Josh Asper named ACC Wrestler of the Week
By Steve Phillips, Atlantic Coast Conference
Maryland 165-pound junior Josh Asper has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week after earning Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in the Brockport/ Oklahoma Invitational and leading the Terrapins to a second-place team finish.
 
The third-ranked Asper posted four wins in the event, including a 6-0 decision over sixth-ranked Scott Winston of Rutgers in the weight class final. Asper also defeated Rutgers’ Doug Harman (17-0, technical fall), Brockport’s Justin James (12-5 decision) and Oklahoma’s Pat Graham (9-2 decision) en route to the finals.
 
Asper, of Parkton, Md., shared Most Outstanding Wrestler honors with 149-pound Mario Mason of Rutgers. Asper’s efforts helped the 11th-ranked Terps compile 174.5 team points, 7.5 points behind the first-place finisher, 10th-ranked Oklahoma. No. 15 Rutgers placed third with 163 team points.
 
The effort capped a big weekend for Asper, who earlier was selected to compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Monday (Nov. 21) at Arizona State University. Asper will face No. 2 Shane Onufer of Wyoming. The pair split a pair of matches last season, with Asper winning in the All-Star Classic and Onufer prevailing in the fifth-place match at the NCAA Championships.
 
Asper’s teammate, third-ranked 285-pound sophomore Spencer Myers, was also selected for the NWCA All-Star Classic field and will face No. 2 Ryan Flores of American.


B.J. Futrell named Big Ten Wreslter fo the Week
PARK RIDGE, Ill. - Illinois redshirt-junior All-American B.J. Futrell was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. Futrell earns the first honor of his career after going 4-0 last Saturday at the Wrestle for a Cure Duals.

The No. 3 133-pounder dominated the competition, recording three pins and one technical fall, giving the Illini 23 points on the day. The Park Forest, Ill., native recorded his first pin against North Carolina's Brock Livorio then followed it up with another fall against Steve Mitcheff of Kent State. Against The Citadel, Futrell posted a pin of 2:23 and ended the day with a 25-9 technical fall over Utah Valley's Derek Malan. Futrell upped his season pin total to four, good for a tie for the team lead.

The last Illini to win the honor was Tony Dallago on Dec. 21, 2010.

The Fighting Illini will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to compete against Lehigh at 11 a.m. CT and Clarion at 1 p.m. CT.


Matt Wilps named EWL Wrestler of the Week
By Matt Jackson, Pittsburgh Sports Information

University of Pittsburgh redshirt junior Matt Wilps was named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week for his performance in a pair of dual meets this past weekend.

The returning national qualifier from Pittsburgh, Pa. earned the award after posting wins in two Panther victories, including an upset of No. 6 Lehigh, 18-16, on Saturday, Nov. 12, and a 25-13 win over Drexel the following day.

With Pitt leading 15-10 against Lehigh, Wilps, ranked seventh in the nation at 197 pounds by InterMat Wrestling, came through with a thrilling come-from-behind win over the ninth-ranked Kennedy to clinch the match for the Panthers.

Kennedy looked poised to avenge a 2-1 overtime loss to Wilps in the semifinals of the Buffalo Open. The Lehigh senior scored a third-period takedown to take a 3-1 lead.  But a late flurry resulted n an escape and a double-leg takedown by Wilps for the win.

“That’s what you expect out of an upperclassmen and a guy who wants to be on the podium at the NCAAs this year,” said Pitt coach Rande Stottlemyer following the match.

Wilps improved to 6-1 on the season with an 8-5 decision over Brandon Palik of Drexel on Sunday.

The Panthers (2-0) are on a seven-match winning streak dating back to last season and are ranked No. 17 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. They will look to make it eight in a row in their home opener against No. 8 Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 19. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.


Shane Onufer named WWC Wrestler of the Week
James Warnick, Western Wrestling Conference

University of Wyoming 165-pound senior Shane Onufer (Auburn, Wash./Auburn HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week by the league on Tuesday after an outstanding performance on the mat last week. 

In his first action of the season, Onufer went 4-0 at the Cowboy Open, winning his weight class at the event for the fourth-straight year. 

He started the tournament by pinning Jorge Benitez of Western State at the 6:30 mark and followed that up with a 5-0 decision over Jordan Larsen of Colorado School of Mines. He then defeated Tyler Juby (unattached) with an 11-0 major decision, and beat Steve Vasquez (Cal Poly) 5-1 in the championship bout. Onufer allowed just one point to his four opponents over the course of the tournament.  
 
The conference award Onufer's first of the season and fifth of his career. The Wyoming grappler is currently ranked second in the nation by InterMat at 165 pounds.
 
The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its sixth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.


Zach Rosol named Northern Sun Wrestler of the Week
The Northern Sun Conference has handed out this week’s wrestling awards and Zach Rosol (HWT, Sr., Nashua, Iowa) has been named the NSIC Wrestler of the Week. The honor is the sixth player of the week for Upper Iowa this year and first by a UIU wrestler.  
Zach Rosol won all three of his matches at the Luther Open this past Saturday to lead the Peacocks on a very successful day. The senior heavyweight picked up two wins by fall. He pinned Mark Tiedemann of NIACC at the 2:36 mark of the match in the quarterfinals before claiming a 5-1 decision over Brock Horwath of Wisconsin in the semis. In his finals match, Rosol posted another pin by an identical fall time (2:36); this time over Jacob Minske of Rochester C&TC. Rosol is now 6-1 on the year with a runner up and title in his two open tournaments.

Upper Iowa will be back on the mats again this coming Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Brute Adidas Open in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  The Peacocks will open their home schedule with a dual on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m.  UIU will host the Warriors of Waldorf College in the non-conference match.

Darren Faber earns CCIWA Wrestler of the Week
Wheaton College's Darren Faber was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday.

Faber, a junior, is currently 8-0 on the season after sweeping the last three events. He recently won the 197-pound weight class at the Knox Invitational, going 3-0 to win his second tournament title of the year. Earlier in the week, he pinned the University of Chicago’s Josh Lowy at 4:32 to help lead the Thunder to a 22-15 dual meet victory. Faber also won the 197-pound weight class at the Wisconsin-Stevens Point Open on November 5, going 4-0 on the day.

Bell selected RMAC Wrestler of the Week
For his performance at the Roadrunner Open in Bakersfield, Calif. and Sunday’s dual meet against Division I Arizona State, Grand Canyon University junior Celic Bell has been selected the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week, announced today by the RMAC office.

Bell kicked off the 2011-12 season in style, capturing the 197-pound tournament title at the Roadrunner Open in Bakersfield, Calif. with a 3-0 record.
 
He defeated returning Division I National Qualifier Ryan Smith from Cal-Poly with a 10-2 major decision in the finals. Smith is ranked in the top-20 in Division I in several polls.
 
Bell also notched another major decision victory over another top-25 Division I opponent in the dual against Arizona State, as he defeated No. 23 Tommy Burriel with a 13-5 score. Bell is off to a 4-0 start with three victories by bonus points and is 3-0 against Division I competition.

Lombardo name PAC Wrestler of the Week
Sophomore Sam Lombardo enjoyed an impressive debut to his 2011-12 wrestling season on Saturday at the Mt. Union Invitational. He was rewarded for his outstanding performance as this week's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Wrestler of the Week.
 
Lombardo went 4-0 during his first action of the season and took the 165-pound crown this past weekend. After picking up a win by first-period fall and another by 8-0 major decision, Lombardo beat sophomore teammate Cameron Fine, a starter at Division II Seton Hill before transferring to Waynesburg, to set up an all-Waynesburg final with talented freshman Sam Guidi. Lombardo prevailed with a 3-1 overtime decision against his younger teammate. For a complete look at this week's PAC wrestling release, click here.
 
The second-year starter and his teammates open up the dual portion of their schedule on Wednesday, Nov. 16, when they travel to Shippensburg to face the Raiders, who are ranked 20th nationally in Division II.