Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Cornell University) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week.

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.

Dake defeated Penn State’s David Taylor 2-1 in overtime at 165 pounds in the featured match at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 3,376 fans.

Dake, a three-time NCAA champion, rode Taylor out in the first tiebreaker period and then escaped in the second period to earn the win at American University in Washington, D.C.

Dake, a senior, is looking to become just the third wrestler to win four NCAA titles. He already owns NCAA crowns at 141, 149 and 157 pounds.

Taylor, a junior, won an NCAA title this past March and won the Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top wrestler for the 2011-12 season.

Dake beat Taylor earlier this year at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in freestyle wrestling. Dake served as a training partner for the U.S. team at the 2012 Olympics in London.

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