InterMat Staff

The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used a late surge at the upperweights and bonus points from its senior captains to knock off eighth-ranked Minnesota, 17-16, on Friday evening (Feb. 6) at the Gophers' Sports Pavilion. The two teams split matches 5-5, but back-to-back Wolverine major decisions at 174 and 184 pounds proved the deciding factor as U-M handed Minnesota its first Big Ten loss. Michigan claimed three of the final four matches to complete its second straight comeback win. With U-M down 13-6, Fifth-year senior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), the nation's top-ranked 174-pounder, kicked off the Wolverine surge and improved his season record to 19-0 with a 12-4 major decision against the Gophers' Kaleb Young. The Wolverine captain scored five takedowns, including three in the first period to set the early tone. With the extra point within reach midway through the final frame, Luke struck deep on a single leg and used his 2:01 in riding-time advantage to secure his 12th bonus win of the season. In the subsequent bout at 184 pounds, junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) similarly gained the only advantage he needed in the opening period, converting on an immediate single-leg shot against Sonny Yohn before riding out the remainder of the frame. Biondo, ranked 13th in the latest NWCA/InterMat poll, stayed on top for most of the second period as well and countered a Yohn shot in the closing seconds to add an additional takedown. The Gopher wrestler rode out the entirety of the third period, but Biondo finished the bout with 2:12 time advantage to wrap up a 5-2 decision and even the dual score. Fifth-year senior captain Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS), ranked fifth nationally, gave the Wolverines their first advantage of the meet, putting on a takedown clinic en route to a 16-5 major decision against Chris McPhail at 197 pounds. Todd converted on seven takedowns, including four in the middle frame, using a combination of single legs, double legs, throw bys and counters to highlight a game of catch and release. The Wolverine captain added 2:31 in riding-time advantage to pick up his ninth bonus win of the season and improve to 13-1. Minnesota still had to pull out the dual with a big win in the final match, but junior/sophomore heavyweight Eddie Phillips (Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) kept the score close, losing a 5-2 decision against Ben Berhow to maintain his team's advantage. Berhow struck on takedowns in the first and second periods and, with Phillips pressing late, locked down to hang on. The Gophers' gauntlet of nationally-ranked lowerweights proved less effective than Michigan's gauntlet at the upperweights but provided Minnesota a seven-point lead after back-to-back wins in the opening two bouts. The Wolverines responded with back-to-back wins of their own to keep pace. Sophomore Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) used a strong start -- a pair of first-period takedowns -- to battle to a 6-4 decision against eighth-ranked Mike Thorn at 141 pounds. Russell, ranked fifth nationally, converted on a single leg late in the frame and, after picking up about 30 seconds of riding time, came out on top of scramble in the final 10 seconds to add another late takedown. Thorn cut the gap with a single leg of his own in the second, but Russell, despite being unable to score on several opportunities, controlled the pace in the third to hold on for his 13th straight win. The Wolverine sophomore has not lost a match in exactly two months. Junior/sophomore Mark Beaudry (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) followed suit with a decision victory in a pivotal swing match at 149 pounds, using a first-period takedown and dominant riding to roll past Joe Grygelko, 4-0. Beaudry finished on a quick low single leg on the mat and, with a cross-body ride, rode out the remainder of the period. He added a quick escape in the second and again used a cross-body ride to control the entirety of the third, earning 4:21 in time advantage in his second dual victory of the season. Minnesota continued the theme of trading back-to-back wins, claiming decisions at 157 and 165 pounds to reestablished its seven-point advantage and set up the Wolverines' comeback. Junior/sophomore Aaron Hynes (Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) nearly pulled off an upset in the former bout but lost 7-6 on riding time to the Gophers' Tyler Safratowich. After falling behind early, Hynes controlled the tempo in the final half of the bout, converting on a late takedown in the second and adding a reversal in the third but could not overcome the deficit. Michigan will close out the weekend roadswing on Sunday (Feb. 8) with match against intrastate rival Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. The dual is slated for a 1 p.m. at Jenison Field House and will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Edinboro wrestling team won seven of ten matches on Thursday night to record its 22nd straight Eastern Wrestling League win, a 25-12 triumph at Bloomsburg. The 12th-ranked Fighting Scots improve to 10-4 overall and 3-0 in EWL action. Bloomsburg is now 7-7 and 2-3, respectively. Edinboro is now 23-0-1 in its last 24 EWL matches. The Fighting Scots won four of the first five bouts, then closed with three straight wins, including Joey Fendone's third straight win by fall. Paul Donahoe, ranked number one at 125 lbs., opened with an 8-2 decision over Ian Moser. Following a scoreless first period, Donahoe registered an escape and takedown in the second period for a 3-0 lead. He added a takedown and two near-fall points in the third period. Donahoe is now 24-0 on the season and 110-18 for his career. Edinboro went ahead 6-0 as Rocky Deubel picked up his tenth win in his last eleven matches at 133 lbs. The senior, who came in ranked 18th by InterMat, won a 4-1 decision over Jason Guffey. Deubel snapped a scoreless match in the second period, tilting Guffey for three near-fall points. Guffey would escape, but Deubel added a third period escape for the win. Deubel is now 21-9 and improves to 95-47 for his career. Steve Waite, who earlier in the week took over as the starter at 141 lbs. after he defeated Joel Webster in a wrestleoff, won an 11-1 major decision over Darren Kern to give the Scots a 10-0 lead. That gives the sophomore, who transferred to Edinboro from West Virginia at mid-year, a 6-2 record. Waite led 4-0 after one period thanks to a takedown and two near-fall points. He made it 8-0 with his second takedown and two more near-fall points. He added a third takedown in the third period. Bloomsburg got on the board when George Hickman won a rematch of the PSAC title match at 149 lbs. over Torsten Gillepsie. Gillespie had won the PSAC match with a last-second score for a 9-8 win. This time Hickman defeated the sophomore, 7-3. Gillespie grabbed an early lead with a first period takedown, but Hickman would tie the score on a reversal. Gillespie took the lead with an escape. Following a scoreless second period, Hickman used an escape to tie the score and then won the match with a takedown. Gillespie falls to 22-13 with the loss. In the feature match of the evening, a pair of top ten grapplers paired off at 157 lbs., with top-ranked Gregor Gillespie (above) defeating ninth-ranked Matt Moley for the third time this year. The final score was 6-0, as Gillespie remained perfect at 30-0 and is now 141-10 for his career. That leaves him four wins shy of the school record of 145 career wins held by Jason Robison. Following a scoreless first period, Gillespie received a pair of points for Moley stalling in the second period. He added a takedown in the third period, giving Edinboro a 13-3 lead. Ricky Schmelyun, ranked 19th by InterMat at 165 lbs., pulled the Huskies within 13-9 as he won by fall over Chris Hrunka in 54 seconds. Hrunka, filling in for injured starter Jarrod King, is now 4-9. The Huskies made it 13-12 when Nate Graham edged Paul Paddock, 2-0, at 174 lbs. That was the same score Graham defeated Paddock by in the first round of the PSAC Championships. Graham recorded the only scoring with a reversal in the second period. Paddock falls to 9-14 with the loss. Chris Honeycutt started a string of three straight wins by the Scots to put the match away. The sophomore, who is ranked 17th by InterMat at 184 lbs., won a 6-1 decision over Brian Shaw. He used a first period takedown and a second period escape for a 3-0 lead after two periods. In the third he added a second takedown. Honeycutt is now 22-6. Pat Bradshaw closed out the match with a 3-0 decision over Jesse Hasseman, giving the Scots a 19-12 lead. The junior used a takedown in the first and a second period escape for the only scoring. Bradshaw improves to 20-5, giving Edinboro seven wrestlers with 20 wins. Fendone, ranked 13th, closed out the night with a fall over Zac Walsh at 4:37. The senior is now 21-5 and moved closer to 100 career wins at 96-37. He also jumped into a tie for fourth place in career falls with 40. Edinboro returns to action on Friday night, hosting Cleveland State in another EWL match. It gets underway at 7 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse.

EAST STROUDSBURG -- Kyle Bilquist pinned Chris Birchler 17 seconds into the second period of their heavyweight match to cap Delaware Valley College's 24-16, come-from-behind victory over Division I East Stroudsburg University. With the victory, the third-ranked Aggies improved to 19-1-2 in dual meets, including a perfect 3-0 against Division I programs (they defeated Davidson and Delaware State at home in December). In the process, they also the school's single-season record for wins, topping the previous mark of set by the 1988-89 squad when they went a perfect 18-0, reached the number one ranking in the country during the year and eventually finished as the Division III runner-up at the NCAA Championships. East Stroudsburg, which was home for the first time all season, fell to 4-12 in dual meets. Delaware Valley trailed 16-9 with four matches remaining, but its upperweight lineup features three nationally-ranked wrestlers and one on the cusp of the top 10. Rocky Mantella, ranked fifth in Division III at 174 pounds, began the Aggies' late run with a 10-3 decision over Jeff Jacobs to remain undefeated at 22-0. Mike Wilcox, last year's Division III runner-up at 184 pounds, made it a 16-15 match with a 4-2 decision over Ed Ebewo. Wilcox, who is expected to move into the top spot in the next rankings following his pin of defending champion Romeo Djoumessi last Saturday, is now 27-2 on the year. Jeff Siciliano followed with a 4-2 victory of his own over Shane Mallory at 197 pounds. The triumph was Siciliano's 18th in 24 matches this season and it gave Delaware Valley an 18-16 lead heading into heavyweight. With the match on the line, Bilquist scored the lone points of the opening period thanks to a takedown with six seconds to go. The second-ranked heavyweight in Division III began the second period on top and needed just 17 seconds to turn Chris Birchler on his back for the pin and the Aggie victory. Bilquist, who may also move into the top spot in next week rankings (the top-ranked wrestler lost by decision to an unranked opponent last week) is now 23-3 on the year. Delaware Valley jumped out to a 9-0 lead as nationally-ranked wrestlers Chris Sheetz and Brandon Clemmer opened the evening with wins by fall and decision respectively. Sheetz, ranked fourth in Division III, stopped David Luthy exactly one minute into their 125-pound contest to up his mark to 29-4 (14 pins). Clemmer, ranked sixth at 133 pounds, edged Matt Swallow, 2-1, for his 24th win in 30 tries. East Stroudsburg took the next four weight classes as Matthew Rizzo earned a pin at 141, Scott Heckman and Ken Monarque had decisions at 149 and 157 pounds respectively, and Thad Frick notched a major decision at 165 pounds. Those triumphs gave the Warriors a 16-9 advantage, setting the stage for the Delaware Valley upperweights to shine in the comeback victory.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The University of Nebraska at Omaha wrestling team improved to 9-0 in duals this season with a 28-9 win against No. 13 Augustana College Thursday night at the Elmen Center. The Mavericks won eight of ten bouts, including a pin by Todd Meneely and a major decision by Mario Morgan. Matt Rein put the Mavericks on top early, scoring an 8-5 decision over the Vikings' Alex Meger at 125 pounds to start the rout. The sophomore recorded an escape, a takedown and a near fall in the third period for the come-from-behind win. Second-ranked wrestlers Cody Garcia and Morgan followed that up with wins of their own. Garcia scored two takedowns, a near fall, an escape and 2:21 riding time for the 9-3 decision. At 141 pounds, Morgan scored UNO's only major decision in the dual, defeating AC's Jay Sherer, 15-6. The sophomore is now 23-11 on year. The Vikings scored their first points of the dual at 149 pounds where AC's Mike Long upset the Mavericks' No. 3 Esai Dominguez. The redshirt freshman took a 5-2 lead into the third period, but Long scored a takedown with just 38 seconds remaining to come away with the 6-5 decision. UNO won five of the final six matches. Meneely, the top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, pinned Kyle Svendsen in 4:10 to give UNO a 16-3 advantage. The Skutt Catholic product scored 11 takedowns before pinning Svendsen in the second period. Ryan Pankoke became the second Maverick wrestler to reach the 30-win plateau this season joining teammate Ross Taplin (31-7) with a 2-0 decision at 165 pounds. Pankoke scored an escape in the third period and 1:28 riding time to come away with the win. The match at 174 pounds pitted No. 2 Taplin against Vikings' Brian Schultz. The two-time All-American from Abilene, Kan. scored two takedowns and an escape to come away with with a 5-2 decision. Brent Pankoke made it four straight wins for UNO when he came away with a 9-2 decision against Nick Henning. Pankoke, the second-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, tallied three takedowns, two escapes and 1:33 riding time to improve to 6-1. After forfeiting the match at 197 pounds, Tony Lewis put the finishing touches on the Vikings, scoring a 4-3 decision. Lewis, ranked No. 3 at 285 pounds, scored a three-point near fall in the third period to win the match. UNO will be back in action tomorrow night with a 7:00 p.m. road dual scheduled against last year's NCAA II national runner-up, No. 3 Minnesota State, Mankato. MSU has an overall record of 9-3 and have six wrestling ranked in their respective weight class.

Lexington, Va. -- The Citadel wrestling team defeated the grapplers from VMI 21-9 in a dual meet held in Lexington, Va. Feb. 5. Sophomore Bulldog 165-pound Derek Sickel fought back from an early deficit to score a 10-4 win to start the Bulldog's momentum. Fellow Bulldog J.C. Oddo followed Sickel with a 4-0 decision over the Keydet's Andrew Szymborski. 197-pound grappler Odie Delaney was the next Bulldog to earn a victory over Ronald Ellsworth 7-4. At 125, Bulldog junior Tyler Sim was victorious with a 4-2 decision over VMI's John Pope. The Bulldogs weren't finished there. 141-pound Derek Royster claimed a 10-6 win over David Yost. Following Royster was teammate Pierre Frazile at 149, who fought a tough battle and scored a late escape to capture another win for the Bulldogs 7-5. In the final match of the night sophomore Keith Koziel walked away with a 10-4 decision over Keydet Joel Hutchens. Koziel was announced SoCon wrestler of the week Feb. 4. The Bulldogs had a dominating performance against the Keydets. The Bulldogs as well as VMI will return to action on Saturday, participating in the 15th Annual All-Academy Championships, being hosted at VMI's Thunderdome. For complete results from the meet against VMI and all news on The Citadel wrestling team and Bulldog athletics visit www.CitadelSports.com.

LINCOLN -- Jordan Burroughs and Vince Jones notched major decisions against No. 15 Oklahoma State to help the fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team claim a historic 17-16 dual victory over the Cowboys in front of more than 2,800 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday. The win was NU's first home victory over OSU since the 1921-22 season, and gave the Huskers back-to-back dual wins over the Cowboys for the first time ever. Nebraska improved to 14-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, while Oklahoma State dropped to 12-6 and 0-3 in the conference. The contest came down to bonus points, as each team claimed five bouts on the night, and Burroughs and Jones, both natives of Sicklerville, N.J., scraped NU by with their two wins. In one of three matches featuring two wrestlers ranked in the top 10, third-ranked Burroughs used 10 takedowns, including four in the final period, to post a 21-9 major decision over No. 10 Neil Erisman of OSU at 157 pounds. The win was the junior's seventh of the year against top-10 opponents, and kept his perfect season alive at 24-0 and 15-0 in duals. Jones, ranked 11th in the nation at 184 pounds, used two takedowns in the first two periods to amass an early lead, but posted a six-point third period to earn an 11-2 major decision over Oklahoma State's Cody Hill. Jones posted a takedown with a minute left and quickly cut Hill, looking for the bonus-point win. Hill put up a fight, but Jones scored his final takedown with two seconds left for the nine-point margin. The senior now has a team-leading 25 wins on the season with his 25-6 overall mark, and is 11-4 in duals. The dual started at 133 pounds, with Oklahoma State picking up decisions at the first two weights. Senior Rob Sanders got NU on the board with a 6-3 decision over Luke Ashmore at 149 pounds. Sanders surrendered an early takedown, but rebounded with a takedown of his own in the first period and escaped easily in the second frame. Ashmore earned an escape in the third period to pull within one, but Sanders sealed the match with a takedown with seven seconds left. Burroughs posted his major decision to give NU their first lead of the night, as junior Stephen Dwyer and senior Brandon Browne followed with decisions. No. 10 Brandon Mason held sixth-ranked Dwyer scoreless in the first period, but Dwyer earned a reversal 32 seconds into the second period and rode Mason out in the third for a 3-1 victory at 165. On a night when Browne was honored as a Hometown Husker, the Plattsmouth-native did not disappoint. The senior posted three takedowns against No. 14 Newly McSpadden at 174, before the Cowboy claimed a late takedown to lose 7-5. Browne's 15-2 dual mark ties him for the team lead with Burroughs. Jones' major decision at 184 put NU up 17-6, but No. 8 Clayton Foster upset second-ranked Craig Brester at 197 with a 5-2 decision and No. 3 Jared Rosholt posted a 2-0 decision over NU's Tucker Lane at heavyweight to pull the Cowboys within five at 17-12. OSU's Obe Blanc needed a technical fall to tie the match or a pin to win, but NU's Andy Pokorny held him to a 12-3 major decision at 125 to give the Huskers the victory. Nebraska continues its conference schedule with a 2 p.m. dual against No. 14 Oklahoma at McCasland Field House in Norman on Sunday.

Minnesota State-Mankato head wrestling coach Jim Makovsky and W.I.N. Magazine editor Mike Finn will be the featured guests on Wrestling 411 Radio on Thursday, Feb. 5. This Thursday's edition of Wrestling 411 Radio will air at 7 p.m. CST. The show can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv and clicking on the "Listen Live" link. An archive of the broadcast will be available immediately following the show. Makovsky is in his 16th season as the head wrestling coach at Minnesota State-Mankato. His teams have placed in the top ten at the NCAA Division II tournament 11 times, including a runner-up finish at last year's tournament. Minnesota State-Mankato, currently ranked third, will host top-ranked Nebraska-Omaha at Bresnan Arena on Friday, Feb. 6. Finn is the editor of Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine. Considered one of the sport's top journalists, Finn was named wrestling journalist of the year by the National Wrestling Media Association in 2006. Wrestling 411 Radio can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com.

The Augustana Vikings doubled their win total on the season with Simpson and Central of Iowa at the Augustana duals on Wednesday, February 4 in the Carver Center. Augustana beat Simpson 36-16 and Central of Iowa 33-15. In the other half of the meet Central of Iowa beat Knox 33-6 and Knox took care of Simpson by a score of 33-21. In the win over Simpson the Vikings rode forfeit victories by Kyle Brodwater (St. Joseph Hamm HS, Medford, New Jersey) at 125, Andrew Randone (Davenport Assumption HS, Davenport, Iowa) at 133, Andy Krcatovich (Allegan HS, Allegan, Michigan) at 149, Brian Kerr (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) 184 and Paul Sutkay (Schaumburg HS, Schaumburg, Ill.) at 285 to their third team win of the season. Matt Nykaza (Brother Rice HS, Oak Lawn, Ill.) sealed the victory with a pin at 1:57 of the 197 pound match over Sam Collora. Augustana won the first five weight classes in the victory over Central of Iowa. Brodwater won by forfeit at 125 and Randone pinned Eric Wilkerson at 1:49 of the 133 pound weight class. Alberto Quiros (Morton HS, Cicero, Ill.) beat Curtis Hobbs 12-8 at 141 and Zac Holland (West Des Moines Dowling HS, Pleasant Hill, Iowa) pinned Chris Reil at 4:16 of the 149 pound bout. Matt McIntyre (West Carroll HS, Savanna, Ill.) beat Reid Imerman at 157 by a score of 10-3. The Vikings got wins at 184 and 197 as well. Kerr beat Ben Davis 10-4 at 184 and then Nykaza pinned Kyle Patterson at 1:23 of the 197 pound match. The Vikings are now 4-11 on the season.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- The University of Nebraska – Kearney Lopers, who are current ranked fourth in the most recent NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll, defeated Colorado School of Mines by the score of 29-10 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) wrestling dual on Wednesday evening, February 4th, at Volk Gymnasium. The Orediggers (0-6-0 overall, 0-6-0 RMAC) won three of the first four matchups and held an early four-point advantage, but the Lopers (13-4-0 overall, 3-0-0 RMAC) came away victorious in the final six bouts to pull away with the win. Joey Morrison (now 15-6), Keenan McCurdy (now 29-12), third-ranked Taylor May (now 23-10), top-ranked Marty Usman (now 34-7), seventh-ranked Paul Sutton (now 24-13), eighth-ranked Matt Farrell (now 15-6) and Derek Ross all produced victories for #4 UNK. Pablo Mascareñas (now 9-8), Cody Weitzel (now 13-7) and eighth-ranked Jesse Snider (now 18-8) each registered wins for CSM.

This week we're back in our Brute Adidas home studios in Des Moines with a full show. We prepare for a couple of weeks of wrestling on the road and look forward to bringing you the finals of the first ever Arkansas State HS Championship. Wrestling history before our eyes. You have to love it! Dr. William Jacobson of Capital Orthopedics and Sports Medicine joins us in studio to take a closer look at injuries in our sport and how to treat and come back stronger with proper rehab. This week on TDR: Pat Smith: America's 1st 4 x NCAA Champion while at Oklahoma State has partnered with Business man Greg Hatcher to bring to life HS wrestling in the State of Arkansas. Smith made wrestling history when he became the first wrestler to win four NCAA Division I individual national championships. Competing for Oklahoma State University, he earned NCAA titles in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. He was a member of Oklahoma State teams that won the NCAA team titles in 1990 and 1994. Kenny Monday: This 5ft 10 inch Superman, weighing only 163 pounds was able to capture the worlds attention on the way to winning Olympic Gold and Silver Medals. 1988 (Seoul) and 1992 (Barcelona) respectively and finished 6th in 1996 in Atlanta. Monday, a member of Team Brute now also has a school founded by Steve Silver in Texas. Team Monday. As an All-American at OSU, Monday won the NCAA title in 1984 at 150 pounds. His collegiate record of 121-12-2 contributed to the Cowboys winning two Big Eight titles. He won the 1983 World Championship and a series of USA Freestyle championships in 1985, 1988, 1991, and 1996. He won the World Championship title in 1987 in a 2-2 overtime against the Soviet Union's Adlan Varayer. Troy Barron: Founder of PerformanceMMA.com will join us to discuss the needs of today's modern day cross training athletes. Brandon Slay: 2000 Olympic champion Brandon Slay of Dallas, Texas has been named as the Assistant National Freestyle Coach and National Freestyle Resident Coach by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States. Slay will be responsible for assisting in all facets of the National Freestyle Team program, with his primary focus on managing the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) resident program in Colorado Springs. He will manage the daily operations, recruiting and training of full-time resident athletes in the program and also train those who attend on a short term basis. Slay has plans and will share some with us during this one on one. Joining us in studio with their coaches will be: Jacob Eischeid (Waukee, HS Senior, Dec. TDR HS Wrestler of the Month) Coach Chad Vollmecke Jordan Jones (North/Hoover HS Sophomore, Nov. TDR HS Wrestler of the Month) Coach Gino Hildreth David Dennis: Founder of ThePainFactory.com, a web site designed for competitors and sponsors to gather together to better be able to support each other in their mutual pursuits. We'll cover a lot of ground here, talk to a lot of folks an do the best we can to educate and entertain. America's Wrestling Radio Show continues its tradition each Saturday from 9 AM CST to 11 AM. Join us at Takedownradio.com worldwide. Archived and Pod cast as well. We value your input and want to hear from you. Please feel free to write us at Svideoman@aol.com

EDMOND, Okla. -- Nebraska-Omaha maintained its stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division II wrestling poll that was announced Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. The Mavericks earned all eight first-place votes in balloting of coaches from around the country to finish with 160 points and remain atop the poll. UNO has been No. 1 in all five rankings this season and ran its dual record to 8-0 last week with wins over Central Oklahoma and Nebraska-Kearney. Newberry garnered 151 points and stayed No. 2, while Minnesota State-Mankato had 145 points to remain third and UNK 136 to stay fourth. Western State (Colo.) was fifth in the poll, followed by Central Oklahoma, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.), Wisconsin-Parkside, Adams State (Colo.) and Upper Iowa. Nine of UNO's 10 individuals are ranked in the top five at their respective weight, led by Todd Meneely as the No. 1 pick at 157 and five No. 2 selections -- 133 Cody Garcia, 141 Mario Morgan, 165 Aaron Denson, 174 Ross Taplin and 184 Brent Pankoke. The top 20 poll, with points and the teams' last ranking: Rank School (State) Points Last Ranking 1. Nebraska-Omaha 160 1st 2. Newberry (S.C.) 151 2nd 3. Minnesota State-Mankato 145 3rd 4. Nebraska-Kearney 136 4th 5. Western State (Colo.) 120 6th 6. Central Oklahoma 118 5th 7. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 111 8th 8. Wisconsin-Parkside 110 12th 9. Adams State (Colo.) 105 7th 10. Upper Iowa 80 9th T11. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 79 10th T11. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 79 11th 13. Augustana (S.D.) 68 14th 14. Chadron State (Neb.) 50 13th 15. Findlay (Ohio) 47 15th 16. Kutztown (Pa.) 19 28 T18th 17. Ashland (Ohio) 27 17th 18. Central Missouri 21 T18th 19. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 14 NR 20. Shippensburg (Pa.) 13 16th Others receiving votes: Gannon (Pa.), Minnesota State-Moorhead, San Francisco State (Calif.), West Liberty State. (W. Va.) 125 Pounds 1. Curtis Schurkamp, San Francisco State 2. Arsenia Barksdale, Adams State (Colo.) 3. Matt Oliver, Newberry (S.C.) 4. Tim Elliott, Central Oklahoma 5. Devlon Webb, Chadron State (Neb.) 6. Cody Zimmerman, Wisconsin-Parkside 7. C.J. Hamilton, Anderson (S.C.) 8. Andy Forstner, Minnesota State-Mankato 133 Pounds 1. Joe Kemmerer, Kutztown (Pa.) 2. Cody Garcia, Nebraska-Omaha 3. Shane Valko, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 4. Marques Bravo, Western State (Colo.) 5. Trevor Franklin, Upper Iowa 6. Andrew Young, Newberry (S.C.) 7. Grant Baker, Central Missouri 8. Josh Williams, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 141 Pounds 1. Raymond Dunning, Adams State (Colo.) 2. Mario Morgan, Nebraska-Omah 3. James Annon, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 4. John Putman, Minnesota State-Mankato 5. Colby Robinson, Central Oklahoma 6. Matt Irwin, Indianapolis (Ind.) 7. A.J. Milanak, Gannon (Pa.) 8. Jimmy Savala, Chadron State (Neb.) 149 Pounds 1. Craig Becker, Wisconsin-Parkside 2. Tommy Abbott, Minnesota State-Mankato 3. Esai Dominguez, Nebraska-Omaha 4. Ryan Etherton, Nebraska-Kearney 5. Latra Collick, Newberry (S.C.) 6. Luke Elmore, Central Oklahoma 7. Nick DiCarlo, Anderson (S.C.) 8. Jesse Snider, Colorado School of Mines 157 Pounds 1. Todd Meneely, Nebraska-Omaha 2. Noomis Jones, Adams State (Colo.) 3. Chase Walker, Mesa State (Colo.) 4. Danny Grater, Fort Hay State (Kan.) 5. Mitch Smith, West Liberty State (W.Va.) 6. Sean Byrnes, Newberry (S.C.) 7. Travis Elg, Minnesota State-Mankato 8. Travis Eggers, Upper Iowa 165 Pounds 1. Josh Shields, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 2. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha 3. Taylor May, Nebraska-Kearney 4. Corey VanGroll, Wisconsin-Parkside 5, Mikey Morgan, Central Oklahoma 6. Tad Merritt, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 7. Gavin Nelson, Augustana (S.D.) 8. Tyler Tubbs, Minnesota State-Moorhead 174 Pounds 1. Marty Usman, Nebraska-Kearney 2. Ross Taplin, Nebraska-Omaha 3. Tommy McCarty, Central Oklahoma 4. Jesse Feinsod, New Mexico Highlands 5. Brett Hunter, Chadron State (Neb.) 6. Larry Wilbanks, Western State (Colo.) 7. Justin Ferguson, Ashland (Ohio) 8. Mitch Norton, Upper Iowa 184 Pounds 1. Charlie Pipher, Western State (Colo.) 2. Brent Pankoke, Nebraska-Omaha 3. Brad Padgett, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 4. Hiram Smith, Findlay (Ohio) 5. Lucas Haag, Wisconsin-Parkside 6. Kyle Sand, Adams State (Colo.) 7. Paul Sutton, Nebraska-Kearney 8. Bryant Blanton, Newberry (S.C.) 197 Pounds 1. Josh Majerus, Chadron State (Neb.) 2. Donavan McMahill, Western State (Colo.) 3. Josh Ohl, Ashland (Ohio) 4. Keeno Griffin, Newberry (S.C.) 5. Jacob Marrs, Nebraska-Omaha 6. Pat Mahan, Minnesota State-Mankato 7. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.) 8. Matt Farrell, Nebraska-Kearney 285 Pounds 1. Cy Wainwright, Newberry (S.C.) 2. Brady Wilson, Minnesota State-Mankato 3. Tony Lewis, Nebraska-Omaha 4. Dustin Finn, Central Oklahoma 5. Cody Beck, Central Missouri 6. Trey Moss, Limestone (S.C.) 7. Frank McGrath, Gannon (Pa.) 8. Charlie Alexander, Western State (Colo.)

STILLWATER, Okla. -- In 1949, two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Harold Henson became the first African American athlete to compete in the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Six years earlier, however, he proved his toughness in the military, joining the U.S. Army. In commemoration of Black History Month and it's new exhibit "Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military," the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum is spotlighting Harold Henson in recognition of his achievements both in wrestling and in service to our country. Henson, who learned to wrestle at San Diego High School in California, entered the Army in March of 1943, at the height of World War II, and was sent to Germany. There he met and married his wife of 62 years, Illse. At the time, military regulations required that Army personnel who married Germans leave the country. Harold HensonHe left the Army in 1947 and returned to his native state to attend San Diego State University where he earned a spot on the wrestling team and an education degree. His ground-breaking participation in the NCAA Championships was at Ft. Collins, Colorado in 1949. He graduated from San Diego State in 1950. "There were only two times I experienced racism directly connected to my wrestling career at San Diego," Henson recalled to RevWrestling's Mark Palmer in a 2008 interview. "Two restaurants refused to serve me and my brother. When this happened, our coach immediately took the team out of the restaurant. "I never ran into any bigotry in all my wrestling experience. I don't recall any opponent forfeiting a match because of my skin color." After graduation, Henson went back into the Army to serve in the Korean War and earn a Bronze Star for "doing his job." He retired as a colonel in 1970 after 26 years of service with the Army Corps of Engineers, earning the Legion of Merit medal. On February 11, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum will unveil its new book and exhibit Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military. "Harold Henson's story is just one of many among those who have distinguished themselves in service to our country and on the wrestling mat," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum. "This man is a hero. He was a trailblazer that broke down color barriers and took advantage of the opportunities provided him in sport and the military to get an education and become a leader." Glory Beyond the Sport will be on display throughout the spring at the Hall of Fame. A traveling version of the exhibit will appear at the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships and at the 2009 U.S. National Wrestling Championships. Those interested in more information about the book should telephone the Hall of Fame at (405) 377-5243 or visit the web site at www.wrestlinghalloffame.org

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois fans can escape their daily stressors Friday night when the seventh-ranked Fighting Illini host No. 19 Northwestern at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall, an event dubbed The Great Escape. One lucky University of Illinois student will win a scooter from Illini Scooters and two fans will have the opportunity to compete for the Illinois Wrestling Stimulus Plan during the intermission between the fifth and sixth matches of the evening. Illinois students - who receive free admission simply by showing their student ID - are encouraged to enter for the scooter giveaway as they enter Huff Hall on Friday. Then, one lucky student's name will be drawn by a former Illini wrestling star during the break between the first and second halves of the dual. Also during the intermission, marketing representatives will throw a number of Illinois wrestling t-shirts into the crowd, with two special shirts entitling their owners the right to a special prize. Those two fans will don blindfolds and $100 will be spread out on the main mat, with one $50 bill and 50 $1 bills. The fans will then have 30 seconds to collect as much cash as possible. Friday's match will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis by the Big Ten Network, with the dual being televised at 9:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for youth 18 and under and UI students gain free admission by showing their student ID.

THIS WEEK Top-ranked Iowa (18-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will hit the road for its first Big Ten road trip of the season. The Hawkeyes will wrestle at Michigan State (6-4, 1-2) Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at Jenison Field House in East Lansing. Iowa will then face #22/#17 Penn State (7-8-2, 0-2-2) Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT) at Rec Hall in University Park. ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC and www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Internet - Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS Michigan State is 6-4 (1-2 Big Ten) with wins over North Carolina (18-12), North Carolina State (23-13), Eastern Michigan (18-15), West Virginia (25-15), Ohio (26-6) and Wisconsin (25-17), and losses to Virginia (15-23), Northwestern (6-31) and Minnesota (6-30). Head Coach Tom Minkel is 134-156-3 in 18 years at Michigan State, and 148-174-3 in 20 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Minkel is assisted by Roger Chandler (Indiana, 1997) and Chris Williams (Michigan State, 2002). The Spartans are led by junior 133-pounder Franklin Gomez. The 2008 Big Ten champion and all-American is 13-1 and ranked first in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine and Amateur Wrestling News, and sixth by Intermat./NWCA/NWMA. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS Penn State is 7-8-2 (0-2-2 Big Ten) with wins over Virginia (19-15), Edinboro (24-16), Binghamton (36-8), West Virginia (27-10), Missouri (20-19) Lock Haven (36-3), Michigan (21-18); losses to Hofstra (15-18), Cornell (10-24), Lehigh (16-17), Nebraska (16-20), Minnesota (18-21), Boise State (15-22), Minnesota (19-20) and Wisconsin (13-28); and ties with Indiana (17-17) and Purdue (19-19). Head Coach Troy Sunderland is 114-86-2 in 12 seasons at Penn State. He is assisted by former Hawkeye Mark Perry (Iowa, 2008), Matt Dernlan (Liberty, 1996) and Aaron Anspach (Penn State, 2007). Perry was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time all-American for the Hawkeyes from 2005-08. The Nittany Lions are led by senior Jake Strayer (133), juniors Bubba Jenkins (149) and Dan Vallimont (165) and sophomore Brad Pataky (125). Jenkins, who lost a 14-8 decision to Hawkeye junior Brent Metcalf in the NCAA finals, is 19-0, but is listed as day-to-day since sustaining an injury during Penn State's Jan. 23 dual with Indiana. Vallimont recently moved up to 165 and has a 15-6 season record. Strayer is 14-3, while Pataky is 23-5. MARQUEE MATCH-UPS There are five marquee match-ups based on the probable starters for this weekend's duals. The individual rankings listed below are the most recent from the NWCA/Intermat/NWCA poll. Iowa vs. Michigan State 133 - #1 Daniel Dennis vs. #6 Franklin Gomez This will be the first meeting between Dennis and Gomez, and it will be a very important one in terms of seeding for the Big Ten tournament. Dennis is 19-2 on the season and has won his last four matches. Gomez, who is 13-1, is the defending Big Ten champion and placed third at the 2008 NCAA meet. His only loss of the season was a 6-5 decision to Minnesota's Jayson Ness on Jan. 25. Iowa vs. Penn State 125 - #4 Charlie Falck vs. #13 Brad Pataky This will be the first meeting between Falck and Pataky. Falck opens the weekend with a 15-1 record, while Pataky is 23-5. Pataky has won 13 of his last 14 bouts, including a 4-3 decision over defending Big Ten champion Angel Escobedo of Indiana on Jan. 23. Falck has won his last three matches after returning from an ankle injury suffered at the Midlands Championships. 133 - #1 Daniel Dennis vs. #9 Jake Strayer Dennis has a 0-1 career record against Strayer, losing a 10-7 decision at the 2006 Iowa-Penn State dual. Strayer, who has a 14-3 season record, is 4-0 in Big Ten duals. Both wrestlers enter the weekend on four-match winning streaks. 141 - #1 Brent Metcalf vs. #2 Bubba Jenkins If Jenkins is healthy enough to compete, this would be a rematch of the 2008 NCAA Championship finals. Metcalf has a 3-0 lead in the series, scoring a 14-8 win in the NCAA finals, a 15-3 major decision at the 2008 Big Ten Championship semifinals and a 5:33 pin at the 2008 Iowa-Penn State dual in Iowa City. Jenkins is 19-0, but has not competed since his injury Jan. 23. Metcalf enters the weekend on a 55-match winning streak and boasts a season record of 24-0. 165 - #3 Ryan Morningstar vs. #20 Dan Vallimont Vallimont recently moved up to 165 after the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, and has a 15-6 season record. Morningstar lost both previous meetings (6-2 at tne 2008 dual and 2-1 in the first round of the 2008 Big Ten Championships). The Hawkeye junior is 20-3 this season. LAST MEETING - IOWA 33, MICHIGAN STATE 9 Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands picked up his 30th career victory as Iowa pounded Michigan State, 33-9, Feb. 11, 2007, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 13-4 (4-2 Big Ten) with wins in eight bouts in front of 5,035 fans, including an upset by sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and a pin by sophomore Jordan McLaughlin (197) in his Iowa wrestling debut. Michigan State fell to 3-8 (2-4 in the Big Ten). Falck handed Spartan redshirt freshman Franklin Gomez his second dual loss of the season with a 5-3 win at 125. The Strawberry Point, IA, native scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds and another with one second remaining to secure his eighth straight victory and remain undefeated (6-0) in Big Ten duals. Michigan State scored its first of two wins on the day when Nick Simmons won by injury default over senior Mario Galanakis in 2:23 at 133. Junior Alex Tsirtsis accepted a forfeit at 141, and senior Alex Grunder followed up with a 5:32 pin over Spartan Jeff Wimberley at 149 to score his 30th career victory. Hawkeye redshirt freshman 157-pounder Ryan Morningstar took Iowa into the intermission with a 3-2 win over Tony Greathouse. Iowa junior Mark Perry climbed out of a sticky situation to defeat Spartan Rocky Cozart, 9-7, at 165. Perry had to bounce back from a 5-0 deficit after getting caught in his own offensive move and fighting off his back early in the match. He scored three reversals, two nearfall points and a point for riding time in the win. Hawkeye senior Eric Luedke improved to 23-2 with a 2-1 win over John Murphy at 174. Michigan State scored its second and final win of the night when Joe Williams defeated Hawkeye redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy, 6-3, at 184. Iowa sophomore 197-pounder Jordan McLaughlin made his Hawkeye wrestling and Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut a wild one, pinning Nick Palmieri in 6:33. Palmeiri scored three takedowns and two escapes to build an 8-4 lead with 1:04 remaining in the match. McLaughlin threw the Spartan redshirt freshman to his back and got the pin with 27 seconds left on the clock. McLaughlin was no stranger to the black and gold, as he has played linebacker and fullback on the Iowa football team. Hawkeye junior Matt Fields ended the dual with an 8-4 win over Alan O'Donnell at heavyweight. Iowa 33, Michigan State 9 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Franklin Gomez (MSU), 5-3 133 - Nick Simmons (MSU) won by inj. default over Mario Galanakis (I), 2:23 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) won by forfeit 149 - Alex Grunder (I) pinned Jeff Wimberley (MSU), 5:32 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Tony Greathouse (MSU), 3-2 165 - Mark Perry (I) dec. Rocky Cozart (MSU), 9-7 174 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. John Murphy (MSU), 2-1 184 - Joe Williams (MSU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 6-3 197 - Jordan McLaughlin (I) pinned Nick Palmieri (MSU), 6:33 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 8-4 LAST MEETING - IOWA 27, PENN STATE 13 The top-ranked Hawkeyes extended their winning streak to six matches with a 27-13 win over #7 Penn State (8-3, 0-1 Big Ten) Jan. 20, 2008, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes (13-1, 2-0 Big Ten) snapped Penn State's two-match win streak in the series, taking seven of the 10 bouts. A crowd of 7,525 gathered to watch Iowa win its 820th dual win in school history. The dual started at 174 pounds, and Iowa jumped out to an 8-0 lead on wins by two Hawkeye sophomores. Jay Borschel (174) posted an 11-5 decision over Mark Friend and Phillip Keddy (184) scored a 19-3 technical fall in 6:35 over Philip Bomberger. Penn State answered at 197 when #2 Philip Davis pinned sophomore Chad Beatty in 4:57, to tighten the team score at 8-6. Iowa rolled off five straight wins and 19 unanswered team points to guarantee the win. Senior Matt Fields started the run with his 80th career win - a 7-3 decision over John Laboranti at heavyweight. Junior Charlie Falck followed with a 2-0 win over Mark McKnight at 125, extending his winning streak to 11 matches and remaining undefeated in duals (14-0). Sophomore Joe Slaton picked up extra team points at 133 with his 14-6 major decision over Tim Haas. At 141, sophomore Dan LeClere scored a late takedown to defeat Garrett Scott, 4-3. Sophomore Brent Metcalf fought off his back and rebounded from a 6-1 first-period deficit at 149, pinning Bubba Jenkins in 5:33. The win was Metcalf's 15th straight as he improved to 18-1, 13-1 in duals. The Nittany Lions closed out the dual with wins at 157 and 165. Sophomore Ryan Morningstar (157) dropped a 6-2 decision to Dan Vallimont and redshirt freshman Aaron Janssen (165) lost an 11-3 major decision to Dave Rella. Janssen was competing for injured starter Mark Perry. Iowa 27, Penn State 13 174 - Jay Borschel (I) dec. Mark Friend (PSU), 11-5 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) tech. fall Philip Bomberger (PSU), 19-3 in 6:35 197 - Philip Davis (PSU) pinned Chad Beatty (I), 4:57 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. John Laboranti (PSU), 7-3 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Mark McKnight (PSU), 2-0 133 - Joe Slaton (I) maj. dec. Tim Haas (PSU), 14-6 141 - Dan LeClere (I) dec. Garrett Scott (PSU), 4-3 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) pinned Bubba Jenkins (PSU), 5:33 157 - Dan Vallimont (PSU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 6-2 165 - Dave Rella (PSU) maj. dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 11-3 THE SERIES Michigan State - Iowa leads the series, 31-15-2, and has a 12-9-1 record in East Lansing. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting (33-9) in 2007. Michigan State's last win in the series was 19-17 in 2006 at East Lansing. Penn State - Iowa leads the series, 22-6-2, and holds a 9-3-1 advantage in University Park. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting (27-13) in Iowa City last season. Penn State's last win in the series was 24-13 at University Park in 2007. WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS For dates and more information about 2009 University of Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com. HAWKEYES POUND BUCKNELL, 40-3 Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands collected his 70th career victory last Friday night as his top-ranked Iowa wrestlers defeated Bucknell, 40-3, in front of 5,525 fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The top-ranked Hawkeyes improved to 18-0 on the season (2-0 Big Ten) and have won their last 32 duals. Iowa scored 32 takedowns in the dual, holding Bucknell (8-8, 2-2 EIWA) to one. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 23-0 lead with wins at the first six weights. Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck opened the dual at 125 with a 9-3 decision over Derek Reber to remain undefeated in dual competition (13-0). Iowa junior Daniel Dennis followed with his 35th career win at 133 - a 14-4 major decision over David Marble. Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis showed no ill effects after having a wisdom tooth removed earlier in the week, sticking Adam Healey in 1:22 at 141. Iowa junior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf posted his 55th straight win to remain undefeated (24-0) with a 4:20 pin over Kevin LeValley. Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg posted his 20th career win with an 8-0 win over Tyler Riccio at 157. Iowa junior Ryan Morningstar posted his 20th season win with a 2-1 win over Andy Rendos at 165. Bucknell won its only match of the dual at 174 where Iowa sophomore Colby Covington was wrestling for injured Hawkeye starter Jay Borschel. Covington lost a 7-2 decision to Bucknell's Shane Riccio. Hawkeye junior Phillip Keddy got Iowa back on the winning track with a 14-0 major decision over David Thompson at 184. Keddy is now 18-0 in dual matches and has won his last eight bouts. Iowa junior Chad Beatty scored 13 takedowns to post a 26-11 technical fall in 6:20 over Rob Waltko at 197. Iowa junior Dan Erekson closed out the dual for the Hawkeyes by accepting a forfeit at heavyweight. Iowa 40, Bucknell 3 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Derek Reber (B), 9-3 133 - Daniel Dennis (I) maj. dec. David Marble (B), 14-4 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) pinned Adam Healey (B), 1:22 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) pinned Kevin LeValley (B), 4:20 157 - Matt Ballweg (I) maj. dec. Tyler Riccio (B), 8-0 165 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Andy Rendos (B), 2-1 174 - Shane Riccio (B) dec. Colby Covington (I), 7-2 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) maj. dec. David Thompson (B), 14-0 197 - Chad Beatty (I) tech. fall Rob Waltko (B), 26-11 in 6:20 Hwt. - Dan Erekson (I) won by forfeit HAWKEYES SET ATTENDANCE RECORD Iowa set the national collegiate dual meet attendance record of 15,955 when it hosted #2 Iowa State Dec. 6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes won the Iowa State dual, 20-15. HAWKEYE WRESTLING TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for Iowa's two remaining home duals are on sale at the UI Athletic Ticket Office at 800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.iowawrestlingcamps.com. www.hawkeyesports.com. Against Purdue, tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Tickets purchased at the meet are $12 for adults, $6 for youth. UI students and children ages five and under will be admitted free. Against Minnesota, tickets purchased in advance are $13 for adults, $7 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under. Tickets purchased at the meet are $15 for adults, $8 for youth and $2 for children ages five and under. Due to the possibility of a sellout crowd, the first 1,000 general admission University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge after they log-in to their student account at www.hawkeyesports.com to reserve a seat and download a free paper ticket. After that allotment is sold out, students may purchase reserved seats at the youth price. HAWKEYES LOOK TO EXTEND WINNING STREAKS Iowa has won its last 32 duals, and its last 25 duals away from Iowa City. The school record for overall consecutive dual wins is 42 (1994-97), and for consecutive away dual wins is 31 (1994-97). The 32 straight wins ranks third in school history, while the 25 away victories rank second. Hawkeye junior Brent Metcalf (149) also has a winning streak of his own, winning his last 55 bouts. Former Hawkeye Jim Zalesky (1981-84) holds the school record for consecutive wins with 89. HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 846-215-30 (.789) in 97 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 21 national titles and 32 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 76 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 101 Big Ten champions have won a total of 182 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 135 all-Americans have earned all-America status 273 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 33 two-time honorees.

Following a pair of big wins over the weekend, Minnesota junior Gordon Bierschenk (Waynesville, Mo.) was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week today. Bierschenk, who returned to the Minnesota wrestling program this year after serving a two-year tour of duty in Iraq with the U.S. Army, is the third Gopher to earn the weekly award this season. The Gophers' 197-pounder pinned Penn State's J.R. Brown to vault the Gophers to a 20-19 win over the Nittany Lions on Friday in State College. His 5-2 decision victory was the catalyst for a Minnesota comeback that resulted in an 18-16 upset win over No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday. With the wins, Bierschenk improved his season record to 11-9, including a perfect 3-0 mark in Big Ten duals. Although he competes this year as a redshirt junior for the Gophers, Bierschenk is on track to graduate with physiology degree this spring. He will be honored for his career at Minnesota during the Gophers' final dual meet against Indiana on Feb. 22 along with senior Tyler Safratowich. Bierschenk and the Gophers will put their perfect Big Ten record on the line when they host No. 18 Michigan and No. 19 Northwestern this weekend at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets for both duals are still available and can be purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by contacting the Gopher Ticket Office at 612-624-8080.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Utah Valley University 125-pound sophomore Ben Kjar (Centerville, Utah/Viewmont HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Kjar defeated the No. 18 ranked Tony Mustari from Northern Colorado by decision, 7-4, Saturday evening as Kjar controlled the match from start to finish. Kjar's victory, which came in the final bout of the evening, sealed the win for Utah Valley in their first conference dual of the season as UVU downed UNC, 23-16. With the win, UVU won their seventh dual in a row to improve their record to 7-2 (1-0 WWC). Kjar, who has been ranked as high as No. 17 on the year, took early control in the matchup as he took down Mustari three times in the opening period to lead 6-2 after one and held on by winning, 7-4. With the win Kjar's season record now currently sits at 24-8 (8-1 duals). The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other nominees: Air Force - Justin Shadrix, Jr., 174, Bremen, Ga. (Bremen HS) North Dakota State - Ryan Adams, Jr., 149 lbs., Coon Rapids, Minn. (Coon Rapids HS) Northern Iowa - Christian Brantley, R-Fr., Heavyweight, Homewood, Ill. (Mount Carmel HS) South Dakota State - Tyler Sorenson, Jr., 197 lbs., Garretson, S.D. (Garretson HS) Wyoming - Eric Coxbill, Sr., 157 lbs., Wright, Wyo. (Northwest College-Wyo.)

Franc Freeman, who is one of six new members that will be inducted into the 2009 class of the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa in April, as well as Chris Krueger, head wrestling coach at Denver-Tripoli High School (IA), will be radio show guests on Wednesday, February 4. Freeman had an excellent career as both a wrestler and as a high school coach. At Davenport High School (IA) he contributed to the team championship in 1956 with a 2nd place finish at 120 pounds. Freeman went on to be a two-time All-American at Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa), placing second in the nation as a senior in 1962 at 123 pounds. Freeman served 29 years as a high school head coach, the last 27 at Bettendorf, Iowa, where he consistently produced strong teams and won state team titles in 1982 and 1983. Krueger is the head wrestling coach at Denver-Tripoli High School and his Titans are currently ranked third in the state in class 2A with a dual meet record of 22-5. Denver-Tripoli has emerged as a consistent challenger for state individual and team championships over the last several years. The Titans have six ranked wrestlers including top rated juniors Levi Wolfensperger (119) and Blake Sorenson (145). "On the Mat" can be heard live on the internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show.

Hofstra Athletics will honor its only national wrestling champion Nick Gallo '78 this Sunday, February 8 at halftime of the 21st-ranked Pride's match against third-ranked Cornell at the David S. Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 5 p.m. Gallo won the national title at 126-pounds in 1977. In an effort to acknowledge the outstanding accomplishments of numerous former student-athletes during the University's nearly 75 years of existence, Hofstra University announced last year that a group of 20 past Pride athletes will have their jersey numbers retired. "The honoring of these 20 former student-athletes is a celebration of the outstanding history of Hofstra Athletics," commented Hofstra University Director of Athletics Jack Hayes. Gallo, a three-time NCAA Championship qualifier, captured the 126-pound national championship and was named the NCAA Championship's Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1977. He earned All-America honors in 1975, by placing fourth and 1977 with the national title. During his four years at Hofstra Gallo recorded a 104-14 record. He was a silver medalist in the 1980 World Cup, Pan American Trials Champion in 1979, and a member of the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Teams. In 1979, Gallo returned to Hofstra as the head wrestling coach and proceeded to record a 49-25-0 record over the next four years including East Coast Conference championships in 1980, 1982 and 1983. In his first season he led the Pride to a 15-6 dual match record. A year later Hofstra placed 26th at the NCAA Championships with only two participants, Ed Pidgeon and Mike Hogan. In 1982 the Pride returned to the top of the ECC with a 12-4 record and sent three wrestlers to the national tournament. In his final year as coach Gallo led the Pride to a 13-3 mark, captured their third ECC title, sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and finished 24th in the country. Gallo, who was inducted into the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, is also a member of the Suffolk Country Hall of Fame and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is currently the president of TW Promotions, the exclusive New York metropolitan area distributor of the RESILITE wrestling mat and protective wall padding line, and supplier of ASICS products. To purchase Hofstra wrestling tickets online for the Hofstra-Cornell match, visit www.Hofstra.edu/athletics or call 516-HOF-TIXX (463-8499).

BUFFALO, NY -- Desi Green (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) has been named the Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week. In the Bulls' dual meet against Central Michigan last weekend, the redshirt-freshman captured a one-point victory over the tenth ranked wrestler in the nation. In the 149-lb matchup, Steve Brown of Central Michigan entered the match ranked first in the latest MAC rankings followed by Green. The two wrestlers entered the final period tied at 2-2. With four seconds remaining on the clock, Green scored a takedown to take a 4-3 lead. Green held on for the win, scoring the Bulls only points on the day. With Green's victory, he now joins the UB wrestling greats in the record books. He is currently tied for 14th place in school history in dual meet wins in a season (14) and is only two wins away from 15th place for most overall wins in a season (30). Green is currently undefeated at 3-0 against MAC wrestlers. He currently leads the Bulls in takedowns (41), falls (3), overall wins and dual meet wins and is also tied for first in technical falls (1) and reversals (4). Green and the Bulls will return home for the first time since November 26 when they take on the 24th ranked team in the nation, the Kent State Flashes (8-4, MAC 1-0) on Saturday, February 7 at 7 pm.

Columbia, Mo. -- Missouri senior All-American Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week as announced today by the league office. The Tigers' 174-pound starter, Jordan upset second-ranked Brandon Browne of Nebraska, 6-3, Saturday evening in the Hearnes Center to earn Missouri's second Big 12 weekly accolade of the campaign. Improving to 25-2 (.930) on the season, Jordan entered the dual ranked fifth in the nation at 174 pounds. Jordan held Browne to only three escapes throughout the seven minute match, earning his own points through a first period takedown, second period escape and third period takedown. Additionally, Jordan racked up 1:42 of riding time for his sixth and final point of the match. Saturday's win marked Jordan's second straight over a top-five ranked opponent. On Jan. 25, Jordan upset then-No. 5 Steve Anceravage of Cornell, 10-5, in Ithaca, N.Y. Jordan is currently riding a seven-match win streak that dates back to his Jan. 10 victory over Micah Bollinger of Penn State at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals. In all this season, Jordan is 5-2 against ranked opponents and owns a perfect 18-0 record in duals, Throughout his Tiger career, Jordan has tallied 114 wins, good enough for seventh-best in program history. Tiger teammate Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) was the last Missouri wrestler to earn the Big 12 Weekly award, doing so on Jan. 5. Jordan and the Tigers will travel to the state of Oklahoma for a pair of duals. First up, Missouri will take on 10th-ranked Oklahoma beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) in Norman on Friday, Feb. 6. The Tigers will then head to Stillwater, Okla., for a Saturday, Feb. 7, contest against the No. 12 Cowboys of Oklahoma State beginning at 7 p.m. Following the two Big 12 duals, Missouri will return home to host the third annual Beauty and the Beast event set for Friday, Feb. 13, beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. The event, which pits the Missouri wrestling team against No. 9 Central Michigan, also features the Missouri gymnastics squad in competition with Illinois. Both events run simultaneously on the floor of the Hearnes Center. Tickets for the evening competition are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and can be purchased by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS.

When you need to find a restaurant, a doctor or a phone number, you call "411" -- the universal number for information. Likewise, when you're seeking the latest information on college wrestling, you call up Wrestling411. Wrestling411, launched in the fall of 2008, provides coverage of college wrestling in various forms -- through their Web site www.wrestling411.tv, via a twice-weekly radio show, and, eventually, a weekly highlights TV show. It's a product of Media Sports Productions, which, according to the Wrestling411 website, is "a Minneapolis-based organization whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling. Specifically, we have a team of highly motivated and talented individuals whose sole job is to produce sports highlight shows that educate and entertain the community. These shows will be distributed by way of satellite and cable broadcasts, streamed over the Internet, and heard on radio. Our goal is to make wrestling a front-page sport." Kyle Klingman and Jason BryantTwo members of the Wrestling411 team are award-winning journalists who are well-known and well-respected within the wrestling community: Jason Bryant, and Kyle Klingman. Before coming to Wrestling411, Bryant was arguably best known for his writing and operating the popular InterMat wrestling Web site; Klingman writes a column for WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine). The 411 on Wrestling411 "(Media Sports Productions) was started by J Robinson a couple years ago," according to Jason Bryant. "It's a marketing and promotions company, with the intent of getting wrestling on TV." J Robinson"We're committed to college wrestling," says Kyle Klingman. "We want to give the sport the coverage it deserves. Rather than depend on others, we decided to take the situation into our own hands." Bryant continues, "The Wrestling411 website has video and audio clips. We did our first live dual-meet webcasts last week." This is in addition to Wrestling411 Radio Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. Central, and accessible online at Wrestling411.tv live and in the Web site archives. "Our mission -- we want the website to be relevant in terms of interviews, articles," says Klingman. "If Iowa does something remarkable, we have Tom Brands on. We want to provide current information, and be up-to-date on what's happening in the sport right now. We also address issues like stalling, and the new qualifying procedures." "We see Wrestling411 as being content-driven, quality-driven." An all-inclusive package Another mission of Wrestling411: to incorporate all aspects of collegiate wrestling. "We want to cover everything -- Division 1, Division II, Division III," according to Kyle Klingman. "We've had every division, along with women's wrestling, California JUCO (junior college)." Jason Bryant echoes that sentiment: "There's much more to wrestling than Division I, the Big Ten or the Big Twelve." "As I enter scores, I know there are parents and fans who follow D3 programs. There are over 300 programs that don't get the coverage they should." Bryant gives a concrete example of Wrestling411's commitment to coverage: "(A couple weekends ago,) I drove six hours, covered the University of Nebraska-Omaha vs. Augsburg dual -- a matchup between the top D2 and D3 programs in the country -- drove back to Minneapolis, then put the story and package together, into the night." "Initially, some folks thought we were about Minnesota wrestling or just the Big Ten," says Bryant. "It's about getting our sport on TV and radio and in other media." A fresh approach to covering wrestling In addition to providing coverage of all levels of college wrestling, Wrestling411 provides fans with the latest information in a variety of ways. "We want to cover things from different angles," says Klingman. "Our radio shows are available over the air, online, and in our archives. We provide live updates. We have audio and video interviews. We want to offer different forms of content, not just results, but highlight clips and so much more." "Our goal is to provide fresh content every day. We want to give fans a reason to visit us everyday, to see what's new." "My goal is to be at as many events as possible," Klingman continues. "We want to be everywhere humanly possible." Additional goals of Wrestling411 "Another goal of ours is to make mainstream media more aware of college wrestling," says Klingman, citing specific national media outlets that have done a poor job covering major collegiate wrestling events such as the NCAA championships. Jason Bryant concurs: "Sports coverage is so clip-oriented. Whether it's (ESPN) SportsCenter, or the local TV news, or sports talk radio. We want to be able to provide them with ready-to-use material that helps keep wrestling fans informed, and raises awareness for the sport." "To help wrestling grow, it needs to grow not just from the top down, but from the bottom up." Developing and nurturing the existing fan base is yet another goal of Wrestling411, according to Kyle Klingman. "We want to help the fan whose kid is wrestling now to stay with the sport once the kid's out of wrestling… We want to reach fans of specific programs, to broaden their interests, to help them see the bigger picture." Meet the principals: Bryant the Virginian … In establishing Media Sports Productions and Wrestling411, promotionally-minded wrestling legends J Robinson and Wade Schalles couldn't have picked two better individuals to develop and sustain this new venture than Jason Bryant and Kyle Klingman. Bryant says, "I've always been interested in broadcasting. As a kid, I'd miss the bus because I was watching SportsCenter." Jason BryantThe Virginia native continues, "We moved to Poquoson, which is a real wrestling school. Sophomore year, I saw my first wrestling meet, and, my first pin. I was hooked right there." Even back in high school, Jason Bryant was adept at multi-tasking. "I was writing for the school paper, doing announcing eight sports. I went out for wrestling; got the piss beat out of me." As a senior in high school, Bryant started the Mat Talk radio show, which covered wrestling on the Virginia Peninsula. He was also sports editor for his school yearbook, and writing a column for a monthly paper. When it was time for college, Bryant chose Old Dominion University -- "It let me keep my local contacts and knowledge of wrestling." He was working at the Daily Press in Newport News, covering wrestling. ("It's important for wrestling journalists to write quickly, and do it well. You get that from writing for a daily newspaper.") And, if that weren't enough, in 1997, Bryant launched the Mat Talk On-Line Web site. In 2001, Jason Bryant stepped onto a larger stage by working as a freelance writer for TheMat.com, website for USA Wrestling, covering major events such as Fargo, and the 2003 World Championships in New York City. He then took the reins at InterMat, which had been purchased in 2004 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). In addition to covering all aspects of wrestling, Bryant was also the NWCA's Director of Media Relations. In his three years at InterMat, Bryant earned Journalist of the Year honors from WIN and the Dellinger Award for Wrestling Writer of the Year from Amateur Wrestling News. In August 2008, Bryant said goodbye to the NWCA, InterMat, and Amish Country, Pennsylvania and moved north to Minnesota, to join Wrestling411 as Production Manager/Writer. "My favorite thing is being behind the microphone, but I enjoy writing," says Bryant. "But I don't think I'm different than a typical wrestling fan." … and Klingman the Iowan Kyle Klingman is also a long-time wrestling fan. As the native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, describes it, "My mom went to Oklahoma State in the 1960s. We'd go to meets in Stillwater. Dad went to Northern Iowa, so we'd go to wrestling at the West Gym, too." "I went out for wrestling in junior high, but realized my body-build was better suited to track and cross country … I continued to go to events at Cedar Falls High, and had a blast." "I went to my first NCAAs at Iowa City in 1995." "Wrestlers were my heroes," Klingman continues. "But, unlike most sports, my heroes were accessible. For instance, Keith Young (three-time NCAA champ at Northern Iowa 1949-51, and long-time high school wrestling coach) was my substitute driver's ed teacher." Kyle Klingman and Dan Hodge"I was always around wrestling. I got my first break in 2001-2002, working for Scott Casber and Scott McLinn's radio show, Saturday Night Slam. They had an amateur wrestling segment, and I'd arrange for guests." "I started working for the (Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute &) Museum in October 2002, working both in Newton, and Waterloo (Iowa) … It was a great experience. I got to emcee pro and amateur wrestling events. I learned so much working with Mike Chapman. He does a great job preserving and promoting the sport." While at the museum, Kyle Klingman met Mike Finn, editor of WIN, and started writing a regular column for the wrestling magazine. "Mike believed in me early on," says Klingman, who continues to write for the publication. In fact, Klingman earned Journalist of the Year honors from WIN in 2008. "On September 1, 2008, I came to work for Wrestling411." "It's fun to do your job when you have a passion for it," says Klingman. "Jason and I are polar opposites. We have different backgrounds and skills, but we complement each other. I'm learning so much from Jason." Jason Bryant weighs in: "J Rob brought in Kyle and I because wrestling fans know who we are. We're fans ourselves. We know wrestling, and we're passionate about it." Contributing to the future The Wrestling411 website is supported in two ways -- by traditional advertising sponsors, and from contributions from individuals. "We have show sponsors, but we don't base our coverage on who the sponsors are," says Jason Bryant. "If we get 1,000 fans to each contribute $5, that would be great," Bryant continues. "These funds make it possible for us to cover events." When asked in separate interviews about future plans for Wrestling411, both Jason Bryant and Kyle Klingman mentioned their expectations to cover the 2009 NJCAA and NCAA Division I, II and III championships. "People are already recognizing the Wrestling411 brand," says Bryant. "We plan to continue to give wrestling the showcase it deserves." To learn more about Wrestling411 – and make a contribution to this venture -- visit their Web site at www.Wrestling411.tv.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used a strong finish to complete a 20-18 comeback victory against 19th-ranked Indiana on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 1) in front of 486 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. For the second time in as many days, the Wolverines found themselves trailing early after a pair of IU falls, U-M but rallied with four wins in the final six bouts, including two bonus wins, to remain unbeaten in Big Ten Conference competition. Michigan (6-6-1, 1-0-1 Big Ten) twice found itself trailing by six points early in the dual. After the Hoosiers' sixth-ranked Angel Escobedo, the defending NCAA champion at 125 pounds, gave his team an immediate cushion with a pin in the first match, U-M knotted things up with back-to-back decisions in the following matches, but IU's Nick Walpole reestablished the six-point advantage with his pin at 149 pounds. The falls allowed for a deceptively close final score and overshadowed the fact that Michigan claimed three of the opening five contests and six total in the meet. Junior/sophomore Aaron Hynes (Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) kept his team in contention with a 7-6 upset against 12th-ranked Kurt Kinser at 157 pounds, pulling U-M within three points at the halfway mark. Hynes dictated the early pace of the bout, scoring on a takedown apiece in the opening two periods and building more than two minutes of riding time that proved the difference in the match. Kinser rallied in the final frame, converting on a pair of takedowns of his own to even the score, but Hynes avoided turn attempts in the waning moments to take the victory after his riding-time point. Michigan carried its momentum through the upperweights, where its ranked gauntlet picked up three straight wins -- two by major decision -- to essentially seal up the team victory. Fifth-year senior captain Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) controlled the 174-pound contest, using a combination of takedowns and penalty points to hang a 12-2 loss on 15th-ranked Trevor Perry. Luke, ranked No. 1 nationally, varied his leg attacks, converting on a pair of single legs in the first period before adding explosive double legs in the second and third frames. Deep on another single-leg shot in the third, Luke drove Perry across the mat, eliciting a fleeing call, and, adding a second-period stalling point and 2:58 in riding time, locked up his 11th bonus win of the season. He remains undefeated at 18-0 on the season. Junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS), ranked 12th at 184 pounds, halted a recent slump with a dominant 10-0 major decision against Nick Avery. Biondo scored on a first-period single leg and a second-period head shuck and held the advantage position for 6:22 of the seven-minute match. With Avery content to lie on the mat, the Wolverine wrestler drew four stalling calls to add four penalty points to earn the bonus point and give Michigan its first lead of the dual. Fifth-year senior captain Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS), ranked sixth at 197 pounds, extended the Wolverines' lead to five points in the subsequent bout, using four single-leg takedowns to upend Matt Powless 9-4. Todd pushed the pace late with the major decision within reach, but he could not convert in the closing seconds and was forced to settle for the three-point decision. The win improved Todd's record to 12-1 on the season. Freshman Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) and sophomore Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) earned impressive victories at the lowerweights to offset Escebedo's opening pin. Stevens battled to a 10-8 decision in a wild match against Matt Ortega at 133 pounds, using three takedowns -- one in each period -- and a third-period reversal to seal the victory. The U-M rookie struck first on a first-period single leg but trailed at period's end after allowing a late takedown out of an extended scramble. Stevens made the most out of the next scramble in the following period, finishing on a late single leg on the mat before riding out the final 13 seconds. He used a standing switch early in the third to earn a reversal and retake the lead, and he padded it with an ankle pick out of yet another scramble on the mat with less than 10 seconds remaining. Ortega reversed him seconds later, but it proved insignificant as Stevens held on to win. Russell, ranked fifth at 141 pounds, controlled from start to finish against Scott Kelly en route to an 8-1 decision and his 12th consecutive win. The Wolverine wrestler gained the lead on a double leg midway through the first period and subsequently rode out the period to earn time advantage. He picked up an additional point after a pair of second-period stalling calls on Kelly and iced the match with a single leg in the closing moments of the bout. The Wolverines will hit the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten duals. U-M will head to Minneapolis, Minn., face Minnesota on Friday (Feb. 6) at 7 p.m. CST before wrapping up the weekend in East Lansing, Mich., with a 1 p.m. meeting Sunday (Feb. 8) against intrastate rival Michigan State.

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin wrestling team is back on track. After starting the Big Ten season 0-3, the 17th-ranked Badgers won their first conference meet Sunday in a 28-13 victory over No. 16 Penn State in College Park, Penn. The win moves Wisconsin to 7-6-0 on the season, 1-3-0 in conference. Penn State drops to 7-8-2, 0-2-2 in the Big Ten. The Badgers fell behind early, but used consecutive victories in the 141, 149, 157 and 165 lbs. weight classes to take the lead from Penn State. Despite a loss in the 174 lbs. class, Wisconsin won the final three matches, including two overtime bouts, to help achieve their first conference win. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 10-0 advantage with wins in the 125 and 133 lbs. weight classes. No. 17 Brad Pataky of Penn State won the meet's first bout in a 12-4 major decision over Badger junior Drew Hammen in the 125 lbs. class. No. 11 Jake Strayer scored the second straight victory for the Nittany Lions as he pinned Wisconsin junior Erik Senescu at the 2:59 mark in the 133 lbs. competition. After falling behind, the Badgers got their first points of the meet from senior Zach Tanelli in the 141 lbs. class. Tanelli won a 22-7 tech fall victory over Penn State's Frank Molinario, bringing Wisconsin within five. Ranked first in his weight class, Tanelli scored five takedowns in the third period to extend his lead in the victory. Fifth-ranked junior Kyle Ruschell kept the momentum going for the Badgers in the 149 lbs. class, scoring a 13-0 major decision win over Colby Pisani of Penn State. Wisconsin then grabbed their first lead of the meet in the 157 lbs. weight class as freshman Ben Jordan scored the Badgers' second major decision victory of the dual with a 13-4 win over Shane Everett of Penn State. With a 6-2 lead heading into the third, Jordan scored three takedowns and a riding time point for the final margin, helping Wisconsin take the 13-10 advantage. The lead stretched to 16-10 as Badger freshman Andrew Howe took on Penn State's Dan Vallimont in the 165 lbs. class. Vallimont is ranked eighth at 157 lbs., but has moved to the 165 lbs. weight class in recent competition. After a scoreless first period, tenth-ranked Howe grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second period with a takedown. Howe sealed the victory with an escape in the third to provide him a 3-2 decision victory. The win keeps Howe undefeated in dual meets this season with a 9-0 record. The Nittany Lions scored their final team points in the next bout which featured two freshmen in the 174 lbs. class. Travis Rutt of Wisconsin fell behind 2-0 after the first two periods, and could not overcome 16th-ranked Quentin Wright of Penn State, losing a 4-2 decision. Next for Wisconsin was sophomore Eric Bugenhagen, looking to extend the Badger lead in the 184 lbs. class. The first points of the bout came as Decker made an escape in the third period, but Bugenhagen responded by scoring a takedown to lead 2-1. A penalty on Bugenhagen for locked hands tied the score 2-2, sending the match into overtime. Bugenhagen scored a takedown in the extra period, giving him a 4-2 decision, and Wisconsin a 19-13 advantage. The Badger lead moved to 25-13 as senior Dallas Herbst built on his Wisconsin career pin record. Facing off against J.R. Brown of Penn State at 197 lbs., Herbst pinned his opposition in the first period at the 1:06 mark. The pin gives third-ranked Herbst eight on the season, and 54 for his career. Closing the day for Wisconsin was senior Kyle Massey, ranked ninth in the heavyweight class. Massey led 1-0 at the end of the second period from an escape, but Penn State's Stefan Tighe tied the score 1-1 with an escape in the third. Massey ended the bout by scoring a takedown in overtime, giving him a 3-1 decision victory. The win gave the Badgers an additional three points, providing the final margin of 28-13. Wisconsin returns to action at home next weekend against Illinois Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The meet will take place at the UW Fieldhouse, and is the first of four consecutive home meets for the Badgers.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Ninth-ranked Central Michigan completed a weekend sweep in Rose Arena with a 19-14 decision over No. 23 Old Dominion Sunday afternoon. The Chippewas (14-2-1 overall) won three of the match's final four bouts to secure the win. Old Dominion (13-6 overall) has lost just twice in its last 13 duals, with both defeats coming to CMU. The Chippewas posted a 24-12 win over ODU in the quarterfinals of the Virginia Duals on Jan. 9. A pair of top-10 ranked individuals opened Sunday's action at 125 pounds. CMU's Scotti Sentes, ranked seventh, had taken two of the three previous meetings against ODU's eighth-ranked James Nicholson this season. Nicholson evened the season series at 2-2, however, locking up a 5-4 decision with an escape after a restart late in the third period. Nicholson took Sentes down in the middle of the mat midway through the second period to break a 2-2 tie. Sentes, who began the third period in the top position, cut the lead to 4-3 when Nicholson was called for stalling. Sentes appeared set to ride Nicholson out and send the match to overtime, but a stalemate forced a restart late in the period. Nicholson escaped with less than 10 seconds remaining after the restart. Conor Beebe evened the team score at 3-3 with a 4-1 decision at 133 pounds. Leading 1-0 entering the third period, Beebe put the match away with a late takedown after ODU's Kyle Hutter was called for stalling. The Monarchs scored bonus points at 141 pounds, as seventh-ranked Ryan Williams majored CMU's Tony D'Alie, 14-4. CMU countered with back-to-back wins at 149 and 157 pounds to take its first lead. Steve Brown (149) and Tyler Grayson (157) recorded the Chippewas' decisions. In the dual's second matchup of ranked opponents, ODU's No. 14 Chris Brown topped No. 12 Trevor Stewart, 5-2. Brown scored a takedown in both the second and third period, while Stewart managed just a second-period escape and a stalling penalty point. CMU reclaimed the lead for good with Mike Miller's 2-1 decision at 174 pounds. Miller evened the score with ODU's Eric Decker at 1-1 with a third-period escape, then earned the win via a 1:04 riding time advantage he had built during the second period. Miller's decision gave the Chippewas a 12-10 lead. Vince DiDona followed with a convincing 15-5 major decision over Joe Budi at 184 pounds. DiDona tallied five takedowns, including three in the first period, and added a reversal in both the second and third periods. No. 15-ranked Jesse Strawn kept the Monarchs within striking distance with a 10-1 major decision over Eric Simaz at 197 pounds. CMU's Jarod Trice, however, controlled the heavyweight match from the outset and posted a 10-4 decision over ODU's Roy Dragon. Trice recorded four takedowns in his 18th win of the season. The Chippewas improved to 6-1-1 against ranked opponents with the victory and extended their winning streak during the month of February to 31 consecutive duals. CMU returns to action Feb. 13 when it visits No. 6 Missouri. The Chippewas' final appearance at Rose Arena is Feb. 19 against No. 24 Kent State.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The No. 3 ranked Big Red wrestling team picked up bonus points in four matches on its way to a 32-7 victory at Tennessee-Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon. Troy Nickerson won by fall, while sophomore Justin Kerber and Cam Simaz won by technical fall. Sophomore Mike Grey picked up a major decision to help the Big Red to improve to 6-2 for the season. The Mocs move to 11-8 for the season. The Big Red day opened with No. 2 Troy Nickerson facing off against Demetrius Johnson. The Cornell junior earned two quick points with a takedown. He was looking to score backpoints, but Johnston twisted out for an escape and earned a takedown of his own before Nickerson could retake his feet. The Big Red grappler immediately escaped and caught Johnson. Nickerson flipped the Moc wrestler on to his back and earned six team points with a pin in 2:32. At 133 pounds, No. 12 Mike Grey dominated Josh Statum of Chattanooga. The Big Red wrestler notched eight takedowns on his way to a 20-6 major decision. With Grey's four points, the Big Red took a 10-0 lead. The 141 pound bout featured Corey Manson taking on No. 9 Cody Cleveland. The two were scrambling each looking to earn the first points of the bout, but Cleveland came out on top to take a two point lead. Manson could not escape as time ran out in the first period. Manson was down on the mat in the second period and spun out to earn the escape. Cleveland used a double leg to capture Manson again and looked for back points, but Manson muscled away from the points. Cleveland cut him loose and earned another takedown to take a 6-2 lead. The Chattanooga wrestler grabbed another six points before the match was over to earn a 12-3 major decision. Sophomore DJ Meagher faced Dan Waddell at 149 pounds. Waddell shot in at Meagher and the two scrambled until Meagher turned over his opponent for a takedown. Waddell quickly escaped, and shot at Meagher once more but the Big Red wrestler counted again and took a 4-1 lead with a takedown. The two were at a stalemate and returned to center mat. Meagher earned two quick back points and was looking for more as time ran out in the period. Meagher started the second in the down position, and spun out for a reversal. Waddell was awarded a point for a technical for Meagher locking his hands. Meagher let him up for an escape. Waddell started the third down on the mat and with an escape brought the score to 8-4. The Moc wrestler earned his first takedown of the match, but with an escape and 1:36 in riding time, Meagher won a 10-6 decision. In the last bout of the first half, No. 5 Jordan Leen took on Joey Knox. Leen used a double leg to earn a takedown and rode his opponent out for the 1:40 remaining in the period. Knox chose to start the second down on the mat, and he earned his first point with an escape. Leen caught him right away to earn two more points to bring the score to 4-1 to end the second. The Big Red wrestler started the third down on the mat and quickly scrambled out to an escape. He earned another takedown, but cut his opponent loose looking for a major decision. Time ran out before he could score again, and with 3:24 in riding time, Leen won an 8-2 decision. As the second half began, John Basting squared off against William Garvin. Garvin earned the only points of the first with a takedown. Basting escaped from his starting down position in the second and earned a takedown to take a 3-2 lead. Basting was on top, but Garvin shook him loose over his head to grab a reversal. The Big Red wrestler escaped before the period was over. Garvin chose to start the third down on the mat and earned an escape and another takedown. He let Basting loose and earned another takedown. With 2:32 in riding time, Garvin won a 10-5 decision. At 174 pounds, No. 6 Steve Anceravage faced Jason McCrosky. Anceravage grabbed a quick lead with an early takedown. McCrosky came to his feet twice, but Anceravage threw him back to the mat each time before he finally escaped. As time was running out in the period, Anceravage spun around and earned another takedown over his opponent. The Big Red wrestler started the second period down on the mat and quickly escaped, almost earning a reversal, but McCrosky avoided his clutches for the time being. With time running out in the period, McCrosky earned a quick takedown bringing the match to 5-3. Anceravage cut his opponent loose from his starting down position in the third to put the score at 5-4. Neither wrestler scored in the last minute, and Anceravage walked away with a 5-4 decision. Next up for Cornell was No. 16 Justin Kerber against Tyler Roberson at 184 pounds. Kerber grabbed his opponent around the waist the drug him to the mat for a two-point takedown. Roberson made it back to his feet and escaped away from Kerber. The Big Red wrestler earned two more points, grabbing Roberson by one leg and twisting him down to the mat. The Moc grappler made it to his feet again, but this time Kerber flung him back to the mat and racking up 1:25 in riding time in the first period. Kerber started the second period in the down position and quickly got to his feet for the escape and twisted around for a takedown. Kerber tilted Roberson towards his back and earned two quick backpoints for a 9-1 lead. The Big Red wrestler continued to work his opponent and grabbed his leg to turn him to his back for a three-point nearfall before the end of the period. Kerber had locked up riding time heading into the third period with 3:16. Roberson chose to start the third at neutral. Midway through the period, Roberson shot at Kerber, but the Big Red wrestler countered and spun around for two more points with a takedown. Kerber cut his opponent loose and earned another takedown for a 17-2 tech fall victory. At 197 pounds, freshman Cam Simaz faced Ethan Winel. Right off the whistle the Moc wrestler shot at Simaz but the two scrambled to a stalemate. The wrestlers reached another stalemate before Simaz grabbed Winel's leg and swept him to the mat. Simaz titled his opponent for two quick backpoints before releasing him so he could take him down again for a 6-1 lead heading into the second. Simaz started the second down on the mat, but quickly got to his feet and worked his way to an escape. He looked to earn another takedown, but his opponent got off the mat before he could earn the points. At the neutral position, Simaz continued to work at his opponent but Winel evaded his clutches. Simaz pursued him until he earned another takedown and quickly let him go. The Big Red wrestler grabbed a leg and swept him to the mat yet again, and once again cut him loose. Simaz continued to use a leg sweep for another takedown to a 12-3 lead. Simaz cut Winel loose from his opening down position looking for more points, which he earned with less than 20 seconds off the clock to take an 18-5 advantage. Simaz racked up a bit more riding time before cutting his opponent loose, and circling again for a takedown. He would cut him loose once again with 49 seconds left, and grabbed his last takedown for a 23-8 win by technical fall in 6:35 to give Cornell a 29-7 lead going into the last match of the day. At heavyweight, senior No. 12 ranked Zach Hammond faced Cody Sliger. Hammond earned the first points of the match with a double leg and got a takedown on the edge of the mat. The two returned to the center of the mat, where Sliger fought to his feet, but Hammond swept out his leg to return him to the mat. Hammond was looking to tilt his opponent by his arm for the remainder of the period, but was unable to secure the back points. Hammond chose to start the second period down on the mat, and after working his way to his feet, escaped to take a 3-0 lead. Hammond had secured riding time heading into the third period with 2:14. Sliger chose to start the third period at neutral, and Hammond shot off the whistle to a quick takedown. Sliger eventually escaped, but Hammond earned another takedown and with 2:48 in riding time, Hammond won an 8-1 decision. The Big Red will continue road action next weekend as it travels to Columbia and Hofstra. The Big Red will be at Columbia on Sunday at 12 p.m. before traveling to Hofstra for a 5 p.m. dual. The Big Red's dual against Columbia marks the team's Ivy opener.