Jake Dieffenbach (House Springs, Mo./Oklahoma State University) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 1-7.

Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement will be made each week on Wednesday.

The ninth-ranked Dieffenbach, a senior transfer from NAIA Lindenwood University, scored a 5-3 win over returning NCAA champion Mark Perry of Iowa to key No. 6 Oklahoma State to a 19-14 win over No. 1 Iowa on Jan. 5 in Iowa City.

Dieffenbach trailed 1-0 in the 165-pound match against Perry before scoring a takedown and two near-fall points late in the second period. The win came before a near-sellout crowd of 14,332 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Dieffenbach is 10-1 this season.

Dieffenbach, a senior, was a two-time NAIA national champion for Lindenwood in 2006 and 2007 after placing second in 2005. He led his team to NAIA national titles in 2005 and 2007.

He graduated from Lindenwood and is working on his master's degree at Oklahoma State.

Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete's name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to Craig Sesker at csesker@usawrestling.org