MCDONOUGH NAMED BIG TEN CONFERENCE WRESTLER OF THE WEEK

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa senior Matt McDonough has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. The weekly honor is the third of McDonough's career.

The two-time NCAA champion earned the accolade following a pair of pins and two victories over top 10 opponents last week in Iowa’s season opener. McDonough opened his season with a first period fall against Cumberland’s Zach Shelton. He followed that up with a 9-4 decision over No. 5 Matt Snyder (Virginia) and a first period pin against No. 9 Nick Soto (Chattanooga). The three wins extended his winning streak to 31 matches.  

The Hawkeyes return to the mat Saturday inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena when they host the Iowa City Duals. Iowa hosts Southern Illinois, Cornell College and Iowa Central in three consecutive duals beginning at 9 a.m. 

Virginia's Jon Fausey Named ACC Wrestler of the Week
Redshirt junior pinned No. 8 Grant Gambrall of Iowa on Friday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia’s Jon Fausey (R-Jr., Dalmatia, Pa.) has been named the ACC Wresler of the Week, as announced by the conference office today. Fausey pinned then-No. 8 Grant Gambrall of Iowa during the Cavaliers’ dual with the Hawkeyes last Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn.

This is Fausey’s first career ACC Wrestler of the Week honor.

Ranked ninth nationally at the time by InterMat, Fausey scored the big win of the day for Virginia with a pin of Gambrall in the second sudden death period (8:29 into match) at 174 pounds. Gambrall was a 2011 All-American for the Hawkeyes at 184 pounds.

Now 5-0 this season, Fausey moved up to No. 8 this week in the InterMat rankings. 

The 17th-ranked Cavaliers return to action at noon Sunday when they open ACC competition at No. 12 Virginia Tech.

Cole VonOhlen Named WWC Wrestler of the Week

OREM, Utah – Air Force senior Cole VonOhlen (Jackson, Minn.) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week, as announced today by the league. It marks the first time this season and eighth time in his career that VonOhlen has been awarded the honor.

VonOhlen, currently ranked 11th in the nation by Intermat at 149 pounds, won his second-straight individual title this past weekend, taking first place at the UNK Holiday Inn Open. 

VonOhlen earned the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award by posting a perfect 4-0 record on Saturday. He opened the day with a fall in 56 seconds, while scoring a technical fall and a decision in his next two bouts. He then captured the title by pinning Augustana’s Nate Herda in a time of 2:56. 

With his two falls in the tournament, VonOhlen moved to 42 falls for his career, matching the Academy’s school record for career pins.

The Falcons are off from competition this weekend, but return to action next week at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

Nahshon Garrett, Joey Napoli share honors as EIWA Wrestlers of the Week

Two wrestlers share the first EIWA Wrestler of the Week Award of the new season. They are Nahshon Garrett of Cornell, who has exploded on the scene at 125 pounds, and Joey Napoli of Lehigh, who took a year off to grow into 157, and appears to have succeeded beyond expectations.

Garrett, a true freshman, won his second tournament of the year on Saturday, improving his record to 10-0 with a 13-9 finals win over #6 Steve Bonanno of Hofstra in the New York State Championships. Six of Garrettʼs wins have come with bonus points.

Napoli, unranked at 157, knocked off #2 Dylan Alton of Penn State Friday evening 4-2 by coming from behind to score a takedown in the second period, then riding out his opponent in the final period. He followed that up the next day with a 6-0 shutout over #6 Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg

Lehigh press release on Napoli

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a 2-0 weekend that included two wins over wrestlers ranked in the top six nationally, Lehigh junior Joey Napoli was named EIWA Co-Wrestler of the Week on Monday. Napoli posted wins over No. 2 Dylan Alton of Penn State on Friday night and No. 6 Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg as the Mountain Hawks went 1-1 in duals against the Nittany Lions and Huskies.
 
The Boiling Springs, Pa. native deferred his eligibility last year while moving up to the 157 pound weight class and has now burst back onto the national scene after beginning the season unranked. Napoli gave up the first takedown to Alton of Penn State Friday night but successfully came from behind to win 4-2. Napoli scored a match-changing takedown late in the second period and then rode out Alton in the third period to secure the victory. 
 
Napoli followed that up with an impressive 6-0 shutout of Hickman. With 30 seconds remaining in the first period, Napoli took down Hickman for an early two-point lead, and followed his takedown with an escape early in the second. He then added another takedown late in the second period before riding time tacked on the extra point. The victories improved Napoli’s early-season mark to 3-0. 
 
Last season, Napoli went 31-6 competing unattached in open tournaments. He was named Lehigh’s Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year at the annual Lewis Wrestling Dinner.
 
Napoli owns a 42-25 career record and qualified for the NCAA Championships at 149 as a sophomore in 2011 as he went 1-2 at the national tournament. He shares his first EIWA Wrestler of the Week Award of the new season with Nashon Garrett of Cornell.
 
The Mountain Hawks (2-1) will be off from competition over the Thanksgiving holiday but will return to action with a pair of home duals on Friday November 30 and Saturday December 1. Lehigh will host Hofstra November 30 at 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall before welcoming Penn the following afternoon at 1 p.m. in the annual Billy Sheridan Memorial Dual. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, but visiting the Lehigh box office in Stabler Arena, or by visiting Lehighsports.com.

Apprentice School's Sterling Briscoe honored by USCAA

Apprentice School sophomore Sterling Briscoe was named on Tuesday as the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week for the week ending November 18.

Briscoe, a sophomore pipefitter apprentice from Virginia Beach, VA, went 7-1 on the week as the Builders went 2-0 in dual matches and finished fourth in a tournament hosted by the University of Central Florida.

After winning his dual match on Friday night by a major decision, Briscoe stumbled in his first match of the tournament losing to the eventual runner-up from NCAA Division II UNC Pembroke.  Once in the consolation bracket he went on a spree winning six straight matches – two by fall, two by tech fall and a major decision in the third place match.

For the year, he leads the team in wins (13) and is second in falls with six as the Apprentice School us 6-1 in dual matches.

The Builders are now off until December 1 when they participate in the York College (PA) Spartan Invitational.