NEW YORK, November 13, 2003 - CSTV: College Sports Television, the fastest-growing independent cable network, will premiere the first-ever national college wrestling television package on Sunday, December 18, with a telecast featuring 15-time NCAA champion Iowa against archrival Iowa State.  CSTV's schedule includes teams that have won all but one NCAA national team title since 1969 and features other intense rivalries such as Penn State vs. Lehigh and Oklahoma State vs. Iowa, in addition to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals and All-Star Classic, and the Big Ten Championships.    Wrestling legends Dan Gable and Jeff Blatnick will call the action on select CSTV telecasts.  Gable, the three-time NCAA Coach of the Year, guided the University of Iowa to an unprecedented 15 NCAA national championships while developing 45 individual NCAA national champions and 152 All Americans.  He was also the 1980, 1984 and 2000 U.S. Olympic wrestling coach.  Jeff Blatnick, whose wrestling gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games capped an emotional comeback from cancer, won 10 national titles overall during a 16-year wrestling career.       CSTV (www.cstv.com), the first 24-hour college sports network, is available to approximately 15 million homes nationally on cable and satellite. The network is available on Adelphia and Insight systems and on DirecTV.  For information on CSTV availability in particular markets, consumers can log on to www.cstv.com or call their cable or satellite operator.    "CSTV's coverage presents an unprecedented national promotional opportunity for college wrestling, which boasts an intense and passionate fan base," said Chris Bevilacqua, co-founder and executive vice president, CSTV.  "College wrestling is a sport with a rabid following that has traditionally been underserved, and we are pleased to bring its athleticism, competitiveness and intensity to a whole new audience."     In addition to its package of college action, CSTV will feature wrestling within U.S. Olympic Pursuit, the first regularly scheduled, year-round television programming dedicated to showcasing America's future Olympic champions. The premiere installment of U.S. Olympic Pursuit, on Tuesday, November 11 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), will feature the 2003 Sunkist International Freestyle Wrestling Open, while the November 18 U.S. Olympic Pursuit show will feature the 2003 Sunkist International Greco-Roman Wrestling Open.    The network's college wrestling coverage extends to its CSTV Primetime and CSTV Scoreboard live studio shows originating from the CSTV Fieldhouse in New York City, as well as to original series such as Coach, which profile the greatest college coaches.  Legendary Iowa mentor Dan Gable will be profiled on an upcoming Coach special. College wrestling is also featured within the network's Retrovision series, which highlights the "best of the best" of classic college sports action.    Wrestling fans nationwide are helping to spread the word about CSTV by signing its online petition www.cstv.com/petition.htm in support of getting CSTV added to their cable operators' channel line-up. The goal is to get 100,000 signatures.       CSTV's 2003-04 College Wrestling Schedule (all times EST)  Sunday, December 18 - Iowa at Iowa State - 8 PM  Thursday, January 15  - Penn State at Lehigh - 8 PM  Thursday, January 22  - Oklahoma State at Iowa - 8 PM  Sunday, January 25  - Missouri at Nebraska - 6 PM  Thursday, January 29  - NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Presented by Icebreakers - 8 PM  Thursday, February 5  - Cornell at Penn - 9 PM  Thursday, February 12 - NWCA All-Star Classic, Presented by US Marine Corp - 9 PM  Thursday, February 17 - Nebraska at Iowa State - 9 PM  Thursday, February 26 - Ohio State at Iowa  - 9 PM  Sunday, March 14  - Big Ten Championships - 5:30 PM    CSTV College Wrestling Highlights  
More than 40 NCAA All-Americans are expected to be showcased on CSTV telecasts, including NCAA champions Johnny Thompson and Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State, Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State, Travis Lee of Cornell, Greg Jones of West Virginia and Damion Hahn of Minnesota
  
The NWCA National Duals features the top college teams in the country competing for the national championship in dual meet competition
  
The NWCA All-Star Classic pits the #1- and #2-ranked wrestlers in each weight class against each other, providing an early glimpse at a possible NCAA Championships match up
  
The Big Ten Championships is a pivotal barometer heading into the NCAA meet; powerhouses Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State will vie for individual and team conference titles as well as favorable seedings for the NCAA Championships
    CSTV: College Sports Television televises regular season and championship event coverage in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer and other sports from the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big East, Big Sky, Big Ten, Big 12, Big West and Conference USA, as well as the Ivy League, Mountain West, Sun Belt, WAC and West Coast conferences. CSTV also presents NCAA postseason action in baseball, lacrosse, women's ice hockey, field hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's water polo, gymnastics and track & field.    College Sports Television was co-founded by President/CEO Brian Bedol, Chairman Stephen Greenberg and Executive Vice President Chris Bevilacqua. Bedol and Greenberg co-founded Classic Sports Network, which they sold to ESPN and which is now ESPN Classic. Bevilacqua is a former senior executive with Nike Inc., where he headed the company's successful foray into the college market.