InterMat Staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- No. 6 Oklahoma State handed No. 1 Iowa a 19-14 defeat Saturday in front of 14,332 gold-clad fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena to claim their ninth straight win in the series and their 12th win in their last 13 meetings with the Hawkeyes. Including Saturday's win, Oklahoma State has now beaten the top-ranked team in the nation 11 times since 1977 and four times under John Smith. "We looked forward to this match for some time and we knew that scoring takedowns was going to be the difference and we did that," Smith said. "We didn't have much of a strategy going in except getting takedowns." Seniors Coleman Scott and Jake Dieffenbach both picked up wins over Hawkeye wrestlers ranked No. 2 in the nation, as Scott handed No. 2 Joe Slaton an 8-6 beating and Dieffenbach claimed a 5-3 victory over second-ranked Mark Perry. "This is nice, but it's not what I'm after," Dieffenbach said after being asked if Saturday's victorious trip to Iowa was the time of his life. "If I go 0-and-2 at NCAAs, nobody will remember me. If I win an NCAA championship, then I'll call it the time of my life." Though Scott's and Dieffenbach's were impressive, perhaps even more crucial to the Cowboys' team success were Newly McSpadden's 4-2 decision over No. 19 Ryan Morningstar at 157 pounds and true freshman Clayton Foster's 12-1 major decision win over Rick Loera at 197 pounds. Shendandoah, Iowa, native Brandon Mason was also a winner for OSU, shutting out No. 11 Jay Borschel by a 2-0 margin. "We're progressing every week," Scott said. "We're going to be there right in the mix at the end of the year." The Cowboys return to action when they compete at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., January 11 and 12. Match-by-Match Breakdown: 125 pounds: Oklahoma State freshman Ben Ashmore's strong upset bid was bolstered when he recorded a three-point nearfall in the third period to take a 6-5 lead, but a reversal from No. 5 Charlie Falck with 54 seconds left in the match, plus a 1:14 riding time advantage gave Falck the final edge in a 7-5 decision. 133 pounds: In the most intense match of the evening, top-ranked Coleman Scott raced out to a 7-1 lead and held off a comeback bid by second-ranked Joe Slaton to claim a 7-6 win. Scott notched a takedown at the 1:41 mark of the first period for the only scoring of the opening stanza. After choosing down to open the second, Scott escaped at the 1:41 mark, then posted another takedown at the 1:18 mark to jump out to a 5-0 advantage. A Slaton escape with 19 seconds remaining in the period brought the score to 5-1 entering the third period. Scott bagged his third takedown of the match with 1:41 reaming to open up his widest lead at 7-1. Slaton rushed back with an escape and a late surge, but Scott kept the sophomore at bay and added a riding time point to claim the 8-4 win. 141 pounds: Nathan Morgan was the aggressor throughout the match to claim an 8-4 win over 10th-ranked Dan LeClere. Morgan notched one takedown in each of the three periods and held a 5-1 advantage after a takedown with 1:19 remaining in the second period. A LeClere escape with 29 seconds left in the second stanza trimmed Morgan's advantage to 5-2 heading into the third period. The final period started with a quick escape by LeClere to make it 5-3, but a takedown by Morgan with 51 seconds left brought the score to 7-3 and put the match out of reach for LeClere, who notched a late escape. Morgan added a riding time point to bring the final score to 8-4. 149 pounds: No. 2 Brent Metcalf established himself early and took the match to Quinten Fuentes for a full seven minutes to claim a 20-8 win over the Cowboy freshman. Fuentes was unable to take Metcalf down, with Metcalf logging eight takedowns and a reversal in a bout that was never in doubt. 157 pounds: No. 14 Newly McSpadden avoided a late takedown bid by 19th-ranked Ryan Morningstar in what ended up being arguably the key moment of McSpadden's 4-2 win. The scoring opened with a McSpadden takedown with 43 seconds remaining in the first period, followed by a Morningstar escape with 28 seconds left in the opening stanza that sent McSpadden into the second stanza with a 2-1 lead. After choosing down to start the period, McSpadden escaped to go up 3-1 with 1:43 left for the only points of the period. McSpadden rode Morningstar for the bulk of the third period, but an escape with 44 seconds left brought the score to 3-2. With Morningstar desperate for a takedown late in the match, McSpadden fought off his best effort to seal the win. He added 1:15 of riding time to bring the final to 4-2. 165 pounds: For those who were unsure of what OSU senior Jake Dieffenbach was capable of, he made a bold statement Saturday with a 5-3 win over reigning national champion and second-ranked Mark Perry. A scoreless first period that included very few shots was followed by a second period that saw Perry open the scoring by escaping at the 1:50 mark to go up 1-0. Things remained largely stagnant until Dieffenbach took the Stillwater native down with 19 seconds remaining, then turned the Hawkeye's biggest star two seconds later to record a two-point nearfall and bring the score to 4-1 entering the final period. Perry logged a takedown with 1:37 remaining to trim Dieffenbach's advantage to 4-3, but a Dieffenbach escape with 35 ticks left dashed Perry's hopes of a win. 174 pounds: Wrestling in his home state, OSU junior and Shenandoah, Iowa native, Brandon Mason claimed a 2-0 win over No. 11 Jay Borschel. After the two wrestlers went through the first period scoreless, Mason chose down to start the second and escaped with 1:38 on the clock for the period's only point. Down 1-0 to start the third, Borschel chose down. Mason capitalized on the sophomore's decision and rode him out the entire final stanza, finishing with 1:40 of riding time to claim a 2-0 win. 184 pounds: No.12 Phillip Keddy picked up a 12-2 major decision win over Oklahoma State's Cody Hill behind the strength of four takedowns and a pair of stalling calls on Hill. Keddy controlled the match from the start and finished with 4:10 of riding time added on. 197 pounds: Cowboy true freshman Clayton Foster announced his presence to the Iowa wrestling faithful by picking up a takedown and a three-point nearfall within the first two minutes of his 12-1 win over Hawkeye sophomore Rick Loera. Taking a 5-1 lead into the second stanza, Foster rode Loera out for the entire period. Starting the third period down, Foster notched an escape eight seconds in, then notched a takedown and a three-point nearfall to go up, 11-1 at the 1:07 mark. After 4:37 of riding time was added on, Foster was a 12-2 winner. Heavyweight: Jared Rosholt was cut under his eye early in the match and lost a slow-paced 4-3 decision to No. 8 Matt Fields.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State wrestling defeated Ohio Friday night, tallying its first home dual victory of the season in the 39-0 win in Jenison Field House. Two Spartans earned their first career starts and dual wins en route to MSU's first shutout since defeated Eastern Michigan 39-0 on Feb. 1, 1998. With the win, Michigan State evens its record to 3-3-0, while Ohio dropped to 4-3-0. The match started with an Ohio forfeit at 125 pounds, giving the Spartans a quick 6-0 advantage. No. 3 Franklin Gomez remained perfect in dual action with his 13-3 major decision victory over Seth Morton. Gomez began the match with two takedowns in the first, sandwiching Morton's escape. In the second period, Gomez tallied an escape and another takedown, picking up three points. In the final period, Morton escaped twice but forfeited a point for stalling and couldn't overcome Gomez' two takedowns. With the win, MSU extended its lead to 10-0. At 141 pounds, Micah Carter made his first career start for the Spartans, and tallied his first dual win, taking down Germane Lindsey in a 12-6 decision. Carter jumped out to a fast 5-0 lead, with a takedown and three near fall points. Lindsey managed an escape, only to be taken down again to give Carter a 7-1 lead after the first period. The pair traded points in the second, then Carter started the third with another takedown. Lindsey fought back with an escape and eventual takedown, but Carter held on to capture the win, 11-6. Anthony Jones Jr. also started and won his first dual match, defeating Kevin Christensen 5-3 at 149 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Jones struck first with an escape, but Christensen took a one-point lead with a takedown. Heading into the third period, Jones gave up an escape but posted a takedown to tie the score 3-3, forcing a sudden-death overtime. Moments into the extra minute, Jones picked up two points with the winning takedown. John Fulger continued to dominate for the Green and White, picking up a 7-2 win over Clay Tucker at 157 pounds. In the second period, Fulger tallied the first points with a takedown, then earned three more with an escape and an additional takedown in the third. With a 5-0 lead, Tucker managed a reversal to put two points on the board, but Fulger quickly posted a reversal of his own, to seal the win for Michigan State. After the end of five bouts, the Spartans led Ohio 19-0. Coming out of intermission, Rex Kendle showed no signs of Michigan State letting up, as the 165-pounder posted the night's second major decision for the Spartans; Kendle defeated Kent Smith 10-2. Smith struck first with a takedown, but Kendle soon regained control with an escape and a takedown to finish the first period ahead 3-2. Kendle tallied the remainder of the points with an escape, two takedowns and two nearfall points. The eight major decision points boosted MSU's lead to 23-0. At 174 pounds, John Murphy earned the night's only fall, pinning Ryan Knapp in 6:44. The match started with an MSU 4-1 advantage after the first, and Murphy tacked on additional points to lead 9-2. With an early takedown in the third, Murphy lead 11-2 before pinning Knapp in the final minute. Nick Palmieri kept the Spartans' shutout alive with an 11-3 major decision victory over Erik Schuth at 184 pounds. Palmieri tallied two takedowns in the first, while Schuth managed a single escape. After a scoreless second period, Palmieri tacked on six points with three takedowns, but gave up two Ohio escapes. With the additional point from riding time. Palmieri chalked up the major decision win and added on four team points for the Spartans' 33-0 lead. MSU's No. 18 Joe Williams took a solid 5-0 lead against Chris Iammarino after two periods at 197 pounds. Iammarino gave MSU a scare as he tallied two near fall points, but Williams quickly rolled loose for an escape point. With a 6-2 lead, Williams took down Iammarino and inched Michigan State one bout closer to a perfect night. In the night's final match, Alan O'Donnell battled to the last seconds with Ohio's Jason Marshall. O'Donnell, who returned to the starting lineup after missing over a month with a knee injury, picked up three escape points after a scoreless first period, but Marshall maintianed a 4-3 lead with takedown points. Marshall extended his lead to 5-4 with an early escape in the third, but O'Donnell swept in to tally a takedown. Marshall eventually escaped again, and rebuttled with a takedown of his own, regaining the lead 8-6. O'Donnell inched back within one point with an escape, and with four seconds left in regulation, O'Donnell gave the fans a thrilling finish, taking down Marshall for the eventual 9-8 win. The Spartans return to the mat Saturday, Jan. 12 in Oklahoma City, Okla., taking on Pittsburgh and Oklahoma. Action begins at 2 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With a 27-6 win over Kent State Friday, the No. 12 Ohio State wrestling team won its sixth consecutive match of the season at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio. The Buckeyes improve to 9-1 overall, while the Golden Flashes fall to 4-2 in dual action. Senior heavyweight and second-ranked J.D. Bergman kept his perfect record in tact at 15-0, including a 10-0 mark in dual competition. Redshirt-sophomore Mike Pucillo and true freshman Colt Sponseller remained undefeated in dual action, moving to 9-0 and 5-0 on the year, respectively. After dropping the first two matches at 125 and 133 pounds to give Kent State six team points, Ohio State reeled off eight consecutive wins, including major decisions by Lance Palmer (149), Jason Johnstone (157) and Bergman. Redshirt-junior and 10th-ranked J Jaggers gave the Buckeyes their first points of the match with a 3-2 decision over No. 13 Drew Lashaway at 141 pounds. Still down 6-3, No. 9 Lance Palmer propelled Ohio State to its first lead after handing Clint Sponseller an 11-1 loss. Never relinquishing the lead from that point, junior Jason Johnstone defeated Sli Bostelman, 13-2, to increase the OSU lead to 11-6. Clint's younger brother, Buckeye and 165-pounder Colt Sponseller decisioned his way to another win after beating No. 15 Kurt Gross, 8-5. At 174 pounds, Alex Picazo downed Mike Estep, 10-5, before Pucillo dropped Eric Chine, 8-2. John Weakley earned his sixth win of the season with a 13-9 decision over Michael Blackwell before Bergman sealed the OSU victory with a 17-6 win over No. 18 Jermail Porter. Ohio State will break from dual action when it participates in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Jan. 12-13 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The all-day event will be hosted by Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome. This is the first time since 2004 Ohio State has participated in the National Duals.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly won six of 10 matches while coasting to victory against Oregon, 22-15, in a Pac-10 dual at Mott Gym Friday night. The Mustangs improved to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in Pac-10 action on the season. The key match of the evening for the Mustangs came at 197 as Arturo Basulto earned a 3-1 decision over Oregon's Shaun Dee. Basulto went down with an apparent shoulder injury and could have walked off the mat – which would've cut the Ducks' deficit to 19-18 with heavyweights remaining. However, Basulto returned to the match and battled through the pain, even earning an escape with 39 seconds, to solidify a 3-1 decision and Cal Poly's victory for the night. Chase Pami, ranked No. 10 in the nation, improved to 17-3 on the season with a 15-3 major decision over Oregon's Elliott Trace at 157. Micah Ferguson bounced back from a Thursday night loss to West Virginia's Kyle Turnbull for a 4-0 decision over Joey Lucas at 125. At 149, Eric Maldanado handled Jeremy McLaughlin for a 9-5 decision. Ryan Williams won his second match of the week with a 5-4 decision over Kyle Bounds thanks to riding time. Chad Mendes, ranked No. 3 in the nation, took the night off at 141-pounds as the Ducks forfeited the weight class, giving the Mustangs an easy six points. Cal Poly returns to action on Jan. 11 for a Pac-10 dual with Arizona State at Mott Gym. The match begins at 7 p.m.

Columbia, Mo. -- Improving to 5-0 for the fifth consecutive year, the seventh-ranked Missouri wrestling team held off Bucknell, 30-9, in the Tigers' home opener held in the Hearnes Center. Seven Tigers were credited with wins on the night, with five of the seven victories recorded as bonus point wins. "I was pleased with tonight's win," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "Bucknell is a good team and they showed us where some of our weaknesses are. We'll have to go back into the practice room and really work hard to get ready for the National Duals coming up next week." Starting the night at 125 pounds, sophomore John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) notched a 16-1 win by technical fall over Jose Matos in 5:41. Earning his seventh win of the season and second in four bouts by technical fall, Olanowski dominated Matos in the first period, outscoring the Bison, 10-1. Next with a Tiger victory was 15th-ranked senior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) at 149 pounds. Coming off of a third-place showing at the Midland Championships, Wagner shutout Kevin LeValley, 13-0, to help Missouri regain its team lead, 9-6. The shutout was Wagner's third of the season and gives him 78 career wins. Thirteenth-ranked junior Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) improved to 15-1 on the season after besting Brantley Hooks, 14-3. All three of Hooks points came by escape, with Chandler totaling six takedowns and 3:09 of riding time for the win. The second bout of the night to feature two ranked wrestlers proved a close match between No. 3 Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) and No. 20 Andy Rendos of Bucknell. Marable was first to score, earning a takedown with 1:33 left in the first period but Rendos escaped to end the period at 2-1. Choosing down to start the second period, Marable escaped in 22 seconds to take the lead and eventual 3-2 win. Junior co-captain Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) continued his dominating ways on the mat, securing an 18-3 technical fall victory over David Thompson at 184 pounds. Marking his fifth straight win of the campaign, eight of Jordan's 14 victories this year have been won by major decision, fall or technical fall. Competing against Thompson, Jordan took the Bison to his back three times, collecting nine points by nearfall. Making his first career start in the Missouri lineup, redshirt freshman Josh Skurnik (Kirkland, Wash.) earned his first dual victory with a 9-4 decision of Charlie Wonsettler. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Skurnik scored a takedown 12 seconds into the match, taking the Bison to his back less than one minute later. Throughout the match Skurnik controlled his opponent, riding Wonsettler for 2:54. Missouri's final win of the evening came from sophomore Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) at heavyweight. Recording his eighth fall of the season and doubling his previous career high pins mark, Ellis stuck George Hingson in 5:31. The Tigers will return to the mat next Saturday, Jan. 12, when they compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Corvallis, Ore. -- The Nebraska wrestling team won nine of the ten contested matches against Oregon State on Friday as the Huskers rolled to a 42-3 win and improved to 6-1 on the year. The Huskers notched seven bonus-point victories in their nine wins, including four pins in a total of 3:45 as head coach Mark Manning earned his 101st dual win at Nebraska. Junior Brandon Browne again led the Husker as he notched the fastest pin of the night (41 seconds) at 174 pounds. Fellow juniors Chris Oliver and Vince Jones also earned pins at 157 and 184, respectively, while Kenny Jordan notched his third pin of the year at 133 in 1:57. Sophomore Stephen Dwyer started the dual with a 12-2 major decision at 165 pounds, while sophomores Craig Brester and Jordan Burroughs also had major-decision wins. Brester won 17-4 to stay a perfect 6-0 in duals this season and Burroughs won 20-11 to gain his eighth major decision on the season. Senior Jon May earned a 4-2 decision while junior Paul Donahoe won 8-2. The Huskers face their first tough test of the year on Jan. 12 and 13 as NU travels to the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- No. 6 Oklahoma State handed No. 1 Iowa a 19-14 defeat Saturday in front of 14,332 gold-clad fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena to claim their ninth straight win in the series and their 12th win in their last 13 meetings with the Hawkeyes. Including Saturday's win, Oklahoma State has now beaten the top-ranked team in the nation 11 times since 1977 and four times under John Smith. "We looked forward to this match for some time and we knew that scoring takedowns was going to be the difference and we did that," Smith said. "We didn't have much of a strategy going in except getting takedowns." Seniors Coleman Scott and Jake Dieffenbach both picked up wins over Hawkeye wrestlers ranked No. 2 in the nation, as Scott handed No. 2 Joe Slaton an 8-6 beating and Dieffenbach claimed a 5-3 victory over second-ranked Mark Perry. "This is nice, but it's not what I'm after," Dieffenbach said after being asked if Saturday's victorious trip to Iowa was the time of his life. "If I go 0-and-2 at NCAAs, nobody will remember me. If I win an NCAA championship, then I'll call it the time of my life." Though Scott's and Dieffenbach's were impressive, perhaps even more crucial to the Cowboys' team success were Newly McSpadden's 4-2 decision over No. 19 Ryan Morningstar at 157 pounds and true freshman Clayton Foster's 12-1 major decision win over Rick Loera at 197 pounds. Shendandoah, Iowa, native Brandon Mason was also a winner for OSU, shutting out No. 11 Jay Borschel by a 2-0 margin. "We're progressing every week," Scott said. "We're going to be there right in the mix at the end of the year." The Cowboys return to action when they compete at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., January 11 and 12. Match-by-Match Breakdown: 125 pounds: Oklahoma State freshman Ben Ashmore's strong upset bid was bolstered when he recorded a three-point nearfall in the third period to take a 6-5 lead, but a reversal from No. 5 Charlie Falck with 54 seconds left in the match, plus a 1:14 riding time advantage gave Falck the final edge in a 7-5 decision. 133 pounds: In the most intense match of the evening, top-ranked Coleman Scott raced out to a 7-1 lead and held off a comeback bid by second-ranked Joe Slaton to claim a 7-6 win. Scott notched a takedown at the 1:41 mark of the first period for the only scoring of the opening stanza. After choosing down to open the second, Scott escaped at the 1:41 mark, then posted another takedown at the 1:18 mark to jump out to a 5-0 advantage. A Slaton escape with 19 seconds remaining in the period brought the score to 5-1 entering the third period. Scott bagged his third takedown of the match with 1:41 reaming to open up his widest lead at 7-1. Slaton rushed back with an escape and a late surge, but Scott kept the sophomore at bay and added a riding time point to claim the 8-4 win. 141 pounds: Nathan Morgan was the aggressor throughout the match to claim an 8-4 win over 10th-ranked Dan LeClere. Morgan notched one takedown in each of the three periods and held a 5-1 advantage after a takedown with 1:19 remaining in the second period. A LeClere escape with 29 seconds left in the second stanza trimmed Morgan's advantage to 5-2 heading into the third period. The final period started with a quick escape by LeClere to make it 5-3, but a takedown by Morgan with 51 seconds left brought the score to 7-3 and put the match out of reach for LeClere, who notched a late escape. Morgan added a riding time point to bring the final score to 8-4. 149 pounds: No. 2 Brent Metcalf established himself early and took the match to Quinten Fuentes for a full seven minutes to claim a 20-8 win over the Cowboy freshman. Fuentes was unable to take Metcalf down, with Metcalf logging eight takedowns and a reversal in a bout that was never in doubt. 157 pounds: No. 14 Newly McSpadden avoided a late takedown bid by 19th-ranked Ryan Morningstar in what ended up being arguably the key moment of McSpadden's 4-2 win. The scoring opened with a McSpadden takedown with 43 seconds remaining in the first period, followed by a Morningstar escape with 28 seconds left in the opening stanza that sent McSpadden into the second stanza with a 2-1 lead. After choosing down to start the period, McSpadden escaped to go up 3-1 with 1:43 left for the only points of the period. McSpadden rode Morningstar for the bulk of the third period, but an escape with 44 seconds left brought the score to 3-2. With Morningstar desperate for a takedown late in the match, McSpadden fought off his best effort to seal the win. He added 1:15 of riding time to bring the final to 4-2. 165 pounds: For those who were unsure of what OSU senior Jake Dieffenbach was capable of, he made a bold statement Saturday with a 5-3 win over reigning national champion and second-ranked Mark Perry. A scoreless first period that included very few shots was followed by a second period that saw Perry open the scoring by escaping at the 1:50 mark to go up 1-0. Things remained largely stagnant until Dieffenbach took the Stillwater native down with 19 seconds remaining, then turned the Hawkeye's biggest star two seconds later to record a two-point nearfall and bring the score to 4-1 entering the final period. Perry logged a takedown with 1:37 remaining to trim Dieffenbach's advantage to 4-3, but a Dieffenbach escape with 35 ticks left dashed Perry's hopes of a win. 174 pounds: Wrestling in his home state, OSU junior and Shenandoah, Iowa native, Brandon Mason claimed a 2-0 win over No. 11 Jay Borschel. After the two wrestlers went through the first period scoreless, Mason chose down to start the second and escaped with 1:38 on the clock for the period's only point. Down 1-0 to start the third, Borschel chose down. Mason capitalized on the sophomore's decision and rode him out the entire final stanza, finishing with 1:40 of riding time to claim a 2-0 win. 184 pounds: No.12 Phillip Keddy picked up a 12-2 major decision win over Oklahoma State's Cody Hill behind the strength of four takedowns and a pair of stalling calls on Hill. Keddy controlled the match from the start and finished with 4:10 of riding time added on. 197 pounds: Cowboy true freshman Clayton Foster announced his presence to the Iowa wrestling faithful by picking up a takedown and a three-point nearfall within the first two minutes of his 12-1 win over Hawkeye sophomore Rick Loera. Taking a 5-1 lead into the second stanza, Foster rode Loera out for the entire period. Starting the third period down, Foster notched an escape eight seconds in, then notched a takedown and a three-point nearfall to go up, 11-1 at the 1:07 mark. After 4:37 of riding time was added on, Foster was a 12-2 winner. Heavyweight: Jared Rosholt was cut under his eye early in the match and lost a slow-paced 4-3 decision to No. 8 Matt Fields.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- In a match that came down to the heavyweights in the final bout of the night, sophomore Justin Allen earned an 8-2 decision over Phil Doerner to propel Lehigh to a 21-16 victory over Stanford Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won six bouts on the evening to snap a four dual losing streak and hand the Cardinal, coached by former Lehigh assistant Kerry McCoy, their first dual loss of the season. Lehigh improves to 5-9 in duals, while Stanford is now 3-1. Lehigh enjoyed a nine point lead with three bouts to go, but back-to-back losses at 184 and 197 left the fate of the dual in the hands of the heavyweights. After a scoreless first period, Allen escaped and earned a takedown in the second to build a 3-0 cushion. The North Carolina native added a pair of counter takedowns in the third, to secure his 12th win, and clinch the dual for the Brown and White. The dual began with the teams trading pins at 125 and 133. All-American Tanner Gardner put the Cardinal ahead with a fall over freshman Mitch Berger in 2:24, but sophomore Seth Ciasulli wasted little time in his Grace Hall season debut, taking down Blair Matsuura and stacking him up for a fall which came in just 17 seconds, the fastest Lehigh fall this season. The Brown and White built an 18-9 lead after seven bouts, with wins in four of the next five weight classes. Senior Jeff Santo and junior Trevor Chinn delivered wins by decision at 141 and 149 respectively, and after Josh Zupancic beat senior Dave Nakasone 8-2 at 157, sophomore Mike Galante and freshman Alex Caruso delivered wins by decision to put Lehigh up by nine. Stanford received some hope from its second bonus win of the night, a 13-3 major decision by Zack Giesen over freshman Kadeem Samuels at 184. Lehigh had a chance to clinch the dual at 197, but sophomore Alex Iacocca fell to Jake Johnson in a wild, back-and-forth affair 12-10. Iacocca scored first, but after yielding an escape was taken down, only to secure a reversal and two-point near fall at the first period buzzer. Johnson reversed to open the second, and then a quick trade of reversals made the score 8-7 heading into the third. In the final period Johnson secured two takedowns and riding time, to earn the two point win by decision, and setting up Allen for the dramatic finish at heavyweight. "We were going to need one of the final two, either Iacocca or Allen," said Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel. "I could see the look in Allen's face right before the match where he knew he had to go out and do it for the team. I was really pleased with the whole team in terms of the fight they showed tonight." The Mountain Hawks will return to the mats next Friday when they head to Hampton, Virginia to take part in the 26th Virginia Duals. Seeds and brackets for the 16-team dual tournament will be unveiled early next week, with wrestling action set to begin Friday at 9 a.m. All of Lehigh's Virginia duals matches will be broadcast live online at Lehighsports.com, with streaming audio powered by Yahoo! Sports.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, crushed Cornell 35-10 in a key Eastern wrestling dual match. The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 4 nationally, used three pins against No. 17 Cornell in front over 3,200 fans in Penn State's Rec Hall. Penn State, decked out in special white singlets to celebrate 100 years of Penn State wrestling, won seven of ten bouts, including pins from three of its upperclassmen. Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) and three-time national qualifier Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) helped the Nittany Lions amass a stunning 14-1 edge in bonus points. While the pins thrilled the crowd, it was a win by Penn State's David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) at 174 that highlighted the bout as the Lion sophomore beat No. 8 Steve Anceravage 6-4 to punctuate the team victory. After Cornell's Mike Grey posted a tough win to start the bout at 133, Penn State reeled off three straight wins. No. 2 Strayer got his pin at 141, freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) got a forfeit victory at 149 (filling in for resting Bubba Jenkins, No. 3) and Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) got a major at 157. Cornell's Mack Lewnes recorded a major at 165 and then Erwin took the mat for the bout's keynote win. An outstanding six point move as the bout ended gave the Lion sophomore a much-needed 6-4 win over the eighth-ranked Cornell wrestler and sent the Lion faithful into a frenzy. Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) added a major at 184 before Davis, ranked No. 2 at 197, finished off a textbook cradle for a first period pin of his own. Cornell's Zach Hammond got a hard fought win at HWT before McKnight closed out the dual with his pin at 125. The Nittany Lions move to a perfect 5-0 on the season while Cornell falls to 0-2. The two teams could meet again soon as both Penn State and Cornell will trek to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, next weekend for the 2008 National Duals, hosted by Northern Iowa in the UNI-Dome. The tournament, which features nine of the nation's top ten teams and 14 of the top 17, will take place on Saturday and Sunday, January 12-13. Penn State's next home dual will be on Sunday, Jan. 27, when the Nittany Lions host No. 15 Indiana at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall. All Penn State duals can be heard locally on WBLF AM (970) and WKVA (920 AM). Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual tickets. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 133: In the dual's first bout, Penn State senior co-captain Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) made his Rec Hall return after missing six weeks with an injury by facing No. 7 Mike Grey of Cornell at 133. Haas nearly got the bout's first points by turning Grey near the edge of the mat, but the Big Red freshman fought off the attempt. Grey then took Haas down at the 1:40 mark to go up 2-0. Haas quickly escaped to a 2-1 deficit, but Grey added one more takedown with :30 left to lead 4-1 after one period. Grey chose down to start the middle stanza and escaped to a 5-1 lead. Neither wrestler would notch a takedown in the second period, giving Grey the four point lead heading into the last period. Haas chose down to start the third but could not break free of a strong Grey ride for the duration of the period. The bonus point for riding time gave Grey a solid 6-1 win and put Cornell up 3-0 to begin the match. 141: Penn State All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 141, took on Cornell's Eric McGill. Strayer wasted no time in getting his first takedown, breaking out to a 2-0 lead at the 2:25 mark. Strayer cut McGill after a reset and added a second takedown with just under two minutes left in the opening period. With a 4-1 lead, Strayer once again cut McGill loose and notched takedown number three at the 1:00 mark. Strayer turned McGill to his back, nearly pinned McGill while riding him out, getting a three-point near fall to take a 9-2 lead into the second. McGill chose neutral to start the middle period, but Strayer was relentless. The Nittany Lion All-American turned a solid McGill shot into two points of his own, working through the McGill shot and stepping over the Big Red grappler to up his lead to 11-2 with 1:15 left in the period. Strayer rode McGill out and led by nine heading into the final period with 3:14 in riding time. Strayer chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 12-2 lead. He then got in on McGill's right thigh, notched another takedown and cut McGill in an effort to work towards a technical fall. Strayer got another takedown with :30 left, cut McGill once more and had :20 to get the needed takedown. With :05 left, Strayer got the final takedown and clinched the technical fall, but with :01 left in the bout, Strayer stepped over McGill and planted his shoulders on the mat for a pin at the 6:59 mark. The six points put the Nittany Lions up 6-3. 149: With No. 3 Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) taking the evening off for Penn State, freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) moved up a weight to battle Cornell's Adam Frey at 149. But Cornell chose not to send a wrestler to the mat and Scott got the victory by forfeit, putting Penn State up 12-3. 157: The anticipated match-up of Nittany Lion Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 11 at 157, and Cornell's Jordan Leen, ranked No. 7, did not happen as Cornell sent Drake Hovis to the mat. Vallimont got his first takedown early in the first period and led 2-1 throughout much of the opening stanza. Vallimont added a second takedown at the 1:13 mark, countering a Hovis shot to up his lead to 4-1. The Lion sophomore then built up a 1:48 riding time edge in maintaining his advantage throughout the rest of the period. Trailing 4-1, Hovis chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 deficit. A deep single leg by Vallimont led to another takedown and a 6-2 lead with just under a minute left. Hovis escaped for a quick point, but Vallimont continued his offensive pressure with a quick single leg, moving around behind Hovis to move out to an 8-3 lead after two periods. Vallimont, with over two minutes of riding time, chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 9-3 lead with 1:22 left in the bout. With :20 left, Vallimont clinched a major decision with a solid takedown that nearly resulted in a pin. With the riding time point, Vallimont posted a 12-3 major and pushed Penn State out to a 16-3 lead. 165: Penn State sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) met No. 3 Mack Lewnes of Cornell at 165. Lewnes got in deep on Rella's right thigh and, after a scramble, broke out to a 2-0 lead with 1:00 left in the period. Rella escaped quickly to cut the Lewnes lead to 2-1, only to be taken down once more as Lewnes locked in on Rella's right thigh one more time and, after another scramble, secured the takedown with :05 left in the period to lead 4-1 after one period. Rella chose down to begin the middle stanza and escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Rella got in on Lewnes' leg, but could not finish the move and tie the score. Lewnes got his third takedown at the :30 mark to take a 6-3 lead after a Rella escape. Up by three, Lewnes chose down to begin the final period and escaped to a 7-3 lead. Rella upped his offensive pressure, but Lewnes was able to fight off each move, keeping the Nittany Lion from cutting into the Cornell lead. Lewnes added another takedown after a reset at the :50 mark, moving out a 9-4 lead after letting Rella up. Needing one more takedown to grab a major, Lewnes took Rella down at the :11 mark and got the riding time point for a 12-4 major decision. The victory cut Penn State's lead to 16-7. 174: Nittany Lion sophomore David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) met Cornell's Steve Anceravage at 174. Anceravage entered the bout ranked No. 8 nationally. Anceravage took the first shot early in the period, but Erwin countered the move and nearly got a takedown of his own. Seconds later, Erwin locked onto to Anceravage's right ankle but could not get the takedown and the ranked Big Red grappler fought off the move once more. Anceravage nearly got a takedown as time expired in the first period, but this time it was Erwin who fought through the move. Erwin chose down to start the middle period and Anceravage quickly turned the Lion sophomore for two back points. Anceravage maintained control for the bulk of the second period and then, with just :07 left, Anceravage tried to turn Erwin but in the process got called for an illegal hold. Erwin, sensing an opening, then forced the ranked Big Red grappler to his back, gaining control for a two point reversal and three near fall points. In the period-ending flurry, Erwin went from down 2-0 to up 6-2 after the second period. Anceravage chose down to start the third and escaped to a 6-3 deficit. With Anceravage holding a riding time advantage, one more takedown for the CU grappler would essentially tie the bout. Erwin continued to shoot, forcing Anceravage back on his heels and holding on for an impressive 6-4 win over eighth-ranked Anceravage. The win put Penn State up 19-7 heading into the 814 pound bout. 184: Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) put his No. 15 ranking at 184 on the line against Cornell's Michael Moore. Bomberger opened up a big lead early with two takedowns in the first :45. Leading 4-2, Bomberger continued his offensive efforts, but the Cornell sophomore held firm with good defense and then, with :52 left, took Bomberger down to tie the score at 4-4. Bomberger escaped at the :30 mark to lead 5-4 and rode that lead into the second period. Bomberger chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 6-4 lead. With 1:15 left in the second period, Bomberger moved from the middle of the mat and deftly put Moore, who entered the bout with a 20-9 mark, to his back for a two point takedown and a near fall. The five point move put Bomberger up 11-5 after a Moore escape. Moore chose down to begin the second period and escaped to an 11-6 deficit. Needing one more takedown to secure a major, Bomberger used a strong double-leg to get the needed points and, after riding Moore out and getting a riding time point, got a 14-6 major decision. The four points put Penn State up 23-7. 197: Penn State's three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 in the country at 197, met Cornell's Matt Panasevich. Davis wasted no time in thrilling the raucous Rec Hall crowd, nearly pinning Panasevich in the bout's first minute. The two-point takedown, three-point near fall combination put the Nittany Lion senior in control with a 5-0 lead. After a reset, Davis showcased why he's one of the nation's best by calmly working in on a cradle and pinning Panasevich at the 2:15 mark for his second pin of the year. The six points put Penn State up 29-7 and clinched the dual meet victory. HWT: Junior John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) took the mat at heavyweight for Penn State to face No. 10 Zach Hammond of Cornell. Laboranti, making his Rec Hall dual match debut, was an equal match for Hammond early on, battling the tenth-ranked Cornell junior through three solid minutes of scoreless wrestling. With no score after the opening period, Hammond chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Neither wrestler could break through the other's defenses and the second period went by without any takedowns as well. Laboranti, trailing by one, chose down to start the third period and quickly got his escape to tie the score at 1-1. With just :25 left, Hammond got in on Laboranti's ankle and after a long tussle, managed to get the takedown with just :07 left to post a hard-fought 3-1 win over the talented Nittany Lion junior. The victory cut Penn State's lead to 29-10. 125: Nittany Lion senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 7 nationally, met Cornell's Mike Rodriguez at 125 in the dual's final bout. McKnight wasted no time in setting the tempo, nearly taking Rodriquez down to start the dual. But the Cornell senior fought off the move and countered with a shot of his own. But McKnight allowed nothing and kept the bout scoreless midway through the first period. McKnight continued to set the pace, moving Rodriguez around the mat but not managing a takedown. With no score after one period, McKnight chose down to begin the second period. After a brief scramble, McKnight reversed the CU wrestler and quickly put him to his back for Penn State's third pin of the dual, getting the fall at the 3:37 mark. The victory, Penn State's seventh in the bout, gave Penn State a 35-10 final victory.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestler Cody Cleveland has been named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week, the SoCon office announced Thursday. Cleveland brought home a fourth-place finish at 141 pounds from the prestigious Midlands Championships this past weekend in Evanston, Ill. The unseeded sophomore from Tullahoma, Tenn., wrestled 10 matches over the two-day event and finished with an 8-2 record. After going 1-1 in the championship bracket, Cleveland wrestled his way back into the medal rounds, winning seven of his eight consolation matches. Cleveland recorded two technical falls, two major decisions and a pin. His pin came against eighth-seeded Corey Jantzen of Harvard. Cleveland's finish helped lead the 10th-ranked Mocs to a seventh-place finish in the team standings at the Midlands. His performance also led to a national ranking in his weight class by the National Wrestling Coaches Association/IntermatWrestle.com. Cleveland broke into the poll at No. 16, earning the ranking by the NWCA for the first time in his career. He remained at No. 17 in the Wrestling International Newsmagazine poll. Also benefiting from a strong showing at the Midlands was Josh Edmondson. The senior 184-pounder, who placed eighth at the event, is ranked 16th this week by W.I.N.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -– The Rutgers wrestling team, under the guidance of first-year head coach Scott Goodale, returns to the mat for a home doubleheader on Friday, Jan. 4, at the College Ave. Gym, starting at 3:00 p.m. The Scarlet Knights will wrestle at home for the first time this season as they take on non-conference opponents Wagner and Lock Haven. Rutgers is 0-3 on the season, having fallen on the road to No. 12 Ohio State, Lehigh and No. 22 Maryland. The Scarlet Knights are led by redshirt senior Steve Adamcsik (Chester, N.J.) who is 13-4 on the season with five major decisions. Adamcsik is ranked No. 20 in the 141-pound weight class in the latest InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I Individual Rankings. Both matches will be broadcast on TakeDown Radio with Scott Casber providing the play by play. Fans can tune in at http://www.intermatwrestle.com/takedownradio/home2.aspx (just click on the "Listen Live" link on the left side of the page). Rutgers will face off against Wagner (0-4-1) at 3:00 p.m., followed by Lock Haven (3-1) at 7:00 p.m. Both matches are free and open to the public.

Columbia, Mo. -- The seventh-ranked Missouri wrestling team will open the home portion of its schedule Friday, Jan. 4, beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) power Bucknell. This marks the first meeting between the two programs and Missouri will put its perfect 4-0 dual record on the line when they host the Bison (3-4). Over the past 10 seasons, Missouri has managed an 8-2 record in home openers, winning seven consecutive home openers dating back to 2000-01 season. In only his third year with the team, Head Coach Brian Smith coached the Tigers to a 46-0 shutout of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville to start the 2000-01 home schedule with a win. Owning a perfect four dual win streak, this marks the fifth straight season in which Missouri has started a season at 4-0. Missouri enters the Friday night dual with nine grapplers ranked among the top 20 in the nation in their respective weight class. Tiger sophomore Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) owns the highest ranking of his teammates and stands at third in the nation at 165 pounds. Marable is currently 12-2 on the season and has defeated three of the nation's top 165 pound grapplers. Five members of Missouri's 10-man lineup are ranked among the top-10 in the nation of their respective weight class with freshman 125 pounder Tony Pescaglia (Columbia, Mo.) ranked as high as ninth in the nation. Pescaglia joined the nation's elite after finishing second at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and knocking off two top-ranked opponents. Also among the top-10 are senior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) who stands fourth at 133 pounds, junior 184 pounder Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) at fifth and sophomore Maxwell Askren of Hartland, Wis., at sixth at 197 pounds. Bucknell brings two top-20 ranked wrestlers to the Hearnes Center. Competing at 133 pounds, No. 20 David Marable, a sophomore, enters his bout with McCormick with a 12-3 record and stands at No. 2 in the EIWA. Fellow teammate Andy Rendos is set to put his No. 20 ranking up against No. 3 Marable. Rendos is 14-3 on the year and 6-1 in dual competition. Rendos' only dual loss of the campaign came to No. 1 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan, 12-3. Recent transfer Brock Wittmeyer (Platte City, Mo.) will make his first start in Missouri's lineup. Expected to compete at 174 pounds, Wittmeyer comes to Missouri from Penn and owns a 38-32 career record. Tickets for the Friday night dual are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. Fans are encouraged to come early and pick up the first of five unique programs. Over the course of Missouri's five home duals, a different wrestler will be featured on the program, with a scorecard available on the back.

The Feb. 1 Big Ten wrestling dual meet between the defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers and the No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes will be broadcast live from Williams Arena on the Big Ten Network beginning at 7:30 p.m., network officials confirmed today. The meet is a late addition to the BTN wrestling broadcast schedule, which will feature seven dual meets and the 2008 Big Ten Championships (also at Williams Arena) on March 9. The Big Ten Network has broadcast two wrestling events live already this season. The dual meet between then-No. 1 Minnesota and then-No. 2 Iowa State (a 19-13 Cyclone win) was broadcast on Dec. 2, and the finals of the Midlands Classic were televised from Evanston, Ill. on Sunday. The Gophers' Feb. 8 dual meet at Northwestern is also scheduled to be televised. The "border battle" rivalry between the Golden Gophers and Hawkeyes is one of the collegiate wrestling's fiercest. Iowa leads the all-time series between the programs 62-24-1, but the Gophers have won nine of 15 dual meets between the two since 1998. J Robinson's squad earned a convincing 29-13 win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena last season en route to their third national championship in seven years. The teams last met in Minneapolis on Jan. 22, 2006, a 25-9 win for the Gophers. 6,695 fans were in attendance at that meet, which was also held in Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers are currently ranked third in the latest USA Today/NWCA/Intermat national coaches poll and have compiled a 6-1 dual meet record so far in 2007-08. The team is coming off a lopsided victory at the 2007 Southern Scuffle tournament last weekend, Minnesota's second title at the event in three years. The Hawkeyes moved up to No. 1in the national rankings after defeating then-No. 1 Iowa State in a dual meet Dec. 9. It was the first time Iowa had gained the top spot since in the NWCA poll since the 2000 season. The Gophers and Hawkeyes will both compete at the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Jan. 12-13 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The schools have met five times all-time at the annual event, with Minnesota winning three of those match-ups.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Scoring seven individual bout wins, including the last four in the match, the top-ranked Augsburg College wrestling team claimed a 25-13 dual-meet victory over Minnesota State University Moorhead on Thursday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. Thanks to a major decision win and two victories over ranked wrestlers, MSU Moorhead held a 13-11 lead after six bouts. But Augsburg won the last four matches -- two by major decision -- to claim the victory and improve to 3-0 in dual meets this season. MSU Moorhead, ranked No. 14 in the latest NCAA Division II national poll, is now 4-1 on the season. Augsburg, the defending NCAA Division III national champions and winners of 10 of the last 17 national titles, is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division III national poll (National Wrestling Coaches Association) national poll. Augsburg is now 11-0 in the all-time series with the Dragons, dating to the 1991-92 season. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 221-17 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 12 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Beau Hansen (FY, Albert Lea, Minn.) gave the Auggies the lead for good at 157 pounds with a 9-1, major-decision victory. Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) and Matt Curtis (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) followed with decision victories at 165 and 174, respectively, and George Lynaugh (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) moved up to 184 for the first time this season and closed the match with an 18-6 win, converting eight takedowns and taking advantage of 3:18 of riding time. Augsburg's Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.), ranked No. 6 nationally at 133, claimed a 12-2, major-decision victory, improving to 16-1 on the season. Lucas Murray (FY, Anoka, Minn.) followed with a 17-6, major-decision win at 141. Andy Witzel (SO, Fulda, Minn.) also claimed a win for the Auggies, with a 3-1 triumph over MSUM's Jon Swart (FY, Fargo, Minn./North HS) at heavyweight. The Dragons' Joe Werner (JR, Richville, Minn./Perham HS) scored the biggest upset of the evening, claiming an 11-second pin of Augsburg's Seth Flodeen (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn.), the top-ranked wrestler in Division III at 125 and defending national runner-up. In the lone meeting of ranked wrestlers, MSUM's Shane Walton (SR, Pine River, Minn./Pine River-Backus HS), ranked No. 6 in Division II at 149, claimed an 18-15 victory over Augsburg's Willy Holst (SO, Prescott, Wis.), ranked No. 2 in Division III. Walton is now 9-4 on the season, while Holst suffered his first loss of the season, falling to 14-1. A third-period takedown and two-point near-fall enabled Walton to overcome a 1:25 riding-time advantage for Holst. Matt Nelson (JR, Burnsville, Minn.), ranked No. 7 at 197, opened the match for the Dragons with a 12-1, major-decision win. Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (1/5) at 9 a.m. at the Dickinson State (N.D.) Blue Hawk Classic. MSU Moorhead returns to action on Wednesday (1/9) at 7 p.m. with a home dual meet against the University of Mary (N.D.).

The West Virginia University wrestling team got off to a good start in their two-day California road swing by defeating Cal State Fullerton,27-12, in a dual meet on Wednesday, January 2, in Fullerton, Calif. The Mountaineers (2-1) scored an impressive victory over the Titans (3-3) after winning seven of 10 bouts, including two pin falls. WVU received an immediate boost as two-time All-American Brandon Rader (141) returned to the starting lineup after battling a knee injury and pinned Fullerton's Teddy Astorga in 1:30. Senior Zac Fryling (157) also pinned Devin Velasquez of the Titans in 3:25 to cap a dominant victory. Junior Jared Garvin (133) went the distance in his first start of the season, defeating Armando Gonzalez in a 2-1 decision that lasted two overtimes. In the lightweight division, Kyle Turnbull (125) improved to 2-1 on the season with a 4-2 decision over Andre Gonzalez. At 184 pounds, Kurt Brenner earned an impressive win over No. 14-ranked Ian Murphy. Brenner scored a 3-2 decision to continue his fast start. Senior Jared Villers (197), who leads the team with seven wins, followed with an 8-3 decision over John Drake. Chance Litton (174) also contributed with a 6-0 decision over the Titans' Todd Noel. Cal State Fullerton followed its first dual loss with a victory over Oregon, 22-17, in the second meet of the night. The Mountaineers return to action on Thursday, January 3, as they face the Cal Poly Mustangs in San Luis Obispo, Calif., at 1 p.m. PT

THIS WEEK The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team (7-0) will host Oklahoma State (5-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Cowboys are ranked sixth in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Coaches poll and ninth in the W.I.N. Magazine dual team rankings. The match has been designated as a "Be Bold, Wear Gold" event, where fans are encouraged to wear gold attire to the meet. The UI Athletics Ticket Office has already sold over 8,000 tickets for the meet and encourages fans to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth. Prices increase to $10 and $5 on match night. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hawkeyesports.com, over the telephone at 1-800 IA-HAWKS, and at the ticket office in Carver-Hawkeye 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. All dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will 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 ($9.95 per month or $79.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($119.95 per year). Internet - Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live 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. JOHNSON COUNTY I-CLUB LUNCHEON The annual Johnson County I-Club wrestling luncheon will be held Friday at 11:45 a.m. at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City. Tickets are $13 and must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, make a check payable to the Johnson County I-Club and mail to:Iowa Wrestling, ATTN: Luncheon, 223 Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA 52242. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS Oklahoma State is 5-1 with wins over Binghamton (47-3), Clarion (38-6), Hofstra (20-16) and American (42-0), and a loss to Oklahoma (21-9). The Cowboys finished second at the Reno Tournament of Champions, crowning two individual champs. Head Coach John Smith is 255-33-2 in 17 years at Oklahoma State. Smith, who is the all-time winningest coach in school history, was a two-time NCAA champion (1987-88) for the Cowboys and a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1988, 1992). He is assisted by Mark Branch and Eric Guerrero, who wrestled for Smith at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys return three all-Americans in seniors Coleman Scott (133) and Nathan Morgan (141), and junior Brandon Mason (174). Scott is ranked first in the nation and is 14-2. Morgan is ranked first, fourth and sixth in the nation by three different polls and is 16-2. Mason, a native of Shenandoah, IA, is ranked between fourth and sixth, and is 13-2. HAWKEYE SOPHOMORES TO BE PUT TO THE TEST Hawkeye sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141), Ryan Morningstar (157) and Jay Borschel (174) are all set to have matches against higher or similar-ranked opponents Saturday. Slaton, who is ranked in the top three, will face top-ranked senior Coleman Scott at 133. Scott placed second at the 2007 NCAA Championships and is 14-2 this season. It will be the first meeting between the two. LeClere will wrestle senior two-time all-American Nathan Morgan, who is ranked in the top six at 141. The two were set to meet at the 2006 Northern Iowa Open where LeClere was competing unattached. Morgan was forced to medically forfeit the match. Morningstar and his opponent - junior Newly McSpadden - are both ranked between 14-20 at 157. Morningstar holds a 2-1 advantage against McSpadden, winning the first two meetings last season by decisions (5-3, 2-1 TB-2), but losing the last meeting at the dual in Stillwater (2-0). McSpadden is 16-3 this season. Borschel will face Shenandoah native Brandon Mason, who is ranked in the top six at 174. Mason is a returning all-American and holds a 13-2 record this season. Mason won the only collegiate meeting between the two - a 4-2 decision at the 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open while Borschel was competing unattached. LAST MEETING Iowa fell to 9-2 with a 21-11 loss at Stillwater on Jan. 19. The Cowboys improved to 10-3 with the win, and extended their winning streak in the series to eight matches. It was also Iowa's second loss to Oklahoma State in seven days. The Cowboys scored a 22-13 win on Jan. 13 at the N.W.C.A./Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a solid start behind decisions from sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and senior Alex Grunder (149), as both avenged early season losses to their respective Cowboy opponents. Falck narrowly missed a major decision with a 9-2 win over redshirt freshman Tyler Shinn in the opening match. Grunder defeated freshman Dakotah Simpson, 5-2. The Cowboys picked up wins at 133 and 141, making the team score 6-6 after the first four matches. That score put Iowa in a much better position than the 15-0 deficit it was in at the same point at National Duals. Oklahoma State 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 separated shoulder in his match with Jared Shelton and was forced to injury default, putting the team win out of reach for Iowa. Hawkeye junior Matt Fields ended the dual with a 6-4 decision in sudden victory over Jared Rosholt at heavyweight. Oklahoma State 21, Iowa 11 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Tyler Shinn (OSU), 9-2 133 - Coleman Scott (OSU) dec. Mario Galanakis (I), 5-2 141 - Nathan Morgan (OSU) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 6-2 149 - Alex Grunder (I) dec. Dakotah Simpson (OSU), 5-2 157 - Newly McSpadden (OSU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 2-0 165 - Johny Hendricks (OSU) dec. Mark Perry (I), 4-3 174 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Brandon Mason (OSU), 2-1 184 - Jack Jensen (OSU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 3-2 197 - Jared Shelton (OSU) won by injury default over Dan Erekson (I) Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Jared Rosholt (OSU), 6-4 SV-1 HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are results for potential Iowa-Oklahoma State match-ups: 141 - Dan LeClere (I) vs. Nathan Morgan (OSU) - 1-0 LeClere won by medical forfeit, 2006 Northern Iowa Open* 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) vs. Nathan Morgan (OSU) - 0-2 Morgan dec. Tsirtsis, 4-2, at 2007 National Duals Morgan dec. Tsirtsis, 6-2, at 2007 dual 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) vs. Newly McSpadden (OSU) - 2-1 Morningstar dec. McSpadden, 5-3, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open Morningstar dec. McSpadden, 2-1 TB-2, at 2007 National Duals McSpadden dec. Morningstar, 2-0, at 2007 dual 174 - Jay Borschel (I) vs. Brandon Mason (OSU) - 0-1 Mason dec. Borschel, 4-2, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open* 184 - Rick Loera (I) vs. Cody Hill (OSU) - 0-1 Hill maj. dec. Loera, 9-1, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) vs. Jared Rosholt (OSU) - 1-1 Rosholt dec. Fields, 2-1, at 2007 National Duals Fields dec. Rosholt, 6-4 SV-1, at 2007 dual PERSONNEL NOTES Hawkeye senior 165-pounder Mark Perry is the nephew of Oklahoma State Head Coach John Smith. Perry's father, Mark Perry, Sr., was a two-time Big 12 Conference champion (1984-85) at 118 pounds and a three-year letterwinner (1983-85) for the Cowboys. He also served as an assistant coach on the Oklahoma State wrestling staff for eight seasons (1992-99). THE SERIES Oklahoma State leads the series, 24-16-1, and has won the last eight meetings. Iowa's last win in the series was 20-14, in Iowa City in 2000. Iowa holds a 9-8 advantage in matches wrestled in Iowa City. HAWKEYES WIN MIDLANDS TITLE, CROWN FOUR CHAMPIONS The Hawkeyes crowned four individual champions en route to winning the 2007 Midlands team title Sunday night in Evanston, IL. Iowa won its 19th team title in school history and its first since 2002. Iowa scored 185 points to win the 45th annual tournament. Defending team champion Iowa State placed second with 139. Iowa went four-for-five in the finals with junior Mark Perry (165) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141) and Brent Metcalf (149) each winning individual titles. It was Perry's second career title and his fourth appearance in the finals. It was the first title for Slaton, LeClere and Metcalf. Slaton set the tone for Iowa in the finals with a 6-2 upset over top seed Franklin Gomez of Indiana to remain undefeated at 12-0. LeClere followed with a narrow 5-4 upset over second seed Zack Bailey of Oklahoma. Metcalf won Iowa's third straight title, racking up third-period points to beat fifth seed Jake Patascil of Purdue by an 18-5 major decision. Perry made Iowa four-for-four in the finals with his 8-0 major decision over fifth seed Jonathan Reader of Iowa State. Sophomore Jay Borschel wrestled above his sixth seed, but could not pull the upset over top seed Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh and lost Iowa's final championship match, 13-4. For his efforts, Perry was named the Art Kraft Champion of Champions and the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He scored the most team points (30) of any competitor in the tournament, and recorded the most falls in the fastest time (four in 8:10). Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Alex Tsirtsis (141-3rd) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-8th), junior Charlie Falck (125-3rd), and sophomores Phillip Keddy (184-4th) and Ryan Morningstar (157-5th). Tsirtsis was wrestling unattached. BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED The Big Ten Network has released its 2007-08 wrestling schedule. Nine duals and the finals of the 2007 Midlands Championships and 2008 Big Ten Championships are scheduled to be aired on the network. Iowa will have two televised duals on the network. The Iowa-Ohio State dual on Jan. 18 in Columbus will air same-day tape-delayed at 8:30 p.m. (CT) and the Iowa-Minnesota dual on Feb. 1 in Minneapolis will air live at 7 p.m. (CT). The Iowa-Oklahoma State dual on Jan. 5 was originally scheduled for a tape-delayed broadcast, but will not be aired due to the addition of the Iowa-Minnesota dual. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 158-17 (.903) 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 WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 816-214-30 (.784) in 96 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 48 NCAA champions have won a total of 74 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 100 Big Ten champions have won a total of 181 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 130 all-Americans have earned all-America status 266 times, including 16 four-time, 28 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. NEXT COMPETITION Top-ranked Iowa (7-0) will compete at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Jan. 12-13 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The two-day annual tournament features 16 teams from NCAA Division I, 12 from NCAA Division II, 15 from NCAA Division III and NAIA, eight NJCAA teams, seven NCWA teams and five women's wrestling teams.

On Friday January 25, USA Wrestling CT will be hosting a copper level certification clinic from 6:30 to 9:30 at Trinity College in Hartford CT. Registration will begin at 6pm. The cost of the clinic is $30, USA Wrestling card required. All participants are invited to the Trinity College wrestling room prior to the clinic to view the Bantam's practice from 4:15-6:15.

Greeley, Colo. -- Husker head wrestling coach Mark Manning collected his 100th dual win at Nebraska as the Huskers rolled to a 38-6 dual victory over Northern Colorado on Wednesday night. NU collected six bonus-point victories in the dual as they improved to 5-1 on the year. Manning continues to cement his place as one of the winningest coaches in Husker history. He is now 100-40-2 since coming to Lincoln in 2000, while his 100 dual victories trail only Tim Neumann (199) in NU history. Manning was 8-9 in his first season, but has collected more than 10 wins every year since. Nebraska started the match with a forfeit at 133 pounds, but it was all Huskers after that as NU won the final nine matches of the night, including six bonus-point wins. Leading the way for the Huskers was junior Brandon Browne, who pinned Ryan Johnson in 3:49 at 174 pounds and collected his team-leading 19th win of the season. Sophomores Jordan Burroughs and Craig Brester collected technical-fall victories as Burroughs notched a 21-6 win at 149 pounds and Brester improved to a perfect 5-0 in duals this season with a 21-5 victory at 197. Junior Paul Donahoe also stayed perfect on the year at 125 pounds with a 17-6 major decision over Tony Mustari, while sophomore Stephen Dwyer and junior Vince Jones also collected major decisions at 165 and 184, respectively. Patrick Aleksanyan notched his second dual win of the season at 141 pounds with a 6-1 decision, while Chris Oliver returned to action at 157 with a 5-0 decision over Justin Gaethje. Senior Jon May captured the lone win of the night over a ranked opponent as he defeated No. 20 Reece Hopkin, 7-6, in the heavyweight class. The Huskers continue their road trip with a Friday night dual against Oregon State at 9 p.m. CT at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.

Last month, wrestling fans were treated to two exciting weekends of wrestling in a row at the Walsh Ironman and the Beast of the East. The Falcons of St. Paris Graham defeated perennial powerhouse Blair Academy to win the Ironman. Blair bounced back to win the Beast over quickly rising Central Dauphin. RevWrestling.com looks back and recaps the two most prestigious regular season high school events in the country. 103 Pounds: Hunter Stieber of Monroeville (Ohio) and Sean Boylan of St. Marks (Delaware) showed why they are two of the best in the nation at this weight class. Stieber showed poised and dominated from the neutral position in winning the Ironman. His semifinal win over Gus Sako of St. Edwards (Ohio) was a classic battle. Boylan meanwhile scored the majority of his points from the top position in winning the Beast. Despite falling behind early, he rallied in the quart-finals to defeat Evan Silver of Blair Academy (New Jersey). A match-up between these two is not expected, but who wouldn't love to these two go at it. 112 Pounds: David Taylor proved why he is the best in the nation at this weight and why this writer will never pick against him. At all positions Taylor is just smooth, and always looking to score. His 7-1 win in the finals over Jamie Clark of St. Edwards (Ohio) was not as close as it looks. Meanwhile, Sean Boyle of Blair Academy (New Jersey) improved on his third place finish at the Ironman by winning the Beast. Boyle was really not tested throughout the tournament, and should give Taylor a match when Blair and Graham meet in February. 119 Pounds: Logan Stieber, another member of that dynamic Monroeville (Ohio) squad picked up his first Ironman title. Stieber like his younger brother dominated from the neutral position and just was unbelievable when on top. Michael Garafalo of Colonial Forge (Virginia) rebounded from last weeks 4th place at the Ironman by defeating Nick Schenk of McDonogh (Maryland) in the finals. Garafalo was able to score a couple late takedowns to give Schenk his first high school loss. 125 Pounds: Let me just say up front, Chris Villalonga of Blair Academy (New Jersey) is highly underrated. Two weeks in a row we picked him to finish runner-up and he proved us wrong both times. Villalonga won both tournaments by dominating from the top position and scoring when possible. He defeated two Junior National All-Americans at the Beast, Patrick Hunter of St. Benedicts (New Jersey) and Joe Trause of Bergen Catholic (New Jersey). Villalonga belongs with the elite at 125. 130 Pounds: Brad Squire of Wadsworth (Ohio), an Ohio State Champion as a freshman last year has officially broke onto the national scene. Squire was very physical and just wrestled at a higher pace than anyone in that weight class at Ironman. This wrestler has a bright future. Andrew Grabfelder of Germantown Academy (Pennsylvania) rebounded from the previous week finish at Ironman to upset Anthony Valles of Blair Academy (New Jersey). Valles scored a late takedown in the third period looking to send the match into overtime, when Grabfelder hit a Peterson roll to win the match. One of the more entertaining matches at the Beast. 135 Pounds: What else can you say about Collin Palmer? He is incredibly tough on top with the powerhalf, which helped him to finally secure his first Ironman title. Hats off to freshman Austin Ormsbee who wrestled Palmer 2-1 in the second round of the tournament. Also, it was rewarding to see the hometown kid Chase Skonieczny of Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) score one of the bigger upsets of the tournament in defeating No. 1 ranked Collin Johnston of Canon-McMillan (Pennsylvania). Winning the Beast was Ken Courts of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania). For those who have not seen this kid, it is a close resemblance to watching Teyon Ware. Courts has incredible speed and is relentless on top with Central Dauphin's trademark hazard tilt series. Courts sustained a knee injury in the finals of the Beast but should be back before the season's over. 140 Pounds: Pennsylvania state champion Jordan Shields of Burrell (Pennsylvania) came from the No. 4 seed to win the Ironman. Shields displayed solid fundamental skills and was tough to score on from all positions. Marshall Peppelman, another member of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) used their trademark hazard tilt series to dismantle the competition. NJ State place-winner Anthony Baldasarro of Delsea Regional (New Jersey) had a solid tournament, but just could not stop the younger Peppleman once he got on top. 145 Pounds: Jon Burns of Cardinal Gibbons (North Carolina) scored the upset of the tournament when he defeated No. 1- ranked Mario Mason of Blair Academy (New Jersey). Mason, competing with an injury did his best but hats off to Burns who then defeated two-time Ohio state champ Ben Jordan of St. Paris Graham (Ohio) in the finals. Peter Yates of Salem (Georgia) ended Central Dauphin's hopes of a team championship when he defeated Walter Peppleman of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania). After a scoreless first, Peppleman chose top, yes that's right top only to have Yates reverse him. Yates added another takedown late to seal the victory and move himself up in the rankings. 152 Pounds: Alex Meade in winning both the Ironman and Beast showed fans that he is a complete wrestler. He showed mat savvy and grit in defeating Coby Boyd of St. Paris Graham (Ohio) in an overtime thriller to win the Ironman. He then showed total dominance from the neutral position. He scored numerous takedowns in his semifinal bout at the Beast over Brandon Rolnick of Lawrenceville (New Jersey) before defeating Ocean Township's Nick Menditto in the final. 160 Pounds: Josh Condon of Harrison (Georgia) scored another huge upset at Ironman defeating Eric Cubberly of Pemberville Eastwood (Ohio) in the semifinals. He then defeated Alex Munoz of Bishop Lynch (TX) who upset several nationally ranked wrestlers on his way to the finals. Winning the Beast was Scott Winston of Jackson Memorial (New Jersey). Winston is unbelievable from the neutral position. He posses tremendous speed and ability. It is very rare to find an upper weight wrestler who wrestles like a light-weight. 171 Pounds: Chris Phillips and Quentin Wright were the winners at Ironman and Beast. Phillips the freshman out of Monroeville (Ohio) was entertaining to watch. Not since Damion Hahn has their been a freshman upper-weight with this talent. Phillips has a funky style that enables him to score at will from neutral. His final win over Brian Roddy of St. Edwards (Ohio) was arguably the best final match at Ironman. Quentin Wright of Bald Eagle Area (Pennsylvania) is just on another level. Wright dominated the competition at Beast. His final win over Corey Peltier of Blair Academy (New Jersey) was expected, but Peltier a defending Beast champ could not match up to Wright. Penn State has a future star on their hands. 189 Pounds: Joe Budi of Kuakuana (Wisconsin) came into Ironman a relative unknown to fans but left a fan favorite after his major decision win in the finals over Cody Magrum of Oak Harbor (Ohio). Budi had wins by fall and 2 wins by major decision. Erich Schmidtke of Aberdeen (Washington) made to the trip to the Beast looking to make a name for himself, and that he did. A state champion in Washington, Schmidtke proved himself to be among the elite at 189 by way of his 3-2 victory over New Jersey state champion Mac Mancuso of Holy Spirit (New Jersey). 215 Pounds: Matt Fisher of Sandusky Perkins (Ohio) and Glen Carson of Southern Regional (New Jersey) were the champions at Ironman and Beast. Fisher dominated the field early in the tournament eventually defeated Matt Lindamood of Parkersburg (West Virginia) 3-2 in the finals. Glen Carson meanwhile continues to rise in the national rankings. Carson, a state runner-up from New Jersey dominated from the neutral position to win. Carson and Fisher are not your usual 215 pound wrestlers. 285 Pounds: Garrett Goebel of Montini Catholic (Illinois) is going the football route next year, but this year it is all business on the mat. Goebel used a series of throws to pin thru the early rounds. Hats off James Meder who came from the No. 7 to make the final before losing to Goebel 3-1. Nick Cook of Fauquier (Virginia) rebounded from a third- place finish at the Ironman to win the Beast. Cook defeated nationally ranked John Hiles of S. Francis DeSales (Ohio) in sudden victory to win the championship.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Andy Hamilton and Tom Borrelli "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. Borrelli is the current head wrestling coach at Central Michigan University. His Chippewa squad is currently ranked sixth by Intermat. In 1998, when his team placed fifth in the nation, W.I.N. Magazine and the National Wrestling Coaches Association named Borrelli its coach of the year. Hamilton currently covers wrestling for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. His articles have appeared in a variety of prominent wrestling publications including ESPN.com. Considered one of the best wrestling journalists in the nation, Hamilton was selected by the National Wrestling Media Association as their journalist of the year in 2003. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

Minnesota wrestling's Jayson Ness has been named the Big Ten's Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced today. Ness earned the honor after pinning his way to a 125-pound individual title in six matches at last weekend's Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. The sophomore led the defending national champions to a lopsided 50-point team victory at the annual tournament, the program's second Southern Scuffle team win in three years. Ranked third in the nation at 125 pounds, Ness' eye-popping weekend performance continued what has been an outstanding season for the Bloomington, Minn. native. Ness notched three of his six pins in less than two minutes before winning the championship bout over No. 13 Mike Sees of Bloomsburg University with a fall at the 5:58 mark. Ness currently boasts a perfect 19-0 record (already the 21st-longest win streak in Gopher history) and has collected 15 of those wins by way of fall. He is well on his way to establishing a new Minnesota single-season record for pins, and has already tied his career high set last year. Ness' current pin tally is already the seventh-highest total in program history, and he is on pace to shatter the all-time mark of 20 (set by current Gopher head assistant coach Marty Morgan in 1989-90). This is the third Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor for Ness during his short career, as he earned the award twice last season en route to his first All-American finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The sophomore currently has a career record of 59-5, with 30 of those wins coming by way of fall – the 11th-highest total in Minnesota history. This is the first weekly honor for the defending national champions during the 2007-08 season. The Gophers will resume competition Jan. 12-13 as they look to defend their 2007 National Duals title in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The 2007 Southern Scuffle concluded this weekend with the University of Minnesota running away with the team championship. The Golden Gophers crowned four champions (Jayson Ness at 125, Mack Reiter at 133, Manny Rivera at 141, and C.P. Schlatter at 157). This season's Scuffle provided fans with plenty of entertainment and upsets. RevWrestling.com was in Greensboro and provides a list of 10 things wrestling fans can take away from the 2007 Southern Scuffle. 10. The ACC Conference is for real Yes, that's right you heard me, the Atlantic Coastal Conference that used to be viewed as one of the weaker conference in the nation has now become one of the strongest. Thanks to Steve Garland and Pat Santoro, the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland combined had five finalists at the Scuffle and several more place-winners. Combined with Maryland's upset victory over the University of Michigan at the Journeymen/Northeast Duals, and the ACC has two legitimate top 15 teams. Schools like UNC, NC State and Virginia Tech only make this conference stronger. Look for the ACC's number of allocated NCAA entries to increase in the next couple years. 9. Cornell is a mystery to the wrestling world Despite having four All-Americans last year and two finalists this year, the Big Red has all the talent in the world, but seems to continually come up short. This is a team that when healthy could compete with any team in the nation, but the keyword is when healthy. The Big Red had their freshmen sensation duo of Mack Lewnes (165) and Mike Grey (133) reach the finals, only to have three starters pull out of the tournament with injuries. Only time will tell whether the Big Red is a pretender or a contender for an NCAA crown. 8. Redshirting is not for everyone The trend toward letting true freshmen in the lineup is alive and well. In the past, only certain programs would let a wrestler right out of a high school compete for a starting spot. However, many high school seniors are competing and doing well in college opens, which begs the question, if a wrestler is good enough as a freshman, why red-shirt them? Look no further than the two finalists at the Scuffle, Kirk Smith of Boise State and Michael Chaires of Virginia. Chaires lost to fellow freshman Mack Lewnes in the finals, while Smith won the title at 184, defeating several nationally-ranked wrestlers. Although Smith competed unattached, it is rumored Boise State may put him into the lineup in the second part of the season, and why not … he is more than ready. 7. Jayson Ness is a pinner It was amazing to see the Golden Gopher dominate his weight class at the Scuffle. Ness had six falls with four of them coming in the first period. Ness was awarded the Most Falls Award and would have been a logical choice for Outstanding Wrestler if his teammate, Dustin Schlatter, were not upset in the finals. Ness has such leverage when riding and his half nelson is something fans have not seen since the days of Gene Mills. Although it is early, Ness will be one of the favorites at 125 pounds come March. 6. The Navy dilemma Ed Prendergast (Photo/Tech-Fall)Some universities have problems filling and training a quality heavyweight. The weight class is such a premium at the college level that teams will do anything they can to get one. Navy is the envy of every college program in that they have two heavyweights who could compete for a national crown in March. Who gets the spot? In yesterdays final, senior Ed Pendergast picked up the fall over junior Scott Steele in triple-overtime. Steele had won the first wrestle-off over Pendergast. The two have also flip-flopped in tournament placements at Reno. One thing is for sure, Navy coach Bruce Burnett has a problem every university wishes it had. 5. Mack Lewnes is the best freshman in the nation Lewnes is 22-1 on the season, and has won Reno and Scuffle, but what makes this freshman so tough is his ability to find ways to win. During the Scuffle, Lewnes was able to adapt his style for each of his matches. In the semi's against Jared King, Lewnes used great counter-offense, while in the finals against Michael Chaires of Virginia. Lewnes scored on a late flurry to win the title. Lewnes has yet to match up with anyone in the top 5, but National Duals will hopefully give this freshman a chance to prove doubters wrong. 4. Minnesota will finish the year No. 1 Despite falling early, the Golden Gophers are the best tournament team in the nation, and that's all that matters in March. The Gophers should have run away with the title last year, but stumbled in the later rounds. Even with "King Cole" Konrad gone, the Gophers can rely on the Schlatter brothers, Mack Reiter, Jayson Ness and Roger Kish to bring home Coach Robinson another NCAA title. Minnesota won the team title by 52 points over second-place finisher Edinboro … and that was without the help of two-time All-American Roger Kish, who would have definitely been a favorite at 184 pounds. The Gophers are a senior-led team and while their grasp on the national title may end in the future, it will not happen this season. 3. Most underrated wrestler at the Scuffle: Hudson Taylor The sophomore redshirt from Maryland dominated his weight class at the 2007 Scuffle after finishing third and fourth in the previous two trips to the Scuffle. Despite being ranked 10th, Taylor is highly underrated. He has tremendous quickness and is powerful with the legs. Taylor has some early-season losses, but with solid workout partners in the room, he should run through the ACC schedule and compete for a high All-American spot in March. 2. UNC Greensboro runs a first-class event Without getting into whether the Southern Scuffle is better than the Midlands, let me just applaud all the individuals who helped in making this tournament possible. Plenty of fan seating, easy to move around and see bouts, and the racecar parked next to the elevated mat was a nice touch as well. The Scuffle does not have the history that the Midlands does, but make no mistake … it definitely has the competition. In many weight classes, the Scuffle had the tougher bracket. If the Scuffle could draw another big school to its tournament, it could very well be on its way to surpassing the Midlands as the premier holiday college tournament. 1. Mike Roberts will contend for All-American status this season Roberts came into the tournament unseeded but still an accomplished wrestler. He won a Junior National championship in Fargo and was a conference champion last season, but now he can add something to his resume. Roberts wrestled a brilliant match against No. 2 Darrion Caldwell of NC State, slowing down the entertaining Caldwell and eventually converting a late double-leg shot into a fall to shock the crowd early Saturday morning. Roberts then won three straight hard fought bouts to reach the finals against Dustin Schlatter. Roberts went right after and attacked Schlatter scoring the bout's only takedown. The Boston University wrestler was then able to get out from Schlatter, something that does not occur often. He then was able to prevent Schlatter from scoring late in the third period to gain the tournament title and Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. Roberts does not deserve the No. 1 ranking at 149, because he has some losses that make you scratch your head, but he should appear on the radar screen now and look for him to carry this momentum into the later part of the season.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Senior heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) was one of five Midshipmen to place at the 2007 Southern Scuffle, while the No. 21 Navy wrestling team captured ninth place at the two-day, 28-team tournament held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center in Greensboro, N.C. Led by four individual title winners, fourth-ranked Minnesota claimed the team title with 182 points. Fourteenth-ranked Edinboro was a distant second with 130.5 points, followed by Hofstra, who jumped from 10th to third in the final standings with 121 points. Cornell, meanwhile, just edged out Maryland for fourth place, 94-93.5. The Mids, who were tied for eighth heading into the final day of competition, finished the tournament with 79.5 points, five points behind eighth-place Boise State and five points in front of 10th-place Old Dominion, who plummeted from fourth after the opening day of action. "I think we could have done better in the tournament, but the reality of it is that it's a tough tournament and though we had some good performances, we need to be able to win a few of those close matches," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We had that little holiday break in there and some of the guys weren't quite in the condition they should have been in this weekend. Additionally, we didn't have our full complement of of wrestlers. Joel Ahern (157 pounds) and Tyler Moyer (197 pounds) both made the trip, but were unable to compete because of the flu. But in this sport, there are no excuses. "We use these tournaments as practice for what we will face in March at the conference and national tournaments. I'm anxious to get back into the wrestling room and work out the kinks." Navy sent six wrestlers into the championship bracket on Sunday and five of them came away place-winners. An additional three Mids, Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.), Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) and Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.), were just one match away from finishing among the top eight in their respective weight classes. For the third time this season, the heavyweight title bout matched up Navy's Prendergast and junior Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.). Steele took the titles at Eastern Michigan and the Navy Classic, but it was Prendergast who got the best of Steele at the Scuffle. Prendergast defeated eighth-seeded Justin Dobies of North Carolina in the quarters before pinning 17th-ranked Joey Fendone of Edinboro in the semis. Meanwhile, Steele edged 16th-ranked Mike Spaid of Bloomsburg, 3-2, and cruised to a 19-1 victory over No. 9 Zach Hammond of Cornell to set up the finals match. Prendergast earned his second tournament title of the year by pinning Steele at 8:19. For Steele, it was just his third loss of the year. "Ed has really stepped it up as of late," said Burnett. "He and Scott (Steele) are really wrestling well for us right now and pushing one another to get better." A pair of Midshipmen, 133-pounder Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) and 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.), earned fourth in their respective weight classes. Baker made his way to the semifinals after earning a one-point victory over Boise State's Andrew Hochstrasser in the opening match of the day. Baker, though, suffered a 6-2 setback against seventh-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota, cutting short his hopes of winning the title. While Reiter went on to win the championship bout, Baker regrouped and made another run in the consolation bracket. He defeated Kent State's Dan Mitcheff, seeded fourth, 8-5, but was tripped up by Hochstrasser in the rematch, 9-8. Stolpinski, meanwhile, followed the same pattern as Baker. Navy's team captain earned a 4-2 win over 18th-ranked Eric Decker of Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals, but was unable to get past 14th-ranked Alton Lucas of Hofstra in the semifinals. Lucas took the bout, 7-4, and went on to beat eighth-ranked Mike Letts from Maryland in the championship match. Stolpinski dropped to the consolation bracket where he earned a 7-5 win over Edinboro's Philip Moricone, ranked No. 12. However, 11th-ranked Steve Anceravage from Cornell kept Stolpinski out of the top three by defeating him, 5-3. Rookie 149-pounder Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) was the final Navy wrestler to place on the afternoon, taking home seventh-place honors. Saddoris opened the tournament with a 3-0 record, but had much to think about when his head hit the pillow Saturday night. He knew he would have his hands full with his quarterfinals opponent, No. 1-ranked Dustin Schlatter from Minnesota. Schlatter took the match, 9-2, sending Saddoris to the consolation bracket, where he wrestled his way back into place-winner status. After defeating Ohio's Matt Reedy, 6-0, he dropped an 8-2 decision to Hofstra's Mitch Smith. Saddoris, though, went on to defeat Jeremy Doyle of Cal State Bakersfield, 10-5. Saddoris has now placed in four of the five tournaments in which he has competed, including three top-three finishes. The Midshipmen will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Texas to take part in the Lone Star Duals. Navy opens the competition against No. 19 Oklahoma at 12:00 pm Central, followed by Columbia at 2:00 pm and No. 13 Wisconsin at 8:00 pm

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The No. 22 Maryland wrestling finished in fifth place at the 2007 UNCG Southern Scuffle this weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. The Terrapins were led by redshirt sophomore Hudson Taylor who won the individual title at 197 pounds while sophomore Mike Letts finished second at 174. Redshirt junior Josh Haines also placed, finishing eighth at 184 pounds. No. 1 Minnesota won the team title with 182 points while No. 14 Edinboro placed second with 130.5. No. 15 Hofstra (121) and No. 17 Cornell (94) also finished ahead of the Terps who accumulated 93.5 points in the tournament. Taylor advanced to the quarterfinals at 197 pounds on Saturday with three wins. On Sunday, he dominated his opposition. He advanced to the semifinals with a pin in the first period against Dennis Drury of North Carolina and won by major decision, 15-4, against Greensboro's Daren Burns, ranked No. 12 in the country in the weight class. In the final, Taylor faced Virginia's Brent Jones who he pinned with nine seconds left in the second to win the title. Letts easily got by his two opponents to advance to the quarterfinals at 174 pounds yesterday. His first win came on a 14-6 major decision and then he pinned his second opponent 40 seconds into the second period for the win. Letts started where he left off on Sunday, shutting out Tom Kocher of Lock Haven, 12-0, to advance to the semifinals. Letts then faced Cornell's Steve Anceravage, ranked No. 11 in the nation, and defeated him 5-1 to get to the finals. He then had to square off against No. 14 Alton Lucas of Hofstra and fell just short, losing 6-3 for the second place finish. Haines dominated his opposition in two matches on Saturday by a combined 13-1 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals at 184 pounds. He lost his first bout on Sunday against Kirk Smith of Boise State, 6-0, but bounced back in his first wrestleback by pinning Curtis Moore of VMI in the second period. Haines lost in the quarterfinals of the wrestlebacks and was unable to compete in seventh place match to finish eighth. Maryland, which is 7-3 in duals this season, returns to action on January 10 when it travels to the state capital to face No. 21 Navy in Annapolis.

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Boise State University placed three wrestlers in the top four of their respective weight classes, and the team finished eighth among 29 teams, at the 2007 Southern Scuffle. Adam Hall and Tyler Sherfey each finished third at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, while Kurt Swartz placed fourth in the 165 pound weight class. Nate Lee also placed at the two-day tournament on the University of North Carolina, Greensboro campus finishing eighth at 174 pounds. The Broncos scored 84.5 points to finish just one and one-half points behind seventh placed Bloomsburg. Defending NCAA national champion University of Minnesota won the annual event with 182 points. Hall lost his semifinal match on Sunday (Dec. 30) morning to Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, 7-3, to fall into the consolation bracket. The freshman then defeated Scott Ervin of Applachian State, 4-3, and Kaylen Baxter of Old Dominion, 6-5, to place third. Sherfey was also knocked out of the championship bracket on Sunday in the semifinal round when Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro won by a major decision, 17-2. Sherfey earned his third place finish when he handed Trevor Hall of Cal State Bakersfield a major decision defeat with an 11-2 scored, and then pinned Kody Hamray of North Carolina at the 1:45 mark of the match. Like Hall and Sherfey, Swartz also lost his semifinal match when Michael Chaires posted a 5-2 decision. Swartz won his first consolation match with a 12-3 major decision over Tyler Safratowich of Minnesota, before losing by fall to Jarrod King of Edinboro at the 1:11 mark to finish fourth. Lee, who was making his first appearance of the season due to an injury, won three straight consolation matches before dropping his final two matches to place eighth. In other Boise State wrestling news on Sunday, Bronco true freshman Kirk Smith, who was competing unattached, won the 184-pound weight class. Unseeded in the tournament, Smith won five straight matches including two against nationally ranked opponents. He handed 18th ranked Josh Haines of the University of Maryland a 6-0 defeat in the semifinals, and then posted a 1-0 decision over seventh ranked Rocco Caponi of the University of Virginia in the championship match. The Broncos are off from competition until Jan. 11 (Friday) when they begin a five-match road trip at Cal State Fullerton. The next home match for Boise State is Jan. 25 (Friday) against the University of Oregon.