InterMat Staff

Orem, UT -- The Utah Valley State wrestling team dropped its inaugural Western Wrestling Conference match and home opener to Northern Colorado 30-13 on Saturday at the Shurian Family Activity Center. Despite the loss, Wolverine coach Greg Williams was happy with the improvement of his team since his squads' last match at the Lone Star Duals. "I was real pleased," Williams said. "When you look at how young our team is and with the injuries we have had we want to see progression in every match. I want us to keep fighting through the whole match whether we are behind or ahead. I like the progress I saw from our last match. " The Wolverines started the match 12 points behind after forfeiting the heavyweight and 125 pound weight class because injuries. UV had four weight classes that came away with victories. Utah Valley's first victory came at the 174 pound weight class when Marc Fenwick defeated Northern Colorado's Chase Walker by a 10-2 major decision. "Marc wrestled smart and controlled the whole match," Williams said. "He is a fighter and he's very smart." The Wolverines next victory came when 197 pounder Eric McAllister won a 6-2 decision over Calen Nicholl. The Wolverines won their final two matches of the evening when 141-pounder Justin Morrill defeated UNC's Kyle Kaiser 8-2. Justin Rawle then earned a 5-1 decision over Richard Lohr in the 149 pound weight class. The Wolverines return to the mat on January 19 when they wrestle at North Dakota State.

St. Cloud, Minn. -- St. Cloud State University's Nick Wilkes won by decision over Northern State's Cale Cornemann, at the 184-pound weight class, 10-4, to give St. Cloud University enough points to secure its second victory of the season, at Halenbeck Hall on Jan. 13, winning by a score of 27-16. SCSU is now 2-1 on the 2006-07 season in wrestling this year. Sonny Silva (133), Grant Johnson (149), and Matt Steffenson (165) all added big points for SCSU as they all took home pins in their second period of each match. This was Silva's first appearance at a duo meet, and his first pin of the year. Tim Whitley's match at 141 pounds kept Silva's high energy for the Huskies as he won a triple-overtime, sudden-death, match over Dave Schiley, 14-9, on a last minute take down. Hometown wrestler, Neil Russell, also appeared for the Huskies in his first duo meet of the year, picking up a 15-10 decision over Brunau Augustin at 174-pounds. SCSU suffered three losses, as no. 6-ranked Chas Welch won a decision over St. Cloud's Westy Hanson, 5-1 at 125-pounds. Todd Naasz picked up a win over SCSU's Jairo Sandoval at the 197-pound weight class, 11-1. Phillip Downs, NSU, defeated Adam Minnette, 6-1 at 157-pounds. The Huskies forfeited the heavyweight match, making the final score 27-16. The Huskies will prepare to travel to number two-ranked Nebraska-Omaha on Friday, Jan. 19 and will face off against Augustana on Saturday, Jan. 20.

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. –- Junior Matt Shank (Reedsville, Pa./Indian Valley) won the 149-pound bracket to lead Gettysburg as the Bullets finished eighth of 10 teams with 25 team points at the Ursinus Brute/Adidas Invitational on Saturday. In the first round, Shank defeated Dave Breines of Ursinus with an 18-1 technical fall. He followed that bout with three consecutive 6-0 decisions en route to the championship. Shank beat Hudson Collins of Blair in the quarterfinals, Kyle Nasdeo of Centenary in the semifinals and Gloucest Community College's Darren Carrero in the finals. Freshman Patrick Doherty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade) won two matches, including a 12-2 major decision over Corey Ranno of Oneonta State, on the way to the semifinals of the 165-pound bracket. After losing his first bout, junior John Leinberger (Great Falls, Va./Langley) made a run through the 197-pound consolation bracket. He tallied back-to-back major decisions over Wallace Lytle of Valley Forge Military Academy and John Gottfried of Wesleyan before losing to Jason Reilly of King's in the semifinals of the consolation round. In the heavyweight division, senior Mike Pattanite (Tabernacle, N.J./Holy Cross) advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Adam Pearsall of Centenary, 11-4. Pattanite lost a close 3-2 decision before beating Ursinus' Dan Witmer, 9-1. His day was ended by Matt Williams of Ursinus in the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket. Freshman Peter Menchaca (West Port, Conn./Staples) wrestling at 141 pounds advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-2 decision over Wesleyan's Brendan Steele-Cleary before losing his next two bouts. Gettysburg returns to action on Tuesday at home for a dual match against Centenary (N.J.). The match is set to begin at 5:00 p.m.

College Park, Md. -- The No. 16 Illinois wrestling team wrapped up their non-conference schedule by defeating Maryland, 26-10. The Illini went 2-0 on the day against the ACC - they defeated North Carolina 32-3 earlier in the afternoon. #8 Gabe Flores, #18 Jimmy Kennedy, #8 Cassio Pero, #13 Troy Tirapelle, #1 Mike Poeta, #15 John Dergo and At 125, #8 Gabe Flores (Madera, Calif.) got the Illini going by winning a major decision against James Knox, 16-8. The Illinois junior scored on three takedowns and three nearfalls in the shootout. Jimmy Kennedy also found himself in a high-scoring match as he won a major decision against Jon Kohler, 16-4. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) posted five takedowns while only allowing Kohler to score on four escapes. After winning the first five matches, the Illini dropped two in a row at 165 and 174. Roger Smith-Bergsrud lost a heartbreaker against #20 Jason Kiessling, 7-4. In the third period, with Smith-Bergsrud down 6-2, he narrowed the deficit by scoring a takedown to make it 6-4. That was the closest he came, however, as the buzzer sounded to end the match. At 184, John Dergo (Morris, Ill.) got the Illini back on the winning track as he outlasted Eli Black, 3-1, in sudden victory. The two wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods for the only scoring in regulation. In overtime, the two scrambled on the mat with no takedowns awarded. Then, with time running out, Dergo got Black on his stomach but couldn't score because he was out of position. Dergo spun around on Black's back and was awarded the takedown and victory. The Fighting Illini begin Big Ten action against Northwestern on Friday, Jan. 19 at Huff Hall. Mat time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- Adams State College's wrestling dual with New Mexico Highlands University, slated for Saturday night in Las Vegas, N.M. has been postponed until Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. because of poor weather and driving conditions in Northern New Mexico. The Grizzlies, ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, will next be in action on Thursday (Jan. 18), at seventh-ranked Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. The Grizzlies, already off to a quick 2-0 start in the dual-meet portion of the season, will also face top-ranked Central Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 20 in Edmond, Okla.

Stanford, Calif. -- The Stanford wrestling team won nine of ten bouts on its way to a 37-6 victory over San Francisco State tonight in the Ford Center. Junior Tanner Gardner and sophomore Luke Feist both recorded pins for the Cardinal, helping the team to its third dual meet win of the season. The Cardinal improves to 3-5 overall with the win, while the Gators fall to 1-8. Action began at 174 pounds and Feist quickly set the tone for the Cardinal. The Sandpoint, Idaho native pinned William Simmons in 4:33, collecting his seventh win by fall of the season. At 184 pounds, the Cardinal's Zack Giesen followed with a 16-4 major decision over Cory Creighton, earning the 20th win of his notable freshman season. Jared Boyer and Phillip Doerner followed with decisions at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, to increase the Stanford lead to 16-0. At 125 pounds, fourth-ranked Gardner continued the Cardinal streak, pinning Pierre Bondoc in 2:15 and improving his 2006-07 record to 26-3. At 133 pounds, Matt Kim came from behind and earned a 7-5 decision over Ben Lockett to give the Cardinal its largest lead of the dual, 25-0. After the Cardinal dropped the 141-pound bout, Tyler Parker came out on top in a hard-fought battle with Ali Lockett, 3-1. No. 16 Josh Zupancic followed with his second win of the season over Kenneth Packard, 15-3, and Brian Perry sealed the team win for the Cardinal with a decisive technical fall over Mike O'Brien, 20-4. "I'm really happy with how we wrestled tonight," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "There are still things we need to work on, but the win feels good." "It was nice to finally come out and wrestle to our potential," added co-captain Tanner Gardner. "The results showed just how hard we've been working." The Cardinal returns to action next Sunday, Jan. 21, for a Pac-10 dual at Cal State Bakersfield.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- All eight normal starters posted victories without giving up a single takedown as the Adams State College wrestling team, ranked sixth in this week's NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, cruised to an easy Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference dual victory for the second straight evening on Friday night in Plachy Hall. The Grizzlies, now 2-0 overall and 2-0 in RMAC action, defeated Mesa State by a 44-0 count on Thursday and won by a 33-4 score on Friday against the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers. The Grizzlies have now won nine straight duals against the Orediggers, who fell to 2-5 overall and to 0-2 in this year's RMAC standings. Coach Jason Ramstetter is a perfect 8-0 in his career against the Golden-based team. The Grizzlies were without reigning RMAC Wrestler of the Week Mike Gallegos (Alamosa, Colo.), ranked third in the nation at 157 pounds, but were dominant in the other eight matches as the Grizzlies outscored their opponents 67-23 throughout the contest. The wins started coming at 133 pounds as redshirt freshman Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) moved up a weight class to post a 3-1 victory over Oredigger senior Garrett Eller, a former NCAA Division II National Championship qualifier. Barksdale improved to 13-3 overall and to a perfect 7-0 in a Grizzly uniform with the victory. Barksdale scored the only takedown of the match before the wrestlers traded escapes in a defensive battle. Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.), ranked eighth in the nation at 141 pounds, put the Grizzlies up 7-0 when he scored a 12-0 major decision victory over the Orediggers' Cody Weitzel. Deaguero used three takedowns, a 3-point near fall and a 3-minute, 22-second riding time advantage as he racked up his team-best 22nd win of the season. The Grizzlies then went up 13-0 as redshirt freshman Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.) scored a first-period pin on CSM's Tony Gallegos. Jones, now 11-8 overall, needed just 2:18 to get the win scoring two takedowns and a 2-point near fall while allowing just an escape to Gallegos, who fell to 0-4 on the season. The Orediggers finally got some offense going in the 157-pound match as Nathan Pilcher scored all four of the team's takedowns in a 11-2 major decision win over ASC redshirt freshman Jacob Sheridan (Manassa, Colo.), who was filling in for a resting Gallegos. Pilcher is now 7-3 overall and 4-1 in duals while Sheridan fell to 4-3. After the intermission, the Grizzlies quickly got rolling again as 165-pound junior Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) scored a 12-5 win over Eric Brennan. Copeland has now won eight straight matches improving his record to 19-7. Brennan fell to 7-11. With a 19-4 lead in the team points, the Grizzlies went for more as senior James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.) claimed a 7-1 decision over Oredigger junior Zac Cornett, who still leads the Oredigger squad with an 11-8 record. After a scoreless first period, Reynolds gave up an early escape before scoring a takedown and near fall to lead 4-1 after two minutes. He then iced the victory, his 15th of the season, over a former national qualifier, with an escape and takedown in the third period. The Grizzlies then sealed the dual win as 184-pound junior Jared Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) scored five near falls after two first period takedowns while dominating Oredigger sophomore Patrick Ryan. Deaguero scored 10 points on four of his near falls in the second period ending the match with a 17-1 technical fall win at the second-period buzzer. That put the Grizzlies up 24-4 before senior Casey Woodall (Morenci, Ariz.) scored a late first period takedown en-route to a 5-1 win over Brennen Knerr. Woodall, ranked first in the nation at 197 pounds, has now won six straight matches running his season record to 16-8. Knerr fell to 7-10. ASC's Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) ended the dual in style as he reversed Brian Stansbury moments before pinning the Oredigger redshirt freshman in 3:52. After a scoreless first period, Schossow, now 6-9 overall, gave up a 2-point near fall to begin the second period before coming back to record his third pin of the season. The Grizzlies, who won last weekend's Midwest Classic by 23.5 points, will look to get off to a 3-0 dual start for the first time since 1996 when they travel to Las Vegas, N.M. for the first time in Ramstetter's career for another RMAC dual with New Mexico Highlands. The Grizzlies blasted the Cowboys last January by a 51-4 score setting NCAA Division II era school records for dual-meet team points and margin of victory. The Cowboys are now 3-2 after dropping a 21-13 home dual to Mesa State on Friday night.

EAST STROUDSBURG –- It must have been the singlets. The East Stroudsburg University wrestling team broke out new black gear with white stripes for its match Friday night at Koehler Fieldhouse against Princeton. The change in attire worked as the Warriors won their first match of the season, beating Princeton 39-6 in an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association match. The win was the first for ESU coach Jason Kutz who earned his initial victory against the Tigers, coached by Chris Ayres. Ayres and Kutz were assistant coaches together at Lehigh and both are in their first year as head coaches. Dave Williams won by fall, Scott Heckman had a technical fall, Leif Ruschmeyer, Shane Mallory, Charles Deighton and Steve Gambino all won major decisions as the Warriors improved to 1-6 and won each bout contested. Princeton fell to 0-11. Heckman opened the match at 149 and led 11-3 after one period with four takedowns and three near fall points. The junior added two takedowns in the second period and earned the technical fall with 1:12 left in the match. It was his first technical fall of the season and his fourth dual match victory. Bishop made it an 8-0 ESU lead with a 10-4 decision at 157. Bishop had a takedown in the first, an escape and two takedowns in the second and riding time to win his second consecutive bout and improve his season record to 3-3. Ruschmeyer won his second consecutive dual bout with a major decision at 165 that extended the Warriors' advantage to 12-0. Ruschmeyer had a takedown in the first, a reversal and takedown in the second and two takedowns and riding time in the final period for an 11-2 victory, his first major decision of the season. Mallory had a takedown on the edge of the mat a minute into his bout and racked up six takedowns and three back points in a 17-5 major decision at 174. It was Mallory's fourth dual meet victory and his first major decision of the season and gave ESU a 16-0 lead. Williams, who had a pin against Rutgers Wednesday, turned Oliver Noteware with 12 seconds left in the bout. Williams had three takedowns, a reversal and three back points and was winning 12-2 at the time of the fall. It was his fourth dual meet win and fifth pin of the season. ESU forfeited at 197 to make the score 22-6 before Deighton scored a first-period takedown en route to a 10-0 win at heavyweight. Deighton earned three back points in the second period and had an escape, takedown and riding time for his first major decision of the season. Gambino won his first match of the season at 125. The sophomore earned two back points on three different occasions, added a reversal in the third and riding time for an 11-0 victory. ESU won by forfeit at 133 and then Sean Carr closed the match with a thrilling 15-11 decision. Carr jumped out to a 5-1 lead but Danny Scotton tied the match twice. Carr then used a five-point move for his fourth dual win of the season. ESU will wrestle at Millersville Tuesday at 7 p.m. and then travel to Navy for a 7 p.m. match Wednesday, Jan. 24.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -– The Lock Haven University wrestling team (6-3, 1-1 EWL) was clicking on all cylinders as they cruised past Millersville University (0-7) 35-6 tonight (Jan. 12). The only loss for the Bald Eagles came by forfeit at 141 pounds as the Bald Eagles got solid contributions from up and down the lineup. The match started with junior No. 8 Obenson Blanc (Naples, Fla./Lely) taking on Michael Acedo-Malaney at 125. Blanc won by technical fall 18-3 at 5:10. Blanc scored an early takedown and cruised to his 21st victory of the season improving to 21-4. After two periods at 133 Danny Lopes (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) trailed John Laster 1-0, but earned an early escape and takedown in the third which led to a 5-2 decision. Cody Becker earned the lone six points for Millersville, picking up the forfeit victory at 141. The Haven picked up back-to-back major decisions at 149 and 157 with freshman Donnie Ament (Acem, Pa/Mount Pleasant) earning a 12-0 shutout at 149 and senior No. 8 Seth Martin (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) following it up with a 12-4 major. Freshman Landis Wright (Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle) picked up an 8-2 decision at 165. Wright led 2-1 at the end of the first period and 6-2 after two cruising to the 8-2 win in the third period. Senior Michael Metzger (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) earned one of the more exciting wins of the night. He trailed 8-6 heading into the third period but scored a late takedown with 20 seconds left to earn an 11-9 victory. Sophomore Tom Kocher (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) picked up the Bald Eagles third major decision on the night topping Steve Funk 11-3. Trailing 3-1 heading into the third period freshman Jeremie Cook (Venice, Fla./Venice) picked up the only Lock Haven pin of the night, ending his match with Keith McDonald at the 6:05 mark. Sophomore Ben Hepburn saved some of his best for last earning a takedown with one second left in the third overtime period of his match to top Mike Langor 7-5.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- American University had defeated its last two wrestling opponents by a combined score of 103-0 Wednesday, but the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers opened Friday's dual with five straight victories and 16 consecutive points. The 17th-ranked Mocs won all but two matches for a 28-12 victory over the Eagles to move to 8-0 on the season. The middle of UTC's lineup came through for Head Coach Chris Bono. With the match beginning at 149 pounds, Aaron Martin started a run of five straight wins for the Mocs with his 4-0 victory over Damian Swietlik at 149. Martin, ranked 13th nationally, has not allowed an opponent point in his last three dual matches. Jake Yost pushed the Mocs' lead to 8-0 with a 17-2 technical fall over Jimmy Pepper at 157. Yost led 10-1 after one period and scored the tech fall at the 4:33 mark. Wrestling in his first dual of the season, T.J. Sayers pulled off a 6-5 win over 17th-ranked Mike Cannon at 165. With the scored tied at 5-5, Sayers earned a point at the final buzzer with an escape. After a team point deduction, UTC held a 10-0 edge. "We didn't dominate tonight, and that is what we try to preach," Bono said. "We are glad to be 8-0, but we will move on and focus on our next event. American wrestled tough. We certainly have some room for improvement. "T.J. has a lot of heart. He was challenged before the match, and he came out and beat a ranked wrestler." The Mocs' cushion increased to 16-0 after a 6-3 win by 18th-ranked Lloyd Rogers at 174 and an 11-7 decision from Josh Edmondson at 184. The Eagles, 6-6, got on the scoreboard at the two heaviest weights, and both came by falls within the last 35 seconds of each match. Ninth-ranked Josh Glenn, on the verge of scoring a major decision over Mike Marable at 197, recorded the pin with two seconds left in the match. In perhaps the match of the dual, UTC's Mat Koz and American's Adam LoPiccolo, ranked sixth nationally, were knotted at 7-7 in the final period of the 285-pound match. LoPiccolo picked up his 27th victory of the season after pinning Koz at 6:26 and cutting UTC's lead to 16-12. The Mocs closed out the match with victories at 125, 133 and 141. Javier Maldonado, ranked 15th, defeated Jasen Borshoff at 125, 6-2 and sixth-ranked Matt Keller registered a 10-4 win over Jordan Lipp for a 22-12 UTC lead. American's Kyle Borshoff was unable to wrestle Michael Keefe at 141 because of an injury, handing the Mocs their final six points of the dual. UTC will travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich., next Sunday to participate in the Central Michigan Tournament at Central Michigan University.

Williamsport, PA -- The College of New Jersey wrestling team knocked off seventh-ranked SUNY Cortland to capture the title at the prestigious Budd Whitehill National Wrestling Duals on Saturday as the Lions defeated the Red Dragons in the finals, 22-13. The team title was TCNJ's eighth in the 13-year history of the tournament and their first since 2003. The Lions, which entered the tournament ranked 11th, advanced to the finals by beating 22nd-ranked Ithaca College, 22-20. TCNJ is now 11-1 in dual meets this season. "What a tremendous team effort." proclaimed TCNJ head coach David Icenhower, Sr. "All 15 guys who weighed in contributed." In the finals, the Red Dragons jumped out to an early 9-3 advantage before storming back to win four straight and jump in front, 16-9. After Cortland closed to within three points, wins by Greg Osgoodby (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) at 197 and heavyweight Steve Carbone (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) at heavyweight secured the title for the Lions. Also scoring wins in the finals were Ray Sarinelli (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills) at 133, Tyler Branham (Newton, NJ/Kittantiny) 149, Joe Galante (Ocean City/Ocean City) at 157 and Mike Guenther (Ewing, NJ/Brick Memorial) at 165. In the win over Ithaca in the semis, the Lions trailed 20-19 heading into the final match as Carbone then propelled TCNJ into the finals by earning a 3-1 decision. A host of Lions were perfect during the five dual meets in the tournament with Sarinelli, Guenther and Osgoodby each going 5-0, while Branham and Galante each went 4-0.

The Peacock Wrestling team took their #8 national ranking on the road and visited the Bulldogs of Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Upper Iowa won the dual 25-12 fueled by a major decision win in the second match by Bruce Bearman. The dual began at the 125 lb. weight class with Tyler Mumbulo defeating Rob Nahlik by decision 7-2. Mumbulo led the match 5-1 at the conclusion of the first period and cruised to victory and gave the Peacocks a 3-0 lead. In the 133 pound match, Bruce Bearman faced off against Kaz Hastimotto. Bearman, usually a 125-pounder, found out after the team's morning workout that he would be the starter at 133. Bearman led the match 4-0 after two periods, but then dominated the third period to win by major decision 10-1 and the Peacocks moved ahead 7-0. "I am proud of Bruce. For him to win by major decision after not finding out he was going to wrestle till this morning and moving up a weight class. I am happy for him," said head coach Heath Grimm. Adam Vogt, Truman State, took the mat against John Gamble and defeated the UIU wrestler by decision 5-0. "The match pitted two good wrestler going after each other and John came up on the short end," said Grimm. In the 149 pound match, Andy Norton was trailing 4-0 to Chad Swagman after the first period, but had the upper hand in period two when he got caught in a defensive pin and lost the match. "It's a frustrating way to lose a match. Andy had the kid in a half-nelson and was clearly the offensive wrestler looking for near fall points, but got caught in a defensive pin," said Grimm. Travis Eggers picked up the win by decision at 157 pounds over Andy Bader. Eggers led 5-0 after two periods and cruised to an 8-1 victory. The win put Upper Iowa back into the lead 10-9. At the 165 pound weight, red shirt freshman, Mitch Norton, challenged Blake Peterson, a former National Qualifier and University of Northern Iowa transfer, in the highlight match of the night. Norton never trailed in the match and held leads of 4-2 and 6-4 at the ends of periods one and two, respectively. Norton registered two reversals and a near fall in the third period to take the victory 12-7. Grimm stated, "Mitch continues to impress and build on his success every time out, from his second place finish at the St. Cloud Open, to the Championship at the Midwest Classic, to his latest dual victory against a quality opponent." In the 174 pound match, Brady Hakeman, lined up against Dean Schultz and won by decision 6-1. Hakeman led 5-0 at the end of two periods and held on for the victory to give the Peacocks a 16-9 lead. The Peacock lead was extended when the 184 pound match was forfeited by Truman State. Phil Bruschuk picked up the victory and Upper Iowa led 22-9. Ryan Phillips took the mat at 197 pounds and took on Steven Doeschot. Phillips led 6-3 after two periods and dominated the third period to win by decision 9-4. In the heavyweight match up, Dan Goodson was defeated in the final minute of the third period and lost by decision 2-1. "Dan will learn with more experience. He will realize what he should and should not do as a match winds down," said Grimm. Grimm said, "The 125, 157, 174, and 197 pound matches were very good matches for us. All four guys came out and started their matches well. We were able to dictate the tempo and pace of each of these matches." Grimm continued, "We are now 3-0 in duals and it has all been building toward the Northern Sun matches. We have a week to prepare for two home NSIC duals." Upper Iowa's Wrestling team will be back on the mat next week in Dorman Gym. The Peacocks will face the Wolves of Northern State next Thursday night, the 18th, at 7 p.m. and the Marauders of the University of Mary next Saturday afternoon, the 20th, at 2 p.m.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The 2007 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals got underway on Saturday morning at the UNI-Dome on the campus of Northern Iowa University in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This year's event features 72 teams from seven divisions of wrestling (Division I, II, III, NAIA, NJCAA, NCWA, and Women) competing on 18 mats over two days. On Day 1, all the No. 1 seeds -- Missouri (Division I), Central Oklahoma (Division II), Augsburg (Division III), Lindenwood (NAIA), and Labette (NJCAA) -- won both their duals to advance to Sunday morning's semifinals, which begin at 11 a.m. (CST). Missouri got a bit of a scare in its opening round dual against Penn. The Tigers trailed the Quakers 12-7 after 157, but came back to win four of the last five matches to take the dual 27-15. The Tigers then came back in the quarterfinals with a dominating 33-8 victory over eighth-seeded Northwestern. The Tigers will now wrestle four-time defending national champion Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Missouri coach Brian Smith was much more pleased with his team's effort against Northwestern than against Penn. "I was just glad to see us wrestle harder against Northwestern," said Smith, who has been the head man at Missouri since 1998. "The first match we were sluggish in a couple weights. We're getting better, which is good. You want to progressively improve throughout as you go through this tournament because it's going to get tougher." The Tigers will now face four-time defending national champion Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Oklahoma State advanced to the semifinals with victories over Northern Iowa (29-5) and Iowa (22-13). Against the Hawkeyes in the quarterfinals, the Cowboys jumped out to a commanding 15-0 lead after 149 on the strength of freshman Dakotah Simpson's first-period pin over Iowa's Alex Grunder at 149. Iowa's Ryan Morningstar put the Hawkeyes on the board with a 2-1 (tiebreaker) decision over Newly McSpadden at 157. But Oklahoma State captain and two-time NCAA champion Johny Hendricks all but sealed the deal for the Cowboys with a dominating 9-1 major decision over longtime rival Mark Perry at 165. The Hawkeyes took three of the last four matches, but it was too little too late as Oklahoma State took the dual by a score of 21-13. Hendricks, who hasn't suffered a defeat since December of 2005, relishes the opportunity to wrestle the top-ranked Tigers. "I can't wait," said Hendricks. "Coming out of the Big 12, they're ranked No. 1. Hopefully we can step up big, wrestle like we did this time, and have some of our upper (weight) guys pull out a couple wins … and we'll walk away with the victory." On Saturday, Hendricks defeated No. 7 Nick Baima of Northern Iowa and No. 3 Perry. Now he'll face No. 8 Matt Pell when the Cowboys wrestle the Tigers. Pell, a 2005 All-American, took Hendricks into overtime before losing 2-1 (tiebreaker) in the finals of the Big 12 Championships in March. So does Hendricks feel like he has something to prove against Pell? "No, I don't have anything to prove to anybody," said Hendricks. "I'm not worried about anybody. I don't care. The fans are the people sitting there saying, 'Oh, he's worried.' I don't care. People lose. It's a common thing. Everybody loses. If it happens to me, I build off it. If I don't lose, that's even better." The other semifinal match-up in Division I will pit second-seeded Minnesota up against sixth-seeded Iowa State. Minnesota, who won this event last season, reached the semifinals with a pair of convincing victories over Cornell (32-11) and Central Michigan (31-7). Iowa State defeated Michigan in the opening round (25-15), and then scored an upset victory over Hofstra (24-9) to reach the semifinals. Tomorrow's dual will mark the second meeting between the two programs this season. Minnesota defeated Iowa State, 19-13, on Dec. 8 in Ames. Central Oklahoma, who is making its 14th straight trip to the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, reached the Division II semifinals with victories over Augustana (21-13) and West Liberty (32-6). The Bronchos will now face three-time defending Division II champion Nebraska-Omaha in the semifinals. Augsburg, who is looking to win its third NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals title, dominated its competition on Saturday, winning by scores of 50-0 and 35-3 over a pair of Iowa schools, Simpson and Cornell, respectively. The Auggies will now face fifth-seeded Johnson & Whales in the semifinals at 11 a.m. Lindenwood advanced to the NAIA semifinals with victories over Morningside (29-13) and Campbellsville (31-11). The Lions will now face fourth-seeded Dickinson State in the semifinals. Labette defeated Ellsworth (29-12) to advance to its NJCAA semifinal match against W.R. Harper. The Day 1 attendance at the UNI-Dome was 7,565. One-on-One with Marcus LeVesseur Augsburg's Marcus LeVesseur has literally become the Cael Sanderson of Division III wrestling. The senior 165-pounder has compiled an undefeated record with three NCAA titles for the Auggies. RevWrestling.com caught up with LeVesseur after Augsburg's victory over Cornell (Iowa). You were held out of competition today. Why? LeVesseur: It was just precautionary. The coaches are just trying to pick the right time for me to wrestle. But I plan to wrestle tomorrow. When you see other Division I programs competing here, do you ever think about how it would be competing at that level? LeVesseur: No, I don't think about wrestling Division I. I just watch them and learn. I'll watch NAIA wrestlers and learn something. I'm just always looking at wrestling styles that compliment mine … and moves that compliment my style. I'm a fan of sports. There are 18 mats to watch. Besides focusing on my team, I look at other wrestlers and teams. And if I see something I like, I might try it tomorrow. Marcus, whether it's fair or not, wrestling fans across the country are going to continue to scrutinize you for what you've accomplished in Division III … because you're not doing it in Division I. Does that bother you? LeVesseur: It doesn't bother me one bit. I'm happy right now. I'm wrestling. I'm about to graduate this spring. That's the No. 1 focus in my life, to get my double major degrees, and then move on with my life. Many have wondered why you never wrestled at the Midlands. Was that something you ever considered? LeVesseur: No, it was never put on a table for me to look at as an option. Not once. I would have liked to have wrestled at the Midlands. I can tell you that. It was just never an opportunity for me. I think our team had a tournament scheduled that same weekend. In your opinion, how would you fare if you wrestled in the NCAA Division I Championships? LeVesseur: I don't know. I wrestle every match to win. That's my focus. If you take that and speculate how I think I would finish, I think that kind of says it all. Like I said, I wrestle every match to win, period. That's how I approach wrestling. I understand that you're competing in mixed martial arts (MMA). How are you doing? And is that something you enjoy? LeVesseur: I'm 5-0 right now. I enjoy it a lot. It's very intense. You have to have your eyes open and instinctively reacting always. I get an adrenalin rush, I guess. Is it is your goal to someday fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC)? LeVesseur: Yeah, I have a lot of goals. There's international wrestling with World titles, Olympic titles, and all those highly-skilled tournaments. And then there's UFC and then PRIDE. There are a lot of different directions I can go. I have a full plate now. You only live once. I like to put myself in a lot of situations where I can excel. You mentioned international wrestling. Are you planning on competing at the U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas in April? LeVesseur: I plan to. I need to really map out my schedule and manage the fighting and the wrestling. I know that I'm going to get back into the fighting really hard this next six or seven months to see if I can even get a pro debut. Growing up, you were successful in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. With Minnesota being a Greco-Roman hotbed, would you consider wrestling Greco-Roman? LeVesseur: Some of my friends say that I should. When I was a sophomore in high school, I made a commitment to myself that I'm a freestyler. So I'll probably go freestyle. With the collegiate wrestling season in full swing, are you taking a break from MMA? LeVesseur: Yeah, right now there's no MMA. It's tough to do both. I sat down with Coach Swenson and we talked about my future plans. I told him that I would be one-hundred percent committed to this program through thick and thin, so MMA is out on the porch right now. After the season, I can bring it back in the house. What is it like compete on the same team with longtime friend Jafari Vanier? LeVesseur: That's probably the most exciting thing right now. Well, maybe not the most exciting … but when you have a best friend since you were 5 years old, wrestle on the same team every year way up until your senior year, then you're apart, and then reunited, it's a good feeling. We have our little special handshake before each one of us wrestles. It's just a good feeling to have your best friend and lifelong companion with you while you're out there wrestling. I'm sure he probably feels the same way. Brackets/Results: Division I Brackets Division II Brackets Division III Brackets NAIA Brackets NJCAA Brackets NCWA Brackets Women's Brackets

WATERLOO, Iowa -– American wrestlers who excelled in the Greco-Roman style of wrestling will be recognized and honored at the new Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, which opens here on January 12. The museum is located in the heart of the city, at 303 Jefferson Street. The Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame will house memorabilia from the careers of the top Greco-Roman stars from around the nation. Greco-Roman is a form of wrestling that only allows holds above the waist, and is highly acclaimed in Europe and the former Soviet Union. It has grown considerably in popularity in America over the past two decades, particularly at the junior level. The hall of fame will hold inductions each year at a time yet to be determined. It is named in honor of Alan Rice, one of America's foremost leaders in Greco-Roman wrestling, and his wife, Gloria. Alan Rice competed in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, in the 136.5-pound class. This was the first year that the United States fielded a Greco-Roman team at the Olympics. He was also a collegiate star at the University of Minnesota, winning All-American honors in 1949 and serving as captain of the 1950 Gopher team. In 1956, he was a rare double winner – capturing national titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in the same year. He placed fifth in the World Championships in freestyle in 1954. Rice started the Minnesota Wrestling Club, which has won 16 national team titles in Greco-Roman wrestling. The MWC has the unique distinction of having a member on every World and Olympic Greco-Roman team for 40 straight years. In addition, club members have won a world medal in at least 20 years of competition. He was coach of the United States team in Greco-Roman for the 1972 Olympics in Munich and has been active on the international wrestling scene for decades. He served either as a coach or team leader for nearly a dozen teams that competed in foreign countries. He also has provided funding for numerous wrestling projects and recently donated a million dollars for the creation of a Greco-Roman training center at Augsburg College in Augsburg, Minnesota. He is a member of several halls of fame, including the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He met his wife, Gloria, while both were attending the University of Minnesota and they were married in 1957. They formed the Minnesota (Gopher) Wrestling Club in the 1960s and traveled the world attending wrestling functions. Gloria was a highly regarded pairings master who assisted in staging wrestling tournaments from coast to coast. She passed away on Sept. 1, 2000. "Alan has been a major force in the wrestling world for decades, and we are honored to have the opportunity to name the Greco-Roman Hall of Fame for him and his wife, Gloria," said Mike Chapman, executive director of the DGIWIM. "Very few people can match their combined commitment to the sport of wrestling, and no one has a greater appreciation of Greco-Roman wrestling than Alan." The Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame will occupy a special place in the museum, situated between the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the Dan Gable Teaching Center. Both Brand and Gable were Olympians as well, Brand winning a gold medal in 1948 and Gable claiming a gold medal in 1972. "We are pleased to have Alan and Gloria Rice be such a special part of the museum," said Gable. "They have made a huge contribution to the sport over the decades and this is a perfect way to let Alan know we appreciate his work in wrestling." There are a total of nine spots in the museum named for special supporters: (1) Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa; (2) Dan Gable Teaching Center; (3) Dean Rockwell Library and Research Center; (4) Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame; (5) George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; (6) Arno P. Niemand Video Room; (7) Matman Gift shop (Warren and Jayne DePrenger); (8) Bob Siddens-Keith Young-Dave Natvig Lounge; (9) Abraham Lincoln Lobby. The Dan Gable Wrestling Institute and Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of Mankind's Oldest Sport in a manner that is both educational and entertaining. It moved to Waterloo in December after nine years in Newton, where it was known as the International Wrestling Institute and Museum. Dan Gable's name was attached to honor Waterloo's most famous resident. Gable was an undefeated, three-time state champion for West Waterloo High School, and won 118 consecutive matches at Iowa State University. He was a two-time NCAA champion, 1971 World champion and 1972 Olympic gold medalist. As a coach at the University of Iowa, Gable led the Hawkeyes to unparalleled success. His teams captured 21 consecutive Big Ten team championships, and won 15 NCAA titles during his 21 years at the helm. In 2000, Sports Illustrated magazine named him the No. 1 sports figure in the history of the State of Iowa, with baseball legend Bob Feller second and Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick third. The DGIWIM is a not-for-profit organization run by a board of directors. The museum will open its doors for the first time at 10 a.m. on Jan. 12. The museum also inaugurated its own hour-long radio show on Jan. 3, on Station 1650 The Fan in Cedar Falls. It is heard live over most of the state of Iowa and is available through the Internet, as well. The museum also has a quarterly publication called MATSIDE, which is available free by calling Kyle Klingman at 319-233-0745. Its web site is www.wrestlingmusuem.org.

Blair, NE -- Dana College Head Wrestling Coach Richard Fergola announced the signings of four new signees, bringing their current recruiting class to seven. Coming off the 2006 NAIA National Championship, the Vikings and head coach Richard Fergola are looking to continue their strong recruiting classes. The Vikings recorded the No. 4, No. 1 and No. 2 Non-Division I recruiting classes in the past three years as rated by Wrestling USA magazine. "I am so excited about the addition of these four young men as they will fit in very well in our program and all have very bright futures as Dana student/athletes", states head coach Richard Fergola. Heading this batch of recruits for the Vikings will be Jeremiah Barkac. Jeremiah hails from the state of Maine where he has compiled an undefeated high school career record of 143-0 and three state championships. Jeremiah is currently 25-0 in his senior season at Dexter Regional High School and will be seeking his fourth state title and finish his career undefeated. Jeremiah has also been successful on the national scene by claiming All-American honors twice at the prestigious Cadet/Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND, placing in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Jeremiah is currently ranked No. 23 among the nation's top seniors as rated by Wrestling USA magazine. Jeremiah will compete for the Vikings at 125 lbs. Kyle Grape from Lansing, KS has made Dana College his choice in the fall. Grape is a three-time state placer for Lansing High School. Grape placed 4th as a freshman and reached the finals as a sophomore and junior winning the state championship as a sophomore. Grape also placed 2nd at the Brute Nationals and holds a career record of 105-13. Grape will look to compete at 149 lbs for the Vikings. The second half of this group is two quality junior college transfers that should prove beneficial right away for the Vikings. Adam Manz and Travous DeGrout will continue their college wrestling careers at Dana College. Manz, a transfer from Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, IA, the defending NJCAA National Champions, will be looking to compete at 149 lbs for Coach Fergola. Manz is originally from Council Bluffs, IA where he was a two-time state placer claiming runner-up honors as a senior. DeGrout will be coming to Dana from Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ. Travous was an NJCAA National qualifier in 2006. As a prep-star in New Mexico, Travous was a three-time state placer, placing 1st, 2nd, and 5th. DeGrout is currently ranked No. 8 in the NJCAA and currently coming off the Colby Tournament of Champions title at 184 lbs. Barkac, Grape, Manz and DeGrout will join Kendall Burke (Ray-Pec, MO), Keaton Taylor (Silver Lake, KS) and Matt Mueller (Malcolm, NE) in the 2007-08 recruiting class. "All seven of these athletes exemplify the Dana College student/athlete and will assist Dana College in continuing the tradition of excellence in wrestling," said head coach Richard Fergola.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- The Adams State College Grizzlies, ranked sixth in this week's NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, picked up five bonus-point wins and a pair of forfeits as they shutout the Mesa State College Mavericks, 44-0, in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on Thursday night in Plachy Hall. The dual was the first of the season for Jason Ramstetter's squad, which shutout an opponent for the first time in more than 13 years. The Mavericks, who restarted their program after a 15-year hiatus fell to 1-8 overall and to 0-3 in RMAC duals. The Grizzlies began the dual with pins by redshirt freshman Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) and Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.). It ended with forfeit wins at 197 pounds and heavyweight and was only close just after the intermission as junior Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) held on for a 3-2 win at 165 pounds before James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.) picked up an 8-3 decision at 174. Jared Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) wrapped up the evening with a 24-9 technical fall thrashing of a fading Ryan Whittington, wrestling for the first time this season. Barksdale, the 125-pound champion at last week's Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind., started the shutout by scoring 13 points in the first period of his match with Maverick freshman Jason Blasdel. Barksdale then scored a quick reversal in the second before improving to 12-3 with a fall just 31 seconds into the period. The victory was Barksdale's sixth straight. Neither team had a 133-pound wrestler in the lineup sending the dual to 141 pounds, where Joey Deaguero got off to a quick 10-0 lead through two periods before pinning Mesa State's Jacob Masog just 23 seconds into the third stanza. Deaguero, ranked eighth in the nation, is now a team-best 21-8 with a team-high eight falls. The Grizzlies continued to roll taking a 16-0 lead after redshirt freshman Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.) spotted Mesa State's Kirk Piatt an early takedown before coming back with 13 straight points and a more than 3-minute advantage in riding time en-route to a 14-2 major decision win over Piatt. Mike Gallegos (Alamosa, Colo.), the reigning RMAC Wrestler of the Week, then scored three reversals and four near falls while blasting Mesa State's top-wrestler Taylor Torisk. Gallegos, ranked third in the nation at 157 pounds, led 9-0 after two periods before giving up just one reversal in the third period of his 18-2 technical fall win over Torisk, now 15-2. Gallegos, who defeated defending NCAA Division II National Champion Brad Becker of Wisconsin-Parkside last weekend, is now 12-1 on the season. Leading 21-0 at the break, Copeland and the Grizzlies struggled just a bit in the 165-pound match as Copeland overcame a tough battle with Cole Johnson. Copeland led just 2-1 after one and extended that lead to 3-1 with a second period escape. Johnson closed the gap by getting out early in the third but could not get a late takedown as Copeland won his seventh straight match while improving to 18-7. Reynolds then won his seventh match in his last eight tries as he defeated Andrew Lamminger. Reynolds, now 14-10, scored takedowns in each period allowing just three escapes to the Maverick freshman, who fell to 9-12. Jared Deaguero was in trouble early with his match with Whittington giving up a quick takedown and near fall to the Maverick senior. However, Deaguero overcame a 4-3 first period deficit with two near falls of his own in the second period taking a 9-4 lead after five minutes. Whittington was then hit with three straight false start cautions at the start of the third, before Deaguero scored six takedowns and another penalty point against a totally-gassed Whittingon, who was barely able to get off the mat in the waning moments. Deaguero ended that match 26 seconds early as the Grizzlies went up 32-0. The dual ended quite anticlimactically as Casey Woodall (Morenci, Ariz.), ranked first in the nation at 197 pounds, and Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) each picked up forfeit wins. Woodall, also a champion at the Midwest Classic, has won five straight matches and is 15-8. Schossow improved to 5-9. The Grizzlies out-scored the Mavericks 89-19 throughout the dual and only gave up two takedowns throughout the night. The Grizzlies also racked up 14 near falls and six reversals while only giving up one of each. The dual-meet shutout was the first of Jason Ramstetter's coaching tenure, now in year No. 8. ASC's last shutout came on Jan. 30, 1994 against Truman State (Mo.). Ironically, the then ASC Indians, also won that match 44-0. Ramstetter's squad will look for a ninth-straight dual win over Colorado Mines on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Orediggers will enter Plachy Hall with a 2-4 (0-1 RMAC) dual record. The Grizzlies must make weight for a third straight day on Saturday as they head to face New Mexico Highlands, which will entertain the Mavericks on Friday in Las Vegas, N.M.

PEMBROKE, N.C. -- UNCP followed an opening-match pin by Limestone's Matt Hall with five consecutive victories and held off a late rally by splitting the last two matches to defeat the Saints, 24-19, Thursday evening in college wrestling action at the English E. Jones Center. With the win, the Braves (4-4) snapped a three-meet losing streak. Limestone (2-6) has now lost five-straight dual meets. Hall needed all but 38 seconds of the night's opening match to post a third period pin of the Black and Gold's Adam Dedmon, but the Braves responded to the early deficit with five-straight wins to take a commanding 19-6 lead. Kendall Nelson posted the first win of the night for the Braves by shutting out Matt Ross in the 133-pound bout, and Brandon Bradley followed with a 21-6 rout of Cruz Thomas in the 141-pound division. Willie Hilton snapped an official four-game losing skid by posting an 11-4 win over Dustin Baynes, and the Braves continued the scoring barrage with a major decision by Victor Hojilla in the 157-pound bout and a 12-7 win by Rashaad Saunders in the 165-pound matchup. Todd Neptune pulled the Saints to within 10 on a narrow 4-2 decision over Aaron Lynch before Dan Scanlan trimmed Limestone's deficit to just five, 19-13, by turning in a major decision against Aaron Lynch. However, all-American Derek Brunson followed with a 22-7 rout of Mike Walsh in the 197-pound division to clinch the meet. Heavyweight Erik Stancil was forced to forfeit his match in the second period due to an injury to his right shoulder. UNCP will return to action on Saturday when it heads to Bristol, Tenn., to take part in King College-hosted Tornado Open. The first bout of the tournament has been slated for a 10 a.m. start time. The Saints will take the weekend off before joining the Black and Gold at the East Coast Duals, Jan. 19-20, in Johnstown, Pa.

BALTIMORE, Md. -– Gettysburg won the final four bouts of the match to record a 27-15 win over Johns Hopkins in Centennial Conference (CC) action on Thursday night at Goldfarb Gymnasium. Gettysburg improves to 2-2-1 overall and 1-1 in conference matches, while the Blue Jays fall to 2-8 overall and 0-1 in CC competition. Johns Hopkins started strong by winning the first two bouts at 184 and 197 pounds. A pin and a decision gave the hosts an early 9-0 advantage. The Bullets got their first points of the night at 285-pounds as senior Mike Pattanite (Tabernacle, N.J./Holy Cross) picked up an 8-3 decision over Vincent Domestico. Sophomore Richard Masella (Little Silver, N.J./Red Bank Regional) followed with the win at 133 on a forfeit to tie the score at 9-9. After the Blue Jays gained six points in the 141-pound weight class, Gettysburg won the final four matchups of the night. The Bullets tied the score, 15-15, when junior Matt Shank (Reedsville, Pa./Indian Valley) pinned James Gettinger at 5:52. Sophomore Andrew Goldstein (Easton, Pa./Easton) followed with a 10-5 decision over Jim Crumlish. Freshman Patrick Doherty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade) beat Kyle Keane 10-7 at 165 pounds, and sophomore James Stevenson (Wyncote, Pa./Cheltenham) capped off the match with a fall of Pete Kavanagh in 2:06. The Bullets will return to action on Saturday at the Ursinus Brute/Adidas Invitational in Collegeville, Pa. The contest will start at 10 a.m.

Stanford, Calif. -- The Stanford wrestling team will take on a local foe this week, squaring off with the San Francisco State Gators on Friday night. The Cardinal (2-5, 1-1 Pac-10) looks to rebound from last week's losses and pick up its third dual meet win of the season. Action begins at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Ford Center on the Stanford campus. Co-captain Tanner Gardner (25-3), ranked fourth in the nation at 125 pounds, highlights the Cardinal lineup. The junior has captured a pair of tournament titles this season, and is currently the top-ranked wrestler in the Pac-10. Last week, Gardner went undefeated at the Stanford duals. Stanford's other ranked wrestler, No. 16 Josh Zupancic (25-7), will return this week for the Cardinal at 157 pounds after sitting out at the Stanford Duals. Sophomore 174-pounder Luke Feist (16-13), who is coming off of an upset of No. 11 Matt Palmer of Columbia, will be another force for the Cardinal. San Francisco State (1-7, 1-0 RMAC) is led by Kenneth Packard (157 pounds) who has collected 92 team points this season. Virgil Lockett (141 pounds) leads the team in wins by fall (3) and Ali Lockett (149 pounds) is the only Gator with a winning record in 2006-07. Zupancic and Packard are the only Cardinal and Gator wrestlers to have met this season, as the Cardinal junior dropped Packard, 15-0, at the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1. Last season, Stanford topped the Gators 30-9 in San ?Francisco, with the Cardinal winning seven of ten matches. "San Francisco State has a couple of good individuals which, in a dual meet setting, can be the difference between winning and losing," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "Our guys shouldn't take anyone lightly and need to go out and wrestle hard. It's great to be at home and in front of a home crowd again. We're just going to go out there and see what we can do."

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers shoot for a perfect 8-0 record Friday night when the 17th-ranked Mocs host American University in a home dual match at Maclellan Gym. The Mocs ran their dual record to 7-0 last Sunday with a 21-12 win over Oregon State and a 23-15 win over Northern Iowa. The victory over Oregon State snapped the Beavers' 14-match win streak. The American Eagles improved to 6-5 overall Wednesday with a 53-0 win over Campbell Wednesday and a 50-0 victory over Delaware State. "The wins over Ohio State, Oregon State and Northern Iowa have really boosted our confidence level," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "We have a lot of good chemistry on this team right now, and we will need a total team effort to beat a solid American team Friday." The top four wrestlers in UTC's lineup are all nationally ranked, including Javier Maldonado, 15th at 125 pounds, Matt Keller, No. 6 at 133, Michael Keefe, No. 14 at 141 and Aaron Martin, No. 13 at 149. Lloyd Rogers, ranked 18th, is scheduled to wrestle at 174 pounds. Rounding out Bono's probable lineup are Jake Yost at 157, T.J. Sayers at 165, Josh Edmondson at 184, Mike Marable at 197 and Matt Koz at 285. The Eagles have three wrestlers among the top 25 in their respective weight classes. Josh Glenn is ranked as high as No. 4 at 197, Adam LoPiccolo is sixth at 285, and Mike Cannon is rated 17th at 165. American has also notched wins over Princeton, Harvard, Arizona State and Cal State-Fullerton. The Eagles placed 11th at the Midlands Tournament in December. The match begins at 6 p.m., and admission is $5 and $2 for student-age patrons. Coach Bono is inviting all Mocs supporters to join him and the team following the match at T-Bones Sports Café at 1419 Chestnut Street in Chattanooga.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -– North Carolina's wrestling team carries a three-match winning streak into Saturday's doubleheader at Maryland's Comcast Center Pavilion. The Tar Heels (3-3) will open Atlantic Coast Conference action against the host Terrapins (10-4) at noon and will follow with a dual against 16th-ranked Illinois (2-0). Carolina brings a trio of nationally-ranked performers into the weekend's action in No. 8 Evan Sola at 133 pounds, No. 9 heavyweight Spencer Nadolsky and 12th-ranked Keegan Mueller at 165. Mueller leads the Tar Heels with a 19-4 record, while Nadolsky is 15-4 and Sola is 7-1 after just two weekends back on the mat after redshirting a year ago with a shoulder injury. Sola, who moved past head coach C.D. Mock into sixth place on Carolina's career win list last week, can move into fifth with a pair of victories Saturday. He is currently 109-28 and can surpass three-time national champion T.J. Jarworsky with two more wins. Nadolsky can also join the 100-win club with a pair of victories. Maryland is led by No. 10 Mike Letts, who is 20-3 on the year at 174. No. 13 Alex Krom (141), No. 16 Hudson Taylor (197) and No. 20 Jason Kiessling (165) give the Terps four ranked wrestlers. Seven Illini are ranked by InterMat this week, including No. 1 Mike Poeta at 157. No. 12 Cassio Pero (141), No. 13 Gabe Flores (125), No. 13 Troy Tirapelle (141), No. 13, Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165), No. 15 John Dergo (184) and No. 20 Jimmy Kennedy (133) round out the rankings. After Saturday's action, Carolina hosts four consecutive duals, including a Jan. 19 match-up with rival NC State.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's eighth-ranked wrestling team heads to Cedar Falls, Iowa this weekend to take part in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals -- one of the largest wrestling events of the season. The 'Cats have the No. 8 seed in the 16 team field with 15 teams either in the top 25 or receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll. The 'Cats, who are coming off a third-place finish at the 44th Midlands Championships and are a perfect 8-0 in duals this season, face West Virginia in the first round, which begins at 9 a.m. Saturday Jan. 13. If the 'Cats advance into the quarterfinals they could face the top-ranked Missouri Tigers later Saturday at 1 p.m. Takedown Radio will provide live radio coverage throughout the tournament, while Intermatwrestle.com will provide live text coverage. Livesportsvideo will webcast the semifinal and final rounds. The Match West Virginia features two ranked grapplers. Brandon Rader is ranked seventh at 141 lbs. and Jared Villers is the nation's 14th-ranked 197-pounder. Eighth-ranked Northwestern features five wrestlers in the top 20 and four in the top three. Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) and Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) are ranked No. 1 at 141 and 184 pounds, respectively. Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) moved up to No. 2 at 197 and Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) is the nation's third-ranked heavyweight. Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) is No. 15 at 174. Quoting Coach Cysewski "It is a great opportunity to wrestle schools outside of the Big Ten at this event," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "We love the competition of our conference, but it is good for the guys to see different teams and different styles of wrestling. Our guys are very intelligent and many of them have calculated our potential oppoenents, but West Virginia is our primary focus. They are a good team and we received a glimpse of them at Midlands. We will be prepared for a very tough first round match." Last Time Out Lang and then eighth-ranked Tamillow won titles at the 44th Midlands Championships. Lang topped Iowa's Alex Tsirtis in the 141-pound final and Tamillow defeated Kurt Backes of Iowa State at 197 as the eighth-ranked Wildcats finished third overall, and enjoyed multiple champions for the first time since 1964, at the 44th Midlands Championships held at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern finished third with 102 points, behind only Iowa State and Iowa. The 'Cats improved on their 10th place finish in 2005. Lang fell behind the second-seeded Tsirtsis, but a pair of thunderous takedowns propelled Lang into the lead. He held on for the 8-5 decision to capture his first career Midlands title. Tamillow, seeded second at 197, handled third-seeded Wynn Michalak in the semifinals before facing Iowa State's fifth-seeded Kurt Backes in Saturday night's final match. The junior trailed 1-0 early, but a late takedown enabled Tamillow to secure victory with a 3-1 decision. The win gave Tamillow his first career Midlands title. Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) placed second at heavyweight, Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) finished sixth at 133 and Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) placed eighth at 125. Northwestern enjoyed multiple champions for the first time since 1964. Alone at the Top Northwestern's 37-9 victory over NC State on 11/18 gave head coach Tim Cysewski his 125th win-making him the all-time winningest coach in program history. Cysewski, now in his 17th season, passed Ken Kraft's mark of 124 and currently is enjoying the best start of his tenure. Man on a Mission Junior 197-pounder Mike Tamillow, moving up in weight for 2006-07, is wrestling like a man possessed. He started the season ranked 14th and after a perfect 21-0 start with titles at the Eastern Michigan Open, Reno Tournament of Champions and the Midlands Championships, Tamillow has secured a place among the nation's elite. He now sits at No. 2 in the most recent InterMat poll. Tamillow knocked off three top-20 opponents, including his second win over Central Michigan's then eighth-ranked Wynn Michalak in as many weeks, en route to his first career Midlands title.

Sophomore Dallas Herbst has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. The Winneconne, Wis., native is UW's first Wrestler of the Week since Brady Reineke in February of 2005. On Jan. 6, Herbst concluded the 10th annual Lonestar Duals in Dallas with a perfect 4-0 record to improve to 18-2 overall and a 14-0 in dual competition. In addition, all four of Herbst's wins at the tournament came by fall, including an impressive pin in 34 seconds over Air Force's Peter Bozynski. Herbst also took down Conner Sanders of Army, Northern Colorado's Calen Nicholl and Harvard's Billy Colgan. Herbst, who is ranked 11th nationally, leads the team in pins with 12 and dual points scored with 76. Wisconsin returns to action on Friday, Jan. 19 at the UW Field House as it plays Badgers host to No. 10 Penn State. Match time is set for 7 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team begins Big Ten Conference action when it hosts Purdue at 2 p.m. Sunday in St. John Arena. It will be the 76th meeting between the Buckeyes (1-3; 0-0 Big Ten) and the Boilermakers (10-0; 0-0 Big Ten) PUCILLO MOVES TO 9-0 Mike Pucillo moved to 9-0 at 184 pounds on the season after posting a 19-4 technical fall against Eric Chine of Kent State Jan. 7. Pucillo's 19 points serves as his season best. Prior to that, Pucillo compiled 12 points on three occasions. IN THE WIN COLUMN Lance Palmer (149) has collected 11 wins in his last 16 (.688) matches, including a recent 5-0 win over Kent State's Jason McGee. The Lakewood, Ohio, native has a 15-9 record. LEADER OF THE PACK At 165 pounds, Chris Vondruska leads the Buckeyes in points (138), takedowns (35) and decisions (11). With his win over Sli Bostelman of Kent State, Vondruska now has won 14 of his last 17 (.824) matches. Vondruska's longest winning streak was nine bouts, between Dec. 2 at the Las Vegas Invitational and Dec. 30 at the Southern Scuffle. His overall record stands at 16-8. MAKE IT A DOZEN The Buckeye leader in team points with 63, J.D. Bergman (197) has improved his record to 12-3 on the year. Bergman also leads the team in falls with seven. IN THE BIG TEN Ohio State begins its Big Ten Conference schedule Sunday against Purdue. In 85 years as a member of the Big Ten Conference, the Buckeyes have compiled a 219-303-17 ledger. IN THE BEGINNING... Ohio State is 3-1 against Purdue in Big Ten openers. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series against the Boilermakers, 45-23-7. In the last six meetings, both teams are even with a 3-3 record. Buckeyes vs. Boilermakers in conference openers Jan. 21, 2001 - Ohio State 19, Purdue 12 Feb. 9, 1946 - Ohio State 16, Purdue 10 Jan. 7, 1942 - Purdue 21, Ohio State 3 Jan. 31, 1931 - Ohio State 26, Purdue 8 Last six meetings> 2006 - Purdue 19, Ohio State 15 2005 - Purdue 21, Ohio State 12 2004 - Ohio State 22, Purdue 18 2003 - Purdue 21, Ohio State 17 2002 - Ohio State 27, Purdue 8 2001 - Ohio State 19, Purdue 12 A LOOK AT PURDUE Purdue enters its match against Ohio State with a 10-0 dual record. Leading the Boilermakers in wins is Nathan Moore with 25 at 197 pounds. A 2005 and 2006 NCAA qualifier, the senior out of Indianapolis, Ind., owns a 25-6 overall mark and is ranked 18th in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll. Joining Moore in the national rankings is Jake Patacsil. With a 24-5 ledger at 149 pounds, Patacsil is No. 10. Head coach for Purdue is Jessie Reyes (Cal State-Bakersfield, 1984). In his 15th season at the helm of the Boilermakers, Reyes has compiled a 179-112-3 record. BERGMAN FINISHES SECOND AT SCUFFLE J.D. Bergman captured a second-place finish at the 2006 Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. Bergman, who wrestled at 197 pounds, had an impressive outing on day one of the event, recording two falls and a major decision en route to the quarterfinals. The following day, Bergman notched a decision to advance to the semifinals where he was slated to meet No. 2 seed and nationally No. 2-ranked Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell. However, Rinaldi was forced to take a medical forfeit and that set up the rematch between Bergman and No. 1 seed and top ranked Max Askren of Missouri. After leading 2-1 going into the third period, Askren was able to pin Bergman in 5:48. LUCKY NO. 13 Chris Vondruska entered the 2006 Southern Scuffle with a five-match winning streak and winner of eight of his last nine. Vondruska then went on to win his first four match-ups at the Southern Scuffle, including recording two major decisions in the rounds of 64 and 32, to extend his winning streak to nine. Although he dropped his next two bouts, Vondruska rebounded in the fifth-place match with a 6-2 decision. He now has been victorious in 14 of his last 17 matches. The fifth-place showing at the Southern Scuffle was Vondruska's third Top 5 tournament showing this season. Vondruska also finished third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December and fourth at the EMU Open in November. SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY Ohio State has competed in the Southern Scuffle two times in the tournament's four-year history and during that span the Buckeyes have collected nine individual Top 8 finishes. The Scarlet and Gray competed in the Southern Scuffle for the first time in 2005 and six Buckeyes placed, including J Jaggers who had a second-place outing at 149 pounds. In 2006, J.D. Bergman finished second at 197 pounds, while classmates Chris Vondruska and Lance Palmer placed fifth and seventh, respectively. TOURNAMENT SUCCESS During the past five seasons, Ohio State has posted impressive individual tournament outings. Since the 2002-03 season, the Buckeyes have captured 24 first-place finishes and 10 second-place outings. Ten third-place, fourth-place and fifth-place showings each have been collected during that span. A complete listing of Top 5 tournament finishes since 2002-03 can be found on page 8. ROLLING INTO THE NEW YEAR The Buckeyes began their busiest month in January, with seven duals on the schedule. Ohio State will host three meets during the month (Kent State, Purdue and Indiana), while traveling to the 18th Annual Wendy's Big Classic Duals where it will face Ohio, Cleveland State and Ashland, followed by a trip to Penn State. INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Four Buckeyes in Lance Palmer, Chris Vondruska, Mike Pucillo and J.D. Bergman are ranked in the Top 20 of their respective weight classes in the latest edition (Jan. 9) of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I wrestling poll. Vondruska (165) made the biggest leap in the rankings from No. 18 to No. 15. Bergman (197) and Palmer (149) each moved up one spot. Bergman went from No. 4 to No. 3, while Palmer improved to No. 19 from No. 20. Pucillo (184) remained ranked third. BUCKEYES FACE FOUR OHIO SQUADS IN 2007 In 2006-07, the Scarlet and Gray will compete against four Ohio schools - Kent State, Ohio, Cleveland State and Ashland. OSU has faced just four teams from the Buckeye state in a season on eight occasions - 1975, 1981-82, 1985-86, 1992-93, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2004-05 and 2006-07. Ohio State has met five Ohio teams in a season five times and has faced six Ohio squads during a campaign two times. The Buckeyes have met an all-time high seven Ohio opponents on one occasion in 1983-84. SO LONG 2006 Ohio State finished the 2006 portion of its schedule 1-2 in dual action, while also participating in various open tournaments and invitationals. Starting the season at the Michigan State Open in East Lansing, Nov. 12, Ohio State's J.D. Bergman led the Buckeye contingent, winning the 197-pound crown. Sophomore Corey Morrison finished fourth at 285 pounds and Jason Johnstone took home fifth-place honors at 149 pounds. T.J. Enright was a sixth-place finisher at 133 pounds, while Blake Maurer was sixth at 174 pounds. Will Livingston was seventh at 125 pounds and Lance Palmer was eighth at 149 pounds. Ohio State opened its dual schedule Nov. 16 with a home match-up against then-No. 3 Missouri. It was the home debut of first-year head coach Tom Ryan. The Buckeyes fell to the Tigers, 29-9, however, the Scarlet and Gray rebounded with an 18-17 upset victory against then-No. 9 Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., ten days later. It was a match that came down to the final bout at 133 pounds with Enright going up against Cornell's Nick Bridge. With Ohio State down 17-15, Enright was able to secure a 5-3 win to give the Buckeyes the one-point edge. The win marked the first victory for Ryan as the OSU head coach and it served as his 110th career victory. Ohio State then took a break from dual action and competed at the Las Vegas Invitational in early December. Mike Pucillo paced the Buckeyes in the tournament, winning the 184-pound division. Pucillo recorded a pair of major decisions and a fall en route to defeating two Top 4 wrestlers in the semifinal and final for the title. Chris Vondruska and Palmer also placed for the Buckeyes, with Vondruska finishing third and Palmer taking home seventh place honors. Ohio State returned to dual action at home in St. John Arena Dec. 17 and played host to Chattanooga. OSU fell to the Mocs, 28-13. Three Buckeyes garnered victories in a match-up that did not feature injured Enright at 133 pounds or J Jaggers at 141 pounds. OSU officially concluded 2006 with a final tournament outing at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. Bergman again led the Buckeye contingent, finishing second at 197 pounds. Vondruska went 5-2 in the event for a fifth-place showing while classmate Palmer finished seventh. LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL CHAMPION Redshirt-freshman Mike Pucillo won the 184-weight class at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2 in Primm, Nev. Pucillo recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to the semifinal where he defeated No. 4 Raymond Jordan of Missouri, 3-1. In the championship bout against Michigan's and No. 3 Tyrel Todd, Pucillo notched a 12-6 victory for the title. Pucillo became the first Buckeye to win a title at the event since current assistant coach Tommy Rowlands won in 2003 at heavyweight. CONFERENCE LAURELS After his winning performance at 184 pounds in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Mike Pucillo was named the Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Week for the week of Dec. 4. Pucillo recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to the semifinal where he defeated No. 4 Raymond Jordan of Missouri, 3-1. In the championship bout against Michigan's and No. 3 Tyrel Todd, Pucillo notched a 12-6 victory for the title. ONLY THE BEST Ohio State has competed or will compete against some of the toughest teams in the nation in 2006-07. Eleven of the Buckeyes' opponents are ranked in the latest Top 25 of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll (Jan. 9). Four opponents - Missouri (1), Iowa (5), Northwestern (8) and Penn State (10) are in the Top 10. LIVE WEB STREAMING Live web streaming of Ohio State's match-ups against Indiana (Jan. 28) and Michigan State (Feb. 2) are available on ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Log on to the official web site of the Ohio State Department of Athletics for more information. EXPANDED COVERAGE The NCAA and ESPN announced in October expanded live television coverage of the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 15-17 in Auburn Hills, Mich. For the first time, in the 77-year history of the Division I Wrestling Championships, the Saturday morning medal round will be televised. Scheduled for 10 a.m. EST March 17 on ESPNU, the championships medal round determines the third through eighth place finishers who are honored as All-Americans. The 2007 championships are March 15-17 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. The University of Michigan and the Detroit Metro Sports Commission will serve as hosts. Tickets for the 2007 championships are available by visiting http://www.detroitsports.org/wrestling/tickets/index.html. UP NEXT Ohio State will travel to the northeastern part of Ohio where it will participate in the 18th Annual Wendy's Big Classic Duals, hosted by Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. In the all-day event, the Buckeyes will face three Ohio schools in Ohio, Cleveland State and Ashland.

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -– With wins at 141 and 149 pounds, Kyle Milanese (Delran, N.J.) and Jack Barrett (Metuchen, N.J.) lifted the Rutgers wrestling team to its third-straight Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) win in a 20-15 decision over East Stroudsburg on Wednesday night. "The match was a little tighter than we felt it should have been," said Rutgers' all-time winningest coach John Sacchi. "Our lightweights really came through for us and Kyle and Jack had two good wins over two of their best kids. Both of them did a good job controlling their opponent and they deserve a lot of credit for battling." The Scarlet Knights (3-2, 3-1 EIWA) found themselves at an early disadvantage, dropping the opening two matches at 157 and 165 pounds and trailing East Stroudsburg (0-6, 0-2 EIWA). In the third bout of the night, Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.) came up with a 3-1 decision win over the Warriors' Shane Mallory to put Rutgers on the score board. Following an East Stroudsburg pin at the 184-pound bout, the Warriors led, 12-3. Due to an injury, Rutgers was awarded a forfeit at 197 pounds, cutting the lead to 12-9 halfway through the match. At the heavyweight bout, Mike D'Amico (Kenilworth, N.J.) fell in a tough 3-1 decision, giving ESU a 15-9 edge going into the lightweights. At 125 pounds, Ryan Jablonski (Norristown, Pa.) wrestled in his first dual match of the season, posting an 11-4 decision win, including two takedowns and three backpoints, and catalyzing a comeback from the Scarlet Knights. Dan Hilt (Manalapan, N.J.) scored a takedown with 35 seconds left in the opening overtime period to post a 3-1 decision over the Warriors' Matt Swallow, bringing Rutgers within one as ESU led, 15-14. Milanese scored a takedown in the first period en route to the 4-2 decision over Sean Carr at 141 pounds, which gave the Scarlet Knights their first lead of the match. The two exchanged takedowns and, after Carr let Milanese up from the defensive position to start the third, the RU junior was able to defend any offensive attacks from Carr and earned a point from riding time to win the decision. Leading 4-3 on two escapes and a takedown after the second period, Barrett held on for a 6-5 decision over the Warriors' Scott Heckman to seal the victory for the Scarlet Knights. Heckman, having chosen the defensive position in the third period, escaped in the opening seconds to tie the match at four. After a takedown, Barrett was able to fight off any attacks by Heckman following the escape, holding on for the win. The Scarlet Knights will host Army and the Merchant Marine Academy on Sunday, Jan. 14, starting at 2:00 p.m. at the College Avenue Gym. The opening match will feature Rutgers versus Army, followed by the Merchant Marine Academy against Army. In the final match of the day the Scarlet Knights will face the Merchant Marine Academy in a dual.