InterMat Staff

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 10/10 Oklahoma Sooners (7-4-1, 0-2) will pursue their third straight non-conference victory when they host the No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils (12-6, 7-0) on Friday night at 7 p.m., inside the Howard McCasland Field House. OU has not lost to the Sun Devils since the 1998 season and have, in that span, reeled off five wins and one tie. The Sooners hold a 20-14-1 record in the all-time series. Last season the Sooners defeated the Sun Devils 20-17 in Tempe. The last meeting between the two schools in Norman was during the 2003-04 season when the Sooners defeated the Sun Devils 22-18. The match will also mark Danny Hodge Night. Hodge, an Oklahoma wrestling legend, will be signing autographs before the match from 6-7 p.m. The First 500 fans will receive a free Danny Hodge autograph card and Head Coach Jack Spates and the Sooner wrestling team will honor Hodge at intermission for his contributions to the University of Oklahoma and to the sport of wrestling. The Sooners travel to Missouri on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match at the Hearnes Center.

Virginia Tech head wrestling coach Tom Brands' Olympic gold medal will be on display this Saturday, Feb. 4, at Cassell Coliseum before the Hokies take on Ohio University at 2 p.m. Brands won the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, capturing the freestyle title at 136.5 pounds. There, he outscored four Olympic opponents 19-1 and beat Korea's Jae Sung Jang 7-0 in the gold medal match. Doors open to Cassell Coliseum at 1 p.m., and the medal will be on display in the Northwest corner concourse, between ramps 4 and 6, for fans to see, try on and take pictures.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The 15th-ranked Indiana wrestling team continues its Big Ten schedule on Feb. 5 as it travels to Minneapolis, Minn., to take on the No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers at 2 p.m. at the Sport Pavilion. The Hoosiers (12-0, 2-2 Big Ten) look to have a solid performance against the nation's top team in a heated conference showdown. MINNESOTA PREVIEW Minnesota is having one of its best seasons in the history of the program, recently defeating defending national champion then-No. 1 Oklahoma State, 21-14, on Jan. 15 to become the first No. 1 team in the nation other than Oklahoma State in the last three years. Minnesota is 4-0 in conference action with wins over Northwestern (1/20), Iowa (1/22), Ohio State (1/27) and Penn State (1/29). The Golden Gophers boast a lineup that features eight ranked grapplers, two of which are tabbed No. 1 in the country and another three in the top 10. Leading the pack is No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (149), No. 1 Cole Konrad (Heavyweight), No. 3 Mack Reiter (133), No. 4 C.P. Schlatter (157), No. 10 Matt Nagel (165), No. 10 Roger Kish (184), No. 14 Manuel Rivera (141) and No. 15 Gabriel Dretsch (174). Minnesota leads the overall series 39-4-1 over Indiana, winning the last meeting in Bloomington 32-7 on Feb. 24, 2005. Indiana's last win over the Golden Gophers came on Jan. 26, 1968 in Bloomington, when the Hoosiers downed Minnesota 20-8 in Bloomington. Minnesota finished fifth in last year's NCAA Championships and finished runner-up in last year's Big Ten Championships. The Golden Gophers return three All-Americans from last year's top-five squad and placed four overall in the top eight at NCAAs a year ago.

State College, Pa. -- The No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will begin a road swing that will encompass the rest of the 2005-06 season with crucial duals at No. 7 Iowa on Friday night (8 p.m.) and No. 9 Iowa State on Sunday (1 p.m.). Penn State enters the road swing with a 9-3 mark after a split in two home duals last weekend. Penn State is coming off a thrilling close-out to its home season this past weekend. The Nittany Lions thumped No. 18 Michigan State 27-12 on Friday night and the dropped a hard-fought upset bid to No. 1 Minnesota on Sunday, falling 25-16. Nearly 10,000 fans watched the final two home duals of the season, including a season high 5,417 on Sunday. The standing-room only crowd for the battle with Minnesota pushed Penn State's season home attendance average to a seven-year high 2,757. Head coach Troy Sunderland's team features nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20, including four in the top ten. Senior 184-pounder Eric Bradley is 5-0 this season and ranked No. 1 while sophomore Phil Davis is No. 6 at 197. Freshman Jake Strayer, 15-2 at 133, is ranked No. 9. Senior DeWitt Driscoll is ranked No. 10 at 141 with an 11-5 mark. Iowa enters its weekend with a 9-4 mark, 3-1 in Big Ten action. The Hawkeyes are led by five ranked wrestlers, including four ranked among the nation's top seven. Senior Ty Eustice is 15-1 at 149 and ranked No. 2 while sophomore Cole Perry is 10-2 at 174 and ranked No. 3. Iowa State comes in with four ranked grapplers, all of whom are in the top ten. Senior Nate Gallick is undefeated, 25-0, at 141 and ranked No. 1 while junior Trent Paulson is 18-1 at 157 and ranked No. 3. Perhaps the weekend's biggest test lies in front of Nittany Lion Bradley. The returning All-American and top-ranked 184-pounder will face the seventh- and ninth-ranked wrestlers in the country (Iowa's Paul Bradley and Iowa State's Kurt Backes). Other weight classes featuring three ranked grapplers prepping to do battle are 141, 157 and 165. POSSIBLE LINE-UPS -- as of 1/31 #9 Penn State Nittany Lions (9-3, 1-3 Big ten) Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/HS 2005-06 Rec. 125 Tim Haas So. Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff 13-6 OR Brad Pataky Fr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 12-6 133 #9 Jake Strayer Fr. South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills 15-2 141 #10 DeWitt Driscoll Sr. Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville 11-5 149 #11 James Woodall Sr. Dupont, Pa./Pittston 6-3 157 #14 Nathan Galloway Jr. State College, Pa./State College 10-8 165 #12 David Erwin Fr. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 19-5 174 #11 James Yonushonis Jr. Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola 14-4 184 #1 Eric Bradley Sr. Plaistow, N.H./Timberlane 5-0 197 #6 Philip Davis So. Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg 12-3 HWT #18 Joel Edwards Sr. Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby 11-3 OR Aaron Anspach Jr. Columbia, Pa./Columbia 13-8 #7 IOWA HAWKEYES (9-4, 3-1 Big ten) Wt. Name Yr. Hometown 2005-06 Rec. 125 Lucas Magnani Jr. Long Island, N.Y. 9-9 133 Daniel Dennis Fr. Ingleside, Ill. 13-10 141 #15 Alex Tsirtsis So. Griffith, Ind. 12-8 149 #2 Ty Eustice Sr. Blue Earth, Minn. 15-1 157 #7 Joe Johnston Sr. Prairie Village, Kan. 16-5 165 Eric Luedke Jr. Colby, Kan. 13-9 OR Cole Pape Sr. Maquoketa, Iowa 7-7 174 #3 Mark Perry So. Stillwater, Okla. 10-2 OR Ben Stedman Jr. Souix City, Iowa 8-9 184 #7 Paul Bradley Sr. Tama, Iowa 7-3 197 Dan Erekson Fr. Eagle, Idaho 13-7 HWT Ryan Fuller Jr. Lisbon, Iowa 5-4 #8 IOWA STATE CYCLONES (10-5, 1-1 Big 12) Wt. Name Yr. Hometown 2005-06 Rec. 125 Ben Hanisch So. Waterloo, Iowa 11-16 133 Jesse Sundell Sr. Ogden, Iowa 14-12 141 #1 Nate Gallick Sr. Tucson, Ariz. 25-0 149 Aron Scott So. Oskaloosa, Iowa 12-9 OR Jason Knipp Jr. Waterloo, Iowa 14-7 157 #3 Trent Paulson Jr. Council Bluffs, Iowa 18-1 165 #9 Travis Paulson Jr. Council Bluffs, Iowa 23-3 174 David Bertolino So. Mt. Pleasant, Ohio 14-10 OR Grant Turner Jr. Johnston, Iowa 6-6 184 #9 Kurt Backes Jr. Neshanic Station, N.J. 15-5 197 Joe Curran Fr. Elk Point, S.D. 10-14 HWT Richard Schopf Jr. Bondurant, Iowa 3-11 (#) All rankings listed are USA Today/NWCA as of 1/31

WAVERLY, Iowa -- No. 1-ranked Wartburg College used three consecutive wins to close its wrestling dual meet with No. 2-ranked Augsburg College, gaining a 22-13 win in the process in the annual "Battle of the Burgs," the battle between the top two teams in NCAA Division III wrestling, on Wednesday night at the Knights Gymnasium. The Knights, improving to 25-0 on the year, opened strong behind top-ranked 125-pounder Tyler Hubbard and top-ranked 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger. Both individuals gained major decisions, giving the Knights an 8-3 lead. The lead increased to 12-3 as No. 2-ranked 149-pounder Jacob Naig took in another major decision. The Auggies battled back, winning three straight for a 13-12 lead. No. 5-ranked sophomore 157-pounder Jeremy Anderson (So., Thief River Falls, Minn.) and No. 5-ranked sophomore 174-pounder Robbie Gotreau (So., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) sparked the comeback, as Anderson turned in a major decision and Gotreau's takedown with 35 seconds remaining surprised top-ranked and unbeaten Scott Kauffman 5-4. It was all Wartburg from there. Senior 184-pounder Akeem Carter and junior 197-pounder Ryan Phillips took decisions and junior heavyweight Blake Gillis backed up his No. 1 ranking with a major decision. The other Auggie wins came from top-ranked Ryan Valek (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West), who won his 25th straight match in improving to 32-2 on the season with a victory at 165 pounds, and from Jafari Vanier (So., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), who won a decision at 133. The victory was the Knights' second of the season in the series, which Augsburg leads 10-7. Both teams return to action on Saturday (2/4), as Wartburg has a home dual with Coe, while the Auggies face competition in the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugold Invitational. College Wrestling -- No. 1 Wartburg (Iowa, 25-0) 22, No. 2 Augsburg (Minn., 7-3) 13 February 1, 2006 -- Knights Gymnasium, Waverly, Iowa. 125 -- No. 1 Tyler Hubbard (WAR, 12-0) maj. dec. Seth Flodeen (AUG, 22-13) 17-8 (Wartburg 4-0). 133 -- Jafari Vanier (AUG, 11-2) dec. Jake Helvey (WAR, 9-6) 8-6 (Wartburg 4-3). 141 -- No. 1 Dustin Hinschberger (WAR, 34-5) maj. dec. Josh Hansen (AUG, 25-6) 9-0 (Wartburg 8-3). 149 -- No. 2 Jacob Naig (WAR, 25-6) maj. dec. Jacob Roberts (AUG, 27-8) 10-0 (Wartburg 12-3). 157 -- No. 5 Jeremy Anderson (AUG, 31-1) maj. dec. Justin Hansen (WAR, 10-6) 9-1 (Wartburg 12-7). 165 -- No. 1 Ryan Valek (AUG, 32-2) dec. Dustin Bliven (WAR, 13-6) 7-0 (Wartburg 12-10). 174 -- No. 5 Robbie Gotreau (AUG, 29-5) dec. No. 1 Scott Kauffman (WAR, 17-1) 5-4 (Augsburg 13-12). 184 -- No. 3 Akeem Carter (WAR, 21-3) dec. Kirk Rall (AUG, 20-12) 4-0 (Wartburg 15-13). 197 -- Ryan Phillips (WAR, 17-4) dec. Wally O'Connor (AUG, 19-14) 8-3 (Wartburg 18-13). HWT -- No. 1 Blake Gillis (WAR, 25-3) maj. dec. Dylan Soberg (AUG, 12-15) 10-0 (Wartburg 22-13).

The last two weeks have flown by. It seems as if we are competing every other day, and I think everyone is starting to know the end is near. As of today, we have only 22 training days left, and only a few more competitions until nationals. I can't wait. I wish they were tomorrow. We have a saying in our room that says, "I will win this match because I have been training for it my whole life." That is basically what it comes down to. Almost twenty years of wrestling, all to be over in a month. Last weekend we wrestled at the Northwestern invite. It is always a very tough tournament, but what I like about it the most is that almost all of our regional teams are there. Some of these teams we don't see anywhere else, so it is nice to get a chance to wrestle these guys before regionals and nationals. It was an amazing day for me and for our team. I won the individual title at 174 pounds, going 5-0 on the day, but what was really cool was receiving the outstanding wrestler of the tournament award. It is the first one I have ever received and it was a great feeling. Marshall MarquardtOur team also won the team title there. It was a big deal for us because one of the teams we beat destroyed us last year in a dual, and we ended up winning by almost twenty points. We also won three duals these last two weeks, going 37-3 in them as a team. It is really amazing to me how well prepared these guys are. Earlier this year, we knew we could have a good team, but our coaches have really brought it out of us. We are training smart and wrestling better than many of us ever have. It will be interesting to see what happens the next month with our team, as we had a few guys become eligible for second semester. Most other schools previously ineligible wrestlers are already wrestling and have been since the new year, but because we have a three week interim semester, our guys didn't become eligible until now. One big addition for us is the return of All-American Jimmy Rollins. He was our biggest point-scorer at nationals last year, and he has been impatiently waiting to get back in our top twelve and in our dual line-up. We recently has a dual against Northern State (Division II) in Aberdeen, SD. It was a pretty surreal experience. We actually wrestled at Aberdeen High School in the middle of their tournament. I have been to a lot of collegiate wrestling rooms, but not one of them was as nice as their high school room was. Their facilities were unbelievable. They even had a jumbotron in their gym. (Something most of us NAIA schools aren't accustomed to.) We only lost one match in the dual, which made the five hour drive home much better. The next two weeks are just as busy as the last. We have four duals and our Conference Championships. I think it will be interesting to see if we can maintain the roll we are on. We are hot right now and have to keep it that way. Everyone is counting on everyone else, and no one is getting let down. It is truly a great thing when a team can come together and accomplish goals. We recently broke our 'dual wins in a season' record, and with four duals left, we look to add to the win column. Until next time, keep getting better. Marshall Marquardt Past Entries:

Slippery Rock, Pa. -- Slippery Rock University announced today the discontinuance of eight varsity athletic teams effective the end of the current academic year. Eliminated will be field hockey, golf, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's water polo, men's tennis and wrestling. "These have been painful decisions," President Robert Smith said. "We are immediately working with our students to help them make decisions regarding their participation in sports and with our affected employees and their families for their careers. We will continue the scholarships for those students who are impacted by this decision and will take other steps to help them. "Our decision to eliminate programs was driven by the necessity to effectively manage the institution's fiscal resources in a time of significant budgetary constraints without eroding our commitment to quality," Smith said. "We have been evaluating our athletic program since 2001, listening to a variety of internal and external committees, who have recommended it is time we need to act. "SRU has grown by 12 percent in those years to serve nearly 1,100 more students. We continue to grow in enrollment and in the quality of our students and academic programs. Despite those successes, Slippery Rock University is facing a third straight year of multi-million-dollar budget cuts as a consequence of mandated fixed costs and the erosion of revenue sources. During those years we have balanced our budget through reductions in management positions, non-contractual assignments of faculty and numerous other cost-cutting measures." Maintaining quality "We have kept our focus on three major values: Raising the value of a Slippery Rock University degree; being a premier residential university; and managing our financial integrity. Having the right-size athletic program affects each of these goals. Raising the value of our degree depends on continuing to strengthen our academic quality; that has to be the priority for our spending. Being a premier residential university involves having an athletic program that is funded so that those teams have the best chance to be competitive. And, managing our fiscal integrity requires wise decisions about resource allocation." Smith explained the athletic decisions were made after extensive discussions. The University Athletic Council, which includes a coach, faculty, student athletes and staff, began a series of meetings in September to perform a five-year review of the athletic department with a focus on sports sponsorship. The council's recommendations were delivered to Smith in mid-December. He also received an independent external consultant's review in November that reiterated the need to reduce the number of teams sponsored. He then met with representatives of the Student Athlete Advisory Council to discuss their concerns and respond to their questions. "The work of the UAC was critical to this process," Smith said. "It was important to involve those affected as much as possible. Dr. Brian Crow, faculty athletic representative and chair of the UAC, and a student representative from the Student Athlete Advisory Council played important leadership roles in monitoring the decision-making process." "In making the final decision, we considered cost-saving potential, necessary future investment in facilities -- which particularly impacted the water sports -- the competitiveness of the teams, the academic performance of the athletes, and the financial support of alumni and external financial support over the past decade," Smith explained. "These cuts will result in estimated reduction of annual expenditures of $350,000." He noted that even with the reductions, spending on athletics would still exceed what is typical at NCAA Division II institutions. A June 2005 study commissioned by the NCAA indicated that the typical NCAA Division II athletic program is made up of 14 teams. Slippery Rock's new complement will be 15 teams.

Dave Schultz was one of the all-time greats. Not just because he was an NCAA champion or an Olympic gold medalist… but because of his genuine good nature and generous spirit. Ten years ago, Dave's life was taken in a senseless, bizarre murder that sounds straight out of a really awful movie. Only this was really awful real life. RevWrestling.com seeks to pay tribute to Dave Schultz with a series of articles that address various aspects of his life and legacy. In this installment, we attempt to tell the story of John du Pont, the man who murdered Dave Schultz. In future chapters, we plan to paint a more complete picture of Dave, including reminiscences from some of the folks who knew him best. Fall -- the time of year when the amateur wrestling world comes alive again as a new season begins for scholastic and college programs. Last October, along with the usual discussions about "hot prospects" and predictions of who would win state and national titles, the online wrestling forums were abuzz about a book. No, the wrestling community wasn't talking about the new memoirs of 2000 Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner … or those of Kyle Maynard, the legless wrestler from Georgia whose incredible story earned him guest appearances on The Larry King Show and Oprah, and a place on the New York Times best-seller list. The book that had everyone talking was hardly new. In fact, it was nearly twenty years old. And, to the wrestling community, its author was hardly viewed as a hero or an inspiration. The book was titled Off the Mat … and its author was John E. du Pont, the multimillionaire who murdered 1984 Olympic gold medalist wrestler/coach Dave Schultz on January 26, 1996. Why would a book published in 1987 stir up so much discussion in October 2005? Complimentary copies of Off the Mat were sent out to high school wrestling coaches across the country that fall, apparently by a firm representing John du Pont. The reaction in online wrestling forums such as TheMat.com seemed to be one of universal anger and disgust. Rex Peckinpaugh's reaction was pretty typical. The head coach of the high school wrestling program at New Castle, Indiana posted this message to the AmateurWrestlingFanAddicts Yahoo group forum: "I was excited when I saw the package simply because I thought it would be a nice free book or DVD, but when I opened it and saw the du Pont book, I was certainly angry and dismayed. I was even more upset when I read the enclosed letter that said what a great aid this book would be in working with young people. I emailed the address shown on the letter and asked if this book was by the same John du Pont who gunned down Dave Schultz? I knew it was, but I was really angry. I told them I would be returning the book, as I hope everyone does. I read the book when it first came out … put in the context of what the man has done, it is nothing but garbage." John du Pont still manages to stir up anger ten years after murdering one of amateur wrestling's all-time heroes. ---- John Eleuthere du Pont was born on November 22, 1938 into a world of wealth and privilege as the great-great-great-grandson of the founder of E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., the giant chemical company known for brand names such as Teflon and StainMaster. Within two years of his birth, John's parents William "Willie" du Pont Jr. and Jean split up, with the infant going off with his mother. After Willie remarried a young tennis star, the young du Pont had infrequent contact with his father … and was isolated from his older siblings who had already left home. The 1996 Carol Turkington book No Holds Barred: The Strange Life of John E. du Pont describes a young man who was lonely and socially awkward. Du Pont prepped at Haverford, where he participated on the swimming and wrestling teams. He attended the University of Pennsylvania for one year, withdrawing before completing his freshman year to focus all his attention on making the US Olympic swim team. Later, when that dream washed out, he essentially bought his way onto the nation's top-ranked swim team at Santa Clara, California. John du PontHowever, after being told by coaches and teammates that he was not cut out to be a champion swimmer, du Pont tried his hand at pentathlon -- an Olympic sport consisting of five activities: cross-country riding, swimming, running, fencing, and shooting. He won a championship in Australia in 1965, and hosted the national modern pentathlon championships at his Foxcatcher estate in 1967 … but failed to make the 1968 US Olympic team. However, as a reward for his considerable monetary gifts to the sport, du Pont was named trainer for the 1976 US Olympic pentathlon team. By the mid 1980s, John du Pont found a new sport to shower with his wealth and attention: wrestling. In 1985, he approached Villanova University with an offer to finance a varsity wrestling program at the Philadelphia school, as long as he could be head coach. Villanova accepted the offer, and du Pont hired 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mark Schultz -- Dave's younger brother -- as an assistant coach. Du Pont got out the checkbook again to build the Foxcatcher National Training Center for Olympic athletes at his estate, designed for swimmers and wrestlers. The state-of-the-art facility featured a 50' x 50' wrestling room, and a library of hundreds of wrestling matches on videotape for team members to study opponents. But it wasn't just the facilities that attracted top wrestlers to Foxcatcher. Du Pont offered stipends of up to $1,000 a month -- along with free housing and scholarships -- to wrestlers who oftentimes were accustomed to just scraping by. In addition to what he spent on his Foxcatcher club and its wrestlers, du Pont gave to amateur wrestling organizations. He contributed $100,000 to USA Wrestling in 1987 and 1988, then upped the amount to $400,000 each year up to 1995. In return, USA Wrestling named its national championships and World Team Trials after du Pont, and named him "team leader" for the US team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. ---- Dave SchultzThe lives of Dave Schultz and John du Pont intersected when the millionaire -- who had an estimated worth of over $100 million -- welcomed the 1984 Olympic gold medalist to Foxcatcher in 1988. Dave was on a quest to compete in the Olympics again, so he welcomed the chance to work out with the top wrestlers from around the world, the coaching salary, and the farmhouse on the estate grounds which was home for his wife Nancy and their two children, Alexander and Danielle. However, Dave failed to make the US team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics … and met the same fate in 1992. All efforts were focused on competing for the US in the 1996 Atlanta Games … and Dave used the Foxcatcher facilities with that goal in mind. ---- Jim Humphrey had known Dave Schultz for about two decades. Jim, the 134-pound Big Ten champ and NCAA All-American in 1972 for the Ohio State Buckeyes, first met Dave at a 1976 pre-Olympic training camp at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. "Dave was sixteen at the time," recalls Jim, a member of the World Team in 1974 and 1975. "He was phenomenal at an early age." Fast-forward to the late 1980s. Dave Schultz and Jim Humphrey had remained friends over the years. Jim had coached both Dave and his brother Mark when they were on US National teams. Dave and Jim coached the US team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Dave was at Foxcatcher, and Jim was head wrestling coach at Indiana University. "I met John du Pont at the World Championships in France in 1987," says Jim. "Over time, at Dave Schultz's suggestion, du Pont started to talk to me about coaching at Foxcatcher." Jim accepted the head coaching position at du Pont's facility in 1989. "Things were great the first eighteen months or so," recalls Jim, now an assistant coach at his alma mater. "Then du Pont started to make coaching decisions. He would ask certain wrestlers to stick around the farm rather than compete in major events." When asked why, Jim responded, "I think he was lonely. He wanted the company." After serving as Team Foxcatcher's head coach for two-and-a-half years, Jim says, "We decided mutually to part ways. I left the facility in mid to late 1991, and, in fact left coaching to work in the corporate world." (Jim worked for a division of Johnson & Johnson until last August, when he returned for the coaching position at Ohio State.) When asked to talk about life at John du Pont's Foxcatcher, Jim says, "Towards the end, I dreaded dealing with du Pont. A number of guys like Andre Metzger and Mark Schultz had left on acrimonious terms. Dan Chaid was kicked off the farm -- and he was one of the very first to come to Foxcatcher." Jim adds, "Dave had talked about leaving. But he stayed with him to the very end." Ten years after the murder, Jim remembers the circumstances of how he heard the news as clearly as if it were yesterday. "I was in Cincinnati for training at Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon facility there," says Jim. "I was in my car, following my friend and fellow Ethicon employee Bob Kinder who wrestled at Miami University (Ohio) to his folks' house for dinner. Bob suddenly stopped his car, ran back to mine, telling me he had just heard that Dave Schultz was murdered." "I felt like someone punched me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me." "I called Nancy (Schultz) right away. We were both crying, both devastated." When asked about his dealings with John du Pont at Foxcatcher, Jim replied, "I never thought he was dangerous," says Jim. "I never imagined that he would kill any one. The murder was a total shock." ---- Jim Pearson is a mutual friend of Dave Schultz and Jim Humphrey who spent time at Foxcatcher (which he referred to as "Johnny World") until 1992 … and has his own recollections of John du Pont. "One time du Pont showed up an estate barbecue with a semi-automatic machine gun around his neck," says Pearson, who wrestled for Humphrey at Indiana University, where he first met Dave at a clinic. "When someone asked about the gun, he said something like, ‘I don't want to stand in line for a burger.'" Like Jim Humphrey, Pearson clearly recalls how he found out about Dave's murder. "I was watching the Super Bowl at home when a friend called with the news," says Pearson, now president and CEO of Suros Surgical Systems in the Indianapolis area. "Dave was one of the last wrestlers at Foxcatcher," says Pearson. "I think John panicked at the thought of everyone leaving." Jim Pearson concluded the conversation with this positive thought: "People from all over the world came to Foxcatcher. Wrestlers got to interact with swimmers and pentathletes. Lots of great friendships were formed." ---- In 1997, John E. du Pont stood trial for the murder of Dave Schultz. There were two direct witnesses to the murder: Dave's wife Nancy, and one of du Pont's employees, a security professional seated beside the shooter in his car, not expecting the purpose of the visit to the Schultz home at the Foxcatcher estate until the first shot was fired from the lowered window of the Lincoln Town Car. John du Pont (Photo by Chris Gardner)During the trial, the prosecution argued that du Pont's psychological problems were aggravated by alcohol and other substance abuse. One of the prosecutors, Joe McGettigan, said that Dave had tried to help du Pont and at times was successful. "Du Pont was motivated by the same things that motivate many people who kill people they know," McGettigan was quoted in the Baltimore Sun. "In this case, it was a bizarre combination of admiration that extended to almost hero worship of Dave and the envy of Dave's eminence in a field that du Pont had inserted himself -- wrestling." After deliberating a week, the jury determined that du Pont was mentally ill, and found him guilty of third-degree murder. He was sentenced to 13-30 years in prison. Currently du Pont is serving that sentence in a minimum-security facility north of Pittsburgh. According to his longtime attorney and friend Taras Wochock in an article in the Baltimore Sun, du Pont works as a clerk in the prison chapel and teaches civics to his fellow prisoners. He is eligible for parole in three years, and could go to a halfway house in two. Meanwhile, Foxcatcher Farm is under agreement of sale to a developer who plans to build either family homes or a retirement community on the grounds. Chapter 3: Reminiscences of those who knew Dave Schultz Did you know Dave Schultz? If you have stories to share, please email the author at mark@revwrestling.com Chapters: Chapter 1: The Day Wrestling Died Chapter 2: The Murderer, John du Pont Chapter 3: Immediate Memories of Dave Chapter 4: Smiling Back at a Life Remembered Chapter 5: A Spirit That Lives On

Oskaloosa -- Darren Cotton (Jr., Atlanta, Ga., McNair HS) cleared a huge hurdle on his journey to possibly winning his first national title later this season and also helped the #11 nationally-ranked Statesmen wrestling squad drop #15 Waldorf in dual-meet action on Senior Night, 28-10, Tuesday. Penn, who improves to 8-6 in dual meets this season, won the first seven matches of the night and eventually claimed victory in eight of ten overall. The night began with four Statesmen seniors being recognized for their accomplishment in the navy blue and gold. They included Aaron Garza (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Bloom Trail HS), Clint Kelly (Sr., Payete, Idaho, Payette HS), Angelo Love (Sr., Joliet, Ill., Joliet Township HS), and Omar Ortiz (Sr., Fremont, Mich., Muskegon CC). When competition finally began at 125 pounds, Matthew Chustz (Fr., Manassas Park, Va., Manassas Park HS) got Penn rolling by accepting a forfeit victory, his third of the year. Dustin Howa (Fr., Price, Utah, Carbon HS) then picked up the first of four consecutive decisions for the Statesmen, dropping Adam Graham at 133, 9-5. In the most-thrilling match of dual, #5 Central Regionally-rated Earl Robinson (So., Davenport, Davenport Central HS) claimed a mini-upset over #4 Mike Billings in four overtimes at 141, 6-4. After neither grappler could score in the first sudden-death period or in either or the next two "riding" periods, Robinson finally finished the match with a takedown near the edge of the mat to pick up the win. Then came the match the entire crowd came to see with #1 nationally-ranked Cotton facing #2 Brad Stockton at 149. Though both wrestlers were aggressive early, the first period sounded with a scoreless tie. Stockton finally scored the first point with an escape in the second period and held that advantage until the final two minutes of action. But period three was all about the top-ranked wrestler in the land as Cotton tied up the match with an escape and scored the match's only takedown soon after to go up 3-1. Stockton fought out of the clutches of his foe for another escape, but Cotton held on in the waning seconds to claim victory, 3-2. Brandon Graham (So., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) matched Cotton as he recorded a third-period takedown to drop David Fuller at 157, 3-2. Nate Stirgus (Jr., Muskegon, Mich., Muskegon CC) then put together the night's most-lobsided victory at 165, picking up six takedowns in pounding Phil Klees for a major decision, 18-7. Abel Trujillo (Jr., Durham, N.C., Riverside HS) clinched the meet victory with a 7-6 win over Jerrod Burgins at 174. Despite taking an early 6-3 lead, the junior needed his one-minute riding-time point to secure his victory, building Penn's lead to 25-0 at that point. Jorge Ortiz (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Wilbur Wright HS), at 184, and Jay Thomas (Jr., Alta Loma, Calif., Mt. Sac HS), at 197, both had troubles in their matches and succumbed to defeat as Waldorf narrowed the lead to 25-10. But Jordan Wall (Fr., Liberty, N.C., Eastern Randolph HS) sent the Penn crowd home happy as he scratched out a 2-0 win over Josh Reis at 285 to conclude the meet's scoring at 28-10. Next time: Penn travels to Dubuque to compete in the Spartan Classic, Saturday, at 9 a.m. William Penn vs. Waldorf, 28-10 125--Matthew Chustz (P) won by forfeit (6-0) 133--Dustin Howa (P) won by decision over Adam Graham, 9-5 (9-0) 141--Earl Robinson (P) won by decision over Mike Billings, 6-4 (4OT) (12-0) 149--Darren Cotton (P) won by decision over Brad Stockton, 3-2 (15-0) 157--Brandon Graham (P) won by decision over David Fuller, 3-2 (18-0) 165--Nate Stirgus (P) won by major decision over Phil Klees, 18-7 (22-0) 174--Abel Trujillo (P) won by decision over Jerrod Burgins, 7-6 (25-0) 184--Casey Sullivan (W) won by major decision over Jorge Ortiz, 11-2 (25-4) 197--Jake Head (W) won by fall over Jay Thomas, 4:40 (25-10) 285--Jordan Wall (P) won by decision over Josh Reis, 2-0 (28-10)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina won seven of eight contested matches to break through with its first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season, a 22-15 victory over rival Duke Tuesday at Carmichael Auditorium. The Tar Heels (13-8-1, 1-2-1 ACC) have now won 31 of their last 32 duals with the Blue Devils (0-8, 0-3 ACC). The victory also pushed Carolina's lead in the Carlyle Cup race, the all-sports competition between UNC and Duke, to 7-5. Sophomore Justin Dobies, redshirt freshman Vincent Ramirez and junior Spencer Nadolsky each won Tuesday to improve to 4-0 individually in ACC action. Nadolsky picked up the biggest win for the Tar Heels, a 10-2 major decision at heavyweight. With an 18-3 advantage after seven bouts, Carolina head coach C.D. Mock rested David Dashiell at 197 and Bobby Shaw at 125, giving Duke 12 points. Nadolsky picked up the Tar Heels' final four points in between the forfeits with his major decision over Duke's Wade Van Sickle to improve to 36-3 this season and 20-1 in duals. After redshirt freshman Jared Royer opened the match strongly for Carolina with an 8-2 decision over Michael Degli Obizzi at 133, Ramirez rebounded from an early 5-0 deficit to notch a 10-6 come-from-behind win over Philip Wightman at 141. He followed a three-point near fall for Wightman with a quick reversal and never looked back, posting a 7-1 advantage over the final two periods. The Durham native has won 12 straight bouts and improved his record to 32-6 and 4-0 in conference action. Duke followed with a decision by Daniel Shvartsman at 149, trimming the UNC lead to 6-3, but junior Brian Baglio quickly put the Tar Heels back in the win column at 157 with a 6-1 win over Cameron Harms. The Blue Devils nearly picked up their second win of the night at 165, but senior Garrett Atkinson, the reigning ACC champion in the class, scored a takedown of Aaron Glover with less than 10 seconds remaining in the third period to escape with a 5-4 victory and push the Tar Heel advantage to 12-3 midway through the match. Atkinson is now 12-8 on the season. Sophomore Alex Maciag then picked up a second consecutive dramatic win for the Tar Heels, a 5-4 overtime decision at 174. Duke's Levi Craig scored on an escape to take a 4-3 lead in the second overtime period, but Maciag responded with a reversal in the third extra frame to post a 5-4 win and a 15-3 Carolina advantage. Maciag is now 20-13 this season. Sophomore Justin Dobies tacked on an overtime win of his own at 184, downing Duke's Dan Tulley, 7-4. The bout was tied at three after regulation, but Dobies took control in OT, scoring a two-point near fall and a takedown to push the Tar Heels' lead to 18-3 and essentially secure the match. Carolina is back in ACC action Thursday against Virginia Tech in the "Rumble on the River" at St. Christopher's High School in Richmond, Va. North Carolina 22, Duke 15 Records: UNC 13-8-1 1-2-1 ACC, DU 0-8, 0-3 ACC WT. BOUT RESULT SCORE TEAM SCORE 133 Jared Royer (UNC) def. Michael Degli Obizzi (DU) 8-2 UNC 3-0 141 Vincent Ramirez (UNC) def. Philip Wightman (DU) 10-6 UNC 6-0 149 Daniel Shvartsman (DU) def. Isaiah Britton (UNC) 6-3 UNC 6-3 157 Brian Baglio (UNC) def. Cameron Harms (DU) 6-1 UNC 9-3 165 Garrett Atkinson (UNC) def. Aaron Glover (DU) 5-4 UNC 12-3 174 Alex Maciag (UNC) Levi Craig (DU) 5-4 OT UNC 15-3 184 Justin Dobies (UNC) def. Dan Tulley (DU) 7-4 OT UNC 18-3 197 Konrad Dudziak (DU) win via forfeit FOR UNC 18-9 HWT #12 Spencer Nadolsky (UNC) def. Wade Van Sickle (DU) 10-2 MD UNC 22-9 125 Kellan McKeon (DU) win via forfeit FOR UNC 22-15

In its first year in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Upper Iowa wrestling team has crowned four NSIC Wrestlers of the Week. Now the Peacocks are after something more prestigious – a conference championship. Thursday's 7 p.m. dual in Dorman Gymnasium against Minnesota State Moorhead will go a long way in determining the conference title. Although Upper Iowa doesn't officially join the NSIC until 2006-07, the Peacock wrestling program was granted provisional conference membership this year. Both Upper Iowa (5-2-1) and Minnesota State Moorhead (8-6) enter the dual with perfect 1-0 NSIC records. Both are ranked in the top-20 nationally. MSU Moorhead is 12th in the latest NCAA Division II rankings while Upper Iowa is 16th. After Thursday, each team will have only a conference dual with Southwest Minnesota State (3-5 overall, 0-0 NSIC) remaining. The Peacocks visit the Mustangs Saturday at 3 p.m. while MSU Moorhead will travel to Marshall, Minn., Friday, Feb. 17. Upper Iowa will again rely on its veteran leaders. Two-time Division III All-American Brian Black is currently the seventh-ranked heavyweight. National qualifier C.J. MacNaught is ranked fourth at 174 pounds. Ralph Acosta, a 2002 All-American, will compete for the Peacocks at 133 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Tyler Mumbulo is ranked eighth at 125 pounds. Mumbulo, MacNaught and Black each won individual titles at the Midwest Classic, while MacNaught also claimed the Dubuque Spartan Open crown. MSU Moorhead returns two All-Americans from a year ago. Heavyweight Chris Tuchscherer finished second and 141-pounder Ben Keen took eighth. Tuchscherer is currently the fourth-ranked heavyweight in Division II. The Dragons also feature the top-ranked 165-pounder in the country, Nate Baker. Baker transferred to Moorhead from the University of Minnesota, where he was a Division I national qualifier. Tickets for the Thursday dual are $7 for adults and $4 for students. The doors open at 6 p.m. with the wrestling to begin at 7 p.m. Free snow cones will be given out from 6-6:55 p.m. As a special promotion, a 27-inch Panasonic flat screen television will be given to one lucky fan in attendance during intermission.

Cody HenriksenAugustana's Cody Henriksen today became the fourth Viking wrestler this season to be named the North Central Conference Wrestler of the Week. Henrikson, a junior 165-pounder from Arlington, S.D., shared the award with Travis Krinkie of Minnesota State. Henriksen, who is currently unranked in the national rankings, defeated No. 3 Andy Pickar of Minnesota State 5-4 in Friday's dual between the fifth-ranked Vikings and second-ranked Mavericks. MSU won the dual 25-17. 2005-2006 Augustana NCC Wreslers of the Week: Nov. 9 - Nate Buys Jan. 10 - Tim Boldt Jan. 17 - Ryan King Jan. 31 - Cody Henriksen, Augustana

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio University Athletics Department and the Bobcat wrestling program will honor former national champion and legendary head coach Harry Houska on February 11-12, 2006. A special reception will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Ohio University Inn Banquet Room and all former Bobcats and wrestling fans are invited to attend. Admission to the event is free. Then, at the midway point of Sunday's 2 p.m. dual meet against Kent State in the Convocation Center, a plaque will be presented to Houska in honor of the Harry Houska Wall of Champions, which recognizes all Mid-American Conference and NCAA champions from Ohio University. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Nick Welsch at 740-597-1828 or nw354404@ohio.edu by Feb. 3, 2006. A block of rooms are available at the Ohio University Inn under "Ohio University Wrestling Reunion" or you can reserve your own room at the Ohio University Inn by calling 740-593-6661 or by clicking here. Reservations must be made by Feb. 3 to receive the discounted group rate.

Team: 1. Wartburg 24-0 1 2. Augsburg 7-2 2 3. Luther 13-3-1 3 4. Brockport State 4-1 4 5. Wis.-La Crosse 8-3 5 6. Loras 12-2 6 7. College of New Jersey 11-1 7 8. North Central 7-0 8 9. Cortland State 11-5 10 10. Olivet 16-1-1 11 11. Elmhurst 9-2-1 12 12. Heidelberg 14-3 12 13. York (Pa.) 18-6 16 14. Lycoming 15-5-1 9 15. Johnson&Wales (R.I.) 14-6 26 16. Buena Vista 12-9 14 17. Wis.-Stevens Point 8-6 22 18. Cornell College 15-8 18 19. Coe 5-7 NR 20. Augustana (Ill.) 8-8 17 21. Delaware Valley 8-6 28 22. St. John's (Minn.) 5-6 29 23. Norwich 6-4 NR 24. Manchester 9-1 24 25. Dubuque 13-10 25 26. Springfield 8-8 20 27. Roger Williams 9-4 NR 28. Wabash 11-8 15 29. SIMPSON 10-12 19 30. Wilkes 12-3 21 Individual: 125 1. Tyler Hubbard Sr. Wartburg 2. Brandon McDonough So.Johnson&Wales (R.I.) 3. Terry Morgan Sr. Loras 4. Ty Klofta Sr. Ohio Northern 5. Nate Hansen Jr. Luther 6. Brian Dempsey Jr. College of N.J. 7. Tom Gagon Fr. Elmhurst 8. John Spinner Sr. Oswego State 133 1. Mike Lopez Sr. Luther 2. Justin HulegaardSo. Buena Vista 3. Joe Jewett Fr. Oswego State 4. Tony D'Ambra Sr. Brockport State 5. Derek Goduto Sr. Montclair State 6. Matt Smith Fr. Johnson&Wales (R.I.) 7. Eddie Murray Sr. Ursinus 8. Cliff Medina Sr. Hunter 141 1. Dustin HinschbergerSr. Wartburg 2. Dustin Brewer Sr. SIMPSON 3. Mike Gaeta Jr. Springfield 4. Paul LeBlanc Fr. Cortland State 5. Dan Song Sr. USMMA 6. Niles Mercer So. Coe 7. Joel Burdick Sr. Wis.-Stevens Point 8. Dave Paramski Fr. Cornell College 149 1. Matt Pyle Jr. Luther 2. Jacob Naig So. Wartburg 3. Jared Evans Jr. Augsburg 4. Kyle Forness Fr. Buena Vista 5. Sean Connelly Sr. Mt. Union 6. Jason Brew Fr. Olivet 7. Don Ooton Jr. Brockport State 8. Noah Fitzenreider Jr. North Central 157 1. Joe Galante Jr. College of New Jersey 2. Shaheim Bradshaw So. Brockport State 3. Tyler Ludwig Sr. Elmhurst 4. Bobby GingerichSr. North Central 5. Jeremy AndersonSo. Augsburg 6. Ross Needham Jr. Wis.-La Crosse 7. Ian Rammel So. Heidelberg 8. Danny Irwin Sr. Manchester 165 1. Ryan Valek Sr. Augsburg 2. Derek Sikora Sr. Wis.-Eau Claire 3. Corey Murphy Jr. Thiel 4. Cole Williams Sr. Dubuque 5. Steve Martell So. Johnson&Wales (R.I.) 6. Tony Howard Sr. McDaniel 7. Scott Dorn Jr. Wis.-La Crosse 8. Jerry Bowne Sr. York (Pa.) 174 1. Scott Kaufman Sr. Wartburg 2. Josh Chelf So. Wis.-La Crosse 3. Matthias Keib Sr. Ithaca 4. Stephon Sair Jr. Cortland State 5. Robbie Gotreau So. Augsburg 6. Jone Dolan Jr. Williams 7. Al Stacilauskas Sr. Wis.-Stevens Point 8. Andrew Winfield Fr. McDaniel 184 1. Duane Bastress Sr. York (Pa.) 2. Jason Lulloff Sr. Wis.-La Crosse 3. Akeem Carter Sr. Wartburg 4. Brad Tupa Sr. Augsburg 5. Robert Stubbs Sr. Ithaca 6. Dan Willaert Sr. St. John's (Minn.) 7. Terry Madden Jr. Hunter 8. Ben Dictas Sr. Lawrence 197 1. TJ Miller So. Wartburg 2. Jamall Johnson Sr. Delaware Valley 3. Alex Bonander Fr. Luther 4. Ben Strandberg Jr. Buena Vista 5. Dan Fiecke Sr. St. John's (Minn.) 6. Matt Loesch Jr. Muhlenberg 7. Jay Figgins So. Loras 8. Mike McCabe Sr. Coe Heavyweight 1. Blake Gillis Jr. Wartburg 2. Ryan Allen Sr. Wis.-La Crosse 3. Mike Blair Sr. Trinity (Conn.) 4. Mike Hayes Sr. Wis.-Stevens Point 5. Tommy Snyder Sr. Lycoming 6. Pat Bennett Sr. Brockport State 7. Brett Christensen Sr. Simpson 8. Ward Brady Jr. Elmhurst

LAWENCEVILLE -- Ryan Hluschak of Drexel University, and Randy Oates of George Mason University have been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week, and Tyler Tisdell of Mason and Doug Umbehauer of Rider University have been named the CAA Rookies of the Week, for all competition the last week of January. Hluschak, a sophomore 157 from Slatington, PA (Northern Lehigh), won both of his matches last week to improve to 23-6 overall, with 11 wins in his last 12 matches. The third ranked 157 in the CAA, Hluschak defeated Mike Savino of Brown 5-2 in Providence, and came back on the same evening and pinned Mike Cubillos of Boston U in the first period in Boston. The pin gives Hluschak an 7-2 CAA record. Oates, a sophomore 174 from Owings, MD (Northern), won both of his matches last week, compiling a major decision and a fall. His major decision helped Mason win a CAA dual meet with Binghamton, and his pin helped Mason defeat Duquesne. Tisdell, a freshman 165 from Sewell, NJ (Washington Twp.), won both of his decisions last week to improve to 21-7 overall and 8-1 in duals. Umbehauer, a freshman 174 from Shamong, NJ (Lenape), won both of his bouts last week, including a fall that helped Rider defeat Rutgers 26-15. The third ranked 174 in the CAA, Umbehauer improves to 13-4 overall.

Dana wrestling ups dual record to 14 Dana College wrestling upped their dual win record to 14-1-1 with victories over Northwestern College 40-3 Friday night and NCAA II Northern State University 37-3 Saturday afternoon. On Friday, the Vikings defeated Northwestern College (Iowa) 40-3, dropping only one match. Dana recorded three falls in the dual by Craig Trampe (125 Ord, NE), Terrance Almond (141 Pelham, Ga), and Trent Leichleiter (165 Harvard, Neb). Jason Lozier (149 Omaha, Neb), Scott Taylor (157 Arapahoe, Neb) and Willie Parks (184 Garden Grove, Calif.) all had victories with bonus points. Saturday's dual with Northern States was the feature presentation during the Aberdeen Central High School wrestling tournament in front of a capacity crowd. Coach Costanzo and company took care of yet another NCAA opponent by winning 9 of 10 matches and claiming a 37-3 victory. Five Vikings claimed victories by bonus. Trampe and Almond both won by fall for the second time. Parks handed out his second tech fall of the weekend. Blair Alderman (197 Spokane, WA) and Wade Jordan (285 Coulee City, WA) won by major decision. While the varsity was winning duals number 13 and 14, some other Vikings were competing in the first annual York Open at York College. Of the six Viking wreslters who attended, three reached the finals. Four freshman highlighted the day with Torey Seminera (141 Pearl City, HI) placing third, Ryan "Bula" Tuzon (165 Wailuku, HI) claimed the 165 pound title, Jacob Lujan (197 Albuquerque, NM) was second and heavyweight Jesse Boggs (285 Deming, NM) won by fall to claim the championship. Dana will be looking for dual victory number 15 against the No. 5 ranked NCAA Division II Augustana College on Friday night in Sioux Falls, SD at 7:00 pm. Following Augustana, the Vikings will travel to Storm Lake, IA on Saturday to battle another NCAA opponent in Division III and No. 14 ranked Buena Vista University at 12:00 pm. Dana College 37, Northern State 3 125 Craig Trampe DC winner by fall Austin Johnsrud NS 6:08 133 Sonny Silva DC dec. Logan Hayman NS 9-5 141 Terrence Almond DC winner by fall Mark Burkart NS 2:08 149 Jason Lozier DC dec. Jesse Wood NS 8-7 157 Scott Taylor DC dec Dana Dargatz NS 10-3 165 Matt Englund NS dec Trent Leichleiter DC 3-1 174 Marshal Marquardt DC dec Jason Hill NS9-7 184 Willie Parks DC Tech Fall Spencer Dockery NS 21-6 197 Blair Alderman DC dec Todd Naasz NS 11-3 HWT Wade Jordan DC maj. dec. Jess Hockley NS 14-1 DANA COLLEGE 40 NORTHWESTERN 3 125 Craig Trampe DC WBF Bill Frederick NWC 3:49 133 Sonny Silva DC Tom Bartello NWC 10-8 141 Terrence Almond DC WBF Mark Bradley NWC 2:56 149 Jason Lozier DC Chris Keating NWC 8-0 157 Scott Taylor DC David Bray NWC 13-3 165 Trent Leichleiter DC WBF Derek Kosters 6:24 174 Enock Francois dec. Kyle Frawley DC 10-4 184 Willie Parks DC tech fall Adam Halford NWC 197 Blair Alderman DC Andrew Lundgren NWC 6-3 285 Wade Jordan DC Isaac Schmidt NWC 9-3

The lineup Columbia head coach Brendan Buckley has been putting out most of this season hasn't been the one he wanted. Far from it. Due to an unusual number of injuries, Buckley has been forced to patch lineups together from reserves and freshmen, most of whom figured to see only limited action. And the result? Columbia continues to enjoy a solid season, despite the absences. "I have been impressed with the way our team has been competing," says Buckley, Columbia's Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling. "The guys have been working extremely hard throughout each individual match." The latest example of that work ethic was last Saturday, when Columbia journeyed to Rider and defeated the Broncs, 18-12. Rider had been unbeaten in seven straight matches. In a match totally devoid of bonus points, the Lions won six bouts to Rider's four. They began the evening by taking the first three matches for a 9-0 lead, and the Broncs never caught up. Senior Jeff Sato (Pismo Beach, Calif.) extended his team-leading record to 17-6 with the 78th win of his three-year career, an 8-3 decision over Ryan Smith. Junior Matt DeLorenzo (Wantagh, N.Y.), like Sato an NCAA qualifier last season but handicapped by an injury through much of this season, edged Zach Cunliffe, 3-1. DeLorenzo is now 9-6. Brendan Buckley had thrown FIVE freshmen against Rider, and the first of those, Sal Tirico (Lodi, N.J.), paid dividends when he upset veteran Mike Palma, 8-4 at 141. After missing the first two months of the season with an injury, Tirico is now 4-0. The Broncs then won two matches to pull within 9-6, but both Columbia wrestlers, freshmen Derek Sickles (Rutherford, N.J.) at 149 and Tyler Thurgood (Blairstown, N.J.) at 157, fought off numerous attempts at back points. Sickles was substituting for the injured Ricky Turk (Crestline, Calif.), 11-4 when he was forced to the bench. Columbia went up 12-6 on junior Dustin Tillman's (Fremont, Calif.) 10-4 defeat of Chris Marold at 165, only to see first-year Kenji Porter (Los Angeles, Calif.) lose at 174, 6-2. However, Porter, substituting for eighth-ranked Matt Palmer (Germantown, Md.), who was injured in the Virginia Duals, avoided any bonus points in holding off highly-regarded Doug Umbehauer, one of Rider's best men. When junior Justin Barent (Worland, Wyo.) beat Joe Maroney, 6-2 at 184, the Lions led, 15-9. But the Broncs' nationally-ranked T.J. Morrison loomed at 197. Morrison dominated his match with Orrin Kleinhenz (Columbus, Ind.), yet another of Buckley's newcomers, but he couldn't do better than an ordinary 9-2 decision. And when junior John Grando (Pueblo, Colo.), in just his 10th match of the season, held off Nick Clufo for a 5-4 victory, Columbia had won again. "We've been very tenacious," Buckley noted, "especially in scoring, or keeping our opponents from scoring, when we absolutely had to." Freshmen have played major parts in the team's success. Thirty-two of the team's dual-match bouts have been wrestled by freshmen. "Sal Tirico and Orrin Kleinhenz have been setting the example for our freshmen," Buckley said. "Although they may not realize it because they are not getting their hand raised all of the time, all of them are indeed improving." Now 4-4 in duals, Columbia makes only its second home appearance of the year Wednesday, February 1, when Army comes to Morningside Heights for the first time since 2001. "Army is an EIWA conference opponent and a very good team," Buckley said. "However, we are competing with a lot of confidence right now. I expect it to be a great match."

Team: 1. Arizona State 2. Cal Poly 3. Boise State 4. Oregon State 5. Oregon 6. UC Davis 7. Cal State Bakersfield 8. Cal State Fullerton 9. Stanford 10. Portland State Individual: 125 Pounds 1. Jeremy Mendoza (Arizona State) 2. Chad Mendes (Cal Poly) 3. Tanner Gardner (Stanford) 4. Eric Stevenson (Oregon State) 5. Ryan Dunn (Oregon) 6. Cory Fish (Boise State) 133 Pounds 1. Scott Jorgensen (Boise State) 2. Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) 3. Justin Pearch (Oregon) 4. Omar Gaitan (UC Davis) 5. TJ Dillashaw (Cal State Fullerton) 6. Tommy Vargas (Cal State Bakersfield) 141 Pounds 1. Derek Moore (UC Davis) 2. Kyle Larson (Oregon State) 3. David Roberts-Cal Poly 4. Skyler Woods (Oregon) 5. Matt Schumm (Cal State Bakersfield) 6. Teddy Astorga (Cal State Fullerton) 149 Pounds 1. Anthony Baza (Cal State Bakersfield) 2. Jeff Owens (Cal Poly) 3. Pat Payne (Arizona State) 4. Tyler Sherfey (Boise State) 5. Josh Zupancic (Stanford ) 6. Morgan Atkinson (Cal State Fullerton) 157 Pounds 1. Brian Stith (Arizona State) 2. Ben Cherrington (Boise State) 3. Scott Loescher (Stanford) 4. Tony Hook (Oregon State) 5. Shawn Reilly (Cal State Fullerton) 6. Ryan Williams (Cal Poly) 165 Pounds 1. Joey Bracamonte (Oregon) 2. Pat Pitsch (Arizona State) 3. Frank Richmond (UC Davis) 4. Ray Blake (Stanford) 5. Brian Busby (Cal State Bakersfield) 6. Risto Marttinen (Cal State Fullerton) 174 Pounds 1. Jeremy Larson (Oregon State) 2. Ken Cook (UC Davis) 3. Christian Arellano (Cal State Bakersfield) 4. Ian Murphy (Cal State Fullerton) 5. Nick Hernandez (Cal Poly) 6. Chet McBee (Oregon) 184 Pounds 1. Shane Webster (Oregon) 2. CB Dollaway (Arizona State) 3. Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly) 4. Jesse Taylor (Cal State Fullerton) 5. KC Walsh (Boise State) 6. Tyler Bernacchi (UC Davis) 197 Pounds 1. Ryan Bader (Arizona State) 2. Matt Monteiro (Cal Poly) 3. Dan Pitsch (Oregon State) 4. Casey Phelps (Boise State) 5. Elliot Kelly (UC Davis) 6. Chris Chambers (Cal State Fullerton) Heavyweight 1. Cain Velasquez (Arizona State) 2. Ty Watterson (Oregon State) 3. Eric Parker (Cal State Bakersfield) 4. Andy Patrick (Boise State) 5. Arturo Basulto (Cal Poly) 6. Chris Dearmon (Oregon)

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State University wrestling head coach Thom Ortiz announced Monday that the February 10 dual between the Sun Devils and the Bulldogs of Fresno State will be held at Raymond S. Kellis High School in Glendale, Ariz., starting at 7:30 p.m. The dual meet will not only pit two of the top programs in the West against one another, it also will see two former Sun Devils coach against one another as Ortiz leads his Sun Devils against Shawn Charles' Bulldogs. Charles was a four-time All-American for ASU from 1990-93 and was a freshman the same season Ortiz was a senior. Both men helped the Sun Devils capture the 1990 Pac-10 Championships before finishing as the national runners-up at the 1990 NCAA Championships. Fans attending the AIA State Wrestling Championships at the Glendale Arena are encouraged to attend the dual meet and watch the defending 2005 Pac-10 Champion Sun Devils compete in one of their final two duals of the 2006 season. Ticket prices will be announced next week. Arizona State vs. Fresno State Wrestling Dual February 10 at 7:30 p.m. R. S. Kellis High School 8990 W. Orangewood Ave. (91st Ave. and south of Northern Ave.) Glendale, AZ 85305

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA -- The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Luther College wrestler Matt Pyle (Merrill, Kan./Sabetha) has been named Male Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 29. Pyle, a junior, went 4-0 at the Iowa Conference Duals with three falls and a technical fall. The top-ranked wrestler at 149-pounds, Pyle pinned Simpson's Cole Christensen (4:15), Loras' Drew Sloan (1:50) and Coe's Jared Creason (4:47). He also won by technical fall over Buena Vista's Kyle Kriz (16-0, 3:43).

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team will look for its first win of the season on Tuesday as they make the eight-mile trip to Chapel Hill to take on rival North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. in Carmichael Auditorium. Duke enters Tuesday night's dual meet 0-7 overall and 0-2 in the ACC after dropping their first seven contests of the year. The Blue Devils lost all three of their dual meets at the ACC-Southern Conference Mat Jam Duals on Nov. 13, falling to Tennessee-Chattanooga, 32-3, to Appalachian State, 21-16, and to VMI, 22-15. Duke lost to The Citadel, 28-12, on Jan. 9 before falling to N.C. State, 26-7, on Jan. 17 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils dropped both dual meets last week, falling to UNC Greensboro, 23-9, on Wednesday night and to Maryland, 21-12, on Saturday afternoon. Scouting the North Carolina Tar Heels North Carolina boasts a 12-8-1 overall record and an 0-2-1 ACC mark entering Tuesday's match. The Tar Heels opened conference action by rallying for a 16-16 draw against N.C. State on Jan. 20. North Carolina dropped two league matches last week, falling to Virginia, 27-10, on Friday night and to Maryland, 24-18, on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels are 0-6-1 in their last seven dual meets. Injuries have hit North Carolina's wrestling program, causing the Tar Heels to forfeit two matches against Maryland and four matches against No. 19 Navy on Saturday. North Carolina won the 2005 ACC Championship. Duke-North Carolina Ties Duke assistant coach Corey Bell was a four-time ACC champion and NCAA qualifier for North Carolina during his collegiate wrestling career. Bell, who is in his fifth year with the Blue Devils, majored in communication studies at North Carolina. Carlyle Cup North Carolina holds a 6-5 lead over Duke in this year's Carlyle Cup, which is a yearlong competition between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels sponsored by Carlyle & Co. of Greensboro, N.C. Duke vs. North Carolina Probable Matches 125: Kellan McKeon (Duke) vs. Bobby Shaw (North Carolina) 133: Michael Degli Obizzi (Duke) vs. Jared Royer (North Carolina) 141: Philip Wightman (Duke) vs. Vincent Ramirez (North Carolina) 149: Daniel Shvartsman (Duke) vs. Isaiah Britton or Chris Ramos (North Carolina) 157: Cameron Harms (Duke) vs. Brian Baglio (North Carolina) 165: Aaron Glover (Duke) vs. Deon Barrett or Garrett Atkinson (North Carolina) 174: Levi Craig (Duke) vs. Alex Maciag or Jake Puckett (North Carolina) 184: Dan Tulley (Duke) vs. Justin Dobies (North Carolina) 197: Konrad Dudziak (Duke) vs. David Dashiell (North Carolina) HWT: Wade Van Sickle (Duke) vs. Spencer Nadolsky (North Carolina)

Newport News, VA -- The University of North Carolina at Pembroke wrestling team took home first place honors at Saturday's Builder Invitational hostedby The Apprentice School. Braves grappler James Dingle was honored as the Champion of Champions after earning the 285-pound weight class title. All told, UNCP had 10 of 40 place winners including Matt Schoffner, who won the 125-pound weight class, and Matt Dunn, who took home the 197-pound title. Seven other fellow Pembroke wrestlers placed, including second-place finishes by Adam Dedmon (133), Cedrick Turner (165) and Alfonzo Richardson (197), while Eddo Hojilla (149), Richard Alstrom (174), Rex Ely (184) and Mike Hall (197) all placed third.

William Penn Prepares for Lone Home Dual Meet of Season Against Waldorf Oskaloosa--The William Penn wrestlers unfortunately only get one change to highlight their talents at home this season and they will do so this week as they host #14 nationally-ranked Waldorf in a dual meet, Tuesday. The #11 Statesmen (7-6), recent owners of a 54-meet win streak, will meet the Warriors at 7 p.m. in Penn Gymnasium. Penn dropped Waldorf a year ago in Forest City, 34-11. Several matches will showcase wrestlers rated regionally and nationally, including the top two wrestlers in the NAIA at 149 with top-ranked Darren Cotton (Jr., Atlanta, Ga., McNair HS) against Brad Stockton. Cotton is currently 25-1, while Stockton is 30-5. Several other matches will include both wrestlers being rated in the Central Region, including 141 with #5 Earl Robinson (So., Davenport, Davenport Central HS) bringing his 23-9 record up against #4 Mike Billings' 20-9 mark. Jorge Ortiz (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Wilbur Wright HS) enters his 184-pound matchup with #3 Casey Sullivan (19-6) presently rated fifth at 10-11. In the last head-to-head of two rated grapplers, #3-rated Jay Thomas (Jr., Alta Loma, Calif., Mt. Sac HS) will face #6 Jake Head (6-10) at 197 pounds.

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 1 Time: 7:00 p.m. CST Location: Waverly, Iowa Why bother writing a preview about two teams that have already locked horns, with one team coming out with a convincing victory? What's the use of highlighting a meet, when the last time they met one team had three major victories and one technical fall en route to a 29-6 trouncing? Why bother? Because it's Augsburg College, winners of nine DIII national championships since 1991. Because it's Wartburg College, winners of four of the last 10 championships. Because these two teams have been going at hit hard the last decade, and do NOT like each other. And hey, if nothing else, it's Minnesota's Augsburg versus Iowa's Wartburg, which gets people in that region pumped. Judging by the results of the National Duals a couple of weeks back, it looks once again that these two are the teams to beat at DIII National Championships this year. Earlier in the season, this writer felt that UW-La Crosse might possibly be the class of DIII wrestling in 2006. While this might still turn out to be true, it looks as though Wartburg has established supremacy in the DIII ranks. In this dual on February 1, it will be up to Augsburg to try and keep the majors and technical falls down to decisions, and score a couple of upsets along the way. Can it be done, especially in Wartburg's own gym? Let's look at the probable match-ups: 125: No. 1 Tyler Hubbard (Wartburg) vs. Seth Flodeen (Augsburg) The newly top-ranked Hubbard moved down from 133, where he ended up third in the nation last season. The move has obviously proved fruitful, as he is undefeated and the favorite to top the podium in March. During the National Duals, Hubbard nearly garnered bonus points against the talented but green Flodeen, as he come out on top 12-5. For Hubbard, he will look to extend that margin of victory; for Flodeen, while an upset may be a tall order, a decision needs to be considered a small victory for himself and the Auggies. Hubbard 10, Flodeen 4. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Hubbard decision over Flodeen (Wartburg +3) 133: No. 8 Zack McKray (Wartburg) vs. Jafari Vanier (Augsburg) It seems that every year Augsburg finds one of those "whatever-happened-to?" guys who end up making an impact for the team. This year they've found another in Jafari Vanier. Vanier was a multiple-time state placer and 2001 state champion in Minnesota. He is very tough, has had good showings thus far, and could very well make some noise at this weight in March. For the Knights, McKray must be a pleasant development. Only a freshman, he currently sits in the rankings at No. 8, where he has been a majority of the season. This will be an intriguing battle, between two AA contenders. Although McKray defeated Ben Moss in the Duals, 8-1, look for Vanier to take this one in a mild upset. Vanier 6, McKray 4. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Vanier decision over McKray (Augsburg +3) 141: No. 1 Dustin Hinschberger (Wartburg) vs. Josh Hansen (Augsburg) Dustin Hinschberger (photo by Johnnie Johnson)What can you say about Hinschberger? He is a two-time DIII national champion, has beaten numerous DI opponents (including Daniel Frishkorn of Oklahoma State), and narrowly lost to Division I finalist Nate Gallick in overtime earlier in the season. He is arguably the toughest non-DI wrestler in the country. It would be a boon for Hansen, and Augsburg, if the Auggie junior keeps this to a decision. This doesn't seem likely. Hinschberger 15, Hansen 5. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Hinschberger major decision over Hansen (Wartburg +4) 149: No. 2 Jacob Naig vs. No. 3 Jared Evans (Augsburg) Both of these wrestlers are returning AAs, with Naig placing sixth and Evans seventh in 2005. The two wrestled to a 3-0 match at the Duals, with Naig coming out on top. The veteran Evans, however, will look to be more aggressive this match, he will have to be in Wartburg's house, and look to him to avenge his earlier loss. This could be a thrilling match, with two grinding grapplers. Evans 4, Naig 3, OT. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Evans decision over Naig (Augsburg +3) 157: Justin Hanson (Wartburg) vs. No. 5 Jeremy Anderson (Augsburg) Anderson has done a most admirable job in the wake of Marcus Levesseur's absence. This effort has been rewarded with a No. 5 ranking. Wartburg will be looking to keep this match to a decision. The Auggies need bonus points from Anderson if they're going to pull off an upset. Hanson wrestled him tough at the Duals, falling 7-4. This time around Anderson racks up more points. Anderson 12, Hanson 4. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Anderson major decision over Hanson (Augsburg +4) 165: Dustin Bliven (Wartburg) vs. No. 1 Ryan Valek (Augsburg) This is another "must-have-bonus-points" match for the Auggies. While the top-ranked Valek is surely capable of getting bonus points, look for Bliven to try and weather it by slowing the tempo. The Knights senior is certainly no slouch, and Valek should be wary of trying to many risky moves while looking for extra points. The returning national finalist finds a way to make a statement in Wartburg's during his senior campaign. Valek 10, Bliven 2. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Valek major decision over Bliven (Augsburg +4) 174: No. 2 Scott Kaufmann (Wartburg) vs. No. 5 Robbie Gotreau (Augsburg) How long has the senior Kaufmann been with the Knights? It seems as though he's been grappling in Waverly for ages. The veteran All-American should finish highly again in 2006, likely outdoing his fifth-place showing of last season (at 184). He's a solid candidate for any National Champion pools. He humbled the fifth-ranked Gotreau at the Duals, 17-5, and will look to at least duplicate that effort. But Gotreau isn't highly ranked for nothing. Kaufmann 9, Gotreau 5. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Kaufmann decision over Gotreau (Wartburg +3) 184: No. 3 Akeem Carter (Wartburg) vs. No. 4 Brad Tupa (Augsburg) Brad Tupa (photo by Charles Walbridge and Augsburg Sports Information) This is perhaps the marquee match-up of the meet. Two-time DIII champion Carter has moved down from 197 (the weight at which he won those championships) this year to make room for another Wartburg phenom. He has been met with some setbacks this year, though he still highly effective and ranked in the top three. He doesn't seem to be as fearsome as the past two years at this weight, whether it's a comfort, strength and or stamina. Fourth-ranked Tupa, who finished 4th at last year's championships, is a veteran, very strong and a goer. This is the upset special of the night. Tupa 4, Carter 3, OT. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Tupa decision over Carter (Augsburg +3) 197: No. 1 TJ Miller (Wartburg) vs. No. 8 Wally O'Connor (Augsburg) How good do you need to be to force a two-time national champion (Carter) down a weight? TJ Miller good. He has skyrocketed to the top of the DIII rankings with almost embarrassing ruthlessness. He pummeled the talented but inconsistent O'Connor 13-0 at the National Duals. Can O'Connor avoid this freight train? Not likely. Miller 14, O'Connor 4. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Miller major decision over O'Connor (Wartburg +4) Hwt: No. 1 Blake Gillis vs. Dylan Soberg/Andrew Neumann (Augsburg) Ho, hum, Gillis is just another (of the FOUR) top-ranked wrestlers for the Knights. Oh yeah, and he's a two-time DIII finalist, too. And, ahem, he seems to be getting better, having defeated his archrival, UW-Lacrosse's Ryan Allen, twice already this season. Augsburg will try to counter with either Andrew Neumann (whom Gillis beat by technical fall at the National Duals), or Dylan Soberg, who's coming off having to wrestle DII No. 1 UNO's Les Sigman (who pinned him in the first period). Tough luck. Gillis 15, Soberg 3. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Gillis major decision over Soberg (Wartburg +4) Final Dual Predicted Score: Wartburg 18, Augsburg 17 This will be a much tighter match than the 29-6 shellacking Wartburg put on Augsburg at the National Duals. Wartburg is just too strong, however, and will win it with dominant performances in the upper weights.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Junior No. 18 Seth Martin (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) was named Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Jan. 29, the league office announced today (Jan. 30). It is the second honor for Martin and the third for the Lock Haven University wrestling team this season (4-9). Martin won the PSAC championship at 157 pounds, and helped lead the Bald Eagles to a third place finish in the strong nine-team tournament. He scored a fall in the quarter finals, a decision in the semis, then beat Edinboro University's Matt Hill 9-2 in the finals. In the bout with Hill, Martin tallied two take-downs, an escape, riding time and a three-point near fall after hooking up a third-period cradle. Martin's season record is 27-8 and his victory in the finals was his 70th collegiate career win. Martin and the rest of the Bald Eagles are back in action Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. when they host No. 17 Edinboro to kick off conference action.