InterMat Staff

Hempstead, NY -- The eighth-ranked Hofstra Pride lost just one match on the mat as they extended their conference undefeated streak to 54 matches, including 51 straight victories, with a 29-9 Colonial Athletic Association win over Rider at the Mack Sports Complex Tuesday night. The Pride improved to 18-3-2 overall and 7-0 in conference action. The Broncs of Rider fall to 9-8 and 3-3 in the CAA. Opening the match at 285, Hofstra graduate student Matt Pollock (12-21) had a big second period, building a 6-0 lead, on the way to an 11-0 major decision over Nick Ciufo. The Pride forfeited 125 to Tommy Lorenzo (11-19) as Hofstra junior continues to recover from an injury sustained on January 28. The Pride regained the lead at 8-6 at 133 pounds as 17th-ranked freshman Lou Ruggirello (27-7) rolled to a 12-0 major decision over Brian Polashuk (4-5). Eighth-ranked junior Charles Griffin (25-4) posted an escape, takedown and received the riding time point in the third period to break a 4-4 tie and post an 8-4 victory over Don Fisch (24-8) at 141. At 149, Hofstra's redshirt freshman Mitch Smith (7-3), ranked first in the CAA and 14th in the country, battled Rider's Mike Kessler (17-10), ranked second in the conference, to a scoreless draw through two periods. But late in the third period, Kessler posted a reversal and two back points to record a 4-2 victory. At 157 pounds, Hofstra second-ranked senior James Strouse (33-2) cruised to his 18th consecutive victory with a 10-1 major decision over Nathan Galloway (5-3) to boost the match lead to 15-9. Pride senior Mike Patrovich (13-4), ranked first in the CAA and sixth in the country, posted a 21-6 tech fall over Rob Morrison (7-14) at 165. It was Patrovich's fourth consecutive victory. In a battle of top 20 wrestlers, Hofstra's ninth-ranked sophomore Alton Lucas (20-8) posted a 3-2 decision over #14 Doug Umbehauer (22-10) at 174 pounds for a 23-9 advantage in the contest. Pride junior Joe Rovelli (27-5) then blanked Mike Miller (20-12) at 184 pounds before Hofstra senior Chris Weidman (24-6), ranked 11th, notched a 9-3 win over T.J. Morrison (24-8) at 197 to close out the contest. The Pride will travel to Norman, Oklahoma this weekend to face the 14th-ranked Sooners of Oklahoma on Saturday at 7 p.m.

IRVING, Texas -- The Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday that Iowa State senior 197-pounder Kurt Backes has been named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performances against Rider and at Missouri last weekend. It is the second time in his career that Backes has received the honor. Backes, ranked ninth nationally, downed 14th-rated T.J. Morrison of Rider with an 8-3 decision Friday in Hilton Coliseum as part of Iowa State's 38-6 win over the Broncs. Backes then pinned Missouri's top-ranked and previously unbeaten Max Askren in 3:11, as the third-rated Cyclones recorded a 27-12 dual victory at No. 2 Missouri Sunday. The pin was Backes' fifth of the season. Backes' season mark stands at 21-4 and he leads Iowa State with four wins by technical fall. Backes was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week last season after he registered a major decision over formerly top-rated Penn State All-American Eric Bradley.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell wrestler Josh Arnone (Honesdale, Pa.) was named the Tompkins Trust Company Athlete of the Week on Monday for his role in the Big Reds key Ivy wins over No. 16 Penn and Princeton. Arnone wrestled in his first home dual matches of his career going 2-0, pinning both of his opponents at 184 pounds. On Friday night, the unranked wrestler upset No. 13 Lior Zamir pinning him in 4:59 to help Cornell win its 25th straight Ivy match with a 28-13 victory over Penn. On Saturday, Arnone was part of the Big Reds 56-0 win over Princeton which was the largest margin of victory in school history, topping Oliver Noteware by fall in 1:05. Arnone was a five-time letter winner at Honesdale HS. He finished seventh at the state championships in 2001 and improved on that in 2004, making the finals and finishing second. As a senior, he won the Pennsylvania state championship. He was also a sixth-place finisher at the Greco-Roman national championships. Josh Arnone is the son of Joseph and Teresa Arnone, and has four brothers, three older and one younger. He is studying human development in Cornell's College of Human Ecology.

From time to time, I test new wrestling products, including videos, shoes, shorts, energy bars, and other miscellaneous items. Below is a performance review of the Gable Ultimate wrestling shoes by Asics. The Gable Ultimate, the latest in the line of Asics shoes endorsed by legendary Dan Gable, combines design elements from previously released Asics wrestling shoes. The thinly lined durasuede upper provides the same lightweight flexibility as the Asics Dave Shultz Gold Medal (previously released as the Asics Quicksilver in the late 1980's). The stiff polyurethane sole and intercrossing webbing bring similar traction and support as the Asics Rulon. I tested the performance of this shoe while competing against former Division I wrestlers and talented high school standouts. The traction of the shoe enabled explosive offensive shots (while leaving a white streak across the mat). However, the stiffness of the shoe restricted my ability to elude my opponent's attacks to a degree. My inadequacy in mat wrestling made the performance of the Gable Ultimate irrelevant in that position. Overall, the Gable Ultimate is a good choice for all levels of competition. However, I encourage every wrestler to maintain a few pairs of quality shoes that can be rotated throughout the season. This approach forces their reactions to grow in depth (based upon the capability of the shoe) while also extending the life of the shoe. The rigidity and support of the Asics Gable Ultimate is ideal for wrestlers who like the performance of the Asics Rulon or the Adidas Mat Wizard. If you prefer a shoe that is more lightweight and flexible, you may want to consider a pair of Adidas Combat Speed or Asics Super Lyte. eBay Bidding Check out eBay if you are in the market for vintage wrestling shoes. I have been able to procure unused gems dating back to the late 1980's for less than the original retail price (ORP). Last year, I provided the winning bid ($55) for an unused pair of Asics Purple Lyte (ORP = $100, c.a. 1990). Buyer beware: I have also found myself in bidding wars with fellow wrestling shoe aficionados who are willing to pay top dollar in an attempt to recapture the nostalgia of their youth. A year ago, I was battling for a pair of never-been-used Asics Gable Ultra XL. As the bidding came to an end, I kept picturing Tom Brands sitting at his desk clicking "Refresh" and increasing his maximum bid in order to "break" his opponent (me, in this case). Time expired with me desperately trying to keep up with my obsessive opponent, but ultimately falling short. The winning bid was $160 (ORP = $85, c.a. 1987). I know how Joey Gilbert must have felt. For nearly 10 years, I have coveted a pair of white/green Adidas Equipment wrestling shoes (ORP = $130, c.a. 1993). My heart skipped a beat when a used pair appeared on eBay a few weeks ago. The shoes were in fair condition and probably had a few years left in them. At closer look, they showed substantial wear in the soles. The seller admitted to making a hasty decision in buying the shoes a few years earlier despite the fact that they weren't his size. As a fellow wrestling shoe junkie, I empathized with him. These opportunities are as rare as a Ben Askren haircut. He set the minimum bid at $200 in order to recover his original investment. Five days into the bidding process, the minimum bid was achieved by a passionate (and wealthy) bidder. After a significant amount of soul searching, I passed on the opportunity. I guess I'll have to wait for the stars to align when these shoes appear on eBay again.

RealProWrestling has announced a change in format for Season Two but has not provided much detail about this change or the reasons why. We hope this announcement will answer the frequently asked questions regarding this shift. RPW's plans remain the same today as they have been for the last five years. We have divided the task of starting a pro league into multiple steps. The first was the research and pilot Showcase and that we have finished. The second stage was the television show. This we accomplished in Season One. It was our desire to immediately move to the third stage for Season Two. This would be the tour where we have eight dual meets in eight different cities followed by a championship series. This is the path we pursued and came very close to launching. However, we ran into a few snags and have decided to postpone moving to this stage. From the very beginning, we built our plan for flexibility to be able to do this. It might cause some confusion, especially when we told people we were moving to the tour. However, it is important for us not to expand to fast. This is what we were doing and is why we are now making a change. Our production side is able to scale but our sales and business side had not kept up. The business side depends on deals with other companies and we obviously cannot always predict or control other companies. We actually have most of those pieces in place but not all. We determined it was best to hold back the fast moving areas until the others caught up. We have shifted our resources to those areas that needed a boost and are now making excellent progress. However, we did have to move back the start of Season Two from the Spring to the Fall of 2007. We still will have the Super Pro-Am Challenge and look forward to the regional champion challengers giving it their best shot at making a team. RPW has some exciting deals we are negotiating. However, we cannot go public with the details lest we mess up the negotiations. As soon as possible we will announce further information. Until then, be assured the same determination and hard work wrestlers use on the mat are being brought to bare in business and negotiations for the sport of wrestling.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The end came in quick and stunning fashion. Iowa State All-American 197-pounder Kurt Backes used a defensive pin maneuver at the 3:11 mark to stick previously unbeaten freshman Max Askren of Missouri as the No. 3 Cyclones wrestled away a 27-12 victory from No. 2 Missouri Sunday in the Hearnes Center. ISU 149-pounder Cyler Sanderson also beat a higher rated foe, at 149 pounds. Iowa State is now 11-3 in dual action and swept its conference foes (4-0) for the first time since the 1991-92 season. Missouri falls to 10-2. "Backes' pin was a good win and he gave it to us when we needed it," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Our freshman are doing well and are consistent. Our seniors are competing hard to get the win." Backes, came into the match ranked ninth nationally and had jumped out to a 6-4 lead in the first period over Askren, who entered the bout rated first nationally with a 24-0 record. Starting the second period in the down position, Backes rolled with his Tiger opponent and grabbed Askren's head at the perfect time to stick his shoulder blades to the mat. It happened so fast that both benches took a couple of seconds to take in what had happened. Backes is now 21-4 this season and 101-28 for his career. "(Max Askren) is a tough kid and he scrambles a lot," Backes said. "I wanted to scramble with him. I like the position, I've been comfortable with it since high school. It was all in the timing." Cyler Sanderson, ranked 14th at 149 pounds, tallied a pair of third-period takedowns to beat seventh-rated Josh Wagner 5-2. Both wrestlers are now 23-8 this season. The bout remained scoreless until Sanderson registered an escape with 53 seconds remaining in the second period. Wagner evened the score at 1-1 with an escape of his own to begin the third period, but Sanderson replied with a takedown to go up 3-1. With another escape, Wagner pulled within a point to put the score at 3-2. Sanderson sealed the win with a takedown with four seconds on the clock. Cyler's older brother and head coach was impressed. "That was a quality road win for Cyler," Cael Sanderson said. "Wagner is a tough competitor." Iowa State's Paulson twins joined fellow senior Backus to notch significant wins over rated opponents. Trent Paulson, ranked fourth nationally at 157 pounds, improved to 20-4 by whipping No. 13 Nick Marable, in a 20-5 technical fall victory. Trent was relentless, taking down Marable six times in the first two periods while also notching a two-point and three-point near fall. The win was the 106th (106-20) career victory for Trent Paulson, moving him into a tie with Billy Kelly (1984-87), Zach Roberson (2001-04) and Nate Gallick (2002-06) for 23rd on the all-time ISU career win list. "I thinks this proves we are a different team now," Trent Paulson said. "Things are falling into place and we are going to be very strong in March." Travis Paulson (21-4), ranked third nationally at 165 pounds, beat seventh-rated Matt Pell (15-4), reversing the Tiger in the second period after starting in the down position. The two rivals have split their four meetings on the mat. Travis Paulson's career record stands at 99-29 and the 165-pounder would be the 32nd Iowa State wrestler with 100 career victories with his next dual win. "Those two (Paulson and Pell) have a great rivalry going," Cael Sanderson said. "It won't be long and they will meet again." The Big 12 Championship is March 3 in Columbia, Mo. "I could tell Pell wanted space between us because he has long arms and legs," Travis Paulson said. "I wanted to close out that space. I used the third period for riding. It's great to see our team progress and make such consistent improvement." Sanderson liked what he saw at 165 pounds. "Travis went after the guy and worked hard trying to score points," Cael Sanderson said. "We are trying to make progress. We have two duals in Virginia to keep improving. Guys are doing what we preach and believing in us. It has made the job fun. Iowa State wrestles at Virginia Tech Friday at 6 p.m. CST. The Cyclones close out the dual season Sunday with a 11 a.m. CST match at Virginia.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- In its first season back on the mat since the program was reinstated, the Bucknell wrestling team reached a milestone on Sunday afternoon in Davis Gym as the Bison matched the program record for wins in a season by defeating Wagner, 49-0. The victory was the 11th of the year for the Orange and Blue, the third by shutout, as the squad improves its record to 11-9 overall (2-3 EIWA), while the Seahawks drop to 0-16. Bucknell, which began to sponsor wrestling as a varsity sport in 1946-47, has won 11 duals in a season on three prior occasions--in 1983-84, 1989-90 and 1992-93. The 2006-07 Bison will have two more opportunities to eclipse the mark as the team will face Columbia and Harvard next Saturday, Feb. 17. The Orange and Blue began Sunday's meet with a 12-0 lead after Greg Hart (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards) and David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Area) both were winners by forfeit at 125 and 133, respectively. Marble, who upset 10th-ranked Joe Baker on Saturday at Navy, improved to 24-7 overall on the year and Hart to 13-12. In the 141-pound bout, Zach Galligan (Boonville, N.Y./Adirondack) led comfortably at 8-0 after two periods against Nicholas Keshecki before closing things out with two takedowns, a near fall and an escape in the third, plus the riding time point, for a 17-4 major decision. At 149, Justin Ensign came close to putting Wagner on the scoreboard as he led 1-0 over Jack Conroy (Westport, Conn./Green Farms Academy) in the third. However, with nine seconds remaining, Conroy pinned Ensign to steal the victory and move Bucknell's advantage to 22-0. Brantley Hooks (Spartansburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes) then brought the score to 25-0 with his 6-3 decision over Sean Quinn at 157. Following a double forfeit at 165, Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) made quick work of Vincent Giordano. Wrestling up at 174, Rendos, who is ranked 18th in the nation at 165, pinned Giordano in 28 seconds to improve his season duals mark to 18-2. Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) followed up with a pin of his own, winning by fall 2:38 into his bout with 184-pounder Tim Lopresti. Eric Lapotsky (Mount Carmel, Pa./Mount Carmel Area) won by forfeit at 197 and heavyweight George Hingson (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) pinned John Graeffe in 5:43 to close out the meet. The Bison will next travel to Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday, Feb. 17, for their final meet before the EIWA Championships and will face EIWA foes Columbia and Harvard at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.

NORFOLK, VA -- Old Dominion (12-6) defeated nationally ranked American (29th by wrestlingreport.com) to drop the Eagles to an 8-10 season record. It was a match that saw seven lead changes as the teams battled back and forth, each winning five bouts. With the lead 20-17 going into the heavyweight bout, redshirt freshman Matt Pellar stepped up in a big way and pinned his opponent in the first period to win the match for the Monarchs. His pin sealed the victory 23-20. In the most anticipated matchup of the night, the 197-pound bout, (4) Josh Glenn (AU) was across the mat from ODU's top wrestler, David Mendoza. With time winding down in the second period Glenn found Mendoza in a compromising position, turned and put him on his back. The referee signalled for the pin, but time had already expired. Glenn would go on to win a 13-1 major decision and put the score at 17-20. Pellar would make the controversy a moot point however, with his pin. Even had Glenn been awarded the fall in the 197-pound weight class, Pellar's pin would have sealed the victory for the Monarchs anyway. "It's been a common theme for us this year," said head coach Steve Martin. "When some guys under-perform, other guys step up. And that's what Pellar did tonight." The Monarchs were unable to stretch the lead against the Eagles as they went into a quick 0-6 hole when Jasen Borshoff pinned Kyle Hutter. Senior Christian Staylor and sophomore Ryan Williams took the lead for the Monarchs with a 15-4 major decision and 9-5 decision to make the score 7-6. Kaylen Baxter was unable to extend the lead for ODU however, as he went down 6-5 to Damian Swietlik. Red shirt freshman Chris Brown would do his best to make up for the loss, however, with a 17-6 major decision over Jimmy Pepper in the 157-lb weight class. After halftime, Nick Pullano (165) and Derek Coffey (174) fell in back-to-back bouts to give the Eagles a five-point advantage, 11-16. It was true freshman Jesse Strawn that would step up for Coach Martin, then, in the 184-lb. weight class. Strawn looked to be on the ropes against Anthony Fuschino until halfway through the first period. Strawn laid a massive takedown on Fuschino that would stop the match for almost the full 1:30 of injury time. Fuschino would continue, but Strawn pinned him early in the second period to regain the lead for ODU, 17-16. With Mendoza taking the major decision loss the score ran to 17-20 and it would all be up to Pellar. "It's nervewracking," said Pellar. "I hate when it comes down to heavyweights, but you put the team score aside and wrestle your own match." And Pellar did just that, pinning Evan Murtaugh in 2:04. The Monarchs are back in action this Wednesday, February 14, as they fly to Columbia, Missouri to face the number two ranked team in the nation. Missouri is 11-2 and coming off a loss to number three ranked Iowa State.

Corvallis, Ore -- On "Senior Day" at Gill Coliseum, the No. 18 Oregon State University wrestling team concluded its regular season with a 31-13 victory over fellow Pac-10 member Stanford (6-7, 4-3 in Pac-10) and followed with a 29-11 win over North Dakota State (8-4). The Beavers, who have won 30 of 32 duals vs. Stanford, finish the 2007 regular season with a 17-2 overall record (7-1 in Pac-10) and with their most wins in a year since 1986. "Today was good competition going into the Pac-10 Conference Championships," first-year head coach Jim Zalesky said. "We are a little bit beat up; we now have a chance to get healthy. We have two weeks to get ready for the conference meet." The Beavers fell behind to NDSU 11-3 after four matches, before winning the last six. Freshman Keegan Davis started the match win streak with a 6-3 decision over Adam Aho at 157 pounds to close the gap to 11-6. Brett Arand narrowed the Bison's lead to one with a 14-0 major decision over Mike Quamme and No. 19 Jeremy Larson got the Beavers the lead for good with a pin of Warren Gall to make the score 19-11. The match finished with Kyle Bressler at 184 scoring a 4-1 decision, Travis Gardner posted a technical fall at 197 10-0 and No. 6 ranked Ty Watterson earned his 10th consecutive win with a pin. Oregon State dropped the first match of the day vs. Stanford, but then scored on its next three. The Cardinal forfeited at 133, Eric Stevenson wrestled two weights up and earned a pin at 141, and Derek Kipperberg scored a decision at 149. Travis Gardner had a pin in the second period at 197 to clinch the victory. "I like the way Travis Gardner and Eric Stevenson are wrestling right now," Zalesky said. "Overall the team is wresting well, we just need to shore up a couple of things in the next two weeks." Seniors making their final appearance in Beaver wrestling gear at Gill Coliseum were Bobby Pfennings, Jeremy Larson, Jamie Rakevich, Stevenson and Watterson. In between the two matches Oregon State University honored former head coach Joe Wells. Wells directed the program for 14 years and led the team to four NCAA top-10 finishes and was twice honored as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year. The Beavers head to Bakersfield, Calif., for the conference championships Feb. 24-25.

STILLWATER, Okla. -– Oklahoma State continued its Bedlam dominance with a convincing 29-6 victory over Oklahoma in front of 7,014 fans in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday afternoon. OSU won eight of the 10 bouts, with four wins coming by bonus points. Tyler Shinn, Coleman Scott and Jack Jensen all recorded major decisions and senior Johny Hendricks recorded a technical fall in his final match at home. The Cowboys improved to 14-5 on the season and extended their Bedlam winning streak to 18 consecutive matches. OU dropped to 7-6 on the year. The Cowboys jumped out to an 11-0 lead after the first three matches. Tyler Shinn recorded a major decision over Henry Roman and Coleman Scott received a major decision over Brian Shelton. Scott needed a takedown for a technical fall, but Shelton tied up Scott's leg and ran the clock out. Nathan Morgan followed with a narrow decision over Kyle Terry at 141 pounds. OU got on the board at 149 with a decision by third-ranked Matt Storniolo over B.J. Jackson. The Cowboys took control of the dual after that. Newly McSpadden recorded a takedown with 40 seconds remaining to rally and defeat OU's No. 15-ranked Will Rowe. Johny Hendricks then put the dual out of reach for the Sooners. OU's Shane Seibert came out aggressive and it backfired as Hendricks quickly put nine points on the board in the first period. Hendricks added to it over the next two periods, and came close to pinning him in the third period. Hendricks scored a takedown with 17 seconds remaining and rode out the match for a technical fall to put OSU up 19-3 in the dual. The best match of the night came at 174 and sealed the win for the Cowboys. Brandon Mason scored a quick takedown on Josh Weitzel and piled well over two minutes of riding time in the first period. Weitzel quickly erased the riding time with a second period ride out, and he scored a third period takedown to send the match into overtime. Neither wrestler could take the other one down, nor could neither wrestler escape. Mason and Weitzel battled through three sudden victory sessions and three tie-breaker periods. Until after an exhaustive 13 minutes of wrestling, Mason snuck behind Weitzel and scored the winning takedown to put the score out of reach, 22-3, with three matches remaining. Jack Jensen was impressive with a major decision over Josh Hinton. Jensen scored a takedown with seven seconds remaining in the match to secure the major. OU scored a decision at 197, but OSU's Jared Rosholt put the finishing touches on the rout with a decision at heavyweight. "I think there was definitely an improvement today and we are heading in the right direction," head coach John Smith said. "It is going to have to be a lot more to get where we need to be. I know what it is going to take for us at the end and we have not given that to this point. Even with a 29-6 win, there has to be more. I believe we can get there. I think this sent a good message that we are working our tails off for the drive for five." The Cowboys have three weeks off to prepare for the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo., on March 3.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After dropping an upset decision at the opening weight class, the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team rallied to defeat No. 17 Ohio State 21-15 in front of 1,339 fans in Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines won three consecutive matches at the middleweights and boasted a pair of bonus victories to capture its first win of the Big Ten dual season. With three wins a piece just beyond the meet's halfway point, junior/sophomore Casey White (Commerce Twp., Mich./Walled Lake Central HS) electrified the crowd after rallying from an early deficit to take control in the third period and put Buckeyes Corey Morrison flat at the 6:47 mark to claim his first pin of the season. White trailed 4-3 entering the final frame after giving up a takedown in each of the opening two periods. With Morrison choosing the bottom position, the Wolverine immediately applied a high-leg turk and locked up a bow and arrow to hold Morrison in a pinning situation for nearly a minute. With time winding down, White used the same move to turn the Buckeye again, forcing him flat with just 13 seconds remaining to earn his first win at heavyweight. Sophomore Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) completed the Wolverines' second straight come-from-behind win, sealing Michigan's team victory with an 8-5 decision over Will Livingston at 125 pounds. The Buckeye wrestler struck first with a takedown midway through the opening frame; on a restart only 30 seconds later, Watts got a quick jump from underneath to force Livingston to his back for three near-fall points. Watts added a takedown in the second, spinning behind on a bad OSU shot. Livingston added a takedown midway through the third, but Watts held on for his first dual win of the season. The dual began with an Ohio State upset at 149 pounds as the Buckeyes' 17th-ranked Lance Palmer gave his team an early advantage with a 6-4 decision over senior/junior Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS). After a scoreless first period, Churella took the first advantage early in the second, scrambling out of Palmer's legs to claim a reversal less than 30 seconds into the frame. Palmer evened the score with a pair of escapes. Churella fought off takedown midway through third period to keep the match tied at 2-2 but couldn't finish on single leg at end of regulation, forcing the match into an overtime session. Palmer and Churella traded reversals in the first tiebreaker, but Churella was reversed with two seconds left in the second tiebreaker to lose 6-4. Fifth-year senior Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) evened the team score in the subsequent match and kicked off a stretch of three consecutive U-M wins with a 7-2 decision over Jason Johnstone at 157 pounds. The wrestlers traded points midway through the first period; Sulaver struck first with a single-leg takedown, and Johnstone quickly scrambled to claim reversal. Sulaver, however, scored an escape before the end of the period to maintain a one-point advantage. After riding Johnstone for the entirety of the second period, Sulaver scored on a restart midway through the third, forcing a scramble as he maneuvered himself to the top. Senior/junior captain Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) accepted a forfeit victory at 165 pounds, as the Buckeyes bumped 14th-ranked Chris Vondruska to 174 pounds to face unranked sophomore/freshman Jordan Sherrod (Portage, Mich./Central HS). The OSU plan backfired, however, as Sherrod eked out a 2-1 upset victory. After a scoreless opening frame, Sherrod took the match's first lead with a quick second-period escape and -- with Vondruska continually backing up -- extended his advantage when the Buckeye was hit with a second stalling call. Vondruska cut the gap with an escape early in the third, but neither wrestler could convert on scoring attempts in the closing minutes as Sherrod held on for his second dual win. In the dual's marquee match at 184 pounds, third-ranked Mike Pucillo used an escape and a stalling call to claim a 5-3 decision over fourth-ranked junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS). Pucillo struck first with the bout's first offensive points, a single-leg takedown midway through the second period. The Buckeye then attempted a cross-body ride, but Todd high-hipped over to earn a quick reversal. Todd could not keep Pucillo on the mat, allowing an escape in the waning seconds of the period that -- combined with the Michigan stalling call earlier in the frame -- proved the difference. The bout at 197 pounds, matching 19th-ranked fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) against sixth-ranked J.D. Bergman, would follow suit as the Buckeye wrestler needed only an escape and stalling call to emerge the 2-0 victor. With the final result already locked up, Ohio State ended the contest with back-to-back wins at 133 and 141 pounds. 18th-ranked T.J. Enright converted a takedown late in the opening period and added another in the third to claim a 5-2 decision over freshman Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) at 133 pounds. In the final match of the day, at 141 pounds, OSU's J Jaggers scored three takedowns, including two in the first, and accumulated 1:04 in riding time to take a 8-3 win against sophomore/freshman Justin Chrzanowski (Metamora, Mich./Lapeer West HS). The Maize and Blue wraps up the regular season next weekend with Big Ten Conference duals against Penn State and Northwestern. On Friday (Feb. 16) U-M hosts the Nittany Lions in Cliff Keen Arena at 7 p.m., and Michigan closes out the dual schedule Sunday (Feb. 18) against the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill., at 7 p.m. CST.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State University wrestling team closed out its home schedule Sunday afternoon inside Wells Fargo Arena with a 26-18 decision over visiting Cal Poly with all three Sun Devil seniors picking up individual wins to help the Sun Devils to victory. The Sun Devils improved to 7-11 overall on the year and 4-2 in the Pac-10 while the Mustangs slipped to 6-9 overall and 4-4 in the conference. The dual opened at 165 with No. 15 Patrick Pitsch pinning Evan Barbre in 4:13 to stake the hosts to an early 6-0 lead. That lead grew to 10-0 after Rick Renzi scored a 16-8 major decision over Steve Gee. The first Sun Devil senior to compete on the day was Greg Gifford, who capped his ASU home career with a 10-2 major decision. From there, Jason Trulson won by forfeit at 197 to extend the Sun Devils' lead to 20-0. After a fall at heavyweight made the dual score 20-6, senior John Espinoza took the mat and won a 4-1 decision over Joshua Obergon to push the advantage to 23-6. But, the Mustangs would win the 133 bout by fall and followed with two more wins by decision to cut the lead to 23-18 with one bout remaining. In the final bout of the day, senior No. 5 Brian Stith scored a 4-1 decision victory to give the hosts the victory. The win moved Stith into the No. 14 position on the ASU all-time wins list with 108 while also pushing him up to No. 9 in career dual victories with 54. ASU hits the road next weekend to close out its 2007 dual schedule with a 7 p.m. dual Friday in Palo Alto, Calif., with the Stanford Cardinal.

IOWA CITY, IA -- University of Iowa Head Wrestling Coach Tom Brands picked up his 30th career victory as Iowa pounded Michigan State, 33-9, Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 13-4 (4-2 in the Big Ten) with wins at eight bouts in front of 5,035 fans, including an upset by sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and a pin by sophomore Jordan McLaughlin (197) in his Iowa wrestling debut. Michigan State fell to 3-8 (2-4 in the Big Ten). Falck handed Spartan redshirt freshman Franklin Gomez his second dual loss of the season with a 5-3 win at 125. The Strawberry Point, IA, native scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds and another with one second remaining in the match to secure his eighth straight victory and remain undefeated (6-0) in Big Ten duals. Michigan State scored its first of two wins on the day when Nick Simmons won by injury default over senior Mario Galanakis in 2:23 at 133. Junior Alex Tsirtsis accepted a forfeit at 141, and senior Alex Grunder followed up with a 5:32 pin over Spartan Jeff Wimberley at 149 to score his 30th career victory. Hawkeye redshirt freshman 157-pounder Ryan Morningstar took Iowa into the intermission with a 3-2 win over Tony Greathouse. Iowa junior Mark Perry climbed out of a sticky situation to defeat Spartan Rocky Cozart, 9-7, at 165. Perry had to bounce back from a 5-0 deficit after getting caught in his own offensive move and fighting off his back early in the match. He scored three reversals, two nearfall points of his own and a point for riding time in the win. Hawkeye senior Eric Luedke improved to 23-2 in collegiate matches and 14-1 in duals with a 2-1 win over John Murphy at 174. Michigan State scored its second and final win of the night when Joe Williams defeated Hawkeye redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy, 6-3, at 184. Iowa sophomore 197-pounder Jordan McLaughlin made his Hawkeye wrestling and Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut a wild one, pinning Nick Palmieri in 6:33. Palmeiri scored three takedowns and two escapes to build an 8-4 lead with 1:04 remaining in the match. McLaughlin threw the Spartan redshirt freshman to his back and got the pin with 27 seconds left on the clock. McLaughlin is no stranger to the black and gold, as he has played linebacker and fullback on the Iowa football team for the past three seasons. Hawkeye junior Matt Fields ended the dual with an 8-4 win over Alan O'Donnell at heavyweight. Iowa will close out the 2006-07 dual meet season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena next weekend. The Hawkeyes will host Ohio State Friday, February 16 at 7 p.m. and top-ranked Minnesota Sunday, February 18 at 6 p.m. The Iowa-Ohio State dual will air tape-delayed on College Sports Television (CSTV), and the Iowa-Minnesota dual will be broadcast live on Iowa Public Television (IPTV). Hawkeye fans are encouraged to wear black to the Iowa-Minnesota dual as part of a Blackout promotion. Iowa will also honor its fans and seniors with appreciation nights against the Golden Gophers.

The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 32-6 win over No. 21 Nebraska on Sunday in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers sent a statement early on that they were not going to go down without a fight and wrestled aggressively the entire day, but the Gophers responded and turned in yet another dominating performance, winning eight of 10 matches on the day. Jayson Ness and Manuel Rivera both earned decisions over ranked opponents, while Mack Reiter got his first pin in dual meet action this season to lead the Gophers to victory. Gabriel Dretsch and Roger Kish contributed major decisions to help in the cause. With the win, Minnesota is now unbeaten in its last 18 matches and sits at 18-1 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten heading into the final week of dual meet action. Ness, ranked No. 4 in the country, was forced to stage a late comeback in the first match of the day after No. 13 Paul Donahoe took a 6-3 lead midway through the third period. Despite trailing almost the entire match, Ness was relentless in the final stanza, working his way free to get the escape before scoring a takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining to send the match into overtime. In the extra session, Ness was simply too strong for Donahoe and scored the winning takedown just over 30 seconds in to earn the 8-6 decision. Reiter also faced an early deficit at 133 pounds when Nebraska's Patrick Aleksanyan scored an early takedown, but he responded to take control of the match and pinned the Nebraska wrestler in the second period. Reiter got an escape and takedown to take a 3-2 after the first, and with Aleksanyan starting down in the second, Reiter worked him to his back to get the fall in 3:34. In a tight battle between two top 10 opponents at 141, Rivera wore down seventh-ranked Dominick Moyer to earn a 5-2 decision. Moyer tied the score at two with an escape early in the third period, but Rivera got a takedown less than 30 seconds later and rode him out the rest of the way to add the bonus point for riding time. With the win, Rivera remained unbeaten at 33-0 on the season. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter followed with a 9-6 decision over Jordan Burroughs to move into a tie for second place in school history with his 58th consecutive win. Schlatter took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown just 13 seconds into the match, but Burroughs wrestled aggressively and remained within striking distance the rest of the way. Schlatter put the match out of reach, however, with a takedown late in the third period to put Minnesota ahead 15-0 in the dual. Nebraska got on the board in the next match when Chris Oliver upset third-ranked C.P. Schlatter at 157 pounds by a score of 7-4 in overtime. With the match tied at four in the third period, Schlatter nearly got what would have been the deciding points with a reversal, but Oliver scrambled out of it and stayed on top of Schlatter to send the match into overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Oliver rode Schlatter out for the first 30 seconds of the tiebreaker and then got an escape and late takedown to claim the victory. Tyler Safratowich followed with his fourth straight victory since re-entering the starting lineup, downing Stephen Dwyer 10-4. Safratowich controlled the match throughout, scoring the first takedown midway through the first period. He led 4-1 after the first and built his lead in the third with an escape and two more takedowns while also adding the bonus point for riding time advantage. At 174, Dretsch out-muscled Marc Harwood on his way to a 10-1 decision to seal the dual for the Gophers. With a 2-1 advantage, Dretsch rode Harwood out the entire second period and then built his lead with an escape, takedown and three back points in the third, adding the bonus point for riding time to secure the major decision. Kish had his eyes on bonus points from the opening whistle in his match against Casey Roberts at 184, opening up a 5-0 lead with a takedown and three-point near fall in the first period. From there, Kish repeatedly took Roberts down and allowed him to escape throughout the second and third periods, eventually winning the match 23-9. Kish's 23 points scored tied a career high as he improved to 27-1 on the season. Nebraska got its only other win of the day at 197 pounds, with ninth-ranked Craig Brester winning an 8-1 decision over Yura Malamura. Malamura wrestled a much closer match than what the score would indicate but simply ran out of gas in the third period. With the match tied at one entering the final stanza, Brester scored a takedown midway through the period and added five back points to get the win. With the outcome of the dual already decided, Nebraska forfeited to Cole Konrad at heavyweight to make the final margin 32-6. The Cornhuskers became the sixth team to forfeit the weight class in a dual meet this season, as Konrad extended his school-record winning streak to 65 consecutive matches. Minnesota wraps up the regular season next weekend on the road against border rivals Wisconsin and Iowa. The Gophers will take on the seventh-ranked Badgers on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m., and will clash with the Hawkeyes on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana wrestling team scored its second straight win, upsetting No. 12 Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 11, 28-11. Redshirt freshman Trevor Perry scored the decisive victory at 174, pinning No. 15 Nick Hayes in 22 seconds to clinch the dual meet victory for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers (12-4, 3-3 Big Ten) came fast out of the gate, with No. 7 Angel Escobedo and No. 20 Andrae Hernandez scoring victories at 125 and 133, respectively. Escobedo scored a takedown with 13 seconds remaining in the match to earn a 4-2 victory over No. 20 Brandon Precin, moving to 28-4 on the year. Hernandez was trailing 3-2 late in his match, but scored a takedown with 20 seconds left and a three-point near fall as time expired to post a 7-3 victory. Sophomore Scott Kelly faced a monumental task, as he went head-to-head with top-ranked and undefeated Ryan Lang at 141. Kelly put forth a solid effort and scored a third-period takedown, but Lang emerged victorious by a score of 8-4. Matt Coughlin followed by posting his first Big Ten win of the year at 149, topping Marty Gould 5-3. At 157, No. 7 Brandon Becker scored three near falls, two late in the first period, to post an 18-8 major decision over Dominic Marella. Max Dean followed with his third straight solid match, posting a 12-3 major decision over Greg Hagel at 165. Then Perry faced Hayes in the pivotal matchup of the day. Hayes came toward Perry right off the opening whistle, and the Davison, Mich., native immediately put Hayes in a headlock and dropped him to the mat. Just 22 seconds in, he managed to fall the junior for his seventh consecutive victory, making him 6-0 in Big Ten action. The six points gave IU a 23-3 lead and clinched the match for the home squad. At 184, junior Marc Bennett was pinned by top-ranked Jake Herbert at the 1:32 mark, but Northwestern (11-8, 1-5) was penalized a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the match, making the score 23-8. Nathan Everhart then squared off with Carl Howe at 197 and jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first period. The freshman extended his lead to 13-1 after the second period, and Everhart scored a reversal and a two-point near fall in the first minute of the third to notch a 17-1 technical fall. Senior Josh Buuck followed at heavyweight, and in his final home dual the Fort Wayne, Ind., native nearly upset No. 4 Dustin Fox. Buuck and Fox were tied 2-2 late in the third, but Buuck was unable to score a takedown in the closing seconds, and Fox took a 3-2 victory after earning a point for riding time. Indiana returns to action on Friday, Feb. 16, when it travels to East Lansing, Mich., to face No. 20 Michigan State at 7 p.m. The Hoosiers will then wrap up the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 18, at No. 7 Wisconsin at 2 p.m. in Madison, Wis.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The wrestling team opened the match with back-to-back technical falls and never let up, blanking VMI 46-0 Sunday in a Southern Conference dual. The win gave the 14th-ranked Mocs an undefeated SoCon season and the regular-season title. They improve to 15-1 overall. "This was a great way to end our home schedule," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "We got to send the seniors out on a very positive note and got to show many of our former wrestlers in the stands what we have accomplished this year. I was proud of all of our guys." UTC honored six departing seniors prior to the match, including All-Americas Michael Keefe and Matt Keller. At halftime of the match, UTC honored its 14 wrestling All-Americas, only three of which were not present. Javier Maldonado kicked off the match with a technical fall of Jonathan Pope at the end of the second period at 125. Keller made it a 10-0 UTC lead with a tech fall of Tyler Anthony at 133. Keefe returned to the lineup after missing the last three duals with an injury and outscored Brandon Franklin 12-6 at 141. In the only match between ranked wrestlers, Martin, ranked eighth at 149, posted his fifth dual shutout with a 6-0 win over 18th-ranked Sam Alvarenga. Yost pushed the cushion to 22-0 with a pin of Tommy Cunningham at 157. Consecutive VMI forfeits at 165 and 174 gave the Mocs a 34-0 advantage. Josh Edmondson added to that lead with a 7-2 win over Corry Murray at 184. Nick Lorenzano pinned Kyle Elgert at 197, and 17th-ranked Matt Koz defeated Scott Buhman 8-3 at heavyweight. The Keydets fall to 4-6 overall and 2-2 in the league. The Mocs return to action next Sunday in the regular-season finale at No. 2 Missouri.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. –- The West Virginia University wrestling team won its second consecutive Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) dual when it defeated Lock Haven, 25-11, on Sunday, Feb. 11, in Lock Haven, Pa. WVU (4-4, 3-1 EWL) claimed seven of 10 bouts including the last four to defeat the Bald Eagles (7-5, 1-3 EWL) for the second year in row. After LHU's Obeson Blanc won the 125-pound match, redshirt freshman Mark Anderson got the Mountaineers going by winning a 4-1 decision over Danny Lopes. Lock Haven regained the lead in the next bout though as they took advantage of West Virginia's Brandon Rader still not being able to wrestle due to illness when Zach Kell downed Vince Gioiella 7-1. David Jauregui (149) knotted the bout again when he bounced Donnie Ament by a score of 7-2. After scoring just two points through two periods, the Santa Ana, Calif., native tallied a pair of takedowns in the third and earned another point for riding time. Junior Zac Fryling tallied the biggest upset of the day when he squeaked by No. 8-ranked Seth Martin, 2-1. Martin chose to start from the bottom in the third period with the score 0-0 and was allowed up by Fryling. With just 15 seconds in the match the Lancaster, Pa., native got the takedown he needed for his second win of the weekend. Landis Wright's win at 165-pounds would be Lock Haven's last of the day as Kurt Brenner (174), Chance Litton (184), No. 15 Jared Villers (197) and Dustin Rogers (285) all scored wins for WVU. None of the four grapplers allowed their opponents to score more than four points. The Mountaineers return to action when they host No. 10 Edinboro on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the WVU Coliseum at 7:30.

MADISON, WIS. -- The No. 9 Illinois wrestling team finished its Big Ten road slate with a dramatic upset over the sixth-ranked Badgers, 21-16. The Illini picked up their sixth road victory of the season to stay perfect on the year away from Huff Hall. Sophomore #20 Patrick Bond sealed the victory for the Illini with his win at 197-pounds and recorded his second upset victory of the weekend. On Friday, he took a 9-5 decision against #13 Nathan Moore of Purdue. Illinois took six out of the 10 weights in the dual. Key victories by #6 Gabe Flores (125), #8 Jimmy Kennedy (133), #12 Cassio Pero (141), #12 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165) and #16 John Dergo (184) kept Illinois in the dual. With the win, Illinois keeps a perfect 8-0-1 against Wisconsin in the Mark Johnson era. Wisconsin took an early 6-0 lead in the dual when John Wise was pinned by Kyle Massey in 2:42. Illinois fired right back, however, when #6 Gabe Flores won by technical fall against Collin Cudd, 17-2, in their 125-pound match. In the first period, Flores (Madera, Calif.) came out firing with a takedown and a two-point nearfall. Cudd cut into the lead with a reversal of his own, but Flores escaped and picked up another takedown, a three-point and two-point nearfall to extend his lead. In the third, Flores built on his lead when he added a takedown and another two-point nearfall. Illinois trailed the dual, 6-5. Illinois took the lead in the dual after 133 when #8 Jimmy Kennedy won a decision against #15 Zach Tanelli, 7-3. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) scored first with a takedown in the first period, and then added a reversal to extend his lead in the second period. Tanelli cut the lead to two in the third on another escape, but the Illini true-freshman took him down again to seal the victory. At 141, #12 Cassio Pero dominated #10 Kyle Ruschell, 12-2. Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) jumped to a 4-0 lead on a takedown and a two-point nearfall in the first period. In the second, the senior All-American added another two points on a reversal. Tanelli started the third with an escape, but Pero planted him with another takedown and two-point nearfall. After the upset, Illinois extended their lead in the dual to 12-6. The Badgers took a 13-12 lead after the Illini dropped their next two matches. But, Illinois took the lead right back at 165 when #12 Roger Smith-Bergsrud edged Jake Donar, 4-2, in sudden victory. With no scoring in the first two periods, Smith-Bergsrud (Lake Bluff, Ill.) scored first with a takedown in the third. With riding time locked up, Donar picked up a crucial escape point to send the match into overtime. Smith-Bergsrud recorded a takedown with 15 seconds left on the clock to come away with the dramatic victory and give Illinois the 15-13 lead. Wisconsin took the lead back again after Matt Winterhalter fell to Matt Maciag, 6-2, in their 174-pound bout. But, Illinois answered again at 184 when #16 John Dergo took a crucial decision against Justin Peterson, 9-4. Dergo (Morris, Ill.) built a 6-2 lead in the first period after scoring three takedowns. In the third, with the Illini true-freshman leading 6-3, added an escape and a takedown to give Illinois an 18-16 lead. The dual came down to 197 and saw #20 Patrick Bond upset #12 Dallas Herbst, 7-3. Bond (Chesapeake, Va.) took the early lead with a takedown in the first period. The Illini grapller then extended his lead in the second period with an escape. In the third, after another Bond takedown, Herbst cut into the lead with an escape and a takedown of his own. Bond added an escape point for good measure and picked up his second upset victory of the weekend. "The win felt great," said Bond. "After training hard all year - and especially all week - I felt that I deserved the victory. I also feel that I have a lot more work to do to get where I know I can be." "This was a big win," said head coach Mark Johnson. "The guys stepped up. We had key guys out and they dug deep and found a way to get it done. I'm proud of them." The Illini close out their season at home against Ohio St. on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. Illinois will say goodbye to six seniors in Jim Comfort (133), Matt Harding (197), Joel Karr (141), Cassio Pero (141), Donny Reynolds (174) and Matt Winterhalter (174).

Bloomsburg, Pa. -- Drexel continued its hot streak as the Dragons defeated Bloomsburg, 18-15, in a non-conference dual meet held at Nelson Field House on Bloomsburg's campus. Drexel has now won four of its last five matches and has an overall record of 16-10. The match opened with one of the most anticipated match-ups as 10th-ranked Mike Sees took on reigning CAA Rookie of the Year, Steve Mytych at 125 pounds. Sees would win in a 6-4 decision but the Dragons' Billy Martin earned Drexel three points with a 4-3 decision over Jason Guffey at 133 pounds. Bloomsburg responded by winning the next two matches before Drexel's Ryan Hluschak came up big again for the Dragons. With Bloomsburg holding a 9-3 match score advantage, Drexel's 157-pounder earned a win by fall over Dennis Bermudez at 6:08 to even the match at 9-9. Billy Haydt and Nick Kozar each followed with wins to extend the Drexel lead to 14-9. Bloomsburg got to within two points as Nate Shirk took the 184-pound match with a 9-2 win over Brian Stouffer. Drexel's Jon Oplinger responded with his fifth straight victory, all with bonus points, as he earned a major decision victory over P.J. DiStefano. Bloomsburg would take the heavyweight match by a 7-5 decision, but the three points were not enough as the Dragons claimed an 18-15 victory. Drexel's next match will be on Thursday, Feb. 15 as the Dragons will host Rutgers. The first match will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Kearney, Neb. -- Junior Jeff Rutledge had a rare defensive fall and Tervel Dlagnev and Matt Farrell continued long winning streaks to help the No. 1 ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team beat 6th-ranked Adams State, 30-9, Saturday night at the Health & Sports Center. With the win tonight, UNK (16-1, 6-0 RMAC) breaks the school record for dual wins in a season. The 1977-78 and 2004-05 Loper squads each won 15 times in a season. Last year, UNK notched 14 dual victories. A young Adams team (7-2, 5-1 RMAC) losses an RMAC dual for the first time this year. Already ahead 9-0, UNK took the momentum for good at 141 lbs. Rutledge (Lincoln East), ranked 5th-nationally, was having an expected tough battle with Joey Deaguero, who came in with a 25-9 record. Rutledge grabbed a 4-3 late in the second period when he scored a takedown with five seconds left. Deaguero quickly tied things up at the beginning of the final frame with an escape and then appeared headed for victory when he took down Rutledge with around 30 seconds left. But, soon after, Deaguero was flat on his back and looking up at Rutlege's back. The official quickly called the fall and UNK went ahead 15-0. This was Rutledge's (18-13) second pin of the season. At 184 lbs., the 4th-ranked Farrell (Omaha Skutt) won his 21st-match in a row as he scored seven points in the first period vs. 3rd-ranked Jared Deaguero. Farrell, who lost to Deaguero in November at the Wyoming Cowboy Open, had two takedowns and a three point near fall to reach his point total. While he didn't score again, Farrell allowed Deaugero only one takedown in the final two periods to improve to 26-3 on the season. In the final match of the night, it took just over a minute for Dlagnev (Arlington, Texas) to record his 41st win of the season. The effort allows him to move into second place on the Loper all-time wins list, passing the great Ali-Amiri Eliasi. Dlagnev, now 41-1 on the year and riding a 25-match win streak, is at 121 wins with Eilasi having won 120 in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Only Bryce Abbey (134) has won more matches in a UNK uniform then Dlagnev. UNK finishes the regular season Wednesday night when Fort Hays State visits. The dual was originally slated for Feb. 15th.

In front of a boisterous standing-room only crowd in University Gym, the Columbia wrestling team upset 16th-ranked Penn, 22-12 on Saturday night. The Lions are now 2-1 in the Ivy League and 6-3 overall. The Quakers fall to 6-7 overall and 2-2 in the Ivy League. In the final home match of the year, senior Matt Palmer sealed the victory of the Lions with an 11-1 major decision over ninth-ranked Matt Herrington at 174. Palmer, rated no. 10 in the nation in the weight class, earned two near falls in the second period to take a 7-1 lead. Palmer added a late take down in the third period to earn an 11-1 victory and four team points. Palmer's win gave Columbia a 19-12 lead with only one match remaining, clinching the Lions' defeat of the Quakers. "(Matt) Palmer gave us a dominating performance," said Columbia's Brendan Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling. "This was the kind of situation where Palmer thrives. Under pressure, he turns it up a notch and clinched the team's win with his performance." Columbia opened the match with three straight victories, beginning with junior Nick Sommerfeld's close 12-11 decision over Jack Sullivan at 197 pounds. The two wrestlers both had take downs in the first period befor Sommerfeld got the upperhand with a 7-5 lead entering the third. Sullivan scored a take down to pull within one point, but Sommerfeld took him down two more times. Despite a late reversal by Sulivan, Sommerfeld prevailed giving the Lions three points to start the match. At heavyweight, first-year Kevin Lester earned a hard-fought 13-8 victory over Ben Reiter. Lester took down Reiter twice in the opening stanza, but Reiter escaped twice and had a take down of his own, tying the match at 4-4. Reiter opened the third period on top, but Lester pulled a quick reversal giving him an 8-5 advantage. The newcomer manageed two more take downs in the final minute to earn Columbia another three points. With a 6-0 team score, junior Brandon Kinney kept the momentum on the Lions' side, as he scored a sudden death overtime take down at the 125 pound weight class. Kinney took down Matt Eveleth in the first period, but Eveleth managed an escape. Eveleth escaped again in the second period, and with no riding time advantage to either wrestler, the match went to overtime. At 7:30, Kinney pulled a quick move o take down Eveleth and gave the Lions a commanding 9-0 lead. "We felt coming into the match that we could beat Penn, and were happy we got these three wins to start," Buckley said. "Sommerfeld and Lester wrestled well, and Kinney wrestled hard in overtime and got us three more points." At 133, 18th-ranked Matt DeLorenzo wrestled second-ranked Matt Valenti. Valenti took a 1-0 lead into the third period with the only point awarded because of a penalty to DeLorenzo. Valenti took down DeLorenzo twice in the third to take a 7-2 decision, cutting the Columbia lead to 9-3. Sophomore Sal Tirico, also 18th-ranked, took on Brett McCurdy at the 141 pound class. Tirico scored the only take down of teh match in the first period and held on for close 6-3 victory. First-year Matt Dunn wrestled Rick Rappo at 149 with a 12-3 Columbia team advantage. Rappo got on the board early with a quick take down and then a near fall later in the first period. Dunn fought back with a reversal, but Rappo countered with a reversal of his own to take a 6-2 lead. Dunn managed a near fall in the second, but could not pin his opponent. Rappo started down in the third and escaped to tie the score, 6-6. With only seconds remaining and the home crowd behind him, he newcomer took Rappo down to earn a 9-6 decision. Dunn's victory gave Columbia a 15-3 lead with only four matches remaining. The Quakers bounced right back at 157, as Matt Dragon, ranked 14th in the nation, pinned senior Devin Mesanko 3:45 into their match. Mesanko had a 2-0 lead early, but Dragon escaped. Dragon started on top in the second period and rode Mesanko until pinning him. With the score 15-9 in favor of the Lions, Penn kept the pressure on earning a victory at 165 pounds. Zach Shanaman defeated senior Ricky Turk 11-6 to cut he Columiba team lead in half. Next, was Matt Palmer's impressive 11-1 major decision over Matt Herrington, which clinched the first victory by Columbia over Penn since January 29, 1993. "This was the most aggressive Matt (Palmer) has been in years," Buckley stated. "With a performance like this, it's clear that he can sense the conference and national tournaments around the corner." The bout at 184 was the final match of the evening, senior Justin Barent won an 11-4 decision over 13th-ranked Lior Zamir. Zamir controlled the action early, but Barent managed a take down and a near fall in the second to take a 6-3 lead. Both wrestlers fought hard in the final minutes, and Barent emerged as the victor, giving Columbia three more points and conclude the 22-12 win over Penn. "Barent wanted to close out his home career with a win," said Buckley. "He's never out of any match and showed heart fighting back. That's what champions do. They just keep working." The final home match at Columbia for the team's nine seniors, saw the Lions win seven matches against Penn in one of the finest home victories in recent memory. "This is probably the best win at home since I've been coach at Columbia," Buckley stated. "I'm grateful to these nine seniors for helping to create this experience which will last a lifetime. Hopefully there is more to come for us. We still have two league matches left and wanted to take care of business next wek. We'll make sure that we work hard to finish strong in the conference." * * * * * Matt Palmer had beaten Matt Herrington before. It was five years ago, but it seems like yesterday to the Lion standout. "I had ‘bumped' up to 174," he recalled after today's Penn match, "and I beat him, 4-2, in the dual match here in Levien Gym." Palmer was a standout first-year 165-pounder then, before the onslaught of injuries that would spoil most of his college wrestling career. In the intervening years, he met Herrington twice, losing both times — once, he remembered clearly, by one point in a dual match, the other by three points in the EIWA semifinals. Herrington had gone on to great success — high national rankings, All-American honors, selection to represent the East in the Coaches All-Star Meet this season. But a different Matt Palmer returned to Columbia in January for his final semester. He was rested, unencumbered by injuries, and raring to go. Two weeks ago, Brendan Buckley noted, "Matt Palmer is back!" Herrington realized it soon after the start of their 174-pound bout today, right after Palmer's first takedown. "I wouldn't let up," the Lion said. Palmer put a tight hold around the Penn star's body, and refused to let him go. He ended the first period with three near-fall points, and continued scoring in the next two periods. His 11-1 major decision gave Columbia four team points, clinching the match at 19-12. "I was really excited for the team" he said. "I knew I was near a major decision, and what it would mean. I was looking for it. "We had a game plan — a lot of offense, fakes — we wouldn't let Herrington dictate [the progress] of the match." Buckley beamed when Palmer's name was brought up. "When he gets like this," he said, "Matt can smell the conference and the nationals. He's really looking forward to these next few weeks." ;

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The North Dakota State wrestling team recorded bonus points in five of its seven victories, including three pins in a 33-9 victory over Portland State at the Stott Center on Saturday, February 10. Eric Sanders, Ryan Adams and Jacob Bryce all won by fall in the match. Sanders and Bryce each recorded first-period pins while Adams pinned Joe Vanaman 19 seconds into the second period. The Bison won the first six bouts of the match, jumping out to a 27-0 lead. Eric Hoffman got things started for North Dakota State, recording a technical fall at 125 pounds. At 133 pounds, Sanders recorded the first pin of the night, beating Westley Montz in 2:40. In the next match at 141 pounds, Gabe Mooney defeated Greg Einerson 9-5. Ryan Adams got NDSU's second fall of the match, pinning Vanaman's shoulders to the mat at the 3:19 mark. North Dakota State (8-3) increased the lead to 24-0 after Adam Aho notched a major decision over PSU's Steven Dailey 13-4. Aho has now won his last six matches. Mike Quamme defeated Dale Seley, the Vikings most successful wrestler this season, at 165 pounds by the score of 2-1. The bout was scoreless until Quamme delivered a two-point takedown with 38 seconds remaining in the final period. Portland State (1-14) got on the board at 174 pounds and 184 pounds, cutting the lead to 27-6. In the 197-pound bout, NDSU's Jacob Bryce recorded his first fall of the season at the first-period buzzer over Keena Washington. The match concluded with PSU heavyweight Zach Smith beating NDSU's Justin LaGosh 12-5. The Bison now lead the all-time series over Portland State 3-0. The Bison will travel 80 miles south to Corvallis to take on No. 18 Oregon State at the Gill Coliseum on Sunday, February 11. This will be the second ranked opponent the Bison face this season. The match is scheduled to being at 2 p.m. PST.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Big Red wrestling team won by the largest margin in school history Saturday afternoon when it blanked Princeton, 56-0, at home in the Friedman Wrestling Center. Cornell honored its senior class in a halftime celebration during the match marked with seven Big Red pins. The match opened with a bout at 125 pounds with No. 2 Troy Nickerson facing the Tigers' Nikhil Pereira. Nickerson opened with an early takedown 15 seconds into the match and was able to maneuver Pereira onto his back, earning the pin in 27 seconds. The Tigers forfeited the match at 133 pounds giving Nick Bridge the win putting Cornell up 12-0. Freshman Corey Manson wrestled Danny Scotton at 141 pounds. Manson opened with two takedowns and a two-point nearfall to take a 6-2 early lead, but with 17 seconds left in the first, Scotton would come within two points with a takedown of his own. Scotton started in the second in the down position, and Manson racked up his riding time keeping him in his clutches until he finally made his escape with six seconds left in the period. Manson quickly grabbed another point with an escape five seconds into the third period. With 1:21 left on the clock he dominated Scotton driving him to the mat for a takedown. Scotton made his escape only to have Manson bring him down once again. The Princeton wrestler made a late break with five seconds left earning a reversal, but with 2:55 in riding time, Manson won a 13-9 decision. Next up for the Big Red would be No. 4 Jordan Leen facing Eric Marcotulli at 149 pounds. Marcotulli caught a hold of Leen at 43 seconds into the match to make a takedown. The Princeton wrestler seemed to catch Leen in a position that did not allow him to breathe, and the Big Red wrestler had to take an injury timeout to reorient himself. Leen reentered the match with renewed vigor quickly tying the match with a reversal. The Cornell wrestler wasted no time turning Marcotulli onto his back and earned the pin in 1:07. Drake Hovis squared off against Mike Alvarez at 157 pounds. Hovis opened the first period with two takedowns and a nearfall, and was almost able to work for the pin but time ran out. Alvarez would start the second in the down position and Hovis would dominate earning almost two minutes of riding time before making a nearfall with 10 seconds left in the second. Hovis would rack up the points in the third making takedowns and letting Alvarez escape until he had the tech fall with a score of 19-4. His five-point win put the Big Red up 26-0 halfway through the match. At 165 pounds, No. 10 Steve Anceravage met Aaron Casp. Anceravage posted the early points making two takedowns, each time letting Casp up off the mat. The Big Red wrestler would take advantage of his third and final takedown of the match, and with a quick turn had Casp pinned in 2:05. Fresh off an upset win over Penn wrestler Matt Harrington Friday night, Joey Hooker looked energized as he faced off against John Clore at center mat. Thirty-six seconds into the match, Hooker made the opening takedown, and Clore would never be able to recover. Hooker would take six more points with two nearfalls before pinning Clore in 1:50. The Big Red's Josh Arnone would follow in Hooker's footsteps at 184 pounds, making a takedown on Oliver Noteware 45 seconds into the first period. Arnone would control Noteware turning him into that fatal position, and in 1:05 Arnone earned his second pin of the weekend. Ranked fourth in the nation at 197 pounds, senior Jerry Rinaldi would takedown Zach Morse in five seconds. Morse held him off for over a minute, but at 1:10 Rinaldi was able to make the pin. At heavyweight, Zach Hammond took a 6-2 lead in the first period making three takedowns on Princeton's Kris Berr. Berr chose to start the second period in the down position, and at 3:32 Hammond had him pinned extending Cornell's lead to 56-0. Cornell will hit the road next weekend in hopes of securing its fifth-straight Ivy title when it will face Brown on Friday night and Harvard on Saturday.

Augustana rallied from a 19-6 deficit to win the final 4 matches of the night and claim a 20-19 non-conference victory over Minnesota State-Moorhead Saturday night at the Elmen Center. The 14th-ranked Vikings improved 9-5 overall while the Dragons fell to 14-7. Augustana led 6-3 after 3 matches following a 12-7 win by Chris Trampe over Casey Dschaak at 125 pounds and a 5-3 overtime win by Mike Long over Kelly Janke at 141 pounds. But MSU-Moorhead won the next 3 matches, picking up 16 team points in the process. Shane Walton pinned Brandon Kruger at 149 pounds and Kyle Trout pinned Jarred McCarthy at 157 pounds to put the Dragons ahead 15-6. At 165 pounds MSUM's Nate Baker, the defending national champion and currently rated 4th in the nation, scored an 11-0 major decision over Aaron Haddorff to push the lead to 19-6. But the Vikings won the final 4 bouts. Cody Henriksen started the comeback with a 3-1 overtime win over Tyler Tubbs at 174 pounds. The match was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Henriksen then scored a takedown 18 seconds into the sudden victory period to improve to 19-5 on the year. At 184 pounds, Augie's Beau Severtson continued the rally with an 11-4 win over Matt Nelson. Nate Buys, ranked No. 3 in the country, then picked up 2 big team points when he registered a 16-0 technical fall over Joshiah Bush. Buys scored the final takedown with 1:20 left in the third period as he improved to 24-2. Ray O'Connor completed the rally by edging Joe Facchinni 2-1 at heavyweight. Both wrestlers scored escapes to start the second and third periods to account for a 1-1 score. But with 1:13 left in the bout, Facchinni was called for his second stalling, which awarded a point to O'Connor. O'Connor then fought off Facchinni the rest of the for the win. Augustana concludes the regular season on Wednesday when the Vikings travel to Omaha, Neb., to face Nebraska-Omaha in a 7 p.m. dual.

BOSTON -- In their final home matches of the season, the Boston University wrestling team posted a 22-12 victory over New England rival Brown after dropping a 25-17 conference dual to Binghamton on Saturday evening at Case Gym. With the split, the Terriers move to 8-7 overall and 4-4 in conference action. Freshmen Abbie Rush (125) and C.J. Inglin (165), sophomore Carlo Ferrandino (141) and junior Joey Whitaker (133) all won both of their matches on the day. BU opened its dual with Binghamton by posting three bonus wins for an early 14-0 advantage, but the Bearcats won six of the final seven bouts, including crucial back-to-back pins at 174 and 184 to come away with a 25-17 win. The Terriers, however, made sure that they closed out their home slate on a winning note against Brown. BU won the first four matches against the Bears and picked up three more victories en route to an impressive 22-12 win. Against Binghamton, Rush got things started with a solid 19-4 technical fall over Mike Kleeman, using a riding-time point to reach the necessary 15-point margin. Whitaker picked up where Rush left off, recording nine takedowns in a commanding 22-10 major decision against Corey Sullivan. The Terriers continued their great start when Ferrandino capped a 22-4 technical fall over Kareem Naguib with a five-point move. At 149, sophomore Mike Roberts tied the match on a takedown with 20 seconds left in regulation, but allowed Kyle Fried to escape in a tough 8-7 loss. Binghamton's Nate Patterson followed with an 8-0 shutout over sophomore Mike Cubillos to make it a 14-7 score in BU's favor. Inglin came through with a thrilling 10-8 overtime victory at 165 against Sam Sirotta to give the Terriers a double-digit edge at 17-7, but the Bearcats finished off the match with four straight wins. Freshman A.J. Detwiler suffered a pin in the second minute of his 174-pound match against Josh Patterson and sophomore Eli Vidal had a late 13-8 lead before being pinned by Corey Waite with only 37 seconds left in regualtion. The pins gave the visitors their first lead of the day at 19-17. The Bearcats' Ed Backus posted an 8-3 win over BU sophomore Jim Connors at 197 and Mike Patterson sealed the dual for the visitors with a 6-2 decision over sophomore Orey Hall at 285. In the nightcap against Brown, Rush and Whitaker opened with narrow one-point wins before Ferrandino followed with an 18-10 major decision. The Bears were hit with a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following the 125-pound match, resulting in the loss of a team point. Roberts gave the Terriers a commanding 14-point lead when he came through with a 9-2 victory over Stephen DeLorenzo at 149. The Bears got back into the match when Tom Fazio pinned Cubillos with just 10 seconds left in the 157-pound bout, but Inglin prevented the visitors from building up any more momentum when he nailed a takedown with 20 seconds left the third period in his match with Bran Crudden to take a 3-1 victory. After battling to a 3-3 draw with Chris Musser through regulation of the 174-pound match, Detwiler snuck in a takedown just 11 seconds into the sudden-victory period to push BU's lead to 19-5. Matt Gerelinger tried to kickstart a comeback for the Bears with a 14-6 major decision over Vidal at 184, but Connors sealed the victory for the Terriers with a strong 7-3 decision over Josh Serene. In the final match of the day, Hall was the victim of a stalling call in the last second of regulation before eventually dropping a tough-luck 5-3 overtime loss to Zach Zdrada. The Terriers will close out their regular season when they return to action with a road dual at Rider on Friday, Feb. 16.