InterMat Staff

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. –- The Arizona State University wrestling team had three individuals claim titles, the most of any conference team, and another place third as the 2007 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships came to a close Sunday evening inside the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif. As a team, the Sun Devils scored 76.5 points to place fifth while Oregon State's 110 points won the title, edging out host CS Bakersfield (105) and UC Davis (96.5) for the win. The final session opened with John Espinoza, the third-seeded wrestler at 125 pounds, facing fifth-seeded Marcos Orozco (UCD) for third place. Despite hanging tough, the Aggie scored an 8-6 decision over Espinoza, forcing his fate for a berth into the national tournament into the hands of the conference's head coaches as they award one of nine wild card berths (which will be announced later tonight). In the 157 pounds final, top-seeded Brian Stith competed in his third final in a row and walked away with his second career title as he controlled the pace and built an early lead into a 7-4 victory over Josh Zupancic (Stanford). Stith will now advance to the NCAA meet where he was the national runner-up one year ago while earning his second All-America honor. One bout later, second-seeded Patrick Pitsch looked to defend his crown at 165 pounds while taking on top-seeded Dustin Noack (UCD). Pitsch was successful in his bid as a takedown secured his back-to-back crown and an appearance in the national meet. At 184 pounds, top-seeded Greg Gifford faced third-seeded Zack Giessen (SU) in the finals of his first Pac-10 tournament and scored a 5-0 victory to close out his conference collegiate career with a win. The 2006 West Region Champion with Fresno State, Gifford will now look to earn his first All-America honor at the NCAA meet in two weeks. The final Sun Devil to take to the mats was third-seeded Jason Trulson at 197 pounds and he did not disappoint the maroon and gold fans in the stands as he dominated OSU's fifth-seeded Travis Gardner in a 13-1 major decision. Trulson, who will make his first national appearance in two weeks, jumped to an early lead and picked up back points to easily win the bout. Stith, Pitsch, Gifford and Trulson all will compete at the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich., March 15-17.

Head Coach Pat Pecora and the Pitt Johnstown wrestlers claimed their 20 Regional Tournament Championship with 120 team points, 6.5 points better than second place Mercyhurst College, Saturday afternoon at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. Four Pitt Johnstown wrestlers earned runner-up finishes and a total of eight will advance to the 2007 NCAA Division II National Tournament at the University of Nebraska-Kearney on March 9-10. After advancing eight to the semifinals and holding a commanding lead after Friday's first day of wrestling, the Mountain Cats got the job done, despite winning no individual titles. Junior All-American Brandon Reasy (133 lbs.) (New Enterprise, Pa.), nationally #1-ranked Mike Corcetti (184 lbs.) (Export, Pa.), 2006 National Qualifier Mike Fowler (197 lbs.) (Carroltown, Pa.) and true freshman Chris Dempsey (HWT.) (Sewickley, Pa.) all reached the finals, but finished second. Kutztown's Joe Kemmerer defeated Reasy, 1-0, in the title bout and Shippensburg's Mark Murphy upset Corcetti with a fall at :53. At 197 lbs., Fowler suffered a 5-1 loss to the tournament's top-seeded Derek Brunson (UNC-Pembroke) and Dempsey lost, 9-5, to Jason Groller (Shippensburg, Pa.) in the championship after knocking off #1-seeded William Moss (Limestone), 3-2, in overtime in the semifinals. Junior Derrek Bosso (125 lbs.) (Pequea, Pa.), 2006 National Qualifier Joe Strittmatter (157 lbs.) (Ebensburg, Pa.) and All-American Eli Garshnick (174 lbs.) (Armagh, Pa.) placed third after reaching the semifinals to earn a trip to the National Tournament. Bosso dropped a, 12-7, decision to eventual champion Payne Lint (Mercyhurst) in the semifinals, but responded with a fall, before scoring a, 10-0, major decision over Ian Barker (Limestone) to place third. Strittmatter lost in the semifinals, but defeated Jacob Wilson (Shippensburg), 3-2, and Mikel Bush (Limestone), 13-7, to finish third, while Garshnick pinned Todd Neptune (Limestone) at 6:54 and won, 3-0, over Quinn Toldbert (Newberry) to secure third place. Red-shirt reshman Shane Valko (141 lbs.) (Windber, Pa.) also advanced to the semifinals and placed fourth to become eighth Mountain Cat to advance to nationals. After suffering a 12-8 decision to Steve Fittery (Shippensburg) in the semis, Valko defeated Bret Martinez, 7-1, but lost, 9-1, to Doug Surra (West Liberty State) in the Third Place Match. Red-shirt freshman Adam Whetstone (149 lbs.) (Claysburg, Pa.) and 2006 All-American Albert Miles (165 lbs.) (Canonsburg, Pa.) competed in the Regional Tournament, but did not place. TEAM STANDINGS: PITT JOHNSTOWN (120 PTS.), Mercyhurst (113.5 pts.), Shippensburg University (100.0 pts.), West Liberty State (WV) College (91.5 pts.), Newberry (SC) College (86.0 pts.), Kutztown University (69.5 pts.), Gannon University (58.0 pts.), UNC-Pembroke (57.0 pts.), Belmont Abbey (NC) College (56.0 pts.), Limestone (NC) College (44.5 pts.), American International (MA) College (11.0 pts.), Anderson (SC) College (11.0 pts.), St. Andrews Presbyterian (NC) College (.5 pts.)

Moorhead, Minn. -- The third-ranked Minnesota State wrestling squad (16-3 overall; 3-0 NCC) qualified all 10 of its wrestlers at the North Central Regional Qualifier held in Moorhead, Minn. for the NCAA Division II National Championships today. The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the national championships held on March 9-10 in Kearney, Neb., and will meet wrestlers from three other regional meets from around the country. The Mavericks took the team title at the meet with a team score of 146.5. MSU finished the meet with seven champions, one second place and two fourth place wrestlers. Upper Iowa finished in second place with a team score of 122 and qualified eight wrestlers (one first place; five second place; two third place) while three time defending champions Nebraska Omaha finished in third place with a team score of 114.5 and qualifed eight wrestlers (two first place; one second place; four third place; one fourth place).

Kearney, Neb. -- For the sixth straight season, and for the seventh time in eight years, the Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team has won the RMAC/West Region Championship. Today in Golden, Colo., the Lopers scored 141.5 points to beat out Fort Hays State (109.5) and Western State (103.5) for the team trophy. The field consisted of nine teams, including a first year program (Mesa State) and RMAC-affiliated member San Francisco State and Hays. Winning their weight classes as No. 1 seeds were senior Trevor Charbonneau (125 lbs.), junior Brett Allgood (133 lbs.) and junior Tervel Dlagnev (Hwt.). All three are repeat winners. Junior Joe Ellenberger was seeded 2nd at 157 lbs. and recorded pins in the semifinals and finals to make his first trip to the RMAC meet a memorable one. The Omaha native is now 39-9 on the year. Making the event finals and finishing 2nd were sophomore Matt Farrell (184 lbs.) and redshirt freshmen Taylor May (165 lbs.) and Kelsey Empting (197 lbs.). Empting was the 2nd seed his class with May fourth. Farrell was No. 1 but saw his 24-match win streak end when he lost to 2nd-seed Jared Deaguero of Adams, 6-4, in the finals. Of Farrell's (29-4) four losses this year, two have been to Deaguero. Senior Matt True (22-9), the 2nd seed at 149 lbs., will be making his fourth straight trip to the NCAA meet as he beat top seed Mikel Delk of Hays to finish third. Finally, junior Jeff Rutledge, the top seed at 141 lbs., makes a return visit to the NCAA's thanks to a win in the "true" fourth place match. Rutledge (23-15) was upset in the second round and then lost in the consolation bracket. However, he won the fifth place match by forfeit and then beat Virgil Lockett of San Francisco State, 6-2, to give UNK a ninth qualifier. Wahoo sophomore Paul Sutton, who came into the meet with only four matches under his belt, was seeded 2nd at 174 lbs. He won his first bout but lost three straight matches by one point to finish sixth. Dlagnev was named the RMAC Wrestler of the Year, thanks to his 45-1 record. He had an easy day, having one pin and two forfeit victories. Allgood also had a dominating day, recording two majors and a pin to move to 26-5 on the season. Charbonneau (26-8), who moved into the nation's top spot earlier this week, beat the RMAC Freshman of the Year, Arsenia Barksdale of Adams, 7-3, in the finals. Barksdale is 2nd in the national rankings. May (Imperial) pulled off one of the bigger upsets in the tournament. Coming in with a 13-15 record, he beat top seed Zac Lee of Western, 3-1 in sudden victory, in the semifinals. It's his second win over Lee, ranked 4th nationally, this year. Empting (24-14) got to the finals with a major and a fall before falling to top seed, and No. 1 nationally, Casey Woodall of Adams, 5-1. Finally, head coach Marc Bauer was named RMAC/West Coach of the Year. It marks the sixth time he has won the award. UNK will host the NCAA Championships March 9-10. Brackets for the event will be released early this week. Final Team Scores UNK 141.5 Hays 109.5 Western State 103.5 Adams State 92.5 Chadron State 91.5 San Francisco State 48 Mesa State 24.5 Colorado School of Mines 24 N.M. Highlands 23

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. –- The No. 16 Oregon State University wrestling team captured the Pac-10 Championship for the first time since 1994, edging the host Cal State-Bakersfield Roadrunners at the Icardo Center Sunday. The Beavers finished the tournament with a team score of 110 points, while the Roadrunners had 105 and UC Davis 96.5. The Beavers won individual titles at 174 pounds and heavyweight. Jeremy Larson, ranked No. 17, defeated top-seeded Ken Cook of UC Davis 8-4 in the title match at 174. Larson's win evened his head-to-head competition vs. Cook for the season at two wins each. No. 5 ranked and top-seeded Ty Watterson nearly shut out third-seeded Cody Parker of Cal Poly, before settling for an 8-2 victory. The Beavers also picked up runner-up points from second-seeded Eric Stevenson at 125, who fell 4-1 to top-seeded Tanner Gardner of Stanford. Bobby Pfennings forfeited the championship match at 133 to Darrel Vasquez of Cal Poly. Third-seeded Derek Kipperberg lost his 149 title match to top-seeded Morgan Atkinson of Cal State-Fullerton 8-4. Pfennings has been bothered by a nagging hamstring injury and the coaches decided that it would be beneficial for him to concentrate on becoming healthy for the NCAA Championships rather than risk further injury. Fourth-seeded Kyle Bressler took third place honors at 184 with a 9-0 victory over Brysen French of Oregon. Fifth-seeded Travis Gardner finished fourth after falling in the 197 match to third-seeded Jason Trulson of Arizona State. Unseeded Keegan Davis captured fifth place with an 8-2 win over six-seeded Daniel Alejandro of CSUB. The top three placers at each weight plus nine "wildcards" advance to the March 17-19 NCAA Championships in Detroit. Pac-10 coaches were meeting at press time to determine the wildcards. FINAL TEAM SCORES: 1. Oregon State 110; 2. Cal State-Bakersfield 105; UC Davis 96.5; 4. Cal Poly 84; 5. Arizona State 76.5; 6. Stanford 72; 7. Cal State-Fullerton 69.5; 8. Oregon, 62; 9. Boise State, 58.5 10. Portland State 5.5.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. –- Five Oregon State wrestlers have advanced to the championship finals and the Beavers are the team leaders after Saturday's first day of the Pacific-10 Championships at the Icardo Center. Going after individual conference titles for OSU on Sunday evening will be 125-pounder Eric Stevenson, 133-pounder Bobby Pfennigs, 149-pounder Derek Kipperberg, 174-pounder Jeremy Larson and heavyweight Ty Watterson. OSU, ranked 16th nationally, finished the first day of the two-day meet with 92 points; California-Davis is in second place with 74.5 points and Cal Poly is third with 71.5 points. The tournament concludes with two more sessions on Sunday; the Beavers are trying for their first Pac-10 title since 1994. "It was a good day," OSU head coach Jim Zalesky said. "We won a lot of matches in the last 20 seconds ... those (semifinal) matches at 125 pounds, 133 pounds, 149 pounds – we won those in the last seconds of each match, and that's where training hard and all the hard work pay off, at the end of those close matches." Sunday's first session at 11 a.m. will include the wrestleback semifinals and the fifth-place finals; the second session at 5:30 p.m. will include the third-place finals and the championship finals. Sunday's action at the Pac-10 tournament can be followed on the internet by going to www.gorunners.com, then clicking on the tab labeled "Pacific-10 Wrestling Tournament Central." Live video streaming of the tourney will be available at www.pac-10.org. By reaching the championship finals, the five Beavers have assured themselves a place at the NCAA Championships. The top three wrestlers at each weight class, plus nine wild cards selected from across the 10 weight classes by the conference coaches, will advance to the national meet March 15-17 in Detroit, Mich. Still alive in the wrestleback bracket with the potential to place as high as third for OSU are 157-pounder Keegan Davis, 184-pounder Kyle Bressler and 197-pounder Travis Gardner. "Now we've got to have a good day on Sunday and wrap up the title," Zalesky said. "Nothing is wrapped up yet. In tournaments like this, you've got to wrestle better each day." Wins by Kipperberg, Davis and Gardner over UCD wrestlers who had beaten them in a dual meet earlier this month proved pivotal in OSU building its lead in the team race. "Those were huge for us," Zalesky said. OSU 141-pounder Kyle Larson, ranked 18th nationally and seeded third in the meet, lost both his matches on Saturday. Larson is still trying to recover from a knee injury suffered near the end of the dual meet season. "Kyle was beat up," Zalesky said. "He tried, but he just didn't have it; he just couldn't do anything. It was a tough way for his season to end." Watterson, ranked fifth nationally and seeded first in the Pac-10 meet, won three matches Saturday – including a pin and a major decision – to reach the finals for the second straight season. Watterson will seek his first Pac-10 title against third-seeded Cody Parker of Cal Poly; Parker is ranked 12th nationally. Larson, ranked 17th nationally and seeded second in the meet, is also in the finals for the second straight season after earning a pair of wins, including a technical fall. He'll go against top-seeded Ken Cook of UC-Davis, who is ranked fourth nationally. Stevenson, seeded second, also had a pin among his three victories. He'll wrestle in the finals against Tanner Gardner of Stanford, who is seeded first and is ranked third nationally. Pfennigs, another Beaver seeded second, advanced to the finals with a pair of decisions. His opponent in the finals will be top-seeded Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly, who is ranked sixth nationally. Kipperberg, seeded third, upset second-seeded Brandon Doyle of Cal State-Bakersfield 6-5 in the semifinals to reach the final. Kipperberg will wrestle for the championship against Morgan Atkinson of Cal State-Fullerton, who is seeded first and is ranked 11th nationally.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 7/14 Oklahoma Sooners (11-7, 0-5 Big 12) defeated No. 19/22 Michigan State (3-11, 2-6 Big 10) on Friday night in East Lansing, Mich., 24-15. "This was a very tough and hard fought match and I was glad to see our kids get the victory," head coach Jack Spates said. The Sooners are now on a two-match winning streak after coming off a 21-13 upset of No. 6/8 Hofstra last Saturday. Kyle Terry began the match with his second consecutive victory over a top-eight ranked wrestler in seven days at 141 pounds. Terry upset No. 4 Andy Simmons by a decision of 4-2. The two went scoreless in the first period and Terry began the second period with a reversal to take a 2-0 lead. Simmons countered with an escape but Terry scored again with a takedown. Simmons could only manage an escape in the third period as Terry took the match 4-2. "Kyle Terry is getting better every match and to beat his second ranked opponent in as many matches is a very big confidence booster for him heading into the Big 12 Championships and NCAA Championships," Spates continued. "Kyle really controlled the match more than the score indicated against a two-time All-American and it was nice to see him get another big victory." No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel recorded his first victory since Jan. 6 with a 6-2 decision over No. 8 Franklin Gomez at 125 pounds. Hazewinkel was scheduled to wrestle last weekend against Hofstra but drew a forfeit. Hazewinkel scored three times in the second period after a scoreless first period. The Sooner senior score an escape, a reversal and a near-fall as Gomez only managed a takedown in the period. The two did not score in the third as Hazewinkel took the victory. "For Sam to come back in his first match since his injury and wrestle a top-10 ranked opponent and pick up the victory shows how much character he has," Spates said. Five other Sooners picked up victories on the evening. No. 2 Matt Storniolo defeated Jeff Wimberley by a decision of 3-0. Storniolo scored once in the first period and again twice in the third period to pick up the victory at 149 pounds. No. 11 Will Rowe won by a decision as well at 157 pounds. Rowe defeated Tony Greathouse by a score of 8-3 at 157 pounds. No. 18 Shane Seibert picked up a fall at 165 pounds. Seibert put Rex Kindle on his back at the 1:04 mark in the first period. No. 8 Joshua Weitzel defeated John Murphy by a decision of 8-5 at 174 pounds. Brad farmer picked up his second consecutive victory at heavyweight as he defeated Alan O'Donnell by a decision of 6-3. The Sooners next travel to Columbia, Mo., for the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, March 3.

William Penn Standout Darren M. Cotton joins us in studio along with others from his team. Cotton is a Team Captain at WPU, 4 x-Regions Champ and 3 x-All-American Neat kid and great story. Very Inspirational. Steve Foster, Jeff Murphy, and I will break things down as we take a look the Big 10'2 and 12's the Pac and NAIA, EIWA and ACC/SOCONN conferences in Our Kemin Foods TDR Top 20 report. Man there's a bunch of wrestling going on. Dave Beachnau, Executive Director of the Detroit Metro Sports Commission Also WWE Star and friend of TDR and am. wrestling Mic Foley joins us from long island to talk about his new book. This looks to be an interesting show. please join us. Next week we'll be live at the Big 12 Conference Championships. Tune in for complete coverage to Takedownradio.com

Click HERE to visit the official web site for the NCAA West Regional/RMAC Wrestling Championships, to be hosted by the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers on Sunday in Golden, Colo. The Grizzlies and eight other RMAC teams will battle it out for conference honors as well as qualifying spots into the Mar. 9-10 NCAA Division II National Championships in Kearney, Neb. The top four wrestlers in each of the ten weight classes will qualify for that championship. The Grizzlies have qualified 19 of a possible 20 wrestlers over the last two years and have finished as the runner-up in each.

NORMAN, Okla. –- The No. 7/14 Oklahoma Sooners (10-7, 0-5 Big 12) face No. 19/22 Michigan State (3-10, 2-6 Big 10) on Friday night in East Lansing, Mich. at 7 p.m., to close the regular season. "Michigan State is an outstanding team and a top-20 program, so it should be an exciting match," head coach Jack Spates said. The Sooners are coming off a 21-13 upset of No. 6/8 Hofstra last Saturday. Last season, Oklahoma defeated the Spartans 24-11 in Norman on senior night. In that dual the Sooners won seven of the 10 matches. The premier match of the evening will pit No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel against No. 8 Franklin Gomez at 125 pounds. Hazewinkel is 17-0 this season and drew a victory due to a forfeit last weekend against Hofstra. This will be the senior's first action since the NWCA National Duals (Jan. 13) where he sustained an injury. Gomez is 31-5 on the year. Both wrestlers hail from Florida. "What we need to focus on is continuing to build off our Hofstra victory," Spates continued. "We need to continue wrestling sharp and aggressive. Michigan State has a very talented team especially with the Simmons twins who are both excellent wrestlers." The Sooners will once again be without starter Joe Comparin at 133 pounds who is out due to a recent injury. The junior has wrestled once since the Lone Star Duals Jan. 6. The Michigan State match will be webcast live at www.msuwrestling.com. The Sooners next travel to Columbia, Mo., for the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, March 3.

The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team will host the 2007 NCAA West Regional March 3 in the McLeod Center. UNI head wrestling coach Brad Penrith said this is a tremendous opportunity to watch collegiate wrestling. "We'll have seven teams in action on two mats, so it's a great chance to catch some top-notch wrestling at a very low price," Penrith said. Adult tickets are $6, while youth tickets are $3 for the NCAA West Regional. Ticket are available from the UNI Ticket Office by calling 319-273-4TIX (4849) or 319-273-DOME (3663). The ticket is good for the entire day of wrestling in the McLeod Center. Wrestling action will begin March 3 at 10 a.m. on two mats in the McLeod Center. The tournament will continue through the day with the finals slated to begin at 5 p.m. Matches for true second will follow the finals at approximately 7 p.m. The West Regional participants for 2007 includes: UNI, Air Force, Eastern Illinois, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State and Wyoming. The West Regional has been alloted 21 qualifiers for this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 15-17 at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. "Many of the fans in the area can remember back to the days that North Dakota State and South Dakota State routinely made trips to Cedar Falls to wrestle because we were a part of the old North Central Conference," Penrith said. "By bringing back some of these old rivalries, we are renewing old acquaintances and showing how talented these teams are in the West Regional."

This is the last blog that I'll write before the Big Ten Championships. I have done all I can at this point, and I have trained for this national title and Big Ten Championship for about 10 years now. I finished my regular season off undefeated, having only three regular decisions the whole year. I was pretty happy with that, but of course I wanted to be more dominant. Until I can pin everyone I step out on that mat against, I will have to keep training and working on getting better. But it's Big Ten's and NCAA's … the fun times. This is where everything counts, all the hard work and training pays off now. It doesn't matter if you're 20-0 or 0-20 going into this part, all you gotta do is win three matches and, boom, you're a Big Ten finalist … and four matches and, boom, you're a national finalist. Jake Herbert (Photo/Stephen J. Carrera)I want to win my next nine matches and get that Big Ten title and my NCAA championship. I have made the Big Ten finals every year so far. Losing in the closing seconds my freshman year … and pinning my opponent in the finals last year. This year the Big Ten is representing the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4-ranked kids in the nation all in our weight. I'll be getting Tyrel Todd of Michigan in the semifinals to make it to the finals. He was my last match and I was pretty disappointed with the outcome. I gave up my first takedown the whole year against him … and then one more. I'm really looking forward to a rematch so that I can show the nation that what happened last time will never be repeated. The match-up I'm interested to see is Mike Pucillo of Ohio State vs. Roger Kish of Minnesota on the other side. Both kids are great wrestlers who fight tooth and nail for every point. I know Kish has been on a warpath since we wrestled at the NWCA All Star Classic and I have been preparing to wrestle all three. I'm looking forward to it. This Big Ten tournament is very important to win because it's a mindset going into the NCAA's. The winner of this will definitely have mental dominance over everyone else at NCAA's … because if you're the best in the Big Ten, chances are you're the best in the nation. I'll see all you there at the top of the podium Jake Herbert Past Entries: Entry 8 (2/9/07) Entry 7 (1/24/07) Entry 6 (1/10/07) Entry 5 (12/13/06) Entry 4 (11/29/06) Entry 3 (11/16/06) Entry 2 (11/1/06) Entry 1 (10/17/06)

EDMOND, Okla. -- Nebraska-Kearney kept its spot at the head of the NCAA Division II wrestling rankings in the final regular-season poll that was released Wedesday by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association. The Antelopes, who finished a best-ever 17-1 in duals, were the unanimous No. 1 pick for the second straight poll as they earned all eight first-place votes to finish with 160 points. Central Oklahoma stayed second with 151 points, while Minnesota State-Mankato switched places with Nebraska-Omaha after winning a dual showdown between the two and Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) was fifth. Rounding out the top 10 is Adams State, Upper Iowa, West Liberty State (W.Va.), Fort Hays State (Kan.) and Mercyhurst (Pa.). UNK features three top-ranked individuals -- Trevor Charboneau (125 pounds), Brett Allgood (133) and Tervel Dlagnev (285). UCO is paced by No. 1 Kyle Evans (141), MSU-Mankato is led by top-rated Andy Pickar (165) and UNO has two No. 1s in Todd Meneely (149) and J.D. Naig (174). The other three top-ranked individuals are 157 Brad Becker of Wisconsin-Parkside, 184 Mike Corcetti of UPJ and 197 Casey Woodall of Adams State. Four regional tournaments are on tap around the country this weekend, with the top-four placers at each weight from each regional advancing to the 2007 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships that will be held March 9-10 in Kearney, Neb. The NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association Top 20 poll, with points and last ranking: Rank School (State) Points Last Ranking 1. Nebraska-Kearney 160 1st 2. Central Oklahoma 151 2nd 3. Minnesota State-Mankato 143 4th 4. Nebraska-Omaha 137 3rd 5. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 129 5th 6. Adams State (Colo.) 118 6th 7. Upper Iowa 106 7th 8. West Liberty State (W.Va.) 102 9th 9. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 88 10th 10. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 83 12th 11. Ashland (Ohio) 82 11th 12. Western State (Colo.) 80 8th 13. Wisconsin-Parkside 64 13th 14. Augustana (S.D.) 51 14th 15. Indianapolis (Ind.) 49 15th 16. Chadron State (Neb.) 44 17th 17. Newberry (S.C.) 38 16th 18. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 18 18th 19. Kutztown (Pa.) 14 20th 20. Findlay (Ohio) 9 19th Others receiving votes: Minnesota State-Moorhead, Shippensburg (Pa.). 125 Pounds 1. Trevor Charboneau, Nebraska-Kearney 2. Arsenia Barksdale, Adams State (Colo.) 3. Tyler Mumbulo, Upper Iowa 4. Nick Smith, Minnesota State-Mankato 5. Chas Welch, Northern State (S.D.) 6. Devlon Webb, Chadron State (Neb.) 7. Derek Bosso, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 8. John Fleming, Indianapolis (Ind.) 133 Pounds 1. Brett Allgood, Nebraska-Kearney 2. Andy Uhl, Findlay (Ohio) 3. Jeff Pfaffinger, Minnesota State-Mankato 4. Joe Kemmerer, Kutztown (Pa.) 5. Shane Perkey, Indianapolis (Ind.) 6. Jake Brumbelow, Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 7. Brandon Reasy, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 8. Reimark Neidermaier, Belmont Abbey (N.C.) 141 Pounds 1. Kyle Evans, Central Oklahoma 2. Travis Elg, Minnesota State-Mankato 3. Yasiim Bribieseca, Nebraska-Omaha 4. J.J. Zanetta, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 5. Shane Valko, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 6. Jeff Rutledge, Nebraska-Kearney 7. Tony Iovine, Ashland (Ohio) 8. John Gamble, Upper Iowa 149 Pounds 1. Todd Meneely, Nebraska-Omaha 2. Jason Rhoten, Minnesota State-Mankato 3. Mikel Delk, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 4. Shea Timothy, Central Oklahoma 5. Don Cummings, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 6. Marcus Gordon, Ashland (Ohio) 7. Charlie Pingleton, Indianapolis (Ind.) 8. Matt True, Nebraska-Kearney 157 Pounds 1. Brad Becker, Wisconsin-Parkside 2. Tony Guerra, Findlay (Ohio) 3. Jason Leavitt, Central Oklahoma 4. Austin Scarset, Augustana (S.D.) 5. Mike Gallegos, Adams State (Colo.) 6. Brandon Girtz, Minnesota State-Mankato 7. Joe Ellenberger, Nebraska-Kearney 8. Andy Lamancusa, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 165 Pounds 1. Andy Pickar, Minnesota State-Mankato 2. Nate Baker, Minnesota State-Moorhead 3. Ross Taplin, Nebraska-Omaha 4. Zach Lee, Western State (Colo.) 5. Mitch Norton, Upper Iowa 6. Eric Lakia, Ashland (Ohio) 7. Brett Hunter, Chadron State (Neb.) 8. Kevin Kalbach, Kutztown (Pa.) 174 Pounds 1. J.D. Naig, Nebraska-Omaha 2. Zach Shafer, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 3. Tom Clark, West Liberty State (W.Va.) 4. Michael Jackson, Indianapolis (Ind.) 5. Cody Henriksen, Augustana (S.D.) 6. Quinn Tolbert, Newberry (S.C.) 7. Eli Garshnick, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 8. Tyler Tubbs, Minnesota State-Moorhead 184 Pounds 1. Mike Corcetti, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 2. Matt Farrell, Nebraska-Kearney 3. Dan Scanlan, Limestone (S.C.) 4. Nate Jones, Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 5. Jared Hess, Central Oklahoma 6. Jared Deaguero, Adams State (Colo.) 7. Travis Krinke, Minnesota State-Mankato 8. Mark Murphy, Shippensburg (Pa.) 197 Pounds 1. Casey Woodall, Adams State (Colo.) 2. Nate Buys, Augustana (S.D.) 3. Derek Brunson, North Carolina-Pembroke 4. Jacob Marrs, Nebraska-Omaha 5. Ryan Phillips, Upper Iowa 6. Mike Fowler, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 7. Chris Taylor, West Liberty (W.Va.) 8. Ben Janike, Minnesota State-Mankato 285 Pounds 1. Tervel Dlagnev, Nebraska-Kearney 2. Josh LeadingFox, Central Oklahoma 3. Brady Wilson, Minnesota State-Mankato 4. Andrew Ubben, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 5. Josh Ohl, Ashland (Ohio) 6. Jose Navarro, Indianapolis (Ind.) 7. Tony Lewis, Nebraska-Omaha 8. Dan Goodson, Upper Iowa

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- University of Northern Iowa 157-pounder Moza Fay has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. It is the second time Fay has been honored as the WWC Wrestler of the Week this season. UNI's Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) recorded two falls in a pair of Western Wrestling Conference duals. Fay pinned NDSU's Adam Aho in 3:46 on Friday, and followed it up with a pin of SDSU's Nick Herrboldt in 4:35 on Saturday. With his two wins, Fay improved his season-long win streak to eight in a row and 14 of his last 15. Fay also leads the Panthers this season with nine pins. Fay finished the regular season with a mark of 29-9 overall and 12-4 in dual action. 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: Air Force: Stephen Crozier, 174, So., Monona, Iowa (MFL Mar-Mac HS) North Dakota State: Eric Hoffman, 125, Jr., Davenport, Iowa (Iowa Central C.C./North HS) South Dakota State: Jason Stripling, HWT, Jr., Minneota, Minn. (Minneota HS) Wyoming: Dan Barrone, 184, So., El Prado, N.M. (Taos HS)

GOLDEN, Colo. -- The Colorado School of Mines wrestling team is preparing to host the 2007 NCAA Division II/RMAC West Regional Championships on Sunday, Feb. 25. Action is slated to begin at 12:00 pm in Steinhauer Fieldhouse. All matches will be in the fieldhouse with the exception of the 10 championship matches which will take place in Volk Gymnasium beginning at 7:00 pm. The nine teams scheduled to participate are Adams State, Chadron State, Colorado School of Mines, Fort Hays State, Mesa State, New Mexico Highlands, San Francisco State, Nebraska-Kearney and Western State. Nebraska-Kearney is the favorite heading into the championships as they claimed the RMAC dual meet championship with a perfect 7-0 record. The Lopers are 17-1 overall, ranked first in Division II and boast eight nationally-ranked wrestlers. Leading the way is heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev who is 42-1 with 19 falls and ranked first in the nation. Brett Allgood (22-5) is the top ranked grappler at 133 pounds in Division II. Adams State will enter the tournament ranked sixth in Division II, while Western State is eighth, Fort Hays State is 10th and Chadron State will come in ranked 17th. In all, there are 17 wrestlers who are slated to compete that are ranked in the top-8 of their respective weight classes. Casey Woodall, a 197-pounder from Adams State, joins Dlagnev and Allgood as No. 1 ranked grapplers. The top four finishers in each weight class will qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships to be contested March 9-10 in Kearney, Neb.

Jayson Ness has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced today. The redshirt freshman from Bloomington, Minn., earns his second weekly award of the season after posting a pair of wins last weekend to help the top-ranked Golden Gophers wrap up the 2007 Big Ten Dual Meet Championship with convincing wins over Wisconsin and Iowa. The fourth-ranked wrestler in the country at 125 pounds, Ness continued a stretch of domination with two impressive wins to extend his winning streak to 16 consecutive matches. He pinned Wisconsin's Drew Hammen in 3:47 on Friday and then shut out No. 5 Charlie Falck, one of Iowa's hottest wrestlers, in an 8-0 major decision on Sunday. During his current winning streak which dates back to Dec. 30 at the Southern Scuffle, Ness has defeated 10 ranked opponents, including six ranked in the top 10. He has earned bonus points in 11 of those 16 matches, accumulating five pins, two tech falls and four major decisions. This is the second career weekly honor for Ness, who was also recognized on Dec. 12, 2006, following Minnesota victories over Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Ness is the second Gopher wrestler in as many years to earn multiple Big Ten Wrestler of the Week awards in the same season, following Cole Konrad who garnered the honor three times last year. Ness earns the fifth weekly award for the Gophers this season and follows Manuel Rivera, who was named Co-Big Ten Wrestler of the Week last week, in bringing home back-to-back weekly honors for Minnesota for the second time this season. Gabriel Dretsch and Roger Kish earned the accolade in consecutive weeks from Nov. 22-29.

Augustana's Nate Buys has been named the North Central Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week for the week ending February 18, the league office announced today. He shared the award with J.D. Naig of Nebraska-Omaha. It is the second time this season Buys has received the award. Buys, a senior from Hull, Iowa, and ranked third in the nation at 197 pounds, had an impressive win last week. He avenged 1 of his 2 losses on the year by scoring a 13-2 major decision over No. 2 ranked Jacob Marrs of Nebraska-Omaha. In the win, Buys had 5:45 of riding time and did not allow a point until surrendering a reversal with 8 seconds left in the match. Buys will lead the Vikings, ranked 14th in the nation, into this week's North Regional Championships, scheduled for Sunday in Moorhead, Minn. The top 4 placers in each weight class advance to the national championships.

The #7 Peacocks traveled to Marshall, Minnesota with the Northern Sun Crown on the line. The Peacocks defeated the Mustangs 33-9 and finished their Northern Sun schedule with a perfect 4-0 record. Upper Iowa won eight of the ten matches. The victory gave the Peacock wrestling program and Upper Iowa University their first ever conference championship in the Northern Sun and NCAA Division II. The Peacock victory featured wins by John Gamble (141, major decision), Travis Eggers (157, fall), Tony Gehling (184, fall), and Ryan Phillips (197, technical fall). The dual began at 125 pounds where #4 Tyler Mumbulo faced Kurt Smith. Mumbulo registered a takedown in the first period and a reversal and two near falls in the second period to take a commanding lead. Mumbulo added a riding time point and won by decision 10-4. At 133, Jacob Pedersen made his second appearance of the weekend against Michel Barrie. Pedersen scored an escape, a takedown, and a near fall in the first period to take a 6-2 lead en route to an 8-6 win by decision. At 141 pounds, John Gamble toed the line against Ryan Reed. Gamble staked himself to a 7-2 lead after the first period; he added a reversal, a takedown and two near falls in the second period to extend his lead to 16-6. Gamble added two takedowns and a riding time point to win by major decision 21-8. The Peacocks suffered one of their two losses on the day at 149 pounds when Andy Norton was pinned by Luke Giese thirty-five seconds into the second period. At 157, Travis Eggers was able to get the Peacocks back on the winning track with a pin of his own. Eggers pinned Chris Fast after just one minute had passed in the opening period. At 165 pounds, #5 Mitch Norton took the mat versus Justin Crouch. Crouch held a 6-3 lead over Norton after the first period, but Norton tied the match in the second period with an escape and a takedown. Norton registered another takedown in the third period and took the win by decision 9-7. The Mustang's Tyler Johnson handed #8 Brady Hakeman a 9-3 loss at 174 pounds, but Tony Gehling earned a victory at 184 pounds by pinning Cody Chamblin at the 2:35 mark after a takedown and near fall. At 197 pounds, #5 Ryan Phillips (UIU) faced CD Johnson. Johnson was no match for Phillips. The Peacock wrestler registered a takedown and three near falls in the first period to lead 10-0 after one period. Phillips earned a quick escape and three more takedowns in the second period to end the match early and earn a tech fall victory 18-2. The dual wrapped up at 285 pounds with #8 Dan Goodson going up against David Marshall. Goodson earned the 4-0 victory by decision. The Peacocks were victorious 33-9 and the NSIC Championship belonged to them. The Peacock Wrestling team will head back to MSU-Moorhead for the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament this Sunday, February 25th. The top four finishers in each weight class at the Regional Tournament will qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney on March 9th and 10th.

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Mike Kessler of Rider University and Alton Lucas of Hofstra University have been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week, and Kaylen Baxter of Old Dominion University and Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra were named the CAA Rookie Wrestlers of the Week, for all competition February 13-19. Kessler, a sophomore 149 from Randallstown, MD (Owings Mills), won all three of his CAA matches last week to improve to 7-1 in the CAA, 19-10 overall. Kessler upset the 14th ranked wrestler in the nation from Hofstra to start the week. Against Boston U. he used a takedown with two seconds left for a 3-1 victory, and against Sacred Heart he broke a 4-4 tie with less than 10 seconds left for the victory. After a preseason ranking of 20th Kessle moves back into the national rankings at 19th by Amateur Wrestling News. Lucas, a sophomore 174 from West Babylon, NY (West Babylon), defeated a pair of top-15 wrestlers last week. In a CAA Dual he defeated the 14th ranked wrestler from Rider 3-2 and then defeated the eighth ranked wrestler from Oklahoma 7-4. Now ranked ninth in the nation by InterMat and 15th by Amateur Wrestling News, Lucas improved to 21-8 overall and 5-1 in the CAA. Baxter, a freshman 149 from Fairbanks, Alaska (West Valley), upset the 10th ranked wrestler in the nation from Missouri 14-8. It was the fourth ranked opponent and the third top-10 wrestler that Baxter has defeated this season, improving to 27-19 overall. Ruggirello, a freshman 133 from Walden, NY (Valley Central), won both of his bouts last week, including a major decision in a CAA victory against Rider, improving to 28-7 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the CAA. The CAA Championship Tournament is March 2-3 at George Mason University.

In baseball, managers will manipulate the lineup to put the best hitters in a row to make the most of scoring opportunities. Jim MillerWrestling coaches don't have the luxury of re-arranging their team lineups. However, Jim Miller, head coach at Division III powerhouse Wartburg, is blessed with three "heavy hitters" on his roster … three upper-weight competitors -- each ranked first or second in his weight class by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) -- who come through time-after-time with critical wins that can make all the difference for the Knights in terms of the final team score. The big men who add heft to Wartburg's winning line-up: • Romeo Djoumessi at 184 • T.J. Miller at 197 • Blake Gillis at heavyweight Before we get to know more about the upper-weight Knights of Wartburg, let's take a look at the school and its wrestling program. Wartburg: A perennial powerhouse in Division III Wartburg College is located in Waverly, Iowa, just north of the twin cities of Waterloo and Cedar Falls in the northeast section of the state. The school, founded in 1852, has nearly 1,800 students. The Wartburg wrestling program consistently ranks among the top NCAA Division III programs in the country. In fact, the Knights have won the D3 team title five times in the past decade: 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, and 2006. In addition, Wartburg has also claimed the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals Division III crown in 2003, 2004, and 2006. In the wrestling hotbed that is Iowa, Wartburg claims a special place. In the conference comprised of smaller Iowa-based colleges -- the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference -- the defending champion Knights just added to their incredible string of team titles with their fifteenth straight at the 2007 IIAC Championships. No other school can claim as many IIAC team titles as Wartburg, which now holds twenty-five. What's more, thanks to this winning performance at the IIAC Championships, Wartburg qualified a total of ten wrestlers for the 2007 NCAA Division III tournament … including Romeo Djoumessi, T.J. Miller, and Blake Gillis. Since 1991, Wartburg has been led by head coach Jim Miller. Under his guidance, the Knights have compiled an incredible 286-28-3 dual-meet record. This year is no different. Wartburg just concluded its dual-meet season with a 21-1 record, the third consecutive year with twenty or more dual victories. Perhaps the most meaningful of those regular-season wins was February 1, when the Knights, then ranked second in Division III, took down top-ranked Augsburg, 19-13, in front of a capacity crowd in their perennial rival's home gym … only a couple weeks after losing to the Auggies in the 2007 National Duals Division III finals. This regular-season dual meet was a prime example of the significance of Wartburg's "triple threat" at the top end of its roster. The Knights had trailed the Auggies, 13-9, after the 174-pound bout. However, the three big men of Wartburg came through in a big way, with Romeo Djoumessi shutting out George Lynaugh, 6-0, at 184, T.J. Miller defeating Wally O'Connor, 8-5, at 197, and heavyweight Blake Gillis majoring Andrew Neumann by the score of 10-2. These three victories turned the tide in Wartburg's favor for the win. Say hello to Romeo Djoumessi Romeo Djoumessi is a graduate of Waverly-Shell Rock High School in the community that Wartburg calls home … but his original home is Cameroon, on the continent of Africa. Romeo DjoumessiSo how did Romeo end up prepping in Iowa? "My brother Alain wrestled for Wartburg a few years ago," says the 184-pound Knight, currently ranked second in the NWCA Division III poll. (His older brother was a two-time All-American at 197, placing third in 2003 and 2004.) "I admire my brother very much, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. I moved to the US my junior year to Waverly, to get a better education. I lived with my brother for two years." Romeo had considerable experience in freestyle wrestling while growing up in Cameroon, taking up the sport at the age of five … but folkstyle was new to him. Amazingly, after only three months of wrestling at Waverly-Shell Rock, Romeo qualified for the Iowa high school state tournament, but did not place. His senior year, he made a return trip to Des Moines, and this time concluded his high school career with a state title. With that accomplishment, Romeo considered some major Division I wrestling programs, including two within his newly adopted home state, Iowa, and Iowa State. Then he had an epiphany: "I looked at my brother as a role model," says Romeo. "I thought about why he chose Wartburg … Wrestling will be over in a few years. However, the education I get at Wartburg will have to last a lifetime." Now a sophomore at Wartburg, Romeo is majoring in psychology with in a minor in religion, working toward a possible career as a counselor or as a clinical psychologist. "I work with young people ages 6-17 in a nearby town a couple days a week," says Romeo. "It's a great experience. I really like to be with people, help them." In the meantime, Romeo Djoumessi is schooling his rivals in the 184-pound weight class. So far in his career at Wartburg (this is his first full year as a varsity wrestler), Romeo has a 28-1 college record, with his only loss coming his freshman year in an early-season tournament. As of this writing, he currently claims the longest winning streak in the Wartburg wrestling room, with 29 victories. On February 15, he won the 2007 IIAC 184-pound title, defeating Loras College's second-seeded Jay Figgins, 3-2. Romeo Djoumessi (Photo/The Guillotine)In an interview before the IIAC championships, when asked to name the high points of his wrestling career to date at Wartburg, Romeo immediately mentions his two encounters with Augsburg -- at the 2007 National Duals, and in the regular-season dual a few weeks later. "At the National Duals, Augsburg had won all the matches. I didn't want our team to get shut out," says Romeo. "It helped me to overcome pressure." Romeo won his match against Augsburg's Lynaugh, 8-5, preventing a shutout … and, while Wartburg lost the 2007 National Duals Division III title, 27-10, the Knights went down swinging, with teammates Miller and Gillis also getting wins. Here's what Romeo said about the Wartburg-Augsburg dual a couple weeks later, up in Minneapolis. "Wrestling is very much an individual sport, but each member of the team must contribute. You realize that you're representing the college … You learn how to wrestle smart, to stay calm, to wrestle an intelligent match, even under pressure." This time, it was Romeo's turn to get a shutout, holding George Lynaugh scoreless in a 6-0 victory. Ask Romeo to describe his wrestling style, and he responds, "It depends on my opponent. In the first seconds of the match, I get to know him, and adapt accordingly … I work to stay focused, to get more aggressive as the match goes on, to stay mentally tough." Romeo gives his college coach credit for emphasizing the mental aspect: "Coach Miller isn't just about physically working hard. He focuses on the mental aspect, mental toughness. He knows how to get the best from each of his wrestlers, especially in terms of making us mentally tough." Jim Miller says of his 184-pounder: "Romeo's really good on his feet. His two years in high school really helped with his mat work." The veteran head coach immediately follows up with this assessment: "He's the ideal student-athlete, very serious about school … He's very polite, well-spoken. He's a popular young man here on campus." Meet T.J. Miller In his three years at Wartburg, 197-pound T.J. Miller has crafted an impressive mat career, with a 71-7 overall record. He is the only Knight to go undefeated in the 2006-2007 season, with twenty-three straight wins. He is an NCAA All-American, placing fourth in the 2006 Division III championships. TJ MillerMost recently, T.J. enriched his resume by becoming a two-time IIAC champion. Last year, he pinned Coe College's Mike McCabe at 1:32 in the finals. This year, the defending champ pinned his first foe… got a decisive 10-4 decision in the semifinals … then, in the finals, secured a 4-3 victory over Luther College's Alec Bonander to claim his second straight conference crown. There's one additional aspect to T.J. Miller's mat resume: He's the son of Wartburg head coach Jim Miller. But there's no family favoritism here. "He's earned his own way," says Coach Miller in an interview for this article. The veteran Wartburg coach wanted to make sure wrestling was not something forced on his son, especially considering his own job title … and the fact that T.J.'s older brothers wrestled in school. In a published interview, Jim Miller is quoted as saying, "I really didn't want him to get too involved. There was a lot of pressure on him and there probably always has been somewhat." "He's been going to tournaments since he was seven," Coach Miller says. "With that experience, he was familiar with the world of college wrestling -- it was something of a comfort zone with him." "I've been coming up here and watching practices since I was little," T.J. told the Wartburg Trumpet in a 2006 profile. "I've always had heroes, leaders and role models in my life that have been on wrestling teams in the past. It's just really easy to get involved in the sport when you have so many good people around you." Despite that exposure at an early age, T.J. did not start wrestling competitively until sixth grade. At Cedar Falls High School, he wrestled junior-varsity as freshman in the 119-pound weight class. He placed fourth at the Iowa state high school tournament as a junior, and sixth his senior year. "It was something of a surprise to me when he placed," says his father of T.J., who had to battle injuries and growth spurts as a prep. TJ Miller (Photo/The Guillotine)Then Coach Miller immediately follows up with this comment: "He's come a long way in college … Wartburg's assistant coaches have had the most impact on his wrestling success here." When asked to analyze his son's wrestling technique, the Wartburg head coach says, "His style is nothing like mine. He usually takes more risks than I took as a wrestler. I think that's due in large part to him being bigger than I was in college." (Jim Miller was twice a NCAA Division II champ for the University of Northern Iowa and a two-time Division I All-American in the 134-pound weight class.) T.J.'s fellow upper-weight teammates are equally positive in their praise of the Wartburg 197-pounder. "He's got a great attitude," says Blake Gillis. "Both he and Romeo know where they are, and where they want to be. They are both incredibly dedicated, hard workers." Romeo Djoumessi says, "It's a real privilege to know T.J. He's a great role model. He's a very caring person, very encouraging. A great motivator." Get to know Blake Gillis As a senior, heavyweight Blake Gillis is wrapping up an incredible career at Wartburg. He just concluded a 33-1 dual-meet season. Blake just earned his fourth straight IIAC championship by pinning second-seeded John Miller of Luther at 3:39 in the finals. This makes the Knights' big man only the fifth wrestler in conference history to take four straight titles… and the third from Wartburg. Blake Gillis (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)Blake Gillis can more than hold his own against the best of the big men of Division I. A couple months ago, he placed third at the 2006 Midlands in a pool swimming with DI talent. This season alone, Blake has bested heavyweights from top Division I programs such as Iowa, Iowa State, Central Michigan and Michigan State. His only official loss was to fourth-ranked Dustin Fox of Northwestern. (Blake also lost in a close 7-5 exhibition match at the 2006 NWCA All-Star event to Nebraska-Kearney's Tervel Dlagney, ranked No. 1 in Division II.) The top-ranked heavyweight in Division III got his start in wrestling "at age four or five." "My brothers and cousins were in it," according to Blake. "First year, I got pinned a lot, but I still enjoyed it. By second grade, I was starting to have some success." At Spencer High School in northwest Iowa, self-described "late bloomer" Blake Gillis was a "short and chunky" 189-pound freshman who, by the time he made the varsity wrestling squad his junior year at 215, grew to 6'3" and put on some muscle. "That's when I really started winning matches, which really helped build my confidence." His junior year, he placed third in the Iowa high school state tournament. Blake capped off his prep career by winning the 215-pound state title -- "pinning my way through the tournament." When asked how he chose Wartburg, Blake was honest: "My grades weren't as high as I wanted them to be … Wartburg recruited me. They were really good guys." The heavyweight Knight continues, "Wartburg was the right choice. The professors here are willing to help you. It's a really comfortable place, not much bigger than my high school." Blake Gillis is majoring in communications, with an interest in a career in public relations. And, once he graduates from Wartburg, he's like to continue in wrestling. "In my weight class, right now Tolly Thompson is the man," says Blake, who only took up freestyle as a senior in high school. "However, I think I could hang with the others with some more experience." He adds that he might like to get into coaching -- "perhaps help out here at Wartburg." Blake GillisBlake Gillis has come a long way since that first day at the Wartburg wrestling room as a freshman. "They brought in a JUCO (junior college) heavyweight. I thought I'd be on the outside looking in," he says. "Early on, I got beat up. But, after a while, I started getting takedowns. I was faster … I became the starter after winning the wrestle-offs." The freshman from Spencer gained confidence with every match, compiling a 35-6 record, and winning the first of his three IIAC championships. When asked to describe himself as a wrestler, Blake responded with a series of quick statements: "Moves well for a heavyweight." "One of the top sprinters on the team." "Works hard to stay in shape." "Good on the mat." Coach Jim Miller gives an equally positive assessment of his big man: "Doesn't wrestle like a typical heavyweight. Shoots like a 125 … Keeps getting better each year … A big part of this program's success in recent years." Despite all these accomplishments and all this success, there seems to be one bit of unfinished business for Blake Gillis as of this writing: an NCAA title. The past three years, the Wartburg heavyweight has been a finalist at the Division III championships … and, all three years, he has lost to the same guy: Ryan Allen of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, who has since graduated. With the impending graduation of Blake Gillis, the "talented trio" of Wartburg's upper-weight wrestlers will soon be history. However, in the past couple years, Romeo Djoumessi, T.J. Miller, and Blake Gillis have made some history of their own by providing a powerful triple threat that has assured Wartburg's continued dominance in NCAA Division III competition.

DURHAM, NC –- The UNC Greensboro wrestling squad came from behind to defeat the Duke Blue Devils, 30-13, on Saturday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke (7-9) took an early 9-0 lead after recording a fall victory in 4:10 at 157 lbs. and a 8-5 decision at 165 lbs. Joe Lowe responded with a 17-8 major decision over Duke's John Barone to close the gap 9-4 in favor of the Blue Devils. The senior from Davie, FL improved to a perfect 13-0 in dual matches and is 21-5 overall. The Spartans (9-4) came even closer to the Blue Devils after Kane Smith took the 10-3 decision over Dan Fox at 184 lbs. Freshman Nick Clark put UNCG up for good after the Cohocton, NY product tallied his team leading eighth fall victory over Duke's Patrick Keenum in 5:36 at 197 lbs. Junior Joe Sheffield extended the Spartan lead after he recorded the 16-6 major decision over Mike Tunick, putting UNCG up 17-9. Jeff Hedges earned the 9-1 major decision at 125 lbs. over Kellan McKeon and freshman Mitchell Johnson followed with another major decision to add to the Spartan lead. Junior Chris Bencivenga grabbed the 24-7 technical fall over Philip Wightman at 141 lbs. before Duke's Daniel Shvartsman took the 16-8 major decision at 149 lbs. in the final match of the night. UNCG plays host to Liberty on February 21 for the final home match of the year. The Spartans will pay tribute to their three seniors beginning at 7 pm.

DeKalb, Ill. -- It was big day for the NIU wrestling squad on Sunday as the Huskies sent the Senior class out in style with three consecutive wins against Eastern Michigan, Southern Illinois - Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois en route to an undefeated day of wrestling. Huskie seniors Mike Grimes, Johnny Galloway and Danny Burk along with junior Pat Castillo each recorded three victories on the day to lead NIU. The Huskies finish the regular season with a dual meet record of 6-4-1 overall and 3-2 in MAC competition. NIU vs. EMU After honoring Seniors Mike Grimes, Johnny Galloway, Danny Burk and Justin Metcalfe it was time for the Huskie wrestlers to get down to business against conference opponent Eastern Michigan. MAC wrestler of the week Pat Castillo, ranked seventeenth in the nation, roared out of the gates for the Huskies, picking up a 20-4 technical fall over EMU's Jack Cassidy in the first match of the day. It would be Castillo's first of three consecutive technical fall victories on the day and gave the Huskies an early 5-0 lead. EMU came back strong in the next two matches recording consecutive decisions to take a 6-5 overall lead. Then, it was time for Mike Grimes, ranked tenth in the nation, to pick up his first win of the day as he defeated the third ranked MAC wrestler at 149-pouns in Jermain Thompson with a key 5-1 decision to put the Huskies back on top 8-6. The Huskies found themselves in a dogfight with the Eagles who posted a decision in the very next match to take the lead back. It was up NIU's Johnny Galloway, ranked nineth in the nation, to once again give NIU the lead as he escaped with a 6-5 win over the third ranked MAC wrestler at 165-pounds in Nick Conklin. Danny and Duke Burk, ranked eighteenth in the nation, picked up consecutive decisions to give the Huskies some breathing room as they went up 17-10 on EMU. Eastern Michigan closed the gap to four points with a decision at 197-pounds but then Dave Benner battled his way to a 5-1 decision over EMU's Charlie Walker to seal the 20-13 win for the Huskies. NIU vs. SIUE In the second match of the day NIU faced off against Southern Illinois - Edwardsville in the first of two intra-state battles for the Huskies. NIU's Pat Castillo overwhelmed his second opponent of the day in SIUE's Tommy Hill en route to a second 20-5 technical fall victory, once again giving the Huskies a 5-0 lead. After an SIUE forfeit James Aschenbrenner of SIUE bested NIU's Will McDermotte with a 12-5 major decision to close the gap to 11-4 in favor of the Huskies. But, that would be as close as SIUE would get, after yet another forfeit Kalen Knull won a hard fought 3-1 decision to give NIU a 20-4 lead with five matches left. NIU's Johnny Galloway then began a sequence three impressive victories for the Huskies with a 12-4 major decision over SIUE's John Ficht. NIU's Danny Burk pinned his opponent at the 1:44 mark and Duke Burk scored a 16-5 major decision over SIUE's Jacob Petrie to give the Huskies an insurmountable 34-4 lead with two matches left. At 197-pounds NIU's Nick McClone outlasted SIUE's Tony Lyssiotis for a 1-0 decision and in the final match Dave Benner won by forfeit to give the Huskies a 43-4 win over Southern Illinois - Edwardsville. NIU vs. EIU If the Huskies were tired after wrestling back-to-back matches they certainly did not show it against Eastern Illinois. Pat Castillo looked fresh and well rested as he wrestled his way to a third technical fall victory. John Weinart of NIU followed Castillo's performance by recording a solid 6-2 decision over EIU's Lenny Grodoski. Eastern Illinios forfeited at 141-pounds then Mike Grimes showed that Pat Castillo was not the only Huskie who could get a technical fall as Grimes picked up on of his own against EIU's Tommy Reamer. Kalen Knull won his second match of the day with a 7-3 decision over EIU's Kyle O'Tool to give the Huskies a 22-0 overall lead. Johnny Galloway then wasted no time in expanding NIU's lead by pinning his opponent with 2:36 left in the first period. The victory gave Galloway three on the day and improved his record to 17-2 this season. In the match of the day Danny Burk found himself trailing 3-1 at the end of the first period against EIU's Kenny Robertson. Burk fought back to tie the score at 4-4 going into the third period. The two warriors battled to a 6-6 tie at the end of regulation and were forced to settle the matter in overtime, where Burk ended it quickly with a takedown to make the senior a perfect 3-0 on the day and give the Huskies a 30-0 overall lead. At 184-pounds a hobbled Duke Burk was not able keep NIU's shutout intact as Greg Perz of EIU got the better of Burk with a 3-1 decision. The Panthers forfeited at 197-pounds and EIU's Joe Trinka outlasted NIU's Dave Benner to end the days action with a 9-7 win for EIU. While Trinka won the heavyweight battle, Benner and the Huskies won the war with an impressive 36-6 victory over Eastern Illinois and a sterling 3-0 record on the day. Head coach Dave Grant said, "It was a pretty good day, our guys wrestled tough. The seniors each went out 3-0. I'm proud of their commitment they have shown this year and every year they have been in our program." The Huskies are off this week as they prepare for the MAC Championships to be held March 3-4 in Buffalo New York.

St. Charles, MO -– Freshman Corey Bleaken at 149 and sophomore Luke Borneman at 184 won east regional championships at Lindenwood University on Friday night. Bleaken the fourth seed won his first round match over Dominic Angelo from McKendree by major decision 11-3. He went on to win his quarterfinal match over All-American Dustin Center by decision 12-8, and won his semifinals match over defending national champion Mark Dickman by decision 13-10. In the finals Bleaken received a medical forfeit over All-American Chris Seta from Campbellsville University improving his overall record to 34-8. Borneman the 3rd seed won his first round match over Rob Nusekabel from University of the Cumberlands by decision 5-3. He went on to win his semifinals match over the 2nd seed Tanner Wolk from McKendree by decision 5-3. In the finals Borneman defeated Earl Waller from McKendree by decision 2-0 improving his overall record to 22-6. Cumberland had sophomore Desean Willis at 125 senior Eric McCray at 184, and freshman Kyle Studer at 197 place in the top 6. McCray placed 4th defeating All-American Nigel Kinworthy from Missouri Baptist by decision 8-2 in the consolation quarterfinals and then defeated Wolk from McKendree in the consolation semifinals by major decision 17-6. Willis placed 5th defeating PJ Puriefoy from King College by decision 9-3 in the consolation quarterfinals and pinned Mike Aitch from Missouri Baptist for the 5th place match. Studer received a medical forfeit from teammate freshman Ben Briscoe in the first round of consolation, and then defeated Alex Driggers from King College in the consolation quarterfinals by decision 7-5. Studer fell just short of qualifying for nationals in the consolations semifinals where he lost to 4-3 to Jason Flynn from Notre Dame College. The top four in the region qualified for the national tournament. Cumberland qualified ten wrestlers throughout the season and the following wrestlers will be headed to the national tournament in Sioux City, IA: Desean Willis at 125, sophomore Eric Rogers at 133, Corey Bleaken at 149, junior Theo Dotson at 149, sophomore Trey Myers at 165, sophomore Jordan Powers at 174, Luke Borneman at 184, Eric McCray at 184, Ben Briscoe at 197, and freshman Xavier Taylor at 285. This the largest number of qualifiers for the program since head coach Jarad Swint took over three years ago. "We are a very young team. I am looking forward to the future of this program."

Tournament Team Rankings: 1. Cornell 76 2. Navy 67 T3. Columbia 64 T3. Lehigh 64 T3. Penn 64 6. Harvard 53 7. Army 33 8. American 25 Individual Rankings: 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 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 141: 1. Max Meltzer, Harvard 2. Matt Cisulli, Lehigh 3. Brad Canterbury, Navy 4. Matt Kyler, Army 5. Sal Tirico, Columbia 6. Mark Savino, Brown 149: 1. Jordan Leen, Cornell 2. JP O'Connor, Harvard 3. John Cox, Navy 4. Jeff Santo, Lehigh 5. Matt Dunn, Columbia 6. Rick Rappo, Penn 157: 1. Andrew Flanagan, Harvard 2. Matt Dragon, Penn 3. John Jarred, Navy 4. Dave Nakasone, Lehigh 5. Christian Snook, Army 6. Devin Mesanko, Columbia 165: 1. Zach Shanaman, Penn 2. Steve Anceravage, Cornell 3. Mike Cannon, American 4. Andy Rendos, Bucknell 5. Ricky Turk, Columbia 6. Brian Rowan, Army 174: 1. Matt Stolpinski, Navy 2. Matt Palmer, Columbia 3. Matt Herrington, Penn 4. Joey Hooker, Cornell 5. Rudy Rueda, American 6. Brent Smith, Army 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 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 285: 1. Ed Prendergast, Navy 2. Paul Weibel, Lehigh 3. Zack Hammond, Cornell 4. Kevin Lester, Columbia 5. Levon Mock, Brown 6. Nathan Thobaben, Army

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic) completed a two-year unbeaten streak Saturday night to become the ninth wrestler in Illinois history to win four state titles. The senior signed a National Letter of Intent in the fall and will compete for the Wildcats starting in 2007-08. "Mike is a special athlete that only comes around every so often," assistant coach Andrew Pariano said. "We feel very fortunate that he has chosen to continue his academic and wrestling career at Northwestern." Benefiel picked up his 195th career win with an 8-2 decision Saturday night at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill. in the championships finals -- an Illinois state record. "One of the best attributes that Mike has is that he isn't satisfied," Pariano said. "After the finals were completed, he got right back to work because Montini earned a spot in the IHSA team state tournament." "He is one of the top recruits in the nation, if not, the No. 1 recruit in the nation," Pariano said. "This is just the beginning. We plan on continuing our climb up the national rankings and Mike will be a huge part of this process." Ben Kuhar (Concord Twp., Ohio/St. Edward) and Robert Kellogg (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) also signed National Letters of Intent in the fall to join Northwestern for the 2007-08 campaign. The 'Cats, who won their last two duals of the season, return to action Mar. 3-4, at the Big Ten Championships.