Jordan Oliver named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month By Jessica Schwager Big 12 Conference IRVING, Texas - Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) is the first student-athlete of the 2010-11 season selected as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for competitions during November. This is the first career weekly conference honor for Oliver. WRESTLER OF THE MONTH Jordan Oliver, OSU, So., 133 pounds, Easton, Pa. Oliver, the No. 1 wrestler in the 133-pound division, won the Oklahoma City Open in Oklahoma State’s first competition of the season. He scored bonus points for his fellow Cowboys as he defeated Bucknell’s Alex Pellicciotti with a 22-4 technical fall. He then went on to defeat Boise State’s Andrew Hochstrasser, the then-No. 1 wrestler in the 133-pound weight division, in the NWCA All-Star Classic. 2010 BIG 12 WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK/MONTH November: Jordan Oliver, OSU, So., 133
Maryland's Letts, Virginia's Henrich Named ACC Wrestlers Of The Week By Steve Phillips Atlantic Coast Conference GREENSBORO, N.C. – A pair of 174-pound seniors – Maryland’s Mike Letts and Virginia’s Chris Henrich – have been named ACC Co-Wrestlers of the Week after strong showings in last weekend’s Northeast Duals that featured wins over fellow nationally-ranked opposition. The 12th-ranked Letts opened with a 6-2 decision over Penn’s seventh-ranked Scott Giffin. The Parkersburg, Pa., native added a 4-1 win over Northern Iowa’s Brice Wolf and a 3-0 shutout of Missouri’s Dorian Henderson. Letts is 9-1 this season, including a 2-1 record vs. top-15 opposition. Letts also owns a win over Rutgers’ No. 13 Alex Caruso, and his lone loss came to eighth-ranked Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma. The second-ranked Henrich defended his spot with a 9-4 win over Lehigh’s 16-ranked Austin Meys, and a 5-2 decision over Pittsburgh’s 17th-ranked Ethan Headlee. The Lansdale, Pa., native also scored a 15-3 major decision over Columbia’s Stephen West. Henrich has won all nine of his matches this season. The Cavalier All-American now has 110 career wins, six shy of matching the school record.
Paul Young named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week By Bob Healy Big Ten Conference Sr. – 157 – Bloomington, Ind. – Bloomington South Paul Young earns Big Ten Wrestler of the Week status for the second time in his career after leading Indiana to three wins at the Hoosier Duals on Saturday. The sixth-ranked 157-pounder notched two pins and a decision in his three bouts at the competition. Young began the day by pinning UNC-Greensboro’s Jonathan Rodebaugh in 36 seconds, earning six points en route to a 34-12 Indiana win. He followed with another pin in 2:04 against Old Dominion’s Micah Blair, helping the Hoosiers earn a 22-13 win against the Monarchs. The senior closed the competition with a 10-3 decision over 19th-ranked Bryan Deutsch of Northern Illinois in a 22-18 Indiana win. The three dual wins pushed the Hoosiers’ 2010 record to 6-0. Last Indiana Wrestler of the Week: Angel Escobedo (Dec. 8, 2009) 2010-11 Big Ten Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 9: Ian Paddock, So., OSU Nov. 16: Kyle Dooley, So., ILL; Sean Boyle, So., MICH Nov. 23: Travis Rutt, Jr., WIS Nov. 30: Paul Young, Sr., IND Ryan Tomei named EWL Wrestler of the Week By Jonathan Brennan Pittsburgh Sports Information Pitt heavyweight Ryan Tomei was named EWL Wrestler of the Week, the league office announced Sunday night. Tomei, a redshirt junior from Irwin, Pa., went 3-0 at the Journeyman Northeast Duals this past Saturday, leading the Panthers to victories over Penn (16-15) and No. 23 Virginia (21-15). In both matches, Tomei was the deciding factor. “Ryan had an outstanding performance this past weekend,†Pitt Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer said. “He came up big for us when we needed him to. He’s often times put in a tough situation with a match on the line, and Ryan has willed us to victory on numerous occasions.†In its matchup against Penn, Pitt trailed 15-13 with the heavyweight division the only bout remaining. Tomei was able record an 8-2 decision over Kyle Cowan, giving the Panthers three points and clinching the match, 16-15. Against Virginia, Tomei faced off against John Danilkowicz with the score tied at 15-15. Tomei showed his strength by pinning the Cavaliers heavyweight in just over two minutes into the bout. With the fall, the Panthers won by a final score of 21-15. In his final bout of the day, Tomei squared off against Ryan Flores of American University. Flores entered the match ranked as the third best heavyweight in the country by InterMat Wrestling, while Tomei ranked ninth. Tomei used a reversal, a takedown and a two-point near fall to defeat Flores with a 6-4 decision. “Ryan fought extremely hard against Flores in a battle of two of the best heavyweights in college wrestling,†Stottlemyer added. “He’s faced some tough competition but we know that Ryan is capable of winning against any heavyweight in the country.†With the three victories, Tomei improves to 10-1 on the season including a title at the Clarion Open. His lone loss came against No. 1 ranked Zach Rey of Lehigh in an extremely tight 3-2 OT decision.
Rutgers' D.J. Russo named EIWA Wrestler of the Week By Matt Haas Rutgers Sports Information Rutgers senior heavyweight DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.) has been named the EIWA Wrester of the Week, the Conference announced Sunday. This marks the third time in his career that Russo has taken home the honor. Russo, who was also named EIWA Wrestler of the Week Feb. 8, 2009 and Feb. 3, 2010, earns the award after a weekend which saw him go undefeated with a pair of dual-clinching wins at the Northeast Duals in Albany, N.Y. In his first matchup of the weekend, Russo met up with Stanford’s Dylan Rush in a match that would decide the RU-Stanford dual. Both wrestlers came out strong to start the first period, but Russo got on the board first when he reversed Rush. Rush didn’t flinch, reversing Russo to even the score at two. Russo then scored another reversal to gain a 4-2 edge. Rush escaped before the end of the first to cut the lead to 4-3 entering the second. Neither wrestler was able to score any points in the second or third and Russo used 2:46 of riding time to clinch the match, 5-3, and the dual, 18-13. Russo battled Missouri’s Dom Bradley, the second ranked heavyweight in the country in his biggest contest of the day. The bout took on added importance as the RU-UM dual was even at 16-16 heading into the deciding heavyweight match. After a scoreless first period, Bradley chose to start down in the second eventually earning an escape to open the scoring. The two grapplers went toe to toe for the remainder of the second with neither able to score before the end setting up a deciding third period. In the third, Russo chose down and quickly earned an escape to square the contest at 1-1. Bradley seemed to have the upper hand when he took down Russo to regain the lead at 3-,1 but Russo kept his composure and escaped to get within a point. With 13 seconds left in the third, Russo shot low and took Bradley down off a scramble to earn the two points and take the lead at 4-3. From there, Russo was able to ride out Bradley and secure the 4-3 victory and clinch the dual for RU, 16-13. In his final match of the Northeast Duals, Russo earned a pin fall victory over Columbia’s Kevin Lester in 2:57. The fall gave Russo a team-leading six victories by pin fall on the season and improved his overall season record to 10-0, also the best on the team. Russo and the rest of the Scarlet Knights return to action this Saturday, Dec. 5, when they head to Happy Valley, Pa. for the Nittany Lion Open hosted by Penn State.
Augustana's Cody Lensing named Northern Sun Wrestler of the Week By Tim Gerszewski Augustana Sports Information The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced Monday that Augustana wrestler Cody Lensing has been named its Wrestler of the Week for his performance in last week's dual against Augsburg. Lensing, a junior 133 pounder from Moundsview, Minn., topped Augsburg's Cody Madsen 13-2 to help Augustana defeat the Auggies, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division III, 25-6 last Wednesday. Lensing and the Vikings took eight of 10 matches in their first dual of the season. Lensing is 9-1 in 2010. Augustana hosts cross-town rival the University of Sioux Falls on Wednesday at 7 p.m.