InterMat Staff

This weekend TDR's mobile Brute Adidas studios will be LIVE at the Iowa AAU State Tournament at Vets in Des Moines, Iowa. After the fantastic NCAA Championships this past weekend in St. Louis we'll catch our breath for a couple days and then its right back in to the fire as we broadcast the This event like many around the country helps us stay in touch with the many kids that wrestle, their families, their attitudes, likes and dislikes and the fact that for many this is something they do for fun and enjoyment. It's still competitive, there are still tears and friendships, smiles and handshakes, but in true AAU fashion its fun and competitive. Join us LIVE this Saturday morning 9:06 AM to 8:00 PM CST and Sunday 10AM to 2PM for the action, the excitement and interviews of this monster tournament. The show will continue throughout each of the days at Takedownradio.com Special thanks and TDR recognition to Lee Pamulak for his many years of service to the kids and families of the AAU. What a kind hearted, gentle giant of a man is Lee Pamulak!

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling team will host its annual awards banquet on Tuesday, April 1 at Hickory Hall in Ames. Fans are welcome to attend the ceremony to honor the two-time Big 12 team champions. Check-in and social hour will begin at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and awards at 7 p.m. Tickets are limited and can be purchased for $20. To reserve a spot, contact Molly Donnelly at 515-294-4872 or mdonnely@iastate.edu. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.

Rev Audio: Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh head wrestling coach Rande Stottlemyer and 2008 National Champion Keith Gavin have been honored by the Eastern Wrestling League for a stellar 2007-08 season, it was announced today by the league office. Stottlemyer was named as the conference's Coach of the Year and Gavin its Wrestler of the Year. Stottlemyer led the Panthers to a 13-4 dual meet record, including a 5-1 mark in conference action, and program-best finishes at the Midlands Championships and the EWL Tournament this season. At the conference championships, his squad captured four EWL crowns, the most in Pitt's rich wrestling history, and grabbed second place in the team standings, tying the school's highest finish at the tournament. During his 29 years at the helm of Pitt Wrestling, Stottlemyer has produced two NCAA National Champions - Gavin and two-time champion Pat Santoro - 26 All-Americans, 113 national qualifiers and 29 EWL champions. In 19 of the past 25 years, he and his staff have coached at least one NCAA All-American and have seen their teams finish within the top-30 at the NCAA Championships. Pitt finished the 2008 regular season at No. 23 in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA poll, marking the sixth time in the past 11 seasons that the Panthers have ended the year in the nation's top-25. The honor marks Stottlemyer's third Coach of the Year accolade, as he was also bestowed the award in 1986 and 1989. Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna) is the reigning NCAA Champion at 174 pounds after his 4-2 defeat of No.2 Steve Luke of Michigan this past weekend in St. Louis, Mo. The victory capped a remarkable senior season in which Gavin went a perfect 27-0, including victories at the Midlands Championships and the EWL Tournament. Over the past two seasons, he has accumulated a record of 55-4, which equates to a winning percentage of .932. Gavin finished his career as a Panther with the 8th most pins and tied for the 9th most wins in school history. Gavin's performance in St. Louis made him the school's 16th National Champion and the first since Santoro accomplished the feat in 1988 and 1989. Gavin's unblemished record is also Pitt's first undefeated season since Santoro went 48-0 as a junior during the 1988 campaign. Last season, Gavin went 28-4 and advanced to the finals of the NCAA Tournament where he captured second place and his first All-America honor. At the conclusion of the 2006-07 season, he was also recognized by WrestlingReport.com as their 2007 Pennsylvania Wrestler of the Year. This season, Gavin is expected to be in the running for the Hodge Award, which is given to the nation's most outstanding wrestler.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Tom Brands and Mike Chapman. "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. Brands is the head wrestling coach of the University of Iowa wrestling team that won the 2008 NCAA championship this past weekend. The Hawkeyes scored 117.5 points and were 38.5 points ahead of team runner up Ohio State. The Iowa wrestling team sent three wrestlers to the finals, winning two individual titles. Overall the Hawkeyes had seven wrestlers earn All-American honors. Chapman is the executive director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum and the author of a new book entitled "The Life and Legacy of Frank Gotch." This is Chapman's third book on Gotch. Frank Gotch Day will be celebrated on April 3, 2008, in Humboldt (Gotch's hometown), Waterloo and at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum here. The museum is planning several activities and has invited everyone to participate. April 3, 2008, will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Gotch's win over George Hackenschmidt to win the world heavyweight wrestling championship. Gotch's victory in Chicago on April 3, 1908, was a pivotal moment in wrestling history. Gotch's victory set off a wild celebration among sports fans in Humboldt, across Iowa and around the nation. Chapman will discuss Frank Gotch Day and Gotch's importance to wrestling. "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.

Two-time NCAA champion Mark Perry has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for March 18-24. The top-ranked Hawkeye wrestling team won its 21st national title and crowned two individual champions in Perry and sophomore 149-pounder Brent Metcalf at the 2008 NCAA Championships last weekend in St. Louis, MO. It was Iowa's first team title since 2000, and the first time the Hawkeyes crowned more than one NCAA champion since Doug Schwab and T.J. Williams won titles in 1999. Iowa scored 117.5 team points in the victory, more than doubling its NCAA point total (57) from 2007. Iowa and runner-up Ohio State were the only teams with two individual champions. Perry became Iowa's 14th two-time NCAA champion when he defeated Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum in the 165-pound finals, 5-2. It was the fifth time the two had met, with each wrestler owning two wins. Perry scored a takedown in the first 19 seconds of the match and rode Tannenbaum the entire first period. He took a 3-0 lead early in the second period on an optional start escape, but injured his right knee in a scramble. Perry injured the same knee in January and sat out the entire Big Ten dual season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. Tannenbaum scored a third-period takedown to make the score 3-2, but released Perry and did not score again. Perry's riding time point made the final score 5-2. The senior from Stillwater, OK, ended his Hawkeye career with a 96-16 record, going 20-3 this season. A three-time NCAA finalist and four-time Big Ten finalist, Perry is Iowa's 17th four-time all-American. Perry is the third Hawkeye to earn the national weekly honor this season. Metcalf was named Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 16 and Mar. 12, and sophomore 133-pounder Joe Slaton was picked on Dec. 12.

Rev Audio: Jordan Leen (Cornell) Rev Profile: Mack Lewnes (Cornell) ITHACA, N.Y. -- Big Red wrestling's Jordan Leen was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association's (EIWA) Wrestler of the Year, while rookie Mack Lewnes earned Freshman of the Year honors. Leen won the NCAA title at 157 pounds in St. Louis last weekend to earn his second All-America honors. Placing fourth at 165 pounds, Lewnes also became an All-American. The duo helped lead the Big Red to a ninth-place team finish with 67 points. Leen (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) upset three ranked wrestlers en route to his title. In his opening bout, he defeated returning All-American Ryan Hluschak of Drexel, 4-3, and followed with a 4-1 decision over Maryland's Brian Letters. In the quarterfinals, Leen defeated the No. 1 seed, Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro, 8-6, before advancing to the finals with a 9-2 victory over No. 12 Josh Zupancic of Stanford. Leen, the lowest seeded wrestler in the finals, won the title with a 5-4 win over No. 2 Mike Poeta of Illinois. The junior became just the second collegiate wrestler from Tennessee to ever win a NCAA championship. Leen registered a 3-1 mark at the EIWA tournament to place second and qualify for his third NCAA tournament. He continued his perfect record against Ivy competition over his career (14-0) to earn his third first-team All-Ivy honor. Leen captained the Big Red to its sixth-straight Ivy League title this season. He opened his junior campaign by placing second at the Brute Binghamton Open and followed by winning the title at the Body Bar Invitational. Leen also placed first at the Reno Tournament of Champions. In dual matches this season, he had a 7-1 record. With eight major decisions, he has the second most on the team. Leen has 89 career victories, which ties him for 17th on the Big Red all-time wins list. At 165 pounds, Lewnes (Annapolis, Md.) earned his first All-America honors placing fourth at the NCAA tournament. He was the only freshman to advance to the semifinals. The rookie opened the tournament with a 5-3 win over Old Dominion's Chris Brown, and followed with a pin in 4:09 against West Virginia's Donald Jones. In the quarterfinals, he won 6-5 in a tiebreaker against No. 5 Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska. Lewnes then faced No. 1 seed, and eventual NCAA champion, Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan. Tannenbaum advanced to the finals with a 4-0 win over the Big Red wrestler. In the wrestlebacks, Lewnes pinned No. 10 Michael Cannon of American to advance to the third-place bout. He placed fourth after being edged out, 3-2, by No. 3 Nick Marable of Missouri. Lewnes defeated all four of his opponents at the EIWA championships en route to winning his first individual title at 165 pounds and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Lewnes is second on the team in wins with 36, and has just five losses. He also is second among the Big Red in pins with 13. Lewnes opened his rookie campaign with a 12-match win streak where he won titles at the Brute Binghamton Open and Body Bar Invitational. He also placed first at the Reno Tournament of Champions and Southern Scuffle.

Lincoln –- The Nebraska wrestling team has invited the public to attend its annual postseason banquet on Saturday, April 5. The event will be held on the third level of west Memorial Stadium, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and a buffet dinner following at 6 p.m. Cost is $30 per person. Husker fans will have the chance to mingle with the Nebraska coaches and wrestlers before the dinner and catch the awards presentation afterwards. Head Coach Mark Manning and his staff will announce the winners of Nebraska's team awards, including academic honorees and senior recognition. The Huskers finished fourth at the NCAA Championships last weekend, their highest finish since the 1993 season. Five NU wrestlers earned All-America honors, including third-place finishers Paul Donahoe and Jordan Burroughs. Reservations for the banquet must be made through Ellen Shutts at (402) 472-9430 or at eshutts@huskers.com by Monday, March 31.

ST. LOUIS, MO -- Hofstra University sophomore Lou Ruggirello was named the 2008 winner of the Manuel Gorrarian Award following the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center. The Gorrarian Award is presented annually to the student-athlete who records the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships. Ruggirello (Walden, NY), who recorded three pins in a total of 4:54, posted the fifth-best three-pin time since records were kept in 1952. The record, three-pin time of 4:19 was recorded in 2004 by Virginia's Scott Moore, who placed third at 141 pounds that Championship. Ruggirello, who posted a 4-2 record and fell just one win short of placing in the All-American round at the NCAA Championship, is the second 133-pound wrestler to win the award, following North Carolina's Evan Sola in 2005, since the weight class was created in 1998-99. He is only the fourth wrestler in a weight class in the 130s to capture the award following Sola, Iowa State's Dan Gable at 137 pounds in 1969, and Michigan's Norvard Nalen at 130 pounds in 1954. Ruggirello concluded his sophomore year with a season-best record of 38-7 to improve his career mark to 69-16.

St. Louis, Mo. -- Three Tigers, Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.), Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) and Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.), earned All-America honors for the first time of their career by finishing third, fifth and seventh at 165, 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, at the Division I Wrestling Championships contested in the Scottrade Center of St. Louis. Wrestling on blue mat No. 4 for both of his matches, Marable strapped on green ankle-bands and shutdown eighth-seeded Moza Fay of Northern Iowa, 7-4, in his morning match and followed with a 3-2 decision of Cornell's Mack Lewnes to finish his first NCAA Tournament in third place. Marable closed out his season with a 27-4 record and finished the tournament with Missouri's best showing, 5-1. The meeting between Fay and Marable was the first of the season but the second of Marable's career. In Marable's redshirt freshman season, Fay earned a 5-2 decision, Dec. 3 at the UNI Open. In Saturday's match, Marable was first to score, managing two takedowns in the first period, followed by a single takedown in the second. Marable held his UNI opponent to only four escapes, and for the first time of the season, recorded over a minute-and-a-half of riding time, securing one point for his 1:40 of work. Marable and Lewnes squared off for the second time of the season in a battle for third place. The two grapplers with similar style and size were scoreless through the first period. Starting down to start the second period, Marable escaped in seven seconds and took down Lewnes with 1:28 left in the period. Allowing Lewnes only two escapes, the result of the third-place match was the same as that of their previous meeting, Jan. 27 in the Hearnes Center. "The last time we met it was a close match," Marable said. "My whole body hurts after three days of hard wrestling. But I knew I had to find a way to win and I did. I feel that I've wrestled better these past three days than I have all year." After suffering a one point loss, 3-2, to Michigan's Tyrel Todd, Jordan took his fifth place match with Iowa's Phillip Keddy into overtime where he scored a takedown 33 seconds into the one minute overtime period to win, 6-4. Jordan was down 2-1 entering the second period but escaped six seconds into the second to tie the match at two. In the third, Keddy escaped Jordan's hold but was quickly returned to the mat only to escape one final time for the 4-4 tie that forced overtime. "We both wanted to go out on a good note, so we both were wrestling hard," Jordan said. "It was tough to get back up and wrestle after losing last night. But I had to shake it off and finish with a win." Missouri's Askren recorded the final Tiger victory of the tournament with an 11-4 win in overtime over Iowa State's David Bertolino. The victory was Askren's third of the season over the Big 12 grappler and helped the Tiger claim his first All-America honor in his second Tournament appearance. Askren recorded four takedowns in his bout with Bertolino the final coming with four seconds remaining in overtime. "I can't complain too much about finishing seventh," Askren said. "It's not where I wanted to finish, but it's still a win. If nothing else, it really motivates me for next year." Championship finals are slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. (CT) and will air live on ESPN. Missouri sits in 11th with 48.5 points after the completion of the fifth session, while Iowa has all but locked up the team title with 109.5 team points. Big 12 opponent Nebraska stands in second with 74 points, while Iowa State is in third with 72. "It's tough losing the heartbreaker matches that we did the other night," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "Our guys did a good job of walking it off and coming back strong today. These three wrestlers (Marable, Jordan and Askren), have wrestled consistent all year. "Our team has spring break this week and they'll have some time to relax and get recharged," Smith said. "When they get back, we'll start working towards next year."

It was a disappointing end to a tough season for the Golden Gopher wrestling team. Jayson Ness, Minnesota's lone representative in the finals round at the 2008 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, was beaten 10-3 in the 125-pound championship match by Indiana's Angel Escobedo. Ness' defeat means the Gophers finished the national tournament with 61.5 team points and in 10th place, their lowest finish since 1996. "It would have been a nice note to end on, a way to salvage the last three days," said Gophers' head coach J Robinson about Ness' match. "At the same time, you've got to look at and see that he was a national finalist." After watching teammates Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera and Dustin Schlatter win their final matches of the season in the consolation medal rounds, Ness was the first wrestler to take the mat during Saturday night's main event at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The 125-pound title bout was a rematch of this season's Big Ten final, also won by Escobedo. Ness, determined not to be taken down early by Escobedo (he fell behind in the first period of his 4-2 loss to the Hoosier at the Big Ten finals), locked arms with the top-ranked wrestler for most of the first period. But 2:17 into the match, Escobedo swung around and gained position on Ness near the edge of the mat, earning a takedown to go up 2-0. Ness escaped less than 30 seconds later to make the score 2-1, but entered the second frame trailing for the second straight time against the Indiana wrestler. Ness held his own during the second period, but was unable to earn that crucial takedown in the two-minute timeframe. Unlike the Big Ten final, when Escobedo racked up more than four minutes of riding time (including the second period) Ness earned an escape 35 seconds in, but not before Escobedo had accumulated more than one minute of total riding time. Ness nearly connected on a single leg with 15 seconds to go in the period, but Escobedo somehow avoided the takedown as the pair entered the final frame tied at two. Escobedo began down in the third, and after Ness was called for stalling at the 1;35 mark, was allowed to escape 30 seconds in to go up 3-2. Ness, needing a score to win the match, instead suffered a crucial takedown by Escobedo at 1:08 into the period – he would not escape until just 27 seconds were left. Desperately trying for that critical score in the waning moments, Ness suffered a four-point swing in the final three seconds (a takedown and two-point nearfall). The bonus riding time point made the final tally 10-3 in favor of Escobedo. "Escobedo is great at single-leg defense, and I just had to keep working," said Ness. "I couldn't get him in the end." Despite the loss, it was an outstanding year for the Gopher redshirt sophomore and Bloomington, Minn. native. Ness finishes the 2007-08 season with a 39-2 record and his second All-American award. He also tied a school record with 20 pins (two at the NCAA Championships), a feat also accomplished by Gopher head assistant coach and fellow Bloomington Kennedy High School graduate Marty Morgan. Ness rounds out his second NCAA tournament with a 4-1 record. He is 9-3 lifetime at NCAAs (79-7 total in two seasons with the Gophers) and has lost just three times in his last 43 official collegiate matches. All three of those losses have come against Escobedo. "I've just got to keep training like I did this whole last year," said the sophomore his prospects for next season. "I've got to get back to work, and hopefully things will go my way next year at the tournament. "Five matches is a lot to win in a row, especially against this kind of competition," said Ness. "I had a great year, but the goal was to be at the first place stand on the podium, and I couldn't get that." Robinson expressed the same sentiment as his top wrestler about the program's outlook for the future. The Gophers finished with four All-Americans in 2008 after winning the national championship with four a year ago. "We've just got to get back at it," he said.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Fifth-year senior Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) and senior/junior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) fell just short in their bids for individual national titles -- both losing by narrow decision margins -- on Saturday (March 22) at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in front of 16,154 fans at the Scottrade Center. Behind the performances of four All-Americans, the Wolverines took a share seventh place (69 points) in the team race -- their eighth consecutive top-10 finish at the national event. Tannenbaum could not overcome an early deficit against Iowa's Mark Perry in the 165-pound championship match, losing 5-2 despite a late rally in the final period. The Hawkeye wrestler struck quickly in the opening frame, countering a U-M shot to score in the opening 20 seconds. Perry rode out the remainder of the period and picked up a quick escape in the second to essentially carry a four-point advantage into the final stanza. After choosing neutral, Tannenbaum -- who had failed to convert on several low single-leg shots in the opening two periods -- finished on a double leg with about a minute remaining. After cutting Perry loose on a restart late in the period, the Wolverine captain was unable to penetrate his opponent's defense as the Hawkeye held on to capture his second straight NCAA title. A single-leg takedown proved the difference in the 174-pound final as Pittsburgh's top-seeded Keith Gavin scored the only offensive points en route to a 4-2 decision over Luke in the Wolverine junior's first career appearance in the NCAA finals. Luke took the match's first shot -- a deep single leg early in the opening period -- but failed to finish as he walked the opportunity out of bounds. The pair continued to trade shots, but only Gavin converted, scoring his winning single-leg takedown early in the second period. The Panther wrestler rode a majority of the final frame to accumulate 1:20 in riding-time advantage and remain undefeated on the season. Senior/junior Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) earned back-to-back 3-2 decisions in the morning medal round to complete the trek back to third place, defeating Missouri's sixth-seeded Raymond Jordan in the consolation semifinals and fourth-seeded Christian Sinnott of Central Michigan in the placing bout. Todd took an early advantage against Jordan, converting on a high-crotch shot just 30 seconds into the opening frame. The Wolverine wrestler, seeded third, struck deep on two more single-leg opportunities in first and second period and fended off of couple Missouri shots in the third to maintain his advantage. Todd's second match had a similar tone. After a scoreless first period, the U-M captain set the tone in the final two periods, finishing on a duck-under opportunity late in the second period. Sinnott's escape before the end of the frame knotted the two at two a piece, but Todd one of his own early in the third and avoided a couple late shots to hang on. After falling in the second round, Todd earned six consecutive victories to record his best finish in three appearances at the NCAA event. Fifth-year senior Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) surpassed his seed at 149 pounds, placing fourth after splitting a pair of morning consolation matches. Churella lost a close 4-2 decision against fourth-seeded Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska in the third-place contest on a second-period reversal and a late takedown on the edge of the mat in the third. The Wolverine captain, seeded fifth, avenged the only major-decision loss of his career with a 6-2 victory over North Carolina State's seventh-seeded Darrion Caldwell in the consolation semifinals. With the score knotted at one a piece -- after escapes -- early in the third, Churella shot in on a single leg and fought for nearly a full minute to get the call, making several adjustments on the mat before putting Caldwell to his back and picking up an additional three points in the closing 20 seconds of the match.

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt's Keith Gavin captured the 2008 National Championship at 174 pounds with a 4-2 victory over Michigan's Steve Luke tonight at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. Gavin finished his senior season with a record of 27 wins and zero losses, recording Pitt's first undefeated season since Pat Santoro went 48-0 as a junior in 1988. Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), the nation's top ranked wrestler for the entire 2007-08 season, matched up with Luke, the No. 2 seed, for the second time this season. Gavin and Luke also met in the final of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational earlier in the season, with Gavin claiming victory by a count of 3-2 in a tiebreaker. After a scoreless first frame, Gavin chose bottom to begin the second and quickly registered an escape, gaining a 1-0 advantage with less than 10 seconds gone in the period. He followed the escape with a takedown that swelled his lead to three. Luke managed an escape before the end of the second period, however, and headed to the third down by just two points. Like Gavin in the second, the Wolverine grappler also chose the bottom position to begin the final period of action, hoping to gain another escape and trim the deficit to just one. Last year's national runner up, Gavin would not allow Luke to leave his grasp and used a series of trips to keep his opponent close to the mat for the majority of the period. Gavin's unyielding work from the top position helped him rack up well over a minute of riding time and earn an extra point at the conclusion of the match. Luke was finally able to wriggle free with 22 seconds remaining on the clock, but Gavin held off his offensive advances and waited for the clock to strike zero. The victory makes Gavin the school's first national champion since Santoro accomplished the feat in 1988 and 1989. Pitt now has 16 national champions in its rich wrestling history. For complete results from St. Louis, please visit the following link:

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Junior Jordan Leen defeated Illinois' Michael Poeta 5-4 in the finals of the 157-pound bracket to claim his first national title on Saturday evening at the 2008 NCAA wrestling championship. The No. 8 seed in the tournament completed his unlikely run by knocking off the top two seeds en route to capturing the title. Leen took a shot with 50 seconds left in the first period and converted to go up 2-0, but with 10 seconds left, Poeta escaped. The Big Red grappler started the second period in the down position and went up 3-1 with an escape. Leen earned another point when Poeta was hit with a penalty for fleeing the mat. Leen thought that they were out of bounds, and Poeta nearly countered to score before the referee blew the whistle. Poeta began the third period down on the mat and came within two with an escape. The Illinois wrestler tied up the bout with a takedown, but Poeta let Leen up looking for another takedown to win. Leen evaded Poeta with time running out to win a 5-4 decision for a National Championship title. Leen is just the second wrestler from Tennessee to ever become an NCAA champion. The first was Bill Harlow of Oklahoma State in 1966. The last Big Red wrestler to win a NCAA title was Travis Lee in 2005 at 133 pounds. Leen ‘s title is the ninth in Cornell history, and the fourth under head coach Rob Koll.

ST. LOUIS, MO -- Bloomsburg University wrestler Matt Moley (Phoenixville/Spring Ford) earned All-American honors for the first time in his career after finishing eighth in his weight class at the 2008 NCAA Division I wrestling championships. Moley's All-American award makes it two consecutive years that a member of the Huskies (Mike Spaid last year) has earned the coveted honor. It also marks the first time the Huskies have had All-Americans in back-to-back years since a run of five straight years from 1985 to 1989. In the consolation quarterfinals, Moley lost by fall to Indiana University in a time of 1:35. Moving to the consolation seventh place match, Moley lost to Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State by a score of 7-5. Moley finished the season with a mark of 33-11.

St. Louis, Mo. -- Two Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers entered the championship finals of the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships just one win away from a prestigious individual title. Senior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) dominated Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak to claim the national crown at 197 and spur Penn State on to a superb third place finish in the team race. Penn State's other finalist; sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) dropped a hard-fought 14-8 decision in his title tilt at 149. Jenkins was Penn State's first finalist. Jenkins, the 6th seed at 149, took on top-seeded Brent Metcalf of Iowa. Metcalf had defeated Jenkins twice during the regular season. Metcalf immediately got in on Jenkins' thigh, but Jenkins stepped out of trouble and action resumed with 2:30 left in the opening period. Metcalf shot low on Jenkins and this time, the Nittany Lion sophomore countered the Hawkeye, worked underneath and behind him for a takedown at the 1:58 mark and an early 2-0 lead. Metcalf escaped to a 2-1 deficit shortly thereafter. Jenkins forced another scramble on the edge of the mat and after a brief struggle to pull Metcalf back into the mat, he got his second takedown with :38 left to lead 4-2 after the Hawkeye escaped. Trailing 4-2, Metcalf chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 deficit. He then stepped around the Nittany Lion sophomore and notched his first takedown at the 1:38 mark to take a 5-4 lead. Jenkins escaped to a 5-5 tie after a reset in the center circle. Metcalf got in deep on Jenkins' right leg again and lifted the Nittany Lion off the mat. But Jenkins was able to force a stalemate after action returned to the surface and the bout remained tied. Metcalf once again got control of Jenkins' legs and this time took him down for two points and three back points as the period ended. Trailing 10-5, Jenkins chose down to begin the final period. Jenkins escaped, cutting Metcalf's lead to 10-6 and immediately tried a cement mixer to send Metcalf to the mat. But the talented Hawkeye rolled through and notched a takedown of his own to up his lead to 12-6. A Jenkins escape with a minute left cut the Hawkeye's lead to 12-7. Metcalf would add one more takedown and post a 14-8 win. Jenkins ends a stellar sophomore season as the 2008 National Runner-Up as the 6th seed. He went 4-1 during his first run at 149 and ends his year with a 26-6 record. Davis, the second seed at 197, was making his second appearance in the national finals (he lost in the finals in 2006 as a sophomore). Davis, who yesterday became only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State history, was facing 4th seeded Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan. Michalak entered the bout 2-0 all-time against Davis, having beaten him during the NCAA tournament in 2005 and at the Reno Tournament of Champions in 2006. Davis took the opening shot, but Michalak countered and tried to work his way around behind Davis for a takedown of his own. Davis then gained control of the scramble, getting Michalak's left leg under control and notching his first takedown at the 1:23 mark, taking a 2-0 lead. Michalak escaped to a 2-1 deficit :30 later and action moved to the middle of the mat. Davis' constant offensive pressure forced Michalak into a first stall warning and Davis led 2-0 after one period (with :30 of riding time). Michalak chose down to begin the second period and escaped to a 2-2 tie with 1:26 left. The CMU grappler then looked to get in on Davis' leg and the Nittany Lion senior deftly countered the move, slid around behind him and notched a second takedown with just over 1:00 left in the period. Davis then dominated Michalak, riding him out to lead 4-2 after two periods (with 2:13 in riding time). Up by two, Davis chose down to start the final period and steadily got to his feet. After working Michalak to his side, Davis escaped at the 1:30 mark to a 5-2 lead with his riding time edge still in tact. Michalak then got hit for a second stall, giving Davis a 6-2 lead with 1:04 left in the match. Davis countered one last Michalak shot, hopping up to one foot and winding out the clock. His riding time point gave him a 7-2 decision and his illusive national crown. The win also punched Penn State's ticket to a superb third place finish in the team standings. Davis ends the tournament with a 5-0 mark and his senior season 26-1. He leaves Penn State with stunning 116-20 record. Penn State ended the tournament with 75.0 points, good enough for third place. The Nittany Lions finished only four points behind Ohio State (79.0). Iowa claimed the team title with 117.5 points. The third place finish is the highest for Penn State since finishing in third in 1994. The 75.0 team points is the fifth most in school history.

ST. LOUIS -- For Oklahoma State four-time All-American Coleman Scott, the 2008 wrestling season was about one thing -- winning a national championship. Not only did he accomplish that goal, but he did it in the most dominating fashion possible, pinning fourth-seeded Joey Slaton of Iowa in a mere 49 seconds in Saturday's NCAA title match. "I felt great tonight. I prepared, I did everything right and coach always stresses that if you're taking someone down, look to take them to their back and keep them there and get the pin because bonus points are big," Scott said. "I worked that tonight and it felt great. It's the best I've ever felt." Wrestling in front of a decidedly pro-Iowa crowd at the Scottrade Center, Scott made the most of the only shot of the match, catching Slaton with a left-handed high crotch, then locking in a cradle to eventually record the pin. "I've never hit that move in my life before," Scott said. "I've hit the high crotch, but never had it where I got the head like that. It was just instincts and I did it." Scott's career with the Cowboys included most every honor a wrestler can accumulate. He was a starter on two NCAA title teams with the Cowboys in 2005 and 2006. He earned All-America honors in each of his four seasons at OSU, making him only the 12th Cowboy to ever accomplish the feat. He was a two-time Big 12 conference champion. The one thing that was missing from his list of career slate was an individual national title. Scott and Slaton met earlier in the year when Scott was an 8-6 winner over Slaton as part of Oklahoma State's 19-14 win over the then-No. 1 Hawkeyes in Iowa City on Jan. 5. Scott got out to a 7-1 lead in that match and fought off Slaton's rally to claim his win that day. It wasn't nearly as close in the NCAA championship match. "We had our struggles during the year and he put that on his shoulders when he didn't need to," OSU coach John Smith said. "With the adversity that Coleman has faced, he kind of claws his way through. He obviously had a breakdown in the semifinal match at the Big 12s which probably ended up being very helpful for him in the long run in making a difference in understanding that you'd better get focused here." Scott was one of four Cowboys to earn All-America honors this year as he was joined by senior Nathan Morgan, who earned the third All-America honor of his career by placing fourth, senior Jack Jensen, who earned his first All-America honor by taking seventh and sophomore Jared Rosholt, who placed fourth at heavyweight to secure his first career All-America honor. "This is awesome. It's what you dream about," Scott said. "When you go to sleep at night and stuff is going through your head, that's what you picture, getting that pin. That's what you want and everything worked out perfectly. "I didn't take any shortcuts this year and it paid off in the end."

ST. LOUIS -- J Jaggers and Mike Pucillo, members of the Ohio State wrestling team, were crowned 2008 NCAA National Champions to give the Buckeyes their first individual national championship since 2004. Senior heavyweight J.D. Bergman was an NCAA runner-up and sophomore Lance Palmer finished eighth, giving the Buckeyes four All-Americans for the second-consecutive year. As a team, Ohio State finished second with 79 points. The second-place finish is the best standing for the Buckeyes in program history. Ohio State's previous best was third (tie) in 2004. The Buckeyes never have had three finalists in the NCAA championships. In 1993, the Scarlet and Gray advanced two wrestlers to the finals in 1993 national champion and two-time All-American Rex Holman and two-time national champion and three-time All-American Kevin Randleman. Ohio State and Iowa were the only programs in the 2008 edition of the championships to qualify three finalists. Jaggers, a redshirt-junior, became the first 2008 champion for the Buckeyes, defeating No. 1-seed Chad Mendes of Cal Poly, 5-2, at 141 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Jaggers scored an escape early in the second to take a slim 1-0 lead. However, Mendes responded with an escape of his own in the final period to tie the score at 1-1, but Jaggers countered with a takedown with 45 seconds left and followed with a two-point nearfall at the 37-second mark to go up 5-1. Jaggers was forced to take an injury timeout with just 16 seconds remaining after suffering a leg injury and despite giving up an escape to Mendes, held on for the victory. At 184 pounds, Pucillo, redshirt-sophomore, clinched the second-place team finish for the Buckeyes when he downed No. 1-seed Jake Varner of Iowa State on a tiebreaking riding time advantage of six seconds. In the two wrestlers' first-ever collegiate meeting, they went scoreless after the first period. After taking the down position, Pucillo scored an escape early in the second stanza, but Varner, who was the 2007 runner-up, evened the score on an escape of his own in the third period. With the score knotted at one apiece, Pucillo and Varner went into two sudden victories and tiebreaking sessions before Pucillo won on the riding time. In his third matchup against Northwestern's No. 1-seed Dustin Fox, Bergman dropped a heartbreaking 4-2 decision in the final. All three of Bergman's losses this season have come from Fox. With the scored tied, 1-1, at the end of the third period, the match was forced into overtime. Neither wrestler could score in the sudden victory period, but each grappler tacked on an escape in both 30-second tiebreakers. It was in the second sudden victory Fox scored a takedown to win his second-consecutive national championship. At 149 pounds, Lance Palmer became a two-time All-American Saturday. In the seventh-place matchup, Palmer dropped a 3-2 decision to No.2-seed Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota.

Redshirt sophomore Angel Escobedo is the 2008 125-pound National Champion after a 10-3 victory over Minnesota's Jayson Ness in the NCAA finals. He was not the only Hoosier to be named an All-American, however, as senior Brandon Becker claimed his third career All-American recognition by finishing fourth place in the 157-lb. weight class. As a team, the Hoosiers finished in 12th place at the NCAAs. Escobedo finishes the year with an overall record of 34-1 and has now compiled 73 total wins in his first two seasons as a Hoosier. Indiana has won the 125-lb. national title three of the last four seasons with Joe Dubuque taking home the prize in 2005 and 2006. Escobedo's championship run is the 11th national title in Indiana wrestling history. Becker caps off an outstanding career that has placed him throughout the IU record books by finishing in fourth place, his best career finish at the NCAAs. The Mickleton, N.J. native climbed the All-American stand in 2005 (fifth) and 2006 (seventh) as well. Escobedo was the first to light the scoreboard in the 125-lb. championship match when he slipped by Ness with a perfectly executed duck under at the 0:45 mark in the opening period for the takedown. The Golden Gopher got away from Escobedo 33 seconds later to cut the lead in half at 2-1 before the start of the second period. Ness chose the down position to begin the second stanza and tallied another escape to tie the score at 2-2. He later shot in deep on Escobedo in the middle of the mat. Escobedo sunk in a whizzer though, successfully denying the takedown attempt to the delight of the 16,154 people in attendance at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. It was Escobedo's turn to choose the starting position in round three, and the Griffith, Ind. elected to start down in the referee's position with the score still knotted at 2-2. Shortly following a stalling warning on Ness at the 1:35 mark, Escobedo burst out of his grasp for an escape and a 3-2 edge. Click here to find out more! Escobedo continued to be aggressive, hitting a double-leg takedown with just under a minute remaining in the match to increase his lead, 5-2. Once accumulating over one minute of riding time advantage, Escobedo cut Ness loose with only 30 seconds left in the bout. Ness, whose only two losses this season came by the hands of Escobedo, needed to hit a five-point move at the end to win. Knowing this, Escobedo anticipated the throw attempt and countered by slamming Ness to his back for a takedown and two near-fall points as time expired. Add on his riding time point and Escobedo took home the national championship by a score of 10-3. Becker began Saturday with a 3-0 triumph over Stanford's Josh Zupancic in the round of six. After a scoreless first period, Becker struck first with a reversal in the second period. He narrowly escaped a near-fall and turned it into two points as he bridged himself all the way over top of Zupancic to record the reversal. Becker added a riding time point for the 3-0 final tally. In the third-place match, Becker bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit with a pair of escapes to even the score at 2-2. His opponent, Dan Vallimont of Penn State, chose neutral for the third period and regained his two-point advantage by notching another his second takedown. Becker responded again though, posting a reversal with nine seconds left in the match. Unfortunately, he could not turn Vallimont and lost the match 5-4 due to a riding time advantage for the Nittany Lion.

Final Brackets Final Team-by-Team Results Final Tournament Stats Day 2 Recap Day 1 Recap Iowa is back. That simple, declarative three-word sentence sums up the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Whether this is the first year of a new dynasty that will someday be called The Brands Era that will be mentioned in the same breath as The Gable Dynasty has yet to be seen. But, for all the doubters and naysayers, there's no doubt: the Hawkeyes made the 2008 NCAAs their own. By the end of the three-day tournament, Iowa had racked up 117.5 points … a commanding lead over second-place Ohio State with 79 points. (By contrast, at the 2007 NCAAs, Minnesota and Iowa State were neck-and-neck well into the finals … with the Gophers ultimately edging ahead.) In third place was Penn State with 75 points … followed by Nebraska with 75 points … and, tied for fifth place, Iowa State and Oklahoma State with 72 points. At the beginning of Saturday evening finals, Iowa and Ohio State each had three wrestlers vying for individual titles. Penn State and Michigan each had two finalists, while Iowa State, Central Michigan, Oklahoma State, Cornell, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Indiana, Pittsburgh, and Cal Poly each had one wrestler in the finals. The Finals 125: This rematch of the Big Ten finals had the same outcome: Angel Escobedo of Indiana, the top-seeded sophomore and 2008 Big Ten champ, took on second-seeded Jayson Ness, sophomore from Minnesota. The Hoosier scored first, with a takedown with about 40 seconds left in the first period; Ness got an escape towards the end of the period to make the score 2-1. In the second, the Gopher knotted the score with an escape. Some wild scrambling towards the end of the period with no change in score. In the third, Escobedo took back the lead with an escape, and scored two takedowns and a near fall with less than a minute left to seal the victory. With riding time, the final score was 10-3 Escobedo. In the past four years, Indiana has won three of the titles at this weight … with Joe Dubuque winning in 2005 and 2006. 133: Third-seeded Coleman Scott, the senior from Oklahoma State, brought a 32-4 record to his finals match with Joe Slaton of Iowa, the sophomore seeded fourth with a 36-4 record. The Cowboy locked up with his opponent, bringing him to the mat… and putting the Hawkeye's shoulders to the mat at 49 seconds to close his college career with his first national title. It is believed that this is the fastest finals fall in thirty years; in the 118-pound weight class at the 1978 NCAAs, Ohio University's Andy Daniels pinned Cal State Bakersfield's John Azevedo in thirty seconds. 141: Chad Mendes, the top seeded senior from Cal Poly, survived an entire season with a perfect record… until he met sixth-seeded sophomore J Jaggers from Ohio State in the finals. There was no scoring in the first period. Jaggers scored the escape early in the second �- the extent of scoring in that period (despite an on-the-mat scramble at the end). Mendes reciprocated with an escape of his own in the third, but the Buckeye scored two and two to build a 5-1 lead. The Mustang got an escape with sixteen seconds left… but Jaggers held on to get the 5-2 win. 149: In a battle of Big Ten sophomores that ended up being a takedown clinic, top-seeded Brent Metcalf of Iowa, went up against Bubba Jenkins, Penn State's sixth seed. Jenkins scored first with a takedown, Metcalf got the escape … with the Nittany Lion getting a second TD with 38 seconds left. Metcalf got another escape to make the score 4-2 at the end of the first period. In the second, the Hawkeye escaped, then got a takedown to take the lead 5-4. Jenkins escaped to tie it up. At the very end of the period, the Hawkeye got five nearfall points to take a 10-5 lead. In the third, Jenkins got an escape … followed quickly by yet another Metcalf takedown. The Nittany Lion escaped again to make it 12-7. The Iowan ended the match with still another takedown. A last-second escape by Jenkins wasn't enough; Brent Metcalf won the 149-pound title by the score of 14-8. 157: Mike Poeta, the second-seeded junior from the University of Illinois, with a 26-2 record, wrestled eighth seed junior Jordan Leen of Cornell University, with a 26-2 record. Leen got the first takedown, with Poeta closing the first period with an escape to make it 2-1. Well into the second period, the Big Red wrestler got an escape to go ahead 3-1. In a mad scramble at the edge of the mat, Leen got another escape. In the third, Poeta escaped to make it 4-2 Leen… then tied it with a takedown of his own, then let Leen loose … making the final score 5-4. Leen came up from the eighth seed to win the title for Cornell. 165: The first finals matchup between the number one and two seeds: Michigan senior Eric Tannenbaum, the top seed with a 30-2 record, took on Big Ten rival Mark Perry, the senior from the University of Iowa, and defending 2007 champ, with a 24-3 record. Perry scored first, with a takedown early in the first. Not much action in the rest of the period as a chant of "Stalling, stalling" came up from sections of the crowd as the Hawkeye amassed riding time. The ref put out a double-stalling call towards the end of the opening period. Tannenbaum cut Perry loose at the opening of the second to make it 3-0 … and that was the end of the scoring in that period. Tannenbaum scored a takedown with about a minute to go, then cut the Hawkeye loose to make it 4-2. With over two minutes of riding time, the defending champ Perry won his second title 5-2. 174: Another battle between the two top wrestlers in the weight class: Top seed Keith Gavin of University of Pittsburgh, with a perfect 26-0 record going into the finals, vs. Michigan's Steve Luke, with a 29-2 record. No scoring in the first. In the second, Gavin got a quick escape, followed by the takedown to make it 3-0. Luke got the escape with 1:20 left in the second … and that was it for scoring in that period. In the third, the Wolverine got an escape … but it wasn't enough, as Gavin ended his senior season with a 4-2 win, his perfect record intact, and, most importantly, a national title. 184: Still another No. 1 vs. No. 2: 2008 Big 12 champ Jake Varner of Iowa State, the top seed, went up against Ohio State's Mike Pucillo, the Big Ten titlewinner. Both men had 29-0 records going into the title bout. No scoring in the first. Pucillo scored the escape in the first fifteen seconds of the second … and that was it for scoring action. In the third, the Cyclone evened things up with an escape of his own, the only scoring in that period -- forcing the action into overtime. Varner got an escape in the tiebreaker; Pucillo came out from under to tie it up again, 2-2. No score in the sudden victory after ten minutes of wrestling. In the second tiebreaker, the Buckeye escaped. Varner escaped to tie it again, but with six seconds riding time, Pucillo brought home a national title for the Buckeyes for the final score 3-3 TB 2. It was the second straight year that Varner was a finalist but not a champion. 197: Second-seeded Phil Davis, the Penn State senior, with a 25-1 record, going up against Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan; the Chippewa senior was seeded fourth. Davis got a takedown about halfway through the first, with Michalak getting an escape with about 45 seconds left, making the score 2-1 Davis. In the second, Michalak escaped to knot up the score… while the Nittany Lion countered with a takedown to make it 4-2 at the end of the period. Davis escaped, then stalling was called on Michalak to make it 6-2. With riding time, Phil Davis celebrates a 7-2 victory. Hwt: In a battle of Ohio high school wrestling stars �- and rematch of the 2008 Big Ten heavyweight title bout -- top seeded Dustin Fox, the Northwestern senior with a 28-1 record, faced off against fellow Big Ten big man JD Bergman, the second-seeded senior from Ohio State, with a 28-2 record (the two losses to Fox). No score at the end of the first. In the second, the Buckeye escaped… making the score 1-0 at the end of the period. In the third, Fox escaped to knot the score… and take the match into overtime. Bergman got an escape fifteen seconds into the tiebreaker. Fox got an escape of his own to retie the score 2-2. In the second sudden victory, Dustin Fox got a 4-2 win … and the heavyweight title. One interesting side storyline for the finals: there were two wrestlers who overachieved to win titles. Ohio State's J Jaggers started the trend, by coming out of the sixth seed to become champ at 141 … then Jordan Leen of Cornell, grabbing the 157 title as an eighth seed. Now, let's look at the All-Americans who placed third through eighth at the 2008 NCAAs: 125: In the matches to determine who'd wrestle for third place, Mark McKnight of Penn State got a 7-5 win over Iowa's Charlie Falck… while 2007 NCAA champ Paul Donohoe of Nebraska defeated Tyler Gardner 5-3. In the battle for third place, Donohoe got the 6-3 win over McKnight. In the match to determine fifth place, Nebraska's Tanner Gardner got a decisive 8-2 win over Iowa's Charlie Falck. In the seventh-place match, Northwestern's Brandon Precin defeated Old Dominion's James Nicholson 5-2. 133: Top-seeded Franklin Gomez of Michigan State got a 6-4 win over Cornell's Mike Grey; second-seeded Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois shut out Iowa's Mack Reiter 4-0. In the third-place match, Gomez defeated Kennedy 7-2. In the fifth-place bout, Minnesota's Mack Reiter got the 10-7 win over Grey. In the seventh-place match which had numerous blood timeouts, Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State beat Navy's Joe Baker 7-6. 141: To see who'd wrestle for third place, second-seeded Charles Griffin of Hofstra edged Iowa State's Nick Gallick 3-2… while Oklahoma State's Nathan Morgan got the 8-3 win over Matt Kyler of Army. In the third-place bout, it was a battle of seniors… with Griffin defeating Morgan 5-2. Gallick took fifth place by defeating Kyler 3-2. In the match to determine seventh place, Manny Rivera pinned Chattanooga's Cody Cleveland at 3:46. 149: In the set-up for the third-place match, Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs got the 5-3 victory over Harvard's JP O'Connor… and Josh Churella of Michigan beat North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell 6-1. In the actual match to determine third-place honors, Burroughs beat Churella 4-2. Fifth place went to Caldwell, by medical forfeit. In the seventh-place bout that went into overtime, Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter got the 3-2 TB victory over Ohio State's Lance Palmer. 157: Dan Vallimont of Penn State edged out 2007 champ Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro 2-1… while Indiana's Brandon Becker held Stanford's Josh Zupancic scoreless, 3-0. In the actual third-place bout, Vallimont got the decision, 5-4. In the fifth-place match, Gillespie got a 15-0 tech fall over Zupancic. Seventh place went to Iowa State's Cyler Sanderson, topping Bloomsburg's Matt Moley 7-5. 165: Cornell's Mack Lewnes pinned Mike Cannon of American at 4:10 … with Missouri's Nick Marable getting a 7-4 decision over Moza Fay of Northern Iowa. In the bout to determine third-place honors, Marable got the 3-2 decision over Lewnes. In the battle for fifth, Fay defeated Cannon 13-6. In the seventh-place match, Iowa State's Jon Reader got the 10-7 decision over Nebraska's Stephen Dwyer. 174: Jay Borschel of Iowa got the fall over Cornell's Steve Anceravage at 6:30 … while Brandon Browne of Nebraska got the 4-1 decision over Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan. Third place went to Borschel, with a 6-4 win over Browne. Brandon Sinnott got the 3-2 win over Anceravage to place fifth … while Navy's Matt Stopinski pinned Hofstra's Alton Lucas at 4:07 to claim seventh place. 184: Speaking of Sinnotts… Brandon's brother Christian defeated Iowa's Phil Keddy 7-4 … and Michigan's Tyrel Todd edged Missouri's Raymond Jordan 3-2. In the third-place match-up between Chippewa and Wolverine, Todd won 3-2. In the fifth-place bout, Jordan defeated Keddy 6-4. To determine seventh place, Jack Jensen of Oklahoma State got the 3-2 win over Boise State's Kirk Smith. 197: Defending champ Josh Glenn of American fell to Maryland's Hudson Taylor, 9-6 … and Nebraska's Craig Brester bested Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst 9-2. In the third-place match, Taylor got the win 7-5 SV. Fifth place went to Glenn with the 11-6 win over Herbst … while seventh place was awarded to Max Askren of Missouri with a 11-9 SV win over Iowa State's David Bertolino. Hwt: Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt got a 6-1 decision over Iowa State's David Zabriske 6-1 … while Navy's Ed Prendergast got the 3-2 win over Iowa's Matt Fields. In the match to determine third, Prendergast defeated Rosholt 4-1. In the fifth-place battle between Iowa and Iowa State, Matt Fields got the victory in extra innings, (score) … while, in the seventh-place match, Bubba Gritter of Central Michigan got the victory thanks to an injury forfeit. Other Awards Outstanding Wrestler: Brent Metcalf, Iowa Coach of the Year: Tom Brands, Iowa Most Pins in Shortest Time: Lou Ruggirello, Hofstra @ 133 -- three falls in 4:54 Fun Fact: All Americans by State What state can claim to have produced the most wrestlers who earned All-American honors at the 2008 NCAAs? Ohio is the heart of it all, with nine All-Americans… followed by Michigan and Pennsylvania, with eight each. Iowa and New Jersey can each claim seven AAs … while Illinois is the home state for six, with five from California.

St. Louis -- Propelled by third-place finishes from junior Paul Donahoe and sophomore Jordan Burroughs, the Nebraska wrestling team climbed back into the team title race during Session V of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday morning. The Huskers currently sit in second-place in the team standings with 74 points, two points ahead of Big 12 foe Iowa State and three in front of Ohio State and Penn State. Nebraska wrestlers collected five All-America certificates -- its most since 1995. The Huskers will slip in the team standings at the final session tonight, but should remain in the top 10. Donahoe and Burroughs both bounced back from losses in Friday's semifinals with two wins Saturday to claim third place at 125 pounds and 149 pounds, respectively. Donahoe rebounded from Friday night's loss with a 5-3 win over Stanford's Tanner Gardner to clinch a spot in the third-place match. Donahoe had a big second period against Gardner as he scored a reversal and takedown to take control of what was previously a scoreless contest. Donahoe easily handled Penn State's Mark McKnight in his third-place match with a 6-3 decision. Donahoe notched takedowns in the first two periods and added an escape and a riding-point to earn the win. Donahoe finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, running his career record to 12-3 at the NCAA Championships. Donahoe finishes the 2007-08 season with a 25-4 mark and earned his second consecutive All-America honor and top-three finish. Burroughs, normally known for his takedowns, scored two reversals in his two wins Saturday. Burroughs chose down in the second period against Harvard's J.P. O'Connor and quickly notched the reversal to get on the board. Burroughs added a takedown in the third to take the 5-3 decision. In his third-place match, Burroughs did the same as he reversed Michigan's Josh Churella in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. Burroughs added a late takedown to seal the 4-2 decision. Burroughs also finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, ending his season with a 34-6 mark while earning his first All-America honor. His record earns him the eighth spot on the Nebraska top 10 list for wins by a Husker sophomore. Juniors Brandon Browne and Craig Brester also advanced into the third-place match with wins to open the day, but both lost to finish fourth. Browne defeated Central Michigan's Brandon Sinnott with a 4-1 decision, but lost a 6-4 decision to Iowa's Jay Borschel. Brester racked up a 9-2 decision over Wisconsin's Jacob Herbst before losing to Maryland's Hudson Taylor in overtime 7-5. Browne finishes the season with a 35-4 record with two of his four losses coming against Borschel. His mark ties Browne for sixth on the top 10 wins list for a Husker junior as he earned his first All-America honor. Brester notched a 26-7 record in the course of the season and he also earned his first All-America honor. Sophomore Stephen Dwyer lost a 10-7 decision to Iowa State's Jon Reader to finish eighth. Reader earned a quick takedown and nearfall to take a 5-0 lead that Dwyer could not rebound from. Dwyer went 3-3 at the tournament, but improved his season record to 32-10, which puts him 10th on the top 10 season wins list by a Husker sophomore. The showing is Dwyer's first All-America honor. No Huskers qualified for the finals, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night and will be aired live by ESPN.

ST. LOUIS, MO -- Hofstra's two-time All-American senior Charles Griffin defeated Iowa State's Nick Gallick and Oklahoma State's Nate Morgan to capture third place at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center Saturday morning. Griffin placed third for the second consecutive year at 141 pounds. As a team, the Pride is in 14th place with 38 points heading into the finals. The Iowa Hawkeyes, with 109.5, have clinched the team championship. Nebraska is second with 74 points, followed by Iowa State with 72 and Penn State and Ohio State with 71 points each. Griffin, the second-seed who was knocked out of title contention Friday night with a loss in the semifinals, rebounded to post a 3-2 victory over Iowa State's ninth-seed Nick Gallick, and then take third place with 5-2 decision over fourth-seed Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State. Griffin's third place finish is only the eighth time in school history that a Hofstra wrestler has finished in third or better. Griffin (Reading, PA), a four-time NCAA qualifier and a three-time CAA Champion, ends his senior season with a 37-5 record and his college career with a 126-25 mark. Junior All-American Alton Lucas was Hofstra's other athlete competing on Saturday morning. The sixth-seeded West Babylon, NY, native was pinned in the seventh-place match by Navy's seventh-seeded Matt Stolpinski in 4:07. Lucas, who earned his first All-American honor Friday night, finishes his junior season with a 29-7 record.

ST. LOUIS -- For the third-straight year, Northwestern will wrestle a Saturday night finals match at the NCAA Championships. Dustin Fox's late takedown of Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt propelled him to his first national final. At 125 lbs., Brandon Precin secured his first-career All-American finish and will wrestle for seventh place Saturday morning. Mike Tamillow won a match in the consolation bracket, but fell one win shy of his second-career All-American finish. Saturday morning's session begins at 10 a.m. Precin will wrestle for seventh place. The finals begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised live by ESPN. In the team race, Northwestern sits in 13th, 1 point behind 12th place Illinois. Fox scored a takedown in the final 30 seconds of his match against fifth-seeded Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State to take a 3-2 decision in the semifinals. The top-seeded Fox scored the first points of the match with a quick escape in the second. After riding Rosholt for close to a minute, the Cowboy escaped to even the match at 1-1. Fox scored his first takedown of the match at the right time, as time was winding down, to pull ahead 3-1. He surrendered an escape to make the final score 3-2. Fox will see a familiar face on the championship mat Saturday night. Second-seeded JD Bergman of Ohio State advanced through his half of the bracket and the duo will do battle for the third time this season. Fox is 2-0 against the Buckeye this year. In just his sophomore season, Precin is now a Division I All-American. The Wildcat put up a strong showing against Bloomsburg's seventh-seeded Michael Sees with a 10-2 major decision. In a match that was tenser than the score would indicate, Precin started things off with the first points of the match with a takedown. He turned Sees for the first of two times for two more points. Precin accumulated riding time, but eventually surrendered an escape to lead 4-1 heading into the second. Precin started on top in the second and was able to turn Sees again for a three-point near fall. He gave another escape and took a 7-2 lead into the final period. The sophomore was able to put his stamp on the match with a late takedown. As time expired, Precin ran to the side of the mat and lifted head coach Tim Cysewski, his lower-weight training partner for the weekend, into the air in celebration. Precin becomes the second 125-pound Wildcat All-American in the last three years. In 2006, John Velez defeated Sees in the All-American match. He also gives NU multiple All-Americans for the third-straight year. In his next consolation match, Precin fell to third-seeded Tanner Gardner of Stanford by 5-0 decision. Gardner struck first with a takedown and he later added a reversal and riding time to take the match. The sophomore will face Old Dominion's 10th-seeded James Nicholson for seventh place Saturday morning. Tamillow fell one match short of seizing his second-career All-America finish and bowed out of the tournament Friday night. The third-seeded Wildcat fell to Missouri's fifth-seeded Max Askren by 7-3 decision. Tamillow struck first with a takedown in the first period. He was able to ride out Askren and take a 2-0 lead into the second period. Askren started down and escaped to make the score 2-1. He pulled ahead with a takedown and rode out the period to eat into the riding time advantage. Although Tamillow escaped to start the third to make the score 3-3, Askren hit a four-point move with a takedown and back points to put the match out of reach. Tamillow could not escape and his NU career came to an end. Tamillow won over 100 matches as a Wildcat, was a three-time NCAA qualifier and a 2007 All-American. He won the Big Ten title at 197 lbs. in 2007 and finished seventh in the nation last season.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Junior captain Jordan Leen defeated Stanford's Josh Zupancic in the semifinals to advance to the finals at 157 pounds. Freshman Mack Lewnes lost to No. 1 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in the semifinals but earns All-America honors. Freshman Mike Grey and junior Steve Anceravage also became first time All-Americans winning their respective bouts in the wrestlebacks. This is the fourth year in a row that the Big Red has crowned four All-Americans. At the end of Session IV, Cornell sits in ninth place with 57.5 team points. At 157 pounds, Leen opened with a takedown after a little over a minute into the bout. Zupancic escaped only to have Leen grab him again. The Stanford grappler escaped, but was warned for stalling. Zupancic chose to start the second period in the down position and was hit with his second stalling warning to give Leen his fifth point. Leen racked up riding time riding out Zupancic for the rest of the period. Leen chose the bottom position in the third period and escaped within three seconds. Zupancic shot at Leen, but the Big Red grappler countered to take a commanding 8-2 lead. The Stanford wrestler attempted to escape with a roll, but Leen held on and rode out the period to rack up 4:39 in riding time to win a 9-2 decision. Leen will face Illinois' Mike Poeta in the finals Saturday night. Leen is the lowest seeded wrestler to advance to this year's finals. Lewnes was the only true freshman to advance to the semifinals at this year's NCAA tournament. The senior Wolverine made a single leg takedown in 45 seconds and rode Lewnes out for the remainder of the period. Lewnes chose neutral in the second period, but neither wrestler was able to score. Tannenbaum took a 3-0 lead with an opening escape and with 2:05 in riding time, won a 4-0 decision. Lewnes will move to the wrestlebacks Saturday morning to face No. 10 Michael Cannon of American. Grey took on Ohio State's Reece Humphrey in the wrestlebacks looking to earn his first All-America honor. Grey earned two points with a takedown and rode Humphrey out for the remainder of the period. The Buckeye chose to start the second at neutral and tied the bout with a takedown of his own with 41 seconds left, but Grey regained the advantage with an escape. Grey started the third in the down position and Humphrey let him up looking to score. He did just that with a takedown to tie the match, but with 1:34 left on the clock Grey grabbed two points with a reversal. Humphrey escaped only to have Grey take him down again with a riding time advantage, Grey won a 9-5 match. Grey moved on to face Navy's No. 11 Joe Baker. Baker was Grey's only loss at the EIWA tournament and the freshman was looking to avenge the defeat. The Midshipman took a 4-1 lead into the second period with two takedowns and further extended his lead with a takedown in the second period. Grey escaped and earned two takedowns of his own, but Baker had secured riding time early in the third period. Grey escaped and needed a takedown. Grey earned his takedown put Baker on his back earning the fall in 6:40. Grey will wrestle the No. 1 seed Frank Gomez of Michigan State in his next match. At 174 pounds, junior Steve Anceravage had only Oklahoma State's No. 9 Brandon Mason in his way of earning his first All-American honors. Anceravage looked to have an advantage late in the first moving in for a takedown, but time expired before the Big Red wrestler could gain control. Mason chose bottom in the second, and kept working to his feet but Anceravage repeatedly threw him down to the mat. Anceravage rode him for the complete two minutes to earn his riding time advantage. In the third period, Anceravage chose neutral, and evaded the Oklahoma State grappler long enough to win a 1-0 match by riding time. In his next bout, Anceravage also rematched against his only loss of the EIWA tournament, Navy's Matt Stolpinski. The two were scoreless in the first period, and Stolpinski chose bottom to start the second. Anceravage held tough on top and earned two back points during his two minute ride. Anceravage started the third period down and escaped for another point. The Big Red wrestler made another takedown, but Stolpinski escaped. With a riding time advantage, Anceravage won a 6-1 decision. Anceravage will face Iowa's No. 4 Jay Borschel on Saturday morning. Session V begins at 10 a.m. CST on Saturday morning and will be telecast on ESPNU and featured on ESPN360.com.

ST. LOUIS –- Six seconds. That is all that separated Iowa State from a second-place team finish at the NCAA Championships Saturday in the Scottrade Center. Ohio State's second-seeded Mike Pucillo won in after the second tie-breaker with six seconds of riding time against two-time Cyclone NCAA finalist Jake Varner to carry the Buckeye to a 4-3 win in the 184-pound title match. The loss put Ohio State into second place in the team race, while ISU tied with Oklahoma State for fifth place with 72 points. Iowa won the team title with 117.5 points. In a tight race, Ohio State finished second with 79 points, followed by Penn State with 75. Nebraska placed fourth with 74 points. "We're close," head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. "We lost some close matches throughout the tournament and we also won some close matches. We just need to get better in areas and I need to get better as a coach because that's my responsibility. I need to make sure these guys are ready to go and they know exactly what they need to do out there. "We had an incredible year," Sanderson continued. "(Iowa State's wrestlers) really had a great tournament and did an outstanding job. We can be proud of what we accomplished. We have some big teams coming in the future and we're going to keep getting better. We knew that a couple years ago, but it's my job to make sure that happens." Varner, the tournament's top-seed at 184 pounds, pursued Pucillo the entire first period, but could not get in for a takedown and the opening three minutes finished scoreless. The Cyclone deferred to begin the second period, with the sophomore Buckeye taking the down position and eluded the powerful grip of Varner in a quick seven seconds to go up 1-0. Varner evened the score with an escape in the third period and the match was pushed into a 60-second sudden victory. Both wrestlers were locked at the shoulders, unable to score, forcing the match into a pair of 30-second tiebreakers. Again, both wrestlers exchanged escapes to deadlock the score at 2-2 and move into a second edition of sudden victory. With neither wrestler able to change the score, riding time became critical and would ultimately determine the 184-pound champ. Pucillo started the first tiebreaker from the down position and Varner was able to accumulate 11 seconds of riding time before Pucillo escaped. Varner did escape in his turn from the down position, but it was too late. Pucuillo was able to maintain a strong hold and erase ISU's 11 seconds of riding time and get six seconds of his own. Those six seconds landed the Buckeye a top of the podium as the 184-pound national champion and pushed Ohio State up to second place. "It's a tough way to lose a match that way, but he's doing a great job," Sanderson said. "(Varner) will be back. I think he wrestled well. He was the aggressor the whole match and it came down to six seconds of riding time and that makes it hard. It's one thing to get taken down but this is difficult. He'll bounce back and be fine. He still has two great years of wrestling left." The sophomore from Bakersfield, Calif., closes out a decorated season with a 29-1 mark. He tallied 11 wins resulting in bonus points with four major decisions and seven falls. In his two-year Iowa State career, he is 59-8 and has been a two-time NCAA finalist and has twice been an All-American. Iowa State finished the tournament with seven grapplers earning All-American status: Nick Fanthorpe (7th-133), Nick Gallick (5th-141), Cyler Sanderson (7th-157), Jon Reader (7th-165), Jake Varner (2nd-184), David Bertolino (8th-197) and David Zabriskie (6th-HWT). The seven All-Americans are the most ISU finishers in the top eight since1993. It marked the ninth time the feat has been completed by the ISU wrestling program. Six of Iowa State's All-Americans will return in the 2008-09 season. "We have a lot of positives to build on with seven All-Americans, six of which are back," Sanderson said. "It's obvious that we have some things we need to improve on over the year, but I'm excited about the future."

ST. LOUIS -- J.D. Bergman, J Jaggers and Mike Pucillo, members of the No. 9 Ohio State wrestling team will become the first Buckeyes since 2004 to make an appearance in the finals of the NCAA championships. All three wrestlers won their semifinal matches Friday night at the 2008 edition of nationals in Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. With three Buckeyes in the finals and Lance Palmer vying for a seventh-place finish Saturday morning, Ohio State currently is in second place with 71 points after four sessions. Medal-round action will begin at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, while the finals will get underway at 7 p.m. ET. ESPNU will broadcast live coverage of the medal rounds and ESPN/ESPN360.com will air the finals live. Jaggers, a sixth-seeded redshirt-junior, defeated the second-seeded wrestler and 2007 NCAA third-place finisher Charles Griffin of Hofstra, 11-9, to earn a spot in the final at 141 pounds against No. 1 seed Chad Mendes of Cal Poly Saturday night. It was a hard-fought decision for Jaggers, a 2007 All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier. The Northfield, Ohio, native owned a 7-3 lead heading into the second period, but Griffin continued to attempt a rally, cutting Jaggers' lead to one (10-9) in the third period. However, Jaggers would not be denied, scoring an escape with 24 seconds left to go up, 11-9. As the seconds ticked off the clock, Jaggers held on for the victory. "During this tournament I have been able to execute my finishes," Jaggers said. "I know what I can do and everyone in our wrestling room knows what I can do. It's the outsiders who don't know what you can do until you show them in a tournament like this. "I was joking with Tom (Ryan), asking him whose corner he was in for this match. Was he with me or Griffin? He is going to go in the record book as one of the greatest coaches of all time. I mean he took this team from 45th to 10th in one year. Lou Rosselli is the coach I work with everyday and he has changed my life in the sport of wrestling." Pucillo, a redshirt-sophomore, was the second Buckeye to earn a trip to the 2008 finals. The second-seeded Pucillo posted a dramatic 2-1 decision over Missouri's sixth-seed Raymond Jordan in a second tiebreaker. After a scoreless first period, Pucillo took a 1-0 lead in the second period after scoring an escape early in the stanza. Jordan countered with an escape of his own with 1:26 left in the third period to tie the score and send the match into overtime. With no scoring in sudden victory, both wrestlers were headed into the first of two 30 second tiebreakers. Pucillo took the down position in the initial round and recorded an escape with 27 seconds left on the clock. Up 2-1, Pucillo managed to keep Jordan in his grips to earn his first trip to the finals. Pucillo will face 2007 NCAA runner-up and No. 1-seed Jake Varner of Iowa State. Bergman, a senior heavyweight, made it three Buckeyes in the finals after he beat third-seed Ed Prendergast of Navy, 5-4. With the score knotted at 2 apiece after the first period, Bergman took a 5-3 lead in the second period on an escape and takedown. Prendergast would keep fighting, recording an escape with 1:21 left in the match, but the Oak Harbor, Ohio, native was able to hold on for his first appearance on the stage at the national championships. Bergman and Northwestern's Dustin Fox will square off in a rematch of the Big Ten championships final from two weeks ago. Fox is the No. 1-seed in the tournament. At 149 pounds, Palmer, 2007 All-American, posted an impressive 11-3 major decision over Brandon Carter of Central Michigan in his opening match of session four to earn his second-career All-America laurel. Last season, as a freshman, the Columbia Station, Ohio, native finished fourth. Palmer was stopped short of chance to continue his progress towards the third-place matchup when he dropped a 6-2 decision to fifth-seed Josh Churella of Michigan. Palmer will now vie for seventh-place Saturday morning against Minnesota's No. 2-seed Dustin Schlatter. Redshirt-sophomore Reece Humphrey's bid to become an All-American ended Friday night when he dropped a 9-6 decision to No. 7-seed Mike Grey of Cornell. Down 2-0 after the first period, Humphrey tied the score at 2-all when he scored a takedown with 39 seconds left in the second period. However, Grey notched an escape with just 16 second left in the period to go up by one. In the final period, Humphrey again evened the score at 4-4, but Grey scored a pair of takedowns and compiled a riding time of 2:27 to take control and earn the win.