InterMat Staff

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The wrestling team heads North this weekend to compete in the Chippewa Challenge at Central Michigan University Sunday in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The event features five teams with each wrestling in four dual matches on the day. The Mocs, ranked as high as 17th nationally, will face Gardner-Webb at 10 a.m., Cal Poly at noon, Eastern Illinois at 4 p.m. and host Central Michigan at 6 p.m. UTC, 8-0, carries an undefeated record into the round-robin event. The last time the Mocs enjoyed a start this successful was in 1988 when the team kicked off the season winning its first 10 dual matches. "This will surely be a test for our team," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "Wrestling four duals in one day is tough, and Central Michigan may be one of the top teams we face all year. We have to be focused in each and every match. But we are going up there to win all four." Central Michigan is ranked as high as No. 7 nationally, and the Chippewas will be the Mocs' highest-ranked opponent since they took on No. 5 Minnesota at last year's Northeast Duals on Nov. 26. The Gophers won that match, 36-6. CMU is 8-4-1 on the year. The Chippewas have faced national top-five opponents Minnesota and Hofstra twice each and No. 2 Missouri. CMU has a 33-9 win over American, a team UTC defeated 28-12 in its last outing. Central Michigan has also beaten Bloomsburg, Penn, Michigan, Michigan State, No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 8 Northwestern. The Chippewas won the Reno Tournament of Champions and finished fourth at the Midlands. They have six nationally-ranked wrestlers in their lineup, including third-ranked Bubba Gritter at heavyweight and fifth-ranked Brandon Sinnot at 174. Cal Poly is 3-3 in dual matches, Eastern Illinois is 0-5 and Gardner-Webb is 3-9-1. Bono will employ a slight change in his lineup, placing sophomore Kyle McKee at 197 pounds instead of sophomore Mike Marable. The rest of the tentative lineup remains intact with No. 18 Javier Maldonado at 125, No. 8 Matt Keller at 133, No. 14 Michael Keefe at 141 and No. 13 Aaron Martin at 149 making up the top four weight classes for UTC. Jake Yost and T.J. Sayers will compete at 157 and 165 respectively. Lloyd Rogers, ranked 17th, will face Sinnot at 174. Josh Edmondson and Matt Koz round out the lineup at 184 and 285 respectively.

Team Rankings 1. Lindenwood (Mo.) 2. Dickinson State (N.D.) 3. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 4. William Penn (Iowa) 5. Dana (Neb.) 6. Missouri Valley 7. Cumberlands (Ky.) 8. Campbellsville (Ky.) 9. Great Falls (Mont.) 9. McKendree (Ill.) 11. Menlo (Calif.) 12. Northwestern (Iowa) 13. Cumberland (Tenn.) 13. Montana State-Northern 15. Jamestown (N.D.) 15. Missouri Baptist 17. Simon Fraser (B.C.) 18. Waldorf (Iowa) 19. York (Neb.) 20. Oklahoma City 20. Morningside (Iowa) Individual Rankings 125 1. Richard Byrd, Embry-Riddle 2. Delrico Choates, Cumberlands (Ky.) 3. Mark Johnston, Dickinson State 4. Josh Sampo, Lindenwood 5. Craig Trampe, Dana 6. Cory Johnston, Dickinson State 7. Steve Costello, Montana State Northern 8. Dennis Kakrah, Lindenwood 133 1. Kyle Jahn, McKendree 2. Burke Barnes, Dana 3. Ryan Moyer, Lindenwood 4. Mike Miller, McKendree 5. John Gerhold, Missouri Valley 6. Jordan Keckler, Northwestern 7. Blake Risk, Great Falls 8. Mikeal Brooks, Cumberlands (Ky.) 141 1. Brad Cooper, Cumberlands (Ky.) 2. Terrence Almond, Dana 3. Gordo Villaescusa, Embry-Riddle 4. Zach Flake, Campbellsville 5. Brian Graham, Dana 6. Chris Smith, Montana State Northern 7. Kyle Norred, Campbellsville 7. Clint Leonard, Missouri Valley 149 1. Darren Cotton, William Penn 2. Mark Dickman, Lindenwood 3. Chris Seta, Campbellsville 4. Brad Stockton, Waldorf 5. Corey Bleaken, Cumberland (Tenn.) 6. Grant Mehring, Jamestown 7. Jairus Murton, Campbellsville 8. Jason Mendez, Embry-Riddle 157 1. Hayden Harrison, Embry-Riddle 2. Chad Jennings, Missouri Valley 3. David Clemens, Campbellsville 4. Wayne French, Great Falls 5. Jason Bilinski, Dana 6. Justin Wolfrum, Lindenwood 7. Brandon Graham, William Penn 8. Matt Gustafson, Morningside 165 1. Jake Dieffenbach, Lindenwood 2. Nate Stirgus, William Penn 3. David Krawczyk, Simon Fraser 4. Shane Bennett, Dickinson State 5. Stephen Towne, Menlo 6. Marty Usman, William Penn 7. Calvin Devault, Embry-Riddle 8. Randy Vanderveen, Lindenwood 174 1. Mike Kummer, Great Falls 2. Abel Trujillo, William Penn 3. John Salter, Lindenwood 4. Enoch Francois, Northwestern 5. Stanton Schlect, Dickinson State 6. David Waters, Montana State Northern 7. Brandon Wyms, McKendree 8. Jake Toavs, Dickinson State 184 1. Jasper Lockett, Missouri Valley 2. Joeffre Lander, Embry-Riddle 3. Kyle Frawley, Lindenwood 4. Matt Michaelson, Dickinson State 5. Tyler Philips, York 6. Luke Borneman, Cumberland (Tenn.) 7. Alex Calvi, Great Falls 7. Tanner Wolk, McKendree 197 1. Justin Schlect, Dickinson State 2. Tyrell Blanche, Menlo 3. Glenn Jackson, Campbellsville 4. Andrew Lundgren, Northwestern 5. Ben Briscoe, Cumberland (Tenn.) 6. Wade Jordan, Dana 7. Brian Fritchman, Montana State Northern 8. Cory Johnson, Oklahoma City 285 1. Eric Flinchum, Cumberlands (Ky.) 2. Jared Bonnell, Missouri Baptist 3. Clay Rogers, Dickinson State 4. David Herman, Missouri Valley 5. Jacob Hallmark, Menlo 6. Sam Sand, Jamestown 7. Lance Shunia, Lindenwood 8. Chauncey Coleman, William Penn

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State's fourth-ranked wrestling team survived a hotly contested dual with fifth-ranked Iowa, 21-11, in front of 4,233 fans and an ESPNU audience on Friday night inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Five matches were decided by one takedown, with the Cowboys coming out on top in three of those matches. Johny Hendricks and Jack Jensen both secured key third period takedowns to win tight matches and propel OSU to victory. "That is how you win matches, taking people down in the third period and we got those two wins and it made a big difference in the outcome," head coach John Smith said. "I am pleased with the fact that we beat a solid team twice this season. That is important for us." OSU improved to 10-3 on the season and extended its winning streak over Iowa to eight straight matches, while the Hawkeyes fell to 9-2 on the year. Iowa quickly reversed one of the matches in the last meeting when Charlie Falck defeated OSU's Tyler Shinn. Falck was working on a major decision, but Shinn escaped with one second left to keep it to a regular decision. The Cowboys followed with consecutive decisions from Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan to go ahead 6-3 in the dual. Scott scored two first period takedowns to defeat Mario Galanakis, while Morgan scored a takedown and an ensuing three-point near fall to defeat seventh-ranked Alex Tsirtsis. Freshman Dakotah Simpson was once again called on by coach Smith. Simpson could not duplicate his performance from last Saturday at National Duals when he pinned Iowa's Alex Grunder. Grunder got the first takedown towards the end of the first period and secured the victory when he took Simpson down again late in the third period. OSU retook the lead when Newly McSpadden reversed a decision from the last meeting. McSpadden rode Ryan Morningstar, ranked No. 15 nationally, in the third period to a boisterous OSU crowd. "I had to keep him down," McSpadden said. "There is nothing else to it. My team needed it and I needed it. I had some tough losses last weekend. I lost to him (Morningstar) in double overtime. It was big for me to ride him and get that win. That is what I had to do." The highly anticipated match at 165 between top-ranked Johny Hendricks and fourth-ranked Mark Perry followed. Perry scored the first takedown just a minute into the match to take the lead. Hendricks tied the match on a pair of escapes, but was trailing 3-2 after he released Perry in the third period. Perry had riding time in his favor, but Hendricks got a takedown with 1:11 remaining in the match and sent the riding time south of minute to negate the riding time point. The win was the 44th straight victory for Hendricks and put the Pokes up 12-6 in the dual. Eric Luedke stole a victory from OSU's Brandon Mason when he reversed Mason with 16 seconds left to win by a point. Luedke's victory cut the deficit to three and set up a key match in the dual at 184. Iowa's Phillip Keddy had beaten Jack Jensen twice already this season. The two wrestlers traded escapes through the first two periods and were tied at one in the third period. Jensen shot in on a double leg and scored the winning takedown with 1:25 remaining. Jensen fought off Keddy's attempts and won the bout to put OSU up 15-9 in the dual with two matches remaining. "That guy has beaten me twice this season," Jensen said. "That was a big win for me and the team. I just go in there and try to do my job. It's more about the team than it is me, but it is good to beat somebody you had lost to previously. All three matches have been close, so it is good to finally win one." The Hawkeyes were deducted a team point after a frustrated Keddy slapped Jensen following the match. It did not matter, however, because at 197 Jared Shelton took Iowa's Dan Erekson down hard to the mat and suffered a shoulder injury and could not continue. Erekson's default gave OSU six team points and iced the dual for the Cowboys. Matt Fields recorded an overtime decision over Jared Rosholt to make the final score 21-11. OSU returns to the mat on Sunday when it takes on Oregon at 2 p.m. inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. The match can be heard live on KSPI 93.7 FM with Rex Holt and Roger Moore providing the commentary.

Oklahoma State returns home for the first time since wrestling Michigan State back on Nov. 16. The Cowboys host fifth-ranked Iowa in a dual televised live by ESPNU beginning at 8 p.m. with Dave Armstrong and Tim Johnson announcing the dual. OSU met Iowa in the quarterfinals of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Saturday, Jan. 13. The Cowboys came away with a 22-13 victory and have now won the last seven meetings in the series. OSU leads the all-time series, 23-16-1. The last Iowa win came during the 1999-2000 season when the Hawkeyes defeated the Cowboys, 20-14, in Iowa City. Iowa last won a dual in Stillwater during the 1995-96 season. The Cowboys have lost their last two matches en route to a fourth-place finish at the National Duals. The last time OSU lost two straight was during the 1999-2000 season against Iowa State and Iowa. OSU is 9-3 on the season, its first three-loss season since 2001-02 when the Cowboys went 20-3. The dual will be broadcast live on KSPI 93.7 FM with Rex Holt and Rpger Moore providing the commentary. Last Time Out Oklahoma State finished fourth at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, going 2-2 in the tournament. OSU defeated Northern Iowa and Iowa to advance to the semifinals, but lost to Missouri and Iowa State to settle for fourth-place. OSU had a good showing from redshirt freshman Tyler Shinn, who won all four of his matches. Johny Hendricks faced four of his top challengers to the NCAA crown and defeated all four (Nick Baima, Mark Perry, Matt Pell and Travis Paulson). The Cowboys did not fare so well on Sunday, losing both matches by a combined score of 52-18 to finish fourth. Third-ranked Coleman Scott lost both of his matches, and Nathan Morgan and Jared Rosholt both fell victim to the upset bug. Scouting the Hawkeyes Iowa is 9-1 on the season and ranked fifth according to both W.I.N. Magazine and USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Coaches' poll. The Hawkeyes have key wins over Iowa State, Northwestern and Hofstra in the fifth-place match at the NWCA National Duals. Iowa's lone loss came in the quarterfinals to OSU. Iowa has seven wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the latest individual rankings. Mark Perry and Eric Luedke lead the way for the Hawkeyes. Perry, the nephew of OSU head coach John Smith, is a two-time All-American and is ranked fourth in the country. Luedke is ranked as high as second at 174 pounds. Alex Tsirtsis and Matt Fields are the other Hawkeyes ranked in the top 10 at 141 and heavyweight, respectively. Simpson Makes Debut True freshman Dakotah Simpson was pulled out of redshirt to face rival Iowa in the quarterfinals of the National Duals. Simpson made an immediate impact in the dual, pinning fifth-year senior Alex Grunder to put the Pokes up 15-0 and all but sealing the Cowboy victory. Simpson is currently 6-2 on the season and won an open title at the Oklahoma Open. Young Guns Oklahoma State graduated five starters and three All-Americans off of the 2006 national championship squad. Head coach John Smith has had to fill those holes the best that he could and that has come in the forms of a pair of redshirt freshmen and now the possible addition of true freshman Dakotah Simpson. Tyler Shinn has jumped into the rankings and is ranked as high as 14th, while his high school teammate, Jared Rosholt, has been ranked as high as 10th this season. Simpson was pulled out of redshirt at National Duals and is now in position to compete for the starting spot at 149 pounds. In addition, the Cowboys added a pair of sophomores to the lineup in Newly McSpadden and Jared Shelton at 157 and 197, respectiviely. Cowboys Fall Oklahoma State lost to top-ranked Missouri by a score of 27-9. You have to go back 13 years to find another dual the Cowboys lost by as many as 18 points. OSU twice lost to Iowa during the 1994-95 season by scores of 31-3 and 29-10. Even more shocking was OSU was pinned three times in the dual. The Cowboys have been known to rack up the bonus points as they recorded 11 pins in the NCAA Tournament last season, but the last time OSU was pinned three times in a dual was against second-ranked Penn State on Jan. 30, 1993. The Nittany Lions won 38-7 in Stillwater. Hendricks Outstanding Wrestler Johny Hendricks was named outstanding wrestler of the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20. Hendricks went 6-0 and recorded five major decisions and a fall en route to winning the title. Hendricks is 21-0 on the season and 16 of his 21 victories are by bonus points, 10 major decisions and six falls. Hendricks Reaches the Century Mark Senior Johny Hendricks became the 26th member of the 100-win club when he defeated Oklahoma's Shane Seibert, 7-4, on Dec. 3, 2006. He is currently 21-0 on the season and boasts a career record of 114-12. He tied Lee Roy Smith for 17th on the all-time wins list.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 9/12 Oklahoma wrestling team (7-3, 0-1 Big 12) is set to host the Oregon Ducks in the Sooners first home dual of the new semester at the Howard McCasland Field House. The match is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Action will be streamed live on the official website of Oklahoma Athletics, www.SoonerSports.com. The Sooners come into the weekend after losing two straight matches at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Oklahoma was sent packing early after a barrage of injuries to the starting lineup. OU lost to Central Michigan in round one and a consolation loss to Cornell. OU has won the last eight matches against Oregon and leads the all-time series, 11-1. The Ducks last victory came in 1980 as Oregon defeated the Sooners, 22-16. The Sooners begin a two-match road trip beginning with a trip to Iowa State at 7 p.m., next Friday and than a visit to Arizona State, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. The next match at the Howard McCasland Field House will be Sunday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m., as the Sooners entertain the Missouri Tigers.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue University wrestling team continues it's Big Ten schedule this Friday as it travels to Bloomington, Ind. to face archrival Indiana University. Purdue rolls into town at 10-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while the Hoosiers are ranked 14th in the country at 9-0. The Boilermakers are looking to bounce back after their first loss of the year, a 28-6 defeat at Ohio State University last Saturday. The bright spots of the day for Purdue came at 157 and 197 pounds, where sophomore Jake Murphy and 14th-ranked senior Nathan Moore won their respective matches. Murphy picked up his first career Big Ten victory, scoring a late reversal to slide past sophomore Jason Johnstone, 6-4. Meanwhile, Moore took home his first victory of the season over a ranked opponent, toppling third-ranked junior J.D. Bergman, 7-2. Indiana has been very impressive so far this season, winning their nine matches by an average of 34 points and posting a trio of top-10 tournament finishes, including a fifth-place showing at the Midlands Championships. The Hoosiers' have grapplers ranked in five of the ten weight classes, including freshman Matt Coughlin and junior Brandon Becker, who are each ranked seventh, respectively, at 149 and 157 pounds. Other highlights of the Indiana lineup come at 125 pounds (ninth-ranked freshman Angel Escobedo), 165 pounds (11th-ranked junior Max Dean) and 184 pounds (12th-ranked senior Marc Bennett). Friday's meet should see fireworks at a few different weight classes, headlined by the clash between Coughlin and Purdue's 11th-ranked sophomore Jake Patacsil at 149 pounds. Patacsil comes into the match looking to rebound from a narrow 4-3 defeat to 14th-ranked Lance Palmer last week, boasting a season record of 24-6. Coughlin stands at 23-4 on the year, riding on the coat tails of a 1:16 pin of Eastern Illinois' Tommy Reamer. Patacsil and Coughlin narrowly avoided each other at the 2006 Midlands Championships as Coughlin fell in the semifinals, while Patacsil advanced on to the championships match. At 157 pounds, Murphy will look to continue his winning ways in conference competition and hopes to avenge a 7-1 loss from last season against Becker. Murphy is 10-6 on the year, while Becker enters the match 18-3, and finished as the runner-up at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at IU's University Gymnasium.

The Colorado School of Mines wrestling team fell to second-ranked Nebraska-Kearney, 34-6, in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action Thursday night in Volk Gym. CSM (2-6, 0-3 RMAC) senior 157-pounder Nathan Pilcher (Fort Morgan, Colo./Fort Morgan) scored one of CSM's win with a 9-4 decision over seventh-ranked Joe Ellenberger. Freshman 165-pounder Eric Brennan (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Bear Creek) was the only other Oredigger to win as he posted a 4-3 win over Taylor May. UNK (6-1, 1-0 RMAC) was coming off a championship a the National Duals and boasts seven nationally ranked grapplers.

BUFFALO, NY -- The University at Buffalo will play host to the 38th Annual New York State Intercollegiate Wrestling Championships this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 19-20) at Alumni Arena. The annual tournament will feature 16 colleges and universities from around the state and, for the first time in NYSIWC history, will welcome four state-ranked high school wrestling squads who will match up in dual meet action. In order to expose college wrestling in New York State to high school programs, the New York State College Wrestling Coach Association have brought in four WNY programs who are all ranked in the top 25 in the state according to the New York State Sportswriters Association. The top ranked high school program in the state, Spencerport, comes into this weekend's events at a perfect 11-0 record. The Rangers will be joined by Rush-Henrietta (5-0) and Niagara-Wheatfield (4-0), who are ranked 16th and 23rd respectively among large schools. Representing the small schools is Fredonia, ranked fifth in the state with a 7-1 record. The high school dual matches will begin on Saturday at 12:30. This year, the collegiate championships will feature six nationally-ranked teams. Columbia represents the 24th-ranked team in the Division I rankings, earning its first-ever national ranking. A plethora of New York State schools make up a majority of the Division III rankings, led by seventh-ranked Cortland. SUNY Brockport maintains a ranking of 15th despite a record of 0-1, while Ithaca (22nd), Oneonta (25th) and NYU (27th) bring up the bottom. Other schools looking to make an impact this weekend are Alfred State, Army, Buffalo, Hunter, Jamestown CC, Morrisville, Nassau CC, Niagara CC, Oswego State and R.I.T. The preliminary rounds are set to begin at 11 a.m. Friday morning. Tournament Schedule Thursday, January 18th Open Mats - 3:00-9:00 pm Team Registration - 4:00-6:00 pm Mandatory Medical Check - 5:00-7:00 pm Coaches Seeding Meeting - 7:30 pm Friday, January 19th Weigh In - 9:00 am Coaches Assoc. Meeting - 9:30-10:45 am Preliminary Rounds - 11:00-3:00 pm Quarterfinals - 3:00-5:00 pm 2nd Round Consolations - 5:00-7:00 pm Saturday, January 20th Coaches Assoc. Meeting - 9:00 - 10:30 College Weigh In - 9:00 am Semifinals/Consolations - 10:00 - 11:30 am 2nd Semi Consolations - 11:30 - 12:30 pm High School Weigh In - 11:00 am High School Duals - 12:30 - 4:30 pm 12:30 - 2:30 - Niagara Wheatfield vs. Spencerport - Fredonia vs. Rush Henrietta 2:30 - 4:30 - Rush Henrietta vs. Niagara Wheatfield - Fredonia vs. Spencerport Collegiate Championship Round - 4:30 - 7:00 pm

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –- Coming off a pair of road losses last weekend, the North Carolina wrestling team opens a four-match home stand against rival NC State Friday at 7 p.m. at Carmichael Auditorium. The Tar Heels (3-5, 0-1 ACC) also face a ranked non-conference opponent for the second straight Saturday, as No. 22 Navy comes to town at 1 p.m. A live webcast of Friday's match between the rival Tar Heels and Wolfpack will be available at TarHeelBlue.com through ACC Select. The dual will then be available on-demand at ACCSelect.com. The Tar Heels are led by seniors Evan Sola (8-2 at 133 pounds) and Spencer Nadolsky (17-4 at heavyweight), who both rank in the top 10 nationally in their respective weight classes and have more than 100 career victories. Junior Keegan Mueller is a team-best 19-6 at 165 and is rated No. 15 by InterMat but needs to rebound after a pair of losses last weekend. Junior Drew Forshey, who is 11-7 at 125, and redshirt freshman Ben Fiacco, who is 12-9 at 157, have also been wrestling well for the Tar Heels. The Wolfpack (7-4, 1-0 ACC) will also bring a trio of ranked wrestlers into Friday's match. Ryan Goodman (11-1) checks in at No. 12 at 197, heavyweight Jainor Palma (16-3) is ranked 17th, while Kody Hamrah (11-5) is rated 19th at 157. Carolina posted a 20-16 win at NC State a year ago, and the two teams wrestled to a 16-16 tie in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack will also square off in Raleigh Feb. 7. No. 22 Navy (6-4) also brings three ranked wrestlers into the weekend, including No. 11 Joe Baker (13-3), who will square off with the 10th-ranked Sola at 133. Tenth-ranked Matt Stolpinski is 26-5 at 174, and No. 9 Ed Prendergast is 24-5 at heavyweight. Nadolsky and Prendergast have already met twice this season with each wrestler winning once in overtime. After this weekend's action, the Tar Heels close out their home schedule against Virginia and Virginia Tech next weekend.

A big thanks to Coach Brad Penrith and the UNI Panthers staff and wrestlers for again hosting an incredible event. Job well done! After the duals we take a break back to the studio. Lee Pritts will join us from Old Dominion to talk about the season to date. Jarrod Swint, Cumberland University coach will join us to update us on his program. Troy Waller knows wrestling and has an event coming up with Pat Militich and other former wrestlers in Spirit Lake, Iowa. John Sacchi has past a milestone at Rutgers and we'll look at his history and future in wrestling. Jeff Murphy will join us for a look back at the National Duals, what happened, and what to expect from the balance of the season. Mark McKnight named TheMat.com/TakedownRadio.com Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 2-8 Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa./Penn State University) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 2-8. The third-ranked McKnight knocked off No. 2 Troy Nickerson of Cornell 5-2 at 125 pounds to spark No. 10 Penn State to an 18-12 win over No. 13 Cornell on Sunday, Jan. 7 in Ithaca, N.Y. McKnight, a junior who is 11-1 this season, scored a first-period takedown against Nickerson and then sealed the win by gaining a takedown with 26 seconds left in the match. McKnight competed for the University of Buffalo from 2003-05 and twice qualified for the NCAA Championships. He fell one win short of being an All-American as a freshman and sophomore. He then transferred to Penn State and redshirted last season with the Nittany Lions. McKnight also excels in the international style of freestyle. He placed sixth at the 2006 U.S. Nationals in freestyle at 55 kg/121 lbs. and qualified for the U.S. World Team Trials. McKnight was a Gold Medalist in freestyle and a Bronze Medalist in Greco-Roman at the Junior Pan Am Championships.

The University of Minnesota wrestling program is partnering with Smile Network International to benefit children in developing countries who are born with facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. You can help in this worthy cause and help put new smiles on the faces of these children by making a pledge for every pin a Golden Gopher makes during the 2006-07 season. The Gopher wrestling team is committed to excellence and winning in the ring, but just as in life, there's more to this commitment. The entire squad and coaching staff is also committed to helping children beyond the boundaries of a ring by helping Smile Network International perform life-changing surgeries. Smile Network International is a global non-profit, humanitarian organization that provides reconstructive surgeries and related healthcare services to impoverished children and young adults in developing countries. Every year, thousands of children are born in developing countries with facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates and suffer the humiliation and embarrassment of their disfigurement. These children suffer rejection and social injustices and are frequently hidden away from the mainstream of everyday life. The Gopher wrestling team is asking for help to assist in making a profound change in the lives of these children whose condition will otherwise go untreated. If you are interested in making a pledge, please fill out the information on the attached form. Fliers and pledge forms will also be handed out at Minnesota's dual meet against Penn State at the Sports Pavilion at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21. For more information about Smile Network International, visit www.smilenetwork.org

Following its 20-16 victory over Missouri in the National Duals final, the Golden Gopher wrestling team moved back into the top spot in the polls this week. Minnesota opens the Big Ten season by hosting No. 10 Penn State at the Sports Pavilion this Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. Gopher Wrestling Notebook The Series vs. Penn State Minnesota leads the all-time series against PSU, 9-6, including winning each of the last five meetings between the two schools. The Gophers defeated the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions, 25-16, last year in State College, Pa. Back on Top Minnesota received all 12 first-place votes in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA coaches' poll released yesterday and also jumped ahead of the Tigers in the W.I.N. Magazine and RevWrestling.com rankings. After entering the season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation, the Gophers dropped from the top spot after a season-opening loss to Hofstra at the Northeast Duals. Gophers in the Polls Seven of Minnesota's probable starters this weekend are currently ranked individually in the polls. Defending national champions Cole Konrad (Hwt) and Dustin Schlatter (149) both hold the top spot in their weight class across the board, while Manuel Rivera (141) and Roger Kish (184) are both ranked second. Rivera moved up from No. 4 in last week's polls. C.P. Schlatter (157), who returned from a knee injury last weekend, re-entered the rankings at No. 3 this week. Jayson Ness (125) is also ranked in the top five, while Gabriel Dretsch (174) is ranked 12th. Big Ten in the Rankings The Big Ten season will not be a cakewalk for the Gophers, as nine of the 11 conference schools are currently ranked in the top 25. Iowa (No. 5) is the highest-ranked Big Ten team behind Minnesota, while Northwestern and Penn State are also among the top 10. Indiana (No. 14), Michigan (No. 15), Illinois (No. 16), Wisconsin (No. 17), and Michigan State (No. 23) round out the Big Ten schools in the top 25. Ohio State is also receiving votes. Still Perfect Three Minnesota wrestlers enter this weekend still with undefeated records on the season. Manuel Rivera, now ranked No. at 141 pounds, is 26-0 with six pins, six major decisions and one tech fall. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter is 21-0 with two pins, one major and seven tech falls at 149, while heavyweight Cole Konrad is 17-0 with seven pins and two major decisions. Looking for a Record Top-ranked heavyweight Cole Konrad is riding a 58-match winning streak dating back to the start of last season, currently tied for the longest streak in school history along with Tim Hartung. Konrad will to take sole possession of the record with a victory against Penn State this weekend. Most Consecutive Wins: 1. 58, Cole Konrad (2005-pres.) 58, Tim Hartung (1998-99) 3. 51, Dustin Schlatter (2005-pres.) 4. 39, Marty Morgan (1990-91) 5. 36, Willy Short (1993-94) 6. 32, Marty Morgan (1989-90) 32, Ryan Lewis (2001-02) 8. 29, Cole Konrad (2004-05) The Closer Senior Cole Konrad did what he does last weekend in the finals of the National Duals: clinch a Minnesota victory. The Golden Gophers trailed the Tigers, 16-14, heading into the final match. Konrad delivered a pin of Tyler Perry, mirroring the heroics he provided last year against Oklahoma State's Steve Mocco, to give Minnesota its second straight National Duals title. It was the 16th time that a dual meet has come down to Konrad's match and the 16th time he has delivered the win. Pack the Pavilion All tickets for the PSU meet are just $1, and all fans who attend the dual will also receive a voucher for free admission to any other Gopher home meet for the remainder of the season. For tickets, click here or call 1-800-UGOPHER. The Sunday, Jan. 21 meet against Penn State is also Frazee Community Day, with Frazee, Minn., native Gabriel Dretsch to be honored during intermission. Just around the corner is High School Wrestling Day on Sunday, Jan. 28 against Purdue. All high school teams who submit their rosters will receive free admission to the meet against the Boilermakers, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Teams wishing to participate in High School Wrestling Day must submit their rosters to the Gopher Sports Marketing Office via fax at 612-626-8379 by Friday, Jan. 26. Gophers Teaming Up With Smile Network The University of Minnesota wrestling program is partnering with Smile Network International to benefit children in developing countries who are born with facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. You can help in this worthy cause and help put new smiles on the faces of these children by making a pledge for every pin a Golden Gopher makes during the 2006-07 season. For those interested in making a pledge, click here and download the form at the top of the page. Fliers and pledge forms will also be handed out at the dual meet against Penn State. For more information about Smile Network International, visit www.smilenetwork.org. CSTV to Air National Duals Final College Sports Television (CSTV) will air the championship dual between Minnesota and Missouri next Sunday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. The Golden Gophers knocked off the top-ranked Tigers, 20-16, to capture their second straight National Duals title on Sunday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. To find out how to get CSTV in your area, click here and enter your information. CSTV is available on Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, Adelphia and Insight cable systems, among others, and is also available on DirecTV (channel 610) and DISH Network (Channel 152). CSTV will also air the Jan. 26 Minnesota-Michigan dual on tape delay on Monday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m.

University of Minnesota junior C.P. Schlatter has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 9-15. Schlatter returned to the Golden Gopher lineup from a knee injury in grand fashion, compiling a perfect 4-0 record at 157 pounds to spark Minnesota to the team title at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Schlatter, who re-entered the rankings at No. 3 in the nation in this week's coaches' poll, knocked off then-No. 2 Trent Paulson of Iowa State, 5-4, in the Gophers' 24-11 semifinal win over the Cyclones. He followed by rallying for a pivotal 6-5 win over No. 12 Michael Chandler of Missouri to help lift the Gophers to a 20-16 win in the finals. After trailing 3-0 entering the final period against Chandler, Schlatter scored three takedowns to earn the victory to give the Gophers a 14-4 lead in the dual. Schlatter has compiled a 13-2 record on the season, with his only two losses coming at the Northeast Duals on Nov. 25, the same weekend he went down with the knee injury. He has three major decisions and two tech falls to his credit. Schlatter is the second Golden Gopher to earn TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week award this season, following Gabriel Dretsch, who earned the honor for the week of Dec. 5-11 after posting a pair of pivotal wins in Minnesota victories over Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Each week, TheMat.com selects an Athlete of the Week based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee considers any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement is made each week on Wednesday.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following an eighth-place finish at last week's NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, the eighth-ranked Wildcats open Big Ten season with a road trip to No. 16 Illinois Friday at 7 p.m. before hosting fifth-ranked Iowa at Rolling Meadows High School Sunday at 2 p.m. Junior Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) is 25-1 this season and ranked second at 197 lbs. Last Time Out Wrestling without injured Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward), the nation's top-ranked 141-pounder, the eighth-ranked Wildcats went 2-3 and finished eighth at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, hosted by Northern Iowa. It was the first time the 'Cats earned a place at the event in program history. Top-ranked Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler and his performance earned him Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors. Quoting Coach Cysewski "Illinois and Iowa are extremely solid teams," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "Illinois has some outstanding individuals as does Iowa." "Our guys know that it will take a complete team effort to beat both teams," Cysewski said. "These are the matches that our guys really look forward to during the year, knowing that it is all preparation for Big Ten's and NCAA's." Scouting the Illini No. 16 Illinois features a strong top of the line up with ranked grappers at 125 lbs. through 165. Top-ranked Mike Poeta took home a Midlands title at 157 lbs. and eighth-ranked Gabe Flores and 18th-ranked true-freshman Jimmy Kennedy hve impressed at 133. The Wildcats won last year's meeting, 19-16, at Rolling Meadows High School. Keep Your Eye On 125: Precin (NU) vs. #8 Flores (ILL) 133: Metzler (NU) vs. #18 Kennedy (ILL 141: #1 Lang (NU) vs. #8 Pero (ILL) 184: #1 Herbert (NU) vs. #15 Dergo (ILL) Scouting the Hawkeyes Fifth-ranked Iowa is a well-balanced squad. Third-ranked Mark Perry at 165 lbs. and second-ranked Eric Luedke at 174 lbs. anchor its line up. Eighth-ranked Alex Tsirtsis finished second to NU's Lang at the Midlands at 141 lbs. and 14th-ranked Mario Galanakis, after falling to the 'Cats' Metzler at Midlands, took a match from the 133-pounder at last week's national duals. Iowa took last year's meeting, 20-16, in Iowa City. Keep Your Eye On 133: Metzler (NU) vs. #14 Galanakis (IA) 141: #1 Lang (NU) vs. #8 Tsirtsis (IA) 174: #15 Hayes (NU) vs. #2 Luedke (IA) 285: #3 Fox (NU) vs. #7 Fields (IA) An Outstanding Return At last weekend's NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, top-ranked Jake Herbert returned to the mat with a vengeance. The 184-pounder, seeing his first action since the All-Star Classic on 11/20, posted a 5-0 record with three major decisions, a technical fall and a pin. He outscored his opponents 66-14 and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler and was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his performance.

Blair, NE -- Fresh off a runner-up finish at the 2007 NWCA/NAIA National Dual Championships, the Vikings recorded their eighth dual win of the season by defeating NCAA Division II Northern State University on Wednesday night in Gardner-Hawks Center 42-6. With the victory, Dana moves their season dual record to 8-1. Starting off the evening was senior Craig Trampe (Ord, NE) at 125 by claiming a fall over Corbin Surat. Senior Shawn Tsutsumi (Kaneohe, HI) would be handed a forfeit at 133 from Northern State. At 141, freshman sensation Brian Graham (Kansas City, MO) would continue his winning ways by recording a fall over Dave Schiley. Junior Clinton Dale (Las Vegas, NM) would walk away with a win at 149 by defeating Dustin Bonn 10-8. The Vikings would drop a close decision at 157 with junior Marcos Martinez bumping up from 149 losing to Northern State's Phillip Downs 7-5. Sophomore Dan Pray would then bump up to 165 from 157 and lose in overtime to Shawn Lewis 9-7. Freshman Josh Ghobadpoor (Dahlonega, GA) would add a fall to his record by pinning Northern State's Brunau Augustin. Junior Webster Farris (Nebraska City, NE) would get another forfeit from Northern State at 184. Junior Wade Jordan (Coulee City, WA) kept the victories in the Viking corner with a decision over Todd Naasz 7-4. Finishing off Northern State would be freshman Jesse Boggs (Deming, NM) pinning Jared Little at heavyweight. The Vikings will be back in action this Saturday at the annual Northwestern Red Raider Invitational in Orange City, IA at 10:00 am. The Vikings have won the Red Raider Invite the past two seasons and are looking to keep the title.

With the recent advent of the New Year, and the subsequent NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, it's time to take a look at which Division III wrestlers are making their mark at each weight class. The NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals helped to clear up some muddled rankings at some weights, and served to dirty some others. Division III wrestling is arguably the most challenging of all the divisions to rank. With smaller schools and budgets, interstate travel makes match-ups from afar rarer. Not only this, but every year there is a spate of wrestlers who don't wrestle the first semester, only to show up after the Christmas break. This year is no different in this regard, and includes a very notable athlete indeed (up a weight!). Let's take a peek at the first five weights … 125 Pounds: Nate Hansen, Senior, Luther Hansen, who finished fourth nationally in 2006, has had a solid first half of this season. He also had a quality showing at Midlands, where he went 2-2 and reached the quarterfinals. Hansen also wrestled well at the UNI Open, where he made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Lucas Magnani of Iowa. At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Hansen showed that his top ranking is well-founded. He coolly handed No. 2-ranked Chris Heilman (Cornell College) a major defeat, dominating Heilman, 11-2, in their teams' dual. He went undefeated during the Duals, helping the Norse to a fifth-place finish. Others on the Radar: Brandon McDonough, Junior, Johnson & Wales His already high stock definitely was solidified by his showing at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Beating a very tough Seth Flodeen, 5-3 in OT, moving up a weight and garnering a major, and only losing to a high AA a weight up will do this for you. Chris Heilman, Junior, Cornell Earlier in the season won Cornell Invite (Matmen Inv.). And, although the only other returning AA on this list, his tough loss to Hansen had to be an eye-opener. Seth Flodeen, Sophomore, Augsburg After watching Jamie Rocha wrestling the first half of the season at for the Auggies, Flodeen is back and looking very solid. He beat Cornell's Chris Heilman 4-3 at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. His tough OT loss to McDonough should serve as a measuring stick going into the meat of the season. 133 Pounds: Jafari Vanier, Junior, Augsburg The returning national runner-up at this weight, Vanier did not compete for the Auggies during the first half of the season. He appears to be back in excellent form, however, having won the Sunshine Open in Florida with a 3-0 record. He then went undefeated at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. There, he beat a tough Michael Bastante of Johnson & Wales, 9-3, helping the Auggies take the team title. Vanier definitely looks poised to take it a step higher at the National Championships this year, although All-Americans David Morgan of King's, Adam Johnson of North Central and Jestin Hulegaard of Buena Vista will have something to say about it. Others on the Radar: Jestin Hulegaard Senior Buena Vista Hulegaard, last year's third place finisher, has had an up-and-down campaign to this point. At the Duals, he handily beat Johnson and Wales' Brandon McDonough (who was up a weight), 9-2. However, he was pinned earlier in the year by King's College's David Morgan at the Desert Duals. David Morgan, Sophomore, King's Last year's sixth place finisher has looked impressive thus far in the season. Although he was tripped up by Mt. Union's Ed Patrosky earlier in the year, he won the Desert Duals, pinning Hulegaard along the way. Adam Johnson Junior North Central Johnson defeated a tough McKray for seventh-place honors in last year's National Championships. He looks "nails" again this year, and had an impressive showing of two technical falls and a pin at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. 141 Pounds: Quincy Osborn, Junior, Augsburg Quincy Osborn (Photo/The Guillotine)Division I transfer Osborn, who finished fifth in the Big Ten in 2005, has adjusted nicely to the world of DIII wrestling. He is 26-1, and undefeated against DIII opponents. His only loss was a close 3-1 decision at the hands of highly-ranked Travis Elg of DII Minnesota State Mankato. His most recent results, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, read as follows: 4-0 with two falls, one forfeit, and an 11-2 major-decision win over Wartburg AA Zach McKray. Indeed, Osborn has to be considered the prohibitive favorite to win the 141-pound class at the National Championships this year. Others on the Radar: Paul LeBlanc, Sophomore, Cortland State Last year's fourth place finisher LeBlanc is currently undefeated. He has wrestled up at both 149 and 157 this season. He also won the RIT Invitation earlier in the season. Rick Laforge, Senior, Delaware Valley Went 4-0 with two falls, a decision and a forfeit, helping Delaware Valley to a respectable third place finish at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Mike Gaeta, Senior, Springfield Fifth-place finisher at last year's National Tournament. This season he has already defeated Roger Williams' third place finisher from a year ago, Andy Lacroix, 6-2 at the Doug Parker Invitational. He has suffered defeat once already, however, losing 7-6 to Muhlenberg's Rob Kein. 149 Pounds: log�jam ˈlɔgˌdʒ�m noun 1. an immovable pileup or tangle of logs, as in a river, causing a blockage. 2. any blockage or massive accumulation. 3. the 2007 Division III 149-pound weight class. Where do you start when you have three national champions in one weight class? Why not with the defending champion and go from there … All on the Radar: Jake Larsen, Senior, UW-La Crosse In limited action so far, the 2006 National Champion Larsen has accumulated a 2-2 record. Not so hot, one might say. Well, records can be deceiving. Both of Larsen's losses were at Midlands, and both to tough hombres. His wins are perhaps more telling. He beat Luther's Matt Pyle (a National Champ himself) 3-2 on January sixth and then inexplicably squeaked by Gary Reid of UW-Whitewater 11-10 three days later. Joe PflugJoe Pflug, Junior, Heidelberg The 2006 national champ at 157, Pflug, like Larsen, began this season quite late. He did wrestle at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals for the Knights, however, and compiled a 2-1 record, with technical fall and major victories, and a 6-2 defeat the hands of Pyle. Matt Pyle, Senior, Luther The 2005 national champ at 149 (and fifth place last year), Pyle has had a solid campaign to date. He did lose to Larsen earlier in the season, but had an impressive 4-2 showing at Midlands while losing only to wrestlers from Purdue and Central Michigan. Then, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, he defeated Pflug. He is on a roll. 157 Pounds: Jeremy Anderson, Junior, Augsburg Anderson, a Gopher transfer and 2006 National Championships runner-up, looks to be staying the course so far this season. He has won the St. Cloud Husky Open -- defeating Minnesota State Mankato's Brandon Girtz and not giving up a point along the way, won the Blue Hawk Classic and Dragon Open. He did default to a sixth-place finish at the Sunshine Open, however, where he was 2-3 (all three defeats coming via default). At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Anderson went 4-0, a run which included a 5-4 decision over Wartburg's No. 6-ranked Aaron Wernimont in the Division III dual meet finale. Others on the Radar: Ross Needham, Senior, UW La Crosse After finishing third in last year's National Tournament, Needham has compiled a 17-3 record up to this point in the season, and done while wrestling a difficult DIII schedule. At Midlands, he defeated Mt. St. Joseph's Eliot Spence 5-1, was humbled by Division I All-American Trent Paulson of Iowa State … and then beaten in overtime to go 1-2. Bobby Gingerich, Senior, North Central Had a pin, a technical fall and a decision, going 3-0 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He's looking to move up from his fifth place finish at last year's National Championships.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) has been named this week's Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. This is the fourth honor of his career and the second for the Wildcats this season. Herbert, ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds, was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He went 5-0 as Northwestern finished eighth -- the first time it has placed at the National Duals in program history. Herbert outscored opponents, 66-14, before scoring a pin on Iowa's Philip Keedy. Herbert scored three major decisions (12-0, 17-5, 16-4), a technical fall (21-5) and a pin during the National Duals. It was the junior's first action on the mat since the All-Star Classic on Nov. 20, when he notched a major decision over Minnesota's Roger Kish. Fellow No. 1 Wildcat Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) was this season's first Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 8. Herbert last received the honor on Jan. 25, 2006. The eighth-ranked Wildcats have posted a 10-3 dual record and are led by top-ranked Herbert and Lang, along with second-ranked Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) at 197 lbs. and No. 4 Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) at heavyweight. The 'Cats begin the Big Ten slate at 7 p.m., Friday, when they travel to No. 16 Illinois. The 'Cats welcome No. 5 to Rolling Meadows High School Sunday at 2 p.m.

BLOOMSBURG -- Bloomsburg University wrestler Mike Spaid (Perkiomenville/Boyertown) has been named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Co-Wrestler of the Week for the period ending January 16, 2007. He shares the honors with Deonte Penn of Edinboro. Spaid won all five of his matches while helping Bloomsburg to a 3-2 record at the Virginia Duals. Among those five wins, two came by fall in under a minute. At the Duals, he also won a 3-1 decision over Penn State's Aaron Anspach, who was ranked 13th in the nation. Spaid, a junior, ran his record to 21-5 for the year. He leads all PSAC wrestlers with 12 pins on the season. In the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association/InterMat Division I wrestling poll, Spaid is ranked 10th nationally in the heavyweight division. The Huskies are 7-7 overall and will host West Virginia this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Nelson Field House.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- North Dakota State junior 184-pounder Matt Wetterling has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Wetterling (Willmar, Minn./Willmar HS) went 4-0 with three pins at the Virginia Duals on January 12-13. In the opening match against No. 10 Penn State, Wetterling scored the lone win for the Bison with a 6-3 decision over Mike Ward. In NDSU's final three matches of the tournament, Wetterling pinned Jared Ricotta of Duquesne in 6:53, Justin Terhune of Drexel in 0:33 and No. 19 Jesse Strawn of Old Dominion in 2:20. Wetterling's pin over Terhune clinched the match against Drexel and a top-eight finish for North Dakota State, their highest finish in three years competing at the tournament. Wetterling is now 8-4 on the season with five pins and has a 4-1 dual record. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and Wyoming. Others Nominated: Northern Colorado: Blayze Bahe, So., 133, Goodland, Kan. (Goodland HS) UNI: Nick Baima, 165, Sr., Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard HS) SDSU: Tyler Sorenson, 184, R-Fr., Garretson, S.D. (Garretson HS) Utah Valley State: Marc Fenwick, 174, Jr., Centerville, Utah (Viewmont HS)

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- Head Coach Pat Pecora (31st season) and the #5-ranked Pitt Johnstown Mountain Cat wrestlers will host the 2007 NCAA Division II East Coast Duals, featuring 15 teams, Friday and Saturday in the Sports Center. Two sessions of wrestling will begin on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and continue with four more sessions starting on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Each session will feature five duals meets with many of the nation's top-ranked teams and individually-ranked wrestlers. Wrestling is scheduled for Friday evening at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. This year's East Coast Duals features 14 Division II teams and Delaware Valley College, a Division III national power, competing in a dual meet format. Pitt Johnstown, the #5-ranked team in Division II, highlights six nationally-ranked teams competing. Newberry (SC) College is ranked #12, while Carson-Newman (TN) College is #14, West Liberty State (WV) College is #15, Mercyhurst College is #17 and Kutztown University is #20. Also competing are American International (MA) College, Anderson (SC) College, Belmont Abbey (NC) College, Gannon University, Limestone (SC) College, North Carolina-Pembroke, St. Andrews Presbyterian (SC) College and Shippensburg University. Along with nationally-ranked teams, many wrestlers are individually-ranked, including four from Pitt Johnstown. Mike Corcetti (Export, Pa.) is the #1-ranked wrestler at 184 lbs. and Eli Garshnick (Armagh, Pa.) is ranked #2 at 174 lbs. Shane Valko (Windber, Pa.) (141 lbs.) and Mike Fowler (197 lbs.) (Carrolltown, Pa.) are both ranked #4 for the Mountain Cats. At 133 lbs., Jake Brumbelow (Carson-Newman) is #4, Matt Mossor (West Liberty State) is #7 and Joe Kemmerer (Kutztown) is #8. Valko is #4 at 141 lbs., followed by #6 Tony Washington (Newberry) and #7 Doug Surra (West Liberty State). Kutztown's Chris Chambers and Mercyhurst's Don Cummings are ranked #7 and #8, respectively at 149 lbs., while Andy Lamancusa (Mercyhurst) is the #8-ranked wrestler at 157 lbs. Newberry's Brandon Kelly is #5 at 165 lbs. The 174-lb. weight class has four ranked wrestlers, Garshnick is #2, Zach Shaffer (Mercyhurst) is #3, Tom Clark (West Liberty State) is #4 and Quinn Tobert (Newberry) is #7. At 184 lbs, three of the top four wrestlers will be at the tournament. Corcetti is the top-ranked wrestler, while Shippensburg's Mark Murphy is #2 and Carson-Newman's Nate Jones is #4. Fowler and Chris Taylor (West Liberty State) are #4 and #5, respectively at 197 lbs., while Anderson's Aaron Lambert is the #7-ranked wrestler at heavyweight.

The Dana College Wrestling team returned from Christmas break refreshed and ready to return to work on December 30. With the Dana Open just around the corner on January 6, we got going immediately. For the next week our days were filled by two training sessions each day. One session emphasized plyometric activities, agility drills, and some conditioning. The second session we strapped it up and wrestled in the room. As we got rolling with class and practice again, the Dana Open was here. The Dana Open was a smooth operation and we had several guys compete very well. Outstanding performances were given by our 125-pound finalist Craig Trampe and our co-champions at 141, Terrence Almond and Brian Graham. We had several other guys wrestle long hard days and were rewarded with some hardware. These tough men were Wade Jordan, Dan Pray, and Jesse Boggs. Overall, the Dana Open revealed we have serious work to do before NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals if we wanted to defend our title. The 8th of January brought some much-anticipated announcements from the coaching staff. The first announcement was the release of the coaches' first top twelve list (those in the top 12 at season's end go to Nationals). Obviously some guys were happy and others weren't but this list is tentative from week to week. Guys need to take the top 12 list for what it is, a motivational tool. Those on it must work to remain and those not, must fight tooth and nail to reach it. The second announcement was that of our practice roster. Those 20 odd guys on the roster practiced everyday and those who weren't, began a strength training program from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. This list, like the top 12, is tentative from week to week so everyone needs to be prepared to step into the room and compete on any given day. Webster FarrisFollowing the week of training we departed for Cedar Falls, Iowa on Friday afternoon. After a long ride, we unloaded at our hotel and went to the UNI-Dome for practice and final weight-loss regiments. After night at the hotel in Waterloo, we went to our first weigh-ins. We competed Saturday morning against McKendree in an extremely poor performance on our part, but luckily came away with a win. In our next dual of the day, we could not afford to make any mistakes. Before that dual with William Penn, something happened to our team, something promising. We came together and mustered a confidence about ourselves. This unity and confidence showed brightly during our dual with the No. 3-ranked team in the land as we had several guys come up big and we won 26-11. With the win, we were given the night to cut weight and relax for Sunday mornings semifinal against No. 2 Embry-Riddle. The excitement from the night before proved present once again as performances by Burke Barnes (133) and Terrence Almond (141) set us on fire. We used this fire to move ourselves past No. 2 Embry Riddle and into the finals against No. 1-ranked Lindenwood later Sunday afternoon by defeating Embry Riddle, 24-18. As the finals neared, excitement buzzed throughout the entire UNI-Dome. Our young team was beginning to realize what winning is about … and that we were now so close to another title. The dual with Lindenwood proved to be everything a finals match should be as it came down to the last match of the day. As disappointment fell upon our team following a close loss, the dual suddenly became peppered with "only ifs." However, with our new team unity and confidence we are diligently working to remove the "only ifs" and replace them with another Northwestern Invitational championship in Orange City, Iowa this Saturday (Jan. 20) … and ultimately with a 2007 national championship! See you all next time. Train Hard, Webster Farris Past Entries: Entry 2 (12/6/06) Entry 1 (11/21/06)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Defending NAIA NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals champion Dana College reached the finals of this weekends NWCA/NAIA National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. The Vikings, who were the number six seed, coming into the tournament defeated McKendree College (IL) in its opening round match 25-18. Jason Bilinksi of Dana recorded a pin at 157 to help secure the Vikings win. Other first round winners were Craig Trampe (125), Burke Barnes (133), Terrence Almond (141), Bulla Tuzon (165), and Wade Jordan (197). The Vikings would then square off against long-time rival William Penn University in the quarterfinals. The Statesmen, the number three seed, were coming off an opening round 44-6 win over Cumberland University. Dana would open up with three straight wins at 125, 133, and 141. Coach Richard Fergola would bump normal 141 pound wrestler, Terrence Almond, up to 149 pounds and wrestle freshman Brian Graham in his spot. Graham would come away with a major decision win 13-5 over Terrence Johnson of WPU. Almond was set to face No. 1 rated Darren Cotton at 149. Almond would drop a tightly contested 7-3 decision. The Vikings would put the match away by winning the last three weight classes and win 26-11, highlighted by Webster Farris defeating three-time All-American and No. 2 rated Abe Trujillo by a score of 11-4 and unrated Jesse Boggs defeating No. 3 rated Chauncey Coleman 6-5. In the semi-finals, the Vikings would face No. 2 rated Embry-Riddle University. Senior Craig Trampe would drop a closely contested bout to No. 2 rated Richard Byrd 4-3. Junior Burke Barnes, rated No. 3 would get a victory by fall over No. 7 rated Franky Villescusa in :13 seconds. At 141 would be the battle of No. 2 rated Gordo Villescusa against No. 3 rated Terrence Almond. Almond would dominate the match and record a major decision 14-6. Bumping up from 141 would be freshman Brian Graham. Graham would defeat No. 6 rated Jason Mendez by a score of 7-4. Junior and No. 6 rated Jason Bilinski would fall behind to No. 1 rated Hayden Harrison early, but would come back in the third period to place Harrison on his back three times and nearly recording the fall, but fell short on time and lost 16-13. Bulla Tuzon lost by fall to No. 4 rated Calvin DeVault and freshman Josh Ghobadpoor lost 7-2 to Morgan Scott. No. 7 rated Webster Farris lost 7-1 to No. 2 rated Joffre Lander. The Vikings would find themselves in familiar territory as they were once again in the National Duals finals facing No. 1 seed Lindenwood. Lindenwood was the No. 1 seed in 2006 and placed third behind the Vikings as well as at the National Tournament in Sioux City, IA. In a closely contested dual, the dual came down to the heavyweights. Losing 20-17 heading into the heavyweight match, the Vikings needed a decision victory from freshman Jesse Boggs to tie the dual and the Vikings would claim the title on criteria of most technical falls. Boggs would lose a close match with Lindenwood's Lance Shunia 6-4 and give the title to Lindenwood 23-17. "I am very proud of this team and our coaching staff. Coming in as the sixth seed and coming that close to winning the championship again was a tribute to the effort that these young men put forth," stated Head coach Richard Fergola.

MILLERSVILLE -- The East Stroudsburg University wrestling program ended up two points shy of beating Millersville University with a score of 19-18, Tuesday night at Pucillo Gymnasium. Millersville's Keith McDonald, Mike Langor, and Mike Acedo-Lalaney took the first three matches against the Warriors. Matt Swallow, Sean Carr, and Scott Heckman retaliated by winning the next three. After two more Maurauder wins, Shane Mallory and Dave Williams had some points to earn. Both Mallory and Williams won by decision, but the final score read 19-18 in favor of Millersville. Both ESU and Millersville now have a record of 1-7. ESU will next travel to Navy on January 24th to wrestle at 7 p.m.

ERIE, PA -- The Gannon wrestling team recovered from an early deficit by winning five of the last seven matches en route to a 24-17 victory over Thiel College Tuesday evening at the Hammermill Center. Thiel opened an 8-3 lead three matches into the affair with major decisions at 125 and 141. Mike Sanders (Albion, N.Y./Albion) sandwiched an 8-4 victory over Jeff Langdon at 133 in between the two losses. Gannon began to take control during the 149-pound match. Ted Hoag (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) began the rally with a 16-3 major decision over Ben Mellring, bringing the Golden Knights within one point of the lead. Zack McKendree (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) then recorded Gannon's lone pin of the night at 157, taking down Devon Todd. The pin put Gannon in front for the first time at 13-8 and improved McKendree's record to 13-3. Thiel momentarily stopped the bleeding with a victory at 165, but Gannon put the match out of reach with three consecutive wins to seal the victory. Mike Cavalier (Newbury, Ohio/Newbury) earned a 6-2 decision at 174. Erie natives Pino Scavella (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) and Jon Wentz (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) then posted victories in the next two battles. Scavella moved to 18-12 overall and 2-0 in dual matches with a 5-0 shutout at 184. Wentz then clinched the victory with a 25-10 technical fall in front of the home crowd. He moved to 9-2 overall while capturing his first career dual victory. Thiel recorded a pin in the final match at heavyweight, accounting for the final 24-17 score. Gannon improved to 2-1 with its second consecutive dual victory. Thiel dropped to 2-4. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, January 20 at the East Coast Duals hosted by Pitt-Johnstown.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. –- Sophomore Dean Staley (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown), junior John Leinberger (Great Falls, Va./Langley) and senior Mike Pattanite (Tabernacle, N.J./Holy Cross) recorded consecutive victories for Gettysburg, but the Bullets could not overcome an early 19-6 deficit in falling, 31-21, to Centenary in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at Bream Gymnasium. Staley recorded an early takedown at 184 pounds before completing the bout with a pin at 1:52. Leinberger followed with a forfeit win at 197, and Pattanite earned a 10-3 decision at 285. He broke open a close bout with a takedown at the 18-second mark of the second period and added an escape, a takedown and a riding time point to give the Bullets (2-3-1) their first lead of the match at 21-19 after eight weight classes. Cyclones' (5-4-1) freshman William Martinez picked up a forfeit at 125, and junior Ricky Redd completed the victory with a fall at 133. The match started at 141 pounds, where Centenary sophomore Anthony Accardi recorded a major decision. Kyle Nasdeo won by decision at 149, and following a pin by Gettysburg sophomore Andrew Goldstein (Easton, Pa./Easton) at 157, the Cyclones picked up falls from junior Jared Duffy and senior Seth Wisner at 165 and 174, respectively. The Bullets will return to action on Saturday when they host a four-team Centennial Conference event at Bream Gymnasium. Gettysburg will wrestle dual matches against Muhlenberg and Ursinus. Johns Hopkins will also participate in the meet, which begins at 12 p.m.