InterMat Staff

Oklahoma State is a wrestling program with a long, rich history of excellence in terms of overall team performance, and the accomplishments of individual coaches and wrestlers. Jim GregsonYet there's a Cowboy wrestler of the 1940s and 50s that many diehard fans who bleed orange and black may not know. This wrestler was a two-time NCAA All-American, winning the 175-pound title at the 1949 NCAAs … then, was a finalist at 191 at the 1956 NCAAs. As a senior, he was co-captain of the team, sharing that honor with three-time NCAA champ and legendary Oklahoma State head coach, Myron Roderick. And, perhaps most incredible, he is the only college wrestler to have had more than one college match with Oklahoma's Dan Hodge and, not only avoided being pinned, but actually scored on the Sooner superstar. The Oklahoma State wrestler with these impressive credentials: Jim Gregson. A state champ for the Maroons … James Gregson grew up in the Oklahoma wrestling hotbed of Blackwell, located just south of the Kansas border, between Oklahoma City and Wichita. Blackwell has turned out more than its fair share of Oklahoma high school wrestling state champs who then became college mat stars. Among the Blackwell Maroons who earned state titles and then became NCAA champs for Oklahoma State: Charles Hetrick (1949 NCAA champ)… Ted Ellis (1959 national champ) … and Jack Brisco (1965 titlewinner). Jim Gregson also belongs that that elite group. He won the 165-pound Oklahoma high school wrestling title in 1946, helping to propel Blackwell to yet another team title as well. … joins the legacy of the Orange and Black After graduating from Blackwell High School in 1946, Gregson headed approximately 50 miles southeast to Stillwater, to enroll at what was then called Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College (Oklahoma A&M), since renamed Oklahoma State University. Art Griffith was Jim Gregson's college wrestling coach (Photo/1947 Redskin)By the mid-1940s, the Cowboys had established themselves as THE college wrestling program in the U.S., first under revered coach Ed Gallagher, then, upon Gallagher's passing in 1940, Art Griffith took the helm. Under the leadership of Gallagher and Griffith, the Orange and Black had earned fourteen national team titles, and won an incredible 47 individual titles between 1928 (the first NCAAs) through 1946. Throughout his career at Oklahoma State, Jim Gregson's coach was Art Griffith. A native of Oklahoma, Griffith wrestled for Gallagher at Oklahoma State in the 1920s. After graduation, Griffith became coach at Central High School in Tulsa. In his fifteen seasons as the Braves coach, Griffith built a powerful dynasty; his teams won 94 of 100 matches (including a 50-meet win streak), and claimed ten Oklahoma state team titles. Art Griffith's success fostered as a high school coach continued when he made the move to Oklahoma State in the fall of 1940. In the Cowboys' first season under Griffith, the team continued Gallagher's winning legacy, with a 6-0 dual-meet record, four individual NCAA champs, and the NCAA team title. Griffith's second season -- 1941-42 -- was almost a carbon copy of the first: 5-0 record, four individual champs, another team title. Wrestling was suspended at Oklahoma State from 1942-1945 because of World War II; when it resumed in early 1946, the Cowboys picked up where they had left off, winning their two dual meets (in an abbreviated schedule), crowning two champs at the 1946 NCAAs, and winning yet another team championship. Freshman Gregson makes his presence known Jim Gregson found himself to be an important player in the continued success of the Oklahoma State wrestling program as a freshman during the 1946-47 school year. Through much of the history of collegiate wrestling from the late 1920s through much of the 1960s, freshmen were not allowed to wrestle in varsity competition. However, for a brief period immediately after World War II, the NCAA relaxed these restrictions, and first-year student-athletes were able to compete as starters on the varsity team. Jim Gregson was one of a number of athletes who benefited from this temporary rule-change. According to his individual record posted at the Web site WrestlingStats.com, Jim Gregson wrestled his first varsity match as a freshman on February 7, 1947 at home at Gallagher Hall. In the 175-pound match, Gregson faced off against Charles Lyons of Kansas State … getting a 12-6 victory. In the rest of February, Gregson then wrestled three additional matches -- one at heavyweight, the rest at 175 -- winning all of them … two by falls. Jim Gregson's opponent in the 1949 NCAA finals was Joe Scarpello, a three-time Big Ten champ at the time who won his fourth conference title in 1950, the first University of Iowa wrestler to do this (Photo/1947 Hawkeye Yearbook)Jim Gregson wrestled at 175 for Oklahoma State at the 1947 NCAAs at the University of Illinois. How did the freshman from Blackwell earn a trip to the Nationals, and not the defending champ at 175, teammate George Dorsch? According to The Cornellian, the student newspaper at Cornell College (Iowa), Gregson had defeated Dorsch in a wrestle-off before the national championships. At the 1947 NCAAs, Gregson wrestled the Fighting Illini's guy at 175, Norman Anthonisen, and lost, 5-3. It was Gregson's first and last match at the Nationals. Jim Gregson's sophomore season was even shorter. He wrestled in just two dual meets in January 1948, winning both matches … but did not compete at the 1948 NCAAs. Later that summer, Gregson wrestled at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and defeated Joe Scarpello of the University of Iowa on a split decision … but lost to Glen Brand of Iowa State, who went on to win the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics. For Jim Gregson, it was a matter of "wait until next year …" That championship season As a junior, Jim Gregson wrestled in just three dual meets in February and March 1949, winning all three matches. (Earlier-season bouts were wrestled by teammates Rod Baker and Melbourne Flesner.) Despite that limited number of matches, Gregson was Oklahoma State's 175-pounder at the 1949 NCAAs, held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. The event was historic for two reasons: At the time, it was the most westerly site for the national championships… and the first time an African-American -- Harold Henson of San Diego State -- wrestled at any NCAA championship. There were eighteen men in the 175-pound bracket. Gregson was seeded second, behind Iowa's Joe Scarpello. (Also wrestling 175 in 1949: Bob Siddens of Iowa State Teachers College, who went on to be an NCAA referee and long-time coach at Waterloo West High in Iowa, where, among others, he coached Dan Gable in the mid 1960s.) In his opening-round match, Jim Gregson shut out 1947 NCAA All-American Fred Dexter of Cornell of Iowa, 3-0. In his second bout, Gregson got a decisive 9-3 victory over William Vohaska of the University of Illinois. The quarterfinals round saw Gregson defeat G.J. Roush of Amherst, 4-2 … while, in the semifinals, the second-seeded Cowboy shut out third-seeded Herb Reese of the University of Nebraska, 7-0, to find himself in the finals. The 175-pound title match at the 1949 NCAAs was a battle of the two top seeds: No. 1 Joe Scarpello vs. No. 2 Gregson. A native of Omaha, Scarpello brought an impressive wrestling resume to the '49 nationals: three Nebraska high school state titles, three Big Ten crowns, and the 175 championship at the 1947 NCAAs. However, in the NCAA finals at Fort Collins, Gregson scored a second-period takedown that ultimately made the difference, earning a 3-1 decision over Scarpello to win the national title. Jim Gregson wasn't the only Cowboy champ crowned at the 1949 NCAAs; teammate Charles Hetrick won the 128-pound title, and was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. A total of seven Oklahoma State wrestlers (out of eight weight classes) earned All-American honors. These outstanding individual performances put the Cowboys in first place in the team standings. Away for six years, then back senior season Jim Gregson (Photo/1956 Redskin)After winning the national title his junior year, Jim Gregson left Oklahoma State to serve in the military. He returned to the Stillwater campus in the fall of 1955 to complete his college education, and wrestle one last year for the Cowboys. Much had changed in the intervening six seasons. The 175-pound weight class had become 177. Gregson found a whole new set of teammates … and opponents. However, some things remained reliably the same. Art Griffith was still head coach at Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys were still a force to be reckoned with in college wrestling, having compiled a 5-0-2 dual meet record the year before he returned, and winning the 1955 NCAA team title with two individual champs. As a senior, Jim Gregson was named co-captain of the 1955-56 Cowboys, along with fellow senior Myron Roderick, who had won two NCAA titles the previous two seasons (137 pounds in 1954; 130 in 1955). Despite the long layoff, Gregson was back in championship form. In dual-meet competition, Gregson scored five victories and suffered only two defeats … both of those losses to cross-state rival, Dan Hodge of the Oklahoma Sooners. Taking on "Homicide" Hodge -- twice Over the years, Daniel Allen Hodge has earned almost mythic status in the world of collegiate wrestling that goes beyond his three NCAA titles, two NCAA Outstanding Wrestler awards, and a silver medal earned at the 1956 Olympics. He's the only amateur wrestler to ever be featured as an amateur wrestler on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The annual Hodge Trophy is synonymous with excellence in college wrestling. Even in his seventies, Hodge still possesses incredible grip strength that can turn apples into applesauce, pliers into scrap. Jim Gregson wrestled Dan Hodge twice in 1956 … with Hodge winning both meetings (Photo/Amateur Wrestling News)In the winter of 1956, Dan Hodge was a junior, coming off a perfect first season for the Sooners, winning the 1955 Big Seven and NCAA titles, having pinned ten of his sixteen opponents that sophomore season. Even back then, Hodge had already earned nicknames like "Dangerous Dan" and "Homicide." Dan Hodge was Jim Gregson's first opponent that season. The two men met on the mat for the first time at the first of two Bedlam Series duals that year, January 12, 1956 at Gallagher Hall at Oklahoma State. Neither man was a kid; Hodge was 23 (having served in the Navy after high school), while Gregson would have been 27. As the Oklahoma State student newpaper, The Daily O'Collegian, pointed out in its preview to the bout: "Jim Gregson, A&M's returning champion at 177 in 1949, couldn't have picked a more rigorous comeback test. His opponent, Dan Hodge, was on the 1952 Olympic team and was NCAA champion at 177." The next day, the "O'Colly" reported that the largest crowd ever to see a collegiate wrestling match at the time -- 8,200 fans, according to the 2008-09 Oklahoma State wrestling media guide -- packed Gallagher Hall to see the Cowboys vs. Sooners. One of the marquee match-ups was Gregson vs. Hodge. Yes, the Sooner superstar walked away the winner, but Gregson did something no other wrestler had done against Hodge in his three-year varsity career: He scored a point -– an escape -- against Hodge! The final score: 5-1 Hodge. At the end of the evening, the final team score was knotted 12-12. A month later, it was the 1956 Bedlam Series, Part 2. Jim Gregson and the Oklahoma State Cowboys traveled south to Norman to take on the Sooners. A crowd of 5,500 fans filled the OU Fieldhouse on February 10, 1956. In its follow-up report, The Daily O'Collegian said, "The Sooners' superb 177-pound national champion, Dan Hodge, once again decisioned easily A&M's Jim Gregson." This time, "Dangerous Dan" held his cross-state rival scoreless, 6-0. As with the January dual, the team score ended in a 12-12 tie. There's no shame in losing to Dan Hodge; after all, he won every one of his 36 college matches -- including an incredible 78% by pin. Among the top wrestlers Hodge defeated in college: 1953 and '54 NCAA champ Ned Blass of Oklahoma State … 1958 NCAA champ Gary Kurdelmeier of Iowa … and Pacific Coast Conference champ John Dustin of Oregon State. However, among wrestlers who went up against Hodge more than once, Jim Gregson is the only one who was not pinned by "Dangerous Dan"! At home at the 1956 NCAAs The 1956 NCAAs were held in familiar territory – Gallagher Hall at Oklahoma State. After competing all season at 177 pounds, Jim Gregson moved up to 191 -- a weight class normally not wrestled during the regular season. There were fifteen wrestlers in the bracket -- some former 177s, some who usually wrestled heavyweight. Gregson was seeded second; the top seed was Ken Leuer of the University of Iowa. Ken Maidlow of Michigan State was Jim Gregson's opponent in the opening round; the Cowboy defeated the Spartan, 10-7. In the next match, Gregson shut out Lock Haven's Elwood Reese, 6-0. In the semifinals, Gregson went up against the University of Pittsburgh's Ron Schirf … and got a 3-1 decision over the sixth-seeded Panther, making it to the finals for the second time in his college career. Jim Gregor lost to Ken Leuer in the 1956 NCAA finals (Photo/1956 Hawkeye Yearbook)There were some eerie similarities between Jim Gregson's finals match at the 1949 NCAAs, and the '56 nationals. In both title bouts, he was the second-seeded wrestler, going up against the top seed … both opponents were newly crowned Big Ten champs … and, in both cases, his opponents were from the University of Iowa. Wrestling Gregson for the 191-pound title: Ken Leuer, Iowa senior who, a couple weeks earlier, had won the 191 crown at the Big Ten conference championships. Like Gregson, Leuer -- a two-time state champ from Wayzata, Minnesota -- also had NCAA finals experience. In 1955, he was runner-up at 191, losing to Peter Steele Blair of the U.S. Naval Academy. Sadly, for Jim Gregson, the outcome of his 1956 NCAA finals match wasn't the same as back in 1949. The veteran Cowboy wrestler lost to Ken Leuer, 5-3. Despite the loss -- and having only one individual champ, Myron Roderick at 130 -- Oklahoma State won its nineteenth team title, this time in the friendly confines of Gallagher Hall. Jim Gregson completed his college wrestling career with a 21-4-0 overall record (13-2-0 in dual meets), with two pins. He was a two-time All-American who was a two-time NCAA finalist … winning the 175-pound title at the 1949 NCAAs. And he managed to go the full nine minutes in two separate matches with prodigious pinner Dan Hodge -- and, in fact, is the only wrestler to have scored on the Sooner in a regulation match. By all measures, Jim Gregson was the very embodiment of the Cowboy way. For photos of Jim Gregson and his opponents, check out this photo album at the Vintage Amateur Wrestling Yahoo group HERE.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nikko Triggas, a sophomore on the Ohio State wrestling team, was named Big Ten wrestler of the week, the conference announced Tuesday. This is Triggas' first-career weekly laurel. The 125-pounder (19-12) was instrumental in helping the Buckeyes to a 2-0 record last weekend after recording two pins against No. 17 Michigan Feb. 13 and No. 8 Illinois Feb. 15. The back-to-back pins gave the native of Moraga, Calif., a team leading 12 falls on the season. Triggas needed just 5:38 seconds to down both his opponents. With the Buckeyes down, 11-14, against the Wolverines, Triggas pinned 17th-ranked Michael Watts in 2:02 to give Ohio State its first lead of the match. The Buckeyes would go on to win two of their next three matches in the 26-17 triumph. He followed that performance with another critical pin of B.J. Futrell of Illinois in the Buckeyes' home finale. Ohio State held a slim 14-10 lead after consecutive losses at 197 pounds and heavyweight and just three matches remaining. Triggas increased the Buckeye margin to 20-10 when he downed Futrell in 3:36 after finishing the first period against Futrell trailing, 4-2. With the pin, Triggas helped the Buckeyes post a 26-13 victory over eighth-ranked Illinois. For the season, Ohio State has collected five Big Ten wrestler of the week honors. Senior J Jaggers (141) was the last Buckeye recipient Jan. 13. Junior Mike Pucillo (184) won Jan. 6, while juniors Corey Morrison (HWT) and Reece Humphrey (133) won Dec. 16 and Nov. 14, respectively.

THIS WEEK The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (22-0, 6-0 Big Ten) will close out the 2008-09 regular season with a Big Ten road trip. The Hawkeyes will wrestle at #18 Indiana (15-5-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at University Gym. Iowa will then travel to #19 Nortwestern (9-6-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) for its final dual of the season Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT). The dual will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena. ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC and www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($14.95 per month or $119.95 per year). Internet - Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com.. HAWKEYES LOOK TO EXTEND STREAKS Iowa has won its last 36 duals, and its last 27 duals away from Iowa City. The school record for consecutive dual wins is 42 (1994-97), and for consecutive away dual wins is 31 (1994-97). Both current streaks rank second in school history. Junior Brent Metcalf (149) has a streak of his own, winning his last 58 bouts. Former Hawkeye Jim Zalesky (1981-84) holds the school record for consecutive wins with 89. Metcalf's streak ranks fourth in school history behind Zalesky, Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands (69) and former Hawkeye T.J. Williams (67). INDIANA HOOSIERS Indiana is 15-5-1 (2-3-1 in the Big Ten) and ranked 18th in the nation. The Hoosiers have wins over Wabash (49-0), Manchester (58-0), Ohio (38-3), South Dakota State (46-3), Rutgers (29-9), Liberty (29-3), Cumberlands (36-6), Eastern Michigan (31-6), Harper (50-3), Gardner-Webb (43-3), American (24-11), Clarion (49-0), Purdue (21-12) and Northwestern (23-11), losses to Iowa State (0-35), Wisconsin (15-19), Ohio State (16-18), Michigan (18-20) and Illinois (6-25), and a 17-17 tie with Penn State. Head Coach Duane Goldman is 216-114-5 in 17 seasons at Indiana. He was a four-time all-American, NCAA finalist and Big Ten champion at Iowa (1983-86), winning the 1986 NCAA title. Goldman is assisted by four-time Hawkeye all-American (1994-97) and 1995 Big Ten champion Mike Mena and Indiana alum Pat DeGain (2005). The Hoosiers are led by juniors Angel Escobedo (125) and Trevor Perry (174) and sophomore Kurt Kinser (157). Escobedo is ranked third in the nation with a 18-2 record, and has won his last five matches. He won the 2008 Big Ten and NCAA titles, and is a two-time all-American. Escobedo, his cousin Hoosier senior Andrae Hernandez (141) and Hawkeye senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) all wrestled at Griffith High School in Griffith, IN. Kinser is ranked 13th in the country with a 16-4 mark. Perry, who was a high school teammate of Hawkeye junior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, is ranked 15th in the nation with a 24-11 record. NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS Northwestern is 9-6-1 (2-3-1 Big Ten) and ranked 19th in the nation. The Wildcats have wins over Eastern Michigan (23-13), Kent State (21-8), Tennessee-Chattanooga (30-12), Stanford (25-15), Northern Illinois (27-12), Pittsburgh (20-18), Clarion (29-3), Michigan State (31-6), Wisconsin (21-19), losses to UC Davis (15-23), Nebraska (18-19), Missouri (12-25), Illinois (13-22), Minnesota (16-18) and Indiana (11-23), and a 17-17 tie with Michigan. The Wildcats host Ohio State (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). Head Coach Tim Cysewski is 149-175-6 in 19 seasons at Northwestern. He was an all-American at 134 pounds for Iowa in 1976, and a four-time Hawkeye letterwinner (1973-76). He is assisted by Northwestern alum Drew Pariano (2000), Will Durkee (Virginia, 2006) and Ryan Bertin (Michigan, 2005). The Wildcats are led by senior Jake Herbert (184), junior Brandon Precin (125), sophomore Keith Sulzer (141) and freshman Jason Welch (157). Herbert is ranked first in the nation with a 24-0 record. A three-time all-American and two-time Big Ten champion, he won the 2007 NCAA title and took off the 2007-08 season to train for the Olympics. Precin is ranked fourth in the nation with a 23-2 mark and has won 21 of his last 22 bouts. Welch is ranked 14th in the nation with a 19-7 record, while Sulzer is 15th at 18-7. Redshirt freshman Robert Kellogg (174) is a Sioux City, IA, native. MARQUEE MATCH-UPS There are five marquee match-ups based on the probable starters for this weekend's duals. The individual rankings listed below are the most recent from the NWCA/Intermat/NWMA poll. Iowa vs. Indiana 125 - #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa) vs. #3 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Falck is 2-2 against the defending NCAA and Big Ten champion. The Hawkeye junior won the first two meetings (2-1 at 2007 Big Ten Championships and 4-2 at 2008 dual), but Escobedo posted decisions at the 2008 Big Ten (6-3) and NCAA Championships (4-1). Falck is 18-2, ranked fifth in the nation and has won six of his last seven bouts. Escobedo is ranked third in the nation with a 18-2 record, and has won his last five matches. 174 - #4 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. #15 Trevor Perry (Indiana) Borschel is 2-0 against the Hoosier junior, posting an 8-2 win at the 2007 Midlands and a 11-3 major decision at the 2008 dual. Fourth-ranked Borschel is 21-2 and 4-0 in Big Ten duals. He made his return to the Hawkeye lineup last week against Purdue and Minnesota after sitting out three duals due to injury. He has won his last six matches. Perry is ranked 15th in the nation with a 24-11 record. Iowa vs. Northwestern 125 - #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa) vs. #4 Brandon Precin (Northwestern) Falck is 2-1 against Precin, winning the last two meetings (5-2 at 2007 dual and 5-3 at 2008 dual). Precin won the first meeting (pin in 3:20) at the 2007 National Duals. Precin is ranked fourth in the nation with a 23-2 mark and has won 21 of his last 22 bouts. His two season losses were both in overtime to Escobedo (3-1) and Edinboro's Paul Donahoe (4-1). 141 - #2 Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) vs. #15 Keith Sulzer (Northwestern) This will be the first meeting between Tsirtsis and Sulzer. The Hawkeye senior is ranked second in the nation and boasts a 22-2 season record and six-match winning streak. Sulzer is ranked 15th in the nation with an 18-7 mark. 184 - #3 Phillip Keddy (Iowa) vs. #1 Jake Herbert (Northwestern) Third-ranked Keddy hits the road with a 12-match winning streak and a 25-1 season record, while top-ranked Herbert is waiting with a perfect 24-0 mark. Keddy's lone loss was a 15-1 major decision to Herbert in the 2008 Midlands finals. Herbert won the other meeting between the two (pin in 3:44) at the 2007 National Duals. Keddy will have his hands full with the two-time Big Ten champion and 2007 NCAA champion. Herbert has scored team bonus points in all but one match this season. HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are past results between the Hawkeyes and their probable weekend opponents that were not mentioned previously in the release. Iowa vs. Indiana 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) vs. Scott Kelly (Indiana), 1-0 Tsirtsis dec. Kelly, 2-0 - at 2008 Midlands 157 - Matt Ballweg (Iowa) vs. Kurt Kinser (Indiana), 0-1 Kinser pinned Ballweg, 0:50 - at 2007 Midlands 165 - Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Paul Young (Indiana), 1-0 Morningstar dec. Young, 4-0 - at 2008 Midlands Iowa vs. Northwestern 149 - Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern), 1-0 Metcalf pinned Nadhir, 6:50 - at 2008 Midlands 165 - Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Dominic Marella (Northwestern), 2-0 Morningstar maj. dec. Marella, 18-5 - at 2007 National Duals Morningstar dec. Marella, 8-3 - at 2007 dual THE SERIES Indiana - Iowa leads the series, 32-4-3, and is 15-1-2 in Bloomington. The Hawkeyes have won the last 17 meetings - including a 28-7 victory last season. Indiana's last win in the series was 19-13 in 1968. Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands is 1-1 against Indiana. The loss (13-40) came at the 2006 Virginia Duals when Brands was the head coach at Virginia Tech. Hoosier Head Coach Duane Goldman is 0-8 against his alma mater. Northwestern - Iowa leads the series, 64-7-1, and is 30-4-1 in Evanston. Iowa has won the last four meetings - including the 22-13 decision last season. Northwestern's last win in the series was 22-19 in 2005. Brands is 3-0 against Northwestern, while Cysewski is 1-19 against his alma mater. LAST MEETING - HAWKEYES HOLD OFF NORTHWESTERN, 22-13 The top-ranked Hawkeyes won their seventh straight dual, defeating #10 Northwestern, 22-13, Jan. 27, 2008, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won six bouts, but trailed the first half of the dual against an aggressive Wildcat squad. The win was the 160th for Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the 45th career victory for Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. Iowa improved to 14-1 (3-0 Big Ten), while the Wildcats fell to 5-5 (0-1). Northwestern jumped out to a 7-0 lead with wins at the first two weights. Senior Mike Tamillow opened the dual at 197 with a 12-3 major decision over Iowa sophomore Chad Beatty. Top-ranked senior heavyweight Dustin Fox used 1:07 of riding time to defeat #6 Matt Fields, 2-1. The Hawkeyes bounced back with #3 Charlie Falck scoring his 20th season victory with a 5-3 win over #5 Brandon Precin at 125. Sophomore Joe Slaton followed at 133 with an 11-6 win over unranked Eric Metzler. Northwestern responded with an upset at 141 as unranked freshman Keith Sulzer defeated #9 Dan LeClere, 9-3. Trailing 10-6, Iowa won four of the last five bouts to remain undefeated in the Big Ten. Sophomores Brent Metcalf (149), Ryan Morningstar (157), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184) each picked up wins for the Hawkeyes. Top-ranked Metcalf dominated #4 Ryan Lang, scoring a 12-3 major decision. Keddy brought the crowd of 5,837 to its feet with his 1:58 pin over Adil Kolovic to end the dual and clinch the win for Iowa. Iowa 22, Northwestern 13 197 - Mike Tamillow (N) maj. dec. Chad Beatty (I), 12-3 Hwt. - Dustin Fox (N) dec. Matt Fields (I), 2-1 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Brandon Precin (N), 5-3 133 - Joe Slaton (I) dec. Eric Metzler (N), 11-6 141 - Keith Sulzer (N) dec. Dan LeClere (I), 9-3 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Ryan Lang (N), 12-3 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Andrew Nadhir (N), 6-4 165 - Dominic Marella (N) dec. Aaron Janssen (I), 7-5 174 - Jay Borschel (I) dec. Nick Hayes (N), 3-1 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) pinned Adil Kolovic (N), 1:58 LAST MEETING - HAWKEYES BEAT INDIANA, 28-7 The top-ranked Hawkeyes posted their 12th straight win with a 28-7 victory over #21 Indiana Feb. 15, 2008, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 19-1 with the win. Head Coach Tom Brands picked up his 50th career win, as Iowa won eight bouts and scored bonus points in four. Indiana fell to 12-7, 1-5 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 14-0 lead with wins at the first four bouts. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck brought the crowd of 6,116 to its feet when he upset #2 Angel Escobedo, 4-2, at 125. Falck, who is ranked third in the nation, handed Escobedo (24-1) his first loss of the season. Sophomore Joe Slaton won his 10th straight match with a 3-2 decision over Andre Hernandez at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere scored 19 points in the last two periods of his 141-pound match to post a 23-8 technical fall over Scott Kelly. At 149, sophomore Brent Metcalf won his 21st straight match with a 19-6 major decision over Kurt Kinser. Indiana put points on the board with wins at 157 and 165, but the Hawkeyes shut the Hoosiers out in the final four matches. Sophomore Jay Borschel extended his winning streak to 12 with an 11-3 major decision over Trevor Perry at 174. Sophomore Phillip Keddy followed with a 17-5 major decision over Marc Bennett at 184. At 197, sophomore Chad Beatty scored a takedown with 30 seconds left in the match to beat Joe Fagiano, 9-7. Senior heavyweight Matt Fields closed out the dual with a 7-3 victory over Nate Everhart. Iowa 28, Indiana 7 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Angel Escobedo (IND), 4-2 133 - Joe Slaton (I) dec. Andre Hernandez (IND), 3-2 141 - Dan LeClere (I) tech. fall Scott Kelly (IND), 23-8 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Kurt Kinser (IND), 19-6 157 - B. Becker (IND) maj. dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 9-0 165 - Matt Coughlin (IND) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 7-4 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Trevor Perry (IND), 11-3 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) maj. dec. Marc Bennett (IND), 17-5 197 - Chad Beatty (I) dec. Joe Fagiano (IND), 9-7 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Nate Everhart (IND), 7-3 HAWKEYES GO 2-0 IN FINAL SEASON HOME STAND The top-ranked Hawkeyes recorded wins over #25 Purdue (38-0) and #11/#13 Minnesota (25-9) last weekend to finish the 2008-09 regular season undefeated at home (10-0). It was Iowa's 17th undefeated season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (7-0) as the first three home duals were held at the University of Iowa Field House. It was also the first time Iowa stayed perfect at home since the 2002-03 season. The Hawkeyes improved to 22-0 (6-0 Big Ten) with the wins, while Purdue fell to 11-5-1 (0-4-1) and Minnesota dropped to 14-7 (4-3). Despite adverse weather conditions, 5,709 fans turned out for the Iowa-Purdue dual on Friday the 13th. It was the first time Iowa shut out an opponent since beating Binghamton (48-0) on Nov. 29 at the Journeymen Duals in Troy, NY. It was also the first time that the Hawkeyes held a Big Ten opponent scoreless since beating Purdue (42-0) in 2000. Iowa dominated the dual, scoring 36 takedowns while holding Purdue to two. The Hawkeyes got technical falls from junior Daniel Dennis (133) and senior Alex Tsirtsis (141), as well as major decisions from senior Charlie Falck (125) and juniors Brent Metcalf (149), Jay Borschel (174) and Phillip Keddy (184). Tsirtsis picked up his 90th career victory and his 20th win in Carver-Hawkeye with the win. Metcalf posted a 14-4 victory over #8 Jake Patascil to record his 57th straight win. Morningstar tallied his 70th career win, and Borschel posted his 20th season win in first apperance since the end of January due to injury. Beatty scored an escape in the tiebreak period to upset #13 Logan Brown, 2-1. The Hawkeyes celebrated senior day with 10,095 fans and their second win of the season over Minnesota. Hawkeye seniors Derek Coorough (149), Falck, Tsirtsis, and T.H. Leet (165) were honored before the dual. Minnesota started the dual with an upset at 125 pounds, as freshman Zach Sanders scored a takedown with eight seconds left to beat Falck. Sanders, who is ranked eighth in the nation, snapped Falck's six-match winning streak and handed the fourth-ranked Hawkeye his first dual loss of the season. The Hawkeyes responded with top-ranked Dennis scoring a 9-7 victory over #5 Jayson Ness to tie the team score at 3-3. Dennis, who posted a 6-4 win over Ness when Iowa beat Minnesota 27-7 in the second round of the 2009 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls last month, remains 6-0 in Big Ten duals and has won his last eight bouts. Iowa posted wins at the next two weights as Tsirtsis and junior Brent Metcalf (149) extended their own winning streaks. Tsirtsis, who is ranked second in the nation, posted a 2-1 decision over #8 Mike Thorn at 141 to score his sixth-straight win. Metcalf stuck Joe Grygelko in 4:38 to post his 59th straight win and his 14th pin of the season. The top-ranked Hawkeye junior is now 27-0 on the season. The Hawkeyes responded after the break with four straight wins to clinch the team victory. Junior Ryan Morningstar kicked the run off with a 9-4 decision over Scott Glasser at 165. Hawkeye 174-pounder junior Jay Borschel followed with an 11-3 major decision over Kaleb Young. Borschel scored all 11 points in the third period - including 10 in the last minute.Junior Phillip Keddy posted his 25th season and 12th straight victory, beating Sonny Yohn, 10-6, at 184. Hawkeye junior Chad Beatty scored Iowa's final win of the dual with a 5-4 victory over Gordon Bierschenk at 197. Beatty and Borschel have won their last five matches. Minnesota closed out the dual with a victory at heavyweight when Ben Berhow beat Iowa redshirt freshman Jordan Johnson, 12-9. Johnson was competing for injured Hawkeye starter Dan Erekson. WRESTLING SUMMER CAMPS For dates and more information about 2009 Iowa Wrestling Summer camps visit www.iowawrestlingcamps.com. HAWKEYES SET ATTENDANCE RECORD Iowa set the national collegiate dual meet attendance record of 15,955 when it hosted #2 Iowa State Dec. 6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes won the Iowa State dual, 20-15. HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 850-215-30 (.790) in 97 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 21 national titles and 32 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 49 NCAA champions have won a total of 76 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 14 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 101 Big Ten champions have won a total of 182 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 135 all-Americans have earned all-America status 273 times, including 17 four-time, 27 three-time and 33 two-time honorees. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Doug Schwab, Mike Zadick and Jared Frayer earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, one Olympic bronze medal, six NCAA titles, 11 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 487-83-2 (.858). BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS ON SALE Penn State University will host of the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA, March 7-8. Action begins on March 7 with two sessions, one at 10 a.m. (CT) and a second at 5 p.m. (CT). The March 8 session, which features the placing bouts and championships, begins at 11 a.m. (CT). The championship finals will be aired live on the Big Ten Network at 1 p.m. (CT). All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students/youth. Fans can purchase tickets from the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office at 814-865-5555. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR ST. LOUIS The 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Scottrade Center was the site for the national wrestling tournament in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2008. The NCAA, University of Missouri and the St. Louis Sports Commission will co-host the event. Sessions one (11 a.m.) and two (6:30 p.m.) will be held Mar. 19, sessions three (10 a.m.) and four (6 p.m.) will be Mar. 20, and session five (9:30 a.m.) and the championship finals (5:30 p.m.) are set for Mar. 21. Sessions three and five will be aired live on ESPNU, session four will be shown live on ESPN2 and ESPNU and the championship finals will be aired live on ESPN. ESPN360.com will air a live simulcast for sessions three, five and the championship finals. Tickets to the event are available at (800) 745-3000, (314) 241-1888 or ticketmaster.com. All-session tickets are priced based on seat location. The price breakdown is as follows: Plaza - $150, Mezzanine Center & Mezzanine Corner (1st 2 rows) - $120, Mezzanine Corner & Mezzanine End (1st 2 rows) - $95, Mezzanine End - $60. UP NEXT The top-ranked Hawkeyes will vy for their 33rd conference team title at the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event will be held by Penn State University, March 7-8, at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, PA.

DECORAH, IOWA -- Wartburg College crowned five individual champions en route to its 17th consecutive Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Wrestling Championship Tuesday at Luther College. The Knights amassed 187 points as they collected their 27th title overall. Luther edged Coe, 138-137, in a close battle for second place. Coe kicked off the championship session on a strong note with titles from sophomores Clayton Rush at 125 and Brandon Ball at 133. After crowning only four champions in their first ten years in the Iowa Conference, the Kohawks have crowned two champions in each of the last two championship meets. Wartburg won the next three titles as No. 1 seeds Zach McKray (141), Jacob Naig (149), and Aaron Wernimont (157) claimed victories before Dubuque's Josh Terrell picked up a win by default over Wartburg's Justin Hanson at 165. Terrell captured the first title by a University of Dubuque wrestler since Troy Armstrong captured the 134-pound title in 1990 and only the school's 20th individual title since 1960. The Spartans' fifth-place finish is their best since placing fourth in 1987. Dubuque's bid for champions at consecutive weights as Cornell senior Kyle Kehrli became the school's second champion in as many years with a 4-1 decision over Evan Brown at 174. Wartburg took two of the last three titles as senior Romeo Djoumessi pinned Luther's Nic Barclay for the title at 184 and sophomore John Helgerson held off Luther's Allyn Plattner by a 5-4 score at heavyweight. The Norse clinched second place when senior Alec Bonander scored a 5-0 decision over Dubuque's Matt Wonderlin for the 197 title. Bonander was Luther's only champion. It was his first IIAC title after posting runner-up finishes each of the past two years. Wernimont won his third consecutive individual title at 157 pounds and was named the Dick Walker Outstanding Wrestler. Wernimont, who improved to 40-0 and extended his winning streak to 76 matches with his title, pinned Dubuque's Nathan Harm in the quarterfinals and Cornell's Aron Kindelsperger in the semifinals before registering a 16-5 major decision over Loras' Erik Hanson in the championship match. Wernimont is the 12th Wartburg wrestler to be named the IIAC's outstanding wrestler, accounting for 15 total honors. Titles by Wartburg seniors Naig (149 pounds), Wernimont (157) and Djoumessi (184) increased the number of wrestlers with at least three Iowa Conference titles to 40 and the number to accomplish the feat at the same weight class to 24. The trio also raised the number of Wartburg wrestlers with at least three titles to 15. It was the third consecutive title for Wernimont and Djoumessi, while Naig captured titles in 2006 and 2008 prior to this season. Miller Named Coach of the Year: Wartburg's Jim Miller was named Iowa Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career and the first time since 2006. The Knights' 49-point margin-of-victory was their largest since besting the field by a record 77 points in 2006.

Weigh-ins will take place on Friday, Oct. 21, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT at the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, Minn. The new high school weight classes approved by the National Federation of State High School Association's rules committee in 2011 will be used. Those weight classes are 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285. There will be no weight allowance.

Join the voice of Kent State Ty Linder for the action and play by play as the Golden Flashes visit the Chippewa of Central Michigan. Fresh off a victory 21-13 over the Eastern Michigan Eagles the Flashes look to repeat against another Michigan College. Coach Borrelli and his Chippewa squad upset Missouri last Friday and look to continue their winning ways. This broadcast is set to get underway at around 6:30 PM Eastern at TakedownRadio.com. our congratulations go to the senior class of the Golden Flashes on their tremendous season!

For the second straight year, the Flames' dual with the Patriots came down to the final weight class. However, unlike last year, Liberty came out on top of George Mason as senior Chris Daggett pinned Zach Ulm in the first period to give the visitors a 23-19 victory, Tuesday evening, inside the Field House. Last year, Cayle Byers scored a major decision for the Patriots, with the 197-pounder's 19-5 win over Nick Knowles sealing a come-from-behind 19-18 for George Mason inside the Vines Center on Feb. 5, 2008. This go around, George Mason sent their nationally ranked grappler out to the mats to open this year's dual. And the No. 9 ranked sophomore came through, carding a 15-3 decision over Brandon Johnson to give the homestanding Patriots the early 4-0 lead. However, Liberty came roaring back. Junior heavyweight Patrick Walker picked up his 10th victory on the season, blanking Hunter Manspile in a 14-0 major decision to knot the overall dual score at 4-4. After surrendering six team points by forfeiting the 125-pound bout, Liberty captured the next three weight class matchups to jump out to a 17-10 lead. Christian Smith opened the trio of consecutive victories for the Flames by recording his team-leading fifth victory by major decision, holding Denny Herndon scoreless in a 9-0 bout at 133 pounds. Liberty kept things rolling at 141 pounds, as Tim Harner stuck John Delgado to the mats with 24 seconds remaining the first period. The senior's team-leading ninth win by fall on the year ran the Norristown, Pa., native's record to 21-8 on the year and 9-1 in bouts decided by fall. Leading for the first time on the evening, the Flames widened their advantage at 149 pounds, as Frankie Gayeski recorded his third straight win in a narrow 3-2 decision over Brandon Bucher, giving the visitors a 17-10 lead. The Patriots countered Liberty's three consecutive wins with a trio of victories of their own, beginning with a Frankie McLaughlin IV 10-4 decision over Julian Colon at 157 pounds. George Mason followed with a second straight decision, as Jimmy Kaden recorded a 7-2 decision over Brad Clark at 165 pounds to pull within a point, 17-16. Having won three out of his last four bouts, Aaron Kelley took to the mats for Liberty, looking to halt George Mason's momentum following back-to-back decisions. The junior's 174-pound matchup with Mendbagana Tovuujav was knotted at three point apiece heading into the final two minutes. However, the Patriot's freshman, who was ranked No. 20 in his weight class to open the month, outscored Kelley 5-2 during the final 120 seconds, giving the rookie his 19th victory of the year in a 9-5 decision, which placed George Mason ahead at 19-17. But the lead was short-lived for the home squad, as Daggett took control of his bout with Ulm from the onset. The victory by fall at 1:37 gave the senior his 20th win of the year, extending a personal five bout winning streak to steal the overall bout for Liberty. The victory, Liberty's first in eighth tries in dual matchups with George Mason, pushes the Flames overall record to 10-9-1. The loss, the Patriots' fourth in their last five duals, drops George Mason's season record to 5-9-1. The Flames, who have now won four straight, will look to extend their streak to five when they welcome in-state rival VMI to the Vines Center on Thursday. Liberty's first home event since a season-opening 43-6 victory over Gardner-Webb on Nov. 11 is slated to begin a 7 p.m. Prior to the opening whistle, the Flames will honor their trio of seniors, as the match marks Senior Night for the program. During the pre-match ceremony, Liberty will honor Smith, Harner and Daggett.

Central Michigan head wrestling coach Tom Borrelli and Daniel Dennis, a junior at the University of Iowa, will be the featured guests on Wrestling 411 Radio on Tuesday, Feb. 17. This Tuesday's edition of Wrestling 411 Radio will air at 7 p.m. CST. The show can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv and clicking on the "Listen Live" link. An archive of the broadcast will be available immediately following the show. Borrelli is in his 18th season as the head wrestling coach at Central Michigan University. His teams have placed in the top ten at the NCAA tournament three times, including a seventh place finish last season. Central Michigan is currently ranked ninth in the nation with a 16-2-1 record for the season. Dennis, a junior at the University of Iowa, is currently ranked first in the nation at 133 pounds. A 2008 University Freestyle National Champion, Dennis has compiled a 19-2 season record. He is 35-20 during his career at Iowa. Wrestling 411 Radio can be heard live by visiting www.wrestling411.tv. Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The 12th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling squad extended its non-conference win streak to 17 matches Sunday afternoon on the road versus Michigan State in East Lansing, with 21-8 pounding of the Spartans. Sunday afternoon's match marked the last out of conference dual for Oklahoma (16-3, 1-3) this season. The Sooners won their final two non-conference matches last year and ended with a perfect 15-0 record in the 2009 campaign. Against MSU (6-7), OU claimed seven decisions to the Spartans' three to claim the victory and improve its overall mark against the Big 10 school to a 37-7 margin. Ranked seventh nationally, Joey Fio collected his 12th-straight victory this season over Eric Olanowski by decision, 9-5. The Sandpoint, Idaho, native recorded three takedowns and a reversal in the 125-pound match. After an unsportsmanlike conduct point was deducted from Michigan State, No. 6 Franklin Gomez would pull the Spartans to within one, 3-2, with a 9-4 win over Oklahoma's 133-pounder David Armstrong. Seth Vernon put Oklahoma back on track with a 5-2 decision over Collin Dozier in the 141-pound bout. Leading 3-1 to begin the third, the Tulsa, Okla., native used a nearfall in the final stanza to put the match out of reach and make OU's lead 6-2. Sixth-ranked Kyle Terry remained hot on the season at 149 pounds, collecting his 22nd-straight win with a 10-3 decision over David Cheza. Terry posted four takedowns in the bout to improve to 24-1 on the season. Chad Terry followed suit of his twin brother, Kyle, by picking up a decision at 157 pounds over Anthony Jones Jr., 8-4. The match was tied at four in the final period before Terry posted an escape and a takedown to ensure the win. Rex Kendle gave MSU its second win on the afternoon after blanking OU's Derek Peperas, 6-0, to make the team score 12-5 heading into the 174-pound bout. Jeff James bounced back from two straight losses against top-five Big 12 opponents last weekend to edge Ian Hinton, 3-2, to improve his record to 21-3 on the season. The El Reno, Okla., native is ranked eighth in the nation. Nick Palmieri posted the Spartans' last win of the day at 184 pounds by defeating Pat Flynn, 9-6. The win inched MSU to within seven team points, 15-8. Eric Lapotsky would end Michigan State's hope for an upset of the Sooners with a 4-3 decision over John Murphy at 197 pounds. Lapotsky recorded an escape and a reversal in the third, in addition to a riding time point in the final period, to post the win. Heavyweight Nathan Fernandez closed out the day for Oklahoma in winning fashion, beating Steve Andrus by a 10-8 final. Tied in the third period, 7-7, Fernandez used a takedown and a riding time point to take the victory. The Sooners will return to Norman to prepare for the second installment of Bedlam next Sunday, Feb. 22, in Stillwater, Okla., at 2 p.m. Oklahoma will attempt to win its third-straight match against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, a feat last accomplished in 1981. The in-state battle will mark the end of Big 12 competition for both Oklahoma programs.

CHARLOTTESVILLE Va. -- The Virginia wrestling team won eight of 10 matches in earning a 35-8 victory over Duke Sunday on Senior Day at Memorial Gymnasium. Five of the Cavaliers wins resulted in bonus points, highlighted by pins from Matt Bonson (Fr., Lewistown, Pa.) and Brent Jones (Jr., Burke, Va.) at 133 and 197 pounds, respectively. The 27-point win marked UVa's largest margin of victory in an ACC dual under head coach Steve Garland and was the largest in ACC competition since a 37-7 win over Duke on Jan. 29, 1999. The highlight match of the day was the final one at 165 pounds, where Virginia's Mike Sewell (Sr., Bothell, Wash.) rallied against Addison Nuding in the third period to send the bout to sudden victory time. Sewell then threw Nuding and scored a takedown 13 seconds into the period to secure a 4-2 decision in his final home contest. Virginia (11-10, 2-2 ACC) got off to a good start for the day when No. 9 Chris Henrich (So., Lansdale, Pa.) earned a 3-0 decision over Duke's Voris Tejada at 174 pounds. Holding a 2-0 lead entering the final period, Henrich rode Tejada for all two minutes of the third period to earn a point for riding time and finish off the 3-0 win. Henrich improved to 33-1 this year with his 13th-consecutive win and now is tied with Matt Roth (1998-99) for the 10th-most wins in a single season in UVa history. Duke's John Barone moved to 33-5 this year with a tech fall over UVa's Joe de Garavilla (Jr., Downingtown, Pa.), who was filling in for an ill Rocco Caponi (Sr., Uniontown, Ohio). The Barone tech fall gave the Blue Devils (8-4, 1-3) a 5-3 lead in the match, but it was short-lived as the Cavaliers' Brent Jones (Jr., Burke, Va.) pinned Wade Van Sickle at 197 pounds. Jones, ranked 19th nationally, improved to 26-5 this season and earned his 13th win in his last 14 matches. He recorded his 33rd career pin and moved within one of the UVa career falls record, held by current UVa assistant coach Scott Moore (2004). At heavyweight, Calvin Cardillo (Jr., Alexandria, Va.) scored an escape point in the second period, then rode Robert Holbrook through the entire third period to earn the riding time point and notch a 2-0 decision to push the UVa lead to 12-5. After Duke's Peter Terrezza won by decision over UVa's Wyatt Anderson (So., Richmond, Va.) at 125, Matt Bonson (Fr., Lewistown, Pa.) earned the first of five straight Cavalier wins with a pin of Duke's Jack Anderson in just 54 seconds at 133 pounds. It marked Bonson's eighth pin of the year as he upped his record to 16-5 this season. At 141, No. 18 Nick Nelson (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) racked up eight takedowns and a three-point near fall in just 4:57 as he dominated Nick Adamo in a 20-5 technical fall. Nelson went 2-0 on the weekend after earning a 3-2 decision over No. 19 Nick Caramanica of NC State Saturday. Peter Ferrara (Sr., Doylestown, Pa.) jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first period and cruised from there in posting a 13-2 win over AJ Guardado at 149 pounds. At 157, Jedd Moore (Fr., Mount Vernon, Ohio) rolled to a 24-9 tech fall over Mike Bell by piling up 10 takedowns and a three-point near fall in just 5:05. The tech fall gave UVa a 32-8 lead, and Sewell's decision at 165 gave the Cavaliers their final three points. The Cavaliers conducted their Senior Day recognition prior to the match. Zach Anderson (Richmond, Va.), Danny Artusio (Winchester, Va.), Kyle Artusio (Winchester, Va.), Caponi, Ferrara and Sewell all were honored. The Cavaliers finish the regular season next weekend, traveling to Maryland for a 1 p.m. Sunday match.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The #20 Indiana University wrestling team defeated #16 Northwestern Sunday afternoon, 23-11. It marks the third straight win for IU over the Wildcats, and the Cream and Crimson's 10th victory in the last 11 meetings between the two schools. Northwestern is a really good team and is having a fine season," said Head Coach Duane Goldman. "It was a nice win for us, they are all big wins in this conference." The match began with the 174-lbs. bout where Trevor Perry won the first of seven individual bout victories for the Hoosiers. Perry was a 9-6 winner over Robert Kellogg. After a Northwestern tech fall at 184 pounds, Indiana then ripped off four straight victories to build a 17-5 lead with three matches remaining. Matt Powless started the streak with his fourth Big Ten victory of the season, topping John Schoen by an 8-2 tally. At heavyweight, Nate Everhart improved to 5-1 in conference action by posting a 10-2 major decision. The marquee match-up of the day came next when defending 125-lbs. national champion Angel Escobedo faced #3 Brandon Precin and his 23-1, 5-0 record entering the contest. The bout lived up to the billing, ending in sudden victory after Escobedo recorded a takedown and the 3-1 win. Matt Ortega was also in the win column, garnering a bonus point by majoring Eric Metzler in the 133-lbs. match. #13 Kurt Kinser clinched the team victory in the second last match of the day. The Bloomington, Ind., native notched a big win over #14 Jason Welch. Kinser is now 2-0 versus Welch this season after pinning him earlier in the year. Kinser's high school teammate at Bloomington South, Paul Young, put the icing on the cake at 165 pounds. A total of nine takedowns occurred in the 16-14 scoring outburst. Young notched three takedowns in the third period alone to push ahead for good.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The No. 15 Oklahoma State wrestling team picked up two wins in Gallagher-Iba Arena Sunday, beating Binghamton, 40-6, and knocking off Wyoming, 34-6. In doing so, OSU improved to 14-7 on the year. The Cowboys won nine of 10 bouts in both duals, racking up a total of four pins, two technical falls and four major decision victories along the way. "Overall not the greatest two matches we've wrestled, but definitely what you're hoping for," Coach John Smith said. "You're hoping for an escape out of the matches without somebody wrestling poorly and getting upset and I thought we did that." Particularly dominant for OSU were Brandon Mason, who pinned Binghamton's Ryan McGarity in 4:30 in his first match and claimed a 17-0 technical fall win over Wyoming's Alex Rieder in his second match and Clayton Foster, who scored a 15-0 technical fall win over Binghamton's Cory Waite and a 14-4 major decision win over Wyoming's Alfonso Hernandez. "It feels pretty good. I'm kind of mad I didn't get the pin in the first match, and then in the second match I got the major (decision)," Foster said. "The guy was tough to turn but I am still mad I didn't tech or pin him too." Cowboy senior Newly McSpadden toppled a ranked opponent when he scored a reversal with 1:19 remaining in the third period of his bout against No. 19 Shane Onufer of Wyoming to claim a 5-4 win. The Cowboys put a cap on the regular season when they host Oklahoma at 2 p.m. Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Seniors Obenson Blanc, Brandon Mason, Newly McSpadden and Jared Shelton will be recognized prior to the dual. "We're right there where we can achieve greatness, we just have to go out there and take it," Mason said. "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."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In his final home match as a Buckeye, senior wrestler J Jaggers went out in style. With Ohio State already having secured the team victory, Jaggers stepped onto the mat vs. Illinois' Ryan Prater at 141 pounds and pinned the Illini in 4:49 to lift the Scarlet and Gray to a 26-13 victory Sunday in St. John Arena. With the win, Ohio State moves to 14-2 on the season, including a 5-1 mark in the Big Ten. The triumph also marked head coach Tom Ryan's 150th career victory. In 14 seasons as a head coach (including three at Ohio State), Ryan owns a winning percentage of .609. In his fifth and final year competing in front of family and friends in the historical arena, the 14th-ranked Jaggers, a native of Northfield, Ohio, was consistently on the attack in the early moments of the match despite a scoreless first period. The second stanza appeared to be heading in the same direction with a lot of action, but not any points to show for it. However, with just 11 seconds remaining in the period, Jaggers was able to get Prater on his back to record his fourth pin of the season. The match got underway at 149 pounds and junior Lance Palmer quickly gave Ohio State a 4-0 lead following his major decision over Eric Terrazas, 10-2. Ranked fourth in the country, Palmer ended the first period with a tight 2-0 lead, but wasted little time in adding onto his score in the second stanza on a takedown and escape. The Buckeye native from Columbia Station, Ohio, was awarded two additional points because of three Illinois warnings. Coupled with a riding time of 4:06, Palmer was a 10-2 victor. Joining Jaggers in the Senior Day celebration, 17th-ranked Jason Johnstone faced No. 2 Mike Poeta at 157 pounds. Johnstone, who hails from Massillon, Ohio, had his hands full against the two-time All-American and Big Ten champion. Poeta ended the first stanza with a 4-1 advantage which he increased into a 7-2 lead by the end of the second period before the 10-4 final. Following a scoreless first period, second-ranked Colt Sponseller tallied an escape and takedown in the second period to take a 3-0 lead against No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud at 165 pounds . There was not any scoring in the final period, but Sponseller was awarded a point because of a pair of Illinois warnings. The sophomore native of Glenmont, Ohio, amassed a riding time of 2:25 to cap his victory. With Ohio State up 10-3 after three matches, junior Dave Rella garnered his 15th win of the season when he defeated John Dergo, 8-6, in the 174-pound bout. The match was a close affair the entire seven minutes. Hailing from Akron, Ohio, Rella was down 2-1 after the first period. In the second stanza, it was back and forth scoring as Dergo opened the period with an escape at 1:51. Eleven seconds later, Rella scored a takedown before another Illinois escape at the 1-minute mark. Rella countered with a takedown with 29 seconds remaining in the period. The stanza concluded with a 5-5 tie on a Dergo escape at the 14-second point. With Rella opting for the down position, he got out of Dergo's grip in three seconds and then scored a takedown at 1:31. A final escape at 1:07 by Dergo was not enough as Rella held on for the win. No. 2 Mike Pucillo increased the Buckeye lead to 14-3 following his 10-2 major decision win over No. 12 Jordan Blanton. Up 4-1 after the first period, Pucillo, a junior from Strongsville, Ohio, kept Blanton scoreless in the second period, while he scored an escape and takedown. Finally in the third period, Pucillo tallied another takedown and brought his total riding time to 2:38 in the win. Illinois was able to get back seven points at 197 pounds and heavyweight. Buckeye junior Jason Cook lost an 8-2 decision to Patrick Bond. Classmate Corey Morrison encountered ninth-ranked John Wise and suffered a 12-1 setback. At 125 pounds, it was again sophomore Nikko Triggas who scored a crucial six points for the Buckeyes with a pin. Ohio State held a slim 14-10 lead, but Triggas propelled the Scarlet and Gray to a 20-10 advantage when he dropped B.J. Futrell in 3:36. In the match Friday against Michigan, Triggas' pin was critical in the Scarlet and Gray's 26-17 win vs. the Wolverines. In the featured bout of the day, it was No. 2 Reece Humphrey vs. No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy at 133 pounds. Humphrey, a junior from Indianapolis, Ind., entered the matchup with 21 wins and just one loss. Kennedy was 22-2 before the match. Humphrey was up 2-1 at the end of one period and held a 3-1 advantage after two. However, a reversal by Kennedy at the 1:47 mark in the third, along with a riding time of 2:06 by the Illini was enough for him to earn his 23rd victory (4-3) of the season. Notes: The 26-13 win by the Buckeyes against the Illini is their first since 1994. Illinois owned a 10-match win streak. Last season, Ohio State came up short by one point, falling 19-18 in Champaign. Ohio State celebrated Senior Day with four Buckeyes and their families – Wes Bergman, J Jaggers, Jason Johnstone and Owen Schaefer. Colt Sponseller recorded his team-leading 27th win (3 losses) of the season and is 6-0 in the Big Ten. Mike Pucillo remains undefeated at 14-0 and is 6-0 in the Big Ten. Sponseller, Pucillo and Lance Palmer are undefeated in the Big Ten at 6-0. With two consecutive pins on the weekend, Nikko Triggas leads the team with 12 on the season. The Buckeyes will travel to Evanston, Ill., Feb. 20 for an 8 p.m. ET match-up against No. 16 Northwestern. Ohio State then will take on No. 18 Wisconsin in Madison Feb. 22. The Buckeyes vs. Badgers dual will air live on the Big Ten Network at 1 p.m. ET.

Columbia, Mo. -- Closing out the regular season at home, the fifth-ranked Missouri wrestling team (18-4, 3-1) upset second-ranked Iowa State (13-3), 18-15, to finish the campaign 3-1 in the conference for just the third time in league history. Missouri's 18th win of the year ties for the most ever recorded in program history, a mark first set in 1967-68 (18-0-1) and again in 2001-02 (18-3). Tiger Head Coach Brian Smith becomes the first Missouri wrestling coach to ever record two 18-win seasons. Missouri collected wins in five of the 10 matches, beginning with 10th-ranked 141 pounder Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.). One of six seniors recognized prior to the days' dual, Hoehn pulled off an upset of his own by topping third-ranked Nick Gallick, 4-3, in sudden victory. Tied at three at the end of regulation, Hoehn and Gallick were forced into a one minute sudden victory period to determine the winner. Gallick, who had been hit with stalling in the third period, was tagged again with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. The second stall call against Gallick awarded Hoehn the decisive one point victory. A loss at 149 points brought the Cyclones within three points of the Tigers. Earlier in the dual, Iowa State won the 125 pound match, 4-2, in the second tie breaker and forfeited at 133 pounds. Wrestling at 157 pounds, eighth-ranked Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) held on for his third career win over seventh-ranked Cyler Sanderson. Blanking the Cyclone, 4-0, Chandler scored a takedown late in the first period, escaped four seconds into the second period and tallied 2:04 of riding time for the win. Fifth-ranked Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) earned his sixth win of the season by a score of 3-2. Besting seventh-ranked Jon Reader, Marable and his opponent were scoreless through the first three minutes of the match. Marable chose down to start the second and escaped in five seconds. Starting down in the third, Reader escaped but was returned to the mat, only to escape again. With time running out, Reader was unable to score any further points, giving Marable his 21st win of the season. Rebounding from his Friday night loss, fifth-ranked Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) proved the stronger wrestler, outscoring 18th-ranked Duke Burke, 6-1, at 174 pounds. Jordan held Burke to a single escape in the third, collecting a second period escape, and takedown as well as a takedown in the third and 1:43 of riding time for his final win in the Hearnes Center. The Tigers suffered losses in the final three weight classes, but held on for the win, just the second ever over ISU in the Hearnes Center and fourth over Iowa State in the Tigers' 63 year history. Missouri will have nearly three weeks to prepare for the 13th annual Big 12 Championships, March 7, in Lincoln, Neb. Held on the University of Nebraska campus in The Coliseum, the all day tournament will feature several of the nations' best grapplers in a competition for Big 12 supremacy.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team celebrated senior day with a 25-9 victory over #11/#13 Minnesota Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes remain undefeated at 22-0 with the win, beating the Golden Gophers for the second time this season. Iowa stays atop the Big Ten standings with a perfect 6-0 mark, and posted its 36th straight dual win. Minnesota fell to 14-7 (5-3 Big Ten). Hawkeye seniors Charlie Falck (125), Alex Tsirtsis (141), Derek Coorough (149) and T.H. Leet (165) were honored before the dual. Minnesota started the dual with an upset at 125 pounds, as freshman Zach Sanders scored a takedown with eight seconds left in the match to beat Falck. Sanders, who is ranked eighth in the nation, snapped Falck's six-match winning streak and handed the fourth-ranked Hawkeye his first dual loss of the season. The Hawkeyes responded with top-ranked Daniel Dennis scoring a 9-7 victory over #5 Jayson Ness to tie the team score at 3-3. Dennis, who posted a 6-4 win over Ness when Iowa beat Minnesota 27-7 in the second round of the 2009 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls last month, remains 6-0 in Big Ten duals and has won his last eight bouts. Iowa posted wins at the next two weights as Tsirtsis and junior Brent Metcalf (149) extended their own winning streaks. Tsirtsis, who is ranked second in the nation, posted a 2-1 decision over #8 Mike Thorn at 141 to score his sixth-straight win. Metcalf stuck Joe Grygelko in 4:38 to post his 59th straight win and his 14th pin of the season. The top-ranked Hawkeye junior is now 27-0 on the season. Minnesota took the dual into intermission with Tyler Safratowich's 8-2 victory over Matt Ballweg at 157. The Hawkeyes responded after the break with four straight wins to clinch the team victory. Junior Ryan Morningstar kicked the run off with a 9-4 decision over Scott Glasser at 165. Hawkeye 174-pounder junior Jay Borschel followed with an 11-3 major decision over Kaleb Young. Junior Phillip Keddy posted his 25th season and 12th straight victory, beating Sonny Yohn, 10-6, at 184. Hawkeye junior Chad Beatty scored Iowa's final win of the dual with his 5-4 victory over Gordon Bierschenk at 197. Beatty and Borschel have won their last five matches. Minnesota closed out the dual with a victory at heavyweight when Ben Berhow beat Iowa redshirt freshman Jordan Johnson, 12-9. Johnson was competing for injured Hawkeye starter Dan Erekson. Next up for the Hawkeyes is their final Big Ten road trip to close out the 2008-09 regular season. Iowa will wrestle at #20/#23 Indiana (15-5-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at University Gym. The Hawkeyes will then travel to #16/#13 Northwestern (9-6-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) for their final dual of the season Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT). The dual will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

MADISON, Wis. -- The 18th-ranked Wisconsin wrestling team made it two in a row Sunday, winning their second consecutive home meet by taking down No. 25 Purdue 19-15 in front of 821 fans at the UW Field House. Wisconsin improves to 9-7-0 overall, 3-4 in Big Ten duals while Purdue drops to 11-6-1, 0-5-1. You can re-live all the action with the archived Web stream and Wrestling Blog. The Boilermakers started out the meet with a 6-0 advantage, but the Badgers used a win at 141 and a pin at 149 lbs. to claim the lead. The match had three ties, including a 15-15 tie heading into the final bout of the afternoon at heavyweight. Wisconsin senior Kyle Massey won a 10-2 major decision over Chris Kasten of Purdue to provide the final 19-15 margin in favor of Wisconsin. Purdue used victories in the 125 and 133 lbs. weight classes to start off the meet. Matt Fields of Purdue knocked off Drew Hammen 7-4 at 125 lbs. and Carson Beebe defeated the UW's Tom Kelliher 4-2 at 133 lbs. Senior and No. 1 ranked Zach Tanelli extended his winning streak to 16 matches with an 8-4 win over Purdue's Juan Archuleta. Tanelli had two takedowns, an escape, a point for Purdue stalling and 3:38 of riding time in the win. One of the marquee matches took place at 149 lbs. with No. 5 Kyle Ruschell matching up against No. 8 Jake Patacsil from Purdue. Ruschell scored an early takedown at 1:46 and shortly after, rolled Patacsil for the pin in 1:54. It was Ruschell's second pin of Patacsil this season and he leads the season series 2-1 against the Purdue grappler. Ruschell's win gave the Badgers the 9-6 advantage but Purdue got even before the break with a win at 157 lbs. Purdue's Nick Bertucci registered a 6-0 decision over the UW's Ben Jordan. True freshman Andrew Howe got the Badgers back in front with a 9-3 decision over No. 16 Luke Manuel. Howe, who is ranked No. 8 for 165 lbs. had the 5-1 lead heading into the third period and scored a takedown and had 1:07 of riding time in the third for his 10th-straight victory. Purdue tied the score yet again and took the 15-12 lead with wins at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs. Nick Corpe knocked off the UW's Travis Rutt 5-1 at 174 lbs. UW sophomore Eric Bugenhagen wrestled 14th-ranked A.J. Kissel tough at 184 lbs. but fell in the 1-0 decision. Kissel scored an escape with 1:58 left in the third for the win. The Badgers then tied the score for the final time and took the lead with wins at 197 lbs. and heavyweight. Third-ranked Dallas Herbst knocked off No. 13 Logan Brown with a 2-0 decision. Herbst registered his ninth-straight win with a third period escape and 1:12 of RT. Finally, Massey gave the Badgers the 19-15 win with the 10-2 major decision over Chris Kasten at heavyweight. Massey had the 6-1 lead after the second period and never looked back, scoring a takedown, was awarded a point for Purdue stalling in the third and h ad 4:02 of riding time. Wisconsin closes out the 2008-09 dual season at home next Sunday when No. 6 Ohio State comes to the UW Field House for a noon matchup. Sunday's bout will air live on the Big Ten Network.

BUFFALO, NY -- Junior Lou Ruggirello and red-shirt freshman Justin Accordino posted wins by fall to lead the 23rd-ranked Hofstra Pride to a 24-13 victory over the Bulls of Buffalo at UB Arena Sunday afternoon. The Pride improved to 9-6 on the season while Buffalo fell to 9-9. The Pride jumped out to a 15-0 lead, winning the first three matches including two victories by fall. Freshman Steve Bonanno (25-12) opened the contest with a 6-3 decision over junior Dan Bishop (10-16) for a 3-0 lead. Hofstra's eighth-ranked 133-pound junior Lou Ruggirello (24-3) recorded his 15th fall of the season with a pin of freshman Taylor Golba (7-13) in 1:20. Red-shirt freshman Justin Accordino (19-10) followed with his ninth fall of the season with a pin of freshman Mark Lewandowski (14-10) in just 40 seconds. It was Accordino's third fastest pin of the season and gave the Pride a 15-0 advantage in the match. The Bulls got on the board at 149 pounds as red-shirt freshman Desmond Green (33-6) posted a 25-13 major decision over Pride sophomore Jeff Rotella (4-10). Buffalo made it two straight wins at 157 pounds as freshman John Martin-Cannon (21-16) downed Hofstra freshman Fran O'Brien (0-4), 11-4, to close the deficit to 15-7 in the contest. But the Pride came back with their own run, winning the next two matches. Sophomore Ryan Patrovich improved to 17-6 on the season with an 8-3 decision over Buffalo freshman Ron Majerus (10-16) at 165 pounds. Tenth-ranked senior Alton Lucas (21-5) recorded a third period takedown to break a 4-4 tie and go on to a 7-5 victory over senior Nate Rock (22-13) at 174 pounds. But Buffalo senior Mickey Moran (20-10) stopped the Hofstra mini-run with a third period reversal and a penalty point to down Pride freshman Ben Clymer (18-10), 3-2, at 184 pounds to close the Bulls' deficit to 21-10. At 197 pounds, Buffalo sophomore Jimmy Hamel (27-10) turned a 4-3 deficit entering the third period into a 7-5 victory over sophomore Joe Fagiano (13-6). In the match finale at 285 pounds, Buffalo freshman Brett Correll (15-19) posted a second period escape while Pride freshman Jordan Enck recorded a third period escape before Enck (16-16) posted a takedown with 20 seconds remaining for a 3-1 victory to close out the Pride's 24-13 victory. The Pride will close out their regular season this Friday night, February 20 when they travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts for a 7 p.m. match against the Crimson of Harvard. Following that match the Pride will prepare to defend their conference title in the CAA Wrestling Championships on March 6-7 in Chesapeake, Virginia.

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro used falls from Gregor Gillespie and Joey Fendone and a technical fall from Torsten Gillespie to pick up its first-ever win over Hofstra on Saturday night at McComb Fieldhouse. The Fighting Scots had lost their previous two meetings with the Pride, but this time they came away with a 26-13 victory. Edinboro, ranked 13th in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Coaches Poll, is now 13-4, while 23rd-ranked Hofstra falls to 8-6. The victory is the 135th for head coach Tim Flynn, tying the school record held by Fred Caro, who coached at Edinboro from 1963-84. Flynn is wrapping up his 12th season at the helm and has a 135-39-3 record. Gregor Gillespie is also close to a landmark, as the senior won his 144th career match, moving within a win of Jason Robison's career record of 145 wins. Gillespie is now 33-0 for the season and 144-10 for his career after pinning Fran O'Brien at 3:59. In fact, it looked the top-ranked wrestler in the country at 157 lbs. was going to put the finishing touches on his 14th technical fall when he flattened O'Brien for his third fall in his last five matches. The match started at 125 lbs., with top-ranked Paul Donahoe winning an 8-3 decision over 20th-ranked Steve Bonanno. Donahoe led 5-1 after two periods thanks to a pair of takedowns. He picked up a third takedown in the third period and had 1:55 in riding time. He is now 27-0 and 113-18 for his career. Ricky Deubel had upset Hofstra's Lou Ruggirello earlier in the year to win the Southern Scuffle, but he wasn't able to make it back-to-back wins against the eighth-ranked wrestler at 133 lbs. Following a scoreless first period, Ruggirello chose the top and picked up two near-fall points with just under a minute remaining in the second period. He would add a takedown with 17 seconds left and with a point for riding time, was a 5-0 winner over Deubel. Deubel, ranked 19th, falls to 23-10 and suffers just his second loss in his last 14 matches. Hofstra's Justin Accordino gave the Pride a 6-3 lead as he won a 9-4 decision over Steve Waite at 141 lbs. The bout was scoreless after one period, but Accordino had a big second period. He would record and escape and takedown in the first thirty seconds, then turned Waite twice for a total of five points and an 8-0 lead. Waite came up with a pair of takedowns in the third period but could not make up the large deficit. The sophomore is now 8-3 and sees his five-match winning streak come to an end. Torsten Gillespie gave the lead back to the Scots as he won be technical fall over Jeff Rotella, 18-2 at 5:12 at 149 lbs. Gillespie seized control midway through the first period. Rotella actually went ahead with a takedown at 2:07, but Gillespie reversed Rotella and would then tilt him twice for six points in the final minute. Rotella chose down to start the second period, and Gillespie made him pay for it. He turned Rotella three more times for a 15-2 lead after two periods. Gillespie is now 24-14. Hofstra picked up wins at 165 and 174 lbs. to close the match to 14-13. Ryan Patrovich upset ninth-ranked Jarrod King at 165 lbs., using a third period escape for a 3-2 win. Patrovich registered a takedown with just over a minute remaining, with King escaping to trail 2-1 after one period. King would even the match at 2-2 with a quick escape to start the second period. The senior just returned to the mat last night after missing a month due to injury. He falls to 23-4. He had pinned Patrovich earlier in the year in the Oklahoma Gold Classic. Alton Lucas, ranked tenth at 174 lbs., followed with a 16-4 major decision over a game but outclassed John Foley, who is now 0-2. Foley is filling in for Paul Paddock, who suffered a knee injury earlier in the week. Edinboro put the match away with wins in the final three bouts. Chris Honeycutt was a 6-0 winner over Ben Clymer. The sophomore, ranked 17th at 184 lbs., is now 24-6. He scored the only points of the first period with a takedown midway through the period. That was followed by an escape and takedown in the second period for a 5-0 lead. He rode out Clymer in the third period and finished with 3:20 in riding time. Pat Bradshaw rebounded from a loss last night at buffalo with a solid 6-2 decision over Joe Fagiano at 197 lbs. The match was tied at 2-2 after two periods, although Bradshaw owned riding time. He rolled out for a quick escape to start the third period, then added an insurance takedown with 34 seconds left. The junior is now 22-6. Fendone faced a scary opponent in Hofstra's Jordan Enck, who had defeated Cornell's Zach Hammond in his last match. Hammond earlier pinned Fendone. The Boro senior never gave the Hofstra freshman a chance. After a scoreless first period, Fendone chose the top to start the second. He broke Enck down and finished the fall at 3:44. It is Fendone's 16th fall of the season, good for sole possession of fifth in a season. In addition, it is his 41st career fall. That moves himj into sole possession of fourth place, just one fall behind Jason Robison and Tom Herr for second place. Fendone is now 24-5 and has a 99-37 career record. Edinboro completes its regular season next week, hosting Pittsburgh on Friday, February 20, then traveling to Morgantown, WV to face West Virginia on Sunday, February 22.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The No. 21-ranked University of Northern Iowa wrestling team closed its home dual season with an 18-12 victory over the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs in front of 475 fans in the West Gym. The Panthers honored its senior class prior to the match and all three came up big on Saturday with victories to pace the home squad. UNI moved to 8-6 on the season, while Chattanooga dropped to 11-10 overall. Senior Andrew Anderson got the draw to start the dual for the Panthers at 197 pounds. Anderson secured a takedown 34 seconds into the match and did not trail as he scored a 5-3 victory over Chattanooga's Ethan Winel. However, the Mocs won three straight matches to a take a 9-3 advantage in the dual. Chattanooga's Cody Sliger scored a 3-1 sudden victory over UNI's Dustin Bauman at heavyweight and 125-pounder Demetrius Johnson scored a 9-6 win over UNI's Cruse Aarhus. The Mocs' Josh Statum tallied a 6-2 triumph over the Panthers' Steven Fitzgerald at 133 pounds to the visitor's run of victories. The Panthers turned the tide at 141 pounds behind redshirt freshman Trent Washington's 6-4 victory over No. 9-ranked Cody Cleveland. Washington nearly ended the match in the first period on a five-point move, but Cleveland avoided the fall and trailed by a 5-0 count at the end of one. Cleveland was able to earn a three-point nearfall of his own at the 1:29 mark of the second period to pull within two. Cleveland pulled even closer to start the third period as Washington was dinged for his third caution of the match to make the score 5-4 in Washington's favor. Washington earned an escape four seconds into the third and was able to hold off Cleveland's shots in the final seconds for the triumph. Click here to find out more! UNI's Trevor Kittleson knotted the dual at 9-9 following his 6-2 victory over Chattanooga's Kelly Felix at 149 pounds. Kittleson trailed 2-0 after Felix began the match with a takedown, but Kittleson settled in and did not allow Felix to score again. Kittleson racked up a 1:22 in riding time and added an escape and a penalty point in the final period for the 6-2 victory. Chattanooga's Joey Knox provided the visitors with their final win of the day at 157 pounds with a 2-1 triumph over UNI's Tyson Reiner. The match was scoreless after two periods with Knox riding out Reiner in the second. Knox escaped to start the third to tally the first points of the match. Reiner was given a stalling point with 41 seconds left in the match and nearly won it with a shot in the final three seconds, but referee Mike Exline did not award the takedown and Knox hung on for a 2-1 win via riding time (1:58). Panther senior Moza Fay got the home crowd on its feet with a takedown and nearside cradle in the first period against the Mocs' Seth Garvin at 165 pounds. However, Garvin avoided going to his back and trailed 2-0 following the first three minutes of action. Fay increased his lead to 6-2 after two periods, but could not get the takedown he needed in the closing seconds and had to settle for a 9-3 decision. Fay's victory tied the dual at 12-12. UNI's Jarion Beets made his return the mat successful with an 11-5 decision over Chattanooga's Jason McCroskey at 174 pounds. Beets had been out of action since the National Dual on Jan. 10 when he suffered a concussion in a match against the Michigan Wolverines. Beets held a 4-2 lead going into the third period but then he unleashed an all-out blitz on McCroskey and nearly scored a major decision as he tallied three takedowns in the final two minutes. It was only fitting on Senior Day, that senior Alex Dolly clinched the match for the Panthers. Dolly recorded an 8-3 victory over Tyler Roberson at 184 pounds. The match was tied 2-2 heading into the third period, but Dolly took over with a pair of takedowns, an escape and a riding time point for the win. The Panthers will close the dual season next weekend with matches at South Dakota State (Feb. 21) and at North Dakota State (Feb. 22).

Lincoln -- Jordan Burroughs claimed two technical falls en route to shattering the Nebraska single-season dual takedown record and leading the fourth-ranked Huskers to notable dual wins over UNC Greensboro (43- -1) and North Carolina (24-15) at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Saturday. Husker Head Coach Mark Manning picked up his 150th career dual victory, while NU moved to 17-2-1 on the season. NU is 9-0-1 in the last 10 duals, its longest unbeaten streak since notching the same mark to start the 1995-96 season. The highlight of the night went to Burroughs, though, as he broke NU's single-season dual takedown record in impressive fashion. The Sicklerville, N.J., native entered the night six short of the record he set last season with 98. Burroughs reached the mark and surpassed it with 21 takedowns in 25-9 and 24-9 technical falls over UNCG's Andrew Saunders and No. 20 Thomas Scotton of UNC, respectively. Burroughs has 114 takedowns in 18 dual appearances to go with his 27-0 record this season at 157 pounds. Two other Huskers posted bonus-point victories against the Tar Heels, as Nebraska picked up its 22nd consecutive dual win over an Atlantic Coast Conference school. Stephen Dwyer claimed a 12-2 major decision against No. 17 Keegan Mueller, while Vince Jones posted five takedowns against Daneil Llamas for a 13-5 major decision. Andy Pokorny started the dual with a 5-3 decision against Nick Shields, as Pokorny went 2-0 on the day at 125 pounds, while Craig Brester topped No. 17 Dennis Drury, 9-3 at 197 pounds. Matt Vacanti won by forfeit at 133 to round out NU's points. In the first dual of the night, the Huskers easily handled UNC Greensboro, racking up three pins and a technical fall en route to a 43 to -1 victory. Vacanti, Brester and Andy Johnson recorded the falls, while Burroughs earned his first technical fall of the night. Brester accomplished the task quickest, falling Jeremy Cannon in 52 seconds. Vacanti pinned Casey Boyle in 1:18 and Johnson earned a 2:49 pin against Brett Miller in his first dual appearance of the season. Five other Huskers posted decisions to help NU win all nine contested weight classes. Pokorny started the contest with his first dual victory since Jan. 18, posting a 4-2 decision over Mitchell Johnson at 125 pounds, while Robert Sanders returned from a minor shoulder injury with a 7-3 victory over Ben Wilmore at 149 pounds. Alex Ward moved to 3-0 in duals this season with an 8-6 win over Victor Hojilla at 165 and heavyweight Tucker Lane notched a 9-4 decision over Joe Sheffield. Jones earned an unusual victory at 184, claiming two escapes and a stalling point to go with a riding-time advantage for a 5-4 win, despite giving up two takedowns. Curtis Salazar won by forfeit at 141. Nebraska finishes the dual season at home against Iowa State on Feb. 22. Wrestling is set to begin at 2 p.m. in the NU Coliseum. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Nebraska Ticket Office at (800) 8-BIGRED or online at Huskers.com.

Tempe, Ariz. -- Teddy Astorga delivered the key pin, John Drake won a pivotal overtime bout and heavyweight Kurt Klimek won the final decisive bout Saturday afternoon as Cal State Fullerton pulled out a 20-18 Pac-10 wrestling dual meet victory at Arizona State. The win in the final dual meet of the season improved the Titans' record to 11-6 overall and 5-3 in the Pac-10. Each team won five bouts in the nip and tuck affair. Each captured three decisions and one technicall fall. But the Titans' won because of the 6 team points Astorga captured with a fall at 149 pounds over Vicente Varela at 2:54 compared to the four ASU got from a major decision. T. J. Dillashaw provided the other Titan bonus points with a technical fall at 133 (16-0) over David Prado. ASU held an 18-14 lead after eight bouts. But Drake won the 197-pound bout in sudden victory, 5-3, over Jake Crawfor to put Klimek in a position to win with a decision, which he got over Imaniborn Etueven at 5-0. Both teams will next compete in Titan Gym on March 1-2 in the Pac-10 Championships.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team closed the home portion of its 2008-09 schedule with a dominant 31-6 victory over 24th-ranked Penn State on Friday evening (Feb. 14) in front of 771 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The victory was a big turnaround for the Wolverines, who fell to PSU by three points (18-21) at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals last month. Michigan (9-7-1, 4-1-1) won eight individual matches and earned bonus points in three, including a forfeit victory at 133 pounds, to snap a three-dual losing streak against the Nittany Lions and remain near the top of the Big Ten Conference standings. Sophomore Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy), ranked fifth at 141 pounds, opened the dual meet with his 15th consecutive win, earning a 3-1 decision against Frank Molinaro for the second time this season. After a scoreless first period, Russell took the only lead he needed on a reversal midway through the second frame, coming out on top of an extended scramble and nearly putting the Nittany Lion wrestler to his back before the official stopped action due to Molinaro's chinstrap coming up across his face. Russell picked up an additional point in the third when, out of a scramble and with the Wolverine draped over his shoulder, Molinaro threw himself backward to slam Russell on the mat. Russell, who improved to 6-0 in Big Ten duals, has not lost a match in more than two months. A Penn State victory at 149 pounds evened the dual score, but the Wolverines reeled off six straight wins to lock up the team victory. Junior/sophomore Aaron Hynes (Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) claimed his second bonus win of the weekend with a dominant performance in the 157-pound contest, using a combination of leg attacks and turns to take a 17-6 major decision against Tim Darling. Hynes converted on an early double leg and a late front headlock and scored the remainder of his points on the mat, demonstrating a good knack for scrambling with three separate four-point moves. Hynes nearly had Darling stacked up on two occasions, but the Nittany Lion was able to stay off his back as Hynes had to settle for the major. Sophomore Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) picked up his first win over a ranked opponent in the 165-pound contest, rallying back from an early deficit to defeat 20th-ranked Dan Vallimont, 3-2. Vallimont took the first lead on a first-period takedown, but Zeerip scored a pair of escapes and rode out the entirety of the second period to earn 1:49 in riding-time advantage, which proved the difference at match's end. Fifth-year senior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), the nation's top-ranked 174-pounder, went out a winner in his final match at Cliff Keen Arena with a 6-4 decision against 16th-ranked Quentin Wright. The Wolverine captain finished on a high crotch and a single leg in the first period and, despite giving up just his second takedown in the third, held on to improve to 22-0 on the season. Junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./ChippewaValley HS), ranked 13th nationally, rolled past Jack Decker in the 184-pound contest, using a reversal and two third-period takedowns to win 7-1. After a scoreless first period, Biondo caught Decker off guard early in the second with an immediate switch for a reversal and rode out the period to build sizable time advantage. The Wolverine converted on a high crotch early in the final period and, after cutting Decker loose, scored out of a late scramble to cap the win. Fifth-year senior Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) spent little time on the mat in his final Cliff Keen Arena appearance, pinning the Nittany Lions' J.R. Brown just 1:38 into the 197-pound bout. Todd, ranked sixth nationally, struck quickly on a single-leg, lifting it high and dumping Brown to the mat to gain the advantage. The Wolverine captain went to work on top after a restart, using his signature near wrist-head scoop combination to earn his third consecutive first-period fall. Todd, who extended his win streak to 10 matches with the win, also pinned Brown in their meeting at the National Duals. Todd leads the Wolverine team with eight pins on the season. Junior/sophomore heavyweight Eddie Phillips (Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) cruised to a 7-0 decision against Cameron Wade behind takedowns in the first and third frames and a second-period reversal. The Wolverine wrestler controlled the bout from beginning to end, scoring out of a flurry late in the opening period before adding a last-second takedown in the third off an errant PSU half shot. Even in defeat, the Wolverines looked strong at 149 and 125 pounds. In the former match, junior/sophomore Mark Beaudry (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) narrowed the gap against second-ranked Bubba Jenkins to just two points in the third period after the Nittany Lion wrestler was hit with his second stalling call but could not penetrate Jenkins' defense in the closing seconds and fell 5-3. Senior Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) overcame an early deficit against 13th-ranked Brad Pataky at 125, using a lateral drop to pick up four points late in the second. Watts led by two after a quick escape in the third, but the Nittany Lion wrestler hit a four-point cement mixer soon after to retake the lead and hold on for an 11-9 decision. The Wolverines will close out the dual-meet portion of their 2008-09 slate next weekend with a pair of Big Ten road contests. U-M will travel to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Friday evening (Feb. 20) before wrapping the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 21) against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. Both duals are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Since dropping a heartbreaking match to Minnesota Feb. 1, the sixth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team has won three-consecutive matches in impressive fashion, including a 26-17 win against No. 17 Michigan in Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor, Friday. The Buckeyes, who now move to 13-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, were spurred by a match-changing pin by sophomore Nikko Triggas at 125 pounds. The unranked Triggas, who hails from Moraga, Calif., pinned No. 17 Michael Watts in 2:02 to give the Scarlet and Gray its first lead of the match at 17-14 with just three bouts remaining. It was Triggas' team-leading 11th pin of the season. "A win over Michigan is always great," Triggas said. "There is nothing like shifting the momentum, especially with a pin." Ohio State would not relinquish its advantage as second-ranked Reece Humphrey followed with a 3:37 pin of Zac Stevens at 133 pounds. Despite senior J Jaggers dropping a close 4-2 decision to No. 5 Kellen Russell at 141 pounds, the Buckeyes held on for the victory with fourth-ranked Lance Palmer capping the evening with a 6-0 shutout of Mark Beaudry in the 149-pound division. The Buckeyes now have won back-to-back matches against the Wolverines for the first time since 1992 and for the first time in consecutive seasons since the 1991 and 1992 campaigns. It also was the Scarlet and Gray's first win in Ann Arbor since 1992. "Beating Michigan is a priority for this program," Tom Ryan, head coach said. "This was a total team effort and Nikko Triggas showed signs of the special young man we recruited." The evening began with the 157-pound matchup between Buckeye and Sandusky, Ohio, native Owen Schaefer and Wolverine Aaron Hynes. Schaefer, who will be one of four Buckeyes honored Sunday prior to Ohio State's match vs. Illinois for Senior Day, lost, 16-1, and the Scarlet and Gray were quickly down, 5-0. However, second-ranked Colt Sponseller, a sophomore from Glenmont, Ohio, wasted little time in getting the Buckeyes on the board after major decisioning Justin Zeerip. Following the second period, Sponseller tallied seven points to Zeerip's two. In the third stanza, Sponseller continued to dominate, limiting Zeerip to just a pair of escapes while he tacked on three more takedowns, an escape and a riding time of 1:13. A warning on Zeerip also awarded Sponseller an additional point. It appeared as though Dave Rella, a junior from Akron, Ohio, would have his hands full against No. 1-ranked Steve Luke, but it was more like Luke had his hands full against the feisty Rella at 174 pounds. Although Luke held an early 2-1 advantage on a takedown after the first period, Rella scored an escape 30 seconds in to the second period to even the score at 2-all. However, in just the first second of the final stanza, Luke was able to score an escape for the slim 3-2 win. With Ohio State trailing Michigan, 8-4, a major decision win by No. 2 Mike Pucillo at 184 pounds would pull the two rivals even at 8 a piece. Pucillo, a junior from Strongsville, Ohio, recorded a 10-2 victory over No. 13 Anthony Biondo. Pucillo entered the second stanza with a small 2-0 lead, but soon began racking up the points in the middle period courtesy of pair of takedowns to head into the third period with a 6-2 advantage. In the third period, Pucillo scored an additional takedown, along with an escape and compiled a riding time of 2:14 to solidify the win. Michigan again regained the lead (14-8) at 197 pounds when No. 6 Tyrel Todd pinned Jason Cook, a junior from Dayton, Ohio, in 1:41. Thanks to a 3-2 decision by junior Corey Morrison over Eddie Phillips at heavyweight, the Buckeyes were able to cut the Wolverines' lead to three. After a scoreless first period, Phillips struck first, escaping Morrison's hold two seconds into the stanza. After choosing down, the Buckeye, who is a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, countered with an escape of his own to even the score and 14 seconds later scored a takedown for a 3-1 lead. Phillips notched an escape at the 1:05 mark, but it was not enough as Morrison garnered the 3-2 win. It was then in the 125-pound bout, the momentum surely shifted to the Buckeyes' side on Triggas' pin. Prior to the pin, Triggas' had a 2-0 lead on a takedown recorded at 1:22. It took Humphrey, a junior from Indianapolis, Ind., a little longer to record his eighth fall of the season. Nonetheless, Humphrey, who is ranked second in the country, held a 13-4 advantage over Stevens prior to the pin. Jaggers' loss to Russell was a close affair as a Russell takedown in the final minute of the third period was enough for the Wolverine to win, 4-2. Jaggers owned a 1-0 lead after the second period, but Russell scored a reversal early in the third stanza and answered Jaggers' match-tying escape (2-2) 34 seconds in the period with the winning takedown. With the Wolverines' needing a pin to tie the match, Palmer made sure that would not be the case with his 6-0 shutout against Beaudry. The sophomore from Columbia Station, Ohio, scored two takedowns, an escape and owned a riding time of 5:18 in the win. Notes: Colt Sponseller recorded his team-leading 26th win (3 losses) of the season and is 5-0 in the Big Ten. Mike Pucillo remains undefeated at 13-0 and is 5-0 in the Big Ten. Sponseller, Pucillo and Lance Palmer are undefeated in the Big Ten at 5-0. Buckeye head coach Tom Ryan is one win away from tallying his 150th-career victory. Prior to leading the Buckeyes, Ryan spent 11 seasons at Hofstra. Ryan improves to 2-1 against Michigan as the Ohio State head coach. Ohio State will honor its 2008-09 seniors – Wes Bergman, J Jaggers, Jason Johnstone and Owen Schaefer Sunday prior to the Buckeyes' match vs. No. 8 Illinois at 2 p.m. in St. John Arena. The Big Ten Network will re-air the match between the Buckeyes and Wolverines again at 6 p.m. Feb. 14, 1 p.m. Feb. 15, 1 p.m. Feb. 17 and 4 a.m. Feb. 18.

STEVENS POINT, Wis. -- Collecting wins in seven of 10 bouts, including three pins and two major decisions, the top-ranked Augsburg College wrestling team finished its regular season with a 35-10 victory over the No. 10-ranked University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Friday night at UWSP's Berg Gymnasium. Augsburg (11-2 in dual meets), the top-ranked team in Division III wrestling, improved to 16-1 in the all-time series with Wisconsin-Stevens Point (15-4-1 in dual meets), dating to the 1992-93 season. Augsburg is now 238-21 against Divisions II and III teams since the 1989-90 season, losing just 16 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 242-23 since the 1979-80 season and 166-13 since the 1989-90 season. Seth Flodeen (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 5 nationally at 125, opened the match with a third-period pin for the Auggies, and the Auggies closed the match with two pins -- a 1:15 match-ender by No. 2-ranked Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) at 197, and a 5:38 win by Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.), ranked No. 7 at heavyweight. Massey improved to 22-1 on the season with his 12th pin. Witzel is now 28-6 on the season, while Flodeen is now 16-4. Willy Holst (SR, Prescott, Wis.), ranked No. 1 nationally at 149, collected a 12-3, major-decision win to improve to 21-1 on the season, while Zach Molitor (SO, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS), ranked No. 7 at 174, scored a 13-1, major-decision win to improve to 26-7 on the year. Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.), ranked No. 4 nationally at 157, improved to 32-5 on the year with a 6-2 win, and top-ranked Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.) improved to 29-0 with a forfeit win at 133. Lang collected his 26th bonus-point victory with his second forfeit of the year; he also has 17 pins, three technical falls and four major decisions. Wisconsin-Stevens Point's wins came at 141, as Chase DeCleene claimed a 9-6 win over Augsburg's No. 4-ranked Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West), and from two nationally-ranked wrestlers -- a 9-2 win by No. 7-ranked Chase Wozniak at 165 and a 14-4, major-decision win by No. 6-ranked Ben Engelland at 184. Augsburg is idle until competing at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional next Saturday (2/21) at Concordia University-Wisconsin in Mequon, Wis. Wisconsin-Stevens Point hosts Wisconsin-Eau Claire this Saturday (2/14) at 1 p.m., in its final home dual meet of the regular season.

ERIE, Pa. -- Eleventh-ranked Mercyhurst won the first six weight classes, including two by major decisions, to build a 20-0 lead as the Lakers finished with a 23-18 victory over No. 15 Findlay in the final dual meet of the regular season. The win is the eighth-straight for the Lakers and raises their record to 16-5-1, setting the program record for season dual-meet victories and winning percentage, eclipsing the 2005-06 squad that went 15-8. The victory also marks the 10th consecutive meet that Mercyhurst has went undefeated (9-0-1), tying the 2006-07 squad that holds the record for consecutive wins when it closed out the season winning nine straight before tying Pitt-Johnstown in the season finale. Payne Lint kicked action off at 125 lbs, entering the third period with a 4-2 advantage before surrendering an escape point with just under a minute left. However, the senior maintained the lead and added a point for riding time for the 5-3 decision. At 133 lbs, Michael Baxter narrowly avoided an upset after Findlay's Michael Peraino tied the match with 30 seconds remaining at 3-3 before Baxter finished with an escape to finish the Lakers second-straight decision at 5-3. Lance Pitcel turned up the intensity in the third period and made the team score 10-0 with his 10-2 major decision over Alex Shumaker at 149 lbs before Andy Lamancusa stretched his winning streak to 12 matches with a 13-3 major decision over the Oilers Michael Lybarger. The nation's top-ranked 165-pounder in Mercyhurst's Josh Shields entered the third period tied 2-2 with Shields answering Findlay's Justin Shannon 2-0 lead on a takedown of his own in the waning seconds of the middle stanza. Shields began the ending period down and quickly put up an escape point to make the score 3-2, which would stay as the final. Pat Leahy came from behind in the second period to take a 4-3 lead before giving up two points to Jeff Halvelka in the final 20 seconds to enter the third with a 5-4 deficit. Halvelka took the lead once more with just under a minute remaining to make it 7-6, outlasting a rallying Leahy for Findlay's first victory of the night. Findlay would claim the remaining three weight classes on the night, including falls by the nation's fourth-ranked Hiram Smith at 187 lbs (2:36) and Andy Zalaiskans at 197 lbs (2:40).