InterMat Staff

COLUMBIA, Mo. –- It was probably too much to ask of a freshman. Iowa State frosh David Zabriskie, who some said would be too small to have success as a collegiate heavyweight wrestler, carried 20 years of waiting for Iowa State wrestling fans into the last match of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship Saturday in the Hearnes Center. It rarely comes down to the last match in a conference meet, but there was Zabriskie, facing Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt in the heavyweight title match. The winner would claim the Big 12 team trophy for his squad. Zabriskie used an first-period takedown and a third-period escape to beat Rosholt, 3-2 and lift Iowa State to its first Big 12 wrestling crown, the school's first conference title in 20 years and the first outright Cyclone team conference championship in a quarter century. Iowa State's other champion was Trent Paulson at 157 pounds, who beat Nebraska's Chris Oliver, 11-1 in the title match. The Cyclones finished with 66.5 points. Missouri was second with 61.5, followed by Oklahoma State with 61, Nebraska with 46 and Oklahoma with 44. Iowa State will send all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championship, March 16-18 in Detroit, Mich. "This is a great accomplishment for this team," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "We need to build on this the next two weeks. We are proud of all our guys. Dave (Zabriskie) has real class and has done a phenomenal job for us. We are real proud of him." Trent Paulson, rated second nationally, claimed his second consecutive Big 12 Conference title after the two-time All-American jumped out to an early 5-1 lead using a takedown and a three-point nearfall. Paulson then began the second period from the down position and reversed Oliver and tacked on another three-point nearfall en route to the victory. Paulson's mark in his senior campaign improves to 24-4 and he holds a career record of 110-20 as he gets ready for his fourth NCAA tournament. "This one means more to me (than his first Big 12 title) because it was part of an effort that won the team title for us," Paulson said. "I think I surprised him and went right for the score after talking with coach (Sanderson) about that before the match." Redshirt freshman Cyler Sanderson placed second at 149 pounds, suffering a 5-0 loss to Oklahoma's Matt Storinolo in their title match. After a scoreless first period, Storinolo posted the first points with an escape in the second period. The Sooner maneuvered Sanderson and added a three-point nearfall. Sanderson, a Heber City, Utah, native earns a spot in the NCAA Championships and carries record of 26-9 in his rookie season. Travis Paulson fell in the 165-pound title match to Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks by decision, 4-3. Paulson took a 3-2 lead with an escape midway through the final period, but a takedown by Hendricks with 33 seconds sealed the Cowboy win. Despite the loss, Paulson will advance to his fourth NCAA Championship with a career record of 102-30 and a senior season record of 24-5. Jake Varner took runner-up honors at 184-pounds, falling to Raymond Jordan of Missouri by a 4-3 decision in his title bout. Varner battled back from a 1-0 deficit to tie the match at 1-1 with an escape early in the final three minutes of the match. The Tiger scored a takedown, but was then penalized for stalling, awarding Varner with a point. Varner tied the match at 3-3, but fell short with 1:05 riding time that Jordan had accumulated. Varner, Bakersfield, Calif., native will enter the NCAA Championship with a 24-5 mark. Nick Gallick punched his ticket to The Palace at Auburn Hills with a 2:41 stick of Oklahoma's Brian Shelton in the 133-pound third-place match. Gallick, rated 14th, scored an early takedown and a two-point nearfall before working the Sooner into prime position for the pin. In his initial season as a Cyclone, Gallick has registered eight pins and has a 26-8 record. Grant Turner was a big story of the meet. Seeded fifth coming into the tournament at 174 pounds, he earned an NCAA Tournament birth at 174 pounds with a 5-3 decision over Nebraska's Marc Harwood in the third-place match. With the match tied at 3-3 with less than a minute to go, Turner tallied his second takedown in the final period. The third-place finish is Turner's best conference tournament performance. The senior from Johnston, Iowa, evens out his record at 14-14. "I was not going to leave a trip to the NCAA Tournament up to anyone but myself," Turner said. "I told myself that I was going to decide this. Coach (Sanderson) told me if I wrestle the way I did in the third period, I can keep winning matches." A duo of redshirt freshmen, Nick Fanthorpe (125) and Mitch Mueller (141), placed fourth for the Cyclones. Fanthorpe suffered a 5-3 decision at the hands of Oklahoma State's Tyler Shinn. Fanthorpe advanced to the third-place bout at 125 pounds by scoring a 7-3 decision over Missouri's John Olanowski in the consolation semifinal. The Naperville, Ill., native's record stands at 24-9. Mueller was pinned by Oklahoma's Kyle Terry in 4:32 his the third-place bout. Mueller took an 11-6 decision of Missouri's Ashtin Primus to push forward to the 141-pound third-place match. The Iowa City native returned to the mat after spending a month out due to a dislocated elbow injury that was suffered in the Feb. 9 dual against Rider. He is 17-14 in his rookie season. Kurt Backes was defeated by Oklahoma's Joel Flaggert in the third-place match at 197 pounds. Backes worked from behind the entire match, but sent the bout into overtime with a 1:22 riding time advantage. A takedown with 16 seconds left in overtime by Flaggert clinched the Sooner win. ISU will push forward to the NCAA Championships will take place March 16 – 18 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, Mich.

The Lindenwood wrestling team dominated the 50th annual NAIA National Championship and won the third national title in program history. All 12 Lion wrestlers earned All-American honors at the meet as Lindenwood's depth helped it come out on top of the 27 other teams. Lindenwood scored 177 points at the competition, the fourth-most in NAIA history, and won by 67 points, which was the second-largest winning margin at the national wrestling championships. Lindenwood took over the meet during the quarterfinal round late Friday night. Eleven Lion wrestlers competed in the quarterfinals and eight won their matches. No other team in the top-five at that point had more than three wrestlers remaining in the championship bracket. The Lions continued their dominance on day two of the meet with four wrestlers advancing to their championship matches and two winning individual NAIA crowns. Lindenwood also had success in the wrestlebacks, having one third-place finish, two fourth-place showings, three fifth-place winners, one sixth-place finisher and one wrestler coming in seventh-place. Jake Dieffenbach became the fifth Lion wrestler in school history to win two national titles when he won the 165-pound crown. Dieffenbach went 5-0 at the national meet, including a 9-8 win in the championship match. Dieffenbach finished his junior season with a 34-2 overall record. Next season, he will look to become the first Lindenwood wrestler to win three national titles. Lindenwood dominated the 174-pound weight class with both of its wrestlers advancing to the championship bout. John Salter earned a narrow 3-1 decision over Matt Cauley to win the title. Salter, a junior, advanced to the finals with a pin and two decision victories. He finished the year with a 37-7 record. Cauley, a sophomore, earned three decisions on the way to the championship match. He concludes his campaign with a 27-8 mark. The final Lion competing in a championship match was sophomore heavyweight Lance Shunia. He won three decisions in the opening rounds and picked up a pin in the semifinals. However, he lost a 9-1 decision to top-ranked Eric Flinchum in the finals. Shunia ended the season with 40 wins and just nine losses. In other brackets, two Lions, senior Josh Sampo and junior Dennis Kakrah advanced to the semifinals in the 125-pound weight class with two wins. Both wrestlers lost decisions in that round and also fell in the wrestleback semifinals. The two met in the fifth-place match, with Sampo winning by a 6-4 score. At 133-pounds, sophomore Ryan Moyer and senior Jason Moreno both repeated as all-Americans, with Moyer coming in fourth and Moreno finishing fifth. Moyer won two matches before losing in the quarterfinals. He then went on a tear, winning three straight matches in the wrestlebacks, including a 7-4 decision over Moreno. He streak eventually fell 5-2 in the third-place match. Moyer finished the season with a 29-9 record. Moreno won his first two matches of the tournament before falling in the semifinals to the eventual national champion. After falling to his teammate in the wrestleback semifinals, Moreno finished the tournament by pinning his opponent in the fifth-place match. He concludes the season with a 15-10 mark. Defending national champion Mark Dickman started the tournament with a disappointing loss in his first match at 149-pounds. He regrouped and won four of his final five matches of the tournament. Included in that was an 11-3 major decision in the fifth-place match. Dickman ended his senior season with a 26-3 record. Randy Vanderveen, a junior, was one win away from making it an all-Lindenwood final at 165-pounds. After three straight wins, including one by technical fall and one by major decision, he lost his semifinal match by decision. Vanderveen won his first wrestleback match but lost in the third-place bout. Vanderveen finished his 2006-07 season with a 38-8 record. Lindenwood's fourth senior, Kyle Frawley, earned all-American honors at 184-pounds. He won two straight decisions to reach the quarterfinals, before falling in that round. Frawley then went 2-1 in the wrestlebacks, including a 10-5 decision in the seventh-place contest. He ended his career by racking up a 28-12 mark in his final season. The final Lion wrestler was Matt Juncal, who won his final four matches to finish third at 197-pounds. The sophomore won his opening match but fell in the championship semifinals. He got his wrestleback action off to a good start with a pin and technical fall. Juncal eventually won the third-place match by a 4-2 sudden victory decision. Juncal concluded his year with an 18-6 record. Head coach Joe Parisi was named the NAIA national coach of the year after the meet. It was the third time that he has received that honor. The victory capped off one of the best seasons in Lindenwood wrestling history. Among the other highlights were the Lions winning the NAIA National Dual Championship and the NAIA Eastern Regional Championship, and having a perfect 8-0 dual record. The national title for the wrestling program was its third this decade, as it also won in 2002 and 2005. The Lions have now finished in the top-five nationally for seven straight seasons. The title was the eighth NAIA national championship for the Lindenwood athletics department, including the seventh since 2002. Including all sports, it was the 22nd overall national championship for Lindenwood athletics.

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Claiming three individual national titles and making collegiate wrestling history for one of its wrestlers in the process, the Augsburg College wrestling team won its record-10th NCAA Division III national championship in the last 17 seasons with a dominating performance in the tournament, completed on Saturday evening at the Five Flags Center. With nine All-Americans, including three titlists and two runners-up, Augsburg finished with 135.5 points, 36 points ahead of second-place Wartburg (Iowa), the defending national champion, with 99.5 points. Wisconsin-La Crosse finished in third with 92.5 points, Luther (Iowa) finished fourth with 86.0 points and the College of New Jersey finished fifth with 46.5 points. Augsburg head coach Jeff Swenson was named National Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the sixth time he has earned the honor in his 25-season career. "We had a lot of ups, mostly, and a few downs," said Swenson. "It's hard for me, when the year comes to an end because of the great seniors, but the bottom line is I'm proud of them as a group. They really came together in the last month of the season." Augsburg's Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) became the first Division III wrestler ever to win four national titles, and the second college wrestler ever to finish his career unbeaten and untied. In the 165-pound national championship match, LeVesseur closed his career with a 3-0, shutout victory over Mike Guenther of the College of New Jersey. Starting the second period in the "down" position, LeVesseur scored an escape eight seconds into the period, then scored a takedown 54 seconds into the period for the only scoring of the match. Earlier in the day, LeVesseur claimed his third straight extra-point victory with a 10-2, major-decision triumph over Jason Knipp of Wartburg. He had a pin and technical fall in his two matches on Saturday. LeVesseur, who won Division III national titles at 157 pounds three times (2003, 2004, 2005), finished his senior season at 30-0, and his collegiate career at 155-0, the second-longest winning streak in college wrestling history. Cael Sanderson went 159-0 during his career at Iowa State from 1998-2002, winning four Division I national titles. "Unbelievable, wow, unbelieveable," LeVesseur said. "I stayed focused with my regular pre-match routine, and I just took care of me and that was the biggest focus for this match -- just not to get over whelmed by the hype and the pressure and just take care of me." LeVesseur became the seventh wrestler in NCAA history to win four national titles competing in one division, and the eighth to win four or more national titles. In Division I history, Sanderson and Pat Smith of Oklahoma State (1990-92, 1994) accomplished the feat, while in Division II, Les Sigman of Nebraska-Omaha (2003-06), Cole Province of Central Oklahoma (2001-04), Dan Russell of Portland (Ore.) State (1988-91) and Tim Wright of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (1984-87) won four national titles apiece. Carleton Haselrig of Pitt-Johnstown (Pa., 1987-89) won six national titles -- three each in Division II and Division I, when lower-division champion wrestlers were able to compete in the Division I championships. Six wrestlers have accomplished the four-championship feat in NAIA history. "It's unbelieveable," Swenson said of LeVesseur's accomplishment. "No. 1, no one had ever won four titles (at the Division III level), and only two guys have ever gone through their careers undefeated. He's in great company with Cael (Sanderson)." Quincy Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.) claimed his first national championship, scoring a 7-3 win over Ricky LaForge in the 141-pound title bout. Osborn overcame an early takedown and scored six consecutive points, with an escape, two-point near-fall in the second period, a takedown in the third period, and a stalling penalty point. Osborn finished his first season as an Auggie with a 44-3 record, completing his third national tournament appearance. As a Division I wrestler at the University of Minnesota, he competed in national tournaments in both 2004 and 2005. Osborn, who is now 104-35 in his collegiate career, scored a 15-3 triumph over Mike Gaeta of Springfield (Mass.) in the semifinals earlier in the day. "Pretty good! We won the team title, so that was really important before this round for us. We lost a couple in the finals, but other than that, I feel really good about it," Osborn said. Jeremy Anderson (Jr., Thief River Falls, Minn.) also earned his first national championship, completing his second All-American season with a 5-2 win over Joe Galante of the College of New Jersey in the title bout at 157 pounds. Tied at 2-2, Anderson scored a takedown 38 seconds into the third period and collected a riding-time bonus point for the final margin of victory. Anderson, who was a national runner-up last season, finished his junior campaign at 39-2 overall and his 83-5 in his two seasons as an Auggie. He scored a 7-3 win over Bobby Gingerich of North Central (Ill.), his second win over Gingerich this season, in the semifinals. "Amazing," Anderson said. "I spent my whole summer working for this goal, specifically, and I'm so happy it finally came." At 133, Jafari Vanier (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) repeated his second-place finish from a year ago, falling 4-3 in the finals to Dave Morgan of Kings (Pa.). After a scoreless first period, Morgan took a 1-0 lead on an escape in the second period. Vanier tied the match at 2-2 with an escape early in the third period, but Morgan scored the eventual match-winning points on a takedown with 55 seconds left. Vanier escaped shortly after, but could not score again. Vanier, who also was a junior college national runner-up in 2002 at Iowa Central Community College, finished his season at 20-2. He is 39-5 in his two seasons as an Auggie. Earlier in the day, Vanier claimed a 7-5 win over Jestin Hulegaard of Buena Vista (Iowa) in the semifinals. Seth Flodeen (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.) fell in his first national finals appearance at 125 pounds, 3-2 to Nate Hansen of Luther (Iowa). Hansen scored a takedown in the first period, and after Flodeen used two escapes to tie the match, Hansen scored an escape with 1:10 remaining in the third period to take the lead. Flodeen ended his season at 25-5 overall, and is 53-20 in his Auggie career. Earlier in the day, Flodeen scored a 14-7 triumph over Brandon McDonough of Johnson and Wales (R.I.) in the semifinals. At 149, Jared Evans (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), a three-time All-American, closed out his career with his second straight fourth-place finish. He dropped a 6-3 decision to Joe Pflug of Heidelberg (Ohio) in the third-place match, closing his season at 37-5 overall and 139-37 in his Auggie career. Evans finished seventh nationally in 2005 and fourth in 2006. Earlier in the day, Evans suffered a 2-1 loss to Jason Roush of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) in the semifinals, but scored a 4-0 win over Don Octon of Brockport State (N.Y.) in the wrestleback semifinals to reach the third-place match. At 174, Robbie Gotreau (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) finished fifth, claiming a 2-1 win over Andrew Winfield of McDaniel (Md.). Gotreau, who finished fourth nationally last year, finished his junior campaign at 41-6 overall and is 109-26 in his career. Earlier in the day, he dropped his semifinal match 8-5 to Kyle Vanderhyde of Olivet (Mich.). In the wrestleback semifinals, Eric Bath of Wisconsin-Stevens Point avenged an earlier loss to Gotreau with a 6-4 victory, dropping Gotreau to the fifth-place match. Heavyweight Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.), in his second national tournament, finished fifth overall with a 9-2 win over Arkadiy Levitin of Hunter (N.Y.). Neuman finished his career at 93-40, including 39-10 this season. After scoring a 3:27 pin of Kyle Brown of Thiel (Pa.) in his opening match on Saturday, he suffered his second loss of the tournament to Trevor Hiffa of Oneonta State (N.Y.), falling 7-2 in the wrestleback semifinals. At 197, Wally O'Connor (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) finished eighth, dropping a 10-4 decision to Philip Archer of Cortland State (N.Y.). O'Connor, who finished 21-17 on the season, was pinned in his other match in the Saturday session, in 1:46 by Jason Reilly of Kings (Pa.). The nine All-American performance marked the fourth time in school history that Augsburg has claimed nine or more All-Americans; the Auggies also had nine All-Americans in 1998 and 2004, and had All-Americans in all 10 weight classes in 2005. Augsburg has had five or more All-Americans every season since 1989. Augsburg has finished among the top two teams in national competition 19 times since 1975, has finished among the top four nationally the last 19 seasons in a row (the only NCAA school in any division that can make that claim), and has finished in the top 20 nationally every season since 1971 (NCAA from 1983 to present, NAIA pre-1983). Fellow Minnesota school St. John's had one wrestler earn All-American honors. At 157, Jacob Malone claimed a fifth-place finish, with a 3-2 decision over Aaron Wernimont of Wartburg (Iowa). Earlier in the day, Malone scored a 2:45 pin of Pat McAuley of Cornell (Iowa), but fell 3-1 to Ross Needham of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the wrestleback semifinals.

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Claiming nine All-Americans, including seven remaining in contention for individual championships, the Augsburg College wrestling team took a 13-point lead after the first day of the NCAA Division III National Championships on Friday at the Five Flags Center. After standing in third place after the opening session, the Auggies took the lead in the second session, with 75.5 team points.Augsburg won 17 of its 21 individual bouts on Friday. Wartburg (Iowa), the defending national champion, is in second place with 62.5 points and has six individuals remaining in the competition, including five in championship contention. Wisconsin-La Crosse, last year's national runner-up, is in third place with 51.5 points, with six individuals remaining in the competition, including three in championship contention. Luther (Iowa) is fourth with 47.0 points, and the College of New Jersey is in fifth with 32.5 points. Augsburg will attempt to win its Division III-record 10th national title in a 17-year span on Saturday (3/3) at the Five Flags Center. Tomorrow's opening round begins at 10:30 a.m., with championship semifinals and wrestlebacks. The final round begins at 4 p.m. with placing matches. The championship finals are slated to begin at 7 p.m. Friday's performance marks the fourth time in school history that Augsburg has claimed nine or more All-Americans; the Auggies also had nine All-Americans in 1998 and 2004, and had All-Americans in all 10 weight classes in 2005. Augsburg has had five or more All-Americans every season since 1989. Top-ranked Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) continued his quest to become the first Division III wrestler ever to win four national titles, scoring two convincing victories on Friday. In his opening match, LeVesseur scored a first-period pin of David Early of Loras (Iowa). In his second round, he secured All-American honors for the fourth time in his career with a third-period, 23-7 technical fall of Zach Bogardus of Cortland State (N.Y.). LeVesseur, who won Division III national titles at 157 pounds three times (2003, 2004, 2005), improved to 29-0 on the season and improved his collegiate career record to 153-0, the second-longest winning streak in college wrestling history, behind the 159 of Cael Sanderson at Iowa State (1998-2002). Quincy Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.), ranked No. 1 nationally at 141, also had a strong opening to his first national tournament appearance as an Auggie, with a 21-6, technical-fall victory over Travis Grawin of Luther (Iowa) in his opening match, and a 11-6 win over Tyler Branham of the College of New Jersey in the quarterfinals. For Osborn, now 42-2 this season and 102-35 in his collegiate career, it is his first All-American honor in his third national tournament as a collegian; he competed in the Division I national tournament in both 2004 and 2005 at Minnesota. Defending 157-pound national runner-up Jeremy Anderson (Jr., Thief River Falls, Minn.) scored a 9-3 win in his opening match over Mark DeCiccio of Springfield (Mass.), then blanked Pat McAuley of Cornell (Iowa) 5-0 to secure All-American honors for the second time. Anderson is now 37-2 overall and 81-5 in his two seasons as an Auggie. At 133, defending national runner-up Jafari Vanier (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) claimed Division III All-American honors for the second straight year, improving to 19-1 on the season with a 3-1 win in his opening match against Nichalos Nothern of Cornell (Iowa), and a 10-3 triumph over Sean Cullen of Lycoming (Pa.) in the quarterfinals. Vanier has finished twice in his career in national tournaments; in addition to his second-place finish last year, he was also a national runner-up in 2002 at Iowa Central Community College. At 149, Jared Evans (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), earned All-American honors for the third straight year. In his opening match, he scored a 5-2 win over Matthew Shank of Gettysburg (Pa.), and in the quarterfinals, he scored a 10-4 win over Ryan Higgins of Wisconsin-Platteville. Evans is now 36-3 overall and 138-35 in his Auggie career. Evans finished seventh nationally in 2005 and fourth in 2006. At 174, Robbie Gotreau (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) opened his tournament run with an 8-3 victory over Eric Bath of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, then clinched his second All-American honor with a 1-0 win over Andrew Winfield of McDaniel (Md.). Gotreau, who finished fourth nationally at 174 last year, is now 40-4 overall and 108-24 in his career. Seth Flodeen (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.), making his first national tournament appearance, went to overtime in his opening match, claiming a 4-2 win over Felipe Queiroz of Wilkes (Pa.). But he clinched his first All-American honor with a 5-2 win over Robert Struthers of Wartburg (Iowa) in the quarterfinals. It was the third time Flodeen had faced Struthers this season, and Flodeen's second victory.Flodeen, ranked No. 3 nationally in his weight class, is now 24-4 overall. Heavyweight Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.) was edged 2-0 by Trevor Hiffa of Oneonta State (N.Y.) in his opening match, but claimed two convincing wins in the wrestlebacks to earn All-American honors for the first time in his second trip to the national tournament. Neumann claimed a first-period pin of Kyle Bilquist of Delaware Valley (Pa.), then scored an 11-0, major-decision win of Jacob Taylor of Oswego State (N.Y.) Neumann is now 37-9 on the season and 91-39 in his career. At 197, Wally O'Connor (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) was pinned in his opening match by Alec Bonander of Luther (Iowa), but the unseeded Auggie scored a 5-4 win over No. 3-seed James Swanson of Wisconsin-La Crosse to secure All-American honors for the first time He is now 21-15 on the season. The lone Auggie to be eliminated on the first day was 184-pounder George Lynaugh (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS). Lynaugh was edged in his opening match, falling 3-2 to Ryan Summers of John Carroll (Ohio), then fell 7-1 to Nick Coleman of New York University. Lynaugh finished 31-7 on the season and is 37-10 in his Auggie career. Fellow Minnesota school St. John's is in 26th place, with one wrestler remaining in the field. At 157, Jacob Malone won a "pigtail" match in the 17-wrestler bracket, but fell in his second match to drop to the wrestlebacks. He then won two matches to secure All-American honors. Minga Batsukh won his opening match at 141 pounds, but lost two straight matches to be eliminated. Mogi Baatar lost his opening match at 125, won his first wrestleback match but lost his second to be eliminated.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Coming off two wins to close the dual season, the 15th-ranked Wildcats are set to head to East Lansing, Mich., for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships Saturday-Sunday, March 3-4. Northwestern has battled injuries throughout the season, but head coach Tim Cysewski has his full complement of ranked grapplers ready to lead the 'Cats at this year's tournament. Northwestern enters the weekend with six wrestlers pre-seeded for the tournament. Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), the nation's top-ranked 184-pounder, takes a 24-0 record into the weekend and looks to win his second Big Ten title. Herbert captured the 174-pound crown in 2006. This season, Herbert has notched wins over each of the three wrestlers seeded immediately below him. He scored decisions in duals against Mike Pucillo of Ohio State, the No. 3 pre-seed, and Michigan's Tyrel Todd, the No. 4. He registered a major decision over second-ranked Roger Kish of Minnesota at the NWCA All-Star Classic exhibition. Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward), ranked No. 1 at 141 lbs., takes the No. 2 pre-seed into this weekend. He missed the first five Big Ten duals due to injury, but returned to post a 3-0 conference record. He is a perfect 21-0 and is looking to improve on last year's second-place finish. Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick), ranked sixth at 197 lbs., is NU's other No. 2 pre-seed. He sits at 30-3 this season and has posted a 16-3 dual mark. One of Tamillow's three defeats came at the hands of No. 1 pre-seed and top-ranked Phil Davis of Penn State. The junior defeated two ranked opponents in the final two Big Ten duals. He finished sixth in last year's tournament. Junior heavyweight Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) is the No. 3 pre-seed. Fox is 24-3 overall and has put up a 13-2 dual mark. He sits behind only Minnesota's top-ranked Cole Konrad and Penn State's Aaron Anspach, who topped Fox in a dual earlier this season. Fox placed third in 2006. Junior Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) is the No. 6 pre-seed at 174 lbs. Hayes went 4-4 in the Big Ten and sits at 18-11 overall. True freshman Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) rounds out the list for Northwestern as he garnered a No. 6 pre-seed at 125 lbs. in his first trip to the Big Ten Championships. Precin is 30-11 this season and went 5-3 in the Big Ten with wins in his last two Big Ten duals. He is currently ranked 19th by InterMat. The Big Ten Wrestling Championships take place Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 2. For schedules, results and more information on the 2007 Big Ten Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Site.

125: 1-Troy Nickerson, Cornell 2. Matt Eveleth, Penn 3. Matt Fisk, Lehigh 4. Fernando Martinez, Army 5. Brandon Kinney, Columbia 6. Alex Usztics, Navy 7. Jasen Borshoff, American 8. Greg Einfrank, Brown 133: 1-Matt Valenti, Penn 2-Adam Frey, Cornell 3-Robbie Preston, Harvard 4-David Marble, Bucknell 5-Joe Baker, Navy 6-Matt DeLorenzo, Columbia 7. Seth Ciasulli, Lehigh 8-Jeff Schell, Brown 141: 1-Max Meltzer, Harvard 2-Matt Ciasulli, Lehigh 3-Brad Canterbury, Navy 4-Matt Kyler, Army 5-Sal Tirico, Columbia 6-Mark Savino, Brown 7-Corey Manson, Cornell 8-Brett McCurdy, Penn 149: 1-Jordan Leen, Cornell 2-JP O'Connor, Harvard 3-John Cox, Navy 4-Matt Dunn, Columbia 5-Rick Rappo, Penn 6-Damian Seoetlik, American 7-Jack Barrett, Rutgers 8-Scott Heckman, ESU 157: 1-Matt Dragon, Penn 2-John Jarred, Navy 3-Dave Nakasone, Lehigh 4-Robert Latessa, Harvard 5-Christian Snook, Army 6-Devin Mesanko, Columbia 7-Tom Fazio, Brown 8-Drake, Hovis, Cornell 165: 1-Michael Cannon, American 2-Zach Shanaman, Penn 3-Steve Anceravage, Cornell 4-Andrew Rendos, Bucknell 5-Frankie Colletta, Harvard 6-Brian Rowan, Army 7-Ricky Turk, Columbia 8-Shawn Kitchner, Brown 174: 1-Matt Stolpinski, Navy 2-Matt Palmer, Columbia 3-Joey Hooker, Cornell 4-Matt Herrington, Penn 5-Rudy Rueda, American 6-Brent Smith, Army 7-Dave Helfrich, Lehigh 8-Mike Whalen, Rutgers 184: 1-David Craig, Lehigh 2-Louis Caputo, Harvard 3-Justin Barent, Columbia 4-Lior Zamir, Penn 5-Antonio Miranda, Navy 6-Josh Arnone, Cornell 7-Scott Ferguson, Army 8-David Williams, ESU 197: 1-Jerry Rinaldi, Cornell 2-Josh Glenn, American 3-Matt Cassidy, Lehigh 4-Eric Lapotsky, Bucknell 5-Nick Sommerfeld, Columbia 6-Lamar Brown, Rutgers 7-Matt Parsons, Navy 8-Connor Sanders, Army 285: 1-Ed Prendergast, Navy 2-Paul Weibel, Lehigh 3-Zach Hammond, Cornell 4-Nathan Thobaben, Army 5-Levon Mock, Brown 6-Kevin Lester, Columbia 7-Nico Somers, F&M 8-George Hingson, Bucknell

Please Note: RevWrestling.com is dedicated to covering and promoting amateur wrestling on all levels. However, on occasion, RevWrestling.com will look at mixed martial arts (MMA) as it relates to amateur wrestling. Event: UFC 68: Uprising Date: Saturday, March 3 Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio In the first ever UFC fight card held in Columbus Ohio, Hall of Fame fighter Randy "The Natural" Couture (14-8) comes out of retirement and moves up a weight class to heavyweight in an attempt to dethrone champion Tim Sylvia (25-2). The Natural has found it difficult to sit on the sidelines as others fight. Randy must believe that he can get inside on Sylvia and control his body as we've see so many times before. In preparation for his return to the Octagon, Randy has been training with larger opponents. He is ready. Seventy-percent (70%) of UFC Web site voters polled have Randy winning the fight, yet the oddsmakers post him as a +215 underdog. At those incredible odds, the UFC Monster will back The Natural all the way to the winner's window. Prediction: Couture by TKO (ground & pound) in Round 3 Matt Hughes (42-5) at -625 appears to be a mismatch for Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (32-13-4). This will be Hughes' first fight since a shocking loss to Georges St. Pierre. Will he be hungry? Or will he soon fade into the UFC Hall of Fame as an aging legend? Unless Lytle gets a lucky KO, Matt should roll in this one. Prediction: Hughes by submission (keylock) in Round 2 Rich Franklin (22-2) also returns to the Octagon after his title loss to Anderson Silva. His opponent, Canadian Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald (19-7), has looked sharp of late -- with upsets over Ed Herman and Chris Leben. Prediction: Franklin by KO in Round 1 Renato "Babalu" Sobral (27-6) was on a 10-match winning streak before he got clocked by Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. Jason Lambert (22-6) is no Liddell. Prediction: Sobral by submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1 Other Predictions: Martin Kampmann (11-1) over Drew McFedries (5-1) by TKO (Kick) in Round 2 Matt Hamill (4-0) over Rex Holman (4-1) with TKO (ground & pound) in Round 2 Jon Fitch (17-2) over Luigi Fioravanti (11-1) by KO in Round 2 Gleison Tibau (23-3) over Jason Dent (12-7) by submission (armbar) in Round 1 Jamie Varner (9-1) over Jason Gilliam (11-0) by KO in Round 2

Ewing, NJ -- The College of New Jersey wrestling team will look to continue its impressive streak of placing in the top 20 in the team standings this weekend as the Lions send five grapplers to the 2007 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Dubuque, IA. The Lions have placed in the top 20 in each of the last 31 years and are currently ranked seventh in the latest Brute – Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III pre-championship poll. The event will run March 2-3 and will be hosted by Loras College. TCNJ enters the tournament after winning the Metropolitan Conference Wrestling Championships for the 24th time in 29 tries. The Lions crowned three champions at the conference tournament as freshman Tyler Branham (Newton, NJ/Kittantinny) won at 141 pounds, senior Joe Galante (Ocean City, NJ/Ocean City) at 157 and sophomore Greg Osgoodby (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) at 174. Two more wrestlers earned a trip to nationals as junior Ray Sarinelli (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills) at 133 and senior Mike Guenther (Ewing, NJ/Brick) at 165 earned "wild card" spots. Four of the five wrestlers heading to Iowa are ranked in respective weight classes and a top-eight finish will earn them All-American status. Galante is the most seasoned wrestler at the tournament as he is making his third trip to the event. The three-time Met Conference champion was an All-American in 2005 placing fourth, but came up short in his bid a year ago. Galante is currently ranked eighth in this weight class and enters the double-elimination tournament with 28-2 record with eight of those coming by fall. During his career at TCNJ, he has compiled a lofty mark of 81-14. Branham and Osgoodby are making their first trips to nationals with Osgoodby ranks seventh and Branham the lone Lion not in the rankings. Osgoodby has had a tremendous second campaign at TCNJ and is 33-5 on the year. This season, Osgoodby also earned his 50th career win and is now 56-16. Branham, who wrestled only three matches during 2005-06 season due to an injury, has bounced back in impressive fashion as he leads the team in wins boasting a mark of 36-9. Sarinelli dropped a tight 3-2 decision to top-ranked Dave Morgan of King's College (PA) in the finals at the Met Conference Tournament, but was awarded a "wild card" as he has taken on some of the nation's elite this season. Sarinelli, who is ranked sixth at 133 pounds, heads to the tournament with a record 31-6 with four of his defeats coming against those ranked above him. For his career, he is 62-19. Guenther also grabbed a "wild card" berth as he finished second at the conference tournament the hard way. After falling in the finals, he battled back to win a true-second place match securing a spot. The senior takes a 27-3 record with him to the tournament and is currently ranked sixth. Like Branham, Guenther has battled back from an injury last season and has a career record of 34-5.

Columbia wrestling coach Brendan Buckley has been anticipating the 2007 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships since the first day of the season, way back in October. In truth, though, he's been waiting for this moment for nearly seven years. "I've been working toward this since I came to Columbia seven years ago," said Buckley, a Fresno State All-American who was an assistant coach at Virginia before taking the Columbia position prior to the 2000-01 season. "Our wrestlers have been preparing since the day after last season ended." Just as Buckley's preparation dates back to his first days at Columbia, his wrestlers' also goes way back. Especially his seniors, five of whom will take the mat Friday in the 103rd EIWA Championships in Koehler Fieldhouse on the campus of East Stroudsburg University. "I'm excited for our whole team in this tournament, but especially for our seniors," said Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling at Columbia. "We brought them in here for the express purpose of excelling in the Easterns and advancing to the NCAA Championships. They have worked hard for four years with that goal in mind. They believed in it, and I believe in them." Milestones have been plentiful for Columbia wrestling in recent years. Two years ago, the 2005 edition of the Columbia team finished fourth in the Easterns, its best finish in 74 years, and sent a school-record five men to the NCAA Championships. Last year's team produced seven EIWA placewinners, another Columbia record. This season's team finished in a tie for second in the Ivy League, its highest since 1985-86, and earned its first national ranking. Columbia wrestlers are ranked in the top six in every weight class for the Easterns, the only school that can make that boast. In the pre-tournament team rankings, the Lions are slotted in a three-way tie for third, with Lehigh and Penn, all trailing Cornell and Navy. Harvard, Army and American complete the top eight schools. "Both our team ranking, and that of our wrestlers, reflects the progress that our program has made," the coach notes. "To be at or near the top of our conference, with the possibility of several men reaching the EIWA finals and the NCAA Championships, is a testament to many, many years of hard work." Matt Palmer and Justin Barent are the two highest-ranked Lions in both national and EIWA rankings. Palmer, a senior from Germantown, Md., who was an All-American at 165 pounds in 2005, is ranked second in the EIWA and 10th nationally at 174. After taking a leave of absence from school for the first semester, Palmer compiled an 11-1 record; he is 81-22 in his career. Barent, one of Columbia's four co-captains, is ranked third in the EIWA and 18th in the nation. The senior from Worland, Wyo., is 18-4 this season.

TakedownRadio.com will once again broadcast and announce this years Big 12 Tournament. Wrestling fans can listen to this event free of charge courtesy of the Big 12 Conference and the University of Missouri. Coverage begins at 11:00 AM CST and continues throughout the event. Play by play and hosting duties are provided by TDR host Steve Foster. Steve will be joined by former ISU Standout wrestler Nick Passolano and wrestling historian Jeff Murphy. Intermatwrestle.com reporter William Hupp will provide sideline commentary and one on one interviews with coaches and athletes. Veteran announcer and founding host of TDR, Scott Casber, will publicly announce the event at the Hearns Center. This looks to be a great tournament with all 5 Big 12 teams ranked in the Top 20. In addition 33 of the 50 wrestlers (66%) competing are ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight classes. Twelve are ranked in the Top 5. No other conference can boast this level of talent. Remember that the top 3 finishers at each weight qualify for the NCAA Tournament along with eight wild card entrants. The team race for the 2007 Big 12 Tournament title is wide open. Iowa State and Missouri appear favorites, although Oklahoma State has a legitimate shot as well. The battle for the title will likely come down to the team scoring the most bonus points and upsets. Don't count out the wily veteran coach Jack Spates, or the surprising Cornhusker Mark Manning. Anything can happen at this year's Big 12 Championships. Tune in won't you? Coverage starts at 11:00 AM CST. Visit Takedownradio.com free of charge courtesy of the Big 12 Conference and the University of Missouri.

Wartburg sends 10 wrestlers to the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3, at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque. The defending national champions and top-ranked team in the nation is one of two schools sending an individual from each weight class to the tournament, joining second-ranked Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn., in the feat. FOR THE FANS: Competition at the 2007 national tourney opens Friday at 11 a.m. with the first session and runs through Saturday at 9 p.m. with the awarding of the individual All-American honors and team trophies. A tournament schedule, complete team-by-team national qualifiers, advanced ticket sales information and more are available at the official web site of the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships at http://depts.loras.edu/sports/2007ncaawrestling/index.html. Brackets will be announced Thursday night. Fans of the Knights can follow the national tourney through http://www.go-knights.net, the Internet home of Wartburg athletics, with complete recaps, photo galleries, and more, and through web broadcasts on Go-Knights.net, courtesy of KWAY Radio, Waverly, and KWAR-FM, 89.1, Waverly. The broadcast on KWAY will be available both days, while KWAR's broadcast will be available Saturday. NATIONAL TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This year's tournament marks the second time in the last four years that Loras College has been the host institution at the Five Flags Center. The last time around was a good one for the Orange and Black as they won the 2004 national meet, crowning four national champions and nine All-Americans…This year's tourney begins a run of back-to-back years in which the Iowa Conference has a strong flavor in host duties. The 2008 national tourney will be held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids with Cornell College, Coe College, and the IIAC as hosts…Head coach Jim Miller's program looks to continue four remarkable streaks this weekend. The Knights have had a view from the top of the team race in 12 of the last 14 national championships, ending either first or second with five national titles and three of those coming since 2003…Wartburg has had at least three All-Americans in each of the last 16 national championships with a high water mark of 10 in 2003 and nine in 2004 and 2006…The Knights have had at least one All-American in each of the last 19 national championships…Wartburg has also had at least one individual national champion in each of the last four years with two-or-more in each of those instances. 2007 KNIGHTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES: Senior heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer, fresh off becoming the Iowa Conference's fifth four-time individual champion, seeks more history on the national level this weekend. He can become the first four-time All-American for Wartburg since Jon Dawley did so from 1991-94. Gillis has previously finished second three times…Junior 197-pounder T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls also looks for repeat All-American honors after finishing fourth in 2007 along with sophomore 141-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City who was eighth at 133 pounds last year…Miller is the lone unbeaten in the Wartburg wrestling room, sporting a 25-0 record, while sophomore 184-pounder Romeo Djoumessi of Waverly has the longest winning streak of any of the Knights, sitting at 29 straight since a loss to Iowa State University's David Varner at the Harold Nichols Open in late November…Djoumessi, Gillis, and Miller have yet to be defeated by an NCAA Division III opponent this year with Gillis' lone loss coming at the hands of Northwestern University's Dustin Fox in the semifinals of the Midlands Invitational in late December. Gillis has won 20 in a row since the loss…Sophomore 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont of Pocahontas joins Djoumessi and Gillis in the 30-win club with a 35-4 record. He's won nine straight since a 5-4 loss to Augsburg's Jeremy Anderson in the finals of the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Division III National Duals…Freshman 149-pounder Adam Weber of Waterloo is close behind with 29 wins, while junior 125-pounder Robert Struthers of Emmetsburg (28 wins), and senior 174-pounder Jason Zastrow of Coon Rapids, Minn., (26 wins) are also within range of 30 victories…The remaining records for Wartburg's national qualifiers are junior 133-pounder Jake Helvey of Mitchellville (25-15), McKray (9-8), and senior 165-pounder Jason Knipp of Waterloo (13-2).

Columbia, Mo. -- Three members of Missouri's third-ranked wrestling team were named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team as announced today by the league office. Senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), junior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) and redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) were among 12 men named to the first team. Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State led the conference with three individuals each named to the first team. First team members must have maintained a 3.20 grade-point average or better in addition to participating in 60 percent of the team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Two-time Big 12 Champion Askren is in search of his third and final league title. Askren became Missouri's first two-time Big 12 Champion last season in addition to the Tiger's first-ever wrestling NCAA Champion. Askren is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation at 174 pounds. Askren is a four-time Academic All-Big 12 member, and this marks his third year on the first team. McCormick, named an All-American last season, is ranked fifth in the nation at 133 pounds and in search of his first Big 12 Championship title. McCormick finished second at the 2006 Big 12 Championships. The first team is honor is the third of McCormick's career. A newcomer to the Big 12 tournament, Maxwell Askren is 26-1 on the season and stands at No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds. The University of Missouri will host the 11th annual Big 12 Wrestling Championships Saturday, March 3, beginning at 11 a.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. Tickets can be purchased at Mizzou Arena, by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or by ordering online. Tickets will also be available at the door. Doors for the first session of the day will open at 9:30 a.m.

Oklahoma State will look to continue its Big 12 dominance by winning its fifth consecutive Big 12 title and ninth in 11 tries when the Cowboys wrestle in the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, March 3 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. OSU has crowned 21 Big 12 champions over the current four-year run, which is .525 percent of the individual titles. Overall, OSU has crowned 47 Big 12 champions in 10 years. The team title this season could be the closest it has been in the history of the event. Iowa State, Missouri and OSU are ranked two, three and four in the national polls, respectively. According to the latest individual rankings by Amateur Wrestling News, both OSU and ISU project five wrestlers in the finals, while Missouri projects four finalists. OSU has run away with the title the last two seasons, winning last year by 27.5 points. The Cowboys only have three previous Big 12 champions wrestling. Coleman Scott won it as a freshman, while Nathan Morgan and Johny Hendricks have each won titles the last two seasons. Brandon Mason is the only other Cowboy who has even made an appearance in the Big 12 meet. The Cowboys have six wrestlers making their first appearance in the Big 12 Championships. The early sessions will be broadcast live on KSPI 780 AM, while the evening sessions will move over to KSPI 93.7 FM. Rex Holt and Roger Moore will be calling the action live with prematch broadcast scheduled for 15 minutes before each session. Last Time Out Oklahoma State whipped Bedlam rival Oklahoma, 29-6, in the final dual of the season. The Cowboys recorded three major decisions and got a technical fall from top-ranked Johny Hendricks for his 50th consecutive win. The crowd of 7,014 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena got the loudest of the night when Newly McSpadden recorded a takedown with 40 seconds left to defeat OU's Will Rowe. It got to its feet again when Brandon Mason scored a takedown to defeat Josh Weitzel in the fourth sudden victory period. The two wrestlers went an exhausting 13 minutes, 22 seconds. The Cowboys put the dual away early after going up 11-0 after three matches. Tyler Shinn and Coleman Scott both recorded major decisions for OSU. The Sooners only victories came at 149 and 197 where they were heavy favorites. Jack Jensen also recorded a major decision for OSU. Jackson Earns Spot Junior B.J. Jackson had spent his first few season waiting behind All-American Zack Esposito before finally getting a chance to start this season. In his very first dual, he hurt his knee against UC-Davis and missed over two months of the season before returning in the Lonestar Duals on Jan. 6. Jackson has not been able to wrestle to his full potential, which prompted head coach John Smith to use Dakotah Simpson against Iowa at the National Duals. Simpson recorded a fall in his first match and sparked a debate among Cowboy fans who should be starting, but Smith has stuck with Jackson. Jackson will be making his first appearance at the Big 12 Championships and will be the likely No. 5 seed. Mason Outlasts Weitzel Brandon Mason recorded an early takedown against OU's Josh Weitzel and seemed to be in control after riding out the first period and accumulating over 2:40 in riding time. But Weitzel erased the riding time when he rode Mason for the second period, and Mason's seemingly large advantage had evaporated. Weitzel wisely chose neutral in the third period and scored a takedown that tied the match. Overtime became a tall order as neither wrestler has an array of takedown moves, and both guys are better from the top position. So neither wrestler could score a takedown in sudden victory, or escape in the tie-breaker. But finally, in the fourth sudden victory period, Mason got behind Weitzel and broght him to the mat for the winning takedown. The match lasted 13:22. Young Cowboys Making Strides Head coach John Smith knew the 2007 season was going to be tough with six new starters in the lineup. Following, two blow out losses to Big 12 rivals Missouri and Iowa State at the National Duals, the Cowboys seemed like long shots to win the Big 12 and place high at the NCAA Championships. But OSU closed out the season with a road victory over Nebraska, a one-point loss to No. 2 Missouri and a convincing win over Bedlam rival Oklahoma. The win over the Sooners was the most lopsided victory in five seasons, which coincided with the start of the Cowboys current championship run. Since then, Smith has had three weeks to prepare his team for another postseason run. Last Time at the Big 12 Championships Oklahoma State won its fourth consecutive Big 12 title by scoring 80 points, 27.5 points better than runner-up Oklahoma. OSU sent seven wrestlers into the finals and came away with four champions. Nathan Morgan won his second Big 12 title with a decision over Tyler McCormick. Zack Esposito and Steve Mocco both defeated rival Sooners for their titles, and Johny Hendricks needed overtime to defeat Missouri's Matt Pell. Three other Cowboys found themselves in a position to qualify for the national tournament by winning the third-place match. Rusty Blackmon posted his second victory over nationally ranked Vince Jones of Nebraska. Brandon Mason and Ethan Kyle were both defeated, but Mason received a wild card giving OSU nine national qualifiers. Hendricks Looking to Join Exclusive Club Johny Hendricks will head to the Palace in Auburn Hills with an opportunity to become just the fifth wrestler in school history to become a four-time All-American and a three-time national champion. Hendricks finished fifth as a redshirt freshman in 2004 at 157 pounds. He then won the next two titles while wrestling at 165. During his two championship seasons and so far this season, Hendricks has compiled an 83-5 record. There have previously been 10 four-time All-Americans and 15 three-time national champions. Only five guys have done both with Jake Rosholt joining the club last season.

The University of Minnesota wrestling program has announced that Torrey Line has signed an acceptance of admission form to join the Golden Gophers for the 2007-08 season. A native of Browerville, Minn., Line has been unable to compete this year after being diagnosed with a form of bone cancer on Aug. 28, 2006. The son of Mike and Kim Line, Torrey began an aggressive form of chemotherapy in September and, in December, he had surgery to remove approximately six inches from his femur bone and had a complete knee replacement. He spent most of December recovering from the extensive surgery and is currently undergoing further chemotherapy and will continue to do so for some time. For more information on Torrey's cancer, please visit www.takedowncancer.com. A five-time state qualifier, Line captured the 2005 Class A state title at 171 pounds to cap off a perfect 45-0 season. He compiled an overall record of 179-21 through his junior year. A three-time Cadet National All-American, he won the 2005 Greco-Roman national title. In addition to his national accolades, Line was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2006 Rocky Mountain Junior Regionals and won state titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. "We couldn't be more excited to have Torrey Line joining the Minnesota wrestling program," head coach J Robinson said. "It's great to have someone who has already faced such huge adversity in his life and still wants to follow his dream." Line joins a recruiting class that includes Cody Marcicki (Metamora, Mich.), Zach Sanders (Wabasha, Minn.), Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, Colo.) and Kaleb Young (Tentstrike, Minn.), who all signed National Letters of Intent during the fall signing period.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Mark Ironside and Craig Sesker. Ironside was a two-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa and is the color commentator for the Iowa wrestling radio broadcasts. Ironside compiled a 127-10 record while at Iowa and was the 1998 recipient of the Dan Hodge Trophy. Sesker is the director of communications for USA Wrestling and was a long-time journalist for the Omaha World Herald. In 2000 he was named the National Wrestling Media Association's journalist of the year and is considered one of the nation's top wrestling journalists. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, IA, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan.

NORMAN, Okla. -– Oklahoma's Kyle Terry was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performance in duals against Hofstra and Michigan State, the conference office announced Tuesday, Feb. 27. The redshirt-freshman from Midwest City, Okla., defeated two top-eight ranked wrestlers in a span of seven days. He defeated No. 8 Charles Griffin of Hofstra in a 7-4 decision as the Sooners claimed a 21-13 victory over the No. 6/8 Pride on Saturday, Feb. 17. He backed it up with an upset of No. 4 Andy Simmons of Michigan State, 4-2, in Oklahoma's 24-15 defeat over the No. 19/22 Spartans on Friday, Feb. 23. Terry finished the regular season with an overall record of 15-9. Oklahoma hits the road this Saturday as the Big 12 Championships will be held in Columbia, Mo. OU will then return home for a week before it travels to the NCAA Championships, March 15-17, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

IRVING, Texas -- Oklahoma State's wrestling team had four athletes named to the Academic All-Big 12 team, which tied for the most in the conference, the Big 12 office announced today. Brandon Mason, Newly McSpadden and Nathan Morgan were all named to the first team, while B.J. Jackson earned second team honors. It was the second career honor for both Mason and Morgan, while McSpadden and Jackson earned their first Big 12 accolade. Mason, a sophomore from Council Bluffs, Iowa, is 22-10 this season at 174 pounds. He is majoring in biology. Fellow sophomore McSpadden hails from Vinita, Okla. and is 17-14 in his first year in the lineup at 157. He is majoring in sociology and received the Arthur Ashe Award last year. Morgan, a junior from Bakersfield, Calif., maintained a 3.2 GPA in civil engineering, while being one of the top wrestlers at 141 pounds. Jackson, a junior from Tuttle, Okla., maintained a 3.0 average, while wrestling his first full season at 149 pounds. Student-athletes must maintain a 3.2 GPA and wrestle in 60 percent of the team's scheduled events to earn first team honors, or maintain a 3.0 average and wrestle in 60 percent of the competitions to earn second team honors.

NORMAN, Okla. -– The No. 7/14 Oklahoma wrestling team placed four Sooners on the 2007 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Team, the Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday. Highlighting the first team for the Sooners were seniors Sam Hazewinkel and Joel Flaggert and junior Joshua Weitzel. Freshman Kyle Terry rounded out the group with his second-team selection. It marked the second straight first-team selection for Hazewinkel. Flaggert, Weitzel and Terry are making their first appearances on the teams. Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the academic all-league wrestling squad consisted of 12 first team members combined with three on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible. Oklahoma will hit the road this Saturday as the Big 12 Championships take place in Columbia, Mo. OU will then return home for a week before it travels to the NCAA Championships, March 15-17, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Air Force Academy's Zach Lord has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. The senior 157-pound Lord (Missoula, Mont./Sentinel HS) helped lead the Falcons to a 25-20 victory over Northern Colorado last week, as Air Force improved to 3-1 in the WWC with its fourth-straight dual win. Lord, wrestling on Senior Day, pinned the Bears' Luke Salazar in a time of 5:36 to lead Air Force in its first win over UNC since 2004. With the win, Lord improved to 16-21 on the season and 5-10 in dual action, while notching his third fall of the year. 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: Reece Hopkin, Jr., HWT (Kersey, Colo./Platte Valley HS) Wyoming: Sam Wendland, Sr., 197, Bozeman, Mont. (Bozeman HS)

THIS WEEK Iowa will compete at the 2007 Big Ten Championships, Saturday and Sunday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI. The meet will be broken into three sessions. Session I will start Saturday at 10 a.m. (CST), Session II will start Saturday at 5 p.m. and Session III will start Sunday at 11 a.m. CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE Following is the Big Ten Championships event schedule. Times are Central Standard. Session - Day - Time (CST) - Competition Session I - Saturday - 10 a.m. - Through quarterfinals and consolation first round Session II - Saturday - 5 p.m. - Through the championship semifinals and up to the consolation semifinals Session III - Sunday - 11 a.m. - Consolation semifinals will be followed by seventh place matches. Championship, third, and fifth place matches for each weight classs will start at 1 pm. ON THE AIR Radio - Hawkeye fans can hear Big Ten wrestling action on AM-800 KXIC and AM-1630 KCJJ. Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on KXIC, while Roger Beyhl, Bob Dane and Ed McGinness will call the action live on KCJJ. To listen to the KXIC broadcast online, go to the wrestling schedule at www.hawkeyesports.com, click on the event and click on the Listen link. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($6.95/month or $49.95/year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($99.95/year). Television - CSTV (College Sports Television) will air a tape-delayed broadcast of Sunday's competition. The airing dates are Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. (CST), Wednesday, March 7 at 10 p.m. (CST) and Friday, March 9 at 6 a.m. (CST). TICKET INFORMATION All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students. Sunday's final session tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students, while Saturday's single session tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Michigan State University's Ticket Office at 517/355-1610. BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS Updated brackets and team standings will be available throughout the tournament at www.bigten.org and www.msuspartans.com. NCAA QUALIFIERS The Big Ten Conference is alloted 72 qualifiers for the 2007 NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 15-17 in Auburn Hills, MI. The top seven placewinners in each weight class will automatically advance to the national tournament. Big Ten coaches will select two wild cards after the meet. The Hawkeyes advanced eight qualifiers in 2006. BIG TEN RECORDS Iowa holds records in five of seven Big Ten Championship categories. The Hawkeyes hold records for most individual champions in one tournament (9 in 1983), most consecutive team titles (25 from 1974-98), most falls by a team in one tournament (12 in 1979), largest victory margin (118.5 points in 1983) and fastest fall in all matches (Bart Chelesvig's 23-second pin over Illinois' Keith Bolman in 1992). The Hawkeyes have won the most Big Ten team titles (31) and crowned the most individual champions (180). Seven of the Big Ten's 10 four-time conference champions were Hawkeyes, and Iowa has had 18 of the conference's 46 three-time champions. BIG TEN HONORS The Iowa wrestling team has earned several individual Big Ten honors since they were initiated in 1986. Twelve Hawkeyes have been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, seven have been named Wrestler of the Championships and four have been named Freshman of the Year. Two of Iowa's former head coaches earned conference Coach of the Year honors a combined five times. Following is the list of Iowa's Big Ten award winners: Big Ten Wrestler of the Year Royce Alger - 1987, 1988 Terry Brands - 1992 Tom Brands - 1989 Mark Ironside - 1996, 1997, 1998 Eric Juergens - 2001 Lincoln McIlravy - 1995 Steve Mocco - 2003 Brad Penrith - 1986 Troy Steiner - 1993 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Tom Brands - 1989 Jeff McGinness - 1994 Lincoln McIlravy - 1993 Steve Mocco - 2002 Big Ten Coach of the Year Dan Gable - 1993, 1995, 1996 Jim Zalesky - 2000, 2004 Big Ten Wrestler of the Championships Terry Brands, 1992 Tom Brands, 1989 Jamie Heidt, 1998 Mark Ironside, 1997 Jeff McGinness, 1998 Luke Moffitt, 2002 Jody Strittmatter, 2000 Former Hawkeyes Ed Banach (1983) and Barry Davis (1985) were named Jesse Owens Big Ten Conference Male Athlete of the Year. A total of six wrestlers have been named Iowa's Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year and eight were named Iowa's Conference Medal of Honor winners. Following is the list of honorees: Iowa's Big Ten Medal of Honor Award Winners Ed Banach, 1983 Dan Glenn, 1980 Jeff McGinness, 1998 Gary Meyer, 1958 Wilbur Nead, 1939 Daniel Sherman, 1973 Ralph Thomas, 1951 Carl Voltmer, 1927 Iowa's Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year Ed Banach, 1983 Tom Brands, 1992 Barry Davis, 1985 Jim Heffernan, 1987 Eric Juergens, 2001 Daryl Weber, 1996 2006 BIG TEN REVIEW The Hawkeyes scored 86 points to place sixth at the 2006 Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, IN. It was Iowa's lowest conference tournament placing since finishing eighth in 1967. Minnesota won its ninth team title with 138 points. It was the second straight year that Iowa did not crown an individual Big Ten champion. The last time the Hawkeyes went more than one season without an individual champion was 1965-67. Iowa crowned at least one champion every year from 1970-2004. Sophomore Mark Perry (174) was Iowa's lone finalist. He was pinned (4:02) in the finals by Northwestern's Jake Herbert. Iowa's other placewinners were sophomore Alex Tsirtsis (3rd-141), senior Ty Eustice (3rd-149), junior Eric Luedke (4th-165), junior Lucas Magnani (125-6th), senior Joe Johnston (6th-157), freshman Dan Erekson (6th-197) and senior Paul Bradley (7th-184). IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 809-214-30 (.783) in 95 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 16, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten champions have won a total of 180 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 129 all-Americans have earned all-America status 263 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. IOWA LEADS THE NATION IN DUAL MEET ATTENDANCE The Hawkeye wrestling team leads the nation in dual meet attendance for the 2006-07 season, recording the highest home dual meet season average (6,740) and largest single meet crowd (13,732 vs. Iowa State on Dec. 3). Oklahoma State was a distant second with a 3,749 average and 7,014 largest single meet crowd (vs. Oklahoma). The 13,732 Iowa-Iowa State figure ranks 11th in the nation's top 25 largest dual meet crowds ever. Iowa hosted 20 of the top 25 and was the visitor for the other five - including the record-holding 15,646 set at Minnesota on Feb. 1, 2002. HAWKEYES SIGN TWO Iowa signed two student-athletes to national letters of intent in the early signing period. Jordan Johnson of Bettendorf, IA and Brodie Ambrose of Eldridge, IA, are Tom Brands' first signings as Iowa's head coach. Johnson won the 2006 Class AA Illinois state heavyweight title at Naperville North High School. He moved to Bettendorf, IA, and placed third at the 2007 state tournament at heavyweight. Ambrose placed third at 189 pounds at the 2007 state tournament for North Scott Eldridge. He placed third at 171 at the 2006 state meet. Ambrose is a projected 197-pounder for the Hawkeyes. He is also a 189-pound Fargo freestyle all-American. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of two Olympic gold medals, seven NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 605-84-2 (.877), including three undefeated seasons. IOWA WRESTLING ON JEOPARDY! Former Hawkeye wrestlers Luke and Ty Eustice were featured in a clue of the category "Iowa" December 8th, and in several clues of the category "Wrestling" January 8th on the TV game show JEOPARDY! Jimmy McGuire and Kelly Miyahara of the JEOPARDY! Clue Crew taped clues at Carver-Hawkeye Arena featuring the Eustice brothers in August. The Eustice brothers are natives of Blue Earth, MN. Luke was an all-American and NCAA finalist at 125 pounds in 2002, lettering for the Hawkeyes from 2001-04. Ty was a two-time all-American at 149 pounds, competing in the NCAA finals in 2006. He lettered for the Hawkeyes from 2003-06. They are the 10th set of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye varsity lineup since the 1950s. THE INTERNET Press releases, meet results, audio broadcasts and dual livestats are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live dual scoring, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS The 77th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 15-17 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, MI. Tickets are only sold in three-day, six-session packages. All-session ticket packages are $150, $130, and $120. Ticket prices include on-site parking with unlimited in/out privileges. To order tickets, please call the Palace of Auburn Hills Box Office directly at 248-377-0100.

The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team will seek to defend its 2006 Big Ten title this weekend in East Lansing, Mich. The 2007 Big Ten Championships kick off at the Breslin Center at 10 a.m. (CST) on Saturday, March 3 and will wrap up with the championship finals on Sunday, March 4 at approximately 1 p.m. Preliminary Seeds The preliminary seeds for the 2007 Big Ten Wrestling Championships were announced Monday night by conference officials. Minnesota leads all Big Ten teams with four top pre-seeds. Jayson Ness, Manuel Rivera, Dustin Schlatter and Cole Konrad all earned the top billing for the Golden Gophers. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be released on Friday, March 2. Gopher Seeds 125 –- Jayson Ness (1) 133 –- Mack Reiter (3) 141 –- Manuel Rivera (1) 149 –- Dustin Schlatter (1) 157 -– C.P. Schlatter (T3) 165 -– Tyler Safratowich (3) 174 –- Gabriel Dretsch (4) 184 –- Roger Kish (2) Hwt -– Cole Konrad (1) NOTES TO KNOW Class of the Conference Since snapping Iowa's run of 25 consecutive conference titles at the 1999 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Golden Gophers have claimed five of the last eight conference crowns while taking second the other three times. Minnesota has finished in the top three at Big Tens each of the last 10 years. Unbeaten in the BigTen With a perfect 8-0 record in conference dual meets, Minnesota finished the Big Ten regular season with an unblemished record for the fourth time in Head Coach J Robinson's career and for the first time since their back-to-back national championship runs in 2001 and '02. 20-20 Vision Following a season-opening loss to Hofstra at the Northeast Duals, Minnesota rattled off 20 straight dual meet wins to finish the season to match its 20-1 overall record in 2006. It is the first time in school history the Gophers have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons. The Gophers reached 20 wins in a single season for just the fifth time in school history and fourth time under Robinson. Minnesota's 20 straight wins to finish the 2006-07 season ranks as the third-longest winning streak in school history. Dual Meet Dominance Minnesota has posted a 170-29 (.854) dual meet winning percentage since the start of the 1997-98 season. In seven seasons during that stretch, the Gophers have lost two dual meets or fewer, including a perfect 19-0 season in 2001-02. Unprecedented Success An unprecedented five Minnesota wrestlers finished the 2006-07 season with 20 dual meet wins. Prior to this year, only 12 wrestlers in school history had ever posted 20 dual meet victories in a season. Streaky Gophers Senior heavyweight Cole Konrad is currently riding the second-longest winning streak in the nation at 67 consecutive matches, while sophomore Dustin Schlatter is right on his heels with 59 straight wins of his own, the third-longest streak in the country. Junior Manuel Rivera ranks fifth on the active list with 34 straight wins. Select Company Senior heavyweight Cole Konrad is aiming to join a select list of Minnesota wrestlers who have won three individual Big Ten titles. Only four other wrestlers in school history have accomplished the feat. Top Billing This weekend's Big Ten Championships will feature six wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the country in their respective weight classes, including Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter (149) and Cole Konrad (Hwt). Nine of Minnesota's 10 wrestlers are currently ranked in the top 25 in their respective weight classes. Making Their Debut Three Golden Gopher wrestlers will be competing in their first Big Ten Championships this weekend. Redshirt freshman Jayson Ness is poised to make a run at the 125-pound title, while sophomores Tyler Safratowich and Yura Malamura look to turn in a solid showing with hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The top seven finishers at each weight class qualify for NCAAs, with the Big Ten getting two wild card selections.

TEMPE, Ariz. –- John Espinoza, a senior on the Arizona State University wrestling team, was awarded one of nine wild card selections into the NCAA Wrestling Championships, the Pac-10 Conference announced. In a vote of the 10 conference coaches, Espinoza was selected to join teammates Brian Stith (157), Patrick Pitsch (165), Greg Gifford (184) and Jason Trulson (197) in Auburn Hills, Mich., for the national tournament March 15-17. Espinoza, competing at 125 pounds, posted a 2-2 record at the Pac-10 Wrestling Championships over the weekend in Bakersfield, Calif., falling to Marcos Orozco of UC Davis in the third-place bout, 8-6. Seeded third in the tournament, Espinoza opened with a 12-10 decision over Brandon Zoeteway (CS Bakersfield) before dropping a 4-2 decision to second-seeded Eric Stevenson (Oregon State) in the semifinals. In the consolation bracket, Espinoza scored a 5-1 decision over Cory Fish (Boise State) to earn a place in the third-place bout with Orozco. Stith, Pitsch and Gifford each won individual titles in the tournament with both Stith and Pitsch earning their second conference crowns. Trulson placed third in his weight class to earn an automatic berth to the national meet. Joining Espinoza as the nine wild card selections were Cal State Fullerton's T.J. Dillashaw (133) and Bryan Tice (165), Cal Poly's Dave Roberts (141) and Chase Pami (157), Stanford's Brian Perry (165) and Luke Feist (174), Bakersfield's Colton Nichols (heavyweight) and Boise State's Andy Patrick (heavyweight).

The Pac-10 Championships are already in the books, but a vast majority of the Division I conference tournaments will take place this weekend. It's been a great season thus far … and although anything can happen, some very exciting matchups could occur in the league tournaments. Despite months of intra-league wrestling, several of the more intriguing bouts haven't occurred. This has been the result of various injuries as well as the fact that some teams within the same league don't face each other on their schedules. In other instances, matchups that have taken place were so exciting that there's even greater anticipation over the rematch or even third go-round. Here are some of the more anticipated bouts 10. Pat Castillo (Northern Illinois) vs. Luke Smith (Central Michigan) Conference: MAC Weight: 125 In this battle of ranked opponents, Castillo won a tight 3-2 bout in the dual meet. 9. Andrew Flanagan (Harvard) vs. Matt Dragon (Penn) Conference: EIWA Weight: 157 Flanagan won 11-4 in the dual, but Dragon is still a dangerous, if somewhat inconsistent wrestler who just can't be written off in a rematch. 8. Matt Hill (Edinboro) vs. Matt Kocher (Pitt) Conference: EWL Weight: 157 Hill won 4-3 in the dual, but again Kocher is quite dangerous. 7. Matt Herrington (Penn) vs. Matt Stolpinski (Navy) Conference: EIWA Weight: 174 These two ranked wrestlers haven't met this season. Both have had some big wins as well as some disappointing losses. If this matchup occurs, it will definitely help the winner come seeding time for the NCAA's. 6. Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell) vs. Josh Glenn (American) Conference: EIWA Weight: 197 One of the biggest intra-league matchups that hasn't yet occurred. Rinaldi is ranked third, Glenn fourth. Don't expect any kind of chess match in this one, as Glenn is an incredibly dangerous wrestler, known for putting people on their back. 5. Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado) vs. C.J. Ettelson (Northern Iowa) Conference: Western Weight: 141 Hashimoto is probably the fan favorite for �Darkhorse of the Year.' A talented Judoka, Hashimoto is an exciting wrestler capable of big throws. He's 20-2 on the season, with one of the losses being an 8-6 decision to Minnesota's Manuel Rivera. The talented Ettelson was out for a month with an injury, missing the dual against Northern Colorado and a potential matchup against Hashimoto. He looked strong in his return to action and if this match does take place, it will answer questions about both wrestlers. 4. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) vs. Travis Paulson (Iowa State) Conference: Big 12 Weight: 165 One of the best and most decorated active college wrestlers, Hendricks has been tested twice against the bull-like Paulson this year. Hendricks came out on top 4-3 and 5-4 in their meetings, but gave up a takedown in each match and earned exactly one minute of riding time to win most recently. Paulson has to think that he's an inch away to finally beating his nemesis and may get another chance on Saturday. 3. Roger Kish (Minnesota) vs. Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) Conference: Big Ten Weight: 184 Both have been impressive this season, but the Big Ten schedule didn't allow for a dual meet this year. Kish is probably favored, but Pucillo is just a freshman and could have a breakout match at any time. This weight is arguably the best in the Big Ten, as it features all of the top four wrestlers in the country. 2. Max Askren (Missouri) vs. Kurt Backes (Iowa State) Conference: Big 12 Weight: 197 Backes won on a defensive fall in the dual, thus eliminating Askren's chances at going undefeated as a freshman. Was it a fluke? Stay tuned to find out. 1. Manuel Rivera (Minnesota) vs. Ryan Lang (Northwestern) Conference: Big Ten Weight: 141 Manuel Rivera (Photo/The Guillotine)The 141-pound weight class is easily the weight class with the most remaining unanswered questions. It features three undefeated wrestlers: Lang, Rivera and Cal-Davis's Derek Moore. Moore did his part by winning the Pac-10's, but by the time of the Big Show, there can be only one other undefeated wrestler. . Lang missed a good portion of the season, but is still 20-0 and has quality wins over Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State and Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa. Manuel Rivera has been a machine, going 35-0 this season, endearing himself to wrestling fans everywhere by relentlessly facing tough opponents and gutting out numerous tough wins. This is the only potential league matchup where somebody's "0" has to go.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Led by individual champions Jared Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) and Casey Woodall (Morenci, Ariz.), the Adams State College Grizzlies qualified seven wrestlers for the national tournament while finishing fourth in the team standings at the NCAA West Regional/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships, held Sunday in the Colorado School of Mines' Steinhauer Fieldhouse and Volk Gymnasium. Deaguero, a 184-pound junior, and Woodall, a 197-pound senior, came through for victories after 125-pound redshirt freshman Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) and 174-pound senior James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.) dropped championship matches while finishing second. Barksdale was named as the RMAC's Freshman of the Year following the tournament. Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.), Mike Gallegos (Alamosa, Colo.) and Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) also earned trips to the Mar. 9-10 NCAA Division II National Championships in Kearney, Neb. with top 4 finishes. Deaguero, a redshirt freshman, finished third in the 141-pound bracket while Gallegos and Copeland finished fourth at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Copeland, now a 3-time national qualifier, had to survive a true-fourth place match to survive. Redshirt freshman Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.) placed fifth and was just one win shy of a national tournament berth at 149 pounds. True freshman Kevin Schmitt (Arlington, Texas) went 0-2 in the 133-pound bracket. The Grizzlies scored 92.5 team points to edge Chadron State for fourth place in the team standings. The Grizzlies led the Eagles by three points heading into the championship finals before Chadron State surpassed the Grizzlies after Brett Hunter won the 165-pound title by fall. ASC then rallied back with the Jared Deaguero and Woodall victories. The nation's top-ranked University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers had three individual champions and another four runner-ups to win their sixth straight RMAC title with 141.5 points. The Lopers and RMAC Coach of the Year Marc Bauer qualified nine wrestlers for the national tournament that they will host. That group includes heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev, who had just 91 seconds of mat time en-route to a championship and RMAC Wrestler of the Year honors. Dlagnev pinned his opponent in the quarterfinals before receiving forfeit victories in the semifinals and championship. Fort Hays State did not have any individual champions but finished second with 109.5 points. The Tigers qualified seven wrestlers for nationals. Western State, led by 174-pound champion Larry Wilbanks, who came from behind to defeat Reynolds, 4-3, finished third with 103.5 points. The Mountaineers also qualified seven wrestlers for the national tournament. Chadron State had two individual champions and six national qualifiers. San Francisco State finished sixth with 48 points and had two national qualifiers while Mesa State finished seventh with 24.5 points but did not have any national qualifiers. The host Orediggers qualified one wrestler for the national tournament and finished eighth with 24 points, one more than ninth-place runner-up led by 141-pound champion Ross Montour.

Five Stanford wrestlers placed at the Pac-10 Wrestling Championships today, and all five qualified for next month's NCAA Championships in Detroit. Tanner Gardner claimed his first conference title at 125 pounds, while Josh Zupancic and Zack Giesen finished second at 157 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively. Luke Feist and Brian Perry also placed and were wild card selections for the NCAA Championships. At 125 pounds, Gardner claimed Stanford's first Pac-10 individual title since 2004, defeating Oregon State's Eric Stevenson, 4-1, in the championship bout. The title was the first of Gardner's career, and improves the junior to 38-3 on the season. He will make his third career appearance at the NCAA Championships next month. In the 157-pound title match, Zupancic dropped a close 7-4 decision to No. 3 Brian Stith of Arizona State. In the 184-pound championship, Giesen fell in a 5-0 decision to Arizona State's Greg Gifford. Both Cardinal wrestlers finished second in the conference and qualified automatically for the nationals. At 165 pounds, third-seeded Perry was upset by fourth-seeded Bryan Tice of Cal State Fullerton in the consolation semifinals. The Cardinal senior battled back and decisively won the fifth-place match, however, earning a 12-4 major decision over Boise State's Johnny Nunez. At the end of the tournament, Perry was voted one of nine wild card selections by conference coaches. At 174 pounds, Luke Feist picked up a 19-7 major decision over Nick Hernandez of Cal Poly to advance to the third place match. Feist finished fourth, however, after dropping a 6-5 decision to Boise State's Nate Lee. The Cardinal sophomore also was selected as a wild card, and will compete at the NCAA Championships next month. As a team, Stanford finished sixth in the conference, improving one place on the squad's seventh place 2006 finish. Oregon State won the conference title for the first time since 1994, finishing five points above runner-up Cal State Bakersfield.