Huskies Head East to Clash with Old Dominion[/B]
NIU closes January with longest road trip of the season[/I]
DeKALB, Ill. ? [/B]The Northern Illinois University wrestling team caps off the month of January Friday night when they head to Virginia to face Old Dominion.
The dual between the Huskies and Monarchs starts at 6:30 p.m. inside ODU's Ted Constant Center.
"There will be a lot of tough match ups in this dual," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "These conference duals are always intense. We will focus on the things we do well and bring a competitive fire."
The Huskies will aim to end January the same way they began the month ? on a positive note. Last weekend, NIU suffered a 31-0 defeat at the hands of then-#7 Missouri. Despite the final tally, though, several Huskies came close to pulling off major upsets, including Rob Jillard against #1 Drake Houdashelt at 149 and Shaun'Qae McMurtry against #8 Zach Toal at 165.
Meanwhile, Old Dominion holds a 5-8 overall mark and a 1-2 MAC clip heading into Friday. The Monarchs are led on the mats by a pair of nationally-ranked opponents in #5 Chris Mecate (141 pounds) and #20 Alexander Richardson (149 pounds). ODU is coming off a 2-0 weekend on the road, knocking off Binghamton and Buffalo.
Projected NIU Lineup
[/URL]125[/B]: Nick Harrison[/URL]
133: [/B]Nick Smith
141: [/B]Tyler Argue
149: [/B]Rob Jillard
157: [/B]Andrew Morse
165: [/B]Shaun'Qae McMurtry
174: [/B]Matt Mougin
184: [/B]Caleb Busson
197: [/B]Shawn Scott
285:[/B] Jared Torrence
Projected Old Dominion Lineup
125[/B]: Brandon Jeske
133: [/B]Scott Festejo OR Michael Hayes
141: [/B]#5 Chris Mecate
149: [/B]#20 Alexander Richardson
157: [/B]Tristan Warner
165: [/B]Devin Geoghegan OR Dillon Geoghegan
174: [/B]Billy Curling OR Austin Coburn
184: [/B]Jack Dechow
197: [/B]Kevin Beazley OR Jake Henderson
285:[/B] Matt Tourdot
Scouting Old Dominion[/B]
Old Dominion enters Friday with a 5-8 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the conference. Last weekend, the Monarchs went 2-0 up in New York, topping Binghamton, 21-12, before earning their first-ever MAC victory in a 21-10 decision at Buffalo. Despite their record, ODU has faced seven ranked teams this season, including current Top 25 teams Wisconsin, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, Edinboro and Virginia. The Monarchs boast two individuals ranked in the InterMat polls in #5 Chris Mecate (141 pounds) and #20 Alexander Richardson (149). NIU holds a 2-0 series edge following wins in 2007 and 2010.
High Mileage[/B]
Friday's dual at Old Dominion will mark the longest roadtrip the Huskies take this season. As the crow flies, there are 752 miles that separate DeKalb from Norfolk, Va. In fact, a trip this long is so rare for the NIU wrestling program that the last time they traveled this far from DeKalb was in 2006, when the team competed at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. The matchup will also be the first time in three meetings that NIU and ODU will face off on one of the school's campuses, as the previous two meetings have been on neutral floors (Northern Iowa in 2007 and Indiana in 2010).
Five Huskies Place at Grand View Open[/B]
While the starters were battling Missouri Saturday, seven other Huskies were out in Des Moines, Iowa, competing in the Grand View Open. Five of those seven placed at the tournament. Leading the way for that group was Derek Elmore, who won the 133-pound bracket. In addition, Jordan Northrup (3rd - 133), Trace Engelkes (4th - 165), Bryan Loughlin (4th - 184) and Sal Annoreno (6th - 141) all found their way onto the podium.
The Big 5-0[/B]
NIU redshirt senior Matt Mougin reached the 50-career-win mark Jan. 19 when he got a forfeit Sunday against Ashland. Meanwhile, Jared Torrence still sits one victory away from 50 career wins. Earlier this season, senior Nick Smith earned his 50th career victory with an 8-4 decision against Clarion's Sam Sherlock at the EMU Duals on Nov. 16.
Up Next...[/B]
The Huskies close out the home portion of their schedule Saturday, Feb. 8, when they host the Kent State Golden Flashes on Senior Day. The dual begins at 3 p.m. inside Victor E. Court.
No. 13 Virginia Wrestling Plays Host to Maryland Friday, Bucknell Sunday[/B]
Cavaliers and Terrapins square off for final time as ACC rivals
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ? The No. 13 Virginia wrestling team returns home to Memorial Gymnasium this weekend for a pair of duals, taking on Maryland at 7 p.m. Friday and Bucknell at 2 p.m. Sunday. There is no admission charge, and parking is free of charge in the Culbreth Road Garage.
Live results will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (13-3, 2-1 ACC) had its six-match win streak snapped last Friday with a 25-9 defeat at No. 8 Pittsburgh. Seven of the 10 weight classes were determined by two points or fewer, but UVa won just two of the close bouts in suffering its first conference loss of the year.
Joseph Martinez (R-So., Platteville, Colo.), Blaise Butler (R-So., Belvidere, Ill.) and Nick Sulzer (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio) each scored wins for Virginia.
Six Cavaliers are ranked this week, as each of UVa's wrestlers from 141 through 184 pounds earned a ranking from at least one of the national organizations once again. Sulzer (25-1) is ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds, while Gus Sako (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio) is No. 9 at 149 in the Amateur Wrestling News rankings; Sako is expected to return to action Friday after missing a few weeks because of an injury.
Joe Spisak (R-Jr., Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Butler stand No. 15 at 141 and 157, respectively, while Stephen Doty (R-Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) is ranked 12th at 174 by InterMat and 17th by AWN. Jon Fausey (R-Sr., Dalmatia, Pa.) earned a No. 18 ranking at 184 from InterMat.
Virginia and Maryland will be squaring off for the final time as conference rivals, with the Terrapins leaving the ACC for the Big Ten Conference next season. Maryland holds a 40-22 edge in the all-time series, although the Cavaliers have won the last two meetings, including a 21-19 decision last season in College Park.
Maryland owns a 5-7 dual record, including a 1-2 mark in the ACC. The Terps boast three of the premier wrestlers in the nation, including the top-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, unbeaten Jimmy Sheptock. Christian Boley is ranked eighth at 197 pounds, while Spencer Myers is sixth at heavyweight. Sheptock and Myers each are returning All-Americans.
UVa holds a 7-2 lead in its series with Bucknell (5-8, 2-2 EIWA). The teams wrestled at the 2013 Virginia Duals, with the Cavaliers winning by a 31-6 count. The Bison's lineup is highlighted by 20th-ranked Joe Stolfi at heavyweight, while Paul Petrov owns a 21-6 season record at 125 pounds. Bucknell will wrestle American at home Friday evening, then travel to George Mason for a 9 a.m. Sunday match before trekking to Charlottesville.
Virginia wraps up its 2013-14 home schedule next Friday (Feb. 7) with a 7 p.m. match against North Carolina. Senior Night ceremonies will be conducted prior to the match. UVa closes the regular season with duals at NC State (Feb. 9) and George Mason (Feb. 16).
Weekend Probables
Virginia (13-3, 2-1 ACC)
125: Nick Herrmann (12-6)
133: Joseph Martinez (10-11)
141: No. 15/17 Joe Spisak (15-9)
149: No. -/9 Gus Sako (14-1)
157: No. 15/15 Blaise Butler (13-6)
165: No. 2/2 Nick Sulzer (25-1)
174: No. 17/12 Stephen Doty (20-7)
184: No. -/18 Jon Fausey (12-6)
197: Zach Nye (14-7)
285: Ethan Hayes (13-11) or Collin Campbell (3-5)
Maryland (5-7, 1-2 ACC)
125: Billy Rappo (12-9)
133: Tyler Goodwin (9-6)
141: Shyheim Brown (13-6)
149: Frank Goodwin (8-6)
157: Ben Dorsay (10-8) or Danny Orem (7-8)
165: Josh Snook (4-9)
174: Ty Snook (2-0) or Tony Gardner (5-8)
184: No. 1/1 Jimmy Sheptock (21-0)
197: No. 8/13 Christian Boley (16-2)
285: No. 6/8 Spencer Myers (18-2)
Bucknell (5-8, 2-2 EIWA)
125: Paul Petrov (21-6)
133: Grim Gonzalez (13-18)
141: Connor Lapresi (10-16)
149: Victor Lopez (14-15)
157: Ray Schlitt (17-16)
165: Rustin Barrick (13-15)
174: Joey Krulock (7-12)
184: Rory Bonner (7-12)
197: Tyler Lyster (14-12)
285: No. 20/20 Joe Stolfi (21-6)
Rankings: AWN/InterMat
Pendleton Faces Tough Field At Dave Schultz Memorial International
Cowboy assistant coach will compete against some of world's top wrestlers
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 29, 2014) UW assistant wrestling coach Chris Pendleton will compete in the 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial International tournament on Friday in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The field is stocked with talented competitors in three classes, including four Olympic medalists, six World champions and 20 World medalists. The 16th annual international event will be hosted in Sports Center I at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from Thursday through Sunday. Greco-Roman will compete on Thursday, men's freestyle on Friday and women's freestyle on Saturday. Live results can be found at TrackWrestling.com.
Pendleton last competed for Team USA in the Stepan Sargsyan International freestyle competition in Vanadzor, Armenia, in August. Pendleton was once again a member of the US national team thanks to a runner-up finish at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in June.
The event is hosted in the memory of Dave Schultz, a World and Olympic champion in men's freestyle, who was murdered in 1996. Schultz was a legend in international wrestling, popular all over the world and a true ambassador of goodwill through sports.
There are several international teams signed up to compete, including Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Great Britain, Honduras, India, Israel, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.
Action begins for each day's events from 9 a.m.-2:15 p.m, with finals set for 4 p.m.
Sun Devil Wrestling Welcomes No. 18 Iowa State and No. 25 Stanford
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State wrestling team (6-5, 1-0 Pac-12 duals) is set for a pair of dual matches against ranked foes this weekend, hosting No. 18 Iowa State and No. 25 Stanford on Saturday and Monday, respectively, at Wells Fargo Arena.
Saturday's contest is set for an 8 p.m. MT start and will be live streamed through
thesundevils.com, while Monday's league bouts will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks at 6 p.m. MT.
Fans who bring their ticket stub from the Iowa State match will receive $3 admission to the dual with Stanford.
Jason Knapp and Ken Chertow will be back in Tempe for Monday's broadcast, ASU's second televised contest so far this season.
THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS
ASU will close out the home slate on Sunday, Feb. 9, hosting Oregon State in a Pac-12 Network contest.
MORE THINGS TO KNOW
Ares Carpio (125) and Joel Smith (157) lead the Sun Devil probable starters with matching dual records of 8-3. Blake Stauffer is 6-1 at 184 and Ray Waters sits at 5-1 in duals, and has gone undefeated (3-0) since moving up to 174.
SCOUTING IOWA STATE
The Hurricanes (7-3, 1-2 Big 12) dropped a road dual at Oklahoma State last week, 29-3. Their lone win of the day came at 197, where No. 2 Kyven Gadson picked up a 3-1 decision to remain undefeated in dual matches (9-0).
Gadson is one of four wrestlers on No. 18 Iowa State's roster who is ranked in any of the four major wrestling polls. Gadson sits at No. 2 in the AWN, WIN Magazine, and D1CW polls, while Michael Moreno, probable for 165, is ranked at No. 15 by WIN Magazine and D1CW, and at No. 16 by AWN.
Tanner Weatherman, one of the probables at 174, is ranked at No. 8 by D1CW, No. 10 by WIN Magazine, and No. 16 by AWN. Iowa State's probable at 125, Earl Hall, is ranked at No. 20 by D1CW.
Probable Starters
125: Earl Hill, So. (14-8/3-2)
133: Shayden Terukina, R-So. (4-8, 1-2)
141: Gabe Moreno, R-Fr. (15-12, 2-7)
149: Luke Gottel, R-Jr. (11-9, 5-4)
157: John Nicholson, R-Sr. (10-8, 2-4)
165: Michael Moreno, R-Jr. (19-6, 6-3)
174: Tanner Weatherman, R-So. (18-10, 5-4) OR Lelund Weatherspoon, R-So. (21-7, 5-2)
184: Boaz Beard, R-Sr., (8-3, 2-1)
197: Kyven Gadson, R-Jr. (17-2, 9-0)
HWT: Quean Smith, R-Fr. (5-12, 2-4) OR Ben Perna, R-Sr. (9-9, 0-3)
SCOUTING STANFORD
The Cardinal (13-4, 1-1 Pac-12) picked up a pair of wins last week, defeating Simpson, 35-7, at home before making the short trip to San Francisco to defeat San Francisco State, 33-8.
Against Simpson, Stanford picked up three forfeit wins (HWT, 125, and 184), and added a major decision toward its final score. In the dual with San Francisco State, the Cardinal recorded five bonus-point decisions with major decisions at 125, 157, and 165, and falls at 174 and 197.
Stanford has four wrestlers in its probable starters ranked by one or more of the four major polls, with No. 13 Evan Silver at 125, No. 10 Ryan Mango at 133, No. 18 Jim Wilson at 165, and No. 19 Dan Scherer at 197.
Probable Starters
125: #13 Evan Silver, So. (17-4) OR Tommy Pawelski, Fr. (18-12)
133: #10 Ryan Mango, RS Sr. (20-3)
141: Peter Russo, So. (5-8)
149: Donovan Halpin, Sr. (10-11)
157: Bret Baumbach, Sr. (15-7) OR Peter Galli, RS Fr. (9-3)
165: #18 Jim Wilson, RS Fr. (26-5)
174: Kyle Meyer, Sr. (19-10)
184: Zach Nevills, RS Fr. (14-12)
197: #19 Dan Scherer, Sr. (15-3) OR Alan Yen, Sr. (6-4)
285: Josh Marchok, RS Fr. (14-9)
LOOKING BACK
Sun Devil wrestling picked up a home win last week, upsetting No. 21 Boise State, 21-15, in ASU's inaugural Beauty and the Beast Meet with the ASU Gymnastics team.
After Ares Carpio picked up a narrow, 9-8, decision at 125, the Sun Devils fell behind with losses at 133, 141, and 149. Before the intermission, Joel Smith got ASU back in the dual with a major decision at 157, and Nick Rex gave ASU a narrow, 10-9, edge with a decision at 165.
At 174, Ray waters picked up six points for ASU with his sixth pin of the year, in 3:20, while Blake Stauffer added five more points with a 16-0 tech fall to put the Sun Devils up, 21-9, going into the final weights.
HEATING UP THE POLLS
With his tech fall win in ASU's dual with Boise State, Blake Stauffer moved up one spot the polls this week, now ranked at No. 18 at 184 by Amateur Wrestling News
JOEL SMITH AND THE SPEEDY PINS
Joel Smith currently owns three of the fastest pin times so far this season, starting with his 18-second victory at the Cowboy Open on Nov. 2. Smith's pins at the Virginia Duals, 0:37 over Nebraska-Kearney's Colton Johnson and 1:30 over Old Dominion's Tristan Warner, are the second and third quickest pins in 2013-14, respectively.
Smith also recorded a pin in 4:03, and is second on the team with four, followed Ray Waters (165/174) who has six.
MORE ON PINS
Ray Waters' (165) pin of SIUE's Logun Taylor at 1:59 on Nov. 16 marks the fifth-quickest pin so far this season. Waters has recorded five more falls, which leads the team. His 2:31 takedown of Josh VanTine in ASU's dual with Northern Colorado marks the sixth-fastest time, and his 3:20 pin over Boise State's Cole Rice places him in eighth. Waters also recorded a pin at 3:49 over Harvard's Colton Peppleman is at No. 10 on the list.
ASU PICKS UP UPSET OVER OLD DOMINION
The Sun Devils competed in their lone head-to-head team competition last week, the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va. ASU finished seventh overall, marking the sixth time finishing in the Top 8 and second at seventh (last, 1987).
After an opening-round loss to No. 8 seed Chattanooga (35-7), ASU rebounded with a win over then-No. 25 Old Dominion (21-15). ASU fell to Rider, 25-11, before topping Nebraska-Kearney, 32-6, in the seventh-place match.
Against Old Dominion, each team won five matches, but ASU was boosted by a pair of pins, the first as Ares Carpio won in 4:54 at 125, and the second from Joel Smith at 157 in 1:30.
Smith was the lone Sun Devil to go undefeated on the day, picking up two pins and a decision. In ASU's victory over Nebraska-Kearney, they picked up four bonus-point decisions: one pin from Smith, two major decisions from Kalin Goodsite (133) and Matt Kraus (141), and one victory via forfeit from Luke Bean at 197.
PODIUM NOTES
So far this season, six Sun Devils have recorded high final placements in tournament action. Kyle Colling is the first ASU wrestler to pick up a tournament title in the 2013-14 season, winning the heavyweight bracket at the Keystone Classic with four wins, including a 3-1 tiebreaker decision in the championship match.
Kevin Radford has a pair of third-place finishes under his belt, the first at the Cowboy Open (Nov. 2), where he went 5-1 in the 184 weight class before finishing third at 174 at the Keystone Classic on Nov. 24. Radford also finished eighth overall at the Las Vegas Invite on Dec. 7.
Chace Eskam finished third at the Cowboy Open at 197, going 2-1 overall and picking up a sudden-victory win in the opening round before he came out on top with a 3-2 decision to seal his finish.
Blake Stauffer went 5-1 at the Keystone Classic to finish third at 184, with three winning decisions and one tech fall victory.
Ray Waters finished fourth overall at the Keystone Classic at 165, with a pair of pins and a 12-4 major decision win over Appalachian State's Zac Strickland.
The final Sun Devil to place so far this season is Matt Kraus, who finished in fifth at the Keystone Classic at 141. Kraus picked up at 10-1 major decision win over Trevor Moody of Indiana en route to his finish.
As a team, ASU finished seventh in its lone head-to-head team tournament, the Virginia Duals. The Sun Devils picked up wins over then No. 25 Old Dominion and Nebraska-Kearney.
Breakdown:
First Place: Colling (Nov. 24)
Third Place: Radford (Nov. 2, Nov. 24), Eskam (Nov. 2), Stauffer (Nov. 24)
Fourth Place: Waters (Nov. 24)
Fifth Place: Kraus (Nov. 24)
Eighth Place: Radford (Dec. 7)
SUN DEVILS DUEL IN INTERSQUAD
Prior to its season opener, the Arizona State wrestling team competed in its yearly Maroon and Yellow Intersquad match. In the 125 weight class, Ares Carpio picked up from where he left off last season, dominating Tyree Owens, 20-5.
At 133, Tyler Liberatore took an early lead over Cord Coronado with three takedowns before Carpio came back and held off the major decision with a final score of 9-4.
Freshman Jesus Calderon stepped in at 141, but was unable to overcome Paul Looper's collegiate experience as Looper came out with the 9-2 victory.
The marquee match of the night came at 149, with Preston McCalmon taking on NCAA qualifier Nathan Hoffer. The pair fought to a tie score at the end of regulation before Hoffer came out to win the match.
At 157, Joel Smith picked up three takedowns in his defeat of Codey Combs, while Ray Waters pinned James Brundage in 37 seconds in the 165 weight class.
Josh DaSilvera defeated Chase Eskam in overtime, 3-2 in the 197, while the battle of the heavyweights came down to Kyle Colling picking up the advantage of Daniel Gusev.
In exhibition, Luke Bean wrestled Wesley Moore at the 197, with Moore picking up the win, 8-4.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Each of the Sun Devils' five home matches this season are scheduled back-to-back from Jan. 18 through Feb. 9. ASU will open the home slate with a tri-meet against Northern Colorado and Utah Valley on Jan. 18 before facing its first Pac-12 foe of the year, Boise State, on Jan. 24.
The Sun Devils will then take on Iowa State on Feb. 1 before taking on Pac-12 foe Stanford on Feb. 3, which will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks. ASU closes out the home schedule against Oregon State on Feb. 9, in another match that will be broadcast by the Pac-12 Networks.
DEVILS ON TV
Four of Arizona State's meets are set to be aired by the Pac-12 Networks in 2014, starting with the conference opener against Boise State. ASU will then have back-to-back televised duals against Stanford and Oregon State.
The 2014 Pac-12 Championships, hosted by Stanford on March 2 will also be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.
ADDING MATURITY TO THE ROSTER
This season, the Sun Devil roster features a pair of graduate transfers, James Brundage and Nick Rex. Brundage, who hails from Ossining, N.Y., received a BA in sociology at Rider University, and is now completing his masters in management at ASU. Rex joins the Sun Devils from Campbell University, where he earned a degree in communications, and was team captain during the 2011-13 seasons.
YOUNG GUNS
Some of the most experienced returning Sun Devils come in the form of Kevin Radford and Blake Stauffer. The redshirt junior and true sophomore combined for 43 wins last season, including 25 during the Pac-12 Conference slate. Both are currently ranked in each of the four major wrestling polls.
NEW FACES
Similar to last season's squad, the Maroon and Gold features a passel of young newcomers this year, with five true freshman additions, and a trio of sophomores. Joining the Sun Devils this season are freshmen Kaleb Baker (Memphis, Tenn.), Jesse Calderon (Indio, Calif.), Seth Monty (Mesa, Ariz.), and Mech Spraggins (Belleville, Ill.). New to the sophomore class this season are Wesley Moore (Queen Creek, Ariz.), Pablo Moreno (Yuma, Ariz.), and Kaylon Sencio (Houston, Texas).
COACHING ADDITIONS
The 2013-14 season will see a new addition to the Sun Devil squad, as Tyrel Todd was named as an assistant coach in the Summer of 2013. Todd spent the last two seasons training with the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, where he recently competed at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He was fourth at the 2008 Olympic trials at 84 kilograms, just missing a bid to the Beijing Olympics in the process. Following a standout career at Michigan, where Todd was a three-time All-American and 2009 Big Ten Conference Champion at 197 points, Todd served his alma mater as an assistant for the 2010 season before spending one year on the staff as an assistant at Cal Poly.