InterMat Staff

This week's edition of 'On the Mat' will feature authors Mike Chapman and Mark Kreidler. Chapman, who recently received the Order of Merit from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, will discuss his latest book 'Legends of the Mat.' This book profiles 34 of America's greatest wrestlers. Kreidler's book –- 'Four Days to Glory' –- was the top selling sports book in the nation after its release according to amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. 'Four Days to Glory' follows the high school careers Jay Borshel and Dan LeClere as they attempt to become four-time Iowa High School state champions in the same year. Kreidler made a recent appearance on the CBS Early Show to promote the book. 'On the Mat' is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa hosts the show. 'On the Mat' can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Tentative schedule of upcoming guest appearances February 14: * Tim Hartung, assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State University. * Tom Brands, head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa.

Columbia, Mo. –- Missouri's 149 pound junior grappler Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week as announced today by the league office. This marks Wagner's first-ever Big 12 Wrestler of the Week accolade. Missouri has received three Big 12 Wrestler of the Week/Month honors this season, with redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) named November Big 12 Wrestler of the Month and senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) named December Big 12 Wrestler of the Month. 23-7 on the season and 4-0 against Big 12 opponents, Wagner recorded his biggest upset of the campaign after knocking off second-ranked Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma, 10-4, Sunday afternoon. The win was Wagner's 60th career victory. Earlier in the weekend, Wagner held off Oklahoma State's Dakota Simpson with a 15-4 win by major decision. Wagner helped the Tigers earn back-to-back victories over fourth-ranked Oklahoma State (17-16) and No. 13 Oklahoma (24-14) on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The sweep of both schools on the road was Missouri's first in wrestling history. The wins also helped the Tigers to a 3-0 record, something that hasn't been done since the 2002-03 season. Wagner and the Tiger wrestling team will host Northern Iowa Friday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. (CT) in the first-ever Beauty and the Beast Dual held in the Hearnes Center. While the Missouri wrestling team challenges UNI, the 19th-ranked Missouri gymnastics team will take on SEMO simultaneously on the Hearnes Center floor. Tickets for the event are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Those students interested in joining the Pinhead Club, Missouri premiere wrestling club, are encouraged to attend early in order to sign up and receive your free t-shirt.

The 14th-ranked Augustana College wrestling team concludes the home portion of its dual schedule with a pair of home duals against nationally-ranked opponents. On Tuesday, Augustana entertains No. 4 Minnesota State-Mankato in a 7 p.m. dual. Then on Saturday, the Vikings will take on No. 20 Minnesota State-Moorhead, also at 7 p.m. Both duals will be held in the Elmen Center. Saturday night will feature a doubleheader. Canton High School (S.D.) will face Jackson County High School (Minn.) in a dual at 5 p.m. Augustana and Minnesota State-Moorhead will follow at 7 p.m. Tickets that night cost $6 for adults and $3 for students and are good for both duals. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

While all kinds of debates go back and forth in the world of college wrestling, there can be no doubt as to who is its undisputed villain: Two-time NCAA champion Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State (a role Hendricks says he enjoys). Hendricks' showboating seems to get under the skin of all except those who wear orange and black. His personality drives non-Cowboy fans nuts and the result is that there is no one that people want to see lose more. Emotions about this champion wrestler snowballed last season with his controversial NCAA finals match against Michigan's Ryan Churella, which took place in Oklahoma City. Trailing by a point at the end of the second period, Churella countered a Hendricks shot and locked up a cradle, putting the Cowboy on his back -- many have argued flat on his back. Referee Gary Kessel awarded two for the takedown and two nearfall to give Churella a 7-4 lead heading into the third and final period. The controversy continued with a call that many wrestling enthusiasts had an even bigger problem. With 40 seconds left, Hendricks was awarded a takedown while seemingly having no more than a lock on Churella's torso and arm. Hendricks then released Churella and scored a final takedown to win 9-8. Hendricks-haters were outraged. Furious. Incensed. Screen grabs of Hendricks allegedly pinned became signatures and avatars on wrestling message boards. The controversy escalated to the point where Kessel will not be working at this year's NCAA's, ironically hosted by the University of Michigan. In his final season as a Cowboy, lots of people would love nothing more than to see Johny Hendricks lose. But who's going to beat him? Churella's 2006 graduation has eliminated a rematch. Third-placer Muzaffar Abdurakmanov of American University (who Hendricks had a separate, controversial win over in the semifinals) was a senior last season as well. And as much as fans may dislike Hendricks, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who knows anything about the sport who'd be able to deny that Johny Hendricks is simply a brilliant wrestler. Shockingly strong and active in all positions, Hendricks has an uncanny ability to invent a win in any kind of close match -- even ones without controversy. And while the 165-pound weight class is deep and filled with talent, all voodoo dolls made in Hendricks' likeness have been ineffective thus far this season. So again, who can beat him? Based on the results of the season so far, the best prospect has surprisingly turned out to be Eric Tannenbaum, a three-time Illinois state champion and two-time All American, who finished sixth at the NCAA's last season at 149 pounds -- two weight classes down. This season, Tannenbaum is a perfect 17-0 at 165 pounds, beating all the top names in the weight with the exception of Hendricks, who he hasn't met. Ironically, Tannenbaum attends the same school and Hendricks' rival from the NCAA finals last season: The University of Michigan. While there's still a lot of season left, one can't help but look forward to a potential finals match-up between these two and wonder if the Wolverine could possibly get school revenge for the match that still rubs people the wrong way. RevWrestling.com's Tom Franck recently caught up with the wrestler dubbed as 'The Great Blue Hope.' Congratulations on your season thus far. Tannenbaum: Thanks. In 2003, there was a highly anticipated match between you and C.P. Schlatter at NSCHA High School Senior Nationals. Describe what happened in that match. Eric Tannenbaum (Photo/Eric Bronson)Tannenbaum: I moved up a couple weight classes. He was always bigger than me. That match was a pretty slow-paced match. It wasn't really very exciting. Excuses aside, I was pretty small. I was done with cutting weight. I didn't want to do that anymore. I knew I was a little small for that weight class. They had something ridiculous like a six-pound allowance or something, but I didn't want to avoid tough competition. I wanted to wrestle him. I remember going out there and tying up with him and thinking, 'This guy is really strong.' You got revenge against him when you were a redshirt freshman at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals and came out on top with a 5-4 victory. How satisfying was that match? Tannenbaum: It's always nice to get a little payback on some losses. I think it was a good win for me … definitely to show that I had improved a little bit, that I had put on some size, and that I could hold my own against some guys that in high school had gotten the best of me. How did you end up at Michigan? Was it through Sean Bormet (former Michigan standout and head coach of the Overtime School of Wrestling in Illinois where Tannenbaum frequents)? Tannenbaum: No. I mean, we talked about schools and stuff, but he's pretty hands off with most of his guys. He helped me a lot with the decision process, though. It was obviously something I'd never experienced before. So we talked, but it was more about just giving me guidance as to how to make my decision, but he was just posing questions more than anything. When did that decision to go to Ann Arbor finally come about? Was it the result of a number of factors? Tannenbaum: It was definitely a bunch of things, but it was pretty much the academics and the combination that it was relatively close to home, but also not too close like I wouldn't be getting away. The wrestling team was tough and everyone around my weight was really tough -- (Ryan) Bertin, (Mike) Kulczycki, (Ryan) Churella, Pat Owen. It was just unbelievable the amount of workout partners I had. I actually brought it up to Sean. I was like, 'You know, am I going to be able to get through this lineup even?' Because it was stacked around my weight. And Sean was like, 'You've got to worry about winning a national title, not about breaking into the lineup.' At the beginning of last season, you beat defending NCAA champion Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State on his home mat at the NWCA All-Star Classic. You appeared to be on the verge of a breakout season. But as the season wore on, it seemed like the weight was a struggle and it affected you. Is that accurate? Tannenbaum: I think it's definitely accurate. I think it's one of those things I didn't even really consciously know at the time, but in retrospect, I think it was, especially with dealing with the weight this year as not being a problem. I just think if you don't have to cut weight at all, it's really the best thing to avoid. I think it's detrimental a lot of times -- not even just physically, but mentally. Sometimes you don't have the best attitude when you know you're coming into practice six, seven, eight pounds over. You just come in kind of pissed off instead of coming in and working on what you need to do to beat your opponents. When did it become clear that you'd be moving up two weight classes instead of just one? Tannenbaum: It really was never clear. Coach (McFarland) kind of wanted me to certify at 57. We had meetings about it. I just really did not want to cut weight ever again. I'm sure, if like this summer, I try to make world teams or whatever, I'll try to make 63 or something, so that might be like a little bit more weight. I just didn't want to be in the same boat I was last year where at the end of the year I was just so sick of cutting weight. You're continuing this tradition 149-pound Wolverine All-Americans moving up two weights. Mike Kulczycki. did it, Ryan Churella did it, and now you've done it. Should be expect you'll be wrestling off Josh Churella next season? Tannenbaum: (Laughs) I doubt it. Josh isn't that big. A lot of Michigan wrestlers have moved a weight class, plenty wrestlers have moved up two weight classes, including you. Could you talk a little bit about what's going on in the Michigan weight room? You say you don't want to cut weight anymore, but obviously a lot of work has to be done lifting in order to be successful at higher weight classes. Tannenbaum: Yeah, well, Andy Hrovat has been helping a lot with that. He and Donny Pritzlaff brought a lot of that stuff here from Overtime. They were doing a lot of stuff with these kettlebells. It's kind of like this cardiovascular, but also lifting workout. Then there are these machines that we got that I saw first at Overtime that we incorporated over at Michigan. Hrovat has been doing a lot with that and helping out a lot more than he has in the past. We'll do a whole workout and then after that we'll go in the weight room and do a circuit. Whereas last year we would do more of morning (lifting) workouts where people were kind of dragging at practice. We're more motivated now to go through a full, hard practice and get your muscles worn out and then go right from practice into some real hard lifting circuit training stuff. So I think that's been a good transition. Do you think this is the wave of the future? A lot of guys who've gone down in weight this year are struggling, whereas those who are going up seem to be having more success. It seems like this has been going on since 1997 since the one-hour weigh-in. Eric TannenbaumTannenbaum: Yeah. I remember when I had a meeting with Coach about the weight this year, one of my main arguments or points was that if you look at everybody on our team that's had the most success, they've all been the guys that have not been cutting weight. (Greg) Wagner obviously wasn't cutting weight at heavyweight. Ryan Bertin -- Bertin would be two pounds under after practice the day before. You look at Ryan Churella -- Ryan went up to 65 from 49 and could go to IHOP or Fridays the night before a match and still be under weight. I was just looking at those guys thinking, 'Well, they're not cutting weight and they're doing really well.' They were able to get in extra workouts and not be dragging toward the end of the week. How does Coach McFarland feel about it? Is he really on board with guys going up, or is it tough to talk him into it? Tannenbaum: Well, I'm sure now he's happy. It was really more for the lineup. That was really the only reason we even talked about me possibly going 57 this year. Before the summer, I was telling him I'm going 57. And then all of a sudden, I come back and tell him I got really big over the summer. That kind of threw him for a loop. He was kind of concerned that it would be too big of a jump. He was saying, 'What happens if in the middle of the season you start losing some weight and it starts coming off a little easier, then you would be too undersized.' I think it's worked out well so far. Do you feel you've lost any speed at 165 that you had at 149? Tannenbaum: I really don't think so. If anything, I feel I'm a little quicker because I'm able to keep some of the energy I lost cutting weight. Cutting weight can slow you down out there and now I think I've got a little bit more of an explosion. I think I have a more explosive technique or style than previously. I mean, I've been hitting doubles a lot more not just my outside low single that I'm sure everybody has scouted. In terms of scouting, in the past few years, there's really been an explosion of access to wrestling footage on the Internet. I guess I'm just curious about video scouting in general. Do you watch a lot of footage? How much do you customize your game plan based on scouting or is it the sort of thing where you just do what you do? Tannenbaum: I try not to worry about it too much. You want to be aware of it, but you don't want to focus too much on it -- especially the type of person that I am. I tend to think too much. So if I go out there and think about what someone else is going to do, instead of worrying what I'm doing … it doesn't always work. It doesn't matter how well you watch somebody, it's all about the feel. I'm sure everyone knows I have a low single to the right leg. But whether or not they've ever felt it or can stop that or whether they're going to be ready for that off a double is something else. Wrestling is not something you can predict. So it's a lot more valuable to actually wrestle someone and make adjustments from match to rematch? Tannenbaum: Yeah. Definitely video of yourself wrestling somebody is a lot more useful and important than somebody else wrestling … in terms of styles, techniques and stuff. So do you watch much video of yourself? Eric TannenbaumTannenbaum: Oh yeah, I watch almost every single match. Just to be more conscious of what's going on and go out there with better perspective. Do you read wrestling message boards? Tannenbaum: I don't ever read that stuff. I understand you're quite a deejay. How long have you been doing that? Tannenbaum: I've had turntables since I was in seventh grade. And I just kind of kept working on it. It's been more of a hobby, but recently I've been doing more and more like actual gigs. Like some volunteer work and stuff. Is it a good way to relieve stress during the season? Or is it something you do more in the off-season? Tannenbaum: I do more actual gigs in the off-season, but before the season started I was deejaying at this bar for a little bit. In season, I still do it, but it's more of a hobby. Actually, the only weekend we had off, I did do a party. But usually we're out of town every weekend. I'm deejaying Monday at this thing called Mock Rock. It's a charity thing and afterwards I'm doing this like after party deejay thing. I don't know. I just kind of do it as the jobs come. It's just for fun. So you don't have any aspirations to continue? Tannenbaum: I always say it's my ideal job, but there are people out there who put as much time into it as I do into wrestling. You hinted before that you might continue with freestyle after you're done competing college. Tannenbaum: I don't know. Maybe like, just to see what happens. I might try out for 2008 or something, but, I mean, I'm trying to go to med school and there's really no time between that and … you know … it's not really practical. I know wrestlers don't really like to look ahead much, but people really can't seem to stop talking about you potentially matching up with Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks. Tannenbaum: Right. It's the sort of thing where there's just so much drama involved because of the match he had with Ryan Churella last season … and there are a lot of people around the country who want to see him lose. Tannenbaum laughs. Well, what were you thinking when you were watching his match with Churella last season? Tannenbaum: I don't know. You mean as far as do I think Ryan got screwed? Yes. Pinned? (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)Tannenbaum: Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I think he kind of got hosed a little bit, but it's one of those things where it's a tough call because it all happened so fast. I watched it again just the other day and didn't even realize that when it happened, it was happening. So it's hard for a ref in the national finals to call a pin that quickly when the other guy is winning. I think it was definitely a close call, but I think ultimately if you watch the tape, most people would say, other than Oklahoma State fans, that it was a pin. What do you think about the second-to-last takedown? It really didn't seem like there was a lot of control there. Tannenbaum: Yeah. I think the whole match was kind of out of whack with the reffing. I mean, obviously I wanted Ryan to win, so I'm definitely going to be on his side with that, but I think it's kind of a shame how … just the way that match went down is so odd. It's something that people just can't stop talking about. I think a lot of people are really rooting for you to beat Hendricks this season. And I think the match-up excites people not only because of the drama of it, but stylistically a lot of people say that you're the only person who can match his activity level. And you both seem to work from the outside rather than taking your shots from a tie up or something. It looks like it could be an entertaining match. What do you think you would have to do to beat him? Tannenbaum: I know he's a goer. I've watched a couple of his bouts. I think we have somewhat similar styles. I'm sure it would be interesting. I try not to think about it too much … because everyone says to take it one match at a time. But with him, it would be the same thing as anyone else. Go out there tough, stay in position, and work what works best for you. There's really no magic strategy I have. You just gotta go out there and wrestle.

GAFFNEY, S.C. -- The Limestone College wrestling team defeated Spartanburg Methodist College, 29-15, on Monday night at the Timken Center. The Saints improve to 6-11 for the season. Freshman Dan Scanlan (Leesburg, Va.) picked up his 26th victory of the season as he pinned his opponent in the first period to win the 184-pound weight class. Limestone's Ian Barker (Summerville, S.C./125 lbs.) got the Saints' first victory of the night as he pinned Michael Boring at 2:31. Matt Ross (Chicago, Ill.) battled against SMC's Justin Newell in the 133-pound weight class, but was edged, 6-5. Riley Pike (Alexander City, Ala.) dominated the 141-pound division with a huge 21-6 win over Jeremiah Webb. Dustin Baynes (Liberty Twp, Ohio) had another win for Limestone in the 149-pound class with a 6-3 decision over Tim Burdine. Greg Satterfield (Hampton, Va.) also recorded a 6-1 decision over the Pioneers' John Murray. The Saints' Todd Neptune (New Concord, Ohio/174 lbs.) and Dan Scanlan (184 lbs.) both pinned their opponents, at 1:69 and 0:41 respectively. Limestone's Mike Walsh (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) was pinned by Jeremiah Webb in the 197-pound weight class, while SMC's Chris Tindal won by forfeit in the heavyweight class. Limestone hosts No.-16 ranked Newberry on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Timken Center.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -– The Rutgers wrestling team will seek its first 10-win season since the 2003-04 campaign when it hosts Sacred Heart on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7:00 p.m. at the College Avenue Gymnasium. The Scarlet Knights (9-4, 5-2 EIWA) are coming off a 19-18 come-from-behind win over American University on Feb. 4. American owned a 15-10 lead going into the final three bouts, but a decision win from Keith Dobish (Lodi, N.J.) at 184 pounds and a pin at heavyweight from Mike D'Amico (Kenilworth, N.J.). Chris Norrell (Phillipsburg, N.J.) and Kyle Milanese (Delran, N.J.) also scored bonus points at their respective weights. Norrell recorded his seventh pin of the season at 157 pounds, while Milanese won by major decision at 141 pounds. Sacred Heart (3-6) also faced American University in its most recent match, falling to the Eagles, 29-19, in its final home match of the season. Senior heavyweight Payam Zarrinpour recorded a pin, while Paul Galipeau also won by fall at 133 pounds. Andrew Silber won a major decision at 184 pounds and Cory Dunn and Adam Krowinski won by decision. In last year's meeting, Sacred Heart won a 22-18 battle on Feb. 4. Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.), Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.), and Matt Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.) all posted wins in the match-up. For the season, Barrett leads the team with 16 wins, while Dan Hilt (Manalapan, N.J.) and Norrell each have 13 victories. Norrell leads the team with seven pins. RU will next travel to Lehigh on Saturday, Feb. 10, for an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association match-up, slated for 2:00 p.m.

The Wyoming Cowboy wrestling team won seven of ten bouts to beat Utah Valley State 32-9, Saturday night at the Shurian Activities Center in Orem Utah. With the win, the Pokes improve to 3-9 overall and 2-1 in the Western Wrestling Conference. "I thought we fought hard and did some good things tonight," said UW head coach Steven Suder. "Utah Valley State is a team that is going to be very tough in the future. I thought they fought us hard and I really respect their program. However, I am glad that we came out on top." In tonight's win, the Cowboys won two matches by way of technical fall, one by major decision, two by decision and two by forfeit. Junior Carter Downing and redshirt senior Sam Wendland each won by technical fall. In the 149-pound weight class, Downing beat Clayton Wolf 19-2 in 6:12 to improve to 29-7 on the season. At 197-pounds, Wendland beat Mark Dennis by a score of 23-7 in 6:09 and improves his record to 10-1 on the season. In the 165-pound bout, junior Kyle Morrow won his match by major decision as he beat Dustin Olsen 10-2. Juniors Bryan Bernal and Jason Still each won their matches on the night as well. Bernal beat Marc Fenwick 6-3 in the 174-pound bout and Still beat Eric McAllister 5-2 in the heavyweight bout. Redshirt freshmen Nick Ramirez and Cory VomBaur each won their matches by way of Utah Valley State forfeits. "I thought that we had some guys really improve last night against Cal State Fullerton and we challenged them to continue that trend tonight. The guys did exactly that and I can see them becoming consistently better. Carter, Bryan and Sam all had good matches and Kyle Morrow turned a page in his journey and wrestled his best match of the season," added Suder. The Cowboy wrestling team will return to the friendly confines of the UniWyo Sport complex as they take on South Dakota State next Friday. The dual is set to begin at 7 p.m. and live video streaming will be available on UW official athletics site through Wyoming All-Access at www.wyomingathletics.com.

EAST STROUDSBURG -– Shane Mallory and Dave Williams both earned falls despite the Division I East Stroudsburg University wrestling team coming up short against visiting Division III Delaware Valley College 28-17, Thursday night in Koehler Fieldhouse. The Aggies, ranked fourth in Division III, improved to 16-2 in dual meets, including a perfect 3-0 against Division I opponents. The Warriors fell to 1-9. Delaware Valley won seven of 10 weight classes, none bigger than Jaryd Steinbacher's triumph at 149 pounds. The sophomore and 2006 Division III national qualifier hit the mat against Scott Heckman who came off a conference title just five days ago. However, Steinbacher led throughout the match and finished with a 5-4 decision to improve to 26-9 on the season. Steinbacher's victory was the second of four in a row that put the match away for the Aggies. Ricky LaForge hit the mat prior to Steinbacher and the second-ranked wrestler in Division III at 141 pounds registered a 9-1 major decision over Sean Carr for his 24th win in 26 matches. Ryan Herwig improved to 27-12 with a 6-3 decision over Alex Bimes at 157 and Ryan Pope followed with a 4-3 victory over Leif Ruschmeyer at 165 pounds to see his mark go to 22-15. Those four victories upped the match score to 28-5 before East Stroudsburg earned pinned in the final two weight classes of the night. The last two matches of the evening were victorious for the Warriors. At 174, Mallory earned a fall against the Aggies Paul Donnell to make the score 28-12 in favor of Delaware Valley with one match remaining. Next, Williams earned a pin in the second period to finish the match at 28-17. The match started at 197 pounds where Delaware Valley's Joe West (12-7) picked up a win by forfeit. Aggie heavyweight Kyle Bilquist, ranked third in Division III, followed with a 4-2 decision over Charles Deighton to improve to 34-4 on the season. ESU will travel to Boston on Sunday, February 4 to begin wrestling at 4 p.m.

Cedar Falls, Iowa - NIU (4-3-1) walked away from consecutive dual meets on Sunday with a win against Old Dominion (10-5) and a tie for the second year in a row against Northern Iowa (3-8-1). With the win and the tie, NIU improves their overall record in dual meets to 4-3-1. Coach Dave Grant said of the day's events, "We had a good day, our team wrestled pretty tough today. Pat (Castillo) was dominant, the Burk brothers had a good day and Dave Benner had a big win for us in the Northern Iowa match." Old Dominion It was an impressive opening match for NIU's Pat Castillo, ranked as high as 18th nationally, as he recorded a technical fall against ODU's Kyle Hutter at the 5:26 mark of the match giving Castillo a 20-5 win. The victory gave the Huskies an early 4-0 lead over Old Dominion. NIU quickly gave up their lead as NIU's Gralan Early and Justin Metcalfe were not able to come up with wins in back-to-back matches. Early went down by major decision giving ODU a 7-4 lead. Mike Grimes, ranked as high as 8th nationally, recorded a major over ODU's Joey Metzler by a score of 14-4. The major decision was enough to put the Huskies back in the overall lead with a score of 8-7. After NIU's Kalen Knull's close 2-1 loss, the Huskies went on a roll by winning four of the last five matches against Old Dominion. Johnny Galloway, ranked as high as 9th nationally, led the way with a pin of ODU's Nick Pullano. Then, Danny and Duke Burk dominated their opponents, as each recorded major decision victories giving the Huskies an overwhelming 23-10 lead. Nick McClone could not keep the momentum going as he lost a major decision to David Mendoza of ODU. But, in the final match NIU's David Benner picked up a 7-4 decision over Matt Pellar, giving NIU a 26-14 overall win against Old Dominion. Northern Iowa Following a short break the Huskies took the mat looking for their second win of the day against a tough Northern Iowa team, and Pat Castillo started strong once again, recording his second technical fall of the day with a 25-10 win over UNI's Grant Ruge to give the Huskies a 4-0 lead. Gralan Early came up short in a high scoring match (18-11) against UNI's Kyle Anson swinging the momentum back to the Panthers, but the Huskies still held a 4-3 overall advantage. The Huskies increased their lead to 8-3 after Justin Metcalf dismantled Mike Whisler of Northern Iowa en route to a 10-2 major decision. Three straight Northern Iowa wins followed, including Mike Grimes coming up short in overtime and Johnny Galloway's last second 5-2 loss to 4th ranked Nick Baima placing the Huskies in a 14-8 hole. Then, it was time for the Burk brothers to shine. Danny Burk put the Huskies back into contention with a 6-3 decision over UNI's Alex Dolly. The decision closed the gap to just three points with Danny's younger brother Duke about to take the mat. Duke Burk did not disappoint as he took care of business with a 4-2 decision against UNI's Dallas Mitchell to tie the overall score at 14-14 with only two matches left. NIU's Nick McClone had a chance to put the Huskies back in the lead but couldn't get the win. Consequently, the Huskies were down 17-14 going into the final match of the day. The pressure lay squarely on the broad shoulders of NIU's Dave Benner as he strode to the mat for the final match of the day. Lose, and NIU loses the match, win and go home with at least a tie. Benner proved to be up in the challenge as he came up with a huge 5-1 victory over Tyler Rhodes of UNI to allow the Huskies to finish with a 17-17 tie. The Huskies return to action on Friday February, 9th to take on 5th ranked Central Michigan in the Convocation Center at 7:05 p.m. CST.

MOUNT PLEASANT –- Central Michigan University won its seventh straight dual match Sunday, posting a 35-3 victory over Buffalo. The Chippewas, tied with Iowa for the No. 6 ranking in this week's NWCA/InterMat top 25, claimed wins in 9-of-10 individual bouts in winning their 21st straight Mid-American Conference dual. CMU (14-4-1 overall, 2-0 MAC) is now 12-0 all-time against Buffalo (7-6, 0-4 MAC). Luke Smith opened the dual with his fifth straight win at 125 pounds, scoring a pair of takedowns in a 7-2 decision over Buffalo's Dan Bishop. Buffalo's Mark Budd, the defending conference champ at 133 pounds, scored four takedowns in a 10-4 decision over Conor Beebe at 133. Budd improved to 30-4 this season with the victory momentarily evened the team score at 3-3. Eric Kruger put the Chippewas in front for good with a 14-0 major decision at 141 pounds. Kruger controlled the pace from start to finish, scoring seven points in the third period alone. Redshirt freshman Tyler Grayson followed with his first career MAC victory at 149 pounds, an 11-3 major decision over Jason Hilliard. Grayson scored an early takedown on the edge of the mat to go in front 2-0, then scored a reversal, two-point nearfall and takedown in the second period to take command. He allowed just three escapes in victory. Senior Andy Keller moved to 2-0 in conference action with a decisive 16-8 major at 157 pounds. Keller tallied four takedowns in the opening period to take an 8-3 lead; six of the eight points he surrendered were via escapes. After a scoreless first period at 165, Trevor Stewart opened the second with an escape to take a 1-0 lead. A takedown later in the period provided all the scoring he would need in an eventual 4-1 decision. Brandon and Christian Sinnott tallied majors at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Brandon Sinnott scored seven takedowns in his 16-5 major of Nate Rock at 174, while Christian tallied five takedowns and a pair of three-point nearfalls in his 18-4 major at 184 over Ray Lamb. Wynn Michalak pinned Jake Blowers just 1:05 into the 197-pound bout, his sixth fall of the season and 32nd of his career. He moves past Casey Cunningham for fifth place on CMU's all-time pins list. Bubba Gritter closed the dual with a 7-1 decision at heavyweight over Jason Weber. Gritter has won eight straight and 11 of his last 12 matches overall. CMU is back in action Friday, visiting Northern Illinois at 7 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Rutgers wrestling team scored bonus points in three matches, including pins from Chris Norrell and Mike D'Amico (Kenilworth, N.J.), to win an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) match over American University, 19-18, on Sunday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights (9-4, 5-2 EIWA) got wins from Kyle Milanese (Delran, N.J.), Keith Dobish (Lodi, N.J.), Norrell and D'Amico. American jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with decision wins at 125 and 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, Milanese put the Scarlet Knights on the board with a 9-1 major decision win over American's Nick Pitas. In the next bout, Jack Barrett (Metuchen, N.J.) dropped a tight 5-4 decision as American took a 9-4 lead. In the next match, Norrell gave RU its first lead of the match with a pin over Jimmy Pepper at the 4:11 mark. The pin marked Norrell's seventh of the season. Following two more decision wins for American, giving the Eagles a 15-10 lead with three bouts remaining, Dobish won a big decision at 184 pounds. The freshman defeated American's Anthony Fuschino, 4-3, cutting the lead to two, 15-13, in favor of the Eagles. At the 197-pound weight class, Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) dropped a 1-0 decision, as American took an 18-13 edge into the final bout. In the heavyweight match, D'Amico pinned the Eagles' Evan Murtaugh at the 5:19 mark to give RU the 19-18 victory. The Scarlet Knights will close out the home portion of their schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 7, when they host Sacred Heart in a non-conference match-up. Match time is slated for 7:00 p.m.

Norman, Okla. -- The second-ranked Missouri wrestling team improved to 10-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Big 12 after dropping No. 13 Oklahoma, 24-14, in Norman, Okla. The second victory in two days in the state of Oklahoma, it marked the first time in Missouri wrestling history that the Tigers have been able to sweep both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in their home facilities. Claiming wins in seven of the 10 bouts, the afternoon dual began at 157 pounds with redshirt freshman Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn.) earning a 6-4 decision over Will Rowe. The bout with Rowe marked the third time this season that Marable weighed in and started at 157 pounds. Marable scored the early takedown, allowing Rowe to escape before closing the first period with a final takedown and a 4-1 lead. Allowing Rowe only an escape in the second period, Marable started down in the third, escaped, was taken down and escaped again for his 28th win of the season. Missouri collected its second win in the form of a 10-1 major decision by Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) over Chris DeVilbiss at 165 pounds. Scoreless through the first period, Pell held a three-point advantage entering the third period, adding to his points with a takedown and back-to-back nearfalls. Senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) and sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) recorded Missouri's second and third wins by major decision. Askren won his bout, 12-3, over Joshua Weitzel, while Jordan finished the day with a 13-4 victory over Josh Hinton. Oklahoma scored its first five team points at 197 pounds after sophomore Joey Garrity (, Ill.) suffered 16-1 loss by technical fall to All-American Joel Flaggert. The Tigers were quick to add three additional team points with Mark Ellis' 11-4 decision of Brad Farmer. Returning to the top of the lineup, junior All-American Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) won a 6-2 victory over Brian Shelton with junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) closing out the dual with a 10-4 decision over Matt Storniolo. The Tigers will return home for the first of four home duals beginning Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. Missouri will take on Northern Iowa in the first-ever Beauty and the Beast event. While the second-ranked Tigers take on UNI, the No. 20 Missouri gymnastics team will host SEMO in an evening dual providing fans with an opportunity to see both of their Tiger teams at one time.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team defeated No. 10 Northwestern, 18-16, Sunday at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. The Buckeyes' record improved to 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten Conference. This is the third-consecutive match in which the Scarlet and Gray has topped a ranked opponent and fourth time this season. Northwestern stands at 11-7 overall and 1-4 in the league. The match came down to the final bout at 141 pounds with the Buckeyes trailing the Wildcats, 16-15. J Jaggers (So., Northfield, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel), who now is 13-4 on the season was able to garner the 7-5 decision over James Kohlberg to give Ohio State the win. Another crucial win for OSU came at 197 pounds when No. 7 J.D. Bergman (Jr., Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor) upset second-ranked Mike Tamillow, 4-2. The win put the Buckeyes on top 12-10 after six matches. However, Northwestern won the next two bouts at 285 and 125 pounds. No. 4 Dustin Fox beat Corey Morrison (So., Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights), 6-1, and Brandon Precin defeated Will Livingston (Fr., Stillwater, N.J./Kittatinny Regional), 5-0. Down 16-12, T.J. Enright (Jr., Galloway, Ohio/Westland) pulled Ohio State within one after posting a 7-2 decision against Eric Metzler to set up the final and deciding match at 141 pounds. St. Edward graduate Lance Palmer (Fr., Lakewood, Ohio) and Jason Johnstone (So., Massillon, Ohio/Perry) helped the Buckeyes take an early 9-0 lead when Palmer recorded an 8-1 decision over Marty Gould at 149 pounds and Johnstone dropped Dominic Marella in 58 seconds at 157 pounds. Fellow St. Edward alum and 16th-ranked Chris Vondruska (Sr., Lakewood, Ohio) lost a close 4-2 match to Greg Hagel at 165 pounds and third-ranked Mike Pucillo (Fr., Cuyahoga, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) lost his first bout of the year to No. 1 Jake Herbert, 11-5. Ohio State will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face No. 21 Michigan Feb. 11 for a 2 p.m. match.

In a battle between the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the Big Ten on Sunday, top-ranked Minnesota clearly established itself as the class of the conference with a convincing 28-12 victory over No. 11 Illinois. The Golden Gophers won seven of 10 matches on the day to improve to 16-1 overall keep its perfect Big Ten record intact at 5-0. Fourth-ranked Jayson Ness continued his impressive run of late with a pin of No. 6 Gabe Flores in the first match of the day, and Tyler Safratowich upset his third-straight ranked opponent to lead the Gophers to victory. Other key wins for the Gophers came from Manuel Rivera and Roger Kish, who each defeated ranked opponents, and top-ranked Dustin Schlatter returned to dominant form with a tech fall at 149 pounds. Ness earned his second fall over a top 10 opponent in two weeks by pinning Flores at 125 pounds. Ness took Flores down midway through the first period and worked him to his back to earn the fall in 2:25. It was Ness' seventh straight victory over a ranked opponent and 12th consecutive victory overall. During his current 12-match winning streak, Ness has scored bonus points nine times. Illinois got three points back with a 6-3 decision in favor of No. 8 Jimmy Kennedy over Mack Reiter. After returning to the starting lineup with a victory on Friday night at Indiana, Reiter took the early lead in this one, but Kennedy got the reversal to tie the score before the end of the first period. Kennedy scored another reversal in the second and added a takedown in the third to win the match. Rivera extended his winning streak to 31 consecutive matches on the season with a 5-3 decision over No. 12 Cassio Pero at 141. Rivera controlled the match through the first two periods, scoring a pair of takedowns and an escape to take a 5-0 lead heading into the third. Pero got an escape and a late takedown to make the score appear closer than it really was. At 149, Dan Zeman replaced No. 15 Troy Tirapelle for Illinois, and top-ranked Dustin Schlatter took advantage with a dominant 15-0 tech fall. Schlatter, who has been tied up in a number of low scoring matches as of late, wasted no time establishing he was the superior wrestler against Zeman. He scored the first takedown of the match two minutes in and tacked on eight back points to jump out to a 10-0 lead after the first. After starting down in the second, Schlatter quickly got the escape and put Zeman to rest with a takedown and two-point near fall to earn the tech fall in 4:19. In the most anticipated match of the day, Illinois' top-ranked Mike Poeta narrowly defeated No. 3 C.P. Schlatter, 3-2. After a scoreless first period, Poeta got an escape and a takedown in the second and prevented Schlatter from generating any offense to come away with the victory. Safratowich got Minnesota back on track in the 165-pound bout with a shutout of No. 13 Roger Smith-Bergsrud, 4-0. The match went scoreless through the first two periods, but Safratowich rode Smith-Bergrsud out in the second to build up riding time advantage. After starting down in the third, Safratowich got the escape and scored a takedown with 1:14 remaining to put the match away and give the Gophers a 17-6 lead in the dual. Gabriel Dretsch returned to the lineup after a night off on Friday and delivered an 11-3 major decision over Matt Winterhalter at 174. Dretsch led 6-0 after two periods and added an escape and pair of takedowns in the third, the last coming with just 10 seconds remaining, to earn the major decision. Kish extended Minnesota's lead with a 9-5 decision over No. 16 John Dergo at 184 pounds. Kish established control of the match with a pair of takedowns in the first period. Dergo closed to within two after an escape early in the third period, but Kish put the match away with a late takedown and got the bonus point for riding time to improve to 25-1 on the season. Illinois got six points back at 197 when Brent Eidenschink was forced to default in the third period, but the outcome of the dual was already decided. Top-ranked Cole Konrad capped off the day with a 15-1 major decision over John Wise at heavyweight to extend his winning streak to 63 consecutive matches. Leading 4-1 after the first period, Konrad took control in the second with eight back points. He added a takedown in the third and got the bonus point for riding time advantage to make the final score in the dual 28-12. Konrad will wrestle in his final home match when the Gophers host No. 19 Michigan State at the Sports Pavilion next Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. In addition to Konrad, fellow seniors Danny Williams and Juan Martinez will be recognized during intermission. Minnesota will then travel to No. 20 Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Senior Andy Simmons and red-shirt freshman Franklin Gomez remained undefeated in Big Ten action as the 19th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team defeated Purdue, 21-14, Sunday afternoon at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. The Spartans (3-6, 2-2 Big Ten) fell behind early after two matches, 7-0, but bounced back to win six of the next seven to clinch the victory over the Boilermakers (10-6, 0-6). The dual started at 157 pounds, as Jake Murphy recorded an 8-4 decision over Tony Greathouse. The Purdue lead grew to seven points with Justin Fraga's 10-2 major decision over sophomore Rex Kendle at 165 pounds. It marked Kendle's first career appearance in a dual meet. Greg Goidosik, in his first start of the season at 174 pounds, turned things around for MSU with a 10-3 decision against Jason Martin. No. 10 Joe Williams kept the momentum going with an 11-4 win over Nick Skinner in the 184-pound match. After Nick Palmieri fell to No. 13 Nathan Moore at 197 pounds, 5-1, the Spartans won the next four matches to take control of the dual. At heavyweight, Alan O'Donnell delivered his first major-decision victory as a starter, registering an 11-3 win over David Pisarcik to tie the team score at 10. Gomez then collected his team-leading eighth major decision of the season with a commanding 13-2 win over Brandon Tucker at 125. Top-ranked Nick Simmons rebounded from his upset loss on Friday night at Ohio State, defeating Sean Schmaltz, 3-1, in the 133-pound match, giving MSU a 17-10 advantage. Fifth-ranked Andy Simmons, with a 10-1 victory at 141, recorded his fourth major decision of the season and clinched the dual for the Spartans. Simmons and Gomez are now both 4-0 in Big Ten action - Gomez has won by a combined score of 45-13 in the four matches, while Simmons has won by a combined 22-1 with a fall. In the final match of the dual at 149 pounds, 12th-ranked Jake Patacsil defeated Jeff Wimberley by major decision, 14-4. Michigan State returns to action Friday, Feb. 9 to take on No. 1 Minnesota in Minneapolis at 8 p.m. ET.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– Nearly 6,000 fans jammed Rec Hall as the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team downed visiting Iowa 24-13 in a critical Big Ten dual. No. 12 Penn State won six of ten bouts in the win over No. 6 Iowa. Head coach Troy Sunderland's team was sparked by stunning pin from senior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) at 141 as the Nittany Lions won in front of 5,841 fans. The dual began at 125, where Nittany Lion junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 7, met No. 12 Charlie Falck of Iowa. McKnight got on the board first with at takedown at the 1:04 mark, leading 2-1 early on Falck. The Nittany Lion was the aggressor throughout the match, but got caught late in the period as Falck completed a single leg and got a takedown with just :01 left to lead 3-2 after the first period. Falck, chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. The Hawkeye sophomore got another takedown :40 in and led 6-3 with 1:00 to wrestle in the second period. A mad scramble with :20 left, one in which each wrestler nearly logged a takedown, resulted in no scoring as time ran out with McKnight nearly getting the two points on the edge of the mat. McKnight, down 6-3 with just two minutes to wrestle, chose down to start the final period but could not break free of Falck's ride for the entire period. Falck walked away with a hard fought 7-3 win to put the Hawkeyes up 3-0 early. McKnight fell to 17-5 while Falck improved to 17-5. At 133, Penn State sophomore Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) took on Iowa's Mario Galanakis at 133. Strayer entered the bout ranked No. 11 while Galanakis carried a No. 15 ranking into the tilt. Galanakis got an early takedown to lead 2-1 at the 2:15 mark. The takedown seemed to energize Strayer, who immediately answered back with a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 lead. Strayer then put together a very strong ride and rode Galanakis out to lead 3-2 with 0:49 heading into the second period. Strayer chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Galanakis, senior, got in on the Penn State sophomore's left leg at the 1:00 mark, but Strayer did a nice job of fighting through the shot to force a reset with :45 to wrestle in the second period. Strayer locked in on Galanakis' head as the second stanza ended but could not work around behind the Hawkeye to get more points. Trailing 4-2, Galanakis chose down to start the final period but was handled by Strayer as the Nittany Lion threw him to the mat twice while building up a guaranteed riding time point. Galanakis could not break free for the entire period and Strayer would post a convincing 5-2 win. The victory tied the dual at 3-3 and improved Strayer's record to 19-4. Galanakis fell to 19-6. Penn State's Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.), wrestling in his final home dual for the Nittany Lions, met Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis at 141. Tsirtsis entered the dual ranked No. 6. Tsirtsis quickly got in on Heller's left leg but Heller did a nice job of forcing a stalemate to keep the bout scoreless early on. After a reset, it was Heller's turn to get in on Tsirtsis' left thigh. But the Hawkeye junior forced the stalemate this time. Tsirtsis got a takedown to lead at the 1:05 mark, but Heller quick broke free to trail 2-1 without allowing Tsirtsis to build up any riding time. The bout headed to the second period with Tsirtsis holding a 2-1 lead. Tsirtsis chose neutral to begin the second period, a decision he would regret. The Hawkeye got in on Heller and, as the duo scrambled, Heller found himself on top of Tsirtsis and, using his weight, forced the Hawkeyes back to the mat. Tsirtsis fought off the inevitable for a few seconds, but Heller was not to be denied. The New Jersey native recorded a stunning pin at the 3:31 mark in his final home dual to put Penn State up 9-3. Heller improved to 16-7 with the win while Tsirtsis fell to 18-7. The first of three straight freshmen in Penn State's line-up took to the mat at 149 as No. 15 Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met Iowa's Alex Grunder. Vallimont got the first takedown early, but was quickly reversed by the Hawkeye senior. Grunder then proceeded to dominate the rest of the first period from the top position, building up a 2:11 riding time edge and riding Vallimont out. Tied 2-2, Vallimont chose neutral to begin the second period. A scramble in the middle of the mat nearly led to a Grunder takedown, but the Penn State freshmen fought the move off as action was halted with a potentially dangerous hold. After a reset with :18 left, Vallimont was energized by the capacity crowd and completed a textbook takedown to take a 4-2 lead into the third. Grunder, trailing by two but holding a 2:00 riding time edge, chose down to start the final stanza. Grunder worked furiously for a reversal, but the Penn State freshmen continued to maintain his control long enough to erase the riding time edge. Grunder escape at the :49 mark to cut the lead to 4-3. Vallimont, continuing his run as one of Penn State's hottest wrestlers, iced the match with a takedown at the :18 mark and went on to post a 6-3 win. The victory put Penn State up 12-3 and moved Vallimont to 16-7. Grunder fell to 11-11. True freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) met No. 17 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa at 157. Morningstar got in on Jenkins' left leg at the 1:41 mark, but the Lion freshmen got his left arm around Morningstar to fight off the move for half a minute. Morningstar completed the takedown with :59 left to take a 2-0 lead. The ranked Hawkeye rode Jenkins out to carry that lead to the second period with :59 in riding time. Morningstar chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The duo battled evenly throughout the first half of the period until Jenkins got in on Morningstar's left leg and completed a takedown with :30 left. Rella escaped with just :02 left to lead 4-2 after two periods. Jenkins chose down to begin the final stanza. Jenkins got to his feet, forcing Morningstar to hang onto his shoulders. Two stall calls were given to the Hawkeye to cut the lead to 4-3. Morningstar, however, then took Jenkins to his back and got a four-point near fall with action begin stopped for an injury. The Hawkeye was now up 8-3 with just :49 left. Morningstar chose down after the injury timeout and escaped to a 9-3 lead. With a riding time point guaranteed, Morningstar needed just one takedown to get a major and got the critical two points and the :15 mark. The Hawkeye posted a convincing 12-3 major decision to cut the Lion lead to 12-7. Morningstar improved to 20-7 while Jenkins fell to 17-8. At 165, Nittany Lion rookie Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) took on Iowa's Mark Perry, who was ranked No. 4 nationally. Perry got the first takedown of the dual with just :20 gone in the first period and proceeded to wrack up 1:09 in riding time before Rella escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Rella shot low on Perry, but the fourth-ranked Hawkeye countered the move and worked in behind Rella for another two point takedown. Up 4-1, Perry once again rode Rella out to carry that lead into the second period with more than 2:00 or riding time. Rella chose down to begin the second period but could not break free of Perry's methodical ride. The talented Hawkeye junior maintained his control for the entire period and kept his 4-1 lead. With a riding time point guaranteed, Perry chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Rella once again shot low at Perry's right ankle but Perry countered the move to take a 7-2 lead after a Rella escape. Needing an escape to avoid a major decision, the Nittany Lion freshman did that one better, reversing Perry to cut the lead to 10-4 after a Perry escape. Then as time wound down, Rella nearly got a pin as he worked his way around on top of the Hawkeye and was a mere inches from recording the pin. Perry held the move off long enough for the buzzer to sound and posted an 11-4 win. The victory cut Penn State's lead to 12-10. Rella fell to 19-9 while Perry improved to 17-4. In a battle of returning All-Americans, Nittany Lion senior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) met Iowa's Eric Luedke at 174. Yonushonis entered the bout ranked No. 7 while Luedke was No. 2. The duo combined for a gaudy 47-4 overall record entering the day. Wrestling in the final home bout of his storybook Penn State career, the Philipsburg native battled the second-ranked Hawkeye evenly through the two minutes plus of the opening stanza. Yonushonis had the first real scoring chance in the first period, briefly getting in on Luedke's left leg. But action moved off the mat and a reset ensued. The highly anticipated bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Luedke chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Working at wearing Luedke down, the Nittany Lion senior began dictating the tempo of the bout. Yonushonis continued to work on finding an opening in Luedke's defense, but the second period ended with the Hawkeye holding a slim 1-0 lead. Yonushonis chose down to begin the final stanza and quickly escaped to tie the bout at 1-1. Luedke shot low on Yonushonis twice, but the Nittany Lion deftly held the Hawkeye at a distance to keep the bout tied. With no scoring, the bout ended tied 1-1 after regulation. A 1:00 minute sudden victory period began and, in true Yonushonis fashion, the Nittany Lion All-American used his outstanding conditioning to snare Luedke's right leg and complete a bout winning takedown just :13 into the extra period. The thrilling victory sent nearly 6,000 Penn State fans to their feet and put Penn State up 15-10. Yonushonis improved to 26-3 while Luedke lost for only the second time all year and fell to 22-2. At 184, Nittany Lion senior Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.) took to the Rec Hall mat for the final time in his career against Iowa's Phillip Keddy. Keddy got the first takedown of the bout with 1:15 to wrestle in the first. Cantalupi, in the process of escaping, nearly completed a cradle to send Keddy to his back. But action moved out of bounds and Keddy held a 2-1 lead at the reset and would carry that edge into the second period. The Hawkeye freshmen chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:44 to wrestle. With :30 left in the second period, Keddy added another takedown to up his lead to 5-1 after two periods. Cantalupi chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-2 deficit. Cantalupi worked for a high takedown on Keddy and nearly completed the move with 1:00 left, but Keddy worked around behind the Nittany Lion senior and got a bout clinching takedown with :40 left. Keddy would ride Cantalupi out for the remainder of the bout and, with a riding time point, post an 8-2 victory. The decision cut Penn State's lead to 15-13. Keddy improved to 11-9 while Cantalupi fell to 6-8. Nittany Lion junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), returning two-time All-American, met Iowa's Rick Leora at 197. Davis entered the dual ranked No. 3 and coming off a convincing 8-2 win over No. 2 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern two nights prior. Davis quickly got his first takedown at the 2:33 mark, taking Leora down on the edge of the mat and immediately beginning his search for a dual clinching pin. Just 1:17 into the bout, Davis sent the Penn State faithful to their feet with the clinching pin at the 1:17 mark. Penn State moved out to a 21-13 lead and Davis improved to 20-1. Leora fell to 4-9. At heavyweight, Penn State's Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), ranked No. 13 nationally, met Iowa's Matt Fields, ranked No. 6. Anspach, who is a senior but is petitioning the NCAA for another year of eligibility due to injury red-shirts, was coming off a win over No. 4 Dustin Fox of Northwestern on Friday night. Continuing to give notice to his prowess, Anspach opened up the scoring with a takedown at the 1:40 mark to take a 2-0 lead. Fields would escape to a 2-1 deficit but not before Anspach worked up 1:01 in riding time. The first period ended with Anspach holding the one point lead. The Nittany Lion senior chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Neither wrestler mounted a serious scoring attack in the second period and action went to the final two minutes with Anspach leading 3-1 with :49 in riding time. Anspach held Fields down long enough to get his time advantage back (1:10) before Fields escaped and cut the lead to 3-2. Anspach would not give up a takedown over the bout's final seconds and, with the riding time point, posted a thrilling 4-2 win over the sixth-ranked Hawkeye. The decision gave Penn State a convincing 24-13 win and improved Anspach to 14-2 overall. Fields fell to 18-8. The Nittany Lions improved to 12-5, 3-3 in the Big Ten, while Iowa fell to 12-4, 3-2 in conference action. Penn State won six of ten bouts and won the battle of bonus points six to one. With the near-capacity crowd, Penn State averaged nearly 3,500 fans per home dual this season. The outstanding attendance average will once again place Penn State among the top three or four schools nationally in wrestling attendance. The Nittany Lions will see no dual meet action this coming week. Penn State returns to action with a road swing through Michigan and Michigan State in two weeks. The Lions will visit No. 21 Michigan on Friday, Feb. 16, for a 7 p.m. dual. Penn State then treks to No. 19 Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 18, for a 1 p.m. contest.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The 22nd-ranked Navy wrestling team captured its seventh All-Academy Wrestling Championship, including its fourth in a row, as the Mids topped the eight-team field with 124.5 points on Saturday at the Air Force Academy. The Mids placed all 10 of its wrestlers in the top three, including five individual title winners at 157, 174, 185, 197 and 285 pounds. Navy has now won 45 individual crowns in All-Academy Championship history, including 19 of the 40 titles over the last four years. The Mids won the team title in 1995, '97, '99, '04, '05, '06 and '07, while they claimed five or more individual titles in 1997, '99, '04, '05 and '07. Wrestling without the services of ninth-ranked Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) at 133 pounds and senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) at 149 pounds, the Mids finished the tournament with a 28-point advantage over second-place Army. VMI finished 24.5 points behind Army in third, followed by The Citadel in fourth and the host, Air Force, in fifth. Army and Navy will meet in the annual Star Meet in two weeks, as the Black Knights will play host to the Midshipmen on Feb. 18 in a match that will be televised by ESPNU beginning at 4:00 pm. In addition to wrestling without two regulars in their lineup, the Mids struggled to make their way out to Colorado Springs. Scheduled to fly out of Baltimore on Thursday at 3:00 pm, Navy's flight was cancelled. Assured they would be able to get on a flight at 8:00 pm, the Mids were then bumped from that flight at 7:00 pm. The team was then bussed to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., expecting to make a flight, but instead was forced to spend the night. On Friday, Navy flew in to Denver where the bus that was supposed to meet the team was nowhere to be found. The Mids eventually arrived in Colorado Spring late afternoon on Friday. "It was a tough weekend for our team," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We dealt pretty well with the had we were dealt in terms of traveling out to Air Force. We didn't look real sharp today, but we won our fourth All-Academy Championship and that's something to be proud of." Nine of Navy's 10 wrestlers punched their ticket to compete for the individual title in their respective weight classes, including team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.), who earned the Mids' first individual title of the day. Jarred, a first-time All-Academy Championship title winner, won his first-round match by major decision (16-2) over Dandridge Giltz of the Merchant Marine Academy. Jarred got a free pass into the championship match when The Citadel's Travis Piccard had to pull out of the semifinal with an injury. Jarred went on to clinch the 157-pound title with a 6-1 victory over VMI's Tommy Cunningham. Junior Justin Jacobs (LeRoy, Mich.) was one of four Navy wrestlers to record pins on the afternoon, as he posted a fall 1:19 over Trevor Muhler from the Merchant Marine Academy in is first match of the day. Jacobs followed up with a 9-3 decision over VMI's John Burton in the semis before dropping a 3-0 decision to top-seeded Brian Rowan from Army. Navy went on to win the final four matches of the evening, including a win by junior Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) at 174 pounds. Stolpinski, who is ranked 10th in the country, edged Darius Caldwell from The Citadel, 3-2, claiming his third-consecutive All-Academy Wrestling Championship. He is only the fourth wrestler in Naval Academy history to win three individual titles at the All-Academy tournament, joining Greg Gingeleskie (1997-98-99), Mark Conley (2000-01-02) and Tanner Garrett (2004-05-06). Additionally, Stolpinski pushed his win total for the year to 32, becoming just the ninth wrestler in Navy history to etch his name into the 30-win club twice during his career. Senior Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) scored a 5-3 decision over Army's Richard Starks to win the 184-pound title. Miranda received a bye in the opening round and advanced to the championship bout following a major decision over The Citadel's John Dickerson in the semis. Junior Matt Parsons (Dunkirk, Md.) got the call for the Mids at 197 pounds where he stepped in and won his first-collegiate tournament title by pinning top-seeded Conner Sanders from Army at 4:24. Parsons received a first-round bye, before posting a 7-4 win over Eric Vincent from the Merchant Marine Academy in his semifinal match. Ninth-ranked heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) extended his winning streak to 11 in a row after posting a 3-0 record and winning his first All-Academy Championship title. Prendergast pinned his first two opponents of the day, pushing his pin total for the year to 14. His 14 pins is tied as the fifth most by a Navy wrestler in a single season and the most since Frank Workman produced 14 pins during the 1996-97 campaign. Prendergast needed a little extra time in the championship bout, but eventually defeated VMI's Scott Buhman in overtime. Navy opened the championship round with senior Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.) who won the 125-pound weight class at last year's championship. Usztics came up short in defending his title, as Army's Fernando Martinez picked up a 10-6 decision over Usztics. Newcomer Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) replaced Baker in the lineup, pushing up a weight class from 125 to 133 pounds. After winning his opening bout by major decision over Air Force's Stephen Makuka, 18-10, Pagan was sent to the consolation bracket after dropping a 4-2 decision to VMI's Tyler Anthony. After earning a technical fall (18-2) over Dan Ippolito from Coast Guard, Pagan won the third-place match with a 7-5 victory over Matt Leach from The Citadel. Senior Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) was stopped short of winning his first All-Academy title at 141 pounds, as top-seeded Matt Kyler of Army held off Canterbury, 8-6 in the championship bout. Canterbury recorded back-to-back pins in the quarterfinals and semifinals en route to making his finals appearance. Navy made its third finals appearance in the first four matches when sophomore 149-pounder Joel Ahern (Herkimer, N.Y.) battled VMI's Sam Alvarenga. Ahern earned a pair of closed decisions in his opening two matches, but couldn't squeeze out a third, as Alvarenga dropped Ahern, 7-2. The Mids will be back in action next Saturday night when they play host to EIWA foe Bucknell beginning at 7:00 pm in Halsey Field House. Navy will pay tribute to its senior class in a pre-meet ceremony. Upon the conclusion of the match, the Mids will host an autograph session.

With NC State trailing 18th-ranked Indiana by five points with two matches remaining, Ryan Goodman got a pin at 197 to give the Wolfpack the lead, and Jainor Palma got a takedown with 10 seconds remaining to take a one-point decision in the heavyweight bout, lifting the Pack to a thrilling 22-18 victory over the Hoosiers. Palma's takedown gave the Wolfpack its first win over a ranked team this season and snapped a four-match losing streak at the hands of teams from the Big Ten. The Pack improved to 8-7 in dual matches for the season, while Indiana fell to 10-4. Indiana jumped to a quick start when eighth-ranked 125-pounder Angel Escobedo pinned Taylor Cummings off of a second-period reversal. The pin, at the 3:45 point of the match, improved Escobedo to 26-4 on the season, while Cummings fell to 8-9. Garrett Cummings, Taylor's older brother, extracted some family vengeance in the 133-pound match by pinning Andrae Hernandez at the 4:20 mark. Cummings began the second period in the down position, got a reversal a minute and 15 seconds into the period, and pinned Hernandez five seconds later. The victory, which tied the team score at 6-6, lifted Garrett Cummings to 12-9 on the season, 12-8 at 133 pounds. Hernandez dropped to 20-11. The Wolfpack went in front 10-6 when freshman 141-pounder Darrion Caldwell took a 10-2 major decision over Scott Kelly. Caldwell had takedowns in all three periods, including two in the second. Caldwell improved to 11-3 on the season with the win, while Kelly fell to 3-9. Sophomore Joe Caramanica came into the 149-pound bout on a three-match losing streak, but broke that in a big way with a 7-1 decision over 18th-ranked Matt Coughlin. Caramanica had an escape, a takedown and a three-point near fall in the third period to win going away. He improved to 12-7 with the win, while Coughlin dropped to 23-9. The Hoosiers got back in the win column when seventh-ranked Brandon Becker took a 9-4 decision over the Wolfpack's Kody Hamrah, who came in ranked No. 19 and was riding a career-best eight-match winning streak. Becker had a takedown and a near fall in the first period, then overcame a reverse by Hamrah to start the second period with a reverse of his own, followed by a near fall at the horn. Becker improved to 21-5 with the win, while Hamrah fell to 14-6. Becker's win pulled Indiana to within four points at 13-9, and No. 16 Max Dean made it a one-point match at 13-12 with a 3-2 decision over Obie Simpson in the second round of tiebreakers. Both wrestlers had an escape in regulation, and both got an escape in the first round of tiebreakers. Two rounds of sudden victory failed to produce a point. Dean escaped in the first period of the second tiebreaker, then rode Simpson for the full 30 seconds of the second period to take the 3-2 decision. Dean improved to 23-10 with the decision, while Simpson dropped to 7-7. Trevor Perry followed that thriller with an 11-6 decision over Rick Brownlee at 174 pounds to give IU at 15-13 lead in the team scoring. A near fall in the first period and two takedowns in the second gave Perry an early working margin. Perry improved to 16-6 with the decision, while Brownlee fell to 4-7. Eleventh-ranked Marc Bennett gave the Hoosiers a five-point lead at 18-13 in the team scoring with an 11-9 decision over Jeremy Colbert. Bennett overcame a 7-3 lead by Colbert in the final 1:09 of the match to take the decision. Bennett got two takedowns in the final 69 seconds, and also got a point for riding time and was awarded a point when Colbert was penalized for stalling. Bennett raised his record to 28-6 with the decision. Colbert dropped to 5-9. The Wolfpack went back in front by a point at 19-18 when Goodman, ranked No. 15 nationally, pinned Nate Everhart at the 4:17 mark. Goodman, now 14-2 on the season, was leading 4-1 after the first period, started the second period in the down position, and went up 6-1 with a reversal with 1:26 left in the period. He took Everhart to his back 43 seconds later. Everhart fell to 18-11 with the defeat. Palma nailed down the team victory with a 4-3 decision over Josh Buuck at heavyweight, taking Buuck down for the deciding points with 10 seconds remaining in the bout. Buuck went in the final period leading 3-1, but Palma's escape five seconds into the period made it 3-2. Palma improved to 18-5 with the win, while Buuck dropped to 8-5. The Wolfpack will return to action on Wednesday night at Reynolds Coliseum against North Carolina. The match will start at 7 p.m.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team took the mat tonight in its final home match of the season and senior night against the University at Buffalo, defeating the Bulls 28-10, here at the Convocation Center. The senior Eagles would all post wins in the final home match of their careers. "It was good to see all four seniors get wins on senior night", said Head Coach Derek DelPorto. The victory tonight marks the first Mid-American Conference win for DelPorto, who is in his first year here at EMU and moves the Eagles to 4-6 (1-3 MAC) on the season while the Bulls drop to 7-5 (0-3 MAC). Dan Bishop would give the Bulls the early 4-0 advantage with a 12-0 major decision over redshirt freshman Jack Cassady (Dearborn, Mich.-Dearborn) in 125 lbs. contest. In the 133 lbs. weight class, No. 17 ranked Mark Budd posted a 5-2 decision over redshirt freshman Chris Jenkins (Tecumseh, Mich.-Tecumseh) to extend the lead to 7-0. The Eagles would take the next five matches from the Bulls, building a 19-7 lead and never looking back. Zach Donofrio (Monroe, Mich.-Monroe) would start the Eagle rally in the 141 lbs. match with a 17-7 major decision over Andrew Stella. Senior Jermain Thompson (Akron, Ohio-Kenmore) would follow Donofrio�s lead with a flurry of scoring in the third period, on his way to posting a 14-3 major decision over Jason Hilliard. "Dual meets are all about momentum, once you get going you are hard to beat and I thought we did a great job of keeping that momentum once Donofrio and Mancuso got it going for us", said DelPorto. In the 157 lbs. match, junior Cory Mancuso (Brockway, Penn.-Brockway Area) would jump out to an 8-0 lead after the first period in route to a 17-0 tech fall over Justin Hunt. Senior Nick Conklin (Milton, Wisc.-Milton) registered a late two-point takedown in the third period to post a 6-3 decision over Mike Ragusa in the 165 lbs. weight class. Redshirt freshman Josh Lewis (West Liberty, Ohio-Salem) would hold onto an early 6-3 first period lead in the 174 lbs. match to win the decision 11-6 over Nate Rock. Ryan Lamb would end the five match losing streak for the Bulls as he posted a 11-3 decision over John McClure (Holland, Mich.-West Ottawa) in the 184 lbs. contest. Senior Tony Lyssiotis (Oxford, Mich.-Oxford) put the Eagles back on track in the 197 lbs. match, pinning Ricky Scott just over two minutes into the first period, bringing the Eagle lead to 25-10. In the final match of the night and of his career at home, senior Charlie Walker (Washington, Mich.-Romeo) found himself down 3-1 at the start of the third period. With under a minute remaining in the match, Walker would earn one point on an escape and a two point takedown, giving him a 4-3 advantage which he would hold onto over Jason Weber. The Eagles will shift from MAC play as they travel to Clarion, PA for dual match with Clarion University Fri., Feb.9. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start time.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Senior Luke Hogle scored a huge upset, picking up a major decision over Hofstra's Joe Rovelli at 184 pounds, keying the Cornell wrestling team to a 22-18 victory over the Pride on Saturday afternoon at the New York Athletic Club. Hogle, unranked entering the day's action, won by a 12-4 margin over Rovelli, the seventh-ranked wrestler in the nation. Cornell, ranked 16th in the nation, improves to 3-5 on the year, while Hofstra, which entered the day ranked fifth, falls to 17-3-2. Hogle's win at 184 jump-started the Big Red, as Cornell would go on to win the next four matches. In that stretch, No. 4 Jerry Rinaldi scored a 4-2 victory over No. 11 Chris Weidman at 197. At heavyweight, Cornell's Zach Hammond picked up a 2-1 tiebreaker victory over Matt Pollock, a former Cornell wrestler. At 125, Troy Nickerson scored a forfeit victory, and Adam Frey, ranked third in the nation, wrapped up the streak for the Big Red at 133, picking up a 7-5 win over Lou Ruggirello, ranked 19th in the country. Jordan Leen's 5-3 win at 149 wrapped up the victories for the Big Red as the fourth-ranked Leen claimed a 5-3 win over Mitch Smith, who entered the day ranked 19th.

John Smith (Oklahoma State, Head Coach) On his team's improvement "It was an improvement, but I did not consider us underdogs today. You should win in your own house. We had guys standing around and not taking it to their opponent in a one shot scenario. When it is a one shot scenario, you should be jacked up and wrestling your very best at home." On his team competing "Brandon Mason picked up a takedown (on Ben Askren), and I think he was surprised and ended up getting reversed. There is not any question that we had some people competing tonight. We wrestled better than we did at National Duals, but all that is to me is a consolation prize." Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) On the final stretch of the season "I am excited about the last stretch of the season. It is what we work for all year. This is obviously leading up to what we are training for." On the team result "We are making improvements by leaps and bounds. We have been training right through these duals, and trying to get better each and every day for that (March). It is not about today, it is about March. Everybody is making the improvement that they need to." Brian Smith (Missouri, Head Coach) On the difference between this dual and National Duals "It is like football where you get a couple of breakaways and score some touchdowns to open it up. That is kind of what we did at National Duals. Josh Wagner scored a pin for us with one second remaining in a tight match. When you go on the road you have to earn the win, and we found a way to win tonight." On wrestling Nick Marable at 157 "We wanted to give Michael Chandler a weekend off. We can do that with Nick Marable. He has wrestled some for us at 165 this year and done well. We were not giving anything up there and we knew that we could get a win there." Ben Askren (Missouri) On the dual "It was ugly. We have had a lot of pretty wins this year and that one was ugly. I do not think it was our best performance so there was nothing to be happy about. We would have liked to have wrestled better, but we knew it was in their house and they would be fired up to wrestle. We knew it was going to be a battle. It was ugly but we did what we needed to do, we won."

Stillwater, Okla. -- Recording their second win of the season over the defending National Champion Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-5, 1-2), second-ranked Missouri (9-1, 2-0) bested No. 4 OSU, 17-16, in front of 3,125 fans in Gallagher Iba Arena. The Tigers overcame a 10 point OSU lead to take the eventual win, splitting the dual with the Cowboys at five wins a piece. With the win, Missouri snapped OSU's 21 home match win streak and now stands at 32-3 in the all-time series. Junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) came up with Missouri's first win of the night, dropping Dakotah Simpson, 15-4. Dominating his opponent, Wagner earned nine backpoints and tallied over four minutes of riding time. With the win, Wagner stands just one shy of his 60th career victory. Continuing Missouri's winning ways, redshirt freshman Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn.) made his third start of the season in the Tiger lineup and won a 4-2 decision at 157 pounds over Newly McSpadden. Tied at two entering the third period, neither grappler was able to come up with a takedown forcing the match into sudden victory. With one minute on the clock, Marable managed to take down McSpadden in 46 seconds for the eventual win. Defending National Champion senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) kept his perfect season in tact after winning a 9-6 decision over 16th-ranked Brandon Mason at 174 pounds. Askren collected three takedowns and a reversal and rode Mason for 1:13 for his nine points. Askren now stands at the top of Missouri's career wins list with 140 victories. Fifth-ranked sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) helped bring the Tigers even with the Cowboys at 13 points after earning a 5-3 decision over Jack Jensen. Their second meeting of the season and Jordan's second win over the Cowboy, Jordan scored first with a takedown and followed with a reversal in the second period and 1:02 of riding time. Junior redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) came up with the Tigers' final win of the night, a 12-4 major decision over Jared Shelton at 197 pounds. Askren improved to 24-0 on the season and gave Missouri just enough points to take the lead and team win. "Oklahoma State wrestled a really smart match tonight," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "It's not often that the Cowboys get beat at home and that was one of our goals this week. We wanted to come down to Oklahoma and beat both OSU and OU at home. I have to give credit to John Smith (Oklahoma State's head coach) and his program. They wrestled really well and gave us quite the challenge. We managed to hang on for a couple of key wins at 149 and 197 pounds and that proved the difference in the night." The Tigers will take on 13th-ranked Oklahoma in Norman at 3 p.m. (CT) in their final road dual of the

PHILADELPHIA –- In a battle of University City rivals between No. 14 Penn and Drexel, it all came down to the final match at 174 pounds. Fortunately for the Quakers, All-America and ninth-ranked Matt Herrington scored a 5-3 decision over Nick Kozar to secure a 22-17 win at The Palestra. The Quakers (5-5) evened up their dual-meet record with wins over Brown and the Dragons (14-9). Penn's meet Friday with Delaware State was contested as a junior varsity event. The Quakers trailed, 17-15, with two matches to go after No. 20 Ryan Hluschak teched No. 14 Matt Dragon at 157. It was No. 17 Zack Shanaman who injected life back into his team, scoring a key major decision to put Penn up 19-17. "It was nice to see Shanaman come back and give us the momentum back," said Head Coach Zeke Jones. Herrington finished off the win with his 5-3 decision, getting most of his scoring on two first-period takedowns. The meet started at 184 with Lior Zamir majoring Brian Stouffer, 14-4, but Drexel pulled right back with Jon Oplinger's quick pin of Jack Sullivan in 1:32. Chris Cowen was a 4-0 winner over Ben Reiter at heavyweight, and suddenly the Dragons were out to a 9-4 lead. The lead wouldn't last long, though, as Penn won at the three lower weights. Rollie Peterkin won an entertaining overtime bout with Steve Mytych, 4-1, in the first tiebreak. After ending regulation tied at a point apiece, the two went scoreless in sudden victory. Mytych chose up for the first tiebreak and rode out, but Peterkin managed to turn Mytych in the second period and get a near-fall three to win. Matt Valenti retook the lead for Penn with his major decision over Billy Martin, 13-5, and Brett McCurdy also got a major with his 11-2 win over Morgan Remillard at 141. Mark Cartella of Drexel beat Brian Spangler at 149 in a tightly contested, 6-4 decision, to pull his team within three before Hluschak's tech fall gave Drexel the lead after 157 pounds. Penn will return to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Ivy and EIWA rival Harvard at 1 p.m. at The Palestra.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- With back-to-back technical falls by Greg Hart (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards) and David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Area) to open the meet, the Bucknell wrestling squad rolled to a 42-0 victory over James Madison on Friday evening in Davis Gym. The win brings the Bison to 10-8 overall on the year, while the Dukes' record drops to 6-20. Hart and Marble both won by 17-1 margins at 125 and 133, respectivel,y to give the Orange and Blue an early 10-0 advantage. Hart, who is ranked sixth at his weight in the EIWA, downed Nhat Nguyen for his ninth dual win of the season and Marble improved to 22-7 (12-6 duals) with his triumph over Stephen Gunther. Zach Galligan (Boonville, N.Y./Adirondack) followed at 141 and picked up a 13-5 major decision over Shawn Horst. Then 149-pounder Jack Conroy (Westport, Conn./Green Farms Academy) defeated Eric Nadeau, 9-3, to bring the team score to 17-0. In the closest bout of the night, Brantley Hooks (Spartansburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes), who is ranked sixth in the EIWA at 157, went into the third period against Scott Yorko with the score knotted at two. However, Hooks recorded three takedowns in the third to come away an 8-6 victory. Despite winning by forfeit, Andy Rendos' (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) victory was a milestone for the No. 18 nationally-ranked 165-pounder as it brought his season duals record to 16-2, which matches the highest dual-meet wins total in Bucknell history. Rendos is among the Bison all-time leaders for overall wins in a season, as well, and is now 25-3 in his freshman campaign. Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) posted the lone fall of the night for the Orange and Blue, pinning Ivan Legares 1:27 into the 174-pound bout. The win was Riccio's 18th overall on the year and his ninth consecutively. George Mann (Orange, Ohio/Orange) picked up his first career victory for bonus points as he recorded a 12-1 major decision over Johnnie Bauman at 184. Eric Lapotsky (Mount Carmel, Pa./Mount Carmel Area), who is No. 6 in the EIWA at 197, improved to 21-4 overall, 15-2 in dual-meets with an 8-1 decision over John Holloway and heavyweight George Hingson (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) wrapped things up with a 7-3 victory over Pat Finch. Bucknell will return to action next Saturday, Feb. 10, when the Bison travel to Annapolis, Md., to face No. 22-ranked Navy at 7 p.m.

Princeton, N.J. -– The Harvard wrestling team won eight straight bouts to hand Ivy League foe Princeton a 36-7 defeat at Dillion Gymnasium Friday night. The Crimson took five weight classes by bonus points and earned a forfeit in another. The Crimson improves to 2-5 overall, 2-2 in the EIWA and 1-0 in the Ivy League race. Princeton falls to 0-11 on the season. Ryan Fitzergald lost a very high scoring 125 pound bout. Down 8-1 heading in the second, Fitzergald chose neutral and quickly scored a takedown and three near fall points. But Princeton's Nikhil Pereira took as 12-9 lead into the third and after being released by Fitzgerald scored a takedown and held on for a 21-13 win. No. 12 Robbie Prestion won by fofeit at 133 to give Harvard a 6-4 lead heading into 141 pounds. No. 16 Max Meltzer earned a major decision over Danny Scotton, 17-5. Meltzer used two third period takedowns, a three point near fall and riding time to secure the win and put his team up 10-4 The Crimson went up by 10 with a major decision from freshman J.P. O'Connor. The sixth-ranked 149 pounder used a third period scoring frenzy to take the match, 16-3 and earn his 23rd win of the season. No. 10 Andrew Flanagan added a fall in 5:00 to put Harvard up 20-4. Freshman Frankie Colletta gave the Crimson its third major decision on the night with a 12-2 victory at 165. Colletta scored two takedowns and turned Princeton's Alex Enriquez in the first, added two more takedowns in the second and rode out his opponent in the third for the win. At the 174 pounds, freshman Fred Rowsey won an 8-3 decision to put Harvard up, 27-4. With a 5-0 lead, No. 11 Louis Caputo pinned Oliver Noteware in 1:52 at 184 pounds. Harvard won its eighth match of the afternoon to take a 36-4 lead in the dual when Billy Colgan won a 3-1 decision over Zach Morse at 197. At the end of the first the score was knotted at zero. Down 0-1at the start of the third, Colgan scored a reversal and rode him out the rest of the period to for the victory. It was a very close heavyweight bout between Andrew Knapp and Kristopher Berr. Berr held on for a 3-2 win. Harvard travels to No. 14 Penn tomorrow for its second Ivy match up of the weekend. Match time is slated for 1 p.m. Crimson Central subscribers can watch the match live on GoCrimson.com.