InterMat Staff

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Hofstra University junior Joe Rovelli is the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week, and Hofstra freshman Lou Ruggirello is the CAA Rookie of the Week, for all competition January 23-29. Rovelli, a 184 pounder from Wilkes-Barre, PA (E. L. Meyers), defeated a pair of national top 20 wrestlers last week, leading Hofstra to wins over #14 Penn and #24 Lehigh. Currently ranked seventh in the nation, Rovelli improved to 26-4 on the season with victories over the 13th ranked wrestler from Penn and the 19th ranked wrestler from Lehigh, and picked up his 75th career win. Ruggirello, a 133 from Walden, NY (Valley Central), defeated his Lehigh opponent and took the number two wrestler in the nation from Penn to a second tie breaker, after finishing regulation tied at 4-4. With his victory Ruggirello improves to 26-6 on the season, 18-3 in duals, and is ranked 18th in the nation.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -– North Carolina's wrestling team will look to run its Atlantic Coast Conference winning streak to four straight victories Wednesday when it meets rival Duke at 7 p.m. at Chapel Hill High School. The Tar Heels (6-6, 3-1 ACC) have won 31 of their last 32 meetings with the Blue Devils (7-5, 0-2 ACC) and can gain a point towards the Carlyle Cup with a win. Carolina leads the annual all-sports competition with the Blue Devils, 5.5-4.5, heading into Wednesday's wrestling match, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday in Durham. Junior Keegan Mueller leads Carolina with a 23-6 overall record and a 9-2 dual mark at 165 pounds. Junior Drew Forshey owns a team-best 10-2 record in duals and is 15-7 overall at 125. He has won eight of his last nine bouts. Senior heavyweight Spencer Nadolsky is second on the team with a 19-6 overall mark, while senior All-America Evan Sola is slated to return at 133 after missing both duals last weekend. Sola is 9-3 on the year and 5-2 in duals. The Tar Heels topped Virginia (21-11) and Virginia Tech (25-15) last weekend in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils are coming off a 27-13 loss at league-leader Maryland Jan. 27. John Barone, slated to wrestle at 174 Wednesday, leads Duke with an 18-9 overall mark and is 8-4 in duals. Aaron Glover is 16-10 at 165 and leads the team with nine dual victories. Following Wednesday's match, UNC is off until its return trip to Raleigh to face NC State next Wednesday, Feb. 7. The Tar Heels posted a 16-14 win over the Wolfpack Jan. 19.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -– The Rutgers University wrestling team will host Rider University in an in-state battle on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the College Ave Gym at 7:00 p.m. The Scarlet Knights (8-3, 4-2 EWL) are coming off a 3-0 performance at its quad meet last weekend, including wins over Boston University, Delaware State and NYU. Sophomore Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) and freshman Chris Norrell (Phillipsburg, N.J.) went undefeated to lead the team. Pletcher recorded three-consecutive decisions at 165 pounds to go 3-0 on the day and Norrell posted two pins and had one decision win, also finishing the day with an unblemished 3-0 record. Ryan Jablonski (Norristown, Pa.), Jack Barrett (Metuchen, N.J.), and Mike D'Amico (Kenilworth, N.J.) all went 3-0, winning two matches and being awarded a forfeit during the day. Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) went 2-0 on the day, as did freshman Keith Dobish (Lodi, N.J.), who returned to the mat for the first time since Jan. 9, due to an injury. Rutgers will look to snap a three-match losing streak against the Broncs, who lead the all-time series 10-2. Last season, Rider defeated the Scarlet Knights, 26-15, on Jan. 25. Steve Adamcsik (Chester, N.J.), Jamie Lijo (Hopatcong, N.J.) and Mike D'Amico (Kenilworth, N.J.) all chipped in wins for RU, as Adamcsik and Lijo won by major decision. Following the match-up with the Broncs, the Scarlet Knights will travel to Washington, D.C., for an EIWA match-up with American University on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 12:00 p.m.

RevWrestling.com employs the following system of team rankings based on tournament strength. The individuals are ranked up through the top 16 at each weight class to signify the consolation Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships. From the individual rankings, the following team points are assigned: 1. 16 placement + 4 advancement = 20 points 2. 12 placement + 4 advancement = 16 points 3. 10 placement + 3.5 advancement = 13.5 points 4. 9 placement + 3.5 advancement = 12.5 points 5. 7 placement + 3 advancement = 10 points 6. 6 placement + 3 advancement = 9 points 7. 4 placement + 2.5 advancement = 6.5 points 8. 3 placement + 2.5 advancement = 5.5 points 9-12 2 advancement = 2.0 points 13-16 1.5 advancement = 1.5 points Rankings aren't perfect. They aren't something to be taken as law for one wrestler being better than another. However, I do believe they are good for the sport of wrestling in terms of prompting discussion and promoting athletes. Many articles and press releases will boast what a school's team and athletes have achieved in the latest rankings and this is well-deserved praise. Friends and families of wrestlers deserve to boast not only of their athlete's individual victories, but that those victories have been validated with a spot in the polls. And while rankings are constantly contradicted week after week as lower or non-ranked wrestlers defeat those above them in the polls, any flaws in the rankings are only so damaging, since the sport of wrestling allows for everything to be settled with postseason tournaments. Obviously, individual rankings are only part of the equation. In wrestling, the performance of each individual adds up to the performance of a team. However, wrestling is unique in that it is two vastly different forms of team competition: dual meet and tournament. A strong dual meet team doesn't necessarily equal of strong tournament team and vice versa. Ranking teams in terms of dual meet strength is relatively easy as the squads face off against each other week after week, painting a reasonably clear picture of which team is stronger than which. It's not perfect as some squads happen to match up perfectly against teams that do better against the same competition. Moreover, some teams face each other more than once during the season with different results. But any difficulties in ranking teams dual-meet-wise are very minor when compared to ranking teams in terms of tournament strength. Yes, teams compete in tournaments throughout the season in which points are kept, but the problem with each of these tournaments is that they aren't against the whole field. At this season's Southern Scuffle in December, Missouri beat out Minnesota to claim the title. It would be easy to say that Missouri should then be ranked as a stronger tournament team. Maybe, but it's not quite as simple as that. Missouri got 10 placement points from Ashtin Primus at 141 pounds … as did Minnesota from Jayson Ness at 125 pounds. Ness is currently ranked fifth in the nation and Primus is unranked (RevWrestling.com). If those rankings held up at the NCAA's (and obviously, they often do not), Ness would get 7 placement points and Primus would get none. The NCAA tournament is filled with unpredictability, but two things are certain: placement points and (to a lesser extent) advancement points. An NCAA champion will, with one-hundred percent certainty, get 16 placement points and at least 4 advancement points for a total of at least 20 points. If the weight class has a pigtail round and/or the athlete scores bonus points along the way, there's some room for more, but 20 is the minimum. Calculations for the other finishers can be made using the same method, although there is some room for error depending on when a wrestler entered the consolation round. If a wrestler lost in the opening round and then battled back to the consolation finals, 3 advancement points would be earned along the way. If the same wrestler made the semis, then lost and won again to make the consolation finals, 3.5 advancement points would be earned. Any pollster will tell you that ranking individuals becomes increasingly difficult after you get past the top 12 or so wrestlers and in terms of team tourney calculating, wrestlers who finish lower than the Round of 16 score only a negligible amount of team points. The problem with this system, as mentioned before, is that it doesn't take into account bonus points. It gives the same 20 points to a pinning machine like Ben Askren of Missouri as it does to a Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, who wins consistently, but often only by very narrow margins. While it might be possible to come up with some sort of prediction of bonus points based on the percentage of major decisions, technical falls, and pins that a wrestler scores throughout the season, such calculations would not only be cumbersome, but only worth so much. It's very difficult to know who's going to go on a rampage for the Big Show. At the Big 12's, Oklahoma State won the event, but really didn't do much in terms of bonus points with only 4. However, at the NCAA Championships, they truly went to town, amassing a whopping 26.5. Therefore, I find it more prudent to just leave bonus points alone. And go with point estimates that will probably be lower than actual points earned at the Big Show, but equally lower for each team." The total points from all the ranked wrestlers on each team will determine the team rankings. These totals will also be included in the rankings.

This week's edition of 'On the Mat' will feature Oklahoma Sooner head coach Jack Spates and Wrestling International Newsmagazine editor Mike Finn. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Tentative schedule of upcoming guest appearances: January 31: * Jack Spates, head wrestling coach at the Oklahoma University * Mike Finn, editor of Wrestling International Newsmagazine February 7: * Mark Kreidler, author of "Four Days to Glory", a new book on former Iowa High School four-time state champions Jay Borschel and Dan LeClere. * Mike Chapman, author of "Legends of the Mat", a new book featuring 34 of America's greatest wrestling legends. February 14: * Tim Hartung, assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State University. * Tom Brands, head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. February 21: * Jim Gibbons, former Iowa State head wrestling coach and Iowa Public Television commentator. * Andrew Hipps, senior writer for RevWrestling.com.

BOONE, N.C. -- The 16th-ranked wrestling team dominated Southern Conference foe Appalachian State Sunday in a 35-3 victory. The Mocs won all but one match in the dual in improving to 13-1 overall and 3-0 in the league. Four of UTC's victories came with extra team points as the Mocs recorded two technical falls, a pin and a major decision. Heavyweight Matt Koz, ranked 20th nationally, started things rolling for UTC with a 2-1 decision over Dave Hazell. Javier Maldonado and Matt Keller followed with consecutive tech falls. Maldonado, ranked 18th this week, defeated Brody Essick 17-2 at 125 pounds, and No. 8 Keller blanked Frank Celorrio, 15-0 at 133 for a quick 13-0 UTC lead. Senior Josh Keefe stepped up in weight to 141 pounds in place of his twin brother, Michael, who is not at full strength after a minor injury. Keefe registered a 6-1 win over Clinton Swango. The Mocs pushed their advantage to 25-0 by winning the next three with close calls. Aaron Martin, ranked 13th at 149, edged ASU's Scott Ervin, 5-4 in overtime. Jake Yost pulled out a 3-2 win over Eddie Hutchinson at 157, and T.J. Sayers shut out Tommy Hutchinson at 165, 2-0. Neal Martin notched the Mountaineers' only points of the afternoon, defeating 16th-ranked Lloyd Rogers, 6-0 at 174. UTC closed out the match with Josh Edmondson's 15-3 major at 184 and Nick Lorenzano's pin over Brandon Brothers at 197. The Mocs, who defeated UNC Greensboro Saturday, return to Southern Conference action Wednesday, hosting The Citadel at 6 p.m. at Maclellan Gym.

BLOOMSBURG -- Bloomsburg University wrestler Mike Sees (Northumberland/Shikellamy) has been named the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Co-Wrestler of the Week for the period ending January 28th. He shares the honor with Edinboro's Alex Clemsen. Sees helped lead the Huskies to a second place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships this weekend. He defeated nationally ranked Obenson Blanc of Lock Haven to win the 125-pound crown for the second straight year. In his first match at the championships, Sees notched a major decision (12-4) win over Toby Seger of Clarion. In the finals, he defeated Blanc by a score of 10-5. For his efforts, Sees was also named the PSAC Tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. On the season, Sees is 22-3 with five falls, three technical falls and seven major decisions. He is ranked 12th in the latest InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I poll. Bloomsburg, 8-7 on the year and 1-1 in the EWL, will be back in action at Clarion University on February 2nd beginning at 7:00 p.m.

In the past twelve months, the coaching ranks in college wrestling underwent seismic shifts. Among the most powerful changes: A number of veterans such as Russ Hellickson, Bobby Douglas, Joe Wells and Wayne Baughman left head coaching positions after many years of service with their particular programs. David IcenhowerAll this makes the coaching accomplishments and career longevity of David Icenhower, Sr., even more impressive -- and incredible. Now in his 31st year as head coach at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) just outside the state capital of Trenton, David Icenhower has earned more than 450 coaching victories. He has led the Lions to five NCAA Division III team titles, with a top-five finish in 18 of the past thirty seasons. Just as impressive, Icenhower has coached 68 wrestlers to All-American status a total of 117 times. That puts the TCNJ coach in very elite company; only four other coaches in all divisions can claim to have coached over one hundred All-Americans. Of all those All-Americans Icenhower coached, twenty were Division III individual champions. One of those champs -- Tom Martucci -- went on to win a Division I title at the 1981 NCAA's at 190 pounds … giving Icenhower the distinction of being one of only two men who have coached a wrestler to DI and DIII titles in the same year. David Icenhower can claim other individual coaching honors as well. He is a two-time Division III Coach of the Year (1979 and 1987). He was the first DIII coach selected to be head coach of the East-West All-Star event in 1982 … then made history again in 1997 when asked to coach the All-Stars for a second time, becoming the first DIII coach to serve twice in that capacity. In 1999, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame. "Ice" shows no signs of slowing down just yet, either. As of this writing, the Lions are on a ten-match winning streak, with a regular-season record of 16-1, the one loss being to perennial powerhouse Wartburg. Among the highlights for the College of New Jersey season to date include first-place finishes at the Ithaca Invitational and the Budd Whitehall Duals at Lycoming College. The education of a future college coach David Icenhower grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia. Introduced to wrestling by his older brother, Joe, David took up the sport in junior high school, at Drexel Hill. "Things were different back then," says the College of New Jersey coach. "You didn't start wrestling at age five or six like so many of today's wrestlers do." His mat career continued at Upper Darby High School under Coach Art McCall, who, according to Icenhower, "had a tremendous effect on my life and my love of the sport of wrestling." "At my school, wrestling was king, and I was a wrestling nut." That self-proclaimed "wrestling nut" was small, weighing in at only 95 pounds his junior year, competing in the lightest weight class. "I had the opportunity to go to prep school, Penn Charter in Philadelphia," says Icenhower. "That made all the difference in the world. I grew to 123, which opened the door for me to go to Lehigh." Learning from legends at Lehigh While at the university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Icenhower's mat career was guided by a succession of two coaching legends. First was Gerry Leeman, a 1946 NCAA champ and 1948 Olympic silver medalist from Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC; now the University of Northern Iowa) whose teammates included future coaching greats Bill Koll (long-time ISTC and Penn State head coach) and Bob Siddens, who can include Dan Gable among the champs he coached at Waterloo West High in Iowa. In Icenhower's senior year of college, Thad Turner took the helm. An All-American at Lehigh, Turner returned to his alma mater in 1970, where he guided the program to fourteen top ten finishes at the NCAA's, and coached six wrestlers to a total of nine collegiate titles. "It was while at Lehigh that I started to think about coaching," according to Icenhower, who was the captain of the team his senior year. "Kind of a surprise for a marketing major in the business school, isn't it? … I enjoyed helping Coach Turner, and wanted to continue my involvement in the sport." Icenhower's introduction to Coaching 101 After graduating from Lehigh, Icenhower got his first coaching opportunity from yet another mat legend turned successful coach, Ed Peery, a three-time NCAA champ in the 1950's for the University of Pittsburgh who was head coach at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. "I was in the Navy Reserve. I was asked by coach Peery to help coach at Navy Prep, a prep school they had at the time. I was there for my three-year service commitment." "Once I completed that commitment, I decided to stay with coaching," continues Icenhower. "I got a grad assistant position at Trenton State, now the College of New Jersey. The next year, I became head coach while still as a grad assistant. It happens that, my first year, we beat our archrival Montclair State. The president of the college was in the stands to see it, and hired me for the head coaching job on a full-time basis." Everything changes but the position David Icenhower has remained at the same school as head coach for more than three decades. However, much has changed around him, and not just the school's name. "The College of New Jersey has changed tremendously in the time I've been here," says Coach Icenhower. "Back in the seventies, it was more of a teachers college. Now it has become more academically diverse, with a wider range of academic programs. With that, it has also become more academically challenging as well, which makes it a lot more challenging in terms of recruiting wrestlers." Now that he's 58 years old, David Icenhower isn't the "hands-on" coach that he once was, either. "We always have young assistants who 'crack heads' with the guys," as the veteran coach puts it. "We're also blessed with local high school coaches who work out with the kids … A number of these guys are veterans of our program, so they know my way of working. It all works out really well for us." Recruitment drive "When it comes to recruiting, we're going up against smaller Division I programs in the region such as Rider, George Mason, James Madison," Coach Icenhower continues. "It's pretty rare that we're seeking the same wrestlers as other DIII schools." When asked to describe what he's looking for in recruits, Icenhower says, "We focus on the state of New Jersey. In fact, right now, all but one of our wrestlers is from New Jersey. (The one out-of-stater is from Georgia.) There's so much talent in this state. There's really no need to go looking out-of-state." David Icenhower"The ideal candidate for our program is a guy who's academically strong, who placed somewhere between fourth and eighth in the state tournament, or just missed placing." Multi-sport athletes also catch the attention of Coach Icenhower. "It's always great to find a wrestler who has competed in other sports as well, for instance, a football player who wants to concentrate on wrestling in college … Having that multi-sport perspective is a real plus in so many ways. It indicates a level of flexibility and adaptability that goes beyond athleticism to the mental aspects as well … Sadly, the multi-sport athlete is becoming rarer and rarer, as more kids concentrate on a single sport." In addition to his own coaching credentials and winning legacy at the College of New Jersey, David Icenhower can claim another recruiting advantage: "We get tremendous support from our alums. We have about fifty alums from our program who are now in coaching. It's like having a network out there, giving us advance notice of potential recruits. It really helps us with the recruiting process." Experience provides perspective David Icenhower has been head coach long enough that he is now coaching the sons of former wrestlers. Yet he is not one of those veteran coaches who longs for "the good old days." Ask him how today's wrestlers differ from those in the past, and the coach offers a candid assessment: "Today's kids are better. They got started earlier in the sport. They wrestle more matches. They go up against more diverse competition. Most of them are single-sport athletes, so they tend to be more focused." "There are some drawbacks to all that," adds Icenhower. "Some guys have been at it so long and have been so focused, that burnout can be more of an issue than it once was." When asked if there are generational differences between him and his wrestlers, he replies, "I'd like to think that being on a college campus helps keep me young." He quickly adds, "When you come right down to it, today's kids aren't that much different than previous generations." Every day, David Icenhower, Sr., brings a wealth of experience to the wrestling room at the College of New Jersey. The Lions benefit from Coach Icenhower's unique blend of expertise gained by learning from past coaching legends such as Art McCall, Gerry Leeman, Thad Turner and Ed Peery … more than thirty years of real-world mat success at TCNJ … and an enduring enthusiasm for the sport and its athletes.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In a thrilling finish that came down to the final match, the No. 23 Michigan State wrestling team held off No. 17 Michigan to secure a 21-17 victory over the Wolverines Sunday afternoon in Jenison Field House before a season-high crowd of 2,792. With MSU owning a slim 18-17 advantage and needing to claim the heavyweight bout to clinch the dual, red-shirt freshman Alan O'Donnell delivered a 2-1, double-overtime decision over Omar Maktabi to give the Spartans their first dual win over Michigan since 2003. MSU jumped out to a 15-0 lead thanks to pins by both Nick and Andy Simmons, but after losing the first three matches, the Wolverines won five of the next six to cut the margin to one point going into the heavyweight bout. Neither Maktabi or O'Donnell scored in the first period, but Maktabi got on the board with an escape in the second. O'Donnell evened the score with an escape in the third to bring the bout into overtime. The first overtime went scoreless, forcing a double-overtime in which each wrestler started in the down position with 30 seconds on the clock. In the first portion of double overtime, O'Donnell easily escaped to go ahead, 2-1. In the next round of 30 seconds, with the entire crowd on its feet, O'Donnell held down Maktabi to earn the win. It marked O'Donnell's first dual-match victory of his career. "That was the biggest win of my career," said O'Donnell. "In high school, I got a pin in the last match to win districts, but that doesn't compare to this atmosphere and this rivalry." "Alan's a great kid who's really committed to doing well," said Minkel. "But he's still a freshman who has had to make a transition from 215 in high school to heavyweight in college. For the whole dual to come down to him, he really kept his wits about it, and did what he needed to do to get the win. I'm really proud of him - that's a lot of pressure for a freshman." In the first match of the dual at 125 pounds, sixth-ranked Franklin Gomez got out to a 7-1 lead en route to his 11-6 victory over Michael Watts. Watts closed the gap to 7-6 in the third period with a takedown and near-fall points, but Gomez recovered as he escaped and scored another takedown in the closing seconds. Gomez added a point for riding time in the 11-6 win, his team-leading 28th of the season. The Simmons brothers electrified the Jenison crowd with back-to-back pins at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Nick took care of Brandon Elliott in just 1:34 for his 44th career fall, which is now just one away from tying Jim Mason's school record of 45. The top-ranked Simmons (27-0) quickly took Elliott down in the opening seconds of the match, and added near-fall points to go up 5-0 before delivering the pin. Andy was nearly as quick in recording his 21st career pin, as he disposed of Brad Cusumano with 47 seconds remaining in the first period. Andy, now 8-1 on the season, took the same route in registering his fall - he scored an early takedown, notched near-fall points, then established position for the pin. Simmons left the platform to a roaring crowd after giving the Spartans (2-5, 1-1 Big Ten) a 15-0 team lead. "I don't ever remember Nick and Andy getting back-to-back first period falls - that was big," said Minkel. "That gave us a huge shot of momentum." "This feels good, because I've never beat Michigan," said Andy. "I figured if Nick and I could get a couple of falls we would have a good chance for the victory. I was definitely going for the fall the entire time. I really fed off Nick's energy after he got the fall and the crowd was really pumped. It felt good to get a pin in that atmosphere." Michigan (1-5-1, 0-2 Big Ten) won the next two matches heading into the break. No. 3 Josh Churella controlled Jeff Wimberley at 149 pounds with a 14-1 major decision, and Jeff Marsh held off Tony Greathouse at 157, 7-5. The Wolverines cut MSU's lead to four points at 15-11 as second-ranked Eric Tannebaum recorded a 13-4 major decision over Rocky Cozart in the 165-pound match. John Murphy used the perfect opportunity to win his first dual-match of the season, as he picked up a crucial 6-5 victory against Jordan Sherrod at 174 pounds. Murphy went up 2-0 with a takedown in the first, and built a 4-2 lead with another takedown in the second. Sherrod escaped later in the period, and took his only lead of the match at 5-4 with his first takedown. Murphy tied the score at 5 with an escape to begin the third, and with over a minute of riding time in his possession, he held off Sherrod the rest of the period to claim the 6-5 win, giving MSU an 18-11 lead. In a battle of top-10 wrestlers at 184, fourth-ranked Tyrel Todd of Michigan took care of No. 10 Joe Williams, 9-4. Todd recorded three takedowns, a reversal and riding time in the victory. MSU's lead was trimmed to 18-17 heading into the final match as Casey White beat Nick Palmieri, 6-0, at 197 pounds. Michigan State returns to action Friday, Feb. 2 to take on Ohio State in Columbus.

Columbia, Mo. -- The second-ranked Missouri wrestling team opened its Big 12 season at home with a 31-11 victory over No. 20 Nebraska in the Hearnes Center. A record-setting 2,728 fans were on hand to watch the Tigers hold off the Huskers for the first time in four meetings. Seven Tigers took wins in their weight class with junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) securing a fall in the second bout of the day. The stick at 149 pounds helped Missouri overcome a 4-0 deficit created after 17th-ranked freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) suffered a 15-2 loss to eighth-ranked Dominic Moyer in the opening bout at 141 pounds. Battling at 157 pounds, sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) was unable to overcome his Husker opponent, losing the match by a score of 4-3. Chandler and Chris Oliver entered the third period tied at three, but Oliver escaped with 1:12 left on the clock for the eventual one point win. A victory at 165 pounds by seventh-ranked All-American Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) was the start of a five bout Tiger win streak. The first of four Tiger wins by major decision, Pell scored six back points on Stephen Dwyer and accumulated 1:06 of riding time. Pell won the match 12-2. Fan favorite senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), Missouri's sole wrestling National Champion, rattled off a 20-9 victory over Marc Harwood at 174 pounds. Askren took down Harwood nine times and was taken down only once. Scoring a one point escape and tallying 2:54 of riding time, Askren bumped his season record to 28-0 while his career mark stands at 139-8. "People that wrestle Ben [Askren] are going to wrestle not to get pinned," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "No one in Division I wrestling wants to get pinned, but Ben [Askren] just keeps wrestling and scoring points." Sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) won his bout at 184 pounds with a 13-5 major decision of Levi Wofford. Ranked fifth in the country, Jordan scored first with a takedown 23 seconds into the dual giving up a reversal with 1:55 left on the clock. After Wofford was hit with a stall call at 1:04, Jordan escaped to take the 3-2 lead entering the second period. Never giving up his advantage, Jordan collected three takedowns in the third period to help Missouri to an 11 point team lead over the Huskers. In a battle between two ranked freshmen Missouri's Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) proved dominant besting eighth-ranked Craig Brester, 11-3, at 197 pounds. Askren, ranked No. 1 in the country, was awarded three back points with one second remaining in the second period and scored three takedowns to take the win. Both Askren brothers own perfect records this season, with 197 pounder Maxwell in the books as 23-0. After missing the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Cliff Keen Duals, redshirt freshman Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) returned to his winning ways by scoring a 10-5 decision over Nebraska's Cameron Browne. The heavyweights were tied at two entering the second period and Ellis recorded a three-point nearfall at the buzzer in the second to hold on to his lead and take the win. Missouri redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Mo.) suffered a setback after losing 19-7 to 15th-ranked Paul Donahoe. In the end, Nebraska forfeited at 133 pounds giving the Tigers the 33-1 victory. "This was a good win for us," Smith said. "It's always nice to start the Big 12 season with a win, especially over a good program like Nebraska's. Our guys went out and wrestled hard today. The fan support was great and made the environment that much more challenging for Nebraska. I'm hoping we can continue to draw even bigger crowds for our upcoming duals." The Tigers will return to action Saturday, Feb. 3, when they take on fourth-ranked defending National Champion Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. (CT) in Gallagher Iba Arena. Following the dual with OSU, Missouri will travel to Norman, for a 3 p.m. (CT) meeting with 13th-ranked Oklahoma Sunday, Feb. 4

MINNEAPOLIS -- Winning all 10 matches, including three by pin and two technical falls, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed a 47-0 victory over St. Cloud State in a nonconference dual meet Sunday afternoon at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. The Auggies, ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division III national poll (National Wrestling Coaches Association), improved to 10-0 in dual meets on the season. Augsburg has won 85 of 100 individual matches in its 10 team victories this season. Sunday's win marked Augsburg's third shutout of the season; the Auggies topped St. John's 43-0 on Nov. 22 and Simpson (Iowa) 50-0 on Jan. 13. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 217-16 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 11 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Augsburg has won nine Division III national titles in the last 16 seasons. Augsburg is now 15-4 in the all-time series against St. Cloud State, a series dating to the 1980-81 season. Augsburg has won the last 13 duals in a row in the series with the Huskies. St. Cloud State, an NCAA Division II program, is now 3-4 in dual meets this season. Augsburg opened the match with three straight pins. Seth Flodeen (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 3 nationally at 125 pounds, claimed a second-period pin of Westy Hanson (Fr., Crookston, Minn.), improving to 15-3 in the process. Jamie Rocha (Fr., Santa Maria, Minn./Righetti HS) scored a pin over Nick Wasche (So., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) in the first period at 133. Quincy Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.), ranked No. 1 in the country at 141, ended his match with Tim Whitely (Fr., Wenatchee, Wash.) with a pin in just 19 seconds. The pin was Osborn's team-high 15th of the season, as he improved to 31-2 overall. Augsburg's Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), ranked No. 1 nationally at 165, maintained his unbeaten collegiate record with a third-period technical fall of Matt Steffenson (Jr., Onamia, Minn.). LeVesseur, who won Division III national titles at 157 pounds three times (2003, 2004, 2005), improved to 18-0 on the season and improved his collegiate career record to 142-0, the second-longest winning streak in college wrestling history, behind the 159 of Cael Sanderson at Iowa State (1998-2002). LeVesseur has yet to lose a college wrestling match. Robbie Gotreau (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), ranked No. 3 nationally at 174, needed just 3:15 to claim a 15-0, technical fall victory over Neil Russell (So., St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo HS). Gotreau is now 29-4 on the season. Jeremy Anderson (Jr., Thief River Falls, Minn.), ranked No. 1 in the country at 157, improved to 27-1 on the season with a 16-4, major-decision win over Adam Minnette (Jr., New Prague, Minn.). Jason Adams (Fr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) scored a 8-5 win over Grant Johnson (Fr., Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) at 149. George Lynaugh (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) claimed a 6-4 triumph over Nick Wilkes (Jr., Onamia, Minn.) at 184, while Wally O'Connor (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) scored a 6-1 win over Jairo Sandoval (Jr., Miami, Fla./Miami Senior HS). Augsburg's Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.), ranked No. 7 nationally at heavyweight, received a forfeit to end the match. Augsburg returns to action with a dual meet against Wartburg College (Iowa) on Thursday (2/1) at 7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall. Wartburg, the defending Division III national champions, is currently ranked No. 2 in the Division III national poll. St. Cloud State returns to action on Friday (2/2) at 7 p.m. with a dual meet at Upper Iowa University.

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Seniors Corry Murray and Scott Buhman scored the final two victories for the second straight match as VMI won their second straight Southern Conference dual by defeating Davidson 25-19 on Sunday afternoon at Belk Arena. The Keydets (4-5, 2-1 SoCon) trailed by one point with two bouts remaining, leaving the match in the hands of Murray and Buhman at the top two weights. Murray responded with a 9-3 decision over Mike Waters to improve to 3-0 in SoCon duals, while Buhman posted an 11-2 major decision to secure the victory and improve to 21-9 on the season. The Wildcats (3-8, 0-3 SoCon) jumped on top early, with Ben Altman posting a technical fall victory at 125 over Jonathan Pope. Following a 10-2 major decision by VMI's Tyler Anthony at 133, the hosts extended their lead to 11-4 as Jim Avola posted his sixth pin of the season, this one against Brandon Franklin at 141. However, the Keydets responded quickly. Senior Sam Alvarenga ran his overall record to 25-5 on the season with his fourth pin of the season, as he needed only 1:08 to defeat Scott Matthews at 149. Junior Tommy Cunningham won his 11th straight dual match with a 10-2 major decision, giving VMI their first lead of the match at 14-11. The two teams traded major decisions at the next two weights, with Davidson's Trebor Clavette scoring four points at 165 while VMI's Dustin McCabe did the same at 174. But the Wildcats took a one-point lead at 19-18 when Sam O'Hair posted a major decision at 184 against Kyle Elgert, setting the stage for Murray and Buhman. The match was the first time this season that Davidson was able to field a competitor at each weight. The Wildcats will hit the mats again next Saturday, when they go on the road to take on Anderson (S.C.) and Belmont-Abbey. The Keydets also return to action next Saturday, participating in the All-Academy Championships, to be held in Colorado Springs, Colo.

WEST POINT, N.Y. –- The Army wrestling team rebounded from its first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association loss of the season by beating Brown, 23-10, Sunday at Gillis Field House. Shortly after dropping a decision to Harvard, the Black Knights won seven bouts and improved to 9-4 overall and 5-1 in EIWA matches Fernando Martinez and Richard Starks had major decisions and Matt Kyler, Austin Milster, Brent Smith, Scott Ferguson and Nathan Thobaben won by decisions to lead the Black Knights. "We rebounded in the second match," Army head coach Chuck Barbee said. "We wrestled a little better in the second match. Before the match, we talked about firing and off and being aggressive which is what you need to do to beat good teams." Martinez got the Black Knights off to a great start with a 13-5 major decision at 125. Martinez had a first-period takedown, a takedown and near fall points in the second and an escape and riding time in the third. He also benefited from a locking hands penalty and had riding time. Brown's Jeff Schell tied the match one weight class later with a major decision over William Simpson. Schell had a takedown and three back points in the second period and then a takedown and riding time for a 9-1 win. Kyler put Army ahead 7-4 with a hard-fought win at 141. Kyler had three takedowns in the first period, including one on the end of the mat late in the period for a 6-4 victory. Milster battled his way to an 8-5 win at 149. Milster had a takedown early and then escaped following a reversal. Brown's Leonard Marandino then had a takedown for a 4-3 lead. Marandino took down to start the second and had an escape. Milster countered with a takedown to tie the match heading into the final period. Milster was down to start the third period and quickly escaped. He sealed the victory with a takedown with 15 seconds left and gave Army a 10-4 lead. Brown cut its deficit to 10-7 when Tom Fazio scored a 4-2 decision at 157. Army's Christian Snook trailed 3-0 going into the final period. He chose down and had a reversal but could not get back points. Fazio also had riding time and moved Brown within three points. Brown tied the match after Bran Crudden's 4-3 win at 165. Crudden had an early takedown but Army's Brian Rowan escaped. Crudden had an escape in the second period and then riding time to make it 10-10 after six weights.

West Point, N.Y. -– The Harvard wrestling team won six bouts to earn a 22-18 victory over EIWA foe Army on Sunday afternoon at Gillis Fieldhouse. Senior Robbie Preston and freshman J.P. O'Connor recorded bonus points in the Crimson's first dual win of the season, which appeared live nationally on ESPNU. "I am very proud of our guys," Head Coach Jay Weiss said. "They went out there and wrestled with everything they had and it all started with Robbie [Preston]." With the win the Crimson improves to 1-5 overall and 1-2 against EIWA foes. Army fell to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference. After freshman Ryan Fitzgerald lost by fall at 125 pounds, the Crimson won five straight matches to take a commanding 19-6 lead in the dual. Preston started the Crimson run with a pin in the first period over William Simpson. Fourteenth-ranked Preston took down Simpson and turned him twice before earning the fall in 2:38. Fellow captain Max Meltzer kept the momentum going with an overtime win against Matt Kyler at 141 pounds. Each wrestler escaped to earn the only points in regulation. In the over time session, Meltzer took him down and turned him for back-points to earn a 6-1 win. Sixth-ranked J.P. O'Connor dominated in his match against Frank Baughan at 149, earning a 16-3 major decision. O'Connor had two takedowns, a two-point near fall and three-point near fall in the first period. He reversed him in the second before taking him down in the third and turning him for two more near fall points. Junior Bobby Latessa kept the momentum going with a 6-3 win at 157. After a scoreless first period, Army's Christan Snook chose down to start the second and reversed Latessa to take a 2-0 lead. Lastessa was quick to escape. In the third, he escaped from bottom, took Snook down and turned him for the win. Snook escaped, but was unable to take his Crimson opponent down. It was Snook's first dual loss of the season. Freshman Frankie Colletta turned in another solid performance for the Crimson, taking his 165 pound match, 8-3. Colletta took down Brian Rowan in the first and turned him for two points. In the second he escaped and in the third took Rowan down again after being reversed. The Black Knights scored four points at 174 pounds when Brent Smith earned a 15-2 major decision over Harvard's Patrick Ziemnik. Sophomore Louis Caputo, who is ranked 11th in the nation, sealed the win for Harvard with a 5-0 decision over Scott Ferguson at 184. No takedowns were scored in the bout, Caputo used an escaped in the second, a three-point near fall in the third and riding time to earn the win. Army took the last two matches. Junior Billy Colgan lost a heartbreaker to Richard Starks, 5-4, at 197. The heavyweight bout also went to the Black Knights, Nathan Thobaben defeated Andrew Knapp by technical fall. It was Knapp's first match of the season. Harvard takes another trip south to Pennsylvania and New Jersey next weekend for Ivy League match ups against Penn and Princeton. The Crimson meets Princeton on Friday at 7 p.m. and travel to Penn for a 1 p.m. dual on Saturday.

Mountain Cat sophomore heavyweight Jon Neese (Chambersville, Pa.) broke a 17-17 tie and gave Pitt Johnstown a 23-17 victory at Division I American (D.C.) University Sunday afternoon with a fall over Evan Murtaugh at :27. With the victory, Head Coach Pat Pecora's #5 Mountain Cat wrestlers improved to 17-5 overall and 2-4 against Division I opponents. After falling behind, 3-0, Pitt Johnstown All-American and #7-ranked Brandon Reasy (New Enterprise, Pa.) scored a 7-3 decision over Jordan Lipp at 133 lbs. to tie the score. Red-shirt freshman and #2-ranked Shane Valko (141 lbs.) (Windber, Pa.) followed with a fall over Nick Pitas at 1:16 to give Pitt Johnstown a 9-3 lead. American won a major decision at 149 lbs, but senior National Qualifier Joe Strittmatter (157 lbs.) answered with his own major major decision, 14-6, over Jimmy Pepper. However, the Eagles got a 6-2 decision win by Division I #16 Mike Cannon at 165 lbs.and a 6-0 win by Rudy Rueda at 174 lbs. to even the score at 13-13. The Mountain Cats responded with #1-ranked and undefeated Mike Corcetti's (Export, Pa.) 13-0 major decision over Anthony Fuschino at 184 lbs. American's #5-ranked Josh Glenn tied the score for the third time with a 12-3 major decision at 197 lbs. to set up the heavyweight finale. In the final bout, Neese sealed the match with an emphatic fall over Evan Murtaugh at :27 to give Pitt Johnstown the 23-17 win. With the loss, the Eagles fell to 7-7 on the season. The Mountain Cats host #12 Ashland (OH) University on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Sports Center. The Mountain Cats will then wrap-up the 2006-07 home schedule with Senior Night against #19 University of Findlay (OH) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Reiter Dominates in First Appearance of the Season Five Minnesota wrestlers placed at the Jamestown Open on Saturday in North Dakota. Among them was two-time All-American Mack Reiter, who pinned four straight opponents to take first place at 133 pounds in his first action of the season. Also claiming titles for the Gophers were Yura Malamura (197) and true freshman Brandon Sitch, who made his Golden Gopher debut by taking first place at 174 pounds. Finishing in second place for Minnesota were Tyler Safratowich (157) and Justin Bronson (197). Konrad, Schlatter, Rivera Remain Unbeaten Cole Konrad, Dustin Schlatter and Manuel Rivera all kept their perfect records intact with two victories this weekend. Konrad extended his school-record winning streak to 61 consecutive matches, while Schlatter pushed his streak to 54 straight wins by defeating two-ranked opponents this weekend. Rivera continued his stellar season with a pair of decisions to improve to 29-0 on the season. Konrad, Schlatter and Rivera's unbeaten streaks currently rank 2nd, 3rd and 5th among active Division I wrestlers. Ness Putting Opponents to Rest Jayson Ness has been impressive all year long, but the redshirt freshman from Bloominton, Minn., has been particularly dominant as of late. With a 14-5 major decision over Brandon Tucker on Sunday, Ness has now earned bonus points in eight of his last 10 matches. During this streak, Ness has three pins, two tech falls and three major decisions. His current 10-match winning streak includes victories over five ranked opponents, including No. 2 Mark McKnight, whom he pinned in Minnesota's dual against Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 21. CSTV to Air Minnesota-Michigan Dual on Monday College Sports Television (CSTV) will air Friday night's dual against Michigan on tape delay on Monday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. The Gophers avenged their only dual meet loss last year by dominating the 17th-ranked Wolverines, 29-6 in front of 3,192 fans at the Sports Pavilion. Jayson Ness, Manuel Rivera, Gabriel Dretsch and Cole Konrad all earned bonus points for Minnesota, who won eight of 10 matches on the night. The Gophers also won the two marquee match-ups of the night, with top-ranked Dustin Schlatter earning a 2-1 decision over No. 3 Josh Churella at 149 pounds and No. 2 Roger Kish downing No. 4 Tyrel Todd, 15-8, at 174. Minnesota's other two victories came from Mike Thorn and C.P. Schlatter. Up Next The Gophers will hit the road next weekend to face a pair of ranked Big Ten opponents. Minnesota will meet the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., in Bloomington and stop in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, Feb. 4 to take on Illinois at 1 p.m.

EUGENE, Ore. –- The Arizona State University wrestling team used a stretch of three major decisions and two falls to erase an early deficit and win a Pac-10 Conference dual, 27-14, at Oregon Sunday afternoon in Eugene, Ore. The win improved the Sun Devils' season record to 6-10 overall and 3-2 in the Pac-10 while the Ducks slipped to 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the conference. The dual opened at 133 pounds where Shawn Jones dropped a close 2-0 decision to Joey Lucas. From there, the Ducks would win the next two bouts, both by decision, to stake the hosts to a 9-0 lead. No. 5 Brian Stith continued his dominant streak at 157 pounds as he scored a 14-4 major decision to cut the deficit to 9-4. Then, at 165 pounds, Kevin Gaughan took down Kyle Bounds and pinned him in 2:28 to make the team score, 10-9, in favor of the Sun Devils. But, the Ducks were assessed a team penalty point for unsportsmanlike conduct following the bout, bringing the score to 10-8 in favor of ASU. Rick Renzi continued the momentum for the Sun Devils as he scored a 14-5 major decision to put ASU ahead, 14-8. The lead grew to 20-8 when Greg Gifford pinned Brysen French in 3:22 before Jason Trulson recorded a 10-0 major decision to bring the team score to 24-8 in ASU's favor. After a Chris Dearmon fall at 5:53 over Quinton Pruett put the team score at 24-14, Johns Espinoza closed out the dual with another Sun Devil win, this time a 6-2 decision over Ryan Dunn at 125 pounds for the 27-14 final. Next up for the Sun Devils will be a 7 p.m. home dual with No. 13 Oklahoma inside Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night (Feb. 2).

Sixth-ranked Hofstra captured nine of 10 matches, including a win by fall by red-shirt freshman Mitch Smith at 149, to post a 30-6 victory over #24 Lehigh at the New York Athletic Club Sunday night. The Pride, who tallied their seventh consecutive victory, improve to 17-2-2 while the Mountain Hawks, who had their four-match winning streak stopped, fall to 11-7. Hofstra's 18th-ranked junior Dave Tomasette (14-5) opened the night's festivities with a 6-5 victory over Lehigh sophomore Matt Fisk. After trailing 4-1 after one period, Fisk tied the match at 5-5 with an escape with 1:15 remaining in the third. But Tomasette recorded the riding time point to post the victory. At 133, Hofstra freshman Lou Ruggirello (26-6), ranked 18th, battled freshman Seth Ciasulli and posted a first period takedown and an escape in the third for a 3-1 victory. The Pride's seventh-ranked junior Charles Griffin (23-4) battled back from a 5-2 deficit at the end of the first period to post a 7-6 victory, on the riding time point, over Lehigh senior Matt Ciasulli at 141 pounds. At 149, Hofstra 19th-ranked red-shirt freshman Mitch Smith (7-1) returned to action for the first time since December with a win by fall over junior Jeff Santo in 3:39. Pride senior James Strouse (31-2), ranked second in the country at 157, posted his 16th consecutive victory with a 5-0 blanking of senior Dave Nakasome. At 165, Hofstra's sixth-ranked senior Mike Patrovich (11-4) rolled to a 10-4 victory over freshman Manuel Schubert. Patrovich opened up a 6-3 lead after two periods and cruised to his 97th career victory. Hofstra's 17th-ranked sophomore Alton Lucas (18-8) posted a 4-2 decision over senior David Helfrich for a 24-0 lead in the contest. Pride junior Joe Rovelli (26-4) , ranked seventh at 184, recorded his tenth consecutive victory with a 7-0 blanking of Lehigh's 19th-ranked freshman David Craig. After a scoreless first period, Rovelli posted a takedown and two near-fall to take a 6-0 lead. Chris Weidman (23-5), Hofstra's 11th-ranked senior, tallied an 8-1 victory over senior Matt Cassidy to boost the Pride lead to 30-0 in the contest. The Mountain Hawks avoided the shutout in the final match of the night when 17th-ranked senior Paul Weibel pinned Pride graduate-student Matt Pollock (11-20) in 2:16. The Pride will host #15 Cornell at the New York Athletic Club next Saturday, February 3 at 1 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team upset No. 16 Indiana, 19-14, in front of a crowd of 786 Sunday in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes improve to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten Conference and handed the Hoosiers just their second loss on the season (10-2; 1-2 Big Ten). With a slim 9-8 lead after five bouts, the Scarlet and Gray recorded three consecutive wins, including a major decision, at 184, 197 and 285 pounds to take a 19-8 advantage. Third-ranked Mike Pucillo (Fr., Cuyahoga, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) began the string of victories at 184 pounds when he defeated 12th-ranked Marc Bennett, 18-6. Never trailing throughout the match, Pucillo took an early 7-3 advantage following the first period after scoring three takedowns and an escape compared to Bennett's reversal and escape. In the second session Pucillo increased his lead to 11-5, scoring a pair of takedowns and limiting Bennett to two escapes. In the final period, Pucillo was rewarded a point on a second IU warning and added to his two takedowns, escape and the riding time advantage, remained undefeated at 15-0. No. 7 J.D. Bergman (Jr., Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor) garnered win No. 16 when he beat Nate Everhart, 4-2. Up 2-0 going into the third period after scoring a takedown in the first session, Bergman, notched an escape at the 1:30 mark to take a 3-0 lead. Everhart then scored a takedown in the final nine seconds of the match to cut the deficit to, 3-2, but Bergman hung on, earning the riding time point for the final tally. With the Buckeyes up 16-8, Corey Morrison (So., Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) helped Ohio State to a 19-8 margin after his last second takedown gave him a 9-7 victory over Josh Buuck. Down 5-2 heading into the third period, Morrison quickly tied the score on an escape four seconds into the session and followed with a takedown at 1:41. Buuck answered with an escape for the one-point lead (6-5) with 55 seconds remaining, but a takedown by Morrison at the 40 second mark signaled another lead change (7-6). It was with four seconds left in the match Buuck recorded an escape to tie the score at 7-all. It appeared the bout was going to overtime, but the last second effort by Morrison gave him the win. Ohio State jumped out to an early 6-0 lead courtesy of two decisions by J Jaggers (So., Northfield, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) at 141 pounds and No. 16 Lance Palmer (Fr., Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edward) at 149 pounds. Jaggers too never trailed during his match, scoring a pair of takedowns in the first period, while Indiana's Scott Kelly recorded an escape. After a scoreless second period, Jaggers tallied an escape and earned the riding time point for the 6-1 win. Palmer overcame No. 12 Matt Coughlin, 5-3, after trailing, 3-1, going into the third session. An escape by Palmer with 1:49 remaining cut Coughlin's lead to 3-2 and following an injury timeout by IU, Palmer took a 4-3 lead on a takedown with 20 seconds left in the bout. Palmer then was awarded a point after Coughlin was called for his second warning of the match. No. 16 Chris Vondruska (Sr., Lakewood, Ohio/Hofstra) gave the Buckeyes their ninth point on the day when he defeated No. 14 Max Dean, 2-1, in overtime for his eighth-consecutive win. The first period was scoreless and only an escape by IU was recorded in the second period. Vondruska tied the bout at 1-1 in the third to force the match into overtime. After both wrestlers were held scoreless in both the one minute overtime session and the first 30 second overtime period, Vondruska notched an escape with 10 seconds left for the win. Buckeyes T.J. Enright (Jr., Galloway, Ohio/Westland) and Jason Johnstone (So., Massillon, Ohio/Perry) lost close decisions, with Enright losing in overtime to Andrae Hernandez and Johnstone dropping a 4-2 decision to seventh-ranked Brandon Becker. Hernandez scored a last second reversal in the second overtime period after he and Enright were tied up at 1-all. Becker was able to hold on for the win after Johnstone cut Becker's lead to 3-2 on a takedown at 1:08 in the third period. Eight seconds later Becker recorded an escape for the final 4-2 score. Ohio State returns to action at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 when it hosts No. 23 Michigan State in St. John Arena. Live web streaming of the match-up will be available on ohiostatebuckeyes.com. The meet also is OSU wrestling alumni night. Buckeye head coach Tom Ryan and a wrestling student-athlete will be available prior to the match for a chalk-talk session with alumni in the recruiting room of St. John Arena. Alumni then will be recognized at halftime. There also will be a post-match social for alumni at Wendell's restaurant on Lane Avenue (across from St. John Arena) at the conclusion of the event.

AMES, Iowa -- The last time the Iowa State wrestling team defeated Oklahoma State twice in one season Richard Nixon was President of the United States and Robert Parks was President of Iowa State University. The third-ranked Cyclone wrestling team continues to revisit milestones of its past excellence, as ISU beat No. 4 Oklahoma State for the second time this season, 21-12 Sunday in Hilton Coliseum. Kurt Backes (197), David Zabriskie (HWT) and Nick Fanthorpe (125) scored key victories as Iowa State beat OSU twice in a single season for the first time since the 1970-71 campaign. ISU improves to 9-3 overall and remains undefeated in Big 12 Conference duals with a mark of 3-0. Iowa State's defeat of the Cowboys and the Cyclones' 25-9 victory at National Duals Jan. 13 are the first back-to-back victories over OSU since ISU strung together three straight victories over Oklahoma State from 1980-1982. With the loss, the Cowboys' record is 11-4 this season with a 1-2 mark in conference action. "We don't want to have to adjust to opponents, we want teams to react to us," head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. "We are trying to stay consistent." Backes inched within one win of becoming the 32nd Cyclone to accumulate 100-career victories with a 5:07 stick of Jared Shelton at 197 pounds. Backes, ranked fifth nationally, picked up early back points with a three-point nearfall in the opening three minutes. He took a 7-1 lead into the second period and continued to work the Cowboy with a reversal and a takedown before pinning Shelton. "I came out confident to wrestle to the best of my ability and leave it all on the mat," Backes said. "With our new coaching staff, they tell us to push the pace in order to dominate the third period and today the pin was there." Backes' pin is the fourth of the season and the Neshanic Station, N.J., native pushes his record to 19-4 and his career record stands out 99-28. "We definitely needed the pin from Backes," coach Sanderson said. "He hustled and scrambled through situations and got a pin. That was one of the swing matches. He's done a great job being a leader for us." Zabriskie, a redshirt freshman, collided with another first-year wrestler, Jared Rosholt for the second time this season and came through with another 4-3 win over the Cowboy. As in their earlier meeting, the opening three minutes were scoreless and Rosholt put the first point on the board with an escape to begin the second period. Zabriskie answered with a takedown to take a 2-1 lead. During the final period the Branchville, N.J., native took a 3-1 advantage with an escape, but Rosholt responded with a takedown to even the bout at 3-3. Zabriskie, ranked 18th nationally, clinched the win with an escape at the 1:23 mark. He is now 18-6 overall and 9-2 in dual meets. "I stuck with the same plan that I had last time," Zabriskie said. "I worked on getting him tired and took a lot more shots. Beating two conference opponents in the last couple days has heightened my confidence and I'll continue to train hard and listen to whatever the coaches have to tell me." Fanthorpe avenged a National Duals loss to Tyler Shinn with a 4-1 decision at 125 pounds. The match remained scoreless until the second period when Shinn escaped, but Fanthorpe quickly took down the Cowboy to take a 2-1 lead into the final period. An escape in the third was all that the Naperville, Ill., native needed to seal the victory. Fanthorpe, who is ranked 10th nationally, is now 20-7 in his first season as a Cyclone and holds a 3-0 record in conference duals. "Shinn is tough Big 12 competition," Fanthorpe said. "It will always be a tough match, but I came out more prepared with concentration on my offensive fundamentals. There's a lot of the season left and I don't think I'm peaking right now, but the team is progressing and is right on track for March." Jake Varner, Cyler Sanderson and Trent Paulson also provided Iowa State with wins. The fifth-ranked Varner scored the Cyclones' first win Sunday, at 184-pounds, by scoring an 8-4 decision over Jack Jensen. The win is his fourth straight and he now carries a 21-4 record. Iowa State held a 15-12 lead when Sanderson scored a 4-3 decision over B.J. Jackson at 149 pounds. Sanderson's record is now 21-8. Trent Paulson, 18-4 on the year, closed out the dual by defeating Newly McSpadden, 11-5. The Iowa State wrestling team will conclude the 2007 home schedule Feb. 9 when the Cyclones will play host to Rider at 7 p.m.

CORVALLIS, Ore. –- A pinfall, two major decisions and three shutouts led to a big overall victory by the Oregon State wrestling team, as the No. 19 Beavers defeated Boise State 32-6 in a Pacific-10 Conference dual on Sunday afternoon at Gill Coliseum. OSU's Travis Gardner clinched the victory with his pin at 197 pounds, while Ty Watterson won a bout between two nationally ranked heavyweights. Watterson, Bobby Pfennigs and Eric Stevenson each won their matches without surrending a point, and two other Beavers only gave up one point. The Beavers (13-1 overall, 5-0 Pac-10), who beat Arizona State 31-10 on Friday, stretched their home winning streak to 11 meets over the past two seasons. OSU defeated Boise State (8-3, 4-2) for the third straight time and leads the all-time series 25-8. "It was another big win," OSU Coach Jim Zalesky said. "Arizona State and Boise State have been the Pac-10 champions the last number of years so it's good for our team to have that mental edge going into the Pac-10 Championships. Guys wrestled hard today. Even though we won some lopsided matches there were a couple of matches where we still have to work on some things. We've got to continue to work because there are some harder matches down the road." The Beavers won the first three matches, starting with Pfennigs' 13-0 whitewashing of BSU's Levi Jones for a major decision at 133. Pfennigs had a three-point near fall and a two-point near fall in the first period to go up 7-0 after the first break, then added another two-point near fall in the second period. After Boise State forfeited at 141, Derek Kipperberg gave the Beavers another major decision, 11-1 over BSU's Cam Jones at 149. Kipperberg built a 10-0 lead and had a three-point near fall in the first period. After three matches, OSU had built a 14-0 lead. The Broncos rallied to win the next two matches via decision (their only two victories of the day), closing the overall margin to 14-6. BSU's Tyler Sherfey (ranked No. 15 nationally by the NWCA) used a defensive style to edge Keegan Davis at 157 by a score of 3-0. With a 1-0 lead, Sherfey countered a takedown attempt by Davis midway through the second period and got one of his own. At 165, the Broncos' Jonathan Nunez scored a takedown with 20 seconds remaining in the third period to edge OSU's Brett Arand, 7-5. OSU's Jeremy Larson (ranked No. 18 nationally by the NWCA) put the Beavers back in the win column with a 5-1 decision over BSU's Nate Lee at 174. Larson scored takedowns with eight seconds remaining in the first period and four seconds left in the third period. While Boise State had earlier won a match decided in the final minute, the Beavers got one back at 184. OSU's Kyle Bressler and BSU's Luke Smith were tied 2-2 heading into the final period. Smith got an early escape to take a one-point lead and he looked like he might hold on for the victory, but Bressler was awarded a takedown with six seconds left at the edge of the circle. Boise State's coaches were upset at the official's decision and were cautioned, but Bressler earned a hard-fought 4-3 win. Gardner wasted no time in his pinfall victory over Ryan Allen at 197 pounds. He scored a takedown just 24 seconds in, then had a pair of three-point near falls before ending the match just 2:36 into the first period. Gardner's victory gave the Beavers an insurmountable overall lead of 26-6 with two matches remaining. "(Gardner) took it to him," Zalesky said. "He's wrestling with a lot of confidence. He's probably our most improved guy throughout the year." The heavyweight match was highly anticipated, with Watterson (ranked No. 15 nationally by the NWCA) squaring off against Boise State's Andy Patrick (ranked No. 7 nationally by the NWCA). Watterson earned a 1-0 victory in a battle of two immovable objects. After no scoring in the first period, Watterson started down in the second period and quickly escaped. He kept his 1-0 lead heading into the third and final period. Instead of choosing the down position and trying for an escape, Patrick chose the neutral position. That strategy didn't pay off, as no additional points were scored in the final two minutes. The final match of the day was at 125, and OSU's Eric Stevenson blanked BSU's Cory Fish 6-0. Stevenson picked up takedowns in the first and second periods and also earned points on a second stall warning and riding time. The Beavers will look to continue their success during next weekend's road trip, which takes them to UC Davis on Friday (Feb. 2) and Cal Poly on Sunday (Feb. 4).

KENT, Ohio -- In an exciting dual meet that came down to the final bout of the afternoon, Pitt (5-4, 1-1 EWL) defeated No. 21 Kent State (13-1, 2-0 MAC), 16-15. In the heavyweight bout, sophomore Zach Sheaffer came through for the team to pick up their sixth dual win of the season. The Panthers picked up bonus points at 165 pounds with a major decision and won five of the 10 matches. At 125 pounds, Pitt's Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) took on No. 19 Chad Sportelli. Gentzle was the first to score, earning two on a takedown in the first period. Sportelli came back with an escape. Another escape by Sportelli in the second period tied it up heading into the third. Gentzle earned a point for riding time, giving him the 3-2 decision. Pitt took a three-point lead. Next up was 133 pounds as Pitt's No. 13 Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) faced Danny Mitcheff. The two went head-to-head earlier this year at the Southern Scuffle where Headlee picked up a 9-0 major decision. The two wrestlers were scoreless in the first period. Headlee scored on an escape in the second to take the lead. Mitcheff scored two on a takedown, and Headlee tied it up with another escape. As the third period was scoreless, the bout went into overtime. Mitcheff scored on a reversal to take the lead, but Headlee came back immediately with a reversal to tie it up. An escape by Mitcheff won the bout, 5-4, tying up the team score at three. Pitt's Joe Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) went up against Kent State's Drew Lashaway at 141 pounds. Lashaway was the first to score, getting an escape in the first. Ciampoli came back with an escape to make the score 2-1 at the end of the first. Ciampoli tied it up at two with an escape in the second. Lashaway took the lead again with an escape in the final period. Another takedown was enough to give Lashaway the 5-3 decision. The Golden Flashes moved into the lead, 6-3. At 149 pounds, Mark Generalovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) wrestled Kent State's Jason McGee. In the first period, McGee took a quick lead, scoring two on a takedown. Generalovich had an escape, but McGee scored on another takedown for the 4-1 lead heading into the second period. The two were scoreless in the second. In the final period, McGee scored on a reversal and a takedown while Generalovich had two escapes. McGee went on to win the bout, 9-3. Kent State moved to a 9-3 lead. Pitt's No. 8 Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) faced Kent State's Kurt Gross at 157 pounds. Kocher was the first to score, earning two on a takedown. Gross came back with an escape to make the score 2-1 at the end of the first. In the second period, Kocher had two escapes and Gross had a takedown. As Kocher held a 4-3 lead entering the final period, Gross scored early on an escape to tie it up at four. Kocher had a takedown, giving him the 6-4 win and putting the Panthers back on the board. Kent state now held a three-point lead, 9-6. Next up was Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) against Kent State's Sli Bostelman at 165 pounds. The two went head-to-head at the Southern Scuffle in December where Richmond won an 11-8 decision. Richmond had three takedowns in the first period for a 6-2 lead. Two more takedowns in the second period increased Richmond's lead, 10-3. Richmond picked up three more points in the final period for the 13-5 major decision. Pitt moved into the lead, 10-9. At 174 pounds, Pitt's No. 3 Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) wrestled Kent State's Aaron Miller. Gavin was the first to score, earning two on a takedown. He went on to earn two more on a near fall, giving him the 4-0 lead at the end of the first period. In the second period, Miller had an escape to get on the board, but Gavin maintained a 4-1 lead. Gavin had a reversal and a takedown in the final period for the 9-3 decision. Pitt continued to stay in the lead, 13-9. The next bout was between Pitt's Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Kent State's No. 20 Eric Chine. In the first period, Chine scored on a late takedown for the two-point lead. Deliere had an escape in the second to get on the board though Chine kept the lead, 2-1. In the final period, Chine scored three for the 5-3 decision. Pitt held onto a one-point lead, 13-12. At 197 pounds, Pitt's Eric Cassidy (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) took on Kent State's No. 20 Ardian Ramadani. The two wrestlers were scoreless in the first period. Cassidy had two escapes in the second, and Ramadani had a takedown tying the score at two heading into the final period. In the third, Ramadani had a takedown for the 5-3 decision. Kent State moved back into the lead, 15-13. In the final bout of the day, Pitt's Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) faced Kent State's No. 19 Jermail Porter. The two have faced off twice this season Porter winning both contests. In the first period, the two wrestlers were scoreless. Sheaffer scored on an escape in the second to take a one-point lead heading into the final period. Sheaffer went on to earn a point for riding time to win a 2-0 decision over Porter. Next up for the Panthers is their final home meet of the season when they host EWL rival West Virginia on Friday, Feb. 2. The Backyard Brawl is scheduled for 7 p.m., in the Fitzgerald Field House. Pitt will then have three dual meets on the road to conclude their regular season.

The top-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team improved to 14-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Ten with a convincing 32-9 victory over Purdue on Sunday at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota won seven of 10 matches on the day, earning bonus points in six, to hand the Boilermakers their fourth straight loss. From the first match of the day, the Boilers set out to prove they would not be intimidated, as they wrestled a very aggressive style and continuously attempted to fire shots despite being out-matched. Fourth-ranked Jayson Ness quickly proved the strategy would not be effective, earning a 14-5 major decision over Brandon Tucker at 125. Tucker attacked Ness early in the first period, but Ness countered and scored a takedown just 19 seconds in and built a 5-1 lead at the end of the first period. Tucker came out firing again in the second and scored a takedown and back points in the first 30 seconds. His success was short-lived, however, as Ness turned it around in the third with a takedown midway through and a three-point near fall as time expired. He added the bonus point with over three minutes of riding time. With his major today, Ness has now earned bonus points in eight of his last 10 matches. Purdue got three points back with a victory from Sean Schmaltz over Mike Thorn at 133, but it was close as the Boilermakers would get for the remainder of the dual, as Minnesota's 1-2-3 punch of Manuel Rivera and the Schlatter brothers gave the Gophers a 15-3 advantage before intermission. Rivera improved to 29-0 on the season with a 13-4 major decision over Nick Bertucci at 141. Leading 4-1 after the second, Rivera took aim at bonus points in the third, scoring an escape 10 seconds in and immediately allowing Bertucci to escape. He used the same method three more times in succession to build his lead to 12-4 and earned the bonus point with 2:41 of riding time. In the only match of the day featuring two-ranked opponents, top-ranked Dustin Schlatter won a close 3-2 decision over No. 11 Jake Patacsil at 149. Patacsil battled Schlatter throughout the first, a period which saw both wrestlers countering each other's attempts. Schlatter got on the board when Patacsil was issued his second stall warning with 30 seconds remaining in the second and added a takedown late in the period to take a 3-0 lead. Patacsil got a couple points back in the third on a stall warning on Schlatter and for the riding time advantage, but Schlatter prevented him from generating any offense to win his 54th consecutive match. C.P. Schlatter, ranked No. 3 in the country, continued his impressive streak since returning from a knee injury by downing Purdue's Jake Murphy, 14-3. Schlatter went after Murphy immediately, scoring a takedown just seven seconds and adding another takedown and back points later in the period. He built his lead from there with a number of impressive takedowns in the second and third, the last with just four seconds remaining, to earn the major decision. Purdue won its second match of the day at 165, with Justin Fraga defeating No. 20 Jeremy Larson, 13-8, but the Gophers finished off the Boilermakers with a pair of exciting victories in the next two bouts. No. 12 Gabriel Dretsch overcame an early deficit to pin Jason Martin with a lightning quick maneuver near the end of the first period. Trailing 4-3 after a Martin reversal, Dretsch got an escape with 15 seconds left in the first, quickly spun around and used a body lock to take the Purdue wrestler down and immediately put him on his back to earn the fall at the 2:52 mark. Second-ranked Roger Kish followed by providing the most entertaining match of the night with a 23-8 tech fall over Nick Skinner. Kish wasted no time in attacking Skinner, scoring the bout's first points with a takedown just two seconds into the match. He built his lead to 8-4 entering the third period and provided the 3,487 in attendance at the Pavilion with plenty to cheer about in the final two minutes. After starting down to begin the third, Kish got the escape and immediately went after Skinner, scoring a takedown and three-point near fall to quickly extend his lead to 14-4. He then used a series of four takedowns and got the bonus point for riding time advantage to earn the tech fall. Kish's 23 points scored in the bout tied a career-high for a single match. The Boilermakers got their final victory from No. 14 Nathan Moore, who defeated Brent Eidenschink, 5-1, at 197. Eidenschink, a true freshman from Detroit Lakes, Minn., has faced a ranked opponent in five of his first six matches since earning a starting spot prior to the National Duals. Purdue forfeited at heavyweight to make the final score 32-9. With the victory, senior Cole Konrad extended his school-record winning streak to 61 consecutive matches, currently the second-longest active streak in the nation. The Gophers will hit the road next weekend to face a pair of ranked Big Ten opponents. Minnesota will meet the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., in Bloomington and stop in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, Feb. 4 to take on Illinois at 1 p.m.

University Park, Pa. -- The 11th-ranked Fighting Illini wrestling squad fought off Penn State, 18-16, to keep their perfect season alive. Illinois fell behind 10-0 after the first two matches and had to claw their way back to win the dual. Freshman John Dergo's big win at 184-pounds was the difference in the afternoon. Illinois is now a perfect 7-0 against Penn St. in head coach Mark Johnson's 15-year career. The dual started at 197 and saw #20 Patrick Bond fall to #3 Philip Davis in 4:02. With no scoring in the first period, Davis started on the down position and scored a reversal and got the Illini redshirt-freshman on his back. The pin was called a few seconds later and Penn St. took a 6-0 lead in the dual. The Nittany Lions went ahead 10-0 when HWT #12 Aaron Anspach took a major decision against John Wise, 15-6. After dropping the first two matches, Illinois won three in-a-row to climb back in the dual. At 125, #8 Gabe Flores upset #5 Mark McKnight, 6-1, to get the Illini on the board. The two grapplers spent most of the first period on the mat without recording any takedowns. McKnight opened the second with an escape, but Flores (Madera, Calif.) closed the period with a takedown to take a 2-1 lead. Flores extended his lead in the third with an escape and then added another takedown for good measure. At 133, #9 Jimmy Kennedy upset #8 Jake Strayer, 4-3. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) opened the first period with a takedown but Strayer escaped to close the period. Strayer tied the match in the second on an escape and then took the lead on a penalty point. With 20 seconds left in the third, Kennedy scored a reversal to take the match and get the Illini three more points. The Illini now trailed, 10-6. At 141, #12 Cassio Pero won a decision against Bryan Heller, 5-2. Heller took the lead in the first on a takedown but Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) quickly escaped. In the second period, Pero tied the match on an escape and then scored a takedown to take the lead. Pero rode Heller for the entire third period and got the Illini to within one in the dual, 10-9. At 149, #10 Troy Tirapelle fell to Dan Vallimont, 9-3, and Penn St. extended their lead to 13-9. At 157, top-ranked Mike Poeta defeated Bubba Jenkins, 5-2, and got the Illini within a point of the Lions, 13-12. Poeta (Highwood, Ill.) took the early lead on a takedown to start the first, but Jenkins escaped seconds later. With Poeta leading 3-1 in the third, Jenkins narrowed the lead on an escape but Poeta took him down to seal the match. At 165, #13 Roger Smith-Bergsrud won a decision over Dave Rella, 8-5. Smith-Bergsrud (Lake Bluff, Ill.) took the early lead on a takedown in the first period, but Rella countered with an escape. In the second, Smith-Bergsrud extended his lead to 5-1 with an escape and a takedown, but Rella closed the gap on an escape of his own. Rella picked up another escape point to start the third, but Smith-Bergsrud planted the freshman on a takedown. In the third, Rella picked up three quick points on an escape and a takedown, but it wasn't enough as Smith-Bergsrud took the match and the Illini took a 15-13 lead in the dual. Illinois fell behind, 16-15, after the 174 match, but John Dergo took a decision against Mike Ward, 4-1, to give the Illini a come-from-behind victory. After a scoreless first period, Dergo (Morris, Ill.) took the lead in the second period on an escape and a takedown. In the third, Ward scored on an escape, but Dergo fought the freshman off to seal the Illini victory and pick up his first Big Ten dual win. "The team needed a win and I'm glad I helped them get it," said Dergo. "The win was also a relief. After getting my first Big Ten win, I can use it to go forward from here." "The freshmen were incredible today," said head coach Mark Johnson. "To come in and upset a top guy at home shows how tough Jimmy is. Then, for the dual to come down to the last match with 3,000 fans rooting against you, Dergo let everyone know what he's made of." The Illini continue Big Ten action at home on Sunday, Feb. 4, when they host top-ranked Minnesota at Huff Hall. Mat time is set to begin at 1p.m. Fans can watch the action live on fightingillini.com. Local radio station WDWS AM-1400 will tape-delay the dual to air after the women's basketball game.

Stanford, Calif. -- The Stanford wrestling team posted a 29-14 win today in an exhibition match with Menlo College. Competing without two starters, the Cardinal won six of ten bouts to claim victory at the Ford Center. Stanford earned bonus points in five matches, and Tanner Gardner and Zack Giesen recorded pins for the second-straight week. Due to the absence of an official, the dual was scored only as an exhibition. Wrestling at 125 pounds, Gardner gave the Cardinal an early advantage, with a win by fall over Menlo's Gabriel Rodriguez in 2:27. The Oaks pulled back into a tie, however, with decisions at 133 pounds and 141 pounds. At 149 pounds, Cardinal sophomore Tyler Parker dominated the Oaks' Thomas Hammontree and picked up a 16-0 technical fall. The Oaks responded quickly, however, scoring a technical fall of their own at 157 pounds to bring the team score into another tie. Senior Brian Perry won a battle with Stephen Towne at 165 pounds and came out with a 9-1 major decision. Perry's win gave the Cardinal a 15-11 lead, and the squad never looked back. Luke Feist racked up 21 points and collected a win by technical fall over Jon Sanchez at 174 pounds. Giesen followed with another decisive win, pinning Mariano Sanchez in 4:31 to seal the team win. Fellow freshman Jake Johnson, wrestling his first match at 197 pounds, continued the run and picked up a 5-3 decision over the Oaks' Mike Jeffery. Stanford dropped the heavyweight match, and finished with a 29-14 team victory. The Cardinal returns to action next Friday, Feb. 2, hosting a pair of competitive Pac-10 duals. Stanford will take on Oregon at 5 p.m. and square off with Cal Poly at 7 p.m. Both matches will be held in Burnham Pavilion.