InterMat Staff

MINNEAPOLIS -- Winning seven of 10 matches, the University of Nebraska-Omaha scored a 24-10 triumph over host Augsburg College in a meeting of two of the top teams in small-college wrestling on Friday night at Si Melby Hall. Nebraska-Omaha, the two-time defending NCAA Division II national champions and current top-ranked team in the division, remained unbeaten at 6-0 in dual meets. Augsburg, the defending NCAA Division III national champions and current No. 2-ranked team nationally in its division, is now 7-2 overall. The visiting Mavericks built a 15-0 lead after the first five weight classes, and claimed two wins from top-ranked wrestlers in the second half of the dual meet to clinch the match. Top-ranked heavyweight Les Sigman (Sr., Sturgis, S.D./Sturgis Brown HS) scored a first-period pin in the final match to cap the evening for the Mavericks. Sigman, the three-time defending Division II national titlist, improved to 14-0 on the season, extending his individual winning streak to 63 straight matches. J.D. Naig (Jr., Emmetsburg, Iowa), ranked No. 1 at 174 pounds, scored a 4-1 victory in his match for the Mavericks. There were three meetings of ranked wrestlers, with the Mavericks winning two of them. No. 2-ranked Patrick Allibone (Jr., Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan HS) gave Augsburg's Jeremy Anderson (So., Thief River Falls, Minn.) his first loss of the season, as the UNO wrestler scored a 4-2 victory. Anderson is now 30-1 on the season. Shane Unger (So., Madison, Neb.), ranked No. 6 at 149 for UNO, scored a 7-3 victory over Augsburg's Jared Evans (Jr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), ranked No. 3, claiming a takedown and three-point near-fall in the final minute of the third period to rally for the win. Augsburg's top-ranked Ryan Valek (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) won his 24th straight match and improved to 31-2 on the season with an 11-3, major-decision win over UNO's Ross Taplin (Fr., Abilene, Kan.), ranked No. 4. Augsburg's Robbie Gotreau (So., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), ranked No. 5 at 174, moved up a weight class to 184 and claimed a 3-1, overtime win over UNO's Nate Oviatt (Jr., Sturgis, S.D./Sturgis Brown HS). Augsburg returns to varsity action on Wednesday (2/1) with a dual meet at Wartburg (Iowa), the top-ranked team in Division III. UNO has a dual meet at Central Oklahoma next Friday (2/3) at 7 p.m. College Wrestling -- Nebraska-Omaha (6-0, No. 1 in D-II) 24, Augsburg (7-2, No. 2 in D-III) 10 January 27, 2006 -- Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn. Action begins at 125 pounds. Time of match: 1:51. Attendance: 350. Officals: Byron Olson, Mike Roff. 125 -- No. 2 Cody Garcia (UNO, 31-3) dec. Seth Flodeen (AUG, 22-12) 9-5 (UNO 3-0). 133 -- No. 5 Dan Hilario (UNO, 16-6) dec. Jafari Vanier (AUG, 10-2) 4-1 (UNO 6-0). 141 -- No. 4 Mitch Waite (UNO, 13-6) dec. Josh Hansen (AUG, 25-5) 11-9 (UNO 9-0). 149 -- No. 6 Shane Unger (UNO, 12-6) dec. No. 3 Jared Evans (AUG, 26-7) 7-3 (UNO 12-0). 157 -- No. 2 Patrick Allibone (UNO, 22-6) dec. No. 5 Jeremy Anderson (AUG, 30-1) 4-2 (UNO 15-0). 165 -- No. 1 Ryan Valek (AUG, 31-2) maj. dec. No. 4 Ross Taplin (UNO, 30-10) 11-3 (UNO 15-4). 174 -- No. 1 J.D. Naig (UNO, 24-4) dec. Kirk Rall (AUG, 20-11) 4-1 (UNO 18-4). 184 -- No. 5 (at 174) Robbie Gotreau (AUG, 28-5) dec. Nate Oviatt (UNO, 14-13) 3-1 (SV-OT) (UNO 18-7). 197 -- No. 8 Wally O'Connor (AUG, 19-13) dec. Nick Edmonds (UNO, 7-15) 7-4 (UNO 18-10). HWT -- No. 1 Les Sigman (UNO, 14-0) pinned Dylan Soberg (AUG, 11-12) 2:45 (UNO 24-10).

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State got a pin from 174-pounder Jeremy Larson and major decisions from 197-pounder Dan Pitsch, heavyweight Ty Watterson, 141-pounder Kyle Larson and 157-pounder Tony Hook as the Beavers beat Cal State-Bakersfield 31-9 in Pacific-10 wrestling Friday night at the Truax Indoor Center. It was the sixth win in the last seven dual meets for OSU (8-2-1 overall, 5-1 Pacific-10). Oregon State finishes its home schedule on Saturday, meeting Fresno State at 2 p.m. in the Truax Indoor Center and Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. in Gill Coliseum. Against Cal State-Bakersfield (3-6, 2-4), the Beavers won the first seven meets of the night to open up a 25-0 lead. "We dominated most of the matches," OSU head coach Joe Wells said. "We pushed hard and we had some guys get tired, and that's good. We wrestled hard and scored, and that's the key. I was pleased with how we did as a group going out and scoring. Cal State-Bakersfield was without two or three guys in their lineup, but we did go out aggressive and score a lot of takedowns and a lot of points." One of the Roadrunners who was out was 174-pounder Christian Arellano, ranked 20th nationally in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/InterMat poll and ranked third in the Pac-10. The night's top matchup figured to be Arellano against OSU's Jeremy Larson, who is ranked 18th in the nation and first in the Pac-10. Instead, Larson drew CSUB freshman Garth Wara and pinned him in 1:58. It was Larson's seventh straight win and his first pin of the season, pushing his record to 19-8. His younger brother, Kyle Larson, won for the eighth straight time with a 16-7 major decision over Matt Schumm. Kyle Larson is now 18-4 with three pins and four major decisions this season. The meet began at 197 pounds with Pitsch rolling up a 20-6 major decision over Ryan Bergman, then Watterson - ranked 17th nationally - followed with a 13-2 major over Eric Parker. Watterson won for the 11th time in his last 14 matches and is now 21-7 with a team-high seven pins this season. Beaver 125-pounder Eric Stevenson maintained his team lead in victories, improving to 22-7 with four pins after beating Zack Bigboy 5-1; Stevenson has won 15 of his last 19 matches. OSU 157-pounder Tony Hook returned to the lineup after missing last Sunday's dual at Boise State. Hook, ranked 17th nationally, earned a 16-6 major decision over David Garcia to improve to 14-7 this winter; he also moved into a tie for 49th place on the Beavers' list of all-time career victory leaders with 66. The meet was the first varsity competition held in the Truax Indoor Center, which opened in 2001 and serves mainly as an indoor conditioning area and practice area for outdoor sports. With the meet moved there due to a scheduling conflict in Gill Coliseum, a crowd of 525 packed the bleachers that closely ringed three sides of the mat. "It was pretty good," Hook said of the atmosphere. "The crowd was right there on top of you." AT OREGON STATE 31, CAL STATE-BAKERSFIELD 9 (Current NWCA/InterMat national rankings in parentheses) 197-Dan Pitsch, OSU, major dec. Ryan Bergman, CSUB, 20-6. HWT-(17) Ty Watterson, OSU, major dec. Eric Parker, CSUB, 13-2. 125-Eric Stevenson, OSU, dec. Zack Bigboy, CSUB, 5-1. 133-Bobby Pfennigs, OSU, dec. Thomas Kimbrell, CSUB, 6-1. 141-Kyle Larson, OSU, major dec. Matt Schumm, CSUB, 16-7. 149-Orlando Perez, OSU, dec. Brandon Doyle, CSUB, 18-15. 157-(17) Tony Hook, OSU, major dec. David Garcia, CSUB, 16-6. 165-Brian Busby, CSUB, pinned Anthony Weber, OSU, 1:13. 174-(18) Jeremy Larson, OSU, pinned Garth Wara, CSUB, 1:58. 184-Brandon Ceremello, CSUB, dec. Kyle Bressler, OSU, 6-4.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The No. 11 Arizona State University wrestling team returned to the site of its 2005 Pac-10 Championship Friday night and took on a tough No. 20 Cal Poly squad inside Mott Gym in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Sun Devils, who trailed by nine points heading into the last two bouts of the evening, came from behind to defeat the Mustangs, 25-22, to improve to 10-6 overall on the year and 5-0 in the Pac-10. The victory marks the 13th in a row for the Sun Devils, dating back to a loss at Cal State Bakersfield (Sunday afternoon's opponent) in 2004. The win also improve ASU to 30-2 all-time against conference foes under Head Coach Thom Ortiz. The Sun Devils and Mustangs, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the most recent Pac-10 rankings, opened the dual at 125 pounds where No. 7 Jeremy Mendoza (Sr., Temecula, Calif.) improved to 27-2 on the year by pinning John Hanks at 1:45. With his third victory in a row by fall, Mendoza put the visitors out in front early, 6-0. But the Mustangs struck back by winning the next three bouts to take a 13-6 lead. At 133 pounds, Adam Hickey (So., Mayfield, Ohio) put up a fight, but was unable to upset No. 4 Darrell Vasquez, dropping a 15-3 major decision. Hit hard by injury at 141, the Sun Devils forfeited the bout, giving the hosts their first lead of the night at 10-4. Then, No. 18 Pat Payne (So., Poway, Calif.) dropped a 6-3 decision to Jeff Owens. ASU fought back to tie the team score at 13 as its wrestlers won the next two bouts. At 157, No. 9 Brian Stith (Jr., Hampton, Va.) scored an 11-1 major decision over Ryan Williams before No. 12 Patrick Pitsch (So., Spanaway, Wash.) snuck out a 4-3 decision at 165. Pitsch, wrestling in his second close bout in as many duals, trailed late in the bout before scoring the match-winning takedown with just seven seconds remaining. The see-saw battle continued with the hosts taking the next two bouts. At 174, Alex Pavlenko (Fr., Mesa, Ariz.) dropped a tough, 6-5, decision to Nick Hernandez before No. 9 C.B. Dollaway (Sr., Mt. Gilead, Ohio) was forced to withdraw from his bout at 184 because of injury, giving No. 11 Ryan Halsey the win and CPU a 22-13 lead. With the dual on the line, ASU needed wins and got that from the two of their go-to guys. First, No. 10 Ryan Bader (Sr., Reno, Nev.) looked to cut into the nine-point deficit to keep his team close and picked up six team points as he pinned Chris Angle at 1:40. With the Sun Devils now trailing, 22-19, a victory at heavyweight would give ASU either a tie or a victory. No. 4 Cain Velasquez (Sr., Yuma, Ariz.), for the fifth time this season, took to the mat with his team's fate in his hands and secured the team victory as he needed just 1:08 to pin Arturo Basulto for the 25-22 team victory. The Sun Devils remain on the road for two more duals this weekend as they are set to meet the Roadrunners of CSUB at noon Sunday in Bakersfield before making the two-hour drive to Fullerton where they will meet the Cal State Fullerton Titans in a 6 p.m. Pac-10 dual. No. 11 Arizona State defeats Cal Poly, 25-22 125 - #7 Jeremy Mendoza (A) pins John Hanks, 1:45 133 - #4 Darrell Vasquez (C) majors Adam Hickey, 15-3 141 - David Roberts (C) wins by forfeit 149 - Jeff Owens (C) dec. #18 Pat Payne, 6-3 157 - #9 Brian Stith (A) majors Ryan Williams, 11-1 165 - #12 Patrick Pitsch (A) dec. Robb Maxwell, 4-3 174 - Nick Hernandez (C) dec. Alex Pavlenko, 6-5 184 - #11 Ryan Halsey (C) defeats #9 C.B. Dollaway, injury default 197 - #10 Ryan Bader (A) pins Chris Angle, 1:40 285 - #4 Cain Velasquez (A) pins Arturo Basulto, 1:08

Mankato, Minn. -- Thanks to consecutive pins by junior 174-pounder Travis Krinkie (Blue Earth, Minn.) and senior 184-pounder John Koons (Crosby, Minn.), #2 Minnesota State held off #5 Augustana 25-17 in a North Central Conference dual with 702 in attendance in Taylor Center on the campus of MSU. The victory improved the Mavericks to 10-1 in dual competition this year and 1-0 in the NCC while the Vikings fell to 9-3 overall and 1-1 in conference competition. The evening started off at the 125-pound weight class and six quick points for Minnesota State as sophomore Nick Smith (Yankton, S.D.), the #6-ranked wrestler in NCAA Division II, went unopposed. Junior Jeff Pfaffinger (Blue Earth, Minn.) followed with an 18-5 major decision at 133 pounds over Jeremie Degen. Augustana claimed victories in the ensuing pair of matches, starting off with #6 Andre VanderVelde notching a mild upset over senior Zach Stevens (Erwinna, Pa.), ranked #5 in the nation, via an 8-5 decision at 141. #2 Ryan King followed at 149 with a 6-2 decision over MSU junior Brandon Girtz (Forest Lake, Minn.). King and Girtz were tied at 2-2 late in the third period, but King managed a takedown and a two-point near fall to avoid the upset. Senior Mathias Bitz (Bismarck, N.D.) got the Mavericks back on track at 157-pounds with an 11-4 decision over the Vikings' Aaron Haddorff. Interestingly enough, all 15 combined points came in the third period of that match after Bitz earned an escape to start the final stanza, then unleashed a series of takedowns on Haddorff. Augustana again closed the deficit to four points after 165-pounder Cody Henricksen notched the biggest upset of the evening with a 5-4 decision over the #3-ranked wrestler in the nation, MSU sophomore Andy Pickar. With the Vikings threatening to take their first lead of the evening, the marquee matchup of the evening came up next at 174 with a pair of Top Five wrestlers taking the mat in Augustana's #5 Dusty Wilking and MSU's #2 Krinkie. However, the build-up proved to be short--lived as Wilking struck first with a takedown, but Krinkie earned an escape and a takedown of his own. Shortly thereafter, Krinkie put Wilking on his back to win by fall at the 2:17 mark. Not to be outdone, Koons, also ranked #2 in the nation, followed up Krinkie's pin with one of his own at the 3:28 mark in the 184 pound match. A scoreless first period gave the decision on position to Augustana's Nate Buys. Koons chose to be down after Buys deferred, and just 28 seconds into the second period, Koons worked a reversal then got his pin to extend the Maverick lead to 25-9 and clinch the dual victory for MSU at that point. Though Augustana was unable to come back to win the dual, they did claim victories in the final two bouts on the evening. Tim Boldt, the top-ranked wrestler in the nation, earned a 24-9 technical fall over MSU junior Ben Janike (Wascea, Minn.) only after the point for riding time was factored in at the 7:00 mark. In the final match of the night at heavyweight, the Vikings' Chris Bietz earned a 9-5 decision over Maverick senior Tim Kraemer (Cold Springs, Minn.). That match was tied at 5-5 late in the match, but Bietz had already clinched a point for riding time. Because of that, Kraemer allowed Bietz to escape in hopes of earning a takedown and forcing an overtime period, but Bietz thwarted those plans with a takedown to clinch the win. The Mavericks will next be in action on Friday, Feb. 3, when they host #12 MSU Moorhead in a non-conference dual, with the meet scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in Taylor Center.

Alamosa, Colorado -- The Utah Valley State wrestling team picked up a 24-15 win over No. 11 Adams State on Friday. The win ups the Wolverines record to 5-8 in dual meets. "They are a highly ranked team," Utah Valley State coach Cody Sanderson said. "This was a great win for us. We came back and got a couple of big wins tonight." Probably the biggest win of the night came when 165-pounder Devin Siddoway beat Evan Copeland after he was forced to quit in between the second and third periods due to an injury. "That was a huge win for us," Sanderson said. At 149, Justin Rawle won 7-4 decision over Dave Welanko. Clayton Wolf and Dallin Norton each won their match by forfeit. Talon Vickers also won an 8-6 decision over No. 7 Rob McCabe in the 125-pound match. If there was a downside to the match it was that Erkin Tadizhimetov's nine-match win streak came to an end when he lost a 6-5 decision to Raymond Dunning, the second ranked wrestler in the 133-pound match. Complete Box Score: Utah Valley State 24, @ #11 Adams State 15 Starting Weight: 141 Wt. Result ASC UVSC 141 Brian Pitts (ASC) dec. Daniel Polkowske (UVSC), 4-3 3 0 Pitts is now 12-12, 2-3 in duals. Polkowske is now 14-14, 6-7 in duals. 149 Justin Rawle (UVSC) dec. Dave Welanko (ASC), 7-4 3 3 Rawle is now 15-16, 4-9 in duals. Welanko is now 2-5, 2-3 in duals. 157 Scott Cleve (ASC) dec. Tanner Cowan (UVSC), 6-4 6 3 Cleve is now 8-3, 4-1 in duals. Cowan is now 9-18, 3-10 in duals. 165 Devin Siddoway (UVSC) def. #7 Evan Copeland (ASC), Injury Default 6 9 Siddoway is now 6-14, 3-8 in duals. Copeland is now 10-10, 1-2 in duals. 174 #7 James Reynolds (ASC) dec. D.J. Meis (UVSC), 10-4 9 9 Reynolds is now 15-12, 3-2 in duals. Meis is now 2-10, 2-9 in duals. 184 Clayton Wolf (UVSC) wins by forfeit 9 15 Wolf is now 4-4, 1-0 in duals. 197 Casey Woodall (ASC) dec. Ivan Bigney (UVSC), 14-12 12 15 Woodall is now 13-9, 3-2 in duals. Bigney is now 13-12, 7-6 in duals. HWT Dallin Norton (UVSC) wins by forfeit 12 21 Norton is now 9-13, 5-5 in duals. 125 Talon Vickers (UVSC) dec. #7 Rob McCabe (ASC), 8-6 (SV-1) 12 24 Vickers is now 18-9, 9-4 in duals. McCabe is now 15-9, 4-1 in duals. 133 #2 Raymond Dunning (ASC) dec. Erkin Tadzhimetov (UVSC), 6-5 15 24 Dunning is now 16-6, 4-1 in duals. Tadzhimetov is now 25-8, 11-2 in duals.

FARGO, N.D. -- The North Dakota State wrestling team won seven of 10 bouts en route to a 27-9 victory over Air Force on Friday, Jan. 27, in front of a crowd of 744 at the Bison Sports Arena. The match started with Air Force (2-3) jumping out to an early 6-0 lead after brothers Bridger and Zach Lord picked up victories in the 149 and 157-pound bouts. Bridger Lord defeated Gabe Mooney 7-4 and Zach Lord earned three points for the Falcons by beating NDSU's Adam Aho 10-7. North Dakota State (3-3) came back with three straight victories, starting with 165-pounder Zach Molitor. The true freshman picked up his second consecutive win by scoring five unanswered points in the final period, giving him a 7-2 victory over Greg Ford. The match continued with team captain Matt Hermann edging out Stephen Crozier 9-8 at 174 pounds. The match was even throughout and came down to Hermann's advantage time of 1 minute and 12 seconds. With the victory, Hermann improved his overall record to 4-5 and evened his dual record to 3-3. At 184 pounds, Matt Wetterling picked up his 20th victory and 15th pin of the season sticking Zane Hershey in just 51 seconds, giving the Bison a 12-6 lead. The sophomore is now 4-2 in duals and has recorded pins in his last three matches. At 197 pounds, Air Force's Brendan McLean took down NDSU's Jacob Bryce with 12 seconds remaining in the match to give McLean the 3-2 decison. McLean, who was nationally ranked until this week, was called for stalling with 21 seconds remaining in the third period before securing the victory. Heavyweight Mike Maresh picked up his fifth consecutive win, beating Frank McGrath 11-4. Maresh used a flurry of takedowns throughout the match to secure the victory and gave North Dakota State a 15-9 advantage. After a forfeit by the Falcons at 125 pounds, Eric Sanders defeated Brandon Strong 7-6. Strong, a 2005 NCAA national qualifier, had a 6-4 lead after the first period. Sanders came back in the second period with a reversal and sealed the victory at 133 pounds thanks to 2:55 of advantage time. The match concluded at 133 pounds with David Cunningham defeating Shane Manuel 9-5. Cunningham is now third on the team in wins with 13 and improved his dual record to 3-3. The Bison will host Wyoming on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Bison Sports Arena. Wyoming is 4-5 on the season and defeated South Dakota State 26-18 in Brookings on Jan. 27. Match time is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. North Dakota State 27, Air Force 9 125--Mike Meger (NDSU) wins via forfeit 133--Eric Sanders (NDSU) dec. Brandon Strong 7-6 141--David Cunningham (NDSU) dec. Shane Manuel 9-5 149--Bridger Lord (AF) dec. Gabe Mooney 7-4 157--Zach Lord (AF) dec. Adam Aho 10-6 165--Zach Molitor (NDSU) dec. Greg Ford 7-2 174--Matt Hermann (NDSU) dec. Stephen Crozier 9-8 184--Matt Wetterling (NDSU) pin Zane Hershey 0:51 197--Brenden McLean (AF) dec. Jacob Bryce 3-2 Hwt.--Mike Maresh (NDSU) dec. Frank McGrath 11-4

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Mike Grogan earned a technical fall win and Eric Albright picked up a major decision to lead the Virginia Wrestling Team to a 27-10 win over North Carolina (12-6-1, 0-1-1 ACC) in the Atlantic Coast Conference Opener for the Cavaliers (6-4, 1-0 ACC) at Memorial Gym Friday night. It was Virginia head coach Lenny Bernstein's 100th career victory. Grogan, wrestling at 174 pounds, earned his first technical fall of the season. He built an 8-0 lead after the first period and held on for the win. Albright registered a 9-1 major decision win over UNC's Jared Royer at 133 pounds. He earned 2:23 in riding time to make for the final score. Anthony Burke started it off for the Cavaliers at 125 pounds. He battled Bobby Shaw to a 4-4 tie after three periods, but his 2:04 in riding time gave him a 5-4 decision putting UVa ahead, 3-0. After Albright's major decision gave the Cavaliers a 7-0 lead, UNC's Vincent Ramirez posted a 12-2 major decision over UVa's Peter Ferrara pulling the Tar Heels within, 7-4. Virginia then won the next four bouts. Drew DiPasquale edged UNC's Isaiah Britton, 7-3, at 149 pounds. Mike Sewell then followed with a 10-6 decision over Brian Baglio at 157 pounds to make it, 13-4, in favor of the Cavaliers. Virginia increased its lead to 16-4 when Damian Johnson overcame a 4-3 deficit after the first period to earn the decision over UNC's Deon Barrett, 10-7. Grogan clinched the meet for the Cavaliers earning five points to put UVa ahead, 21-4. North Carolina won two of the last three matches when Justin Dobies edged Kyle Narkiewicz, at 184 pounds, 5-2, and Spencer Nadolsky knocked off UVa's Nick Smith, 6-1 at heavyweight. Virginia's Brent Jones won the 197 pound bout by forfeit. Virginia wraps up its three-meet homestand Saturday night when the Cavaliers host Virginia Tech in the Adelphia Commonwealth Challenge. The dual meet will begin at 7 p.m. Virginia currently leads the Commonwealth Challenge, 8-3. Complete Results: 125 - Anthony Burke (UVa) def. Bobby Shaw (UNC), 5-4 133 - Eric Albright (UVa) def. Jared Royer (UNC), 9-1 141 - Vincent Ramirez (UNC) def. Peter Ferrara (UVa), 13-5 149 - Drew DiPasquale (UVa) def. Isaiah Britton (UNC), 7-3 157 - Mike Sewell (UVa) def. Brian Baglio (UNC), 10-6 165 - Damian Johnson (UVa) def. Deon Barrett (UNC), 10-7 174 - Mike Grogan (UVa) def. Jake Puckett (UNC), 16-1 184 - Justin Dobies (UNC) def. Kyle Narkiewicz (UVa), 5-2 197 - Brent Jones ( UVa) won by forfeit HWT - Spencer Nadolsky (UNC) def. Nick Smith (UVa), 6-1

IOWA CITY -- The University of Iowa wrestling defeated Purdue, 28-11 Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved their record to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. The match started at 125 pounds where Iowa's Lucas Magnani defeated Brandon Tucker, 7-2. Daniel Dennis (133) suffered a technical fall against Purdue's Chris Fleeger, but Alex Tsirtsis (141) regained the lead for Iowa with an 11-2 decision over Jason Cook. Purdue's Doug Withstandly gave second-ranked Ty Eustice (149) a tough match, but Eustice prevailed, 4-2. Joe Johnston followed with a 21-7 major decision and the Hawkeyes led, 14-5. Junior Eric Luedke (165) increased Iowa's lead after a fall against Purdue's Dan Bedoy and Mark Perry (174) followed with Iowa's second major decision of the night for the Hawkeyes. Paul Bradley (184) could not get a takedown in the final period and was defeated by Ben Wissel, 5-3. Dan Erekson (197) took Purdue's Nathan Moore to overtime, but was defeated with a takedown in the extra period. Ryan Fuller (Hwt) capped the match with Iowa's third major decision over Aaron Keough. Next up for Iowa is Indiana Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in Bloomington. Iowa 28, Purdue 11 125 - Lucas Magnani (I) dec. Brandon Tucker (P), 7-2 133 - Chris Fleeger (P) tech. fall Daniel Dennis (I), 5:25 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Jason Cook (P), 11-2 149 - Ty Eustice (I) dec. Doug Withstandly (P), 4-2 157 - Joe Johnston (I) maj. dec. Jake Murphy (P), 21-7 165 - Eric Luedke (I) pinned Dan Bedoy (P), 6:07 174 - Mark Perry (I) maj. dec. Nick Corpe (P), 24-5 184 - Ben Wissel (P) dec. Paul Bradley (I), 5-3 197 - Nathan Moore (P) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 10-8 (OT) Hwt. - Ryan Fuller (I) maj. dec. Aaron Keough (P), 10-1

State College, Pa. -- Head coach Troy Sunderland's Nittany Lion wrestlers, ranked No. 10 nationally, won seven of ten bouts and cruised to a 27-12 win over No. 18 Michigan State in Big Ten wrestling action. Nearly 3,000 fans packed Rec Hall to see Penn State win its sixth straight and hammer the visiting Spartans and grab six of nine bonus points. The dual began at 184, where Penn State's Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) took on Michigan State's Joe Williams, only recently dropping out of the national rankings. Bradley, a returning All-American and ranked No. 1 in the nation, got the dual's first take down less than :30 in to the bout to go up 2-1 after a Williams escape. The two-time defending Big Ten champion followed it up with another takedown at the one-minute mark and rode Williams out for the remainder of the period to head to into the second period up 4-1 with over a minute's riding time. Bradley took down to begin the second, quickly escaped, and then took Williams down to take a commanding 7-2 lead after the Spartan's escape. Williams chose down to begin the third period and escaped after :32, but was taken down and let out by Bradley quickly as the Nittany Lion senior began working for bonus points. One more take down and a 3:08 riding time edge gave Bradley the 12-4 major victory and the Nittany Lions a 4-0 lead. Bradley improved to 4-0 on the year. Penn State's other returning All-American, sophomore Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) took the mat at 197 in the dual's next bout, facing Michigan State's Jeff Clemens. Davis, ranked No. 7 in the country, got an early take down to go up 2-1 after the Spartan senior escaped. The duo would battle evenly for the remainder of the period. Davis, up 2-1 heading into the second, took down to begin the period. Davis escaped, Clemens was hit with a second stall warning and Davis took him down again and rode him out to carry a 6-1 lead into the third. Clemens chose down to begin the final period, giving Davis a chance to work on top. Davis would get two back points and build up an insurmountable riding time edge as well. Clemens would avoid the major decision with a last second reversal, but Davis grabbed the 9-3 win and put Penn State up 7-0. Davis improved to 11-3 on the year. In the heavyweight bout, Penn State senior Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.) faced Michigan State senior Max Lossen. No. 20 Edwards would fight off a strong Lossen shot and score his down a minute into the bout. Davis would ride Lossen out for the remainder of the period and carry a 2-0 lead with a 2:07 riding time edge into the second. Edwards began the second period down, escaped within seconds and immediately took Lossen down to up his lead to 5-1 after a Lossen escape. Another Edwards escape had the Nittany Lion up 7-1 heading into the final period. Lossen chose down to begin the final stanza and was let up by Edwards. Working for bonus points, Edwards would take down Lossen and let him up again to lead 9-3 with 1:07 left. Edwards took Lossen down one more time and rode the Spartan senior out to post an impressive 12-3 major. The victory put the Nittany Lions up 11-0 and improved Edwards' record to 11-2. The dual headed back to the top of the line-up with Nittany Lion sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) took on one of the nation's best in Michigan State's Nick Simmons at 125. Simmons carried a No. 4 ranking into the bout. Simmons would set the tempo early but would not manage any points off of Haas until a powerful struggle where each wrestler nearly scored a take down resulted in a Simmons take down with :20 left. Up 2-0 to start the second, Simmons chose the top position to begin the next stanza. He would ride Haas for over a minute and get three near fall points as the period wound down and secure a pin with just two seconds left. Simmons' win tightened the team score to 11-6 in Penn State's favor and dropped Haas to 13-5 on the year. Nittany Lion freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 9, took on Jeff Wimberly at 133. Strayer got the bout's first takedown with 1:13 left in the first and rode Wimberly out to carry a 2-0 lead and a 1:13 riding time edge entering the second. Strayer chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to go up 3-0. The talented Nittany Lion freshman would notch another take down with :20 left and ride Wimberly out to a 5-0 lead heading into the final period. Wimberly chose neutral to begin the final period but was taken down by Strayer with 1:10 left. Wimberly would avoid the major with a reversal at the :35 mark, but Strayer would still post a resounding 9-2 win to put Penn State up 14-6. Strayer improved to 15-1 on the year. The first of three bouts featuring two ranked opponents took place at 141, where No. 9 DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) of Penn State took on Michigan State's Andy Simmons, ranked No. 4. The bigger of the two Spartan Simmons brothers would post the first takedown :30 into the first period. Driscoll, having been rid for the remainder of the period, would nearly pin Simmons as time ran out but could not quite flatten Simmons shoulders on a near reversal. Simmons, up 2-0 with over two-minutes riding time, chose down to begin the second. Simmons escaped :40 into the period and took Driscoll down and rode him out to take a 5-0 lead into the final period with a 2:45 riding time edge. Driscoll chose down to begin the third but would take 1:10 to escape. Simmons would fight off a number of Driscoll shot attempts to get away with a hard-fought 6-1 win between the two ranked grapplers. Michigan State crept to within 14-9 and Driscoll fell to 10-5. At 149, two more ranked wrestlers would meet as Penn State senior James Woodall (Dupont, Pa.) ranked No. 10, faced No. 15 Darren McKnight. With the Spartans trying to find their way back into the dual, Woodall would get out to an early 2-1 lead with the bout's first take down. Another hard-fought take down gave Woodall a 4-2 lead after a second McKnight escape with :20 left in the first. Woodall would nearly score a third take down as the first period ended but time expired. Woodall chose down to start the second and escaped within seconds to a 5-2 lead. The duo would fight off each other's attempts for the remainder of the second period and McKnight chose down to begin the third, trailing 5-2. McKnight quickly escaped to cut the heated bout to 5-3. Woodall would fight off a late McKnight shot at tying the bout to get another takedown of his own and post an impressive 7-3 win. The victory upped the Nittany Lion lead to 17-9 and improved Woodall to 6-2 on the year. Nittany Lion junior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) carried a No. 14 ranking into his 157-pound match-up with Spartan Tony Greathouse, also a junior. After a thrilling takedown, Galloway would quickly plant Greathouse and fight for a pin at the 1:46 mark. The pin, Galloway's second of the year and the 11th of his career, put Penn State up 23-9, clinched the dual, and improved Galloway's record to 10-7. True freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 11 at 165, took on MSU's Greg Goidosik in the next bout. Erwin continued his impressive rookie campaign with two quick takedowns to go up 4-2 halfway through the first. Dictating the flow of the bout, Erwin scored another take down and had a 6-3 lead heading into the second period. Goidosik chose down to begin the second and escaped to inch within two, 6-4. Erwin, however, would continue to dominate the bout and go up 8-5 with yet another take down. Erwin began the third in the down position and reversed Goidosik. Erwin would dominate the remainder of the bout and post a thorough 15-7 major decision to put the Lions up 27-9 and up his freshman mark to 19-4. Nittany Lion junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 in the nation, faced Michigan State's R.J. Boudro, ranked No. 7, at 174 in the night's final bout. Boudro posted the first take down of the bout with :55 seconds left in the first, but Yonushonis quickly escaped to a 2-1 deficit, which is how the first period would end. Yonushonis chose down to start the second and knotted the score with an escape less than ten seconds in. Neither nationally ranked wrestler would manage a take down until Boudro would get Yonushonis on the edge of the mat as the second period ended. Boudro, up 4-2 heading into the third, chose down to start the evening's final period. His escape would increase his lead to 5-2. Yonushonis would pressure Boudro for the remainder of the period, but the talented Spartan senior would hold off the Lion junior and escape with a hard fought 5-2 win. Penn State still posted the impressive 27-12 win while Yonushonis fell to 13-4. Penn State is now 9-2 on the year, 1-2 in Big Ten action. Michigan State falls to 2-4, 0-1. The Nittany Lions have won six straight duals, five over ranked teams, by a combined score of 164-52 (winning 45 of 60 bouts) Penn State hosts No. 2 Minnesota on in a 1 p.m. tilt in Rec Hall. The dual will be a CSTV national live-to-tape telecast. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens. All tickets are available at the door the day of the event as well. #10 Penn State 27, #18 Michigan State 12 January 27, 2006 - Rec Hall - State College, Pa. 184: #1 Eric Bradley PSU maj. dec. Joe Williams MSU, 12-4 4-0 197: #7 Phil Davis PSU dec. Jeff Clemens MSU, 9-3 7-0 HWT: #20 Joel Edwards maj. dec. Max Lossen MSU, 12-3 11-0 125: #4 Nick Simmons MSU pinned Tim Haas PSU, WBF 4:58 11-6 133: #9 Jake Strayer PSU dec. Jeff Wimberly MSU, 9-2 14-6 141: #4 Andy Simmons MSU dec. #9 DeWitt Driscoll PSU, 6-1 14-9 149: #10 James Woodall PSU dec. #15 Darren McKnight MSU, 7-3 17-9 157: #14 Nathan Galloway PSU pinned Tony Greathouse MSU, WBF 1:46 23-9 165: #11 David Erwin PSU maj. dec. Greg Goidosik MSU, 15-7 27-9 174: #7 R.J. Boudro MSU dec. #13 James Yonushonis PSU, 5-2 27-12 Attendance: 2,974 Records: Penn State 9-2, 1-2 Big Ten; Michigan State 2-4, 0-1 Big Ten Up Next for PSU: Home vs. No. 1 Minnesota, Sunday, January 29, 2006

Despite wrestling without top-ranked Dustin Schlatter, the top-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team (15-0, 3-0) defeated Ohio State (5-7, 0-2), 30-6, on Friday night in Columbus, Ohio. A true freshman and former four-time Ohio state champion, Schlatter was held out of the dual because of the flu. Dustin's brother, C.P., another four-time Ohio state champion, prevailed in his homecoming with an 11-3 major decision against Steve Sommer. The Buckeyes took an early 3-0 lead as Blake Maurer upset eighth-ranked Gabriel Dretsch, 6-4, in overtime at 174 pounds. Maurer took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first period, but Dretsch knotted the match with a reversal five seconds later. With the match tied at four, Maurer claimed the win with a takedown 33 seconds into the first overtime. The Golden Gophers took over from there as seventh-ranked Roger Kish earned a 16-5 major decision against Alex Picazo at 1834 pounds. Kish took control early with three first-period takedowns. He earned the bonus point for the major decision with three more takedowns in the final period. The reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, Kish has now won 12 of his last 13 matches. The Golden Gophers increased the lead to 7-3 with an overtime win of their own. Sophomore Mitch Kuhlman defeated James Aston, 6-4, at 197 pounds. Kuhlman scored the deciding takedown 35 seconds into the first overtime. Despite giving up more than 10 pounds to his opponents, Kuhlman is now 5-3 in dual meets. Top-ranked heavyweight Cole Konrad improved to 27-0 with a 3-1 decision against 15th- ranked Kirk Nail at heavyweight. Konrad broke a 1-1 tie with a third-period escape and was awarded a bonus point for riding time. Konrad has now won 56 of his last 57 matches. After Ohio State forfeited at 125 pounds, fourth-ranked Mack Reiter gave Minnesota a 19 -3 lead with a 6-1 decision against Reece Humphrey at 133 pounds. Reiter took a 2-0 lead with a late takedown in the first period. He led 5-0 after two periods en route to the win. He is now 22-2 on the year with a 14-1 record in duals. The Golden Gophers increased the lead to 22-3 as 15th –ranked Manuel Rivera defeated T.J. Enright, 4-2, in double overtime. Enright upset Reiter in last year's dual meet. With the score tied at two, Rivera clinched the win with a takedown 33 seconds into the second overtime. Rivera has won six of his last seven matches. Wrestling in place of Schlatter, redshirt freshman Tyler Safratowich made his first career start at 149 and his second start as a Golden Gopher. He dropped a narrow 8-6 decision against 14th-ranked J Jaggers. Safratowich rallied from a 4-1 deficit with a takedown and near fall in the second period. With the match tied at five, Jaggers scored a reversal to start the third period and held on for the win. The Golden Gophers closed out the dual with wins by C.P. Schlatter and Matt Nagel. Schlatter blew open a close match against Sommer with two second-period takedowns. The 11-3 major decision gives Schlatter a 26-4 record on the year. He and his brother Dustin are a combined 54-5 on the year. Nagel closed out the rout with a 12-4 major decision against Nathaniel Augustson at 165 pounds. Nagel led 2-0 after the first period and added three second-period takedowns to put the match away. The Golden Gophers will next travel to University Park, Pa., to take on No. 9 Penn State on Sunday at Noon. Eight of the Nittany Lions' 10 wrestlers are currently ranked in the nation's top 20. Dustin Schlatter is expected to be back in the lineup. He is scheduled to face 10th-ranked James Woodall. #1 Minnesota 30, Ohio State 6 Columbus, Ohio Jan. 27, 2006 174 – Blake Maurer (OSU) dec. #8 Gabriel Dretsch (MN), 6-4 OT 184 - #7 Roger Kish (MN) maj. dec. Alex Picazo (OSU), 16-5 197 – Mitch Kuhlman (MN) dec. James Aston (OSU), 6-4 OT HWT - #1 Cole Konrad (MN) dec. #15 Kirk Nail (OSU), 3-1 125 – Travis Lang (MN) wins by forfeit 133 - #4 Mack Reiter (MN)dec. Reece Humphrey (OSU), 6-1 141 - #15 Manuel Rivera (MN) dec. T.J. Enright (OSU), 4-2, 2OT 149 - #14 J Jaggers (OSU) dec. Tyler Safratowich (MN), 8-6 157 - #5 C.P. Schlatter (MN) maj. dec. Steve Sommer (OSU), 11-3 165 - #9 Matt Nagel (MN) maj. dec. Nathaniel Augustson (OSU), 12-4

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland Terrapins won their third-straight dual meet by defeating Virginia Tech, 27-18, Friday night at Comcast Pavilion. The Terps picked up six wins in the dual, including three by seniors on Senior Night, to improve to 2-0 in the ACC this season. "It's a good way to start the weekend," head coach Pat Santoro said as his team improved to 4-7 on the year. "I'm real happy for the seniors. Everybody in the lineup fought hard tonight." Seniors Adam DeCosmo (165), Jason Gribschaw (141), Adam James (157) and Luke Stauffer (184) were honored prior to the match. DeCosmo, James and Stauffer were all in the lineup against the Hokies, and all picked up victories. The Hokies (0-12, 0-1) took an early lead with a 5-4 decision by Justin Staylor over James Knox. Knox scored a takedown early in the first period, but Staylor countered with a big second period scoring a reversal and two nearfall points which proved to be the difference. Brendan Byrne helped Maryland bounce back with 12-3 major decision over Sheridan Moran at 133 pounds. Byrne was aggressive in the final period pursuing the major decision scoring three takedowns in the final two minutes. In one of the best matches of the day, 16th-ranked David Hoffman outlasted freshman Alex Krom at 141 pounds. Trailing 3-1 heading into the third, Krom chose the bottom position and scored a reversal at the beginning of the period to knot the score at 3-3. Hoffman countered with a reversal of his own with just under a minute, and then tacked on a penalty point and riding time to take the match 6-4. The Terps roared back with bonus point victories at 149 and 157 pounds. At 149, Schlaffer needed just three minutes to tilt Joe Thompson for the six-point fall. At 157, James controlled his match from start-to-finish and came way with a 13-5 major decision. The wins gave Maryland a 14-6 lead midway through the dual. After an intermission, DeCosmo kept the momentum in the Terps favor with a 13-5 major decision over Tucker Michels. He pulled away with a dominant third period, scoring three takedowns. Virginia Tech's Steve Ratley ended Maryland's 14-0 run in the dual with a pin of Mike Maceroli in the first period. With impending forfeits from each team at 197 and heavyweight, Stauffer took on Mark Czarny in the final bout of the night. Stauffer picked up a takedown in the first period and second periods, then added a reversal in the third on his way to the victory. He also racked up over four minutes of riding time. Maryland will be back in action tomorrow at Comcast Pavilion for a pair of ACC duals against North Carolina and Duke. The action will start at 1 p.m. Wt. Name, Result MD VT 125: Justin Staylor (VT) dec. James Knox (MD), 5-4 0 3 133: Brendan Byrne (MD) maj. dec. Sheridan Moran (VT), 12-3 4 3 141: #16 David Hoffman (VT) dec. Alex Krom (MD), 6-4 4 6 149: Andrew Schlaffer (MD) pinned Joe Thompson (VT), 3:00 10 6 157: Adam James (MD) maj. dec. Dave Kiley (VT), 13-5 14 6 165: Adam DeCosmo (MD) maj. dec. Tucker Michels (VT), 13-5 18 6 174: Steve Ratley (VT) pinned Mike Maceroli (MD), 2:22 18 12 184: Luke Stauffer (MD) dec. Mark Czarny (VT), 8-1 21 12 197: Jerry Afari (MD) won by forfeit 27 12 HWT: #10 Mike Faust won by forfeit 27 18

Columbia, Mo. -- Into the heart of the Big 12 season, the No. 12 Missouri Tigers travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers at the NU Coliseum, Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. CST. The dual is the Big 12 opener for the Cornhuskers and the second league meet for Missouri, who lost its Big 12 opener against No. 2 Oklahoma State 29-10 a week ago. The Tiger squad looks to get back on the winning track against a formidable opponent. The Cornhuskers entered the 2005-06 campaign ranked 19th in the nation. Since then, Head Coach Mark Manning's team has defied expectations, entering the top five with a stellar performance at the NWCA National Duals Jan. 14-15. Unseeded to open the tournament, the Cornhuskers knocked off No. 6 Iowa, No. 4 Michigan and No. 9 Central Michigan on the way to a third-place finish. Head Coach Brian Smith leads a talented squad into Lincoln, looking for the third win of his career against the Cornhuskers. Over the past four years the two teams have split their meetings, with Missouri earning victories in 2002 and 2003 and Nebraska getting back-to-back victories the past two years. Wrestling in Columbia, Mo., last season, the Cornhuskers were able to come away with a 26-12 victory, sporting a vastly different squad than the one that will step onto the mat Sunday. Headlining the dual will be one of the most anticipated bouts of Missouri's season thus far, a battle between the top wrestlers on either team, the Tigers' Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) and Nebraska's Jacob Klein. Ranked No. 1 in the nation at 174 pounds, Askren has compiled a 32-0 record in convincing fashion, scoring bonus points in every bout. In the midst of putting together the most dominating individual season in Missouri history, Askren has racked up 23 falls, six technical falls, two major decisions and an injury default. The junior faces possibly his toughest opponent of the season in third-ranked Klein, a 2004 All-American who has only been defeated once after moving up to 174 pounds for his senior campaign. Immediately following the showcase bout at 174 pounds, a pair of freshman phenoms will shake hands at 184 pounds, with No. 15 Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) of Missouri squaring off against the Huskers' Vince Jones, ranked No. 14 in the country. Jordan has been on a tear recently, extending a five-match winning streak with last Sunday's 4-2 defeat of Oklahoma State's Rusty Blackmon. Jordan upset three ranked opponents at the NWCA National Duals Jan. 14-15, including a 5-4 triumph over No. 2 Paul Bradley of Iowa. In a dual featuring a pair of teams with talented wrestlers among the heavier weight classes, both the 165-pound and 197-pound weight classes offer bouts between ranked opponents. Ranked No. 5 at 165 pounds, junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) will face off against Nebraska's Marc Harwood, while No. 20 Jeff Foust (Blue Springs, Mo.) returns from an early-season injury to step onto the mat against No. 2 B.J. Padden. The match starts at 2 p.m. CST and a broadcast can be viewed for free at www.huskers.com

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team will wrestle in its home opener Saturday in Maclellan Gym, hosting No. 22-ranked Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. and Cumberland University following the first dual. The Mocs, 10-6-1 in dual matches this season, are coming off of a 22-9 victory at the Citadel Tuesday in the Southern Conference opener. In the convincing win over the Bulldogs, the Mocs claimed seven of 10 matches. "We are very excited about wrestling at home," UTC Head Coach Joe Seay said. "Our coaching staff has heard about the supporters of UTC wrestling, and we are ready to see it firsthand for a regular-season match. It has been a long time for some of our guys to be back in Maclellan Gym. We are expecting a fun evening of wrestling." UTC and Northern Iowa have met each of the last two years, with the Panthers recording 22-16 victories in both duals. In last year's match, the Mocs got a major decision from John Davis at 184 pounds and wins at 125 by Matt Pitts, 141 by Michael Keefe, 165 by Jon Sioredas and 285 by Wes Taylor. UNI, ranked as high as No. 22 nationally this week, is 2-7 overall. However, each of its seven losses has come at the hands of teams ranked among the nation's top 12. Junior Nick Baima highlights the Panthers' squad. The 165-pounder is currently ranked as high as No. 7 nationally with a 23-3 record and was named Outstanding Wrestler at this year's Midlands Championships in December. The Mocs have a highly-ranked wrestler of their own. Junior Matt Keller is 27-7 overall with seven pins. The sixth-ranked wrestler has a 2005-06 resume which includes a 133-pound title at the Reno Tournament of Champions and an Outstanding Wrestler award at the Lone Star Duals. Keller, a native of McDonald, Tenn., who transferred from Nebraska prior to this season, has won 10 straight matches. He did not compete Tuesday at The Citadel because of a class conflict. Cumberland is no stranger to the UTC campus. The Bulldogs, located in Lebanon, Tenn., suffered a 57-0 loss last year to the Mocs in Maclellan Gym. They faced Carson-Newman College Wednesday, dropping a 30-13 decision. Seay will utilize two different lineups in the back-to-back duals. Javier Maldonado (125), Michael Keefe (141) and Aaron Martin (149) are expected to wrestle in each match. Seay said he may let Adam Rains wrestle at 133 versus Cumberland. Jake Yost and Wayne French will see action at 157, Justin Otis and Daniel Peterson will take the mat at 165, Davis and Kyle McKee at 184 and Israel Silva and Zach Tramel at heavyweight. The Mocs will send either T.J. Sayers or Nick Davis to wrestle at 174 and either Lloyd Rogers or Nick Lorenzano at 197. Tickets are $5.00 for both matches and can be purchased at the Maclellan Gym entrance.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's 16th-ranked wrestling team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend to face No. 4 Michigan in its third-straight conference road dual at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. The 'Cats enter the dual with a 1-1 Big Ten record after dropping their conference opener at top-ranked Minnesota, then rebounding to top No. 22 Wisconsin. Northwestern enters the weekend primed to climb the Big Ten standings with a win over the Wolverines. Michigan, which has compiled a 1-0 conference record, stands tied at third place. With a win over Michigan--and depending on how the other top teams perform--the 'Cats could end up among the top-three teams in the Big Ten standings by week's end. Northwestern shares three opponents with MIchigan this season, as both teams have faced No. 11 Arizona State, No. 21 Hofstra and No. 24 Northern Illinois. Both teams enter the dual with a plethora of individual talent, highlighted by the number of ranked wrestlers on both teams. The 'Cats boast seven nationally ranked wrestlers on their roster, while Michigan has eight. The Wolverines topped each opponent, while NU beat NIU and Hofstra. Much of the Wildcats success will depend on NU's sophomore All-American Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny). Herbert, who is the nation's second-ranked wrestler at 174 lbs., will likely face Michigan's sixth-ranked Nick Roy. Herbert is the reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week--along with Minnesota's Roger Kish--after topping Minnesota's eighth-ranked Gabriel Dretsch and Wisconsin's Mike Felling. Herbert has a 28-match winning streak on the line. Herbert is 1-0 against Roy, pinning him at 4:56 in his first wrestleback match at the 2005 NCAA Championships. Roy has a 10-6 overall record this season. At 141 lbs., sophomore Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) will have a key matchup versus Michigan's Josh Churella. Lang, who is 12-1 this season, is ranked No. 6 in the most recent USAToday/NWCA/Intermat poll, while Churella is ranked fifth. The meeting will be the first between the two wrestlers. Nineteenth-ranked Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) is expected to face the Wolverine's top-ranked Ryan Churella. Durkee is 15-7 this season, has never faced Churella in a dual. With two teams so evenly matched, the dual could come down to the heavyweight match where ninth-ranked Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) is expected to face Michigan's third-ranked Greg Wagner. The two have not previously met in a dual meet.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team will look to snap a six-match losing streak on Saturday, squaring off against ACC foe Maryland at Comcast Pavilion at 3 p.m. Duke enters Saturday's dual meet 0-6 (0-1 ACC) after dropping their first six 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 were defeated by UNC Greensboro, 23-9, on Wednesday night. Scouting the Maryland Terrapins Maryland boasts a 3-7 (1-0 ACC) mark entering Saturday's dual meet. The Terrapins have posted wins over Slippery Rock, N.C. State and VMI. Maryland, who defeated N.C. State, 28-6, on Jan. 13 in the first ACC meet for both teams, is coming off a 26-15 win over VMI last Saturday. The Duke-Maryland dual meet will be the third ACC contest of the weekend for the Terps. Maryland hosts Virginia Tech tonight at 7 p.m. and North Carolina tomorrow at 1 p.m. Duke vs. Maryland - Probable Matches 125: Kellan McKeon (Duke) vs. James Knox (Maryland) 133: Michael Degli Obizzi (Duke) vs. Brendan Byrne (Maryland) 141: Philip Wightman (Duke) vs. Alex Krom (Maryland) 149: Daniel Shvartsman (Duke) vs. Andrew Schlaffer (Maryland) 157: Cameron Harms (Duke) vs. Adam James (Maryland) 165: Aaron Glover (Duke) vs. Adam DeCosmo (Maryland) 174: Levi Craig (Duke) vs. Dominic Buckman (Maryland) 184: Dan Tulley (Duke) vs. Luke Stauffer (Maryland) 197: Konrad Dudziak (Duke) vs. Jerry Afari (Maryland) HWT: Wade Van Sickle (Duke) vs. Bryan Reiss (Maryland)

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team will look to snap a six-match losing streak on Saturday, squaring off against ACC foe Maryland at Comcast Pavilion at 3 p.m. Duke enters Saturday's dual meet 0-6 (0-1 ACC) after dropping their first six 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 were defeated by UNC Greensboro, 23-9, on Wednesday night. Scouting the Maryland Terrapins Maryland boasts a 3-7 (1-0 ACC) mark entering Saturday's dual meet. The Terrapins have posted wins over Slippery Rock, N.C. State and VMI. Maryland, who defeated N.C. State, 28-6, on Jan. 13 in the first ACC meet for both teams, is coming off a 26-15 win over VMI last Saturday. The Duke-Maryland dual meet will be the third ACC contest of the weekend for the Terps. Maryland hosts Virginia Tech tonight at 7 p.m. and North Carolina tomorrow at 1 p.m. Duke vs. Maryland - Probable Matches 125: Kellan McKeon (Duke) vs. James Knox (Maryland) 133: Michael Degli Obizzi (Duke) vs. Brendan Byrne (Maryland) 141: Philip Wightman (Duke) vs. Alex Krom (Maryland) 149: Daniel Shvartsman (Duke) vs. Andrew Schlaffer (Maryland) 157: Cameron Harms (Duke) vs. Adam James (Maryland) 165: Aaron Glover (Duke) vs. Adam DeCosmo (Maryland) 174: Levi Craig (Duke) vs. Dominic Buckman (Maryland) 184: Dan Tulley (Duke) vs. Luke Stauffer (Maryland) 197: Konrad Dudziak (Duke) vs. Jerry Afari (Maryland) HWT: Wade Van Sickle (Duke) vs. Bryan Reiss (Maryland)

CLEVELAND -- The Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) conference has become a tough competition over the years, and the Panthers knew moving into the league schedule was going to be challenging. For the second time this season, the team lost to an EWL competitor by only one point. They proved victorious in five of the ten bouts and held the Vikings to only one match with bonus points for a final score of Cleveland State 16, Pitt 15. Points for Pitt came from seniors Mike Ciotti, Ronald Tarquinio and Justin Nestor in addition to two freshmen – Nick Padezan and Joey Ecklof. This is the second consecutive season in which Ciotti defeated Cleveland State's David Armstrong, and it is also the second time Tarquinio, ranked eighth nationally, has defeated Mike Hurley. At 125 pounds, Pitt's Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) faced Cleveland State's Jaryl Hunt where he lost a close 3-2 decision. The Vikings established an early lead of 3-0, but the next three matches would turn things around for the Panthers. Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) took on Cleveland State's David Armstrong, winning a 7-4 decision to tie the match. Ciotti's victory moves him to a 6-2 in dual matches, the leading record on the team. Wrestling at 141 was Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) and Cleveland State's Mike Hurley. Tarquinio's 9-4 decision put the Panthers in the lead 6-3. His win over Hurley gives him a 14-7 overall record on the season as he moves closer to becoming a four-time NCAA qualifier. Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) was able to extend his dual winning streak to five as he defeated Cleveland State's Ryan Hurley by a 6-1 decision. Ecklof, the EWL Wrestler of the Week, is now 5-2 in dual matches and made his first appearance in a national poll this week. His decision kept the Panthers in the lead, 9-3. Cleveland State was able to turn things around at 157 pounds as Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) faced Victer Crenshaw. This was the only match the Vikings score bonus points in as Crenshaw won an 11-3 major decision to close the gap to Pitt 9, Cleveland State 7. Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) made a comeback for the Panthers at 165 pounds with a 2-0 win over Cleveland State's Tim Scarl. His win this evening gives him a 19-7 overall record on the season and maintained the Panthers' lead, 12-7. Padezan (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) kept the momentum alive for Pitt has won an 8-4 decision over Cleveland State's David Gilkey. Pitt stayed in the lead 15-7, entering the final three matches of the evening. Cleveland State went on to win the bouts at 184 and 197. Pitt's Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) lost a tough 9-3 decision to Ron Howard, and Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) fell 3-2 to Ishmal Williams. The Vikings moved to 13 team points, giving Pitt only a two-point lead. In the final match of the evening, Pitt's Lou Thomas (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) faced Cleveland State's Rashard Goff. The 4-1 decision by Goff gave the Vikings the points they needed to win, as they took the match 16-15. Pitt returns home this weekend to take on Kent State on Sunday, Jan. 29. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Fitzgerald Field House and has been declared "High School Day." Local wrestlers are encouraged to come out and show their support for the Panthers. 125 – Jaryl Hunt (CSU) dec. Brad Gentzle (P), 3-2 [3-0, CSU] 133 – Mike Ciotti (P) dec. David Armstong (CSU), 7-4 [3-3] 141 – Ronald Tarquinio (P) dec. Mike Hurley (CSU), 9-4 [6-3, Pitt] 149 – Joey Ecklof (P) dec. Ryan Hurley (CSU), 6-1 [9-3, Pitt] 157 – Victer Crenshaw (CSU) maj. dec. Sean Richmond (P), 11-3 [9-7, Pitt] 165 – Justin Nestor (P) dec. Tim Scarl (CSU), 2-0 [12-7, Pitt] 174 – Nick Padezan (P) dec. David Gilkey (CSU), 8-4 [15-7, Pitt] 184 – Ron Howard (CSU) dec. Kyle Deliere (P), 9-3 [15-10, Pitt] 197 – Ishmal Williams (CSU) dec. Mike Heist (P), 3-2 [15-13, Pitt] HWT – Rashard Goff (CSU) dec. Lou Thomas (P), 4-1 [16-15, CSU]

Jared Lawrence is one of the youngest and most promising wrestlers on the U.S. National Freestyle Team. He is an extremely focused and conditioned athlete willing to take risks and creates excitement in every match. From an early age Jared has experienced success as a student-athlete through hard work, dedication and sacrifice. This relentless pursuit of excellence has put him in the forefront in a run on the 2008 Olympic games and also becoming a successful entrepreneur. You would be hard pressed to find another wrestler with the credentials of Jared Lawrence. Below is just a highlighted version of his outstanding career so far… • 2005 World Cup 3rd (Uzbekistan) • 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Alternate • 2002 NCAA Champion • 4X NCAA All–American for University of Minnesota • 4x Undefeated Idaho State Champion • High School mark of 133-0 • FILA Junior freestyle national champion • Cadet Greco-Roman national champion Jared also won gold at the Clansman Invitational and the NYAC Christmas tournament where he defeated Kazuhiko Ikematsu, a Japanese wrestler who placed 5th in the 2004 Olympic Games. His road to Bejing is paved in gold so far. In addition to his success on the mat, Jared also hit the books with the same intensity as the mat earning a 4.0 GPA in high school. In college Jared won the Big Ten Medal of Honor. "It is an award that is given to one male and one female athlete out of all the athletes based on their athletic and academic achievements," said Jared. Jared also wrestled in Real Pro Wrestling Season 1 were he was a member of the Minnesota Storm. "RPW is great for the sport of wrestling," said Jared. "It gives hope for the wrestlers that there is a future in wrestling with an opportunity to make some money." Jared LawrenceJared recently traveled to Uzbekistan and wrestled in and placed third in the World Cup. That alone is an awesome accomplishment but coupled with the adversity Jared experienced on his trip shows just how intense and focused of a champion he really is. "I left for Uzbekistan on Tuesday," said Jared. I flew into JFK airport in New York and was waiting for my connecting flight when I got snowed in. I had to stay the night there and then got re-directed on a flight to Istanbul, Turkey the following day. When I arrived in Turkey I missed my flight to Uzbekistan and had to stay there for a night. By the time I arrived in Uzbekistan and got to the venue to wrestle it was three hours before the tournament started. Five days it took to get there!" "What made things worse was that none of my bags made it to Uzbekistan with me," said Jared. "I had my carryon bag and had some gear I used to workout with at the different places I was stranded. We had to take turns using each other's shoes. After one of us would wrestle I would have to give the shoes to the next guy up." Five days of traveling the world to get to a wrestling tournament without gear and without the proper rest and still takes a bronze … that is a champion. Off the mat Jared has used his intensity and smarts to start two of his own businesses while working another job! "When I graduated I did promotions for the wrestling program at the University," said Jared. "I also worked with Tim Hartung, a former teammate, with his wrestling school, The school of Champions. After about two years Tim moved to Iowa and started coaching there and I ran the wrestling school along with Luke Becker, another former teammate." Right about this time some major opportunities presented themselves to Jared and he capitalized on all three! "I wanted to have my own wrestling school so I left and started Pinnacle Wrestling School. I have about 60-70 kids of all ages from grade school to high school and it is going great." "Around the same time an opportunity to get into the apparel business came my way. A former wrestler had a large screen printing company and offered me a chance to start my own company under his guidance and with support in the form of low overhead and low cost buying of materials and labor. It was a great opportunity so my brother (Brett) and I jumped at the chance and formed Gut Wrench Gear." You can check out their broad selection of athletic apparel, equipment and custom screen printing options on: www.gutwrenchgear.com. They specialize in outfitting teams so coaches … support your local Olympic hopeful and check out what Jared and Gut Wrench Gear has to offer." Jared LawrenceAnd for the hat trick … Jared earned a job with Home Depot through a program called "O Job". The object of the program is to allow elite level athletes vying for a spot on the Olympic Team the opportunity to continue their training full-time while working part-time but earning full-time wages. "It is a great opportunity and it really helps financially," said Jared. "In business I have a lot going on right now with my Pinnacle Wrestling School and Gut Wrench Gear," said Jared. "I hope to do well with both; it will take a lot of hard work but it will pay off. "With my wrestling career, my sights are on 2008 Olympic games in Bejing, China," said Jared. "I have only been wrestling at the elite level for two years and there is no where to go but up. I have a lot to learn and I am going to keep working and training hard." I will end with an appropriate quote from Aristotle Jared has posted on the homepage of gutwrenchgear.com: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." I hope Bejing is your next habit, Jared. Coaches Corner with Jared Lawrence: For the kids "Dig the well before you are thirsty." Put effort in the entire year. Drilling is how you get better. You have to learn to wrestle before you wrestle. For the parents You have to work just as hard as the kids. Make sacrifices and commitments for your kids. Set good examples and work ethic. For other coaches Go to clinics to constantly improve coaching skills. Technique, fundamentals, styles etc…

Wrestling is "icky." Yep … I used to be one of THOSE people … those who can't appreciate wrestling for the true form of sport that it is … you might consider those people the "uninformed." A few things altered my perception about wrestling quite some time ago … one of my little brothers joined up -- then the other little brother -- then the first brother won a state high school title -- then I married a wrestler. Now I am being told that I am raising two wrestlers (three if my husband gets his say regarding our daughter). Needless to say, the sport has grown on me. As for my expertise on the sport, I can explain scoring somewhat reasonably, I can keep riding time with a certain amount of proficiency, and recently I have mastered the complicated procedures pertaining to NCAA Weight Certification protocol. All of these things are making me believe that I am no longer one of THOSE people anymore. This, along with my job, hopefully provides me a bit of licensure to comment on our UWL wrestling team. My chosen profession is athletics … and I enjoy all types of sports. I'm the associate athletic director at UW-La Crosse. I'm not supposed to have favorites, but a special fondness for the UW-L wrestling program exists in my household … my husband is an alumnus of UWL. He is proud to have been a part of the program and he's pleased with the strides the team has made since "his time." Now I'm proud to be associated with the program even if it is just from the fringes. Many people see the success that the team has in competitions. What I see extends beyond the edge of the mat. I see student-athletes who work extremely hard to be the best individuals they can be in all aspects of their lives. I see student-athletes who participate in class and strive to achieve good grades. I see student-athletes who attend many other athletic events in support of all of our teams here on campus. I see these guys set up and take down their own mats for competition, and then go even further by helping the facility staff put away tables and chairs without even being asked. These guys are good wrestlers, yes -- the rankings suggest as much -- but it goes beyond that … they are good people. Kim Blum hails from the same hometown (Tomahawk, Wisconsin) as UW-La Crosse wrestler Josh Chelf.By no means do I wish to suggest that I understand what it is like to be a wrestler. I really don't enjoy the technique my husband tries to demonstrate on me … he says I'd never make it as a wrestler and I have to agree. Sometimes I tune out when he starts talking about gramby roll this, arm bar that. I've never put on headgear (because that would mess up my hair). I will say I've tried a few diets that might give me some insight into what it's like to cut weight … but I hardly think that counts. Regardless, I do comprehend and appreciate the tremendous efforts our UW-L wrestlers are devoting day after day, hour after hour. They push themselves to the limit, and in the realm of wrestling, it is almost incomprehensible for me to know what that really means. It is no small feat to be a collegiate student-athlete in any sport, and with wrestling, the moral fiber that is necessary is compounded by what is physically and mentally required. I am unable to attend their practices. The only meets I am usually able to attend are the home ones. But whether they realize it or not, I know most of them by name, some of them from class, and one of them is even from my hometown. Quite honestly, they all impress me. The team has persevered through some hard times and their will is very admirable. They go on competing without complaint. They remain steadfast in their loyalty to the program. These are just some of the many qualities that suggest this team is destined for greatness. I'm impressed by the wins and pins but I'm equally impressed with the team's response to the losses and setbacks. Wrestlers at any level demonstrate the qualities I've mentioned, but when you examine the accolades that this team has earned, you can only assume these gentlemen have just a bit more resolve, spirit, and "chutzpah" to set them apart. I really am in awe of the tenacity these UW-L wrestlers possess. The tremendous sacrifices made by the team are not easily understood by those not given a glimpse into the world of wrestling. I feel grateful for having been given that glimpse. Good Luck in the rest of the season fellas! Kim Blum Past UW-La Crosse Entries: Entry 6 (12/19/05) Entry 5 (12/1/05) Entry 4 (11/16/05) Entry 3 (11/3/05) Entry 2 (10/19/05) Entry 1 (10/10/05)

Cowboys Host Big 12 Foe Iowa State Oklahoma State will return home for a Sunday afternoon dual against Big 12 rival Iowa State at Gallagher-Iba Arena at 2 p.m. The Cowboys are coming off of a 29-10 victory at Missouri. The win moved the Cowboys to 12-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 duals. The Cowboys got another solid performance from sophomores Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan. Both wrestlers earned solid victories over ranked opponents. Johny Hendricks also put together another solid performance recording a major decision over fifth-ranked Matt Pell. Jake Rosholt and Steve Mocco closed out the dual each recording a fall in 1:11. OSU has won four straight duals over Iowa State. The Cyclones last win came at National Duals during the 2001-02 season. The Cowboys own the all-time series edge at 48-15-3 after winning the only meeting last year, 21-14, at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Scouting the Cyclones Iowa State comes into the dual with a 9-4 record. Three of the Cyclonnes four losses have come to top 10 opponents, while the other loss was to nationally ranked Missouri at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. The Cyclones are led by NCAA runner-up Nate Gallick. Gallick boasts a 23-0 record on the year and is currently the top-ranked 141-pounder according to W.I.N. Magazine and Amateur Wrestling News. The Cyclones are also represented by the Paulson brothers at 157 and 165. Trent is currently ranked second at 157 with a 16-1 record, while Travis is sitting at No. 9 nationally. The Cyclones also have ranked wrestlers at 133 and 184. Jesse Sundell is currently ranked No. 18 at 133, while Kurt Backes is 11th at 184. Morgan, W.O.W! Nathan Morgan earned Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors after for the week of Jan. 17-23 after going 3-0 with two wins over ranked opponents. Morgan defeated third-ranked Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly, just a week after defeating Minnesota's fourth-ranked Mack Reiter. Morgan also posted a major decision over Fresno State's Sean Carlson and Missouri's No. 19 Tyler McCormick. Morgan Takes Bakersfield Crown When Nathan Morgan sepped on the mat against Cal Poly, his opponent was someone he was quite familiar with. Darrell Vasquez was a four-time state champion in California out of Bakersfield High School, while Morgan was a three-time state champion and four-time finalist from Bakersfield High as well. Morgan looked up to Vasquez in high school, but now the roles have been reversed when Morgan scored a late takedown in sudden victory to beat his longtime friend. Vasquez will be looking up at Morgan when the new individual rankings are released next week. A Gopher in the Side Oklahoma State has dominated collegiate wrestling since the NCAA started conducting a championship in 1928. The Cowboys have been even more dominating of late winning the last three NCAA titles and compiling a 104-7 record over the last six seasons. There has been one team that has continually stuck out and that is Minnesota. The Gophers have handed OSU four of those seven losses and have won six of the last nine meetings in the series. Oklahoma State still leads the all-time series at 16-8, but Minnesota is closing the gap. Freshmen Become Sophomores Head coach John Smith made a decision last winter to pull two freshmen out of redshirt because the Cowboys were struggling at both 125 and 133. Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan both became Big 12 champions later on that year, while Scott went on to finish eighth at the NCAA Championships at 125. The freshmen have become sophomores and have turned into two of the better wrestlers at their weight class in the country. Scott recently defeated ninth-ranked Paul Donahoe of Nebraska and avenged an earlier loss to Arizona State's sixth-ranked Jeremy Mendoza. Morgan has the best record on the team at 21-1 and is ranked second by the NWCA/Intermat Individual Rankings at 133 after defeating fourth-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota and third-ranked Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- The Adams State College Grizzly wrestling team used four forfeits, three pins and nine total bonus-point wins to thump the visiting New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys by a 51-4 count in Thursday night Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action in Plachy Hall. The Grizzlies needed just 40 minutes to improve to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in RMAC duals. The Cowboys, who re-introduced their program this year after dropping it in 1987, fell to 0-3 overall and to 0-2 in the RMAC. The impressive effort allowed the Grizzlies, ranked 11th in this week's NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, to set NCAA Division II era (1992-Present) records for team points in a dual and margin of victory. The previous record was set way back on Jan. 30, 1994 when the Grizzlies blanked Truman State (Mo.) 44-0 in the NCAA Division II Dual Meet Championships in Wichita, Kan. ASC jumped out to a 12-0 lead as nationally-ranked wrestlers Rob McCabe (Nucla, Colo.) and Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.) each received forfeits. McCabe, ranked seventh in the nation at 125 pounds, improved to 15-8 with his seventh straight win. Dunning, ranked second at 133 pounds, moved to 15-6 with his seventh win in his last eight bouts. The pair is a combined 7-1 in dual meets. The Cowboys only winner was 141-pound Patrick Sharp, who scored an 11-2 major decision win over ASC junior Brian Pitts (Rio Rancho, N.M.), now 11-12. Sharp, NMHU's top wrestler, took a 7-0 first period lead and improved to 9-3 with the victory. A National Junior College runner-up while at Northwestern Wyoming, Sharp is a Division I transfer from Northern Iowa. Down 12-4 at that point, the Cowboys were looking like they would get back into the dual as Cowboy junior Jerry Garley took a 4-2 lead in the second period of his 149-pound match with Grizzly senior Dave Welanko (Clarkston, Mich.). Welanko then escaped and scored a late takedown, going into the third period with a 5-4 lead. Welanko then reversed Garley to begin the third before pinning him 52 seconds into the stanza, giving ASC a 18-4 cushion. His win avenged a 9-4 set back to Garley in Saturday's Colorado Collegiate Invitational. The Grizzlies kept rolling at 157 pounds as senior Scott Cleve (Escondido, Calif.) won his sixth straight match by a 15-0 technical fall margin over NMHU's Isaac Luna. Cleve, now 7-3, had a takedown in each period and racked up four near falls to end the match with the winless Cowboy with 30 seconds left in the second period. Junior Dusty Vaughn (Montrose, Colo.) then wasted little time in pinning NMHU sophomore Damon Williams in the 165-pound match. Needing just 82 seconds to record his fifth win of the year, Vaughn (5-5) gave ASC a 29-4 lead with his second pin of the season. The Grizzlies then went up 35-4 as Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) moved up a weight class to receive a forfeit. Now 10-9, Copeland is ranked seventh in the nation at 165 pounds. ASC junior James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.) pushed ASC over the 40-point mark as he pinned Cowboy freshman Thomas Navarrette just 1:47 into the 184-pound match. Reynolds, wrestling up a weight class, had been named as the RMAC's Wrestler of the Week earlier in the day and has now won four straight and five of his last six matches. The last forfeit of the night came at 197 pounds as normal 184-pound starter Josh Vialpando (Walsenburg, Colo.) moved to 5-8 overall and 2-1 in dual meets by receiving a forfeit at a higher weight class. That gave ASC a 47-4 lead. ASC junior Casey Woodall (Morenci, Ariz.) then wrapped up the dual with a 15-6 major decision win over Cowboy junior Charles Saguil in the heavyweight match. Woodall weighed in at 197 pounds, but dominated the much-bigger Cowboy, scoring six of ASC's 14 takedowns while allowing just one to Saguil, who had finished third at Saturday's Colorado Collegiate Invitational. The Grizzlies will face a tougher challenge on Friday as they host Division I Utah Valley State at 7 p.m. The Wolverines come into the dual with a 4-8 mark. Their probable lineup includes San Luis Valley products Daniel Polkowske (La Jara) and D.J. Meis (Alamosa).

BOONE, N.C. -- Trailing 10-7 midway through its Southern Conference showdown with VMI, Appalachian State University wrestling reeled off five-straight victories to defeat the Keydets, 24-10, on Thursday evening in Varsity Gym. With the triumph, Appalachian moved to 6-5-1 on the season and 1-1 in SoCon action, while VMI fell to 1-6-1 and 0-1-1 in conference meets. Junior Terreyl Williams got the rally started for the Mountaineers with a 19-4 technical fall over VMI's Brandon Stillo at 133 pounds that erased the Apps' only deficit of the night and gave them the lead for good at 12-10. SoCon Wrestler of the Week Marcus Cox followed with a narrow 16-14 win over David Metzler at 141 pounds to stretch the Appalachian lead to 15-10. ASU 149-pounder Eric Burns picked up perhaps the team's most impressive win of the night with a 5-1 triumph over Sam Alvarenga, who came into the evening with an impressive 16-6 overall record on the season, two major decisions, four pins and a 6-1 mark in dual meets. Sophomore Scott Ervin kept his perfect campaign intact with a come-from-behind 10-3 win over the Keydets' Tommy Cunningham to seal the Mountaineer victory, while 165-pounder Eddie Hutchinson closed out the contest by defeating Chris Hardy, 3-1. With the win at 157 pounds, Ervin upped his undefeated record to 18-0 on the season. Early in the match, Appalachian's Neal Martin celebrated his 20th birthday in style by scoring a 16-5 major decision over VMI's Dustin McCabe at 174 pounds and 197-pounder Josh Carroll held on a for a 7-6 victory over Kyle Elgert. Appalachian concludes its homestand next Tuesday, Jan. 31 when it hosts SoCon-rival Davidson and non-conference foe Newberry beginning at 6 p.m. in Varsity Gym. APPALACHIAN 24, VMI 10 • Jan. 26, 2006 • Boone, N.C. (Varsity Gym) 174 — Neal Martin (ASU) maj. dec. Dustin McCabe (VMI), 16-5 (4-0 ASU) 184 — Corry Murray (VMI) maj. dec. Kevin Worsowicz (ASU), 11-3 (4-4) 197 — Josh Carroll (ASU) dec. Kyle Elgert (VMI), 7-6 (7-4 ASU) HWT — Scott Buhman (VMI) dec. Jared Campbell (ASU), 3-2 (7-7) 125 — Lam Ly (VMI) dec. Adam Wilson (ASU), 2-0 (10-7 VMI) 133 — Terreyl Williams (ASU) tech. fall Brandon Stillo (VMI), 19-4 (12-10 ASU) 141 — Marcus Cox (ASU) dec. David Metzler (VMI), 16-14 (15-10 ASU) 149 — Eric Burns (ASU) dec. Sam Alvarenga (VMI), 5-1 (18-10 ASU) 157 — Scott Ervin (ASU) dec. Tommy Cunningham (VMI), 10-3 (21-10 ASU) 165 — Eddie Hutchinson (ASU) dec. Chris Hardy (VMI), 3-1 (24-10 ASU)

Stanford, Calif. -- Stanford (5-3, 2-0 Pac-10) will take its conference success on the road this weekend as the Cardinal readies for a Friday night dual against UC Davis (3-6, 1-2 Pac-10). "UC Davis is one of the top teams in our conference," notes head coach Kerry McCoy. "They have a bunch of guys ranked in the Pac-10 and two who are nationally ranked. That said, our focus does not change. We want to go out and wrestle hard and keep preparing for our ultimate goals at the end of the season. This is just another step." Stanford opened conference competition last week with back-to-back wins against Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton. The Cardinal defeated the Roadrunners 27-14 on Friday and added a 26-11 victory over the Titans on Monday. Senior Ray Blake, ranked fourth in the Pac-10, leads the way for the Cardinal with 32 wins and will challenge Davis's Frank Richmond on Friday. Richmond is ranked third in the conference and posted a 5-1 decision over Blake in December in the third-place match at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Another rematch could occur at heavyweight, where Jared Boyer is slated to meet Broc Maffia or Evan Hendrix. Boyer and Maffia faced off at the Reno Tournament, with Boyer scoring a 5-3 victory. Sophomore Scott Loescher is also looking to keep his recent momentum going with two-straight Pac-10 wins. He will face Jon Clark, a sophomore with an 8-8 overall record and 1-3 mark in dual action. The Aggies have one conference win in three matches this season, scoring a 25-9 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 18, but losing to Arizona State, 25-18, and Cal State Bakersfield, 20-19. Davis is tabbed fourth in the conference, with seven Aggies' wrestlers ranked in the Pac-10 and a pair of top-10 wrestlers. The Aggies will host the Cardinal in the UC Davis Pavilion at 7 p.m. on Friday night. Probable Matchups: Stanford (5-3, 2-0 Pac-10) at UC Davis (3-6, 1-2 Pac-10) 125 - #9 Tanner Gardner vs. Marcos Orozco 133 - Eric Minnick vs. Omar Gaitan 141 - Juston Johnson vs. #7 Derek Moore 149 - Josh Zupancic vs. Jesse Padilla 157 - Scott Loescher vs. Jon Clark 165 - Ray Blake vs. Frank Richmond 174 - Luke Feist vs. #9 Ken Cook 184 - Ryan Hagen vs. Tyler Bernacchi

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Adams State College junior James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.) was named as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Wrestler of the Week on Thursday after claiming the 174-pound weight class title and Most Outstanding Wrestler Honor at Saturday's Colorado Collegiate Invitational, that the Grizzlies hosted in Plachy Hall. Defeating Colorado Mines freshman Dave Tedrow in the quarterfinals, Reynolds knocked off Shawn Hart of Division I Northern Colorado, the top seed, in the semifinals before claiming his first career tournament title with a championship win over Western State's Charlie Pipher, the tournament's third seed and the Nov. 23 RMAC Wrestler of the Week. Reynolds, who was seeded just fourth in that tournament, is the third Grizzly to earn RMAC Wrestler of the Week honors this season joining 125-pound senior Rob McCabe (Nucla, Colo.) and 133-pound sophomore Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.), who earned the Nov. 17 and Jan. 12 honors, respectively. The Sargent High School graduate sports a 13-12 record this year and continues to be ranked seventh in his weight class according to the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll. He is the RMAC's only representative in the national rankings at 174 pounds. Reynolds, a returning NCAA Division II National Championship qualifier, and the Grizzlies host New Mexico Highlands on Thursday night at 7 o'clock before taking on Utah Valley State Friday at 7 p.m.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A key Mid-American Conference dual against Buffalo will begin a three-meet day for the Ohio wrestling team on Saturday. The Bobcats will also face Ithaca and Delaware State at the Alumni Arena quad-meet. Ohio (6-7, 1-1 MAC) will square off against the host Bulls at 9 a.m. Buffalo (5-3, 0-1 MAC) just cracked one set of national rankings with a 25th-place listing on WrestlingReport.com's national poll. The Bulls feature three nationally ranked grapplers in senior 197-pounder Kyle Cerminara, junior 133-pounder Mark Budd and senior heavyweight Harold Sherrell. With a 30-0 record, Cerminara is the only undefeated 197-pounder remaining in Division I and is ranked fifth in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Poll and as high as second in other national polls. Budd is ranked 13th by the NWCA and as high as 11th elsewhere with a 28-3 record and has won four tournament titles this season, including the Mat Town USA Invitational and the New York State Championships. Sherrell, meanwhile, holds a 27-5 mark and is ranked 15th by the NWCA and as high as 12th in other polls. "Buffalo has had pretty good success so far this year but we've always wrestled well against them," said Bobcat head coach Joel Greenlee. "It's important for us to get back on track and we should be able to wrestle with each and every one of their guys." Ohio has won eight straight dual meets against Buffalo but the last three have not been decided until the final match. The Bobcats won on criteria in a 16-16 tie in 2003, by a 17-16 score in 2004 and 20-13 last year. With a 16-10 record, junior 184-pounder Brian Cesear leads Ohio in wins this season while sophomore 174-pounder Ryan Knapp (14-13), sophomore 125-pounder Caleb Metcalf (13-12), 157-pound redshirt freshman Jake Frerichs (10-4) and 197-pounders Nick Terbay (11-8) and Larry Reichard (10-6) have also reached double-digits in victories. After facing Buffalo, the Bobcats will take on Ithaca at 11 a.m. and Delaware State at 1 p.m. A traditional power in Division III, the Ithaca Bombers are off to a 5-4 start and feature senior Jad Duca, who is fresh off his 157-pound title at the New York State Championships. Under a first-year head coach, the Delaware State Hornets are 0-11 this season in Division I. "We need these matches," said Greenlee. "I think we've gotten a lot better since the start of the year but our biggest problem is inexperience. We lose matches by a point because our mistakes here and there really cost us so to make up for that, we need to be aggressive and we need to be in great shape." Complete results of all three Bobcat dual meets will be posted here at ohiobobcats.com as soon as they become available. Ohio's tentative lineup for Saturday: 125 - Caleb Metcalf (13-12) 133 - Terry Jackson (8-6) 141 - Albert Madsen (6-9) or Frank Brown (4-6) 149 - Aaron Gomoll (9-14) 157 - Jake Frerichs (10-4) or Mike Grandominico (1-7) 165 - Kent Smith (4-13) 174 - Ryan Knapp (14-13) 184 - Brian Cesear (16-10) 197 - Nick Terbay (11-8) or Larry Reichard (10-6) HWT - Marcus Adelman (7-5)