InterMat Staff

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -– The University of North Carolina wrestling team closes out its home slate this weekend against Atlantic Coast Conference rivals Virginia and Virginia Tech at Carmichael Auditorium. The Tar Heels (4-6, 1-1 ACC) host the Cavaliers (4-5, 0-0 ACC) at 7 p.m. Friday and the Hokies (5-6, 0-1 ACC) at 1 p.m. Saturday. Saturday's match will mark the final home dual for Carolina seniors David Dashiell, Spencer Nadolsky, Bobby Shaw and Evan Sola. All four Tar Heels earned All-ACC honors and a spot on the ACC Academic Honor Roll during their careers. Sola (9-3) is currently ranked 11th at 133 pounds, while Nadolsky (17-6) is rated as the nation's No. 10 heavyweight. Junior Keegan Mueller is ranked No. 15 at 165 and leads the Tar Heels with a 21-6 record. UNC junior Drew Forshey is the reigning ACC Wrestler of the Week and sports a 13-7 mark at 125 pounds. Friday's meeting will mark the ACC opener for Virginia. The Cavaliers are led by 133-pounder Eric Albright, who is ranked No. 12, and Rocco Caponi, who is No. 18 at 184. The Hokies are making their second trip to Chapel Hill since joining the ACC. Steve Ratley leads the squad with a 21-11 record at 174, while Steve Borja is 18-6 at 184. Carolina is back in action at Duke Tuesday, Jan. 30.

Marshall, Minn. -- Two pins and a tech fall helped aid St. Cloud State University to a 30-9 dual match wrestling victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Jan. 23 in Marshall. After the Mustangs went ahead 3-0 in the 125-pound match, the Huskies picked up the next five matches that included a pin by Grant Johnson (Cold Spring) and by Adam Minnette (New Prague). At 149 pounds, Johnson pinned Luke Giese at 4:20. Minnette quickly turned Chris Fast on the mat at 157 pounds, earning the pin at 1:27. The final four matches were highlighted by a tech fall during the 184 match and a major decision at 197. Junior Nick Wilkes picked up his ninth win of the season, winning 17-0 over C.D. Johnson at 184. Jairo Sandoval took home the major decision at 197, winning 15-4, over Cody Chamblin. The Huskies improve their record to 3-3, going into a tough match against Augsburg College on Saturday, January 27, at 2:00 p.m. in Minneapolis.

The 2007 Iowa Conference Duals spotlight weekend action for No. 2-ranked Wartburg. The Knights, taking a 108-dual league win streak into a meeting with Central Wednesday, compete in the Simpson section of the yearly event Saturday, Jan. 27. Action begins at 9 a.m. in Cowles Fieldhouse on Simpson's campus in Indianola. The Knights face off against the host Storm, No. 9-ranked Coe, and No. 18-ranked Dubuque during the day. Fans can follow the 2007 IIAC Duals throughout the day at http://www.go-knights.net, the Internet home of Wartburg athletics. The Orange and Black (14-1) get their first look at Dubuque and Simpson in dual competition, while the meeting with the Kohawks will be the second of the season, as Wartburg stopped them 21-12 in the quarterfinals of the 2007 NWCA Division III National Duals. Knights Notes: Head coach Jim Miller and his staff announced the following as a probable line-up for this weekend's tournament…125 – Robert Struthers, jr., Emmetsburg (23-6) OR Kyle Blood, sr., Cedar Rapids (8-8); 133 – Jake Helvey, jr., Mitchellville (21-5) OR Kalen Lenz, so., Manchester (17-8); 141- Zach McKray, so, Iowa City (5-4); 149 – Adam Weber, fr., Waterloo (21-10); 157 – Aaron Wernimont, so., Pocahontas (28-4) OR Dustin Jaeger, fr., Manchester (14-6); 165 – Jason Knipp, sr., Gilbertville (6-1); 174 – Craig Kreman, so., Tipton (7-1) OR Dan Schulte, so., Watertown, Minn. (12-9); 184 – Romeo Djoumessi, so, Waverly (23-1); 197 – T.J. Miller, jr., Cedar Falls (17-0) OR Nick Shandri, fr., Urbandale (11-12); HWT – Blake Gillis, sr., Spencer (29-1) OR Brian Borchers, sr., Holstein (26-3)…Seven of Wartburg's individuals are listed in their respective weight classes in the Jan. 23 edition of the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Division III poll. Gillis tops the list with a No. 1 ranking, while Djoumessi and Miller each are ranked second, Helvey is No. 3, senior 174-pounder Jason Zastrow of Coon Rapids, Minn., is No. 4 as is Wernimont, and Struthers is No. 7. Wartburg also kept its No. 2 ranking in the new poll…Djoumessi takes a 21-match win string into the tourney…Gillis, recording his 125th career victory when he toppled UW-Stevens Point's Mitch Szwet Jan. 21, has been making quick work of the opposition, recording a combined 18 falls and technical falls out of his 29 wins. Next Week: Miller's team takes to the road next week for three competition dates. The Knights go south to Cornell College's Small Multi-Sports Center Wednesday, Jan. 31, for a league dual against the No. 17-ranked Rams, beginning at 7 p.m. and then trek northwards Thursday, Feb. 1, for the annual regular season showdown against perennial mat rival and top-ranked Augsburg College at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, in Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn. Following the two duals, the Knights compete in UW-Eau Claire's Blugold Invitational Saturday, Feb. 3, beginning at 9 a.m.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - University of Northern Colorado sophomore 141-pounder Kenny Hashimoto has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Hashimoto (Thornton, Colo./Thornton HS) won both his matches this week for the Bears. On Friday, he shut out Northern Iowa's Mike Whisler with a 16-0 technical fall, and the following night he pinned No. 19 Kyle Larson from Oregon State. In that match, Larson got a quick takedown for a 2-0 lead, but Hashimoto recovered with a reversal and soon after pinned Larson, just 1:03 into the match. Hashimoto is ranked 14th at 141 pounds in the latest InterMat/NWCA national rankings and has posted a 14-2 mark this season. It marks the second team this season Hashimoto has taken home the WWC Wrestler of the Week honor. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and Wyoming. Others Nominated: Air Force: Bridger Lord, 149, Sr., Missoula, Mont. (Sentinel HS) North Dakota State: Matt Wetterling, 184, Jr., Willmar, Minn. (Willmar HS) UNI: Nick Baima, 165, Sr., Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard HS) South Dakota State: Jason Stripling, HWT, Jr., Minneota, Minn. (Minneota HS) Wyoming: Carter Downing, 149, Jr. Woodruff, Utah (Evanston HS)

MADISON, Wis. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced that Wisconsin head wrestling coach Barry Davis is the recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Member award. Former Wisconsin wrestler and head coach Russ Hellickson, along with three-time national champion Lee Kemp, have also earned this award. "I feel very honored to receive this award," said Davis. "To be recognized by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is something special" According to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, a Distinguished Member is a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition, a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and has compiled an outstanding record, a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport, or any combination of the above qualifications. As a collegian at the University of Iowa, Davis was the winningest wrestler at the winningest program at the university level. Davis graduated in 1985 with a career record of 162-9-1 (.945). He still holds school records for wins in a season (46 in 1982) and career (162) and is fourth in career winning percentage. Davis dominated the Big Ten, becoming one of only nine wrestlers in history to win four league titles. The teams he competed on at Iowa were equally dominant, winning Big Ten championships in each of Davis' four years. The 1983 Iowa team had an unprecedented nine Big Ten titlists. After his senior season, Davis was honored as the Big Ten's Athlete of the Year, one of only two wrestlers to win the prestigious award. On the national level, Davis was a four-time All-American and a three-time NCAA champion. After placing seventh as a freshman, Davis won national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1985. Iowa won NCAA team titles all four years that Davis competed. Following the 1985 NCAA Championships, Davis was named Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament. Taking a year off from collegiate competition paid off for the senior-to-be when he earned a silver medal (125.5 pounds) at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Davis was also a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team that competed in Seoul, South Korea. He attempted to make his third Olympic team in 1992 but was eliminated at the U.S. Trials. Davis was also runner-up at the 1987 World Championships after winning the Olympic Sports Festival. A 1985 graduate of the University of Iowa, Davis began his coaching career as a graduate assistant to legendary head coach Dan Gable from 1986*87. Davis was an assistant coach at Iowa from 1988*92, helping guide the Hawkeyes to four top-six finishes, including NCAA championships in 1991 and 1992. He coached current UW assistant coach Bart Chelesvig from 1987*92 and Donny Pritzlaff from 1998-2001.

THIS WEEK Iowa (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will wrestle at Purdue (10-2, 0-2 in Big Ten) Friday at 6 p.m. at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility in West Lafayette, IN. The Hawkeyes then return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to host Wisconsin (15-0, 1-0 in Big Ten) in their Big Ten home opener Saturday at 7 p.m. in Iowa City. 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. All remaining dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will also be available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. To listen online, go to the wrestling schedule, click on the event and click on the Listen link. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($6.95 per month or $49.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($99.95 per year). The Internet - Press releases, meet results, audio broadcasts and home dual livestats are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access the live home dual scoring, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS Purdue is 10-2, 0-2 in the Big Ten, with wins over Old Dominion (18-17), North Carolina State (24-12), North Carolina (33-3), Virginia (19-16), Carson-Newman (32-7), Indianapolis (32-6), Ohio (26-7), Eastern Illinois (34-8), Appalachian State (28-9) and Cleveland State (30-6), and losses to Ohio State (28-6) and Indiana (25-12). Head Coach Jesse Reyes is 179-114-3 in 15 seasons with the Boilermakers. During his tenure, the Boilermakers have crowned four Big Ten Champions and four all-Americans. Reyes is assisted by Scott Hinkel and Tom Erikson. Purdue is led by nationally ranked Jake Patacsil (#11 at 149) and Nathan Moore (#14 at 197). Patacsil, a sophomore, is 25-6 on the season, while Moore, a senior, is 27-5. LAST MEETING Iowa defeated Purdue, 28-11, Jan. 27, 2006, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes won seven bouts, including one by pin and three by major decision, en route to the victory. Iowa improved to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten with the win. Iowa 28, Purdue 11 125 - Lucas Magnani (I) dec. Brandon Tucker (P), 7-2 133 - Chris Fleeger (P) tech. fall Daniel Dennis (I), 5:25 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Jason Cook (P), 11-2 149 - Ty Eustice (I) dec. Doug Withstandly (P), 4-2 157 - Joe Johnston (I) maj. dec. Jake Murphy (P), 21-7 165 - Eric Luedke (I) pinned Dan Bedoy (P), 6:07 174 - Mark Perry (I) maj. dec. Nick Corpe (P), 24-5 184 - Ben Wissel (P) dec. Paul Bradley (I), 5-3 197 - Nathan Moore (P) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 10-8 (OT) Hwt. - Ryan Fuller (I) maj. dec. Aaron Keough (P), 10-1 THE SERIES Iowa leads the series with Purdue, 33-4-3. The Hawkeyes have won the last 21 meetings, and are 14-3-1 in West Lafayette. Purdue's last win in the series was a 23-9 decision, at Iowa City, in 1961. HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are career results for potential Iowa-Purdue matchups: 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) is 1-0 vs. Nick Bertucci (P) Tsirtsis dec. Bertucci, 4-0, at 2006 Midlands 149 - Alex Grunder (I) is 0-1 vs. Jake Patacsil (P) Patacsil pinned Grunder in 2:37 at 2006 Midlands WISCONSIN BADGERS Wisconsin brings an undefeated 15-0 record (1-0 in the Big Ten) to Iowa City, beating Dubuque (49-0), Wisconsin-Oshkosh (40-3), Indianapolis (43-0), Navy (29-7), Cumberland (53-0), North Carolina State (29-9), Virginia (30-7), North Carolina (35-9), Northern Iowa (24-10), Northern Illinois (26-9), Harvard (36-9), Northern Colorado (29-10), Army (35-3), Air Force (37-6) and Penn State (17-16). Head Coach Barry Davis is 137-93-9 in 13 seasons at Wisconsin. During his tenure he has coached two NCAA Champions, 10 Big Ten Champions and 16 all-Americans. The 1985 Big Ten Athlete of the Year, Davis was a four-time all-American and Big Ten Champion and three-time NCAA Champion at 118 and 126 at Iowa (1981-85). A two-time Olympian, he still holds Iowa records for most wins in a season (46) and a career (162). Davis is assisted by Bart Chelesvig, Donny Pritzlaff and Cory Wallman. Chelesvig, a Webster City, IA, native, was a three-time all-American at 167 and 177 at Iowa (1988-92). The Badgers are led by returning all-American Craig Henning (157), senior Tyler Turner (149), sophomores Zach Tanelli (133) and Dallas Herbst (197) and freshman Trevor Brandvold (184). Henning and Tanelli are undefeated in dual competition, while Turner, Herbst and Brandvold are 12-1, 14-1 and 9-1, respectively. IOWA-WISCONSIN TIES • Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Davis is from Cedar Rapids, IA. His wife is the former Nan Doak, who was the 1985 10,000-meter NCAA Champion for the University of Iowa. She was a five-time all-American in track and three-time in cross country for the Hawkeyes, winning three Big Ten titles. She still holds school records in the outdoor 5,000 meters. She is a native of Hedrick, IA. • Wisconsin Assistant Bart Chelesvig and Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands were Hawkeye teammates 1989-92. Current Iowa Assistant Coach Dan Gable was the head coach and Davis was an assistant during their Hawkeye careers. Iowa won two NCAA and four Big Ten titles during those four seasons. • Hawkeye junior Mark Perry and Wisconsin junior Matt Maciag were prep teammates at Blair Academy in Blair, NJ. LAST MEETING The Hawkeyes beat Wisconsin, 24-7, on Jan. 20, 2006, at Madison in its first Big Ten match of the season. The Hawkeyes won eight of the 10 bouts. Iowa 24, Wisconsin 7 184 - Paul Bradley (I) dec. Justin Peterson (WIS), 13-9 197 - Dan Erekson (I) dec. Dallas Herbst (WIS), 8-5 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Kyle Massey (WIS), 8-2 125 - Lucas Magnani (I) dec. Colin Cudd (WIS), 6-4 133 - Tom Clum (WIS) maj. dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 12-4 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Ed Gutnik (WIS), 10-3 149 - Ty Eustice (I) dec. Tyler Turner (WIS), 3-2 157 - Craig Henning (WIS) dec. Joe Johnston (I), 7-2 165 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Jake Donar (WIS), 7-6 174 - Ben Stedman (I) dec. Mike Felling (WIS), 11-5 THE SERIES Iowa leads the series with Wisconsin, 70-7-3. The Hawkeyes have won the last 32 meetings, and are 36-3-1 in Iowa City. Wisconsin's last win the series was a 18-12 decision, at Iowa City, in 1966. HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are the career results for potential Iowa-Wisconsin matchups: 125 - Charlie Falck (I) is 1-0 vs. Collin Cudd (W) Falck dec. Cudd, 13-11 SV-1, at 2005 Iowa-Wisconsin dual 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) is 0-1 vs. Craig Henning (W) Henning dec. Morningstar, 1-0, at 2005 Spartan Open 165 - Mark Perry (I) is 1-0 vs. Jake Donar (W) Perry dec. Donar, 8-5, at 2005 Iowa-Wisconsin dual Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) is 1-0 vs. Kyle Massey (W) Fields dec. Massy, 8-2, at 2006 Iowa-Wisconsin dual LAST WEEK Iowa went 1-1 last weekend, losing at Oklahoma State (21-11) and defeating Northwestern (24-14) in its Big Ten opener at Rolling Meadows, IL. Iowa jumped out to a solid start against Oklahoma State behind decisions from sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and senior Alex Grunder (149), making the team score 6-6 after the first four matches. The Cowboys picked up wins at 157 and 165, including two-time defending NCAA Champion Johny Hendricks' sixth career win over Iowa junior Mark Perry at 165. Hawkeye senior Eric Luedke scored a last second reversal to defeat Brandon Mason, 2-1 at 174, making the team score 12-9 in Oklahoma State's favor. But Iowa could not keep the momentum as Cowboy Jack Jensen scored a 3-2 decision over redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy at 184 and a team point was deducted from Iowa for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Oklahoma State a 15-8 lead. Hawkeye sophomore 197-pounder Dan Erekson suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to injury default, putting the team win out of reach for Iowa. Junior Matt Fields ended the dual with a 6-4 decision in sudden victory over Jared Rosholt at heavyweight. Northwestern jumped out to an 8-0 lead with wins at 197 and heavyweight. Wildcat junior Mike Tamillow scored a 19-4 technical fall over redshirt freshman Rick Loera and Dustin Fox followed with his fourth career victory over Fields - a 2-0 decision at heavyweight. Iowa responded with wins in the next seven bouts and 24 unanswered team points. Junior Alex Tsirtsis scored his 60th career win with a 15-4 major decision over James Kohlberg at 141. Grunder and Perry also recorded major decisions for Iowa. Northwestern scored its final points when Iowa forfeited the 184-pound match. HAWKEYES SIGN TWO Iowa signed two student-athletes to national letters of intent in the early signing period. Jordan Johnson of Bettendorf, IA and Brodie Ambrose of Eldridge, IA, are Tom Brands' first signings as Iowa's head coach. Johnson won the 2006 Class AA Illinois state heavyweight state title at Naperville North High School. He moved to Bettendorf, IA, and will be competing for Bettendorf High School this season. Ambrose placed third at 171 pounds at the 2006 Class 3A state tournament for North Scott Eldridge High School. He will compete at 189 pounds this season and is a projected 197-pounder for the Hawkeyes. Ambrose also is a 189-pound Fargo freestyle all-American. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 154-15 (.911) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2002-03. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. Iowa's meet with Iowa State earlier this year drew 13,732. That figure ranks 11th in NCAA and Carver-Hawkeye Arena history. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 805-211-30 (.784) in 95 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 16, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 129 all-Americans have earned all-America status 263 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for Iowa's remaining four home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth/non-University of Iowa students. Tickets purchased at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for youth/non-University of Iowa students. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge for all matches with a student ID. For tickets, contact the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-424-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of two Olympic gold medals, seven NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 605-84-2 (.877), including three undefeated seasons. NEXT COMPETITION Iowa will kickoff the month of February with two Big Ten road duals. The Hawkeyes will wrestle at Michigan (1-3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) Friday, February 2 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and at Penn State (9-4, 0-2 Big Ten Sunday, February 4 at 11 a.m. (CT).

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Dave Tomasette of Hofstra University has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week, while three freshmen grapplers, Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra, Mike Miller of Rider and David Wise of Campbell share the CAA Rookie of the Week award, for all competition January 16-22. Tomasette, a junior 125 from Sewell, NJ (Washington Twp.), won all five of his bouts at the CAA Duals, compiling three tech falls and a major decision. Currently ranked 14th by Amateur Wrestling News and 19th by InterMat, Tomasette improved to 6-0 in the CAA. He tech falled the second ranked 125 in the CAA from ODU, and won a major decision over the fourth ranked wrestler in the CAA from George Mason. Ruggirello, a freshman 133 from Walden, NY (Valley Central), went 5-0 at the CAA Duals with a three falls, while collecting decision over the second and sixth ranked wrestlers in the CAA. Currently ranked 17th in the nation by InterMat and 18th by Amateur Wrestling News, Ruggirello improved to 6-0 in the CAA and 25-5 overall. Miller, a freshman 184 from Wilmington, DE (Brandywine), won all four of his bouts at the CAAs, including victories over the third and fifth ranked wrestlers in the conference. Miller improves to 5-0 in the CAA. Wise, a freshman 133 from Yorktown, VA (Tabb), won all four of his bouts at the CAA Duals, with a pin and won a decision over the fourth ranked wrestler in the CAA from Boston U.

Hi, this week I'll be filling in for Jake Herbert's blog. Jake got carpel tunnel from typing too much. School-related injuries can be a problem here at Northwestern. One of our freshmen, Andrew Nadhir, had to go to the hospital because he got a crayon stuck up his nose. However, we're a strong team and we don't let these little things break our spirit. Nadhir finished his graph and Jake has yet to miss a paper, although I think the carpel tunnel may be affecting his spelling abilities. So on to the subject of this blog, wrestling. Right now our team is ranked eighth according to most polls. But rankings are not our team's focus at all. Our focus is to find a way to win every match. Right now I am personally 27-1. I lost to Max Askren at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. I know I can beat him, but I need to work on improving my position. He is a very good wrestler, but he has some weaknesses that I can exploit. Something I need to keep in mind as the year winds down is that there is always something I can do to get better. I am confident that I can do this, every time I step on the mat I am confident I will win. I really hate losing. I hate giving anyone any room to say anything about me. I want to be perfect from every position … so my opponents know they're beat when they step out on the mat with me. I tell myself before every match that I am invincible and that nothing bad can happen to me. The truth is I don't have anything particularly special, I just believe in myself and continue to learn. I try to help me teammates understand this. If we do this we can go from a good team to a great team. Mike Tamillow (Photo/John Sachs)I think we are well on our way as a team. I can't really watch my teammates working in practice because I have to focus so much on what I can do to get better. I do keep up with all of them as much as possible. Every one of our wrestlers cares about wrestling and improving. Each of us has something to work on, even Jake and Ryan. As a leader, my job is to help the other wrestlers identify what they can do to be the best. I invite other wrestlers on my team to do the same to me. I will follow my teammates through a brick wall if that's what I need to do and I expect the same out of every one of them. As a team we took eighth at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals … and lost our past two Big Ten dual meets to Illinois and Iowa. We were missing Ryan Lang for these duals, but we still expected more. As a team, I truly believe that our competitive advantage is that we care about everyone on our team. We are going into the end of the season with that focus; everyone is here to reach their goals. Coach Scherr got some banners for the wrestling room to help us stay focused toward the end of the season. My favorite one says "We can and we will" above, and then below says "work harder than we ever thought possible." Every time I read it I work a little harder. Mike Tamillow Past Entries: Entry 6 (1/10/07) Entry 5 (12/13/06) Entry 4 (11/29/06) Entry 3 (11/16/06) Entry 2 (11/1/06) Entry 1 (10/17/06)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -– Ohio State freshman wrestler Lance Palmer is a finalist for the 2005-06 Cleveland Outstanding High School Athlete Award, which will be presented at the fifth annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, created by The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC), Jan. 29 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Grand Ballroom. Palmer, who has compiled a 17-10 record so far in his first collegiate season, was a four-time Ohio high school national champion from 2003-2006. During his senior campaign, Palmer helped lead St. Edward High School to its 10th-consecutive team title at the Ohio High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. A two-time Most Valuable Wrestler for the Eagles, Palmer compiled a high school career record of 146-6 and was considered the No. 1 recruit nationally by several wrestling media publications. The Greater Cleveland Sports Awards recognizes the top athletes in Cleveland's amateur and professional sports. Past emcees of the gala have included Bob Costas, Dan Patrick, Roy Firestone and Ahmad Rashad. Robin Roberts, co-anchor of Good Morning America will be the emcee for the event this year.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -– North Carolina's Drew Forshey was selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week Monday after posting a pair of victories over the weekend, including the dual-deciding win against NC State Jan. 19. Forshey started the weekend picking up the decisive win in the final bout with the Wolfpack. With the Tar Heels trailing 14-13, the Hickory, N.C., native posted a 9-2 decision over the NC State's Taylor Cummings at 125 pounds to give North Carolina the 16-14 win and its first conference victory of the 2007 season. On Saturday, Forshey registered his second win of the weekend, downing Navy's Alex Usztics by a 2-1 decision. Forshey now stands at 13-7 overall, 8-2 in dual action and 2-0 in the ACC. The Tar Heels have now won three of the eight ACC Wrestler of the Week honors for the 2006-07 season. Heavyweight Spencer Nadolsky was honored Nov. 13 and Jan. 2. Forshey and the Tar Heels are back in action this weekend as they resume conference action with a pair of home dual. North Carolina will welcome Virginia to Chapel Hill at 7 p.m. Friday followed by Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. Saturday.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The wrestling team ended an incredible day Sunday with an unfamiliar result. After cruising through three duals at the Chippewa Challenge at Central Michigan University, the Mocs lost for the first time in 12 matches this season, dropping a 21-13 dual to the host Chippewas, ranked seventh nationally. UTC, now 11-1, gave up only six team points in its first three duals of the day. Two of which came on forfeits at the end of the dual. The Mocs, ranked as high as No. 17 nationally, crushed Gardner-Webb, 46-6, defeated Cal Poly, 34-6, and beat Eastern Illinois, 48-6 to win their school-record 11th straight match on the year. The streak breaks the mark set by the 1987-88 squad which won its first 10 matches. Against the highly-regarded Chippewas in the day's final session, UTC won four of the first five matches but lost the last five. Matt Keller at 133 pounds, Michael Keefe (141), Aaron Martin (149) and Jake Yost (157) each won their fourth match of the day in the dual with CMU. Yost's 8-4 decision over Andy Keller gave the Mocs a 13-3 lead. The Chippewas stormed back in the bottom half of the dual, using four decisions and a pin for the come-from-behind victory. The big blow came at 197 where Wynn Michalak pinned Kyle McKee in the first period to give CMU the lead for good. With UTC trailing 18-13 in the final match at heavyweight, Matt Koz put up a valiant challenge to nationally-ranked Bubba Gritter, falling in overtime, 3-1. In the win over Gardner-Webb, UTC received pins from Keller, Martin, Yost and T.J. Sayers (165), a technical fall from Javier Maldonado (125) and major decisions from Keefe and Lloyd Rogers (174). In the victory over Cal Poly, the Mocs used a tech fall by Keller and major decisions by Sayers and Josh Edmondson (184). It was more of the same against Eastern Illinois as Martin, Yost, Rogers and Kyle McKee (197) each recorded pins. Keller and Sayers were credited with tech falls, and Maldonado added a major decision. In the CMU-UTC match, Maldonado and Rogers lost their first dual matches of the season. The Mocs return to Southern Conference action this coming weekend, visiting UNC Greensboro Saturday and Appalachian State Sunday.

IRVING, Texas -- Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performance in duals against Iowa and Oregon, the conference office announced today. The senior from Edmond first defeated Iowa's fourth-ranked Mark Perry on Friday night. Hendricks scored a late takedown and then rode out the final period for a one-point victory. He backed it up with a fall against Oregon's Jake McCoy. Hendricks had scored nine takedowns before pinning McCoy in the third period. The previous week at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Hendricks defeated his top competitors for the NCAA crown. He went through the gauntlet of Northern Iowa's No. 5 Nick Baima, No. 3 Perry, No. 7 Matt Pell of Missouri and Iowa State's No. 2 Travis Paulson. On the season Hendricks is 23-0 and he has won his last 45 straight matches dating back to the finals of the 2005 Reno Tournament of Champions.

Orange City, IA -- The Viking wrestling team traveled to Orange City, IA this past weekend to compete in the annual Northwestern Red Raider Invitational. The Vikings are the two-time defending team champions of the event. Although the Vikings fell short of repeating as team champions, one thing did remain the same. Dana College once again had one of its wrestlers named the tournament's outstanding wrestler. Terrence Almond (Pelham, GA) became the third Dana wrestler in a row to be named OW of the Red Raider. Almond dominated the competition eventually recording a fall over Augsburg's Quincy Osborn in the finals in 1:09 at 141 pounds. Osborn, formally of the University of Minnesota was a two-time Big Ten placer while with the Golden Gophers. Almond sets his season record at 33-1 and has five individual championships this season which a school record. The Vikings as a team finished in third place behind team champion and the No. 1 NCAA Division III ranked Augsburg College. Second place went to Dickinson State University. As a whole, the Vikes placed nine wrestlers out of twelve in the top six. Senior Craig Trampe (Ord, NE) finished fourth place at 125 pounds. Freshman Eric Graham (Kansas City, MO) defeated 2006 All-American Jon Gerhold of Missouri Valley twice to finish third place at 133 pounds. Sophomore Dan Pray (St. George, KS) and Junior Jason Bilinski (Pittsgrove, NJ) both placed fifth and sixth respectfully at 157 pounds. Freshman Bulla Tuzon (Wailuku, HI) defeated 2005 All-American Kevin Guinn of Waldorf College to finish in fifth place at 165 pounds. Junior Webster Farris (Nebraska City, NE) got some revenge by defeating Daniel Price of Missouri Valley for third place at 184 pounds. Price had recorded two victories over Farris prior. Junior Wade Jordan (Coulee City, WA) almost had the biggest upset of the day when he nearly defeated the No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Justin Schlect of Dickinson State in the semi-finals. Jordan turned Schlect twice for near-fall and was leading Schlect by one and with seconds remaining Jordan gave up the takedown losing 6-5. Jordan would injury default down to sixth place. Freshman Jesse Boggs (Deming, NM) finished out the day in fifth place at heavyweight. Some other Vikings were in action on Saturday at the Nebraska-Omaha Open 2. Two Viking wrestlers finished in third place. Brett Brandl (Madison, NE) capped his day off with a third place finish at 141 pounds. Armando Montoya (Las Vegas, NM) recorded two falls on the day to finish in third place at 285 pounds. The Vikings are back in action this Friday January 26th at 6:00 pm as they host GPAC and Region foe Northwestern College in Gardner-Hawks Center. Following the dual on Friday night, Dana College wrestling will present "Pack the House Night" as they host three-time defending NCAA Division II National Champion Nebraska-Omaha at 7:00 pm at Gardner-Hawks Center!

There is no wrestler that fans would like to see lose more than Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks. And he knows it. He unites large crowds of wrestling fans to all cheer against him. And he loves it. He is the most hated athlete in a singlet. The villain of collegiate wrestling. Johny Hendricks (Photo/John Sachs)Hendricks plays the perfect part of a bad guy. He comes across as brash and smarmy. His wrestling bag of tricks includes shoves out of bounds and smirks to the crowd. He has also perfected the 'Hey ref my opponent is stalling look' that comes across as whiny. Against Minnesota this season in Minneapolis, the crowd booed him as he readjusted his headgear after going out of bounds. He then proceeded to snap his chinstrap in slow motion with a smile to bring on more. His physical resemblance to John Smith is eerie. He looks like a more physically perfect version of his mentor … like he was created in a lab to wreak havoc on collegiate wrestling. His wins against Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov and Ryan Churella at the NCAA Championships, along with his latest win against Iowa's Mark Perry on Friday night, have the undertones of scheming with the referee -- exactly what you would expect from a villainous character. They say that villains dress in an impeccable way with a style that deviates from the norm. Hendricks looks good in his Orange singlet, but has been seen wearing extremely ugly color clashing blue wrestling shoes. The point is that he is only playing the perfect part. He is exactly what collegiate wrestling needs. He is the villain to Ben Askren's sandy blond-haired hero. It is a bland story without him. It is like watching Indiana Jones find the treasures without being chased by the bad guys. In the case of collegiate wrestling, it is Askren pinning his way through stand-ins. On top of that, Hendricks wrestles the type of style that I want my son to model some day. He is aggressive and never stops. Leg attack after leg attack, he is relentless. His shots against Perry on Friday night were precise and fast. He seems to outwork his opponents to the point that he creates opportunities for himself. The way he wrestles back into a match when he is down points indicates that he never gives up or panics. He is the biggest "when it counts" wrestler in the country. A real gamer tells you he is going to win and then backs it up. He is a winner who has two individual NCAA championship rings and has been part of three national championship teams. Last year, Hendricks won his second individual national championship and was seventh in the Rev Wrestler of the Year award voting. He was behind Ben Askren, Cole Konrad, Nate Gallick, Les Sigman, Dustin Schlatter, and Shane Webster. Johny gets no love because of his reputation. Johny Hendricks (Photo/John Sachs)I personally voted for four other wrestlers ahead of Hendricks last year in the Rev Wrestler of the Year voting. I will not make the same mistake twice. If he remains undefeated and wins another national title, I will have no problem giving him the nod based on the depth of his weight class and the way he attacks his opponents. A showdown between Hendricks and Askren would be the ultimate in collegiate wrestling. The fan favorite vs. the wrestler everyone loves to hate. The match-up would spike casual fan interest in the sport and also be able to provide enough viewers to support a national TV audience. The opportunity for the match-up is on February 2 when the Missouri Tigers travel to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State. Speculation is that Askren will not be dropping down for the match since there is no real team advantage to do so. Missouri already trounced Oklahoma State, 27-15, with its lineup. There is also no good reason for Askren to drop extra weight and strength as the end of the season approaches. This is Johny Hendricks' opportunity. This is his chance to go from villain to anti-hero by moving up a weight to face everyone's hero Ben Askren on February 2. If he wins the match-up, he is on the fast track to Rev Wrestler of the Year and securing his legacy. If he loses, at least he had the guts to go for it and the respect of collegiate wrestling fans. Now, let's all root for the villain … (or at least for him to bump up a weight).

WAVERLY -- Five bonus point victories turned out to be the difference at Waverly-Shell Rock High School Sunday night, Jan. 21, as No. 2-ranked Wartburg picked up a 36-9 dual victory over No. 19-ranked UW-Stevens Point. The Knights, increasing their dual record to 14-1, got the ball rolling at 133, as junior 133-pounder Jake Helvey of Mitchellville proved his No. 3 national ranking with a 14-2 major decision over Jered Kern. Sophomore 141-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City, sophomore 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont of Pocahontas and senior heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer also registered major decisions. Senior 165-pounder Jason Knipp of Gilbertville continued to impress with a technical fall in seven minutes over the Pointers' Josh Ison to raise his record to 5-1, while freshman 149-pounder Adam Weber of Waterloo took Mo Malone to his back for a pin with just one second remaining in their match. The Pointers, concluding an 0-2 day against IIAC competition after falling to No. 16-ranked Loras 21-19 earlier in Dubuque, received wins from 125-pounder Jake Calhoun and 197-pounder Tyler Wozniak. The Orange and Black resume a brief three-dual home campaign against Central in IIAC action Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Waverly-Shell Rock High School gym. UW-SP, with a 9-7 record, returns home for non-league action against UW-Parkside Wednesday.

Fairfax, VA -- The sixth-ranked Hofstra wrestling team downed James Madison, George Mason and Drexel Saturday to sweep the two-day Colonial Athletic Association Duals at the George Mason Field House. The Pride (14-2-3), who posted victories over Old Dominion and Binghamton on Friday night, recorded a perfect 5-0 record in this year's CAA Duals and in the process boosted their conference match undefeated streak to 53 including 50 consecutive wins. In Saturday's opener against the Dukes of James Madison, the Pride captured eight of the 10 matches, including tech falls by junior Dave Tomasette (10-5) at 125, senior John Manarte (2-3) at 149, and senior James Strouse (27-2) at 157, to cruise to a 34-12 victory. Hofstra won the first five matches in the contest, building a 21-0 lead, before James Madison came back with a forfeit win and a win by fall by Ivan Lagares to close the deficit to 21-12. But Pride junior Joe Rovelli (22-4) won by forfeit at 184, senior Chris Weidman (19-5) posted a major decision at 197, and graduate-student Matt Pollock (10-17) tallied a 1-0 victory over Zack Winfrey to close out the match. The Pride's second match on Saturday against host George Mason was more of the same as Hofstra won eight of the 10 matches, including wins by fall by freshman Lou Ruggirello and senior Chris Weidman, to record a 34-9 victory over the Patriots. The Pride captured the first five matches to take a 20-0 lead before George Mason put some points on the scoreboard by way of a Hofstra forfeit at 165. Ruggirello (24-5) recorded his second pin of the CAA Duals and his sixth of the year with a fall in 1:30 over Will Powars in the second match at 133. Pride freshman Ryan Brown (6-3) tallied his second win of the Duals at 141 while senior John Manarte (3-3) posted his second win with a decision at 149. After Dan Cook's forfeit win for the Patriots, sophomore Alton Lucas (16-7) and junior Joe Rovelli (23-4) scored major decision wins at 174 and 184, respectively. Senior Chris Weidman (20-5) tallied his 20th win of the year with a pin of Harry Zander in 2:50. GMU's Ryan Kittrick edged Matt Pollock (10-18) in the match finale. The Pride's final match of the CAA Duals proved to be their toughest as the Drexel Dragons proved to be a challenging foe in a 26-15 Hofstra victory. Pride junior Dave Tomasette (12-5) posted his fifth victory of the CAA Duals with a 10-3 decision over Steve Mytech at 125. Freshman Lou Ruggirello (25-5) also posted his fifth win of the Duals with a pin of William Martin in 1:15 at 133 to boost the Pride lead to 9-0. Junior Charles Griffin (21-4) then tallied a tech fall (16-1) over Morgan Remillard. Drexel senior Mark Cartella cut the deficit to 14-3 with a 6-1 decision over John Manarte (3-4). But Pride senior James Strouse (29-2) took the points right back with a 7-5 decision over Ryan Hluschak at 157. Billy Haydt took a forfeit win at 165 and Nick Kozar recorded a 5-3 upset victory over Alton Lucas (16-8) in sudden victory to close the deficit to 17-12. But Hofstra junior Joe Rovelli (24-4) at 184, and senior Chris Weidman (21-5) at 197 tallied a tech fall and a major decision, respectively, to put the match out of reach. Both Rovelli and Weidman were members of Hofstra's five victory club this weekend along with Tomasette, Ruggirello and Strouse. Drexel's Chris Cowen defeated Matt Pollock to close out the contest. The Pride return to action this Friday, January 26 when they travel to Philadelphia to face #13 Pennsylvania at 7 p.m. Hofstra will then host #25 Lehigh, who upset #11 Cornell Friday night, on Sunday at the New York Athletic Club (59th Street and Central Park South in Manhattan) at 5 p.m.

DOVER, Del. -- Shawn Logue's major decision at 197 pounds proved to be the difference as Franklin & Marshall defeated Delaware State 25-25 in wrestling action on Sunday. Logue's second major of the year evened both his and Franklin & Marshall's season records at 4-4. Delaware State fell to 0-11-1 with the loss. Both teams forfeited a pair of weight classes with host Delaware State surrendering the first two bouts. Al Gianforti made it 18-0 in favor of F&M with a third period pin of Kyle Klinkenborg. Gianforti's first win by fall this season moves his record to 14-4. The Hornets got those six points in the following bout when Shacoi Berry pinned Steven Gregory (0-6) in the first period. The teams traded decisions at 157 and 165 pounds, followed by Franklin & Marshall forfeits at 174 and 184, making it a 21-21 match with two bouts to wrestle. Logue's 11-3 major decision gave the Diplomats a 25-21 lead. Delaware State's Shawn Nowrey was unable to match the points, edging out a 5-4 decision over the Diplomats' Christian Refakis (2-3). Now at .500 in dual meet competition, the Diplomats return to the mat next Saturday evening at James Madison University.

The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team downed No. 10 Penn State, 31-12, in its Big Ten opener on Sunday at the Sports Pavilion. The Golden Gophers earned bonus points in four of the first five matches, including a pin by fifth-ranked Jayson Ness over No. 2 Mark McKnight in the marquee match of the day. Ness pulled off the upset in exciting fashion with the fall in 4:55. Senior heavyweight Cole Konrad capped off the dual with a 5-1 victory over No. 11 Aaron Anspach. With the win, Konrad now holds the record for the longest winning streak in school history at 59 matches, surpassing Tim Hartung, who set the previous record in 1999. With the win, the Gophers improved to 12-1 on the season overall, while the Nittany Lions have dropped their first two conference dual meets and sit at 9-4 overall on the year. Ness was forced to come from behind a couple of times against McKnight but took control of the match with a takedown 30 seconds into the second period. Ness rode McKnight the rest of the way before rolling him to his back to earn the dramatic pin with just five seconds remaining in the period and put the Gophers up 6-0. With the win, Ness improved to 25-3 on the season. The Nittany Lions got three points back with fourth-ranked Jake Strayer's 14-7 decision over Mike Thorn, but the middle of Minnesota's lineup followed with a typically dominating performance, earning bonus points in each of the next three matches. Manuel Rivera, who moved up to No. 2 in the rankings this week, started the rally with a 16-1 tech fall over unranked Bryan Heller. Rivera held a 4-1 lead after the first period before piling it on in the second, scoring an escape, a takedown and a pair of three-point near falls to extend his lead to 13-1. After starting down in the third, Rivera got the escape midway through the period and scored the decisive takedown with 27 seconds remaining. With the win, Rivera remained unbeaten on the season at 27-0. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter also kept his unblemished record intact with a 15-4 major decision over Dan Vallimont. Schlatter went to work right away in the first period, scoring a takedown just over a minute into the match. A pair of near falls gave him a 7-1 lead after one. Vallimont went on the defensive in the second period, allowing just one takedown, but Schlatter added to his lead in the third with a pair of takedowns and got the bonus point for riding time. C.P. Schlatter, who re-entered the rankings at No. 3 this week after an impressive performance in his return last weekend at the National Duals, put the Gophers ahead 19-3 with a 14-4 major decision over Bubba Jenkins at 157. Leading just 5-3 entering the third period, Schlatter used a pair of takedowns and a two-point near fall in the third to earn the bonus points. Jeremy Larson extended Minnesota's lead to 22-3 with a 9-5 victory over Penn State's Dave Rella at 165. Larson trailed 2-1 after the opening period but took the lead in the second with a pair of takedowns, the last one coming as the horn sounded. Rella made things interesting with a takedown 23 seconds into the third, but Larson got the escape and held on for the victory to even his dual meet record at 6-6 this season. In a match-up between two ranked wrestlers at 174, Penn State's No. 7 James Yonushonis narrowly defeated No. 12 Gabriel Dretsch, 3-2. The match went scoreless in the first period and was tied 2-2 after the second, but after starting down in the third, Yonushonis scored the decisive point with an escape 27 seconds into the period. Second-ranked Roger Kish put the match away for the Gophers with a pin of Philip Bomberger at 184 pounds. Kish started down in the second period and quickly scored a reversal to put Bomberger on his back, earning the fall in 3:20. With the win, Kish improved to 21-1 on the season. True freshman Brent Eidenschink faced a tough test in third-ranked Phil Davis at 197 pounds, and the PSU wrestler put his talent and experience on display with a pin in 1:36. Davis scored a takedown 50 seconds into the match and worked Eidenchink to his back to earn the fall. In the final match of the day, No. 11 Aaron Anspach gave Konrad a fight, but nothing was going to prevent the senior from Freedom, Wis., from leaving his mark in the record books. The bout was scoreless after the first period, but Konrad took a 3-0 lead with an escape and takedown in the second. Anspach nearly took Konrad down in the third, but the big man countered to prevent any damage and added a takedown with under 30 seconds remaining to clinch the win. With the win, Konrad took sole possession of the longest winning streak in school history and has now won 88 of his last 89 matches. The Golden Gophers return to action next weekend by hosting a pair of dual meets at the Sports Pavilion, first with No. 15 Michigan on Friday night at 7 p.m. Purdue comes to town to face Minnesota on Sunday at 2 p.m. CSTV will air Friday night's match against the Wolverines on tape delay on Monday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. Sunday's match against the Boilermakers will be available live in the Gold Zone.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State's fourth-ranked wrestling team had little trouble with Oregon as it won nine of 10 matches en route to a 34-3 victory on Sunday afternoon inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU improved to 11-3 on the season, while Oregon dropped to 5-7 on the year. The Cowboys started with a six-point advantage when Oregon forfeited the starting weight at 174. OSU then quickly put the dual out of reach by winning the next five consecutive matches. The Cowboys were working on several major decisions, but could not get the final takedown. Jack Jensen won a 9-2 decision at 184, followed by an 11-6 decision by Jared Shelton. Jared Rosholt and Tyler Shinn both won tight matches before Coleman Scott finally got a major decision for the Cowboys. Scott turned Joey Lucas twice in the third period and won 12-1. Oregon got on the board at 141 where Justin Pearch defeated OSU's Ethan Kyle. The Cowboys closed out the dual in strong fashion with a victory by Newly McSpadden and a fall by Johny Hendricks. Hendricks had recorded nine takedowns before pinning Jake McCoy in the third period to extend his winning streak to 45 straight matches. Oklahoma State will hit the road next weekend when it travels to the state of Iowa to face Northern Iowa and Iowa State on Saturday and Sunday.

Champaign, Ill. -- The No. 16 Illinois wrestling team upset the No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers, 22-9, Sunday afternoon at Huff Hall. The Illini improve to 2-0 in the Big Ten and 5-0 overall. Junior Gabe Flores (16-0) and sophomore Mike Poeta (15-0) posted key victories and stayed perfect on the season. Illinois has now won 10-straight duals against Indiana and are 12-2 in head coach Mark Johnson's 15-year career. The dual started at 184 and saw #15 John Dergo drop a heartbreaker against #12 Mark Bennett, 8-6. In the second period, with Bennett ahead, 5-1, Dergo (Morris, Ill.) narrowed the margin by scoring a takedown, but Bennett countered with a late takedown to extend his lead to 7-3. In the third, Dergo cut the lead to two on an escape and a takedown, but the clock ran out before any more points could be awarded. At 197, Patrick Bond got the Illini on the board by outlasting Nathan Everhart, 6-1. Bond (Chesapeake, Va.) scored a takedown as time expired in the first to take the lead. He added an escape and a takedown in the second to put the match out of reach and collect the victory. Indiana, however, took a 6-3 lead in the dual after the HWT match when John Wise dropped a 7-3 decision against Josh Buuck. Illinois then logged six-straight wins to build a healthy lead in the dual. At 125, billed as one of the highlight matches of the day, #10 Gabe Flores outlasted #9 Angel Escobedo, 4-2. Flores (Madera, Calif.) took the early lead on a takedown late in the first period. In the third, Flores extended his lead on an escape, but Escobedo cut into it with a takedown. Flores countered with an escape as time expired to seal the win and hand the Hoosier redshirt-freshman his first dual-meet loss. 133 saw #9 Jimmy Kennedy pick up a gut-check win against #19 Andrae Hernandez, 5-4. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) took the lead in the second period with a takedown, but Hernandez tied the match with a takedown of his own early in the third. Escobedo took the lead on a reversal with a minute left, but the Illinois true-freshman tied the match with a takedown. After a penalty point was awarded to Kennedy, time ran out before Escobedo could score. With Illinois leading the dual, 9-6, Senior All-American #12 Cassio Pero gave his team four more points when he disposed Nick Walpole, 12-3, in their 141-pound match. Already ahead 4-1 in the third, Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) electrified the crowd when he logged three takedowns en-route to the major decision. At 149, #12 Troy Tirapelle extended Illinois' lead when he upset #7 Matt Coughlin, 4-3. In the third, with the match tied at two, Tirapelle (Clovis, Calif.) took the lead on a late takedown. Coughlin escaped with time running out, only to see Tirapelle win by a point. In the main event of the afternoon, #1 Mike Poeta handed #7 Brandon Becker his first dual-meet loss of the season when he took a 7-3 decision at 157. With no scoring in the first period, Poeta (Highwood, Ill.) took an early lead in the second on a three-point nearfall. Coughlin countered, however, by scoring a reversal to cut the lead to one. In the third, Poeta exploded with a takedown and a two-point nearfall to put away the Hoosier two-time All-American. #14 Roger Smith-Bergsrud upset #11 Max Dean, 3-2, in their 165-pound bout. With the match tied at one in the third period, Smith-Bergsrud (Lake Bluff, Ill.) went ahead on a takedown. After a Dean escape, the Illinois sophomore fought off the Hoosier junior until time expired. At this point in the dual, Illinois was comfortably ahead 22-6. In the final match of the day, Trevor Perry edged Nick Guida, 6-5, in double overtime. The two 174-pounders traded takedowns and escapes in regulation to send the match into overtime. With no scoring in the sudden victory, the match entered the tie-break periods. Perry picked up two points on a penalty point and an escape in the first 30-second period. Guida (Allentown, Pa.) narrowed the margin on an escape but time ran out before he could take the lead. "Toughness was a big part of our plan today." Said head coach Mark Johnson. "We wanted to wrestle tough, put pressure on them and never let up. I'm pleased with how we took command of matches and how we never lost our composure." The Fighting Illini continue Big Ten action on Friday, Jan. 26 when they travel to East Lansing, Mich. and face No. 19 Michigan State. The dual starts at 7 p.m.

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL -- The Iowa wrestling team opened the 2007 Big Ten season with a 24-14 win over Northwestern Sunday at Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, IL. The Hawkeyes improved to 10-2 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten with the win, while Northwestern fell to 10-5, 0-2. The Wildcats jumped out to an 8-0 lead with wins at 197 and heavyweight to start the dual. Northwestern junior Mike Tamillow scored a 19-4 technical fall over redshirt freshman Rick Loera, who was inserted in the lineup after starter Dan Erekson suffered a shoulder injury at Oklahoma State Friday night. Northwestern junior Dustin Fox followed with his fourth career victory over Hawkeye junior Matt Fields - a 2-0 decision at heavyweight. Iowa responded with wins at the next seven bouts and 24 unanswered team points. Sophomore Charlie Falck started things at 125 with a 5-2 decision over Brandon Precin - avenging a loss at last week's N.W.C.A./Cliff Keen National Duals. Senior Mario Galanakis followed with a 6-1 win over Eric Metzler at 133. Junior Alex Tsirtsis scored his 60th career win with a 15-4 major decision over James Kohlberg at 141. Senior Alex Grunder (149) and junior Mark Perry (165) also recorded major decisions for Iowa with Grunder defeating Marty Gould (12-4) and Perry blanking his Blair Academy prep teammate Greg Hagel (10-0). Junior Ryan Morningstar (157) and senior Eric Luedke (174) scored decisions for the Hawkeyes. Luedke extended his winning streak to 17 matches with the win, improving to 19-1 in collegiate competition and 10-0 in dual matches. Northwestern scored its final points of the dual when Iowa forfeited the 184-pound match. Iowa (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will face Purdue (10-2, 0-2) Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) in West Lafayette, IN. The Hawkeyes will then head back to Iowa City to host undefeated Wisconsin (15-0, 1-0) in its Big Ten home opener Saturday at 7 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team improved its record to 5-3 overall (1-0 Big Ten) after going 3-0 Sunday at the 18th annual Wendy's Big Classic Duals, hosted by Ashland University, in Ashland, Ohio. The Buckeyes defeated Ohio, 26-10, Appalachian State, 30-12 and Ashland, 25-15, in Kates Gymnasium. Six wrestlers in Will Livingston (125, Fr., Stillwater, N.J./Kittatinny Regional), T.J. Enright (133, Jr., Galloway, Ohio/Westland), J Jaggers (141, So., Northfield, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) , Chris Vondruska (165, Sr., Lakewood, Ohio/Hofstra), Mike Pucillo (184, Fr., Cuyahoga, Ohio/Hofstra) and J.D. Bergman (197, Jr., Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor) went 3-0 in their respective weight classes. The Scarlet and Gray returns to Big Ten dual action Jan. 26 when it travels to State College, Pa., to face Penn State at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The Buckeyes will host Indiana at 2 p.m. Jan. 28 in St. John Arena. Ohio State began the day against Ohio and won seven of 10 matches for the 26-10 victory. Livingston and Enright scored consecutive decisions to give the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead against the Bobcats. A forfeit by OU at 141 pounds and a major decision by freshman Lance Palmer (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edwards) at 149 pounds increased the OSU lead to 16-0 before Ohio recorded a decision in the 157 class. Up 16-3, Vondruska, Pucillo and Bergman added wins in the second half of the dual, including a major decision by Pucillo, who remains undefeated at 13-0 on the season. In its first-ever meeting against Appalachian State, the Buckeyes again took seven of 10 bouts, including back-to-back pins by Pucillo and Bergman. Pucillo downed Dan Carrasco in 4:24 and Bergman dropped Brandon Brothers in 2:13. Vondruska, who has won 18 of his last 21 matches and leads the team with 20 wins, scored a 16-6 major decision, as did Enright and Jaggers, who earned a 15-4 and 15-2 major decision, respectively. OSU also received wins from Livingston and Jason Johnstone (So., Massillon, Ohio/Perry). Bergman scored his second fall of the day against Ashland's David Crowley in 2:51 in the final dual to help the Buckeyes increase their all-time series lead against the Eagles to 19-1-0. Livingston added a major decision and his third shutout on the day by blanking Ryan Belcher, 11-0, while Enright, Jaggers, Johnstone, Vondruska and Pucillo scored decisions.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Winning its first home dual match of the season, the Big Red wrestling team won nine matches to seal a 38-4 victory over Arizona State Sunday afternoon in Newman Arena. The match was the last of the Big Red's Community Care Challenges with donations going to the Tompkins County Public Library. The crowd numbering 2,223 was witness to a high-energy match with Adam Frey and Steve Anceravage pinning their Sun Devil opponents, and Jordan Leen won the final match of the day by technical fall. The dual match started at 157 pounds, and the Big Red's Drake Hovis squared off against No. 6 Brian Stith. At 1:29 into the first period, Stith threw Hovis down onto the mat face first to earn two points. Five seconds later, Stith trapped Hovis and a pin looked to be inevitable; however, the Big Red wrestler refused to give up the fight and maneuvered so his opponent would only get three points for the nearfall. Hovis took back a point with an escape, but with one more takedown, the Sun Devil had a 7-1 lead after three minutes of wrestling. The second period started with Hovis in the down position, and Stith's clutches proved impossible for the Big Red grappler to get away from. With 27 left in the second period, Stith once again looked like he would pin Hovis, but for the second time, Stith was only able to secure the nearfall. The third period started with the wrestlers in the neutral position, but neither was able to gain the advantage until with 15 seconds left in the match, Stith earned the final takedown, and with 4:15 in riding time, won a 13-1 major decision over Hovis to give Arizona State a 4-0 lead. Next up for the Big Red was No. 10 Anceravage at 165 pounds. Anceravage would face sophomore Cameron Smith, who usually competes at 149 pounds. The Big Red wrestler worked to gain the upper hand over Smith for the first minute of the match, and at 1:57 Smith was called for stalling. With 1:21 left in the first period, Anceravage earned the first points of the match with a takedown. Anceravage twisted Smith into a position that proved to be lethal, and Anceravage pinned Smith at 2:17. No. 19 Joey Hooker and Alex Pavlenko wrestled at 174 pounds, and were scoreless until, with eight seconds left in the first period, Hooker earned two points with a takedown. In the second period, Hooker would once again put the only points on the scoreboard to lead, 5-0, after adding an opening escape and a takedown. The third period started with Pavlenko down on the mat, and the Sun Devil earned his first point with an escape. Hooker would make two more takedowns from which Pavlenko would escape, and Hooker earned three team points winning the 9-3 decision. At 184 pounds, Cornell's Luke Hogle would face Jake Cranford, and the two wrestlers were scoreless for the first-two periods. Hogle chose the down position to start the third period and earned the first point of the match making an escape. With 1:30 remaining in the bout, Hogle made a takedown, and 10 seconds later Cranford grabbed his only point of the match by escaping. With 2:07 in riding time, Hogle won a 4-1 decision. With the victory, Hogle notched his 50th career win for the Big Red. No. 4 Jerry Rinaldi wrestled against Jason Trulson at 197 pounds. After two periods, Rinaldi had a 5-0 lead with two takedowns and an escape. Trulson earned his first point in the third period when Rinaldi let him escape from his down position. Rinaldi would make one more takedown from which Trulson would escape, and with 2:40 in riding time, Rinaldi won an 8-2 decision. At heavyweight, the Big Red's Zach Hammond dueled Quinton Pruett to a scoreless first period. Pruett chose to start the second period down on the mat and earned the only point of the second with an escape. Hammond took the down position in the third and tied the match escaping to the neutral position. With 1:39 left in the match, Hammond took his first lead with a takedown. With 26 seconds left, Pruett came within a point after an escape, but Hammond sealed the win with another takedown. With 1:32 in riding time, Hammond won a 6-2 decision. The Big Red earned six more team points at 125 pounds when Mike Rodriguez won by forfeit. No. 3 Frey faced Angel Alegre at 133 pounds. The Big Red wrestler made quick work of Alegre quickly earning four points with a takedown and a nearfall. Frey improved his record to 10-0 when he pinned Alegre in 0:52 putting the Big Red up 30-4. Freshman Corey Manson wrestled at 141 pounds for the Big Red and went against the Sun Devils' Robert Galvan. Galvan took control early in the match making a quick takedown against Manson, but 21 seconds later, Manson escaped to the neutral position. Galvan earned two more points with another takedown, but Manson also took two making a reversal. Galvan made an escape to take a 5-3 lead after three minutes. Manson escaped from his initial down position in the second, but with a Galvan takedown was behind 7-4. Manson escaped with 1:01 left on the clock, and with six second left in the second period tied the match at seven with a takedown of his own. Galvan chose the down position to start the third, and with an escape, once again took the lead. With 1:18 left in the match, Manson went ahead by a point taking Galvin to the mat. With two seconds left, Galvan tied the match back up with an escape, but Manson won the decision, 10-9 with 1:27 in riding time. The last bout of the day was the Big Red's No. 4 Leen against Chris Remsen. Leen had an 8-2 lead after the first period with three takedowns and a nearfall, with Remsen's two points coming from escapes. Remsen chose to start the second period in the neutral position, and Leen earned the only points of second with a takedown to lead 10-2. Leen chose the down position in the third and earned three points with an escape and a takedown. Leen would take a 15-2 lead with another nearfall, but Remsen escaped a second later. With 35 seconds left in the match, Leen would earn another four points with a takedown and a nearfall to win a 19-3 tech fall in 6:15. With Leen's final five team points, the Big Red sealed the 38-4 victory. The Big Red will be off next weekend, but will be back in action Feb. 3 when it will wrestle Hofstra at the New York Athletic Club at 1 p.m. and at Columbia at 7 p.m.

LINCOLN, Neb. -– The third-ranked Iowa State wrestling team opened Big 12 action by defeating No. 20 Nebraska, 25-12, Saturday night in NU Coliseum. ISU took seven of 10 matches against the Huskers, two of which resulted in bonus points. Travis Paulson scored a major decision at 165-pounds and heavyweight David Zabriskie tallied a technical fall. Nick Fanthorpe closed out the dual with an upset of No. 8 Paul Donahoe at 125-pounds. With the win, Iowa State moves to 7-3 on the season and 1-0 in conference action. "NU Coliseum is always a tough place to wrestle because (Nebraska head coach Mark) Manning brings a tough squad," ISU head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. "We had to come in and wrestle well. Some of our guys wrestled fantastic matches. We are competing as a team and working hard." Travis Paulson, who grew up only 63 miles east of Lincoln in Council Bluffs, Iowa, scored a 9-1 major decision over Stephen Dwyer at 165-pounds in front of numerous friends and family. The major decision is the fifth of his senior campaign. Paulson, ranked third nationally, built a six-point lead over two periods using a takedown, a reversal and a two-point nearfall. He tallied a second takedown in the final period and added 2:03 worth of riding time en route to the victory. The All-American improves his record to 18-3 and is only four wins shy of reaching 100 career victories. At heavyweight, Zabriskie won his fourth straight match with a 17-1 technical fall over Tom Rice in 5:41. Zabriskie put on a dominating offensive performance blanking Rice with four takedowns and two three-point near falls. The only point the High Point, N.J., native surrendered was a late third-period escape. Zabriskie's 17 points is a season high for the redshirt freshman. His record currently stands at 16-6. Fanthorpe's takedown with five seconds remaining sealed a 6-3 upset of No. 8 Paul Donahoe at 125-pounds. Donahoe scored first with an escape in the second period, taking a 1-0 lead into the final two minutes of competition. Fanthorpe went up 2-1 on the Husker with a reversal, but let Donahoe escape, evening the score at 2-2. With less than a minute to go, Fanthorpe scored a takedown to go up 4-2. After a Donahoe escape, Fanthorpe secured the win with a takedown in the closing seconds. The Naperville, Ill., native pushes his season record to 17-7. "It was a fun match. I came in knowing he (Donahoe) was going to be tough competition," Fanthorpe said. "I stayed after him and knew that I had to wrestle well in order to win. I capitalized on the opportunities and stayed focused. Having the 125-pound match last forced me to make adjustments, but like coach says, nothing is perfect, so just go with the flow." Wrestling in his first dual meet as a Cyclone, redshirt freshman Laramie Shaffer opened the competition with a 9-6 decision of Mike Rowe at 133-pounds. Shaffer struck early on Rowe, taking a 4-1 lead to close out the first period of action. Rowe attempted to close in on the Winterset, Iowa, native, but was unable to to so as Shaffer took a 6-3 lead with a reversal in the third period. He clinched his first dual victory with another reversal midway through the final period. Trent Paulson, who also hails from Council Bluffs, Iowa, recorded a 9-3 decision over Chris Oliver at 157. With three takedowns and a reversal, the two-time All-American registered his 101st career victory as an ISU grappler. Paulson, ranked third nationally, is 16-4 in his senior campaign. Cyler Sanderson and Jake Varner also picked up victories for the Cyclones. Sanderson, ranked 14th, took a 12-8 decision over Robert Sanders at 149-pounds and now carries a 20-7 mark. At 184-pounds, the fifth-ranked Varner picked up his 19th victory in his rookie season by scoring a 10-2 major decision over Levi Wofford. Iowa State will return to Hilton Coliseum Jan. 26 playing host to Oklahoma at 7 p.m.

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team improved to 2-0 in the Western Wrestling Conference with a 24-16 victory over the University of Wyoming on Saturday night in the UniWyo Sports Complex. UNI scored wins from Kyle Anson (133 lbs.), Moza Fay (157 lbs.), Nick Baima (165 lbs.), Alex Dolly (174 lbs.), Dallas Mitchell (184 lbs.) and Andrew Anderson (197 lbs.) to notch the win over the Cowboys. UNI head coach Brad Penrith said earning a pair of league wins on the opponents mat will go a long way toward helping the Panthers later this season. "It was good to go on the road and get two conference wins because that sets the mood for the West Regional later this season," Penrith said. "We've still got work to do but we can build off of this. It felt like tonight the guys had a little more zap to them than last night." UNI's next action Sat., Jan. 27 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the McLeod Center. The match will begin at 7 p.m.