InterMat Staff

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Looking to close out the regular season on a high note, the Maryland wrestling team scored four major decisions, including one in each of the last three individual matches, to take a 25-15 decision over Virginia. Tenth-ranked Hudson Taylor, Patrick Gilmore and Brendan Byrne each took major decisions in the final three matches to win. "I told these guys that every match we were going to see a trickle towards where we were going to be at the end of the year," head coach Kerry McCoy said. "Right now, at the end of the dual meet season, it's nice to be above .500...but in two weeks it's going to be all about ACCs and two weeks after that it's going to be all about NCAAs. But we all were aware of it to make sure that we finished on the positive side overall." Eleventh-ranked Steven Bell won his match at 133 pounds by forfeit, and No. 9 Alex Krom took an 11-2 major decision to give Maryland an early 10-0 lead. After senior Steve Fehnel, who was honored in Senior Day ceremonies before the dual, lost his match, Kyle John took on Jedd Moore in the 157 pound contest. John and Moore fought the match of the day, with both grapplers fighting for every advantage. As the crowd got more and more into the tightly-contested battle, John gained an upper hand late in the contest and looked close to earning a two-point takedown which would have given him a lead. Unfortunately, time ran out just before the referee awarded the points. The din of the crowd drowned out the buzzer, causing some question as to whether the points would be allowed, but after a short conference at the timing table, it was determined that time had expired. John fell, 6-5. Brian Letters helped Maryland bounce back when he won his match at 165 pounds, 5-3. Maryland lost its lead, though, when Virginia earned a decision at 174 pounds and a fall at 184. Entering the stretch run, tenth-ranked Hudson Taylor put Maryland back on top with his dominating 12-0 performance at 197 pounds. Taylor, who faced ranked opponents both against Virginia and against George Mason on Saturday, did not allow a point to either opponent on the weekend. When Patrick Gilmore pulled away to an 8-0 victory in the heavyweight spot, Maryland had all-but sealed the victory. Brendan Byrne made it official when he rolled to a 14-1 victory at 125 pounds. Maryland will now have two weeks off before returning to the mats at the ACC Tournament.

MORGANTOWN, WV -- Edinboro came away with its fourth straight Eastern Wrestling League dual meet title on Sunday afternoon, although its 19-19 tie with West Virginia halted the Fighting Scots' 24-match EWL winning streak. The Fighting Scots, ranked 13th in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Top 25, concludes the season with a 14-4-1 record and 5-0-1 in the EWL, while West Virginia finished at 8-4-2 and 4-0-2. The Mountaineers also tied Pittsburgh. Edinboro was seeking its fourth straight perfect 6-0 EWL campaign. The tie leaves the Scots 24-0-2 in their last 26 EWL bouts. Both ties are to the Mountaineers. After trailing 16-3 midway through the match. a pair of upsets allowed the Mountaineers to forge the tie. At 165 lbs., Donnie Jones improved to 9-2 with a 5-3 decision over 11th-ranked Jarrod King. King is still recovering from missing a month with a staph infection in his knee, and has only been training for two weeks. Jones registered a first period takedown, with King's escape making it 2-1 after one period. Jones made it 3-1 with a quick escape in the second period, then added a second takedown for a 5-1 lead. King's escape made it 5-2 at the end of the period. The lone scoring in the third period was a King escape. That leaves the Edinboro senior at 24-5. The Jones win pulled West Virginia to 16-6, and Kurt Brenner followed with a 15-5 major decision over John Foley at 174 lbs. Brenner, ranked 11th, kept Foley winless at 0-4 and tightened the match to 16-10. Chris Honeycutt boosted Edinboro's advantage to 19-10 with a 4-1 decision over Lance Bryson at 184 lbs. The sophomore, ranked 17th, is now 27-6. The Mountaineers picked up upset number two at 197 lbs., as Pat Bradshaw suffered a 5-4 loss to Matt Ryan, who is 3-1. Ryan would start the match with a takedown, but Bradshaw answered with a reversal for a 2-2 tie. Ryan then countered with a reversal, and after a Bradshaw escape, a wild first period ended at 4-3 for Ryan. Bradshaw tied the match at 4-4 with an escape in the second period, but Ryan escaped early in the third for the winning point. The loss dropped Bradshaw to 23-7. The highly-awaited heavyweight match between 13th-ranked Joey Fendone of WVU's Dustin Rogers, who is ranked 11th, never took place. Head coach Tim Flynn decided to forfeit the match with Fendone battling a minor injury. Flynn noted that Fendone could have wrestled if necessary. Edinboro got its own forfeit at 125 lbs., as top-ranked Paul Donahoe improved to 29-0. Ricky Deubel followed with a 4-1 decision over Grant Lowther at 133 lbs., giving the Scots a 9-0 lead. All of the scoring took place in the first period, with Deubel registering a pair of takedowns. Deuble, ranked 19th, is now 25-10 and picked up his 99th career win. Steve Waite, who transferred to Edinboro from West Virginia after the first semester, was unable to come up with a win in his return. The 141-pounder dropped a 6-3 decision to Colin Johnston to fall to 8-5. The sophomore wasn't able to rally after falling behind 4-0 after one period due to a Johnston takedown and two near-fall points. A Waite escape and takedown in the second period closed the match to 4-3, but Johnston added an escape to make it 5-3. He added another escape in the third period. Torsten Gillespie (left) came up with Edinboro's biggest win of the match with a 10-5 decision over 20th-ranked David Jauregui at 149 lbs. Gillespie jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead then held off Jauregui. He registered a first period takedown for the lone points of the period. In the second he added an escape and takedown. A Gillespie takedown in the third period made it 7-0, but Jauregui got on the board with an escape. The WVU senior added a takedown, with Gillespie's escape made it 8-3. Jauregui added another takedown, but Gillespie would escape again and owned a 3:51 advantage in riding time. Gregor Gillespie (above left) followed with a 14-0 major decision over Ryan Goodman at 157 lbs. The top-ranked wrestler at 157 lbs., the senior has now added the school record for career wins to his resume. Gillespie improved to 35-0 for the season and 146-10 for his career. That betters the record of 145 previously held by Jason Robison. Gillespie had two takedowns and turned Goodman three times for a total of nine near-fll points. Edinboro will next compete in the EWL Tournament on Saturday, March 7 at Lock Haven.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 2 Mike Poeta and No. 8 John Wise finished their home dual careers with victories and freshman Jordan Blanton registered his eighth pin of the season as the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini smothered Michigan State, 26-12, in front of 1,127 fans at Huff Hall. Illinois finished the dual-meet season 13-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten, with the 13 dual wins ranking as the fourth-most in Illinois history. "The thing that sticks out to me is our three seniors who wrestled today," Illinois head coach today. "Not only are they three very good wrestlers, they're also three young men who have tremendous character. It's bittersweet knowing this is the last time they'll wrestle at Huff Hall, but it was good to send them out with a win like this." With the match starting at 141 pounds, Collin Dozier came out of a scramble with a takedown and three near-fall points with 35 seconds left in the first, finishing the period with a 5-0 lead. Prater chose top in the second period and while he was trying to tilt Dozier, the Spartan gained control and got Prater on his back, pinning the Illini sophomore in 3:24 to give MSU an early 6-0 lead. Eric Terrazas got a takedown on the edge against David Cheza at 149 with 1:50 left in the first and rode hard for 1:21 before Cheza escaped with 29 seconds left. With no further scoring, Terrazas took a 2-1 lead into the second where Cheza started down. Terrazas continued to ride hard, turning Cheza for a two-point near-fall with 1:20 left then got another tilt with seven seconds left for another two back points before Cheza escaped, giving Terrazas a 6-2 lead after two periods. The pair started neutral in the third and Terrazas got the takedown with 59 seconds and cut Cheza loose with 44 seconds. But Terrazas shot and got an ankle before finishing another takedown on the edge for a 10-3 lead. Terrazas rode him out to get the riding time point and an 11-3 major decision, cutting MSU's lead to 6-4. At 157, No. 2 Mike Poeta countered a shot by Anthony Jones Jr. and turned the corner for the takedown with 49 seconds left. Poeta rode him out for a 2-0 lead after a period. Poeta started down in the second and escaped in three seconds. After a tie-up, Jones Jr. tried to scramble away but Poeta grabbed an ankle and got the takedown for a 5-0 lead with 1:52 of riding time advantage after five minutes. Jones Jr. started down in the third and escaped after Poeta tried to tilt him. Jones Jr. left a leg out and Poeta out-circled him for the takedown before cutting him loose with 1:04 left. Then Poeta overpowered the Spartan sophomore, lifting and planting him on his back for a takedown with 24 seconds left. Poeta rode him out for the 10-2 major decision, pushing Illinois ahead, 8-6. No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud got in a tie-up with Rex Kendle then picked the Spartan's ankle for the takedown with 2:01 left at 165, but Kendle escaped at 1:16 after a drawn-out attempt for the reversal. With a 2-1 lead after the first period, Smith-Bergsrud started down in the second and gave up a three-point near-fall after nearly escaping off the whistle. After Kendle was allowed to hold Smith-Bergsrud in a near-pin position for most of the period, Kendle rode out the Illini senior and got his three back points for a 4-2 lead. Kendle started down in the third and Smith-Bergsrud cut him loose with 1:10 left after being unable to turn the Spartan. Smith-Bergsrud shot in and got the double-leg with 48 seconds left but Kendle reversed it with 35 seconds left to get a 7-4 lead. He rode out the Illini senior for the victory, giving MSU a 9-8 advantage. At 174, John Dergo got a leg and secured both ankles but Ian Hinton was able to grab a high crotch to avoid any scoring. But Dergo shot off a restart and got the takedown and rode out Hinton for the 2-0 lead with 1:02 of riding time. Dergo started down in the second and escaped in 15 seconds. After the pair broke a tie-up, Dergo shot in and got both ankles and finished the takedown on the edge for the 5-0 lead after two periods. Hinton started down in the third and Dergo cut him loose 25 seconds into the period. Dergo shot and got an ankle but Hinton held onto an ankle to avoid scoring. Hinton shot off a restart but Dergo fended it off with 29 seconds left. Dergo shot just before the horn sounded but couldn't secure both legs in time, taking the 6-1 win to push Illinois ahead 11-9. No. 12 Jordan Blanton got in on a leg against Eric Anderson at 184 and scrambled through for 45 seconds before getting the takedown at 1:28 and a three-point near-fall with 1:07 left for a 5-0 lead. Blanton locked in a cradle with 20 seconds left but couldn't turn Anderson, finishing the first period up five points. The pair started neutral in the second and Blanton got the takedown with 55 seconds left just before Anderson took injury time. Hinton escaped off the restart but Blanton got another takedown with 29 seconds left and began working on Anderson on top, turned the Spartan sophomore and stuck him with three seconds left in the period for his team-leading eighth fall of the season in 4:57. That pushed Illinois' lead to 17-9. At 197, Patrick Bond got a leg and flipped Tyler Dickinson to his back but Dickenson held onto a leg and the bout was stopped for a blood timeout. After no scoring in the first, Bond started down in the second and escaped in eight seconds. Dickenson started down in the third and escaped in 16 seconds to tie the bout at 1. But Bond was able to grab a leg near the edge and finish the takedown with 44 seconds for a 3-1 lead. Dickenson escaped with 31 seconds left and took a shot, but Bond blocked it and circled for the takedown with 20 seconds left to go up 5-2. Dickenson escaped with five seconds left but Bond fended off the late attack for the 5-3 win and a 20-9 lead for the Illini. Michigan State's Alan O'Donnell was hit with a stalling warning with 20 seconds left in the first period and he finished the first three minutes with No. 8 John Wise scoreless. Wise started down in the second and escaped off the whistle for a 1-0 lead. O'Donnell shot with 50 seconds left but Wise circled behind him, lifted him and dropped him to the mat for the takedown before riding him out for the 3-0 lead after two periods. O'Donnell started down in the third and escaped in 12 seconds to cut Wise's lead to 3-1. Wise was warned for stalling with 40 seconds left but then blocked another shot by O'Donnell, slid behind him and slammed him to the mat for the decisive takedown. After adding the riding time point, Wise took the 6-1 decision that sealed the team victory by putting Illinois ahead, 23-9. B.J. Futrell stacked up a double-leg on Eric Olanowski at 125 with 2:35 left then turned him on the edge of the mat for a three-point near-fall with 2:08 left. After a restart, Olanowski escaped and took a shot, but Futrell countered it, circled around and planted him for the takedown and a 7-1 lead. Olanowski took injury time after his head hit the mat and after Futrell was unable to turn him, the Illini freshman cut him loose with 34 seconds left in the period. Futrell shot in on a double-leg and finished it with 10 seconds left to take a 9-2 lead after three minutes. Olanowski started down in the second and escaped in eight seconds and eventually worked through a scramble to a takedown with 20 seconds left and rode out Futrell to cut the Illini's lead to 9-5 with 1:44 of riding time after two periods. The pair started neutral in the third and Olanowski blocked a shot by Futrell then spun behind him for the takedown with 18 seconds left to cut the Illini's lead to 9-7. But Futrell held on to win by that score and tack on to Illinois' lead, making it 26-9. In the day's marquee matchup at 133, No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy got a leg, stepped over and finished the takedown on the edge against No. 6 Franklin Gomez at 133. But Gomez escaped off a restart and shot through a double-leg for a takedown of his own and a 3-2 lead. Kennedy escaped as he went off the edge of the mat to tie the bout at 3 with 23 seconds left in the first and that's where the period ended. Kennedy started down in the second and escaped in 10 seconds for a 4-3 lead. But Gomez shot in on a double-leg and landed it with 20 seconds left then rode out Kennedy for a 5-4 lead with 40 seconds of riding time after two periods. Gomez started down in the third and Kennedy cut him loose off the whistle to give Gomez a 6-4 lead. Kennedy got in on a leg near the edge and Gomez fought him off, but the Illini junior switched to Gomez' other ankle and took him down on the edge to tie the bout at 6. Kennedy cut Gomez loose off the restart and Gomez blocked a shot by Kennedy and circled behind for the takedown. Kennedy escaped with 45 seconds left and blocked a shot by the Spartan with 25 seconds on the clock. Gomez had time to back away from Kennedy's shots and walk out with the 9-7 victory, making the final team score 26-12. The Fighting Illini have the next week off from competition but will be preparing for the Big Ten Championships on March 7-8 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- No. 8 Lehigh set a new school record for dual victories in a season with a 24-12 win over No. 25 Penn Sunday afternoon inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The dual was tied at 12 after seven bouts before the Mountain Hawks captured the final three matches, as junior David Craig and freshman Joe Kennedy picked up wins by decision and freshman Zach Rey ended the dual with a first period pin. With the victory the Mountain Hawks complete the dual season at 23-1, including a perfect 9-0 mark versus EIWA opponents. "The wins from Craig and Kennedy were huge," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. "Hitschler has a history of frustrating people, but David did really well to keep his composure and just go out there and wrestle. Santoro continued, "Joe's really starting to turn a corner. It's been a long freshman year but he's doing a nice job. He just goes out and wrestles hard every day." John McDonald fell behind early to Rollie Peterkin at 125, giving up seven points in the first period to the Penn Grappler. McDonald made several attempts at takedowns, but Peterkin quickly turned them all around for points as he rolled to the tech fall, by going up 17-0 at the 6:45 mark. No. 15 Matt Fisk jolted the Leeman-Turner Arena crowd to its feet with a sudden victory at 133. Fisk gave up his 1-0 lead in the third by allowing Bryan Ortenzio to earn a takedown with 1:30 left in the period, but the junior slipped away for the escape seconds later to knot the score at two. In overtime, Ortenzio came in for a shot attempt but Fisk began to slip behind him as the seconds ticked off the clock. The two wrestlers spun in a circle on the mat for nearly 20 seconds as Fisk fought for the points, eventually earning the takedown with just one second remaining in the overtime period. No. 19 Seth Ciasulli put Lehigh back on top with a 2-0 victory over Rick Rappo from Penn. Ciasulli and Rappo were even throughout the match, with only a two-point near fall from Ciasulli in the second leading to points. Ciasulli was on top to begin the second and flipped Rappo over for just long enough to earn two back points, and that was all he needed to secure the victory. Once again the Lehigh fans were on their feet after No. 15 Trevor Chinn earned a tight 3-1 victory over No. 11 Cesar Grajales at 149. Each wrestler earned an escape to start the second and third periods, and with less than one minute remaining the match appeared to be heading for overtime. With 40 seconds left, Chinn scored the only takedown of the bout, grabbing Grajales ankle at the edge of the mat and slipping around for the points as the grapplers went out of bounds. After Chinn held off a Grajales attempt at a reversal, the Leeman-Turner Arena crowd rose to give the senior a standing ovation as he walked off the mat for the final time in Grace Hall. No. 18 Matt Dragon was too much for Sean Bilodeau at 157, taking the freshman down three times and earning a two-point near fall. After riding time and a penalty point against Bilodeau, Dragon walked away with an 11-2 major decision to knot the team score at 9-9 heading into the intermission. At 165, No. 14 Mike Galante put Lehigh back on top with an 8-3 decision over Andrew Coles. Galante came out of the gate with a quick takedown as both wrestlers shot in at the same time, but Galante drove Coles into the matt, leading to an injury timeout. Galante would score two more takedowns in the match to earn the decision in convincing fashion. Penn evened the score again at 174 when Scott Giffin earned a close decision over No. 17 Alex Caruso. Trailing 3-0 in the third, Caruso turned the tide with a big reversal to cut the deficit to one. Giffin extended his lead with a big takedown late in the period, but a Caruso reversal brought him back within two points. But Caruso simply ran out of time to score one last takedown and suffered the 7-5 defeat. Craig had his hands full against Colin Hitschler at 184, but he pulled out the 7-2 decision to give Lehigh a lead which it would not relinquish. Hitschler had two illegal hold calls against him, resulting in two points for Craig. The Lehigh junior held a 2-1 lead in the third when Hitschler went in for a takedown, but Craig drove his body over his opponent and recorded a takedown of his own. After the second illegal hold call on Hitschler, Craig threw in one more takedown for good measure to pull out the 7-2 win. Kennedy gave Lehigh breathing room with a huge victory at 197 over Thomas Shovlin. Kennedy was leading 1-0 when Shovlin grabbed a single leg to try to score a takedown. He held Kennedy's leg in the air for several seconds as he tried to trip his other leg, but Kennedy slipped away and ended up on top for his own takedown. One more takedown in the third from Kennedy led to back points and the necessary insurance in an 8-2 decision, making the team score 18-12 heading into the final bout. All Rey had to do in the final bout was avoid being pinned for Lehigh to earn the win, but the freshman heavyweight was not ready to settle for that. Rey wasted no time scoring a single-leg takedown in the first and flipped Trey McLean over for the fall in just 2:50. "This was one of those duals where every match could have gone either way," said Santoro. "When two good teams go at it, every point counts." With the loss, Penn wraps up its dual season at 11-7. Next up for the Mountain Hawks is the EIWA Championships, which Penn will host at the Palestra beginning Saturday, March 7.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nick Fanthorpe is back and Iowa State's third-ranked wrestling team is clicking. Fanthorpe, a junior All-American 133-pounder, scored a major decision in his first match in nearly a month and the Cyclones dealt No. 4 Nebraska a 30-10 loss Sunday in the NU Coliseum. Iowa State's second straight win at Nebraska was its fourth straight overall in the series. The win closed out ISU's dual season with a 15-3 overall mark. Iowa State is the only Big 12 team to beat the Huskers for the second straight season. Nebraska finishes with a 17-3-1 dual record. The 20-point victory margin was the Cyclones' biggest win in Lincoln, Neb. since a 33-11 rout of the Huskers on Nov. 30 , 1984. The victory was Iowa State's biggest overall in the series since beating Nebraska, 31-11 in Ames on Dec. 12, 1991. Fanthorpe notched his 13th bonus-point victory of the season by dominating Nebraska's Matt Vacanti by major decision, 11-3. Fanthorpe improves his record to 18-4 in his junior campaign. He had not wrestled since injury defaulting his match vs. Oklahoma on Jan. 23. "We wanted to get Nick (Fanthorpe) a match before the conference meet," Sanderson said. "This was as good of a time as any and he went out there and wrestled tough for us." The Cyclones scored bonus points at 133, 141 and 174 pounds. NU forfeited the 125-pound match to ISU and the Huskers were without their No. 3 174-pounder Brandon Browne as he did not participate due to a death in the family. In the marquee match of the afternoon, top-ranked 197-pound Cyclone Jake Varner denied the Husker's second-ranked Craig Brester by decision, 3-2. Varner is now 24-1. Brester is 27-3 with two losses to Varner this season. "Jake was still looking for points at the end of the match with about 15 seconds left," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "He is tough and a competitor. Brester wrestled his strategy against Jake, but Jake is just a competitor." ISU's Jon Reader (165) scored the upset of fourth-ranked Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska. Reader, ranked seventh, used a reversal and two-point nearfall to come from behind in the third period to top Dwyer by decision, 7-4. Cyclone Nick Gallick (141) scored a major decision for the ISU effort by beating NU's Patrick Aleksanyan, 11-1. ISU's Duke Burk also tallied a major decision in his match at 174 pounds. The Peoria, Ill. native proved to be too much on his feet for Nebraska's Alex Ward, as Burk dominated the match, 19-7. Mitch Mueller (149) and David Zabriskie (HWT) scored decisions in their matches against the Husker wrestlers. Mueller controlled NU's Robert Sanders by a score of 10-3. Zabriskie held off the Huskers' Tucker Lane, 3-1. Zabriskie scored revenge against the Nebraska heavyweight after Lane came away with a 7-6 victory at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Iowa State won that match, 20-19 for third-place honors on Jan. 11 in Cedar Falls. The Cyclones head back to Lincoln, Neb., for the Big 12 Championships March 7 in pursuit of a third-straight conference title.

EVANSTON, IL -- For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the top-ranked Iowa wrestling team has gone undefeated in dual competition. The Hawkeyes improved to 24-0 with a 34-13 win at #19 Northwestern (9-8-1, 2-5-1 Big Ten) Sunday afternoon. Iowa also clinched the 2009 Big Ten regular season title with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference competition. The Hawkeyes have posted 12 undefeated and untied seasons in school history, and the 2009 season has produced the most victories ever. "We are in the post-season now," said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. "We need to have everyone contributing in a dominating way. We've had some good performances, but I don't think we have all come together as a group during a meet yet. We need to put together a good string of wins. When that happens, good things will follow." Iowa went 7-3 at Northwestern, scoring bonus points in six matches, to score its 38th straight dual win. Juniors Brent Metcalf (149), Chad Beatty (197) and Dan Erekson (Hwt.) pinned their Wildcat opponents, junior Jay Borschel (174) scored a match-termination technical fall, and juniors Daniel Dennis (133) and Ryan Morningstar (165) posted major decisions. Metcalf extended his winning streak to 61 and ends the regular season with a perfect 29-0 record. Dennis and Morningstar both picked their 25th season victories, while Dennis extended his winning streak to nine. Erekson, who was making his first start since the beginning of the month due to injury, scored his 45th career victory and 10th season pin. Iowa's three losses were to higher ranked Wildcat opponents. At 125, #4 Brandon Precin caught Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck in a scramble situation, recording the pin in 4:19. Falck is ranked fifth in the country with a 19-3 record. Precin is now 25-2, winning 23 of his last 24 bouts. At 157, #14 Jason Welch scored an 11-3 major decision over unranked Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg. At 184, third-ranked Phillip Keddy gave top-ranked and undefeated Jake Herbert a run for his money, but lost the bout, 3-2. It was the closest that any opponent has wrestled Herbert this season and showed improvement from the Hawkeye junior. Keddy's only other loss this season was a 15-1 major decision to Herbert at the Midlands finals in December. Iowa's next competition will be March 7-8 at the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event will be held by Penn State University at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA. The Hawkeyes, who are the defending team champion, will vy for the school's 33rd conference team title.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The No. 15 Oklahoma State wrestling team put a cap on its regular season with a convincing 27-6 win over No. 11 Oklahoma Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in which OSU won eight of the 10 matches. The Cowboys improved to 15-7 overall, while the Sooners fell to 16-4 overall. With the win, OSU improved its all-time advantage over Oklahoma to 125-26-9 and has now won 20 of the last 22 meetings between the two schools. The Cowboys are undefeated in their last 13 meetings against the Sooners in Stillwater. The Cowboys excelled in the close bouts Sunday, racking up three overtime wins, with freshman Jamal Parks and senior Newly McSpadden both claiming 2-1 wins in the tiebreak period and senior Brandon Mason scoring a sudden victory takedown to beat Ryan Smith, 3-1. McSpadden's win over Jeff James was perhaps the most impressive of the day, as James entered the bout with a 21-3 overall record and was ranked No. 8 in the nation. With his victory over James, McSpadden has now beaten two top-10 wrestlers this year, as he dropped then-No. 8 Duke Burk of Iowa State by a 5-2 score in Ames on Jan. 25. The dual started off with a forfeit win at 125 pounds, as Oklahoma's Joey Fio was suspended for an undisclosed violation, making Cowboy senior Obenson Blanc an instant winner. The first action came at 133 pounds, where OSU sophomore Chris Notte was a 3-2 winner over Brian Shelton, thanks largely to a first-period takedown. Parks followed that up with his 2-1 win in the tie-break period over former high school teammate Seth Vernon to give the Pokes a 12-0 lead in the dual. Luke Silver lost a 9-2 decision to No. 6 Kyle Terry of OU at 149 pounds, but the Cowboys put the dual out of reach with a 2-1 win from Neil Erisman at 157 pounds, followed by back-to-back overtime wins from Mason at 165 pounds and McSpadden at 174 pounds. No. 19 Pat Flynn of OU was a 5-3 winner over Cody Hill at 184 pounds, but that was the last time the Sooners would taste success, as Cowboy sophomore Clayton Foster claimed a 7-5 win over No. 11 Eric Lapotsky at 197 pounds and OSU junior Jared Rosholt was a 10-4 winner over No. 16 Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight. The Cowboys return to action when they compete at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln, Neb., on March 7.

FARGO, N.D. -- The No. 21-ranked University of Northern Iowa Panther wrestling team dug a deep hole on Sunday but was able to rally by winning the final five matches and secured a 21-17 triumph over the North Dakota State University Bison. NDSU opened a 17-3 lead in the dual following a fall at 157 pounds from Vince Salminen over UNI's Tyson Reiner at the 5:48 mark of their match. The Panthers failed to give in and rallied for five straight victories to extend their Western Wrestling Conference dual streak to 12 in a row. UNI moved to 10-6 overall and 4-0 in the WWC this season. NDSU dropped to 5-10-1 overall and 2-4 in the WWC. UNI also clinched a share of its third straight WWC dual title with the victory. Wyoming can also grab a share of the league title with a win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 25 in Greeley, Colo. The Bison defended their home mat with a pair of wins to start the dual at 125 and 133 pounds. NDSU's Justin Solberg scored a 6-4 sudden victory over UNI's Cruse Aarhus at 125 pounds, while the Bison's Trent Sprenkle notched a major decision over Steven Fitzgerald at 133 pounds, 17-7. UNI's Trent Washington got the Panther son the board with a 6-4 victory over NDSU's Gabriel Mooney at 141 pounds. Washington opened up a 5-0 lead over Mooney before allowing the Bison grappler back in the match near the end of the third period. Washington's win pulled the Panthers to within 7-3 in the dual. At 149 pounds, NDSU's Ryan Adams notched an 11-3 major decision over UNI's Brett Robbins. Adams' victory gave the Bison an 11-3 lead in the dual as well. The Bison turned the tables on the Panthers at 157 pounds when Vince Salminen turned a 3-2 deficit to UNI's Tyson Reiner into a fall at the 5:48 mark of their match. Salminen's pin moved the Bison lead to 17-3 in the dual. UNI's Moza Fay did his best to get the Panthers going with a 21-6 technical fall over NDSU's Andrey Patselov at 165 pounds. The Panthers' Jarion Beets continued the Panther comeback with a 10-4 decision over NDSU's Adam Aho at 174 pounds. Beets' win pulled UNI to within 17-11 in the dual. Panther senior Alex Dolly took care of NDSU's Kenny Moenkedick by the count of 12-6 at 184 pounds to get the Panthers three points closer in the dual, 17-14. UNI senior Andrew Anderson dominated Bison freshman Drew Ross and tallied a bonus point for the Panthers with a 14-5 major decision. Anderson's win put the Panthers on top for the first time in the dual, 18-17. But the dual would come down to the final match at heavyweight between UNI's Dustin Bauman and NDSU's Tyler Hemmesch. The first period saw no score between the two competitors. Bauman scored the first point of the match with an escape in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Hemmesch then chose the neutral position to begin the third period despite trailing, 1-0. Bauman was able to fend off shots from Hemmesch in the final two minutes and hung on for the 1-0 victory. Bauman's win clinched the dual for the Panthers, 21-17. UNI will now prepare for the NCAA West Regional slated for March 8 in Greeley, Colo.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For the third time in four matches, sophomore Nikko Triggas recorded a crucial pin to lift the No. 6 Ohio State wrestling team to a 24-18 victory over No. 16 Wisconsin Sunday in the UW Field House in Madison. With Ohio State trailing the Badgers, 12-10, Triggas propelled the Buckeyes to a 16-12 advantage with three matches remaining. The Buckeye from Moraga, Calif., downed Drew Hammen in 2:22 for his team-leading 13th pin of the season at 125 pounds. Ohio State concludes the regular season with a 16-2 overall record, including a 7-1 mark in the Big Ten. Wisconsin falls to 9-8 overall and 3-5 in the conference. Ohio State won the next two matches, including a victory at 133 pounds that would seal the Buckeye win. Junior Reece Humphrey gave the Scarlet and Gray a 20-12 advantage and he almost had the team's second pin of the day, but settled for the 13-3 major decision over Tom Kelliher. Up 5-2 at the end of the first period and 7-3 following the second, the Buckeye from Indianapolis, Ind., accumulated back points in the third and riding time (2:09) for his 23rd win of the season. With the match beginning at 157 pounds, senior Jason Johnstone set the Buckeyes up with an early 3-0 lead on a 6-2 decision over Ben Jordan. The native of Massillon, Ohio, who his ranked 17th in the country, began the bout with a takedown at the 2:03 mark. Ending the first period with a 2-0 lead, Johnstone added an escape after choosing down to go up 3-0. He then recorded another takedown for a 5-0 advantage before relinquishing an escape to Jordan as time expired in the period. Jordan chose bottom to begin the final period and notched the early escape, but that was the final scoring in the match as Johnstone also accumulated a riding time of 2:20 for the extra point. The Badgers wasted little time in evening the score at 3-all when eighth-ranked Andrew Howe upset No. 2 Colt Sponseller, 3-2, at 165 pounds. The loss is Sponseller's first this season in Big Ten dual action as he concludes the conference regular season 7-1. After a scoreless first period, Sponseller quickly got on the board with an escape, but Howe answered with a takedown to take a 2-1 advantage. The Buckeye sophomore from Glenmont, Ohio, ended the period with an escape of his own to bring the bout to a 2-2 tie. With Howe choosing down, he managed the escape and held on the rest of the way for the win. Junior Dave Rella put the Scarlet and Gray back on top at 6-3 when he decisioned Travis Rutt, 5-3, in the 174-pound bout. Rella was down 2-1 at the end of the first and trailed 3-1 in the early moments of the second period, but a takedown moments later tied the affair at 3-3 at the end of the second period. With an escape to his credit, Rella, a native of Akron, Ohio, held Rutt scoreless the rest of the way for a 4-3 advantage. Also amassing a riding time of 1:01, Rella earned his 17th victory of the season. Second-ranked Mike Pucillo garnered bonus points for the Buckeyes with his 14-4 major decision over Eric Bugenhagen at 184 pounds. A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Pucillo owned a slim 2-0 lead at the end of the first period, but soon held a 9-2 lead at the end of the second courtesy of three takedowns and an escape. In the third stanza, the Buckeye junior added additional points with a pair of takedowns and a riding time of 2:47. Wisconsin pulled within one (10-9) at 197 pounds when third-ranked Dallas Herbst pinned Jason Cook, a junior from Dayton, Ohio, in 2:02. Ohio State trailed for the first time in the match (12-10) following the heavyweight bout. Junior Corey Morrison had his hands full with No. 18 Kyle Massey, who was a 2008 NWCA All-Star participant in November. Morrison, a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, and Massey were held scoreless in the first, but Massey took a 3-0 lead after the second on a takedown and escape. Scoring a pair of takedowns, an escape and riding time (1:09), Massey secured the decision, 8-1. Following wins at 125 and 133 pounds, Ohio State owned a 20-12 lead and senior J Jaggers was the second Buckeye to score bonus points on the day with a 13-3 major decision against Erik Senescu at 141 pounds. Jaggers jumped out to a 6-1 lead at the end of the first period before leading 9-1 at the end of the second stanza in his 19th win of the season. Jaggers finishes the regular season 6-2 in the conference and 14-4 in dual action. Although Ohio State already had secured the team win, the Badgers were able to add six more points to their score after fourth-ranked Kyle Ruschell pinned Owen Schaefer in 4:29 in the 149-pound bout. Notes: The Big Ten Network aired the Buckeyes vs. Badgers match live. Replays of the match will air at 4 a.m. Monday (Feb. 23), 10 a.m. Monday (Feb. 23) and 1 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 24). Ohio State finishes the regular season with seven league wins, a first since it went undefeated in the conference with seven victories in 1991-92. For the second-consecutive season, junior Mike Pucillo went undefeated in regular season Big Ten dual action with an 8-0 record. As a 2008 NCAA Champion, Pucillo compiled an overall record of 34-1, including a dual mark of 21-0. In 2008-09 Pucillo owns a 16-0 overall and dual ledger. With the win Sunday, senior Jason Johnstone earned his 20th victory of 2008-09, a career best. He also matched his career best in single-season Big Ten wins with three. The Buckeyes will have a week off from competition a s they will prepare for the 2009 Big Ten Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center March 7-8 in University Park, Pa.

Jayson Ness tied a 13-year-old school record with his 51st career victory by fall, pinning Matt Ortega at 133 pounds as the Gophers captured their final dual meet of the season by a 22-13 score over Indiana (15-7-1, 2-5-1). The Gophers (15-8, 5-3) were also buoyed by wins from Tyler Safratowich (157 pounds) and Gordon Bierschenk (197 pounds) who were both wrestling in their final home dual on Senior Day. After Minnesota dropped the first bout of the meet, Ness brought the crowd of 2,854 to its feet when he pinned Ortega in the waning seconds of the first period. The pin was Ness' 16th of the season and tied the school mark set by Billy Pierce (1992-96). Honored in a pre-meet ceremony for their contributions to Minnesota wrestling, both Safratowich and Bierschenk notched hard-fought wins by decision that helped the Gophers close out the dual season on a high note. Safratowich's victory came over the Hoosiers' 13th-ranked Kurt Kinser by a 5-1 score and Bierschenk's 10-5 win over Matt Powless at 197 pounds virtually put the meet out of reach for Indiana Mike Thorn, who had lost his previous three matches to top-five ranked opponents, bounced back with a decisive 7-3 win over Andrae Hernandez at 141 pounds. Hernandez, who had defeated Iowa's top-ranked Alex Tsirtsis in overtime on Friday, was forced to wrestle from behind throughout the match as Thorn recorded a takedown just four seconds into the bout. Following Safratowich's win at 157 pounds, the Hoosiers responded with wins in each of the next three bouts to claim a 13-12 lead. Minnesota redshirt freshman Sonny Yohn then regained the lead when his 11-0 major decision win over Eric Cameron gave his team a 16-13 lead it would not relinquish. Bierschenk's win pushed the lead to 19-13 and heavyweight Ben Berhow put a stamp on the dual win with a 5-3 win over Nate Everhart. Berhow's win gave the sophomore a perfect 8-0 record in Big Ten duals this season. Minnesota will be off for nearly two weeks as it prepares for the Big Ten Championships, which will be held March 7-8 at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. For ticket information, visit gopsusports.cstv.com.

NEW YORK -- On February 23, 2009 Henry Cejudo, who during the 2008 Beijing Olympics became the youngest American ever to win a gold medal for Olympic wrestling, will conduct a free training clinic for New York City high school wrestlers on behalf of the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program. Cejudo's appearance will help students prepare for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's State Wrestling Tournament taking place later that week on February 27 and 28, 2009 in Albany, New York. The 2009 state tournament will feature 480 participants hailing from the 11 NYSPHSAA sections, the New York City Public Schools Athletic League and the Catholic High School Athletic Association. Cejudo will conduct the February 23rd Beat the Streets clinic for 28 students who attend wrestling programs in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island high schools. "All the students who take part in Beat the Streets' programs, not just those who are going to the state tournament, should be commended for their hard work and commitment to the sport of wrestling and to improving their own lives through the valuable lessons and skills they learn from the sport," said Henry Cejudo. "Beat the Streets is an amazing organization that reaches students in New York City that need extra guidance, so I feel proud to conduct this clinic." "Henry Cejudo's story is not just a testament to how the sport of wrestling can play a part in uplifting a child's life, but also demonstrates how wrestling can help him or her achieve the most out of the sport and beyond," said Brian Giffin, President and Executive Director, Beat the Streets. "We are thrilled that the students in our program who have qualified for the state tournament will be able to train with him as they get ready for the most important matches of the year." Cejudo will conduct his clinic on February 23, 2009 at the Beat the Streets Wrestling Center located in lower Manhattan, which houses the organization's headquarters and student training center. The Beat the Streets Wrestling Program is a not-for-profit organization that creates opportunities for boys and girls from New York City schools to participate in after-school wrestling programs in safe and nurturing environments. Beat the Streets provides free coaching, gear and equipment; free access to afterschool training centers in all five boroughs; all-expenses paid trips to the most prestigious training camps in the country; and safe havens for students from the poorest urban neighborhoods seeking to improve their fitness and stay on the right path. Approximately 3,500 boys and girls from New York City schools currently participate in the organization's afterschool programs. Beat the Streets' work has effectively helped the sport of wrestling grow in New York City. In 2005, New York City's Public School Athletic League had 23 teams only in high schools and fewer than 300 kids enrolled. Now New York City has wrestling teams in 58 high schools and 54 middle schools with 3,500 enrollees.

EDINBORO, Pa. -– Edinboro celebrated Senior Night against Pittsburgh the way it has the previous 23 Eastern Wrestling League matches – with a win. The Fighting Scots, ranked 13th in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Top 25, made it 24 straight EWL wins thanks to a 31-8 victory over the Panthers on Friday night. Edinboro is now 14-4 and 5-0 in the EWL, while Pittsburgh is 4-7-1 and 4-1-1. While the final score wasn't close, most of the matches were. Three went into sudden victory, with Edinboro winning each one. The Fighting Scots also picked up a pair of wins by fall. It was also a momentous evening for head coach Tim Flynn (below left) and wrestlers Gregor Gillespie (below right) and Joey Fendone (left). Flynn became Edinboro's all-time leader in wins as he picked up his 136th win as Edinboro's head coach. Now in his 12th season, Flynn has a 136-39-3 record, breaking the mark of 135 previously held by Fred Caro. Gillespie, one of eight seniors honored before the wrestling began, posted an 11-0 major decision over Phil Sorrentino at 157 lbs. to give him a 145-10 career record. That ties the career record for wins. Jason Robison also has 145 wins. Fendone, meanwhile, became the 21st Boro wrestler with 100 career wins, as he posted a mild upset over Zach Sheaffer at heavyweight, prevailing 4-2 in sudden victory. Fendone, another senior, is now 100-37 for his career. The Fendone-Sheaffer bout was the highlight of a tight evening of wrestling. Sheaffer came in ranked 12th, while Fendone was just a step behind at 13th. Following a scoreless first period, fendone rode out Scheaffer, with the Pitt senior picking up a stalling warning late in the period. Scheaffer chose neutral to start the third period and took a quick shot. He would finally complete the takedown with 1:24 remaining. He would ride Fendone until 11 seconds remained when there was a stoppage due to Fendone bleeding. Fendone would escape with six seconds to go, and quickly pressured Sheaffer. The Panther was called for a second stalling warning with a second to go, sending the match into overtime tied at 2-2. Fendone would come up with the winning takedown in a scramble with 11 seconds remaining in the overtime period. He is now 25-5, while Sheaffer falls to 17-7. Pittsburgh was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the match. The evening got underway at 133 lbs., with Edinboro winning the first of several swing bouts. Ricky Deubel, ranked 19th, held on for a 4-3 win over 18th-ranked Jimmy Conroy. Deubel would lead 2-1 after one period thanks to a takedown and Conroy escape midway through the period. Conroy knotted the match with a quick escape to start the second, but Deubel's second takedown made it 4-2 with 1:36 left. Conroy again escaped and it was 4-3 entering the final period. Deubel chose neutral and there was no scoring. Deubel is now 24-10, while Conroy falls to 19-11. Pittsburgh grabbed a 6-3 lead when impressive redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman, ranked 12th, won by fall over Steve waite at 4;18 in the 141 lb. bout. There was no scoring in the first, but Nauman took a 2-0 lead with a reversal midway through the second period. Waite would have a quick escape, but Nauman's takedown left Waite cradled and the match was quickly over. Nauman improved to 25-7 while Waite is now 8-4. The Gillespie brothers then gave Edinboro a 13-6 lead with a pair of bonus point matches. Torsten Gillespie improved to 25-14 with a fall over mark Powell at 2:24. It was the sophomores fifth fall of the season, and his second in his last four bouts. Brother Gregor, ranked number one at 157 lbs., took the McComb Fieldhouse mat for the last time and won an 11-0 major decision over a game Phil Sorrentino. He took control immediately, with a takedown fuve seconds into the match, followed by three near-fall points at the 2:06 mark. He would add two more back points late in the period. Gillespie would tilt Sorrentino in the second period for a 10-0 lead, and he owned 4 minutes 55 seconds in riding time. Gillespie is now 34-0. In another of the swing bouts, Jarrod King saw Ethan Headlee rally to send their 165 lb. match into overtime, but then recorded the winning takedown with 28 seconds left in overtime for a 7-5 win. The senior led 4-2 after two periods thanks to a pair of takedowns. After a scoreless second period, Headlee would pull within 4-3 with an escape with 1:21 left. In a wild scramble, Headlee registered a takedown with three seconds to go for the 5-4 lead. King had 1:44 in riding time, tying the match at 5-5. In the overtime, King single-leg takedown attempt near the edge of the mat led to him pulling Headlee in and slamming him to the mat for the winning points. King, who is continuing his comeback after missing a month with a staph infection in his knee, is now 24-4. Headlee falls to 22-13. Karl DeCiantis would cut Edinboro's lead to 16-9 with a 16-9 decision over John Foley at 184 lbs. DeCiantis had six takedowns in the bout, but he was unable to come up with the major decision when Foley escaped at the buzzer. Foley, filling in for Phil Moricone and Paul Paddock, falls to 0-3. DeCiantis is 9-12. Chris Honeycutt, ranked 17th, picked up a hard-earned 4-1 decision over Zac Thomusseit at 184 lbs. The sophomore had four good shots in the first period alone, yet the period ended scoreless. Thomusseit's esacpe with 30 seconds left in the second period gave the freshman a 1-0 lead. Honeycutt knotted the score with an escape midway through the final period. He finally was able to finish a shot on Thomusseit with 42 seconds left and picked up a point for riding time. Honeycutt is now 26-6. The 197 lb. bout between Pat Bradshaw and Matt Wilps also went into overtime. Bradshaw recorded an escape in the second period, and Wilps did the same in the third. The Edinboro junior would come up with the winning takedown with 19 seconds remaining for a 3-1 win. Bradshaw is 23-6, with Wilps falling to 16-15. Top-ranked Paul Donahoe closed out the night with a fall over Chris Albright at 1:44. The senior totally dominated the match, holding a 14-2 lead when the end came. Donahoe is now 28-0 and goes to 114-18 for his career. Edinboro closes out its dual meet season on Sunday, February 22 at West Virginia. The Mountaineers defeated Cleveland State tonight, 41-0, setting up a showdown for the EWL regular season title. Edinboro is in search of its fourth straight EWL dual meet crown and fourth consecutive 6-0 season. The action gets underway at 1:00 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In a match that featured three overtime bouts and five lead changes, it was a pair of Buckeye juniors who lifted the sixth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team to a 23-18 win over No. 19 Northwestern Friday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Trailing 18-13 with two matches remaining, the Buckeyes received wins from Mike Pucillo at 197 pounds and Corey Morrison in the heavyweight bout to propel the Scarlet and Gray to its 15th win of the season (15-2; 6-1 Big Ten). Northwestern falls to 9-7-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the league. Wrestling up a weight class, Pucillo faced John Schoen at 197 pounds. The Buckeye from Strongsville, Ohio, only had a 3-0 lead after two periods, but a three-point nearfall in the third turned into a pin at 6:41. Pucillo, ranked second in the nation at 184 pounds, improves his overall record to 15-0 including a 7-0 mark in the Big Ten. Morrison recorded his second major decision of the season following his 11-2 win over Paul Rands. After a scoreless first period for both wrestlers, Morrison quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second stanza. The native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, eventually tallied five more points on a two-point nearfall, takedown and a riding time of 2:41 to solidify the Buckeye victory. It was a rough start for the Buckeyes in the 125-pound bout. Northwestern quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead on a 17-2 technical fall (6:21) by No. 4 Brandon Precin over Buckeye sophomore Nikko Triggas. Despite taking an early 2-0 lead in the first period on a takedown, Triggas was unable to mount any additional scoring on the 2008 All-American. However, the Scarlet and Gray would begin to shave points on the early Wildcat advantage, beginning with junior Reece Humphrey's 11-5 decision against Robert Joyce at 133 pounds. The Buckeye from Indianapolis, Ind., owned a slim 5-3 lead following the first period, but after choosing the bottom position entering the second stanza, he made his way out of Joyce's grip and recorded the escape. Humphrey, No. 3 in the nation, followed that act with a pair of takedowns compared to the Wildcat's lone escape of the period. Joyce tallied the only point in the third period, an escape after choosing bottom to begin the final period. Humphrey capped the match with a riding time of 1:03 for the extra point. At 141 pounds, the Buckeyes took a 6-5 lead following senior J Jaggers' 4-2 overtime victory against No. 15 Keith Sulzer. In the low scoring affair, Jaggers, a native of Northfield, Ohio, trailed Sulzer, 2-1, after the first period. Following a scoreless second period, Jaggers evened the score at 2-all when he escaped Sulzer's hold after choosing bottom. That would be the extent of the scoring in regulation. It was a takedown in the sudden victory overtime that propelled Jaggers, 13th in the country, to the win. Northwestern regained the lead (9-6) at 149 pounds when Andrew Nadhir major decisioned Owen Schaefer, 14-5. The Buckeye from Sandusky, Ohio, scored all of his five points on escapes in the first and second periods. What followed for the Buckeyes was a disappointing 9-7 sudden victory loss at 157 pounds as it faced its biggest deficit of the evening (12-6). Senior Jason Johnstone was up 4-2 against No. 14 Jason Welch after the first period and 6-4 after the second. Down 7-4 in the early moments of the third period, Welch rallied with a takedown and a riding time of 1:06 to send the match to overtime. The Wildcat then scored the match-deciding takedown in the sudden victory for the win. The Wildcats' lead was back at two (12-10) following No. 2 Colt Sponseller's 16-6 win over Dominic Marella in the 165-pound bout. Sponseller, who limited Marella to six escapes in the match, held just a 4-1 lead after the first period. However, Sponseller, a sophomore from Glenmont, Ohio, scored seven points in the second period to increase his lead to 11-3. Two more takedowns and a riding time of 1:53 lifted Sponseller to his 28th win of the season. Junior Dave Rella boosted the Scarlet and Gray to a one-point lead (13-12) after the third overtime match of the evening. At the end of regulation at 174 pounds, Rella and Robert Kellogg were tied, 5-5, and after a scoreless overtime session, the two battled through two tiebreakers. With each wrestler scoring an escape, Rella and Kellogg headed into a second sudden victory overtime, where Rella scored the winning takedown for the 8-6 triumph. With a shakeup in the OSU lineup, freshman TC Pendleton received the starting nod at 184 pounds against No. 1 Jake Herbert. A 2007 NCAA Champion at 184 pounds, Herbert pinned Pendleton, a native of Hoover, Ala., in 2:04 and Northwestern was back on top, 18-13. Notes: Ohio State remains in sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings with a 6-1 record. Iowa remains a top of the league with a 7-0 record following a 24-12 win at Indiana Friday. The Buckeyes will conclude the regular season at 1 p.m. ET Sunday in Madison, Wis., against the No. 16 Badgers. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network. Tim Johnson will provide play-by-play analysis with Tim Gibbons serving as color commentary. Live stats of the Buckeyes vs. Badgers match will be available at www.uwbadgers.com. With the win Friday night, junior Reece Humphrey earned his third Big Ten victory, matching his career best from a year ago. He also surpassed his career total in pins with eight this season at Michigan Feb. 13. Senior Jason Johnstone surpassed his season-best 63 takedowns from a season ago with his 63rd, 64th and 65th Friday. With his win Friday, sophomore Colt Sponseller moved to 28-3 on the season, including a 15-2 dual record. He also is 7-0 in the Big Ten. With 132 takedowns to lead the team, Sponseller now has five major decisions, second-best on the squad. Solidifying the win for the Buckeyes, junior Corey Morrison has 19 wins on the season, a career best. His previous best was 13 in 2006-07. He also has tallied four Big Ten wins, which also stands as a personal high.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 9 Illinois earned its first win against Michigan since 2000 with a 20-15 triumph over the No. 17 Wolverines in front of a season-high 1,409 fans at Huff Hall. No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy gave the Illini their first lead of the night with his major decision at 133, true-freshman Eric Terrazas earned his first Big Ten victory at 149, No. 3 Mike Poeta scored career win No. 97 and No. 8 John Wise secured the team win with his victory at heavyweight. Just 21 seconds into the bout, No. 18 Michael Watts executed a smooth hip-toss takedown on B.J. Futrell and quickly got a takedown and a three-point near-fall for a 5-0 lead. But Futrell worked into a reversal with 1:27 left after a restart. Watts escaped with 1:04 left, but Futrell got a leg and nearly finished it but Watts fought it into a stalemate and led 6-2 after a period. Watts started down in the second and escaped with 1:03 remaining. With no further scoring in the second, Futrell started down in the third and Watts rode him out for the 8-2 win after the riding time point, putting Michigan ahead, 3-0. At 133, No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy got an ankle and finished the takedown just 34 seconds into the bout before letting Zac Stevens go with 1:37 left in the period. Leading 2-1 after three minutes, Kennedy started down in the second and quickly escaped. Off a restart, Kennedy shot in on a double-leg and finished it on the edge for a takedown and a 5-1 lead. Kennedy cut Stevens loose off a restart then after another restart fired through a double-leg for the takedown with 16 seconds left for the 7-2 lead after two periods. Stevens started down in the third and Kennedy cut him loose off the whistle then blocked a shot by the Wolverine and circled around for the takedown. Kennedy cut him loose once again with 1:22 left, then got both ankles and finished the takedown on the edge for an 11-4 lead with riding time over a minute. Following an injury-time stoppage for Stevens, the Wolverine flipped over trying for the escape, but Kennedy controlled him and nearly got back points, earning the 12-4 major decision to put Illinois on top 4-3. Ryan Prater got the takedown with 2:34 left in the first against No. 3 Kellen Russell at 141 but Russell escaped 20 seconds later. Russell nearly got a takedown and back points on the edge but Prater kept hold of the Wolverine's right leg and a stalemate was called. But Russell gained control just before the horn sounded to take a 3-2 lead after a period. Russell started down in the second and got a reversal with a minute left plus three back points with 49 seconds left, but Prater scored a reversal with 45 seconds left. Russell escaped for a 9-4 lead after two periods and Prater started down in the third. Russell was warned for stalling with 1:34 left in the match and Prater escaped with 1:05 left to make it 9-5. Russell blocked a shot and fired through a double-leg with seven seconds left for the 11-5 decision to push Michigan ahead once again, 6-4. Click here to find out more! At 149, Eric Terrazas shot off the whistle and got the takedown nine seconds into the match. Terrazas was warned for stalling with 1:09 after riding Beaudry for nearly two minutes and the Wolverine escaped with 57 seconds left. After blocking three shots by Beaudry, Terrazas got a leg on the edge and eventually circled around for the takedown before riding out the Wolverine for a 4-1 lead with 2:07 of riding time after a period. Beaudry started down in the second and escaped in seven seconds. Beaudry got a leg on the edge but Terrazas fought him off after a drawn-out scramble and a stalemate was called. Terrazas executed a nice throw-by takedown but Beaudry rolled out for the escape. The Illini rookie got a leg on the edge and nearly got the second before both wrestlers went out of bounds and Terrazas took a 6-3 lead into the third. The Illini freshman started down in the third and Beaudry cut him loose off the whistle for a 7-3 lead. Terrazas shot in once again and got a leg, forced Beaudry into the splits then turned him and finished the takedown to go up 9-3. He cut the Wolverine loose then got a leg on the edge yet again before securing the takedown to go up 11-4 with riding time. After his second injury timeout, Terrazas was unable to ride out Beaudry but got a throw-by takedown on the edge for the 14-5 win, his first career Big Ten victory. No. 2 Mike Poeta scored a takedown on Aaron Hynes with 2:10 left in the first at 157 and let Hynes go with 1:26, then got a double-leg with 50 seconds left and rode him out for the 4-1 lead after three minutes. Hynes started down in the second and Poeta let him loose 16 seconds in. The Illini senior shot in, got a leg and finished the takedown on the edge with 1:22 left and Hynes escaped 14 seconds later to make it 6-3 in Poeta's favor after the second. Poeta started down in the third and Hynes rode him out as the Illini senior took a 6-3 win, pushing the Illini's lead to 11-6. No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud fired through a double-leg with 1:29 left in the first period against Justin Zeerip at 165 and Zeerip escaped with 1:15. But Smith-Bergsrud shot through another double-leg takedown on the edge with 40 seconds left and let Zeerip go with 30 seconds left, then took down Zeerip once again with six seconds left for the 6-2 lead after the first. Zeerip started down in the second and escaped in 10 seconds but Smith-Bergsrud took him down six seconds later. The Wolverine escaped in nine seconds but Smith-Bergsrud got another takedown with 1:14 after Zeerip was warned for stalling five seconds earlier. Zeerip escaped with 59 seconds left to make Smith-Bergsrud's lead 10-5 after five minutes. The pair started neutral in the third and Zeerip was hit with another stalling warning, giving Smith-Bergsrud a point. The Illini senior got a leg with 17 seconds left but couldn't fight off Zeerip's whizzer and took the 12-5 win, improving Illinois' advantage to 14-6. At 174, No. 1 Steve Luke got a leg and finished the takedown on John Dergo with 1:31 left in the first but Dergo escaped 16 seconds later. Dergo got a leg with 58 seconds left but Luke fought him off and caused a stalemate. Luke got in on a leg and finished it to take a 4-1 lead after the first. Luke started down in the second and escaped in five seconds to go up 5-1. After no further scoring, Dergo started down in the third and kicked out in eight seconds. Dergo got in on a leg with a minute left but Luke bent Dergo's neck into a dangerous position and the hold was broken. Luke got in on a leg as time ran down but Dergo fended him off as the Wolverine took the 5-2 victory, bringing Michigan within 14-9. With 1:50 left, No. 13 Anthony Biondo shot in and got a leg before finished the takedown on No. 12 Jordan Blanton but Blanton escaped in 13 seconds. But Blanton got in on a double-leg near the edge for the takedown with 55 seconds to take a 3-2 lead. Biondo escaped with 31 seconds left to tie the bout at 3 after a period. Biondo started down in the second and escaped in 29 seconds. Blanton got a leg and nearly put Biondo on his back but couldn't keep control before he finally circled around and go the takedown with 57 seconds left for the 5-4 lead after the second. Blanton started down in the third and slipped out of Biondo's grasp for the reversal with 55 seconds left in the bout to go up 7-4. He rode out Biondo to secure the riding-time point and win, 8-4, pushing the Illini's lead to 17-9. At 197, No. 6 Tyrel Todd took down Patrick Bond with 50 seconds left then locked in an armbar and pinned the Illini in 2:48 to cut Illinois' lead to 17-15. No. 8 John Wise forced a stalling warning on Michigan's Eddie Phillips with 42 seconds left in the first period, then swooped in for a leg and tripped him for the takedown on the edge with 16 seconds remaining. Wise rode him out for the 2-0 lead after a period. Wise started down in the second and escaped in four seconds then got a leg, lifted it and tripped Phillips for another takedown on the edge with 31 seconds left. Wise rode him out once more to take a 5-1 lead with 43 seconds of riding time to the third. Phillips started down in the third and escaped off the whistle. Wise fended off late attacks from Phillips, countering a shot and circling for the takedown as the horn sounded for the 7-2 win that sealed the Illini's 20-15 victory. No. 9 Illinois returns to action Sunday against Michigan State. Admission is free to all fans for the 1 p.m. dual where the Fighting Illini will honor four seniors prior to the match.

Cambridge, MA -- Lou Ruggirello, Justin Accordino and Joe Fagiano each recorded victories by fall to lead the 23rd-ranked Hofstra Pride to a 31-11 victory over the Harvard Crimson at the Malkin Athletic Center Friday night. The Pride, who closed out their regular season dual match schedule, improved to 10-6 while Harvard falls to 4-11. The Pride jumped out to an 18-0 lead after three matches. Freshman Steve Bonanno (26-12), ranked 20th, won by forfeit at 125 pounds. Junior Lou Ruggirello (25-3), ranked eighth at 133 pounds, recorded his career-best 16th pin of the season with a victory by fall over Tommy Picarsic (7-4) in 1:08. It was Ruggirello's sixth straight win. Red-shirt freshman Justin Accordino (20-10) tallied his 20th win of the season and his 10th pin with a victory by fall over Jonny Motley (2-10) in 2:05. Harvard cut into the Pride's lead with a 17-0 tech fall victory by Walter Peppelman (19-10) over Pride sophomore Jeff Rotella (6-13) at 149 pounds, and fourth-ranked J.P. O'Connor's (25-2) 8-1 decision over freshman Fran O'Brien (0-5) at 157 pounds. But Hofstra sophomore Ryan Patrovich (18-6) ended Harvard's little run with a 17-6 major decision over Michael Sadler (1-16) at 165. It was Patrovich's fourth major of the season. Hofstra's 10th-ranked senior Alton Lucas (22-5) notched a 7-3 decision over Andy Olson (3-2) at 174 pounds to boost the Pride lead to 25-8. The Crimson's 10th-ranked Louis Caputo (25-4) recorded a 7-3 victory over Pride freshman Ben Clymer (18-11) before Hofstra sophomore Joe Fagiano (14-6) tallied his third victory by fall of the season with a pin of Patrick Ziemnik in 4:02 at 197 pounds. Both teams forfeited at 285 pounds leaving the final score at 31-11. The Pride will now prepare to defend their seven consecutive CAA Team Championships on March 6-7 at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Virginia.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team posted its 37th straight dual win Friday night with a 24-12 victory over #18 Indiana at Bloomington. The Hawkeyes improved to 23-0 (7-0 Big Ten), while handing the Hoosiers (15-6-1, 2-4-1 Big Ten) their sixth loss of the season. Iowa posted wins at the first two weights to take a 7-0 lead. Hawkeye senior Charlie Falck opened the dual for Iowa at 125 with a 3-1 upset in sudden victory over #3 Angel Escobedo. Falck, who is ranked fifth with a 19-2 record, handed the defending NCAA and Big Ten champ his third loss of the season and snapped his five-match winning streak. Iowa junior Daniel Dennis followed with a 16-4 major decision over Matt Ortega at 133, posting his ninth straight win. Indiana fought back with an upset of its own at 141 as unranked Andrae Hernandez scored two nearfall points in the second tiebreak period to beat Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis, 3-1. Hernandez, who was one of Tsirtsis' teammates at Griffith High School in Griffith, IN, snapped the second-ranked Hawkeye senior's six-match winning streak. Hawkeye junior Brent Metcalf gave Iowa an 11-3 lead with a 19-4 techincal fall over Nick Walpole at 149. The top-ranked Hawkeye posted his 60th straight win with the victory, improving to 28-0 on the season. Indiana won its second match of the night when 157-pounder Kurt Kinser scored a 4-1 decision over Hawkeye sophomore Matt Ballweg. Hawkeye juniors posted wins at the next four weights to clinch the dual. Ryan Morningstar kicked off the run with a 7-5 win over Paul Young at 165. Jay Borschel followed at 174 with his sixth straight win and fourth straight major decision with a 10-2 victory over Trevor Perry. Phillip Keddy scored his 13th straight win to remain undefeated in dual competition (23-0) with an 11-5 win over Eric Cameron in 184. Chad Beatty scored an 8-5 win over Matt Powless at 197 for his sixth straight victory. Iowa closed out the dual by forfeiting the heavyweight match. The Hawkeyes will close out the 2008-09 dual meet season at #19 Northwestern (9-6-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT). The dual will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats hosted #6 Ohio State (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) Friday night.

AMES, Iowa -- For the No. 3 Iowa State wrestlers is was a beauty. For No. 12 Minnesota, which managed six takedowns to ISU's 25, it was a beast. The Cyclones won all nine contested matches in a 29-6 win over the Gophers Friday in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State forfeited at 133 pounds. The victory marked Iowa State's biggest win over Minnesota since a 39-2 rout of the Gophers on Feb. 10, 1985 in Minneapolis, Minn. The last time ISU won every contested match in the series was a 41-0 shutout of Minnesota, Jan. 30, 1981. Iowa State stands at 14-3 in duals. Minnesota falls to 14-8. ISU wrestles at No. 4 Nebraska Sunday at 2 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. in the dual season finale. A crowd of 7,224 took in the Friday's simultaneous wrestling and gymnastics meet in a promotion dubbed "Beauty and the Beast." U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson was in attendance. The Iowa State gymnasts upheld their end of the affair, beating the Gophers 194.600-191.475. "The thing I liked most was that we came out and fought in every match and were still strong enough to keep up the offense late in the matches," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Minnesota is a good team and to beat them soundly you have to be at your best." The "Beast" portion of the event started at 125-pounds for the Cyclone wrestlers. No. 10-ranked Tyler Clark of Iowa State scored the upset, beating No. 7 ranked Zach Sanders of Minnesota, 3-2. The Bettendorf, Iowa native's decision came by way of a riding-time advantage of 1:31. Clark improves to 22-5 on his sophomore campaign. Sanders drops to 31-4. ISU's returning All-American at 165 pounds added bonus points to the ISU team score. Sophomore Jon Reader major decisioned Minnesota's Scott Glasser by a score of 12-3. Reader tallied four takedowns in the match. The No. 1-ranked Cyclone 197-pounder Jake Varner also got in on the bonus point action. Varner poured on the offense for a 14-4 major decision against Gordon Bierschenk of Minnesota. Varner tallied four takedowns over the match and improved his season record to 24-1. He is a perfect 16-0 in dual action this season. After surrendering the forfeiture points at 133 pounds, the Cyclones won the final eight matches of the dual, including decisions at 141, 149 and 157 pounds. ISU's Nick Gallick edged Minnesota's Mike Thorn 7-5 at 141 pounds. Iowa City native Mitch Mueller (149) cruised to a 10-4 decision over his Gopher opponent, Joe Grygelko. Eighth-ranked Cyler Sanderson beat 18th-ranked Tyler Safratowich of Minnesota by decision, 10-6 at 157. ISU's Duke Burk picked up a win at 174 pounds by controlling Minnesota's Matt Everson by decision, 10-6. Following Burk's win, redshirt freshman JeromeWard (184) grinded out a victory for the Cyclones against Minnesota's Sonny Yohn. Ward recorded a takedown at the 0:40 mark in the third period to secure the win. Top-ranked ISU heavyweight David Zabriskie finished the 9-0 sweep of the Gophers by handling 17th-ranked Minnesota heavyweight Ben Berhow by a score of 11-6. Zabriskie notched four takedowns in the match and improves his season record to 27-2.

Click links below to listen to audio interviews from the Minnesota-Iowa State dual meet on Friday in Ames, Iowa. Rev Audio: Cael Sanderson (ISU) Rev Audio: Cody Sanderson (ISU) Rev Audio: J Robinson (MN)

Takedown Radio is proud to announce a first in the world's oldest sport. Anna Cummings, a 19 year old Senior at Onondaga Central High School in Nedrow, NY has been named the February TDR National High School Wrestler of the Month. The 103 lb. Cummings is the first girl in the Section III category in New York to place in Sectionals, the first Section III girl to attain 100 wins, and the second in state history for wins by a girl. Anna has been Wrestling Team Captain for two years, as well Captain of the Soccer Team. She is the Student Representative for wrestling on the schools Athletic Club,committed to assisting fellow athletes, and volunteers in her community to help those less fortunate than her. She regularly provides instruction to other female wrestlers and provides significant time assisting in the local Pee Wee wrestling program. She's attended numerous wrestling camps and clinics for the past five years, and has traveled to Canada, Puerto Rico, and Germany on behalf of wrestling. A member of the Honor Roll, Anna's favorite subjects include Advanced Math and Independent Study in Technology. In addition to top academic performance, and an impressive athletic record, Anna is very visible in numerous civic endeavors. She has contributed to bettering the lives of others with the Salvation Army, a local food pantry, volunteer fire department, and was instrumental in raising money for a local wrestler that was temporarily paralyzed in a wrestling accident. "We're living in a time where anything is possible if you believe in yourself, and try hard enough", commented TDR host and founder Scott Casber. "Here's an athlete that continually faces great challenges, and usually comes out the winner. Anna is clearly someone who makes a difference in all aspects of her walk in life. We want to do what we can to let the world know", Casber concluded. The Takedown Radio High School Wrestler of the Month Award is presented by Resilite Sports Products, and is made possible by Brute adidas, Sunflower Wrestling Supply, W.I.N. Magazine, and intermat. Both the athlete and coach receive various award materials as well as media recognition as part of national competition.

Four of the Flames eight victories on the evening came from their honored seniors, as Liberty rolled to its third straight victory over VMI with a 38-9 dual wrestling win, Thursday evening, inside the Vines Center. With the victory, Liberty's fifth straight, which included a second straight Eastern Regional Dual title, the Flames up their season record to 11-9-1. The setback was VMI's 10th straight to drop the visiting Keydets to 0-10-0 and served as Liberty's second win of the year over an athletics department with full-fledged membership in the Big South Conference. Prior to the start of the dual, the Flames honored four members of their senior class – Chris Daggett, Tim Harner, Christian Smith and Patrick Walker. The quartet helped the Flames return to the wrestling mats after a 12-year hiatus for the 2006-07 season. Since donning Liberty singlets three seasons ago, the group has helped the Flames post a 37-29-1 dual meet record and back-to-back NCAA East Regional championships. Collectively, they have qualified for nine NCAA national championship appearances during their wrestling careers. Following the evening's opening festivities, the team score quickly moved to 6-6 with back-to-back forfeits. John Pope picked up an uncontested victory at 125 pounds for VMI, while Smith netted his 20th victory of the year without breaking a sweat with a forfeit win at 133 pounds. Liberty quickly pushed its lead to six points, 12-6, following Harner's win by fall at 4:06 in the senior's 141-pound bout. After scoring a quick two-point takedown in the first, the bout score remained the same until the second. After netting an escape point to open the middle period, Harner made a quick move on David Yost, taking the freshman down and pinning him to the mat for this 10th win by fall and team-leading 23rd win on the year. Frankie Gayeski's bout at 149 pounds almost was identical to Harner's opening victory. Gayeski, a transfer from Lehigh, scored a two-point takedown with 15 seconds left in the opening three minutes of action. A quick escape followed by the redshirt junior's second takedown of the bout, gave him position on Richard Crozier, leading to a win by fall at 4:04 to push Liberty's lead to 18-6. What started out as a relatively quiet bout at 157 pounds, turned into something interesting in the final two minutes of action between Shaun Smith and Michael Long. Smith led 5-0 after five minutes, thanks to a pair of takedowns and a second-period escape point. Long got on the scoreboard with an early escape to open the third, but Smith controlled the remainder of the final period, scoring a two-point takedown 20 seconds later which led to three near-fall points. After adding 3:20 minutes of riding time, Smith claimed the 11-1 major decision, giving the Flames a sizeable 22-6 lead with his fourth straight win. Brad Clark kept things rolling for Liberty at 165 pounds, opening the first with four points against Jon Horne. The redshirt freshman took down Horne 13 seconds into the bout and added two near-fall points with the move. After adding another takedown in the second, Clark recorded his third two-point move of the bout in the third which led to his first pin of his collegiate career, sticking Horne to the mats at 6:11 to widen Liberty's lead to 28-6 in the dual. In the closest of the first five weight class matchups, Aaron Kelley quickly gained control of Andrew Szymborski with a takedown 13 seconds after the opening whistle. After the Keydets' 174-pound freshman escaped twice and a second takedown by Kelley, the junior lead 4-2 after three minutes. A two-point reversal by Kelley and a third escape by Szymborski left the match with three after five minutes, 6-3. The Keydets grappler escaped for a fourth time after choosing down to open the third, but Kelley outlasted him and added 1:13 of riding time to net a 7-4 decision. The Flames then sent their second hottest wrestle out to the mats in Daggett at 184 pounds to take on Vinnie Gallo. And the senior didn't disappoint the hometown crown, controlling his matchup with the Keydets freshmen from the onset. Daggett rode two first-period takedowns to a 4-1 lead after three minutes, while widening his advantage to 9-2 after the second, thanks to an escape and another pair of takedowns. The senior opened the third with a two-point reversal, leading to three near-fall points to put the bout out of reach. After adding 2:24 of riding time, Daggett picked up his sixth straight victory and 21st of the season to push Liberty's lead to 31 points, 35-6. In the lowest scoring bout of the evening, the 197-pound matchup between Liberty's Brandon Johnson and VMI's Curtis Moore remained scoreless until the second. The Keydets' sophomore choose the down position to open the middle round and 25 seconds later escaped for the bout's lone point. After tacking on 1:33 worth of riding time, Moore netted the visitors second and final victory of the night to change the scoreboard to read 35-9 in Liberty's favor. The Flames' Walker and the Keydets' Josh Wine, two of the better heavyweights in the Commonwealth, concluded the evening against each other. Walker quickly opened up a lead with a two-point takedown at 1:15 in the first to open up an early 2-0 lead. The junior, opened the second with an escape followed by a second takedown during the period. Neither grapplers added points to the scoreboard during the third period aside from Walker's point for 3:33 worth of riding time, giving the junior his 11th win of the season and sealing the convincing win for the Flames for the third straight time over their in-state foe. Liberty truly dominated in the dual, winning eight of 10 weight class matchups and letting the Keydets only score on eight escapes, the forfeit at 125 pounds and Moore's riding time at 197 pounds. The Flames will return to action on Monday night when they welcome the Mountaineers of Appalachian State to the Vines Center. The opening whistle is set to sound at 7 p.m., in the contest that will mark the final regular-season dual for both squads.

NORFOLK, Va. -- The 20th ranked ODU Monarchs (16-6) won its first ever dual over a top fifteen team tonight, as it upended the 14th ranked Virginia Tech (20-2), 19-15. The Monarchs won six matches in the dual, handing the Hokies just their second loss of the season in front of the largest wrestling crowd ever at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Drama surrounded the match, but the swing came at 174 lbs. With a modest 13-6 lead, the Monarchs looked to junior Eric Decker to face former teammate Anthony Trongone. The two battled in regulation and managed just escape points, tied at 1-1. In the sudden victory period, Decker took several shots early before finally landing one and scoring the huge win to give ODU a 10 point lead with three matches to go. Then, after a loss at 184 lbs, junior Jesse Strawn had the opportunity to seal the match. He seemed primed to do so, too, with a 6-0 lead in the third period, but Virginia Tech's D.J. Bruce managed to counter a shot late as Strawn was looking for a major decision. Bruce got Strawn on his back with plenty of time, over a minute, to work. Strawn kept his second shoulder up and finally managed to roll through and nearly reversed Bruce and scored the escape with 14 seconds remaining. He literally escaped with a 7-5 decision and sealed the big win for ODU. Old Dominion started the night with the 31st season win for redshirt sophomore James Nicholson at 125 lbs. He was charged with his eighth match against a nationally ranked opponent this season, facing #14 Jarrod Garnett. The 6th ranked Monarch led by as many as three early before Garnett scored a takedown late in the second period. After another escape point in the third for Garnett, Nicholson was able to avoid any more scoring and put ODU up 3-0. Kyle Hutter then gave ODU a bonus point victory at 133 lbs in dramatic fashion. Ahead of Tech's Brock LiVorio for most of the match, Hutter looked like he would have to settle for just a decision, but with less than five seconds remaining Hutter scored a takedown on the edge and got LiVorio on his back for points. Hutter actually would pin LiVorio, but it came after the buzzer sounded and would have to settle for a major decision and the seven point lead. Senior Ryan Williams, in the final home match of his career, also had to face a nationally ranked opponent, #17 Chris Diaz. Like the match at 125, it was a battle, but Williams was able to win his last home match at ODU, 3-2, and improved to 129-40 in his career, just six wins shy of the all-time lead. Virginia Tech followed with two four-point decisions at 149 and 157 to cut the lead to four. True freshmen Pete Yates and Jesse Dong won over Joey Metzler and Kaylen Baxter respectively. ODU junior Chris Brown got the momentum back in favor of the Monarchs with an 11-5 decision over familiar foe Matt Epperly (VT). The two have wrestled against eachother for over seven years as foes in high school and college. This time, Brown teetered toward a major decision, but was unable to score one more takedown late in the third and settled for the decision. ODU won its third over a nationally ranked team this season will wrap up the 2008-09 regular season this Saturday on the road against NC State (4-14-1) at 7:30 pm.

ELKHART, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team scored its first Big Ten Dual victory of the season on Thursday night, taking down Michigan State University (MSU), 19-17, in Northside Gymnasium. The Boilermakers improved to 12-6-1 overall and 1-5-1 in conference action with the win, while the Spartans dropped to 6-9 (1-6 Big Ten). The Boilermakers won five of 10 matches on the evening, highlighted by 14th-ranked 184-pound sophomore A.J. Kissel's team-best 16th fall of the season and No. 8 senior Jake Patacsil's 10-2 major decision at 149 pounds. Kissel is now tied for sixth in NCAA Division I this season in falls, and also owns the top-two single-season fall counts in Purdue's history, breaking his tie for second place with 2009 Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Dave Lilovich. Thursday night's action kicked off at 165 pounds where 16th-ranked Purdue sophomore Luke Manuel squared off with MSU senior Rex Kendle for the second time this season. The pair first met in the championship match at the season-opening Eastern Michigan Open, where Manuel posted a solid 5-1 decision. The Big Ten matchup went mostly the same as Manuel scored a takedown, two escapes, a stalling point and a riding time point to give the Boilermakers the early 3-0 edge. The 174-pound matchup of hometown heroes, and ended up being a marathon session as Purdue junior Nick Corpe and Spartan freshman Ian Hinton needed a second sudden victory period to decide the match. The pair traded escapes to end regulation in a 1-1 tie, and after a near-takedown by Corpe in the first overtime, they traded escapes in the tie-break period to head into the second sudden victory at 2-2. Corpe hit a low single midway through the one-minute frame, hoisting Hinton's right leg and trying to trip him for the takedown. However, Hinton managed to funk his way into a scramble on the mat and came out on top for the 4-2 win, evening the team score at 3-3. Kissel launched the Boilermakers into the lead, sticking MSU sophomore Eric Anderson in just 2:07. Kissel hit an immediate takedown after the opening whistle and went to work on Anderson's arms looking for the turn. The Purdue sophomore latched on to Anderson's left arm with just over a minute left in the frame in the center of the mat and proceeded to work in the half nelson and work the Spartan over to his shoulder blades for the fall. No. 17 sophomore Logan Brown followed up with a 6-0 decision over MSU senior John Murphy at 197 pounds, stretching Purdue's team advantage to 12-3. Brown scored takedowns in the first and third periods, working hard on top and nearly turning Murphy several times, but only added an escape and riding time point in the decision. Purdue junior Chris Kasten continued the run at heavyweight with a 2-0 decision over MSU freshman Steve Andrus. Kasten escaped to start the second period and rode Andrus through the entire third frame to seal the win. The Spartans started a run of their own capturing wins at 125, 133 and 141 pounds as MSU freshman Eric Olanowski earned an 11-7 win over Purdue sophomore Akif Eren at 125, sixth-ranked MSU junior Franklin Gomez notched a 17-2 technical fall over Boilermaker freshman Carson Beebe at 133, and rookie Collin Dozier used a riding time point to slide by Purdue sophomore Juan Archuleta, 6-5. The 11 team points pulled MSU within one team point, 15-14. Patacsil set the Boilermakers back on track at 149 pounds, using a dominant third period on top to seal up a 10-2 major decision over MSU freshman David Cheza. After surrendering a takedown to start the match, Patacsil quickly escaped and earned a takedown of his own to earn a 3-2 edge. After a scoreless second session, Patacsil took the top position in the third and went to work with his tilts. He tipped over the Spartan for a pair of three-point nearfalls and had more than two minutes of riding time to secure the bonus point and push the team score to 19-14 in Purdue's advantage. MSU closed out the match with a 7-5 decision for freshman Anthony Jones over Purdue junior Nick Bertucci at 157 pounds, but the three team points were not enough to close the gap. The Boilermakers close out their Big Ten Dual schedule on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Holloway Gymnasium against visiting 17th-ranked University of Michigan. The match will be broadcast live at Purdue All-Access and live results will be available via NWCA College Scorebook online.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- A wise and successful coach once reminded a rival after a disappointing loss that "What was delayed was not to be denied." The title was certainly delayed, but Kent State was not to be denied. With Kent State clinging to a 15-14 lead going into the final match, they sent one of their best wrestlers to the mats at 285. The match went into overtime, but fifth-year senior Jermail Porter quickly sent CMU's Jarrod Trice to the mat as the Golden Flashes (13-4, 5-0) completed the Mid-American Conference regular season sweep. "It's really exciting," head coach Jim Andrassy told Ty Linder on the Kent State Sports Network afterward. "Our guys trained real hard and Jermail got it done for us at the end. It's a great win for our program." Starting the match at 125, sophomore Nic Bedelyon got the rematch he had been circling on his schedule since November: Central Michigan's Scotti Sentes. At the 125 championship bout at the Oklahoma Gold, Sentes caught Bedelyon for the pin in 13 seconds. This time, the match was all Bedelyon. Sentes looked as if he might record the early takedown, but Bedelyon held to the leg for dear life and he turned the tables on Sentes and Nic was off to the races. In the match, Bedelyon recorded three takedowns, two back points and added the riding point for the 9-3 lead. Kent State was on the board first 3-0. "I've definitely been gunning for this match," Bedelyon told Linder. "Coach just kept telling me to attack, attack, attack and I tried to keep pressuring him." The match was a little closer at 133, but Kent State's redshirt junior Danny Mitcheff came out on top. Mitcheff recorded the early takedown, but CMU's Conor Beebe escaped to cut the lead in half. The match was squared with Beebe's second period escape, but Mitcheff triumphed 3-2 with an escape of his own in the third for the win and the KSU 6-0 lead. Kent State continued to extend the three-match haymaker to begin the contest at 141. Lashaway got the takedown in the first but Central Michigan's Jeff Sutich tied it up with a pair of the escapes in the first and second. However, an escape, takedown and the riding point in the final period gave Lashaway the 6-2 triumph and the Golden Flashes a 9-0 lead. Central Michigan countered at 149 when Steven Brown defeated fifth-year senior Clint Sponseller 5-1, but the Chippewas lost a team point when Brown was called for unsportsmanlike for pushing Sposeller after the match. Kent State held on to the 9-2 lead. Having lost a critical team point, it did not take long for CMU to get the point right back. The match between redshirt freshman Ross Tice and CMU's Tyler Grayson was tied 2-2 after two, but the final stanza saw Grayson outscore Tice 10-2 for the 12-4 major decision. Kent State's lead was 9-6. The major parade for the Chippewas continued at 165 as CMU's Trevor Stewart defeated redshirt junior Obie Simpson 10-0. Central Michigan took the lead for the first time 10-9. The advantage went to 14-9 for CMU after 174 when redshirt sophomore Chris Estep lost 14-4. As he has been all season, redshirt freshman Dustin Kilgore was the streak breaker. Kilgore and CMU's Vince DiDonna were scoreless after one, but DiDonna took a 1-0 lead with the escape to start the second. Kilgore then responded by adding a takedown in the second and a takedown, escape and riding point in the third cut the Chippewas lead to 14-12 after eight bouts. The match was shaping to come down to the heavyweights, and fifth-year senior Eric Chine did his part at 197. Both wrestlers got the escape in the second and third with the match coming down to the final ticks. Chine looked to have a takedown near the scorers table, but it was waved off. In the final seconds, Chine got the takedown for the 3-1 win and gave Kent State the lead back 15-14. "It was a big win for us, but I didn't really feel any pressure," Chine explained. "It's my last chance against these guys, I'm a senior so I did what I expected myself to do." There was probably more than expected drama at 285. Porter got the early takedown, but CMU's Jarod Trice escaped. Both wrestlers traded escapes from the down position in the second and third, but Porter was called for fleeing and the match went to bonus wrestling tied 3-3. In the overtime, it took longer for the takedown call than head coach Jim Andrassy probably wanted, but it was two-pointer just the same as Kent State ended an 11 match losing streak to the Chippewas on their home mats. It was the first regular season title since the 2003 season and the first outright championship since 1990. Kent State will have a two-week break before their return to action at the MAC Championships at Eastern Michigan. "We are going to enjoy this, but we have to remember what it is. It's a dual meet win and we still have a bunch of goals left to accomplish. We'll enjoy the ride home but there's still work to be done," Andrassy added.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Colorado School of Mines defeated Colorado State University – Pueblo by the score of 21-15 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) wrestling dual on Wednesday evening, February 18th, at Volk Gymnasium. The Orediggers (2-6-0 overall, 2-6-0 RMAC), who led throughout the dual, got victories from Jesse Snider (149 lbs.), Travis Wokasch (157 lbs.), Jordan Larsen (165 lbs.), Ryan Swanson (184 lbs.) and Bryan Stansbury (HWT). For Snider, who has not lost since December 13th, 2008, the victory was his 15th in a row. Lyle Evans (125 lbs.), Joe Jones (133 lbs.), Markus Portillos (141 lbs.), Kellen Desmond (184 lbs.) and Tony Chavarria (197 lbs.) all came away victorious for the ThunderWolves (2-14-0 overall, 0-9-0 RMAC), who won five of the last six individual contests.

Achieving balance between academics and extra-curricular activities is a challenge for any college student. Now, try balancing the academic rigors of being a pre-med student … and as a starter at the collegiate wrestling program that has won more national titles than any other school in any sport. Brandon MasonThat's Brandon Mason's daily balancing act. The 165-pound senior for Oklahoma State has had more than his fair share of challenges on and off the mat, some resulting in triumph, some ending in frustration and disappointment. Take the first few weeks of 2009, for example. Among the frustrations for Mason, ranked ninth by RevWrestling.com: Losing to five of the top six wrestlers in his weight class. Among the triumphs: Beating the second-ranked wrestler at 165 (at the time) … winning his 100th match as a Cowboy … and being accepted into medical school. Acceptance Brandon Mason recently learned he has been accepted into the Oklahoma State Medical School at Tulsa, realizing a long-time dream. "I've wanted to go into medicine since high school," says the graduate of Lewis Central High School in Iowa, where he was teammates with Trent and Travis Paulson, All-Americans at Iowa State. "I always did well in the sciences." "OSU-Tulsa was my first choice for med school," continues Mason. "I start classes in August, so there won't be much downtime after graduation here." While most of his fellow seniors at Oklahoma State are getting ready to say goodbye to a long succession of classes, late-night study sessions, term papers and tests, Brandon Mason's academic career is not just continuing, but about to shift into overdrive. "At med school, I'll have four more years of school, then two years of residency." When asked about the challenge of being a pre-med student and a starting wrestler on one of the all-time great college wrestling programs, Mason replies, "You've got to prioritize. It's all about time management. It's not easy; in fact, it's downright hard, but, if you want to do it, you can. Eric Tannenbaum did it. Other guys have done it." "It's critical to the rest of my life." In good company Brandon Mason mentions Eric Tannenbaum, a two-time Big Ten champ and four-time All-American for the Wolverines who graduated in 2008 with a degree in neuroscience, and is now enrolled at the University of Michigan's Medical School. Brandon Mason is ranked No. 9 in the country at 165 pounds by RevWrestling.com (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Mason and Tannenbaum are not alone. Over the years, a number of top college wrestlers have been drawn to the medical profession. C.P. Schlatter, J.P. O'Connor, and Jordan Leen are recent examples. Among the mat greats of the past, there's "Big" Bill Miller, a graduate of the Ohio State veterinary school who found time to win two Big Ten heavyweight titles for the Buckeyes in the early 1950s, and, from Oklahoma State, Stanley Henson, a three-time NCAA champ in the late 1930s who became a prominent surgeon and an early pioneer in sports medicine. Along with Mason, others who are currently in pre-med programs include O'Connor, a biology major at Harvard who, according to a February 2008 Rev Gold profile for RevWrestling.com, plans to go into either orthopedics, or emergency medicine … and Leen, 2008 NCAA champ at 157 pounds who, according to his bio at the Cornell University Web site, is studying Nutritional Science at the College of Human Ecology. C.P. Schlatter, Big Ten champ and All-American for the University of Minnesota, graduated from the "U" in 2008 with a degree in nursing … and landed a well-paying, full-time position as a registered nurse at the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview. Heavy class load In addition to sharing an ambition to go into medicine, like these wrestlers, Brandon Mason is also a high achiever in the classroom. This was evidenced back in high school, where he was a member of the National Honor Society. At Oklahoma State, Mason has been a repeat Academic All-American. As the biological science and nutrition and exercise major puts it, "You have to have a 3.6 GPA to get into med school." John SmithIn explaining the challenge of balancing a tough academic load with the demands of wrestling for the Cowboys, Mason says, "I've tried to train myself to studying smart. I strive to get eight hours of sleep each night … One hour before practice, I have an hour where I don't study, so I can clear my head and focus on wrestling." In an interview published in January 2009, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith said, "He's got some neat things that he's getting ready to move into his life, and I think the key for him is to not move to those things too fast because this is something he's going to remember." "I don't want any hangovers for him as he moves into his career after he finishes … He needs to hold onto his beliefs right now and be determined to stay focused on what he came here to accomplish." Triumph and frustration on the mat Brandon Mason has accomplished much in his five years as an Oklahoma State wrestler. His first year in Stillwater -- the 2004-2005 season -- he was 19-0 competing in open tournaments as a redshirt, snaring four tourney titles. He was unscored upon all season until his final tournament. The following season as a freshman, he posted a 24-13 record at 174 pounds, qualifying for the 2006 NCAAs as a Big 12 wild card selection, but did not place. As a sophomore, Mason had a 27-13 overall record, placing second at the 2007 Big 12 conference championships (losing in the 174 finals to Missouri's Ben Askren), and taking fifth place at the NCAAs, earning All-American honors. During the 2007-2008 season, Brandon Mason built up a 29-7 overall record at 174 pounds, was again runner-up in the Big 12 conference finals (losing to Nebraska's Brandon Browne in the last ten seconds). He qualified for the 2008 NCAAs, but was upset in the second round by Boise State's Nathan Lee, then, after winning two consolation bracket bouts, was eliminated by Cornell's Steve Anceravage. Brandon Mason was a 2007 All-American at 174 pounds (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)This year, as a senior, Brandon Mason dropped down to 165, after wrestling three varsity seasons at 174. At the beginning of the season, Oklahoma State coach John Smith said of the move, "He will be able to make the move to 165 pounds work. He's committed to going down a weight. He's responsible and weight melts off him during the season." As of this writing, Mason has compiled a 24-7 record, with five pins, five technical falls, and three major decisions. At the 2009 Virginia Duals in early January, the Iowa native notched his 100th college career win, joining an elite group of Cowboys such as Alan Fried, Johny Hendricks and Johnny Thompson who achieved this milestone under Coach Smith. Along with these accomplishments, Brandon Mason has suffered frustrating losses to top-ranked opponents, including a 4-3 loss No. 19 Mike Galante of Lehigh at the Northeast Duals, falling 4-2 to No. 15 Edinboro's Jarrod King at the Reno Tournament of Champions, and a 5-3 loss to No. 11 Trevor Stewart of Central Michigan at the Virginia Duals. The dual-meet season of the past month or so has posed even more problems for Mason. He lost to No. 3 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa, 3-1 … was pinned by Iowa State's Jon Reader (ranked sixth) at 2:28 … then, in one week, suffered back-to-back losses to Nebraska's No. 5 Stephen Dwyer, 3-1, and Missouri's No. 4 Nick Marable, 3-2. Among the bright spots: shutting out seventh-ranked Moza Fay of Northern Iowa in the Panthers' home gym, and this past weekend, pinning Binghamton's Ryan McGarity at 4:30, and scoring a 17-0 technical fall over Wyoming's Alex Rieder at 4:48 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. "I've been putting on that orange singlet since the beginning of college," says Brandon Mason. "Every day in the practice room, you see the photos of the guys who've gone before you, all-time greats, guys I admire and have come to know, like Mike Sheets and Chris Pendleton. You know the program's heritage, its legacy of winning." Considering that legacy, Oklahoma State's disappointing 14-7 dual-meet record, and setbacks in his own senior season, Mason says, "You can't help but feel the pressure." Then he quickly adds, "We will rise above it. We will surprise a lot of people at St Louis (for the 2009 NCAAs)." After the Cowboys' decisive February 15 wins over Binghamton and University of Wyoming, Brandon Mason reinforced that optimism with this statement at the Oklahoma State wrestling Web site: "We're right there where we can achieve greatness. We just have to go out there and take it. You can't really say we're on a roll now. We need to go and continue to perform against OU and at Big 12 and then at Nationals." From Council Bluffs to Stillwater, via Mongolia So, how did a guy who was born in Iowa City and won three Iowa high school state titles at Lewis Central in Council Bluffs, become an Oklahoma State Cowboy? By way of the Far East … "In high school, I was involved in Athletes in Action," says Brandon Mason. "We went to Mongolia after my sophomore year to compete. I met Kenny Monday and was very impressed with him in all aspects. He talked about how much he valued his career at Oklahoma State. (Monday was a three-time All-American, winning the 150-pound title for the Cowboys at the 1984 NCAAs. He later won the gold medal in freestyle at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and silver at the 1992 Barcelona Games.) I came to Stillwater and really loved it from the start." Brandon Mason finished runner-up at this season's Reno Tournament of Champions to Edinboro's Jarrod King (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)"However, I didn't make up my mind until actual recruitment year," Mason continues. "There was tons of pressure to stay in Iowa, including from my family in Cedar Rapids." "I made the right decision. I have no regrets." "I really like the small-town feel of Stillwater," says Mason. "I can drive cross town in five minutes. You can be out fishing or enjoying the outdoors within three miles of town." "All that said, the reason I chose Oklahoma State was the depth of the coaching staff, coupled with the quality of the workout partners in the room." Before the Cowboys … Before coming to Stillwater -- and before winning those state titles in Iowa -- Brandon Mason got an early introduction to wrestling. "Dad took me to a tournament at age five. He grew up in Cedar Rapids, wrestled in junior high. He was friends with guys like Jeff Kerber and Randy Lewis." "I went out to wrestle in an old singlet and old tennis shoes. I liked it right from the start." At Lewis Central, Brandon Mason compiled a near-flawless 195-2 record, bringing home three Iowa high school state championships. Among his high school highlights: Named Iowa Wrestler of the Year in 2004, won the Cadet freestyle national championship and was runner-up in Cadet Greco-Roman competition at the same event, and was an AAU national champion. However, for Mason, the one event that sticks out as being the most special beyond the three state titles was a dual meet with Omaha Skutt High School, across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs. "Both programs were top-ranked; we were ranked fourth in the country at the time," Mason recalls. "I wrestled Mitch Waite. Beat him in overtime in front of a crowd of 5,000." Life off the mat Ask Brandon Mason to describe his wrestling style, and he says, "I'm a hard-nosed grinder." That tenacity seems to also be on display in the classroom, too, where he's earned multiple NWCA All-Academic and Big 12 first-team academic honors. Yet, Brandon Mason has a life beyond the demands of wrestling and pre-med coursework. He's married to the former Brittany Hill, who is a third-grade teacher in Stillwater. "She ran track and cross country. We met in the dorms, and got married in 2006," says the Iowa native. In his official Oklahoma State bio, Mason says his proudest moment so far is when he married Brittany. "Being married helps me focus on wrestling and my studies," Mason adds. "I'm a 23-year-old guy. I don't have to worry about finding a girlfriend or the other distractions of dating." Brandon Mason has been a repeat Academic All-American (Photo/Oklahoma State University Sports Information)Brandon Mason describes himself as a small-town guy who truly appreciates whatever time he can spend outdoors, even if it's simply walking his two dogs, a timberwolf, and a yellow lab. "I love fishing. I always have. Bass fishing. Trout fishing with Newly McSpadden (Oklahoma State 174-pound senior starter). There are great places to fish right outside Stillwater." "It's a great opportunity to get away, really relax." Another favorite activity is grilling out -- "steaks, brisket, mushrooms," according to Mason. "Our team gets together once a week in the off-season. We grill out, hang out, relax, listen to country music, go fishing." "It really helps strengthen the bonds with teammates." Seems like Brandon Mason has found the right prescription to balancing all the demands of a very demanding life.