision over Jonathan Gingrich. This victory broke a three-bout losing streak for the heavyweight redshirt senior. Nelson’s decision lifted the Gophers over No. 1 Penn State by just one, 18-17.

Next weekend, the Golden Gophers will travel to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the NWCA National Duals.

RESULTS:
125 Nicholas Megaludis (Penn State) won by major decision over Jordan Kingsley (Minnesota) 19-5. 0 4.00
133 David Thorn (Minnesota) won by decision over James Gulibon (Penn State) 2-0. 3.00 0
141 Zain Retherford (Penn State) won by decision over Christopher Dardanes (Minnesota) 4-0. 0 3.00
149 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) won in sudden victory 2 over Zachary Beitz (Penn State) 6-4. 3.00 0
157 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) won by pin over Dylan Alton (Penn State) 5:23. 6.00 0
165 David Taylor (Penn State) won by major decision over Daniel Zilverberg (Minnesota) 13-3. 0 4.00
174 Logan Storley (Minnesota) won by decision over Mathew Brown (Penn State) 8-3. 3.00 0
184 Edward Ruth (Penn State) won by decision over Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) 7-1. 0 3.00
197 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) won by decision over Scott Schiller (Minnesota) 8-4. 0 3.00
285 Anthony Nelson (Minnesota) won by decision over Jonathan Gingrich (Penn State) 6-0. 3.00 0

#1 Penn State Visits Minnesota in B1G Dual Finale Sunday

Dual set to air live on Big Ten Network at 2 p.m. (Eastern)/1 p.m. (Central)

The No. 1- ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (13-0, 7-0 B1G) will trek to Minneapolis for a Sunday showdown with the third-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-1, 6-1 B1G). The dual meet begins at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central) and will air live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State, which has clinched at least a share of the 2014 Big Ten regular season title, can win the crown outright with a victory while Minnesota can claim regular season Co-Champion laurels with a victory of its own.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a successful trip through the state of Michigan last weekend. Penn State hit the road for two dual meets on 1/31 and 2/2 and came away with two lop-sided victories. The Nittany Lions downed Michigan State on 1/31 by a 42-3 score, winning nine of ten bouts (including four pins). Two days later, Penn State took down #11 Michigan 32-9 in front of a sold out Keen Arena crowd, winning eight of ten bouts (including three straight tech falls). In all, Penn State went 17-3 in both duals with four pins, four tech falls, three majors and six decisions. Penn State outscored MSU and UM 74-12.

Penn State’s win over previously unbeaten (in conference) Michigan last Sunday clinched a share of the regular season Big Ten title. Minnesota, this weekend’s opponent, will be looking to grab a share of the crown, however. Penn State is 7-0 in conference action while Minnesota is 6-1. The dual is the conference finale for each team.

Penn State is led by a balanced and deep line-up. All-American Nico Megaludis is 20-2 and ranked No. 2 at 125; red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon is 13-9 and ranked No. 16 at 133; sophomore Jordan Conaway is 15-5 at both 133 and 125 this year; true freshman Zain Retherford is 23-0 and ranked No. 2 at 141; junior Andrew Alton is 8-1 and ranked No. 8 at 149; red-shirt freshman Zack Beitz is 11-7 and ranked at 149 in other national rankings; All-American Dylan Alton is 15-0 and No. 4 at 157; senior James Vollrath is 11-7 at 157 as well; All-American David Taylor is 23-0 and No. 1 at 165; All-American Matt Brown is 23-1 and ranked No. 3 at 174; All-American Ed Ruth is 22-1 and No. 2 at 184; sophomore Morgan McIntosh is 22-2 and No. 5 at 197; and junior Jimmy Lawson is 16-4 and No. 12 at 285. Lawson is out this weekend, giving junior Jon Gingrich (19-4 overall) the nod at 285.

The Gophers are coming off a 35-6 win over Indiana on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota won eight of ten bouts in the dual victory. Minnesota sports a talented and balanced line-up as well. Junior Scott Schiller is 24-0 and ranked No. 1 at 197 while Tony Nelson is 21-4 and No. 5 at 285. Brothers Nick and Chris Dardanes form a formidable due at 141 and 149. Chris is 15-3 and No. 6 at 141 while Nick is 18-2 and No. 3 at 149. Dylan Ness is 14-4 and No. 8 at 157 while David Thorn is 17-4 and No. 8 at 133. Logan Storley sports a 22-3 mark and is No. 6 at 174 and Kevin Steinhaus is 10-2 and No. 8 at 184.

Minnesota leads the all-time series 13-6-1, including the last meeting between the two schools, two years ago during the 2011-12 season. Minnesota downed Penn State 23-14 on 11/20/11 in Rec Hall. The two teams tied the last time they met in Minnesota, an 18-18 draw on 2/13/11 (during the 2010-11 season).

The Nittany Lions return to Rec Hall for a national showcase dual, hosting the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sunday, Feb. 16. The sold out Rec Hall dual begins at 2 p.m.

With the full season of Rec Hall duals sold out prior to the start of the campaign, a very limited number of standing room only tickets are available for some Rec Hall duals. People may check availability and purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Penn State Athletics ticket office located in the BJC. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

THIS WEEK
The No. 1- ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (13-0, 7-0 B1G) will trek to Minneapolis for a Sunday showdown with the third-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-1, 6-1 B1G). The dual meet begins at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central) and will air live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State, which has clinched at least a share of the 2014 Big Ten regular season title, can win the crown outright with a victory while Minnesota can claim regular season Co-Champion laurels with a victory of their own.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions return to Rec Hall for a national showcase dual, hosting the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sunday, Feb. 16. The sold out Rec Hall dual begins at 2 p.m.

ON THE AIR
TV – LIVE on the BTN.
Live Web Video – BTN2go
Radio – Full season live on WRSC (103.1 FM/1390 AM) State College; WBPZ 1230 AM Lock Haven; 1370 WWCB Corry; WLAK (103.5 FM) Huntingdon; WMRF (95.7 FM) Lewistown; WIEZ (670 AM) Lewistown. Also live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package as are select home duals.

#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (13-0, 7-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #2 Nico Megaludis Jr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 20-2
133 #16 Jimmy Gulibon Fr. Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area 13-9
Jordan Conaway So. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford 15-5
141 #2 Zain Retherford Fr. Benton, Pa./Benton 23-0
149 #8 Andrew Alton Jr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 8-1
OR Zack Beitz Fr. Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata 11-7
157 #4 Dylan Alton Jr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 15-0
James Vollrath Sr. Richboro, Pa./Council Rock South 11-7
165 #1 David Taylor Sr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 23-0
174 #3 Matt Brown Jr. West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus 23-1
184 #2 Ed Ruth Sr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 22-1
197 #5 Morgan McIntosh So. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel 22-2
285 Jon Gingrich Jr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 19-4
OUT #12 Jimmy Lawson Jr. Tom’s River, N.J./Manchester Township 16-4

#3 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (9-1, 6-1 B1G) / trend it at #PSUwrMINN
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Sam Brancale Fr. Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie 8-5
133 #8 David Thorn Sr. St. Michael, Minn./Albertville 17-4
141 #6 Chris Dardanes Jr. Chicago, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest 15-3
149 #3 Nick Dardanes Jr. Chicago, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest 18-2
157 #8 Dylan Ness Jr. Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy 14-4
165 Danny Zilverberg Sr. Wayzata, Minn./Albertville 14-8
174 #6 Logan Storley Jr. Roslyn, S.D./Webster 22-3
184 #8 Kevin Steinhaus Sr. Pennock, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunberg 10-2
197 #1 Scott Schiller Jr. West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo 24-0
285 #5 Tony Nelson Sr. Cambridge, Minn./Isanti 21-4

Individual rankings are Intermat and team rankings are Intermat TPI as of 2/4

Triple Threat the Dixon Triplets

Written by Austin Marshall
Edmond’s Dixon brothers have arrived. In February of last year, the triplets—Lance, Joel, and Andrew—each won the state championship in their weight class and led Edmond North High School to a state title. The brothers made headlines this fall by committing to wrestle for Coach Mark Cody at the University of Oklahoma. After being aggressively recruited by several of the nation’s premier college wrestling programs, the brothers Dixon are poised to rise quickly in the world of collegiate wrestling.

Wrestling has always been a family affair for the Dixons. Whether it’s in-season training, wrestling camps in the summer, or the dozens of hours spent traveling to and from duels and tournaments, the family keeps a packed schedule. The three, like so many successful Edmond wrestlers, learned the sport as members of the Edmond Generals wrestling team. They were taking swimming classes when their mother, Linda, enrolled them in the program. Their talent was evident from a young age. After decorated amateur careers throughout middle and high school, the three are now poised to make names for themselves on the national stage as individuals and as a family.

The brothers realized that many top-tier programs—the University of Iowa, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, to name a few—may not be able to offer scholarships to all three. The “economics of a wrestling program,” as the brothers refer to it, could have made it impractical to offer each of the three a scholarship in the same year. Imagine the Dixon’s surprise when seven schools offered them full scholarships. “Then it just became a struggle to pick the best fit for all of us,” the brothers said. Each of the Dixons had his reasons for attending OU. Joel was impressed by the family atmosphere. Lance saw an opportunity for the Dixons to help build the program into a national powerhouse. “We could have gone to a top-notch wrestling school and been another cog in the wheel of success, or, we could help build a wrestling program in our home state. It was a no-brainer,” Lance said. Andrew, who aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon after his wrestling career is over, was drawn to the University’s medical school. “It means a great deal to us to be able to stay together,” the brothers agreed. “We wrestle better when we have each other’s support and encouragement. We make each other better.”

Their success is not the result of natural talent alone. To excel at a sport as physically demanding as wrestling in a state as competitive as Oklahoma requires years of hard work and dedication. In high school, the Dixons would practice after school, come home for dinner, and then go to The Edge Sports Training Facility where their personal trainer, Denny Bonewitz, would work with them until 9pm. After returning home and completing homework, the Dixons would wake up and repeat the cycle again.
The brothers will be anything but idle after their senior years of high school. They’ll report to OU on June 1st, where they will enroll in summer courses and begin training with the rest of the team. In July, the Dixons compete in Fargo, North Dakota, for the Freestyle National Championships. They are scheduled to compete in Junior World Nationals and will represent Oklahoma in Dual Nationals, as well.

Perhaps most importantly, the Dixons’ decision to attend OU together made their mother very happy. Linda Dixon was very impressed by Coach Cody’s emphasis on family and academics and was obviously pleased to have all three sons remain close to home. “I didn’t want to raise professional wrestlers,” Linda said, “I wanted to raise professionals.” By attending OU, her sons each get to pursue their wrestling careers while having access to a world-class university. If their past is any indication, the future is bright for these Edmond triplets.

Snow Day and National Duals by Cody Sanderson

I woke up today to freezing rain, a bunch of snow, cancelled school, and excited kids. As I was shoveling walks and building snowmen, I kept thinking about the National Dual Championship proposal. I am not sure what it is about icy roads and frozen hands that get the wheels in my brain turning, but I decided to organize my thoughts about the issue and share with anyone interested.

Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to participate in several discussions concerning the national wrestling duals. The conversation has been lively and entertaining as well as frustrating and alarming. In the single most memorable discussion, an outspoken advocate of the dual championship and a very influential coach told me that “small programs like Davidson University don’t mean anything” to him and he wasn’t going to “waste” his time worrying about them. He continued by saying that the proposed changes “need to happen even if that means some programs get dropped”. (I can only assume he meant programs other than his own). I was certainly dismayed to learn that a coach of that stature is so willing to sacrifice those programs. Another coach from a major conference told me that, “Penn State needs to stop worrying about the bottom 20 programs because there is nothing that can be done to help them”. Since we were first “lobbied” by the NWCA leadership for support of the duals format, my main concern has been the security of our most vulnerable programs.
At Penn State, we are very fortunate to be a part of a healthy wrestling community. We have a vibrant fan following, world class facilities, large recruiting base, and generous funding. Regardless of any changes to the National Tournament and season structure, we will have the ability to make necessary adjustments and compete on an annual basis for one of the top spots on the podium. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of Division I programs in our situation. I believe it is our responsibility to help the less fortunate programs and I don’t consider it a “waste of time” to worry about them.

Outside of the threat to many of our Division I programs, I have several concerns about the proposed changes to the wrestling championship season that I will discuss below. I am a fan and staunch advocate of the current championship format. I believe it is superior to any proposals that I have seen. The traditional championship tournament is the most appropriate way for our sport to balance its unique blend of individual and team aspects. As is, the tournament is hugely successful and possibly the most exciting wresting event in the world. The attendance is great, the media attention is extensive and the television coverage continues to grow. Why would we risk changing it?

In no particular order, I have listed some of my concerns:

1. The National Duals is an event that will exclude the very schools that need the most help. There will be a huge void in the season for the teams left watching from the “sidelines”. How do the remaining 50 teams keep their fan base engaged when their “presence on campus” is completely eliminated? Any momentum they gained during the season will surely dissipate. No competition = no presence on campus = stagnation or elimination. Advocates for the National Duals claim that the non-participating teams can create and participate in “dual meet festivals”. It seems a bit ironic that the very people carrying the “dual meets don’t matter” banner are telling coaches to participate in duals that “don’t matter”. It should be noted that if these “dual meet festivals” are not exempted from the NCAA limit for competition dates, coaches would have to leave dates open in their schedules in order to participate.

2. Student-Athlete Welfare
a. Increased competition dates and an extended post season will further contribute to our APR problems (“wrestling as a sport ranks 3rd from last”… Mike Moyer). Our sport is already perceived as an academic liability with athletic directors and university presidents. We are skating on thin ice with this issue.
b. Our athletes have the most difficult time keeping up with class during the post season – an additional 3 weeks of post season would be detrimental to GPA , eligibility, and class attendance (further hurting APR). 70% of college wrestling participants are first generation college students. From the first day these student-athletes step on a campus, they are at a greater risk than the general student body. It is important to keep these facts in mind as we consider changes to our schedule infrastructure.
c. Skin infections: increasing competition dates and travel will lead to more skin infections. We have the most problems with this when we have multiple competitions on the same and/or consecutive days. With a two week, multi competition national duals format prior to the Conference and NCAA tournaments, we run a greater risk of losing athletes to an infection. According to the NWCA Leadership, skin infections are a “huge threat” to the future of our sport.
d. More competitions will lead to more injuries. It is not an easy task keeping a team healthy through a full season. Injuries are an inevitable consequence of athletic participation. However, with our current three week post season, we are generally able to have our athletes on the mat for the conference and national tournaments – even if an athlete is forced to miss a regular season match late in the season. As with skin infections, the addition of the National Duals increases the risk for losing an athlete to injury. I do understand that we currently have regular season duals scheduled during the proposed National Duals weekend, but they are single match events and the risk of injury is much smaller. As one commentator put it, “we could see championships determined more by health than the quality of the wrestlers”. With the additional risks and strenuous competition, it may even be an advantage for an individual if his team does not qualify for the National Duals.

3. “The Crown Jewel” The NCAA Division I Championship could be the most successful wrestling tournament in the world. “It is one of only two NCAA Championship events that sell out literally a year in advance, joining the NCAA Men’s Final Four as the fastest selling ticketed events in the NCAA Championship family. Changing something that is so beloved by our fan base is actually, in many ways, insulting to them if not outright short-sighted.”

4. The new dual meet portion of the tournament will make it more difficult for the majority of institutions to be competitive in the post season. The current format allows coaches a way to break into the top tier. With the change, teams that are in the upper echelon will distance themselves from the remainder of the field. They will have the advantage of scoring in the dual meet portion and then scoring again in the traditional format – with the exact same student-athletes. The current tournament has been called an “All-Star”* event. In the National Duals proposal the actual “All-Stars” will be scoring multiple times. A disproportionate amount of points will go to a very small number of schools. The teams that traditionally score the most points in the post season will now score even more.
*(I don’t believe it is reasonable to refer to a tournament with 330 participants as an All-Star event.)

5. This proposal could further stagnate the college wrestling fan base by eliminating viewership opportunities. This past season, the “top teams” and others eliminated dual meets from the regular season to accommodate the national duals. Rather than schedule 16 regular competitions as well as the dual tournament, many coaches scheduled 14 or 15 and then added the tournament. Ironically, in an effort to increase dual matches and viewership, the total number of duals and spectators was reduced. This is an indication that coaches believe that an increased number of competition dates is not in the best interest of their student-athletes. Our sport LOST revenue and viewership opportunities.

6. February should be a month for all teams to host and promote dual meets. The new proposal eliminates that opportunity. We already have limited opportunities to promote duals to the campus community. The month of February is historically one of the most successful times to host dual matches. In November, we must avoid the Thanksgiving Holiday and most of the athletic focus is on football. For the same reasons, it is difficult to market to the high school wrestling community at that time. During, the second half of December and the first half of January, duals can go largely unnoticed because of final exams and the winter break. With the new duals, the vast majority of NCAA DI teams will be competing at away sites all through February and March (or not competing at all). We can’t build a presence on campus, unless we are on campus.

7. With the addition of the National Dual Meet Championship, there will be a large disparity created between athletes on qualifying teams vs non-qualifying teams. Post season is the most strenuous time of the year for athletes. With the new proposal (no matter which format), many athletes will be forced to compete in a post season situation that lasts for 5-6 weeks. The remaining athletes (on “non-qualifying” teams) will compete under significantly different circumstances in a post season segment that lasts 2-3 weeks. When athletes from the two groups meet at the final competition, it will not be a level playing field. There is not a scenario that makes it just or equitable to have these two different groups of athletes compete at the final championship under such different circumstances.

8. It has been expressed by a spokesperson for the NCAA Wrestling Committee that “our research has shown the casual fan will more likely watch a wrestling competition that involves his/her institution in a two hour dual competition than an all-day invitational tournament”. That statement is likely true, but doesn’t seem relevant in this situation. The proposed dual meet tournament will occur when teams are traditionally engaged in dual matches not invitational tournaments. When considering the four most prestigious invitational championships (RTOC, Southern Scuffle, Midlands, and CK Las Vegas), three of these take place during the traditional university semester break. The new dual proposal is set to reduce dual competitions not invitational tournament competitions. It should be noted that individual and invitational type tournaments are very few in number when compared to dual competitions, but play an indispensable role in determining individual qualifiers for the NCAA Championship and serve as preparation for the championship. They also provide a unique opportunity for the promotion of individual match-ups between notable athletes that would not happen otherwise.

9. For many teams, there will be additional pressure on already strained budgets. They will have to come up with significant additional funds to travel to at least the early stages of the event. Of equal importance, when the NCAA gets involved with transportation funding, we start getting into Title IX and gender equity issues – they refer to it as championship opportunities. According to Anthony Holman, NCAA associate director of championships, “increased opportunities come with increased participation”. In other words, until athletic departments begin adding wrestling programs, there will not be additional championship opportunities or funding for wrestling. (This is why the original National Duals proposal only asked for 16 teams. The committee knows that the NCAA already feels that wrestling is “over represented” in the current championship. It is also a reason why there has not been a proposal that asks for a NCAA national dual championship team in addition to the current championship team).

10. The current NCAA wresting tournament structure is excellent. Every match in every dual and every tournament builds to the climax at the end of the season. Every athlete has the whole season to put themselves in position to score for their team. In a perfect world, every team would have 10 individuals wrestling at the NCAA tournament, but our current structure is the next best thing. Each individual competes against their weight class and scores points in relation to the rest of the field. Our tournament captures the essence of the individual nature of our sport and brilliantly uses it to determine the team champion. **

** The following is part of a discussion I had concerning the scoring merits of tournaments vs dual meets:

In regards to determining the best team, I certainly understand the sentiment that has been expressed by those who favor the dual method. However, given the individual nature of our sport, the current method captures the essence of wrestling. It allows each member of the team to earn points in relationship to how they finish against the rest of the field. I understand that the system is not perfect because the “whole field” is not present at the NCAA tournament. But, this is only a minor problem because the top 33 individuals at each weight class provide an adequate number of competitors to determine a significantly viable team score. Generally speaking, every athlete has a full season to demonstrate the ability to score points towards the team score. If they aren’t capable of making the top 33, it is generally accepted that the individual is very unlikely to impact the total team score. Properly understood, the current NCAA wrestling championship is the final stage of a season long event that culminates with a three day competition to crown the individual and team champions. From my viewpoint, the conference tournaments are the first round of this final event. Every team in the country is fully represented at the conference championship and each individual has one final chance to earn a spot in the “scoring round”. As is, every team has full representation in the post season.
I think the traditional system for determining the team champion is brilliant. The athlete gets the opportunity to fight through a bracket against other competitors his same weight is rewarded accordingly. There is no better way to test the strength of a team in our sport than to weigh the performance of its individuals against the top competitors.

(In order to have a perfect tournament, every team would have its full roster in attendance at the NCAA tournament. However, due to the logistics of running a marketable event that considers the welfare of the student athlete and the NCAA’s view point on gender equity, we are required to trim the numbers down to a manageable 330. The other option for determining a “true” team champion would be a traditional style bracket with every member of the top 32 teams, but I don’t think we want to go down a road that eliminates top individuals. The traditional structure blends the above two methods.)

The Arizona State team from the 2011 NCAA Tournament has been brought up many times to argue against the current method. There will always be an example of some team that finishes higher than conventional wisdom feels they should. However, when considering the merits of any event, it seems wise to focus on the majority and not on the individual outliers. I think it is important to remember that ASU had 20% of the individual national champions in that year. One in every five athletes on the top of the podium belonged to ASU. For any team, that is quite remarkable. If there is a flaw in the system and we are getting more “Arizona States” than we collectively feel is right, then the reasonable answer seems to be to change the point distribution – not change the whole system. Currently, the system may be considered a bit top heavy (I don’t necessarily agree). If it is, then increase the points earned at the lower end of the bracket. Give placement points for top 16 and top 12. Increase 8, 7, and 6 by a few points.

(Along the “Arizona State” lines, I have also heard similar complaints about American University and Edinboro. One National Duals advocate called their success a “travesty” and another coach told me their “success isn’t fair”. In my opinion, I would rather celebrate coaches that work their tails off and win with fewer resources than try to find a way to bring them down. Also, I think it is important to note that every coach and every team in the country had the opportunity to recruit the same athletes. They all come from the same pool.)

When it comes to dual meets, the outcome is far too subjective. The way a team “matches up” with another team has a huge effect on the outcome. The match-up problem plays a role in every single dual and is often the deciding factor in a close dual. I’m not a statistics guy, but intuitively, the tournament method seems far more statistically sound.

Here is a hypothetical to demonstrate my point:

Team A has 5 wrestlers ranked #1 and 5 wrestlers ranked #10.

Team B has 5 wrestlers ranked # 3 and 5 wrestlers ranked #12.

If a dual match is wrestled between Team A and Team B, the outcome will drastically change depending on the individual “match-ups”. If the #1s wrestled the #3s and the #10s wrestled #12s and the dual went according to ranking, the base score would be 30-0. If it flip flopped and the #1s wrestled the #12s and the #3s wrestled the #10s, the base score would be 15-15. The strength (and “balance”) of the teams haven’t changed, but there is an extreme difference in team score. In varying degrees, this happens in every single dual meet wrestled.

Another problem with dual meets is that the value of individual competitors is skewed. For example, in a dual meet, the number one ranked wrestler in the country is limited in the contribution he can make to the team. (Advocates for the National Duals like to compare wrestling to “team” sports. It would be strange to see Lebron James limited to scoring 10% of his team points.) Depending on match-ups in a dual meet, a number one ranked wrestler may be no more valuable than a guy that is ranked #50. There is also the case of a #1 guy matching up with a #2 guy. In this scenario, one of the top wrestlers in the country will not be scoring any points. Yes, he may “save” some points, but this does not properly award a team for having one of the best guys in the country. In a tournament setting, the points scored more accurately reflect the contribution of the individual. We could go on and on with these examples, but my point is that the dual meet is again statistically inaccurate when testing the strength of a team.

While, I don’t feel that the dual meet is the proper way to determine a national team championship, I believe it is the main vehicle for getting people to view and follow the sport through the regular season. We need to make sure that the season is structured for us to maximize the number of opportunities to get fans in the stands. While the National Duals structure may allow the “top” 3 or 4 teams to get a bit more media exposure, the overwhelming majority of programs could have fewer opportunities to grow their fan base. The subjective nature of the duals may add a bit of spice to the regular season, but for every dual that becomes more exciting, another dual loses its flavor because the “match-ups” result in a lopsided team score.

I have been told, “You can’t oppose the new duals proposals without offering up a solution or another alternative”. In the words of someone with a larger vocabulary than me, “this argument is specious, knowingly deceitful and willfully obtuse. To offer up a counter proposal to changing our national championship format would be to confirm that it is broken and needs fixing. In our view, the way we decide our national champion is not broken and does not need fixing. That does not indicate that we don’t need to find ways to grow the sport, to promote and foster exciting dual meet environments, and to treat our dual meet seasons with the same level of enthusiasm that we treat our tournaments. EVERY SPORT needs to do that, and wrestling is no different. We have been doing many different things to foster the dual meet environment, to assist and help promote smaller programs or programs in need. To imply that we cannot oppose changing our current championship structure without offering up alternatives is a canard”

Dapper Dan wrestling event picks U.S. all-stars

WRESTLING NOTEBOOK
February 2, 2014 10:57 PM

By Ken Wunderley / Tri-State Sports & News Service

Kyle Snyder has not wrestled a high school match in the 2013-14 season, but was still chosen for the United States all-star team for the 40th annual Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic.

Snyder posted a 179-0 record and won Maryland state titles the past three years at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, but decided to skip his senior year to begin training for the Olympics in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I’ve accomplished all I can at the high school level,” said Snyder, who won a Junior World Freestyle title in 2013. “My goal is to wrestle in the 2016 Olympics. With that in mind, I decided to start training at the Olympic Training Center.”

Snyder is now attending Coronado High School in Colorado Springs and will graduate in May, but is not allowed to compete at the high school level.

“I’ve been training and living here since July 21,” said Snyder, who accepted a scholarship to Ohio State University. “I live in dorms with eight others who are currently living and training here. We also have quite a few other wrestlers pop in at various times. I’ve met quite a few former and current Olympians. I’ve really enjoyed the experience.”

Area wrestling fans got a chance to see Snyder at the 2012 Powerade Christmas Tournament. He completely dominated the 220-pound weight class, capped by an impressive 16-6 win against Thomas Haines of Solanco (Pa.) in the title match. Haines, a three-time PIAA Class AAA champion, has moved up to the 285-pound weight class this year.

“I’ve wanted to wrestle in the Classic since I was a freshman,” Snyder said. “I was hoping the committee would pick me. I can’t wait. I have a ton of family and friends, even my coach, coming up from Maryland to see me wrestle. It will be the final match of my high school career.”

Snyder is one of 13 wrestlers chosen to represent the U.S. all-stars March 16 at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House. The U.S. team will face Pennsylvania’s all-star team in the feature match at 6 p.m. A team of WPIAL all-stars will face the Oklahoma all-stars in the preliminary match at 4 p.m.

Snyder is one of five three-time state champions on the U.S. squad. The others are: Josh Albers (134-0 at 132 pounds) of Illinois; Tyler Berger (152-3 at 145) of Oregon; Ryan Blees (141-5 at 160) of North Dakota; and Chip Ness (138-1 at 195) of Georgia.

The U.S. squad also features a three-time national prep school champion in Joe McKenna (115-7 at 138) of New Jersey.

The Classic is produced and sponsored by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dapper Dan Charities and local volunteers. Proceeds support a youth wrestling program for inner-city children through the Dapper Dan Youth Sports Leagues at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania. The reserved seat ticket price is $15 and general admission is $10.

Tickets can be purchased at Wright Automotive Group on Route 19, Monroeville Chrysler Jeep, Canon-McMillan High School or by calling Dapper Dan Charities at 412-263-3850. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.wrestlingclassic.com.

PIAA qualifiers

Six teams from the WPIAL and one City League squad qualified for the 2014 PIAA team tournament with hopes of claiming one of the two titles.

Franklin Regional (19-1), Latrobe (12-2), North Allegheny (13-1) and Allderdice (9-5) qualified for the 20-team Class AAA bracket. Burrell (12-3), South Fayette (20-1) and Jefferson-Morgan (15-3) qualified for the Class AA bracket, which also has 20 teams.

Allderdice, the City League’s lone representative, qualified for the Class AAA bracket for the third consecutive year by winning the City League title. Allderdice will face North Allegheny at 7 p.m. today at Carrick, with the winner earning a trip to Hershey. North Allegheny is making its third consecutive PIAA appearance.

Jefferson-Morgan will make its second PIAA Class AA appearance in three years. The Rockets will face District 10 runner-up Fort LeBoeuf at 7 p.m. today on the road, with the winner going to Hershey.

Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Burrell and South Fayette receive a bye until the first round starts Thursday. The remainder of the tournament will be held at Giant Center in Hershey and will conclude Saturday.

Burrell will make its 10th PIAA appearance. The Buccaneers have a 19-14 record in PIAA matches and have been a top-four finisher four times. Franklin Regional and South Fayette are making their second PIAA appearances.

Hershey pains

The PIAA team tournament has not been kind to the WPIAL. Only three WPIAL teams have won a PIAA title since the tournament began in 1999.

* Canon-McMillan won back-to-back PIAA Class AAA titles in 2012 and 2013.

* Connellsville claimed the Class AAA title in 2005 after placing second in 2000 and 2004.

* Burrell captured the Class AA title in 2008.

Only three other WPIAL teams have made an appearance in the finals: Kiski Area (2003) and Trinity (2002) placed second in Class AAA, and Shady Side Academy was runner-up in 2001 and 2009.

Looking ahead

The WPIAL individual section tournaments in Class AA will be Feb. 15. Chartiers-Houston (Section 1), Charleroi (2), and Avonworth (3) will host the three qualifiers.

The section tournaments in Class AAA will be Feb. 22. The sites for the four tournaments are Gateway (Section 1), Baldwin (2), Fox Chapel (3) and Moon (4).

The top five finishers in each weight class from each section advance to the WPIAL championships. The WPIAL Class AA tournament will be Feb. 21-22 at Chartiers Valley. The Class AAA WPIAL/Southwest Regional will be Feb. 27-March 1 at Canon-McMillan.

The Class AA Southwest Region tournament will return to Cambria County’s War Memorial Arena Feb. 28-March 1. The PIAA tournament, Class AAA and AA, will be March 6-8 at Giant Center.

U.S. All-Star team

113 Brian Rossi, Lockport, Ill. (110-16)

120 Nathan Boston, Woodford County, Ky. (153-1, 2-time state champ)

126 Steve Micic, Hanover Central, Ind. (136-5, 2-time state champ)

132 Josh Albers, Dakota, Ill. (134-0, 3-time state champ)

138 Joe McKenna, Blair Academy, N.J. (115-7, 3-time national prep champ)

145 Tyler Berger, Crook County, Ore. (152-3, 3-time state champ)

152 Bryce Brill, Mount Carmel, Ill. (136-5, 2-time state champ)

160 Ryan Blees, Bismarck, N.D. (141-5, 3-time state champ)

170 Bo Nickal, Allen, Texas. (140-7, 2-time state champ)

182 Johnny Sebastian, Bergen Catholic, N.J. (110-16, 2-time state champ)

195 Chip Ness, Buford, Ga. (138-1, 3-time state champ)

220 Kyle Snyder, Good Counsel, Md. (179-0, 3-time state champ)

285 Nick Nevills, Clovis, Calif. (150-5, 2-time champ)

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2014/02/03/Dapper-Dan-event-picks-U-S-all-stars/stories/201402030041#ixzz2sI46mRqP

No.1 Penn State clinches share of Big Ten regular season title with 32-9 win over Michigan

By Pat Donghia Penn State Sports Information

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team handled No. 11 Michigan 32-9 in a Super Bowl Sunday showdown live on the Big Ten Network Sunday, in a battle between the conference’s final two unbeaten teams. By virtue of the win, Penn State clinched at least a share of the 2014 Big Ten regular season title, riding three straight technical falls to a lop-sided win. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s crew won eight of ten bouts in the victory.

With two-time All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, not making the weekend trip due to illness, sophomore Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) got the nod at 125 and controlled Conor Youtsey for a strong 9-4 win. 16th-ranked Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) then silenced a raucous sell-out crowd with a strong 9-0 major over Rossi Bruno at 133. True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 141, remained unbeaten with a dominating 7-1 win over Steve Dutton, rolling up 2:20 in riding time in the process and putting Penn State up 10-0

At 149, junior Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) nearly pulled off an upset of No. 8 Eric Grajales. Alton bolted out to an 8-5 lead and led by two late. But a last second Grajales takedown ended with a Michigan fall at the 6:56 mark, briefly cutting into Penn State’s lead. But All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 157, responded in fine fashion with a thrilling 3-1 (SV2) decision over No. 14 Brian Murphy, sending Penn State into halftime with a 13-6 lead.

After intermission, three-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, posted yet another impressive win over a top-ten opponent, rolling through No. 6 Dan Yates on his way to a 17-2 tech fall at the 5:13 mark. All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, posted a tech fall of his own, notching a 21-6 win at the 5:35 mark over UM’s Collin Zeerip. At 184, three-time All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 3 nationally, made it three straight tech falls, rolling to a 17-2 win over Domenic Abounader at the 5:39 mark to put Penn State up 28-6.
Sixth-ranked sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) continued the bonus point parade at 197, majoring Chris Heald 17-1. Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) nearly upset No. 2 Adam Coon, but the Wolverine heavyweight fought off a late Gingrich shot to escape with a 2-1 win. Still, the Lions’ eight wins led to a 32-9 victory and kept Penn State unbeaten on the year.

Penn State won the takedown battle with a 31-5 edge. Taylor improves to 23-0 on the year with 11 pins, seven tech falls and five majors. He his 123-3 all-time, seventh on Penn State’s career wins list. He moves to 31-0 in Big Ten duals and is 52-0 all-time against Big Ten competition. Ruth is now 22-1 on the year with eight pins, eight tech falls and six majors. He is 124-3 on the year, fifth all-time at Penn State. Ruth improves to 31-0 in Big Ten duals and is 53-0 all-time against Big Ten competition.

Retherford remains unbeaten on the year with a 23-0 record, including four pins, two tech falls and seven majors. Dylan Alton is also unbeaten at 15-0 with three pins and a major. Brown moves to 23-1 with six pins, four tech falls and seven majors while McIntosh improves to 22-2 with four pins and ten majors.

Penn State is now 13-0 on the year, 7-0 in Big Ten duals, clinching at least a share of the Big Ten regular season (dual meet) crown. Michigan moves to 9-3, 5-1 B1G. The Nittany Lions continue a three-game Big Ten road swing when they trek to Minneapolis on Sunday, Feb. 9, for a 2 p.m. (Eastern) match-up with No. 3 Minnesota. The dual will also air live on the Big Ten Network.

With the full season of Rec Hall duals sold out prior to the start of the campaign, a very limited number of standing room only tickets are available to a few of the remaining Rec Hall duals. People may purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Penn State Athletics ticket office located in the BJC. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

#1 Penn State 32, #11 Michigan 9
February 2, 2014 – Ann Arbor, Mich.

125: Jordan Conaway PSU dec. Conor Youtsey MICH, 9-4 – 3-0
133: #16 Jimmy Gulibon PSU maj. dec. #17 Rossi Bruno MICH, 9-0 – 7-0
141: #2 Zain Retherford PSU dec. Steve Dutton MICH, 7-1 – 10-0
149: #8 Eric Grajales MICH pinned Andrew Alton PSU, WBF (6:56) – 10-6
157: #12 Dylan Alton PSU dec. #14 Brian Murphy MICH, 3-1 (SV2) – 13-6
165: #1 David Taylor PSU tech fall #6 Dan Yates MICH, 17-2 (TF; 5:13)– 18-6
174: #3 Matt Brown PSU tech fall Collin Zeerip MICH, 21-6 (TF; 5:35) – 23-6
184: #3 Ed Ruth PSU tech fall Domenic Abounader MICH, 17-2 (TF; 5:39)– 28-6
197: #6 Morgan McIntosh PSU maj. dec. Chris Heald MICH, 17-7 – 32-6
285: #2 Adam Coon MICH dec. Jon Gingrich PSU, 2-1 – 32-9
Attendance: 1,504
Records: Penn State 13-0, 7-0 B1G; Michigan 9-3, 5-1 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at No. 3 Minnesota, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m. (Eastern)/1 p.m. (Central)

Randi Miller named OW at Dave Schultz Memorial

By Craig Sesker USA Wrestling | Feb. 01, 2014, 8:noon (ET)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Randi Miller used her power and strength to win an Olympic bronze medal in 2008.

She used those same qualities to earn a championship at the Dave Schultz Memorial International on Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Miller overcame an early deficit, scoring on two pushouts to down World champion Elena Pirozhkova 2-1 in the women’s freestyle finals at 69 kg/152 lbs.

Miller, 30, competing for the U.S. Army, earned her second Schultz title after winning here in 2007. She stepped away from wrestling after the 2008 Olympics before returning to the mat this season.

Pirozhkova, a 2012 Olympian, has won this event three times.

Miller was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.

“Elena’s a tough competitor and it was a good match,” Miller said. “I’m out here to learn and I’m trying to figure out how to beat everyone. I’m just focused on doing the things I need to do to get better.”

World champion Jessica MacDonald of Canada rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to down two-time World bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe of the U.S. 14-4 in the finals at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. MacDonald won her second Schultz title.

MacDonald trailed 4-0 late in the first period before scoring a takedown just before time ran out. She stormed out strong in the second period, scoring on a succession of turns to clinch the win.

World silver medalist Helen Maroulis of the U.S. downed University World champion Katherine Fulp Allen 8-0 in the finals at 53 kg/116.5 lbs. Maroulis won her second straight Schultz title.

“I just focus on my style and myself,” Maroulis said. “I wasn’t really happy with the way I wrestled today, but I really want to wrestle at 53 for the World Cup so I moved down for this tournament.”

China captured the team title with Canada finishing second and India third.

India’s Sakshi Malik defeated Junior World bronze medalist Jennifer Page of the U.S. 14-4 in the finals at 60 kg/132 lbs.

World champion Lan Zhang of China recorded a first-period fall over Junior World silver medalist Braxton Stone-Papadopulous of Canada in the finals at 58 kg/127 lbs.

China’s Zhangting Zhou won by forfeit over World champion teammate Luozhuoma Xi to gain the crown at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.

University World medalist Erica Wiebe of Canada knocked off World champion Fengliu Zhang of China 6-2 in the finals at 75 kg/165 lbs.

China’s Xuechun Zhong won the title at 55 kg/121 lbs. with a first-period fall over India’s Babita Kumari.

This is the final day of the three-day Schultz event. This tournament has been held annually since 1999. It honors the late Dave Schultz, an Olympic and World champion for the U.S.