InterMat Staff

In 1999, Kurt Angle made one of the toughest choices of his entire career. Struggling financially and working on a new marriage, he took a risk that not many in amateur wrestling had done in years - certainly not a person with his accolades. Angle joined the ranks of the sports entertainment business, also known as professional wrestling. At the very least, it would pay much better than his broadcasting job in Pittsburgh. Kurt Angle "I was running out of options really," Angle said. "At first, I was on the side that professional wrestling will ruin amateur wrestling. I talked with a lot of people close to me, and we began to feel that with an amateur wrestler gaining that kind of exposure, maybe we could help to draw more non-traditional wrestling fans into dual meets and tournament-venues." Angle admits that moving into the then-WWF was hard. In 1996, he had turned down an offer he received the night after he won his Olympic gold. Jim McMahon was scurrying to find a superstar with a great personality, great look and an established name. At the time -- who better than Angle? Angle had just defeated Abbas Jadidi of Iran to win the Olympic gold in Atlanta -- becoming a true American hero. In fact, in only two World-level competitions, Angle won gold, also capturing the top prize in the 1995 World Championships in Atlanta. Gerald Brisco, the Talent Relations Director with the WWE, was excited about the possibility of pulling Angle into their world. Brisco, a former wrestler at Oklahoma State and brother of Cowboys great Jack Brisco, had started to keep an eye on amateur wrestlers, and convinced McMahon to go after Angle. "It wasn't hard (to convince McMahon)," Brisco said. "At the time, a lot of our talent consisted of bigger men who couldn't move very well. Kurt was an exceptional athlete. He wasn't as tall as we were used to, but we knew he could bring some excitement into our business. And at the time, adding an Olympic hero was also a good niche for us." Angle turned down the job offer in 1996, but couldn't resist re-visiting the possibility in 1999 with not many options left to him. How things may have been different for so many entities if Real Pro Wrestling had existed back then. Would the WWE have been able to recover from its major financial woes in the mid-90's? Would Angle be the superstar that he is today anyways? Would real wrestling be more popular on the Olympic level? Angle has gone on to superstar status in the WWE, capturing the championship belt on more than one occasion. He has released a book, It's True, It's True. But if RPW were running in 1999, would Angle had made the controversial jump over to what many in the wrestling community consider "the dark side?" "Something like Real Pro Wrestling would have changed my entire attitude. I most likely would have never stepped into a WWE ring. At that point in my career, it was great to win a gold medal, but when I began to start a family, I needed to start thinking about a career. I still love to compete, and Real Pro Wrestling would have offered that solution at the time," Angle said. Kurt AngleAngle also continues to give back to wrestling. In 2002, he funded the Kurt Angle Classic in New Orleans, which was one of the first events to showcase amateur wrestling in a different light -- using pyrotechnics, live music and a more fan-friendly atmosphere. It also provided a big payday to the athletes selected to compete, which included numerous future U.S. Olympians as well as athletes from other top countries such as Russia and Belarus. He also continues to donate to Clarion wrestling, the college program he was so successful in. As a former athlete training for the Olympics, Angle knows all about adversity. He was one of the first wrestlers to begin designing and selling his own t-shirts, offering them to anyone with a pulse. This sometimes drew criticism from fellow American wrestlers. "Some guys were jealous," Angle said laughing. "But I didn't have time, or money, to care. I was doing what I could at the time to help my training and to promote myself. Back then, everyone thought I was cocky. But now, all of the top wrestlers have web sites, products -- everything. Wrestlers today are promoting themselves so much better, and that is a promising sign for this sport's future." Helping to secure wrestlers financially is one of RPW's goals for its athletes. Turning wrestling into a mainstream sport is the overall goal, but RPW has now given wrestlers an avenue to be able to train more effectively while leaving behind the stress that comes with financial difficulty. RPW CEO and co-founder Toby Willis feels that Angle's knowledge could be a welcome contributor to the success of the league. "There is much real wrestling can learn from Kurt and the WWE. Competition wrestling has gone to great lengths to distance ourselves from any form of entertainment and promotion. In many ways we need to learn and copy much from the WWE and bring the important elements of fun and entertainment back into our sport. We feel this can be done tastefully and not overshadow the centrality of the competition." "It is ironic that while Kurt took a lot of heat for 'going over to the dark side,' it may be that move that helps wrestling in ways nobody ever imagined. Kurt has proven he not only was a real Olympic champion, but that he continues to identify with and help the wrestling community. Because of this, we hope to find a significant role for Kurt in RPW," Willis added. RPW also hopes to give a new, refreshing meaning to the term "professional wrestling." So far, Angle is impressed. "What (RPW) has done for the sport already is amazing," Angle said. "The sport of wrestling continues to grow at all levels. More and more fans are going to tournaments and dual meets and it is getting more television exposure and media exposure. Now is the time for a group like this to make its move." And who knows -- Angle may even decide to become involved as well. "I learned in 1999 to never say never."

WHO: Ben Askren: 2006 174-pound NCAA Division I Wrestling National Champion WHAT: Askren to get first Hair Cut of the Season WHEN: Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 6 p.m. (CST) WHERE: Cost Cutters located in the Crossroads Shopping Center 2101 W Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203 Ben AskrenMissouri's first individual National Champion in five years is following through on a promise made to local media. Recent 174-pound NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion and Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament, Ben Askren, will be cutting his hair for the first time since the start of the 2006 campaign in which he vowed not to cut his hair until after winning Missouri's first wrestling title. Askren will have his hair cut Thursday, March 23, at 6 p.m. (CST) at the Cost Cutters in the Crossroads Shopping Center at the intersection of Broadway and Stadium. Members of the media and fans are invited to attend the event. A native of Hartland, Wis., Askren finished the season 45-0, earning 25 falls and nine technical falls while setting the school's longest consecutive win streak, falls in a season and career falls (62) record. Askren became just the 12th student-athlete at the University of Missouri to earn a National Title and the first in the 62-year history of the Tiger wrestling program.

Matt Valenti named EIWA Wrestler of the Year Penn junior Matt Valenti has been named EIWA Wrestler of the Year, by vote of the head coaches of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Valenti had a nearly perfect season, compiling a record of 36-2 while winning both the EIWA and NCAA championships at 133 pounds. He is a history major from Newton NJ, and holds the Penn record for most wins in a season, with 36 and is the first Quaker wrestler to earn more than 100 wins through his junior year. He was also an All-American in 2004, placing fifth at 125. Troy Nickerson named EIWA Freshman of the Year Cornell freshman Troy Nickerson has been named EIWA Freshman of the Year, by vote of the head coaches of the Eastern Intercollegiate Coaches Association. Nickerson compiled a record of 36-2 while winning the EIWA Championship and finishing in second place att the NCAA Championships at 125 pounds. Nickerson is a former five-time New York state champion from Chenango Forks, NY.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State wrestling coach Russ Hellickson announced his retirement Tuesday, effective July 31. Hellickson began his tenure at Ohio State in the 1986-87 season. He mentored 41 All-Americans, the most of any Ohio State wrestling coach, including a record five All-America honorees in 2004. The two-time Big Ten coach of the year (1991, '02) and 2002 NWCA National Coach of the Year coached five national champions to seven championships, including two-time NCAA champions Kevin Randleman in 1992 and 1993 and Tommy Rowlands in 2002 and 2004. He posted a record of 272-170-6 at the helm of the Buckeyes. "I'm extremely proud of the student-athletes and coaches I've worked with over the years," Hellickson said. "We have one of the hardest-working staffs in all of college wrestling. The program has not lived up to my expectations the last few years. By stepping aside at this time, it will allow my successor the opportunity to come in and return the program to national prominence. " "We appreciate Russ' dedication and contributions to the success of the wrestling program over the years," Gene Smith, Ohio State Director of Athletics, said. "We wish him every success in his retirement." Heather Lyke, OSU Associate Director of Athletics who oversees wrestling, will chair the search committee to replace Hellickson. "We will put a national search committee in place as soon as possible to find the best coach," Lyke said. "We expect to have enormous interest in this position and look forward to a strong pool of quality candidates." Ohio State assistant coaches Ken Ramsey and Mitch Clark also will remain on staff until July 31. The current Buckeye staff members will operate the 2006 summer wrestling camps.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After having one of the most impressive seasons in Northwestern wrestling history, two-time All-American Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) ended his historic year by finishing a career-best second place at 174 lbs. at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Herbert, who fell to Missouri's Ben Askren in the championship bout, finishes the 2006 campaign with a 36-1 record -- his 36 victories are good for ninth place on NU's single-season wins list. Northwestern finished 13th in the team race with 48.5 points. "Jake had a great year," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "He wrestled well at the NCAA Championships. He came out aggressively against Askren and that put him in positions that he normally comes out on top of. He'll learn from this, get better and come back looking for the national championship next season. His best is yet to come." The match between Herbert and Askren was one of the most anticipated bouts of the year. Both wrestlers entered the match with undefeated records and had been ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, throughout the year. Herbert was the aggressor at the beginning of the match, shooting for Askren's left leg as soon as the opening whistle blew, but Askren was able to avoid the takedown and the two took part in a scramble with neither wrestler giving an inch. Askren came out on top following the scramble and went up 2-0 with a takedown. Askren stayed on the offensive with two first-period two-point nearfalls to take a 6-0 lead into the second period. Choosing the down position to begin the second period, Herbert got on the board when he slipped out of an Askren hold and scored a reversal to cut Askren's lead to four. That would be as close as Herbert would come, however, as Askren used two takedowns, a two-point nearfall and an escape over the final two periods to take a 14-2 major decision win with riding time. Despite the loss, Herbert's season goes down as one of the finest in 78-year history of the Northwestern wrestling program. With 36 wins, Herbert moved into ninth place on the single-season wins list, and his 42-straight victories are a Northwestern record. Herbert became the first wrestler in program history to win back-to-back Midlands titles and only the second to win a Midlands title and a Big Ten title in the same season. Herbert, a sophomore, has compiled an 83-4 record over his first two full seasons. He only is 20 wins short of moving into a tie with Mark Whitehead for 10th place on NU's all-time wins list and with a career winning percentage mark of .952, Herbert is on pace to shatter Don Evan's record .896 clip. The 'Cats finished tied with Iowa State for 13th in the team race with 48.5 points. Oklahoma State wins its fifth-straight national title by winning the team race with 122.5 points. Minnesota finished second with 84 points, while host Oklahoma placed third with 80.5 team points. Iowa took fourth with 70 points, and Cornell rounds out the top five with 62 points. "We're happy with the season we had," Cysewski said. "We had a lot of good things happen and we were successful where we thought we would be. We're not satisfied, however, and after spring break we're going to come back and get right back to work."

Oklahoma City, OK -- Hofstra's All-Americans Mike Patrovich, Jon Masa and Chris Weidman placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively to lead the Pride to an 11th-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Ford Center. The 2006 Pride equaled the best finish in school history, tying the 11th-place finish of the 1969 team that was led by Marty Willigan, Bill Stauffer and Mark Goldberg. Hofstra finished with a school-record 52.5 points, eclipsing the previous mark of 36.5 set in 2005. Oklahoma State captured its fourth consecutive national championship and its 34th wrestling title overall, finishing with 122.5 points. Minnesota was second with 84 points and host Oklahoma was third with 80.5. Iowa (70) and Cornell (62) completed the top five.The Pride were just one point from being in a three-way tie for ninth with Lehigh and Penn State. The three All-Americans are also a school-record topping the previous mark of two set in 2000, 2001 and 2003. Senior Mike Patrovich earned his first All-America honor on Friday by advancing to the championship semifinals before losing to eventual national champion Ben Askren from Missouri. In the consolation semifinals Patrovich defeated Penn's Matt Herrington 9-4 before dropping an 11-2 decision to Iowa's third-seeded Mark Perry in the third place match. He finishes the season with a 34-5 record. Senior Jon Masa, who became Hofstra's first three-time All-American on Friday, lost by fall to Oklahoma's fourth-seeded Matt Storniolo in the consolation semifinals Saturday before posting a major decision win over Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum 9-0 in the fifth-place match. Masa, who went 5-2 in the Championships, ends his season with a 35-7 record and his Hofstra career with a 126-32 mark. Junior Chris Weidman may have been the biggest surprise of the NCAA Championships, defeating top-seeded Wynn Michelak from Central Michigan and eighth-seeded Ryan Bader from Arizona State in the championship bracket before losing to eventual national champion Jake Rosholt from Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Saturday morning, Weidman suffered a hip injury in his consolation semifinal match against Nebraska's third-seeded B.J. Padden and took a medical default at the 5:04 mark of the match. The injury prevented him from coming out for the fifth place match against Oklahoma's fifth-seeded Joel Flaggert. Weidman ends his season with an 18-13 record.

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) fell in the national title bout at 197-pounds two defending champion Jacob Rosholt of Oklahoma State, but finished as national runner-up as a sophomore. The two-time All-American, just a sophomore, led head coach Troy Sunderland's Penn State team to a ninth finish at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Penn State leaves Oklahoma City, host site of this year's event, with three All-Americans. Davis, who finished seventh last year as a freshman, entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed while his opponent, Jacob Rosholt, entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed and was the defending national champion at 197 having won the title a year ago. Rosholt got the first takedown of the match with 2:01 left in the first period and turned Davis quickly to pick up three back points. The first period ended with Rosholt leading 5-1 and holding over a minute's worth of riding time. Davis chose down to begin the second period and escaped to cut the lead to 5-2, but Rosholt added another takedown to lead 7-3 after two period. Rosholt began the final period in the down position and escaped to lead 8-3. Davis applied plenty of offensive pressure for the remaining minutes, but Rosholt held him off and went on to post a 10-3 win. Rosholt claimed his third national title at 197 with the win. Davis became Penn State's first-ever national runner-up at 197. He went 4-1 on the tournament and ends his sophomore year with a 25-4 record. In two years, he is a two time All-American (7th last year, 2nd this year), the 2006 Big Ten Champion and has a 62-14 record. Davis is also 8-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the 20th best NCAA tournament winning percentage (.727) in Penn State history. He is the 24th national runner-up in school history as well. Davis became Penn State's first national runner-up since Josh Moore and Pat Cummins finished 2nd in 2004. Davis and Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) became the fifth and sixth repeat All-Americans under Sunderland. Junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) became the 13th different individual to earn All-America laurels under Sunderland as well. Both Bradley and Yonushonis took eighth place in their respective weight classes (184 and 174). In all, the veteran Nittany Lion mentor has now coached 18 All-Americans (including multiple winners who earned their second titles in Sunderland's first year). Penn State finished the 2006 NCAA Championships in ninth place with 53.5 points. Oklahoma State won the team title with 122.5 points, far in front of runner-up Minnesota's 84.0. Oklahoma was third with 80.5. Iowa finished fourth with 70.0, followed by Cornell (62.0), Arizona State (61.5), Michigan (57.5), Edinboro (56.0), Penn State (53.5) and Lehigh (53.5). Penn State's ninth place finish is its best since placing sixth in 2003. The 53.5 total points is the 14th most ever scored by the Nittany Lions in the NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lions ended the tournament with a 22-17 overall record (0-3 today, 12-7 Friday and 10-7 Thursday). Penn State's three All-Americans are the most for the school since it had four in 2003. Sunderland's Nittany Lions received a bulk of its scoring from bonus points. During the course of the tournament, the Nittany Lions had seven pins (worth two bonus points each) and three majors (worth one bonus point each) for 17 bonus points. Penn State concluded an outstanding 2005-06 season with its ninth place finish with three All-Americans at nationals. Sunderland's Nittany Lions went 13-4 in dual matches, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten action. The Lions crowned one Big Ten Champion and placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov (Tashknet, Uzbekistan) took third-place at 165 and Josh Glenn (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City) placed fourth at 184 Saturday morning in the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships, capping the finest year in American University wrestling program history team-wise and individually. The pair's All-American honors and the team's tie for 16th place with 40 points are the best finishes at the NCAA Championships in school history, respectively. Aburakhmanov achieved the highest individual placing ever for an AU wrestler at the NCAA Championships as he was awarded third-place after his opponent Deonte Penn of Edinboro - who he had pinned earlier in the Championships - had to medically forfeit from the tournament. The AU senior had previously defeated Travis Paulson of Iowa State 7-2 to earn a spot in the third-place match. The Uzbekistan native's third-place finish culminates his run as one of the best wrestlers and athletes in American University athletics history. Abdurakhmanov is the wrestling program's sole two-time EIWA Champion and Most Outstanding Wrestler winner from the EIWA Tournaments. In addition, his resume includes a career record of 55-4, the highest win percentage of any AU grappler of all-time. Over the past two years Abdurakhmanov has gained wide notoriety across the country for being perhaps the best wrestler on his feet, taking bonus points in 31 of his 55 wins. Abdurakhmanov is also the only Eagle to go undefeated in duals in his career at AU, which is even more impressive considering he wrestled up a weight several times. "Muzaffar has done so much for this program," head coach Mark Cody said. "He's been a pioneer. In what he's done last year and this season, he's basically put us on the map. Everybody loves him and loves to watch him wrestle. It's really, again, unfortunate what happened last night [in reference to the stalling point call, which cost Abdurakhmanov the semifinal]. I got so many comments from people today that could not believe what had happened. If I had a dime for every coach that came up to me, I'd be able to pay for my flight home. There was not one person that agreed with that call." Sophomore Glenn pinned his first consolation opponent in 2:44, but fell behind early to Illinois' three-time All-American Pete Friedl and dropped a 13-2 major decision, relegating him to fourth-place. Glenn's 4-2 record in the NCAA Championships moves his season mark to 35-3 with 21 falls. He had the second most falls in the country, including three over All-Americans this year. In addition, he became the first underclassmen to win All-American honors in AU wrestling history. "Josh was very straight on today," Cody said in describing Glenn's mat style. "He may have needed to do something else to get by his opponent's arms. Anytime you get out of your game in a match like that, a guy can pull away from you. When Josh knew he was a little too far behind he started to get a little sloppy, trying to score." Of Glenn's year, Cody added, "Josh has had an incredible performance. He's a wonderful guy. He had a very substantial injury this year, but we did not hear one complaint out of him about it. We gave him about a month and a half off out of live practices. He dealt with a lot of adversity this year and did a very good job." The duo's All-American nominations cap a triumphant turnaround in all facets for the Eagles from previous years. In 2005-06, American shattered its previous high NCAA finish of 32nd, won its most dual meets since 1989 and had three wrestlers ranked in the top-10 at once for the first time in school history. "We're moving in the right direction," Cody said. "Our goal is to get to the top. We're going to put in the time we need, recruiting-wise because there's a lot of competition out there. There's a lot of parity out there and that keeps us on our toes. We're going to keep going and try to outwork everybody and do the right things."

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The 2006 NCAA Championships came to an end Saturday at Ford Center and Lehigh finished in a tie for ninth place with 53.5 team points. The Mountain Hawks crowned three All-Americans, with Cory Cooperman finishing third at 141, Derek Zinck taking fifth at 157 and Travis Frick finishing sixth at 174 as Lehigh finishes in the top ten in the team standings for the fifth straight season. Cooperman won both of his matches on Saturday by major decision to take third for the second straight year. He blew open a close match with a takedown and two near-falls in the third period to defeat West Virginia's Brandon Rader 12-4 in the consolation semifinals. In the third place match, Cooperman scored six points in the first period, a takedown and two two-point near falls, and went on to beat Northwestern's Ryan Lang in a rematch of yesterday's quarterfinal, in which Cooperman won by fall. A three-time All-American, Cooperman wraps up his illustrious career with a 99-12 record. After losing in the semifinals at 157, Zinck lost his consolation semifinal match-up against top seeded Trent Paulson of Iowa State 6-1. Wrestling for fifth place, Zinck outlasted Joe Johnston of Iowa 9-8, to end his career with a win as a two-time All-American. In the fifth place match, Zinck scored a first period takedown, then yielded one to Johnston and trailed 4-2 heading into the third period. In the final period, Zinck slapped a headlock on Johnston and threw him for a five-point move to take the lead, but the Hawkeye battled back benefiting from a stall call against Zinck before scoring a takedown late in the third to tie the match at eight. Zinck would not be held down, escaping with less than 20 seconds left to grab the victory. He finishes his career with a 95-23 record for the Brown and White. Frick was not as fortunate on Saturday, losing both his matches to place sixth earning his second career All-American medal. He faced another Iowa wrestler, Mark Perry in the consolation semifinals. The Hawkeye scored with an early takedown and added several cradles for near falls to build a big lead after the first period. In the second period Perry worked another cradle and scored a pin at 3:16, the first time Frick had been pinned in his career. In the fifth place match, Frick met Matt Herrington of Penn in a rematch of the EIWA finals. Frick scored a regulation takedown for the first time in three matches this year versus the Quaker. However, when a second controversial stalling call against Frick tied the match at three Frick tried to attack to avoid overtime, but got caught on his back and pinned with 16 remaining in regulation. Despite the two losses on Saturday, Frick's career ends with a 95-33 record. Following Saturday's afternoon session, Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel offered his thoughts on the Mountain Hawks' tournament. "We did all we could do to throughout this tournament to place in the top ten as a team," said Strobel. "To place in the top ten is really outstanding. To come in with five guys who have never been here before. Everyone contributed, even without Letters at full strength. It was a great team effort and our guys were able to get bonus points, which certainly helped. Oklahoma State crowned six All-Americans and two national champions to claim its fourth consecutive team championship and 34th overall with 120.5 points, 38.5 more than second place Minnesota. Lehigh finished tied for ninth with longtime rival Penn State. Missouri's 174 pound champion Ben Askren was named the tournament's outstanding wrestler.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- The Edinboro University wrestling team completed action in the fifth session of the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships with another impressive showing. The Fighting Scots are in eighth place heading into the evening's championship round, and can finish no worse than ninth. That represents the top finish since the a sixth place finish in 1997. After having three wrestlers attain All-American status on Friday, those three went out on Saturday morning and picked up wins to give the Fighting Scots a third, fourth and seventh place. Shawn Bunch (Leavenworth, KS/Leavenworth) led the way with the third place finish at 133 lbs. The senior, who entered Nationals as the top seed before suffering a 9-2 loss to Purdue's Chris Fleeger in the semifinals, picked ups wins over the third and fourth seeds. Deonte Penn (Solon, OH/Solon), unseeded at 165 lbs. entering Nationals, made a name for himself heading into his senior season with a fourth place finish. And freshman Gregor Gillespie (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) laid claim to the mantle of next great Edinboro wrestler with a seventh place finish at 149 lbs. "This is huge," stated an elated head coach Tim Flynn in regards to the team's standing. "We haven't been up there in awhile. It's harder to get there. There are more programs (looking to do well) and more parity. It's just a fantastic job by the entire team." Bunch showed few ill effects from his loss to Fleeger on Friday night. He faced third-seeded Tom Clum of Wisconsin in the consolation semifinals, and picked up a convincing 9-5 win. The bout began with a Bunch takedown at 2:53, with Clum escaping. Clum took his lone lead with a takedown at 2:00, but Bunch followed an escape with a takedown at 1:39, then turned Clum for three back points at 1:25. The first period ended with Bunch ahead, 8-3. Bunch's escape seven seconds into the second period was the only scoring in that session. Clum registered a takedown at the 1:01 mark, and rode Bunch the rest of the way to wipe out riding time, but Bunch prevailed, 9-5. In a rematch of last year's semifinals, Bunch met Mack Reiter of Minnesota, the number four seed, in the third place match. Bunch jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one period thanks to a takedown midway through the period. He upped the lead to 3-0 with the quick escape to start the second period, then went up 5-1 on a takedown at 1:19. Reiter made it 5-1 with an escape with a minute left. Bunch recorded his third takedown of the match at 1:33 of the third period. A Reiter escape was negated by 2:08 of riding time for Bunch, as he captured third place with an 8-2 decision. A two-time All-American, Bunch concludes the season with a 40-2 record, tied for sixth in season wins. He ends his career with a 132-24 record, tying Matt King for fourth place in career wins. In addition, Bunch and King are the only Edinboro wrestlers to win 40 matches in a season more than once. "What Shawn did was the hardest thing in sports," Flynn pointed out. "He had his dream shattered. He came back and beat two good kids. " Penn gained some revenge for Edinboro with a wild 15-10 win over Oregon's Joey Bracamonte in the consolation semifinals. A year ago Bracamonte won by fall over Nate Yetzer at Nationals. This time it was Penn jumping to an 11-0 lead and then hanging on against the tough Duck. Penn led 8-0 after one period, with a takedown at 2:36, followed by three near fall points at 1:00, and again at the 36-second mark. The lead went to 11-0 when Penn turned Bracamonte for three back points at 56 seconds. Almost immediately Bracamonte began his comeback with a reversal, ending the period at 11-2. Bracamonte registered a takedown at 1:29 of the third period to pull to within 11-4, then cut Penn loose. Another takedown resulted in two back points to make it 12-8, with a Penn escape bringing the score to 13-8 with a minute left. Penn gave up another takedown at 45 seconds to make it 13-10, and was also injured in the process. He escaped to make it 14-10, and had a 2:29 riding time advantage. The rib injury, however, forced Penn to injury default in the third place match against American's Muzaffar Abdurakmanov. Even still, Penn picked up a fourth place finish in his second trip to Nationals. He finishes the year with a 33-11 ledger. "I've always said Deonte can beat anybody, he just needed to eliminate mistakes," commented Flynn. "If you ask me if I'm shocked (at his performance), no. When he's consistent, he's tough and he was consistent all weekend." Gillespie, the seventh seed at 165 lbs., and Bunch became just the second tandem to win 40 matches in a season, joining Matt King and David Shunamon in 2002-03. In addition, Gillespie tied Bunch and several others in sixth place in season wins with 40. The 40th win capped an impressive freshman campaign, as he won by fall over Central Michigan's Mark Disalvo, the number five seed, at 6:22. It was his third fall at Nationals. After a scoreless first period, Gillespie gave up a reversal to go down 2-0 at the 1:29 mark of the second period. He answered with a reversal of his own with 46 seconds left in the period, along with two back points for a 4-2 lead after two periods. Starting on top to begin the third, he rolled Bracamonte on his back for his third fall at Nationals and his sixth of the season. Gillespie becomes the first true freshman at Edinboro to earn All-American honors, and set a freshman record for wins while going 40-4. "Gregor's been doing that all year," noted Flynn. "Hopefully he builds on this and can be in the finals next year. He came in as a freshman and slammed him today. You look, and he lost to (Ty) Eustice, who's a fifth-year senior, and (Jonathan) Masa, who I believe wrestled for the Puerto Rican Olympic team, and could also be a fifth-year senior. He lost to two older guys. He didn't want to end the season on a sour note."

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- University of Michigan fifth-year senior captain Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) fell just short in his bid for an individual national title, falling 9-8 to Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks in 165-pound championship match Saturday (March 18) at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Ford Center. Behind the performances of three All-Americans, the Wolverines took seventh place (57.5 points) in the team race -- their sixth consecutive top-10 finish at the national event. The Wolverine captain held a three-point advantage entering the final frame of the contest but lost on a couple close takedown calls in the third as Hendricks scored twice along the edge of the mat -- including the deciding blow with just three seconds remaining -- to claim his second straight NCAA crown. Churella himself had rallied from an early deficit after being taken down twice in the opening period. He countered a Hendricks single-leg shot late in the second to lock up a cradle and roll the Cowboy to his back as the buzzer sounded for two back points. Fifth-year senior captain Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) dominated the final match of his collegiate career, earning a 9-1 major decision against Arizona State's fourth-seeded Cain Velasquez to claim third place at heavyweight, his best career finish at the NCAA tournament. Wagner struck early, scoring on a quick single leg to take immediate control of the bout, and when Velasquez rose to his feet midway through the opening frame, the Wolverine returned him to the mat and quickly using a step-through turk to hold him in a pinning situation for the final minute of the period. Wagner added another takedown in the third and, after earning 1:18 in riding time, locked up the major decision to pick up the bonus point. Wagner also cruised through his consolation semifinal bout against Virginia Tech's eighth-seeded Michael Faust, dominating the Hokie wrestler to earn a 6-0 shutout. After several single-leg shots early in the first period, Wagner finally converted one late in the frame, driving Faust back inbounds and riding him for the rest of the period. The Wolverine picked up his escape in the second and held Faust on the mat for the entire third period, using a leg turk to add a pair of back points and earn 2:45 in riding time. Junior/sophomore Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS), seeded eighth, suffered a pair of consolation losses on the final day to finish sixth at the 149-pound weight bracket. The Wolverine fell to Oklahoma State's third-seeded Zack Esposito 9-1 in the consolation semifinal after the Cowboy wrestler tallied a big third period with a takedown and three back points. With that first defeat, Tannenbaum dropped into the fifth-place match, where he lost 9-0 to Hofstra's sixth-seeded Jon Masa. Masa scored takedowns in each frame and added a pair of near-fall points in the opening period.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Brian Stith, who was seeded 10th in the 157 pound bracket at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, advanced to the finals, but came up short as he ended his junior season as the national runner-up at the conclusion of the tournament being held inside the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. His finish, along with three others earning All-America honors along with Stith, helped the Sun Devils accumulate 61.5 points and a team finish of sixth place. Oklahoma State won their fourth crown in a row with 122.5 points while Oklahoma (84.5), Minnesota (80.5), Iowa (70.0) and Cornell (62.0) comprised the rest of the Top 5. In a rematch of the Pac-10 Championship final, Stith took on fifth-seeded Ben Cherrington of Boise State as he looked to avenge his earlier loss and win his first national crown. After falling behind 5-0 early in the bout, Stith tried to mount a come back, but it was too little, too late as Cherrington capped an undefeated season with the 7-43 decision and only the second title in BSU history. Stith, who is now a two-time All-American following his sixth-place finish one year ago, capped his season with a 31-4 record on the season. He joins C.B. Dollaway (184), Ryan Bader (197) and Cain Velasquez (285) as All-Americans on the year as the trio of seniors placed fifth, seventh and fourth, respectively, earlier in the day. Arizona State's season is now complete. The Sun Devils not only finished sixth in the nation after being selected to finish 14th in the tournament, but also turned an undefeated conference dual season (8-0) into another strong tournament performance and the program's 16th Pac-10 Championship crown and second in a row. The team's Top 6 finish was its second under Head Coach Thom Ortiz (five years) and marked the 19th time in 40 tournaments that ASU has placed in the Top 10.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Freshman Troy Nickerson had a bittersweet ending to his record-setting rookie year on Saturday evening at the 76th NCAA Division I wrestling championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. Nickerson fell to Indiana senior Joe Dubuque in the 125 pound final, 8-3. The Big Red finished in fifth-place, the second consecutive top-five finish for Cornell. Oklahoma State won the team title with Minnesota, Oklahoma and Iowa rounding out the rest of the top five. Dubuque picked up a takedown midway through the first period to grab an early 2-0 lead. Nickerson fought to escape and picked up the point less than 30 seconds later, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Dubuque won the toss at the beginning of the second period and chose the down position. He escaped 10 seconds in, getting a two point lead back. As time was winding down in the second, Dubuque executed a spin move from the neutral position and was able to control Nickerson for the takedown and the 5-1 lead. Dubuque got another takedown in the third and was able to fend off Nickerson's shots. Nickerson did record two escapes in the period. The riding time point gave Dubuque the 8-3 win. Nickerson advanced to the championship match with four wins, two over seeded wrestlers. In the opening round, he beat Missouri's Austin Devoe 10-5, in a match that was tightly contested and actually had Devoe in the lead early. His second round match was against 12th-seeded Tanner Gardner of Stanford. Nickerson was able to grind out a 3-2 win. Moving to the quarterfinals, Nickerson made quick work of Mike Sees of Edinboro, pinning him 33 seconds into the second period. The win was a sort of revenge for Nickerson, as his last high school loss came to Sees when Nickerson was a sophomore. In the semifinal match, Nickerson used a late reversal to upset the No. 1 seed, Nick Simmons of Michigan State. Helping the Big Red to its second top-10 finish was seniors Dustin Manotti and Joe Mazzurco and junior Jerry Rinaldi. Manotti had a thrilling run to third place in the 157 pound bracket. After dropping his first match of the tournament, Manotti took the long road back to his fourth All-America honor, winning his next seven matches to take third place. After falling to Oregon State's Tony Hook in the first round, Manotti beat Jacob Yost (Chattanooga), fourth-seeded Matthew Lebe (West Virginia), Christopher Bitetto (Northern Iowa), third-seeded Alex Tirapelle (Illinois), eighth-seeded Craig Henning (Wisconsin), ninth-seeded Joe Johnston (Iowa) and top-seeded Trent Paulson (Iowa State). After beating Paulson, the crowd of over 16,000 recognized Manotti's performance in this tournament and his outstanding career with a standing ovation. Mazzurco went 4-3 on the tournament, earning sixth-place and his second All-America honor. He is a three-time qualifier. Rinaldi achieved All-American status for the first time in his third NCAA appearance finished fourth, upsetting second-seeded Kyle Cerminara of Buffalo in the quarterfinals. Rinaldi will be a key returner for the Big Red next season.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The University of Iowa wrestling team finished fourth with 70 points at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma State Cowboys won the tournament with 122.5 points. Minnesota was second with 84 points. Sophomore Mark Perry (174) was awarded the Manuel Gorrarian Award for most pins in the least time. Perry picked up four falls in 15:33. Senior Ty Eustice (149) was Iowa's lone representative in the finals, and was defeated by Minnesota's top-seeded freshman Dustin Schlatter. With 1:18 left in the first period, Schlatter hit the only takedown of the match to take a 2-0 lead. Eustice chose neutral to start the second and got in deep on a single leg midway through the period, but Schlatter managed to fight his way out and keep the two-point lead. Eustice cut Schlatter loose to begin the third period, giving his opponent a 3-0 lead, and was unable to get in on a shot the rest of the way. The finals were held in front of 16,394 fans. The total attendance for the weekend was 95,501, the second-highest total in NCAA history.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma Sooner senior Teyon Ware was defeated by Iowa State's Nate Gallick in the 141-pound NCAA Final Saturday evening at the Ford Center. "It is frustrating to lose but the fact that it is my last year is more frustrating," said Teyon Ware. "It has been a career that has been fast but it has been exciting. No matter what I am still a national champion and I have been blessed to win it twice. I am also a four-time All-American, I feel honored and I have no reason to hang my head." Gallick and Ware engaged in another classic battle that has seen the two compete nine times over four years. Ware defeated Gallick by a decision of 3-2, a year ago in the finals in St. Louis, Mo. This time around Gallick got the better of Ware as he claimed the national championship by a decision of 3-2. "We are so proud of Teyon Ware and what he has accomplished in a Sooner uniform," said head coach Jack Spates. "When it is all said and done Teyon will go down as one of the greatest Sooner wrestlers of all time and he will go on to have a great international career." Ware finishes his Sooner career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in OU history. The Edmond, Okla., native recorded a career record of 112-15 with two national championships (2003,05) and one Big 12 Championship (2003), and a runner-up finish this year. The Sooners finished the championships winning the third place trophy, as they accumulated 80.5 team points. OU leaves with five All-America honors in Sam Hazewinkel, Ware, Matt Storniolo, Joel Flaggert and Jake Hager. Hazewinkel finished as the third place winner at 125-pounds. Storniolo captured fourth place at 149-pounds. Flaggert won by injury default to claim fifth place at 197-pounds and Hager won seventh place in the heavyweight division. Also competing for Oklahoma were Will Rowe, Wes Roberts and Justin Dyer all of which did not place. "We came to wrestle this weekend and it showed," continued Spates. "There were a lot of teams here with a lot of talent and we are lucky enough to be going home with one of the four trophies. This is the sixth time in the last four years that we are going home with a trophy and I am very proud of that." Following the conclusion of the championships head coach Jack Spates was awarded the N.W.C.A. Coach of the Year award. Team Scores: 1. Oklahoma State - 122.5 2. Minnesota - 84.0 3. Oklahoma - 80.5 4. Iowa - 70 5. Cornell - 62 Championship Finals Session Six 141: Nate Gallick (Iowa State) dec. 3-2 Teyon Ware (OU)

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) defeated No. 2 Jake Herbert of Northwestern by major decision, 14-2, to claim the first individual national title in the history of the Missouri wrestling program at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. For his efforts, Askren was awarded the 2006 NWCA Most Outstanding Wrestler award for the tournament, leading Missouri to a 15th-place finish with a school-record 45.0 points. Fighting off a quick shot by Herbert in the opening seconds, top-seeded Askren was able to force Herbert to his back for two nearfall points as well. Scrambling across the mat in the most unorthodox final of the NCAAs, Askren was able to come out on top of another scramble to open a 6-0 lead after the first period. After Herbert chose down to begin the second frame, Askren gave up a reversal to his opponent early in the period, then escaped to hold a 7-2 advantage. Countering another shot by Herbert with 17 seconds left in the frame, Askren was able to pin Herbert's legs to his back for another takedown, opening a 9-2 lead over his opponent. Having completed two takedowns already, Askren chose neutral to start the third period, then finished a single-leg shot to make it to double-digit points, 11-2. With Herbert trying to roll him over, Askren caught both of Herbert's legs in his arms and pushed Herbert's back to the mat for another nearfall, winning the bout, 13-2. "It was a battle," Askren said. "He never quit and made it tough on me to get the win, but I was never worried. I had the best position throughout the match. I'm glad I came away with the victory." Askren's victory clinched a 45-0 season, the only undefeated season in the history of the Missouri wrestling program. Askren also set season records for falls (25), consecutive wins (45) and the record for most career falls at Missouri (61). "What Ben's national championship does is open the door for the team that is here now," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "Future wrestlers have something to strive for and see that we have a national champion."

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Oklahoma State put the finishing touches on its 34th national wrestling championship by crowning two champions and finishing with 122.5 team points, 38.5 points ahead of runner-up Minnesota, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. OSU finished the tournament with six All-Americans, the most of any school in the tournament. The Cowboys and Minnesota both crowned two champions. "There is no question that with all that has happened this year and with all the questions about who would win it, that in the end we basically dominated," head coach John Smith said. "That is what we hoped for all year, that is what we are capable of doing and we did it." Johny Hendricks successfully defended his title at 165 winning a thriller, 9-8, over previously undefeated and top-seeded Ryan Churella of Michigan. Hendricks was leading 4-3 in the second period when Churella got him in a cradle for a takedown and two near fall points at the buzzer to go up 7-4. Hendricks escaped and took Churella down on the edge of the mat with 30 seconds left to tie it up. Hendricks decided to go for the win by cutting Churella and with time running out; Hendricks scored a takedown with three seconds left to a chorus of cheers and boos at the Ford Center. "As soon as I grabbed his foot, I looked up and thought I had two," Hendricks said after his match. "I looked up and saw three seconds left and I went to the crowd after that. I knew it was over because I know I am strong enough to hold on to his ankle for three seconds." Jake Rosholt was never threatened in the finals at 197 against Penn State's Phil Davis. Rosholt recorded a takedown and took Davis to his back for three near fall points to go up 5-0. Rosholt coasted from there and went on to defeat Davis, 10-3, for his third individual title. Rosholt is just the 15th three-time national champion in school history and 10th four-time All-American. Steve Mocco had a typical match with rival Cole Konrad of Minnesota. The match went into a second tiebreaker where Mocco held a slim one second advantage. Konrad quickly turned it around when he rode Mocco for the full 30 seconds. Konrad escaped holding the lead and riding time forcing Mocco to go for a takedown. He tried a shot but Konrad countered for the takedown and went onto win 5-2. Mocco is the first Cowboy to lose in the finals over the last two tournaments. OSU has gone 7-for-8 in the finals of the last two NCAA Championships. Zack Esposito came back to finish third after losing in the semifinals. Esposito defeated Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum by a major decision before defeating Oklahoma's Matt Storniolo in the third-place match. Esposito won four of his six matches by bonus points to aid OSU's championship run. Coleman Scott took fifth to earn All-America honors for the second time in his career. Scott lost to top-seeded Nick Simmons of Michigan State, 7-4, but he came back in a big way pinning Cal Poly's eighth-seeded Chad Mendes in 58 seconds. Scott had a remarkable tournament coming back through the consolation bracket with three falls and a technical fall after losing his first match. It was a disappointing finish for sophomore Nathan Morgan. Morgan suffered two losses to finish sixth after he lost in the semifinals on Friday night. Morgan earned All-America honors for the first time in his career. Oklahoma State won four consecutive titles for the first time since 1946. OSU won four in a row from 1940-46, no championship was held from 1943-45 due to World War II.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma -- Boise State senior Ben Cherrington won the the NCAA National Championship match at 157 pounds Saturday (March 18). Cherrington defeated Brian Stith of Arizona State, 7-3, in the championship match. The Cherrington vs. Stith match was a rematch of the 2006 PAC-10 Championship. Cherrington, in the PAC-10 Championship, defeat Stith by pin. Cherrington finishes his 2006 senior season 20-0. Boise State head coach Greg Randall said: "Ben wrestled just great. It was a thrill to be there. He dominated his weight class this entire tournament. This was his closest match and he won it by a score of 7-3." "Right afterward he gave a yell to the crowd and the crowd responded back in loud cheering as he walked off the mat. We all - Ben, the coaching staff and his teammates - embraced. This is what it is all about. This is why we work so hard. It was very emotional." "It was really a night to remember." The victory over Stith Saturday makes Cherrington Boise State's second individual NCAA Champion in the sport of wrestling. Kirk White, a current assistant coach on the team, was the Broncos' first, winning the 1999 NCAA Championship at 165 pounds. Cherrington is Randall's first NCAA champion as the Broncos' head coach. Randall was an assistant when Bronco Kirk White won his championship in 1999. NCAA Champion Ben Cherrington and the Bronco team and coaching staff will return to Boise tomorrow (Sunday, March 19) ...They will be arriving on United. They will leave Tulsa, Okla., stop in Denver. They will then land in Boise at 9:32 p.m. All media, family and friends are invited to greet the happy team at the Boise Airport.

Junior Cole Konrad and true freshman Dustin Schlatter won national titles at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. Konrad defeated two-time NCAA Champion and four-time finalist Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State in double overtime. Schlatter became the first freshman in school history to win a national title following his 4-0 decision against second-seeded Ty Eustice of Iowa. Sophomore Roger Kish was narrowly defeated by Oregon's Shane Webster in the 184-pound final. Behind the two national titles, Minnesota passed Oklahoma to finish in second place with 84 points. Oklahoma State claimed its fourth straight NCAA Championship with a final total of 122.5 points. The Sooners finished in third with 80.5, followed by Iowa with 70 and Cornell with 62.0. Nearly a year to the day when Mocco defeated Konrad in overtime for the 2005 NCAA title, Konrad turned the tables. Tied at one in the second tiebreaker, Konrad rode Mocco the entire 30-second period. Konrad started down in the next tiebreaker and earned the escape to take a 3-2 lead. With time winding down and Mocco needing a takedown, Konrad put the match away for good on a takedown with 10 seconds to go. His 5-2 win was his fourth straight victory over Mocco this season. Mocco defeated Konrad three times last year. Konrad capped off the best season in school history as he finished 41-0 on the year. He joins Marty Morgan (39-0, 1991) and Tim Hartung (39-0, 1999) as the only Golden Gophers to finish a season unbeaten. A three-time All-American, Konrad moved into 11th place all-time with a 120-13 career record. He is on pace to challenge the school record for wins, currently held by Ed Giese (1983-86) with 159. Konrad also joins Brock Lesnar, Verne Gagne and Leonard Levy as Minnesota heavyweight national champions. Schlatter finished the best freshman season in school history with his second win of the year over Eustice. Schlatter took the lead for good halfway through the first period on his takedown near the edge of the mat. Following a scoreless second period, Schlatter increased the lead to 3-0 with an escape to start the third. He held off Eustice in the final two minutes and was awarded a bonus point for his 1:15 advantage in riding time. "He (Eustice) is a banger," Schlatter said. "I was just trying to get a takedown early, ride him hard and keep my head straight. In the back of my mind I had the goal of being a national champion. I don't know how many people would've been believed me if I told them. I definitely thought I could do it." Schlatter finished with a final record of 42-1, the fourth-highest win total in school history. He finished the year on a 30-match winning streak, the seventh-longest in school history. Schlatter joins Konrad as the ninth and 10th Golden Gophers to win a Big Ten Championship and NCAA Championship in the same season. Konrad and Schlatter became just the second duo in school history to win national titles in the same season. They join Luke Becker and Jared Lawrence who accomplished the feat in 2002. Minnesota has now won a total of 18 individual titles, including eight in the last nine years. At 184 pounds, Kish and Webster traded escapes in the second and third periods. Nearly midway through the final period, Kish got in a leg, but Webster countered and scored the takedown to take a 3-1 lead. Kish escaped to make it 3-2, but was unable to generate any offense against Webster. He finished national runner-up following the 3-2 decision. The Golden Gophers finished off one of their best seasons in school history. Minnesota recorded its 29th top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships, including its 10th straight under head coach J Robinson. The Golden Gophers finished in the top three at nationals for the eighth time in the last 10 years. "We're disappointed in our finish because we came here to win a national championship," head coach J Robinson. "If you look at it from where we were last year, if I told our fans we would have two national champions, three finalists, a 20-1 record and two wins over Oklahoma State, I'm sure they would take it. From where we started at the beginning of the year, it's a pretty amazing story." Minnesota will lose just one senior in the offseason. Senior All-American Matt Nagel closed out his career with a 100-60 record and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota will return four All-Americans and nine starters from a team that finished 20-1 during the dual meet season and won the Big Ten Championship.

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- University of Pennsylvania junior Matt Valenti became the program's third NCAA Champion on Saturday night with a 3-2 win in the finals at 133 pounds. The Newton, N.J. native went scoreless with Purdue's Chris Fleeger in the first period. In the second period, Fleeger chose bottom and was rode by Valenti the entire period. Both wrestlers were warned for stalling. Valenti chose bottom in the third and reversed Fleeger. With 1:57 left in the third, Fleeger called injury time and after a fresh start reversed Valenti to tie the score. Time ran out on the clock, but Valenti had riding time to secure the match and Penn's first National Championship in six years. "One of the things that Coach (Jones) has stressed throughout the year is conditioning and being able to battle through competitions like this," Valenti said of his progression in the tournament. "As a team coming into this tournament we knew that we would be in great shape towards the end of the tournament and would be able to push hard." Valenti finishes the season with a 36-2 record. He ended the season with a 24-match win streak. His 36 wins ties his own school record for wins in a season. He has 105 career victories, which is sixth best in program history. Earlier this year he become the first junior at Penn to reach the 100-win plateau. Valenti is the highest Ivy League and EIWA place winner. The Quakers finished 12th with 51 points, which is the most points scored by a Penn team at the NCAA Championships. It is also the Red and Blue's best finish since 2002 and sixth-best finish ever. "It was a great day for Penn wrestling. Our history touched us today," Head Coach Zeke Jones said. "Matt Valenti winning goes without saying. He is carrying on the proud tradition of Penn wrestling and he deserves it. He is such a hard working kid and he earned his right to wrestle for a national championship tonight." Penn junior Matt Herrington finished fifth at 174 pounds on Saturday morning to become an All-American for the first time. Herrington pinned Lehigh's Travis Frick in 6:44. It was third meeting between the two this season and the first win for Herrington. Herrington's only losses at the Nationals were to Patrovich. He went 6-0 against the rest of the field and pinned two top-10 grapplers. Herrington had a rematch with the wrestler who sent him to the consolation bracket, No. 5 seed Mike Patrovich. Unfortunately, Patrovich was on the winning end, taking the match 9-4. Herrington was taken down in the first and escaped. In the second, he tied the score with an escape, but was quickly taken down. Herrington escaped, but Patrovich hit another takedown to go ahead 6-3. In the bout for fifth place, Herrington fell behind early. Frick took him down, but Herrington escaped to stay within one. In the second, Frick chose bottom and escaped to go up 3-1. Herrington added another escape in the third and tied the match when he was awarded a point for two stalling falls on Frick. Several seconds later Herrington scored a takedown to pull ahead and then turned Frick and stuck him to the mat.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- In senior 125-pounder Joe Dubuque's last stand as a collegiate wrestler, the Bloomfield, N.J., native dominated from the opening whistle to claim his second consecutive national title. Dubuque overcame Troy Nickerson (Cornell), 8-3, to become the first Indiana grappler to win back-to-back national titles, and the second two-time champion since Charlie McDaniel captured a pair of titles in 1935 and 1938. "He is just a champion," head coach Duane Goldman said. "He epitomizes everything that a champion stands for, from the hard work and preparation to the success on and off the mat. He has been a blessing to coach and overall is the type of athlete every coach dreams about coaching." "I am his biggest fan," assistant coach Mike Mena said after the victory. "He has been a pleasure coaching since the first day he came to Indiana." Dubuque opened the match with a quick takedown in the opening period and never looked back. The three-time All-American allowed only three escapes by Nickerson, one in the first and two in the third, and registered a takedown in the second and third period en route to his 8-3 victory with riding time. Despite three escapes, Nickerson never managed a legitimate shot at the two-time champion in the loss. "I just had fun out there," Dubuque said after his second national-title victory. "Last year, the pressure was on. Today, I was just relaxed the whole time. I could not have gone out any better way, a champion." Dubuque concludes his illustrious season with his second consecutive national title, a third-place finish at Big Tens, his first regular-season title at the Mat Town Invitational, won 28 straight matches from March 6, 2005 to March 4, 2006 and became a three-time All-American (2004, 8th; 2005, 1st; 2006, 1st). During his career at Indiana, Dubuque is the fourth Hoosier grappler to earn three All-American honors in his career. "The first championship was for me," Dubuque said. "The second one was more for my coaches, my family and my grandfather (Louis DeRogatis) who recently passed away. I would not have traded this experience for anything in the world. The coaches at Indiana, the school and the pride of being a Hoosier, I would not have wanted to go anywhere else but IU." Indiana finished tied for 18th with 35.0 points. The is the 15th time IU has finished in the top 20 at NCAAs, and the fourth time under Goldman's leadership. The Hoosiers conclude the 2006 NCAA Championships with two All-Americans and one national champion.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Shane Webster won his second consecutive one-point match, Saturday night at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, to secure the national title at 184 pounds. The title is Oregon's first individual national title since 1969 (Johnny Miller) and only the second in program history. Webster, the Sams Valley Ore., native and the tournament's number five seed, defeated Minnesota's Roger Kish, 3-2, in the Championship Final. Webster was controlled and solid as he won an atypically low-scoring bout, in front of a capacity crowd at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Among the crowd was a teammate of Miller's, Oregon's first and until tonight only national champion. The first period passed scoreless as the two warriors tested each other. Webster scored a quick point for an escape to open the second. The one-point escape was all either wrestler scored in the second. An escape by Kish to open the third would tie the match, before the two would trade shots, with Webster rallying to scoot behind Kish and secure the two point takedown. Another escape by Kish provided the final, 3-2, margin. "We are really excited for Shane, this was the perfect ending to his college career," head coach Chuck Kearney said. "He kept himself focused all tournament long and proved himself worthy of being called a national champion." Webster's national title is the first for Oregon since Miller won in 1969 at 115 pounds. He was the first Duck in the final match since Scott Bliss reached the final at 150 pounds in 1980. He is coach Kearney's first national champion. "This moment was something I have been working for my whole life, ever since I started wrestling at seven years old," Webster said. "I can't even describe how I feel right now." Webster's composure as the seconds ticked off, locked up the match as he refused to be denied. "I knew I had that little bit of a lead and I knew neither one of us had riding time so I just tried to stay in a position where he couldn't get any points off me," Webster said. "He wrestled somewhat different than I was expecting, but I did the best I could and scored just enough to win." Joey Bracamonte, the Oregon senior from Albuquerque, N.M., was unable to get past his first consolation opponent Deonte Penn of Edinboro. Penn dominated the first period, scoring five points on two nearfalls and totaling 2:35 of riding time. Bracamonte fought through another nearfall and scored a nice reversal eventually landing a cement mixer, scoring a five-point nearfall, but he wasn't able to secure the fall. "Joey wrestled a great tournament and we don't want him to get lost in the shuffle, he was solid all weekend," head coach Chuck Kearney said. "Joey rallied back and scored a bunch of points and nearly stole the match back." Bracamonte got the match as close as, 14-10, but couldn't score again as he went upper body trying for the fall, Penn scored the riding time point and held on to win, 15-10. "When I hit the cement mixer, I thought I had him, but I didn't have it cinched quite enough," Bracamonte said. "I wish I had won my semifinal match, because I know I could have beaten (Johny) Hendricks [of Oklahoma State] again." In his fifth-place match Joey won a low-scoring, more conventional, contest as he edged Travis Paulson of Iowa State, 4-3, for the victory. The Ducks finished the tournament in 22nd place scoring 33 team points, the finish was the second-highest finish by a Pac-10 school, Arizona State finished 6th. The finish was Oregon's best since a tie for 21st in 1997.

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Iowa State national champion and three-time All-American Nate Gallick closed out his stellar career with a 3-2 win over his rival, Teyon Ware of Oklahoma, in the 141-pound finals at the 76th NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday evening in Oklahoma City at the Ford Center. Gallick finished his senior season with a perfect record of 35-0 and a career mark of 106-23. Gallick's win over Ware marked the eighth time in nine attempts he has defeated the Sooner. Iowa State finished tied for 13th with Northwestern in the team race with 48.5 points. Oklahoma State captured its fourth straight team title with 122.5 points followed by runner-up Minnesota with 84 points. The top-seeded Gallick met the No. 2 seed Ware for the ninth time in the pair's storied rivalry. Ware received a standing ovation from the in-state crowd as the Sooner hails from Edmond, Okla. Gallick struck early on a single-leg in the first period and fought off Ware's attempt to shake loose and scored the first points on a double-leg for an early 2-0 advantage. Ware followed with an escape and another escape to begin the second period to tie the match at two. After Ware was cautioned to open the third period from the top position, Gallick exploded from the bottom for an escape and a 3-2 lead. Gallick was warned for stalling towards the end of the third period but Ware was unable to get a clean shot in a final flurry as Gallick took the match, 3-2. "I tried to take a nap today but I just couldn't do it," Gallick said. "Every time I closed my eyes, I was shooting or avoiding being taken down. "I have a great amount of respect for Teyon (Ware). Every time we have wrestled it has been close. The first takedown in matches between us has been so important. A year ago, (Ware) got the first takedown (in Ware's 2005 NCAA final victory over Gallick) and then got some riding time on me. It changed the whole match and took me out of my game." Gallick's only loss to Ware came in the finals at last year's NCAA Championships. Ware scored the match's only takedown. Gallick had placed second and fifth previously in the national tournament prior to winning his national title. "Not winning a national title has given me a lot of motivation to come in and get it done," Gallick said. "This is my last year and it was my last chance to win one." Gallick and Ware are reknowned for their epic extra-session matches and clashing defensive styles. "My defense has always complimented my offense and it is real important for me to stay in good condition," Gallick said. "I try not to wrestle when I'm behind. If you get scored on you get put into a position that you have to score and not make any more mistakes." Head coach Bobby Douglas thought the plan he had for Gallick worked to perfection. "Nate's quick third period escape was planned well in advance," Douglas said. "We had been wrestling this match in our heads for a full year. Nate remembered that back flip (Ware did a back flip after winning the 2005 NCAA title against Gallick. Nate wrestled a perfect match." Douglas and assistant head coach Cael Sanderson brought in the nation's best recruiting class last season and says the future is bright. "We have a very promising group of young men, including Nate's younger brother (Nick) who have redshirted their true freshmen seasons," Douglas added. "They were the No. 1 wrestling recruiting class. That looks great on paper but those guys will be the heart of our program for years to come." Finals Result: 141 pounds -- Nate Gallick (Iowa State) dec. Teyon Ware (Oklahoma), 3-2

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Before the 76th NCAA Division I Championships got underway on Thursday morning at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, the team title was believed to be very much up for grabs. But after Friday night's semifinals, when Oklahoma State advanced three wrestlers into the championship finals, their fourth consecutive title was all but wrapped up. On Saturday night, in front of 16,394 fans, the Cowboys crowed two NCAA champions, Johny Hendricks (165) and Jake Rosholt (197), and put the exclamation point on their 34th NCAA title in a season that was filled with uncertainty and high expectations. The Cowboys finished with 122.5 points, on the strength of six All-Americans, which was 38.5 points higher than runner-up Minnesota (84 points). Oklahoma was third with 80.5 points, Iowa was fourth with 70 points, and Cornell was fifth with 62 points. "There's isn't any question that today was a good day, and it was the way to finish the tournament for a year that left a lot of questions as to who was going to win, and who was going to be the best in the end," said Oklahoma State coach John Smith. "I think the most gratifying thing is the fact that we dominated. And that's what you hoped. That's what you expected early in the year. It didn't materialize during the season, but in the end, it was what we were capable of doing, and we did it." Hendricks, who entered the event seeded No. 2 at 165, came from behind to defeat top-seeded and previously unbeaten Ryan Churella of Michigan in the finals, 9-8, to claim his second straight NCAA title. Hendricks took command of the match early with two first period takedowns, but Churella battled back. In the second period, Churella countered a Hendricks single leg attempt and locked up cradle and nearly had the Cowboy pinned as time ran out on the second period. In the third period, with Churella clinging to a tight 8-7 lead, Hendricks scored a takedown with just three seconds remaining for the dramatic 9-8 victory. For Hendricks, the fact that he won this title literally in his own backyard made it even sweeter. "It was amazing," said Hendricks. "I wanted to (win it) so bad. My parents live only 15 miles away from here. I had so many people up there. I had so many people out there who wanted me to lose. I knew that I had to do it here. If I don't win another one, I wanted to win it here." Rosholt, the No. 4 seed at 197, won his third NCAA title with a 10-3 decision over sixth-seeded Phil Davis of Penn State, 10-3. Nate Gallick of Iowa State, who finished his senior campaign a perfect 38-0, finally got the 141-pound NCAA title that eluded him in the past when he defeated his Big 12 nemesis, Teyon Ware of Oklahoma, 3-2. It was a role-reversal from a year ago when Ware defeated Gallick to claim the title. "Every match we have is close," said Gallick, who has now won seven of their eight career meetings. "I've been lucky enough that most of them went my way. Little mistakes can change the match. I definitely respect him. He's a great athlete and a great competitor. I'm glad that my college is career is over and that I probably won't have to wrestle him again. We've seen each other plenty." At 125, Indiana's Joe Dubuque won his second straight NCAA title by defeating true freshman Troy Nickerson of Cornell, 8-3. He became the first Indiana wrestler to win back-to-back NCAA titles, and the first two-time champion since Charlie McDaniel won a pair of titles in 1935 and 1938. "I think I was forgotten once I won the national championship last year," said Dubuque. "It actually motivates me a little bit more. These guys looking at the rankings, they're like, 'He has to be No. 1 because he's the returning national champ.' People were saying how I don't wrestle a tough schedule and how I take off some tournament. But, you know what, when it comes down to it, in March, I come out undefeated every time." At 174, it was a battle of unbeaten wrestlers as Missouri's Ben Askren faced Northwestern's Jake Herbert. Askren, who finished runner-up the past two years, scored early and often as he cruised to a convincing 14-2 victory over Herbert. He became Missouri's first-ever NCAA champion in wrestling and also earned the Outstanding Wrestler award for his effort. "It was a battle," said Askren. "He didn't stop wrestling. He never quit. But in the same respect, I was never worried. I had him in every position." Missouri coach Brian Smith believes that Askren's passion and dedication to the sport has rubbed off on his teammates. "It's hard to get mad at a kid who is a straight A student, does everything right, and has a passion for this thing that he loves, which is wrestling," said Smith. "He lives it. That goes to the room. Our team in the summer works out with Ben … and follows Ben. He's the leader of the team. A kid that's like that, you don't want to pull the reins too much because what he's doing is something special, and it's something that he loves." Minnesota finished with two NCAA champions -- Dustin Schlatter (149) and Cole Konrad (Hwt). Schlatter, Minnesota's true freshman phenom, won 149-pound title with a shutout victory over second-seeded Ty Eustice of Iowa, 4-0. With the win, Schlatter finished with the best freshman season in school history. It also marked his second win this season over Eustice. "It was definitely a goal for me," said Schlatter. "Kind of in the back my mind I had the goal of being a national champ. I don't know if many people would have believed me. I definitely thought I could do it." Last season, Oklahoma State's Steve Mocco defeated Konrad to win the NCAA title, but this season Konrad reversed the result with a 5-2 victory in overtime. It was Konrad's fourth straight victory over Mocco this season. The three-day attendance was 95,501, which is the second highest total at the NCAA Division I Championships, only to St. Louis in 2000. Finals Results: 125: No. 3 Joe Dubuque (Indiana) dec. No. 5 Troy Nickerson (Cornell), 8-3 133: No. 6 Matt Valenti (Penn) dec. No. 5 Chris Fleeger (Purdue), 3-2 141: No. 1 Nate Gallick (Iowa State) dec. No. 2 Teyon Ware (Oklahoma), 3-2 149: No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Ty Eustice (Iowa), 4-0 157: No. 5 Ben Cherrington (Boise State) dec. No. 10 Brian Stith (Arizona State), 7-3 165: No. 2 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 1 Ryan Churella (Michigan), 9-8 174: No. 1 Ben Askren (Missouri) maj. dec. No. 2 Jake Herbert (Northwestern), 14-2 184: No. 5 Shane Webster (Oregon) dec. No. 2 Roger Kish (Minnesota), 3-2 197: No. 4 Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 6 Phil Davis (Penn State), 10-3 Hwt: No. 1 Cole Konrad (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State), 5-2 TB2 Final Team Standings: 1. Oklahoma State -- 122.5 2. Minnesota -- 84 3. Oklahoma -- 80.5 4. Iowa -- 70 5. Cornell -- 62 6. Arizona State -- 61.5 7. Michigan -- 57.5 8. Edinboro -- 56 T9. Lehigh -- 53.5 T9. Penn State -- 53.5 11. Hofstra -- 52.5 12. Penn -- 51 T13. Iowa State -- 48.5 T13. Northwestern -- 48.5 15. Missouri -- 45 Outstanding Wrestler: Ben Askren (Missouri) Manuel Gorrarian: Mark Perry (Iowa) Coach of the Year: Jack Spates (Oklahoma) Final Results Session 4 Recap Session 3 Recap Session 2 Recap Session 1 Recap

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It might have been a slow start for the Cowboys, but as head coach John Smith said, his team "Cowboy Up'ed" when it mattered most. Johny Hendricks (165) sparked a cowboy winning streak that included additional semifinal victories by defending NCAA champions Jake Rosholt (197) and Steve Mocco (Hwt). The crowd peppered Hendricks with boos from the beginning. "There seems to be a lot more hate," said Hendricks. "I've got 13,000 hating me and 3,000 loving me. But, you know, I don't know why. Whenever I go out there, I'm having fun. I'm wresting my hardest. I go harder than anybody." The Cowboys ended the session with a 33.5 point lead over second place Minnesota, who has 72.5 points and three finalists. Oklahoma (64.5), Iowa (61.5), and Arizona State (56) round out the top five teams. Perhaps the biggest story of the round was the validation of the "super frosh" -- Troy Nickerson of Cornell (125) and Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota (149). Nickerson, the No. 5 seed, shocked top-seeded and previously undefeated Nick Simmons of Michigan State, 2-1. He scored a reversal in the third period for the first points of the match. Simmons, however, was awarded a stalling point when Nickerson failed to advance his position. Nickerson was ecstatic about reaching the finals as a true freshman. He will now face defending NCAA champion Joe Dubuque of Indiana. "This has been my goal for a long time, but it is not over yet," said Nickerson. "I still have one more match. My goal is to become a national champ, and I am on my way." The other freshman phenom, Dustin Schlatter, lived up to his No. 1 seed as he took care of fourth-seeded Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma, 5-1. Schlatter used two takedowns and added a riding time point to secure a ticket to the finals against Ty Eustice of Iowa, a wrestler he defeated 3-1 in late January. "I have to keep doing what I've been doing throughout the season, get up for the matches and wrestle like myself," said Schlatter. "My riding has helped in a lot of close matches and that is something that I want to take advantage of again." Two finals matches are repeats from last year's NCAA finals -- 141 and heavyweight. At 141, Iowa State's Nate Gallick will take on familiar conference foe in Oklahoma's Teyon Ware. Although Ware is a two-time NCAA champion, Gallick owns the season series 3-0 and the overall series 7-1. In the heavyweight finals, Minnesota's Cole Konrad, who is undefeated, will take on Oklahoma State's Steve Mocco. This year's match is a role reversal as Konrad enters the match as the favorite and No. 1 seed. Konrad owns three victories over Mocco this year. Mocco knows that it is now or never for him to win his third NCAA title. "It's time to go," said Mocco. "The time to talk about it is over. The time to think about it is over. Now I have to go out there and scrap for it. I am not worried about the title. I'm worried about the match tomorrow." But the most anticipated finals matchmay be at 174 betweet two undefeated wrestlers, Ben Askren of Missouri and Jake Herbert of Northwestern. Askren, who finished runner-up the past two seasons, won by technical fall over Mike Patrovich of Hofstra in the semifinals, 21-6, to advance to the finals. Herbert defeated Iowa's Mark Perry for the third time this season, 9-3. Although Herbert enters the match as a slight underdog, he's looking forward to wrestling Askren. "He's one of the top wrestlers in the nation, regardless of weight class," said Herbert. "We both have some of the longest winning streaks in the nation, so I think that says something. We're both very versatile and good in all positions. It's going to be a scrap tomorrow." Team Standings (After Session 4): 1. Oklahoma State -- 106 2. Minnesota -- 72.5 3. Oklahoma -- 64.5 4. Iowa -- 61.5 5. Arizona State -- 56 6. Cornell -- 54 7. Penn State -- 53.5 8. Michigan -- 52 9. Hofstra -- 47 10. Lehigh -- 46 Session 4 Results Session 3 Recap Session 2 Recap Session 1 Recap