InterMat Staff

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State (5-3, 2-1 WWC) used five major decisions and a pin in the first six bouts of the dual against Eastern Illinois (1-9) to defeat the Panthers 32-16 at the Bison Sports Arena on Thursday, February 1. Eric Hoffman got the scoring going for North Dakota State at 125 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Hoffman used a couple of near falls in the second period and array of moves in the third to defeat A.J. Ciccarelli 12-1. Eric Sanders held the lead throughout his bout against Lenny Grodoski and used over three minutes of advantage time to notch a 9-1 major decision at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, Gabe Mooney recorded the only pin for the Bison in the match and his second of the season, sticking Casey Carrino's shoulders to the mat with 22 seconds remaining in the third period, giving the Bison an early 14-0 lead. Like Hoffman and Sanders, Ryan Adams, Adam Aho, and Mike Quamme each recorded major decisions in the next three bouts of the match. Adams beat Tommy Reamer 14-6 at 149 pounds, using 2 minutes and 25 seconds of advantage time to secure four points. Aho won his fourth dual match in a row, defeating Kile O'Toole 13-1 at 157 pounds. Aho is now tied for the team lead in dual victories with six. Quamme, who was almost pinned in the first period, came back to take care of Billy Gallo 17-5. Like Aho, Quamme has now won his last four dual matches. Two-time NCAA qualifer Kenny Robertson jumped out to an 8-1 lead after one period over NDSU's Matt Hermann and defeated him 17-5 at 174 pounds. Warren Gall, making his debut for North Dakota State, took on Greg Perz at 184 pounds. Perz, a 2006 national qualifier, pinned the rookie in 1 minute and 44 seconds, closing the gap to 26-10. After a Panther forfeit at 197 pounds, heavyweight Justin LaGosh was pinned by EIU's Greg Trinka at the 4:10 mark. The Bison are now 3-0 in duals at the Bison Sports Arena this season. The Bison will have their undefeated home record tested on Friday, February 2, against Western Wrestling Confernce foe Northern Colorado (4-6, 1-1 WWC). The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start at the Bison Sports Arena.

PITTSBURGH, PA -– The National Wrestling Coaches Association approved the motion of electing University at Buffalo wrestling head coach Jim Beichner as President-elect earlier this year at its annual general membership meeting held in Pittsburgh, PA. Beichner was voted to succeed recently-elected Ron Mirkitani of St. Louis-Meremac, who assumed the role of President this year, and will begin a two-year term beginning in 2008. The NWCA is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate programs. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The NWCA, through its organizational structure, promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events, and serves as an educational and informational source. Additionally, the NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of athletic competition. "They are a great group of people who promote the sport of wrestling and make a difference," coach Beichner said. "I am hoping I can do a fraction of what they are doing."

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 8/13 Oklahoma wrestling team (8-4, 0-2 Big 12) travels to Tempe, Ariz., for a Showdown with the Arizona State Sun Devils (6-10, 3-2 Pac-10) Friday at 7 p.m. Mountain, at Wells Fargo Arena "This is going to be a very tough match up with the Sun Devils and we need to come in prepared and ready to wrestle," head coach Jack Spates said. The premiere match of the evening pits No. 12 Will Rowe and No. 5 Brian Stith of Arizona State. Rowe, a sophomore from Arlington, Texas, is currently 15-2 on the season. Stith, a senior from Hampton, Va., is 19-2. Last season OU defeated Arizona State in Norman, 29-13 as the Sooners won six of the 10 matches. Oklahoma is 7-2-1 in its last 10 matches with ASU and Jack Spates is 9-3-1 all-time versus the Sun Devils. OU is 21-13-1 all-time versus Arizona State. "We look forward to the challenge Friday night as we continue to prepare for Sunday's dual with Missouri," Spates continued. The Sooners are still without two starters as Sam Hazewinkel (125-pounds) and Joe Comparin (133-pounds) recover from injuries. OU does welcome back 141-pound redshirt-freshman Kyle Terry (11-7) who has been out due to an injury since the National Duals. The Sooners are home again Sunday, Feb. 4, when they play host to the No. 2/2 Missouri Tigers at 3 p.m., inside the Howard McCasland Field House. At halftime of the Missouri match, the Sooner wrestling program will present former Sooner great Danny Hodge with a special gift. As well prior to the dual, two local youth wrestling clubs will wrestle each other. Hodge, a native of Perry, Okla., was a three-time national champion at Oklahoma and was twice named the outstanding wrestler of the NCAA Championships. While wrestling for the Sooners Hodge pinned 36 of his 46 opponents. A three-time All-American and three-time Big Seven Champion at 177-pounds, Hodge was also a Silver Medalist at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Any student attending the last three home matches will need to sign in as they enter the field house to be entered in a drawing to win $1,500. Second place will receive $500. Students are admitted free with a valid student ID.

Blair, NE -- The Dana College wrestling team hosted Augustana College on Wednesday evening. Coming into the match, Dana College was rated fifth in the latest NAIA poll, while Augustana was rated 13th in the NCAA Division II poll. The Vikings of Dana College came away with a 27-17 victory. The opening bought saw twin brothers Craig and Chris Trampe square off at 125 pounds. Entering the match, both brothers had national rankings, Craig is currently rated fifth in the NAIA and Chris is currently rated eighth in the NCAA Division II poll. Neither brother could take a lead in the first three periods nor earn a victory in regulation. The match came down to overtime. Dana's Craig Trampe (SR, Ord, Neb.) earned a takedown to defeat brother Chris 2-1. Burke Barnes (JR, Lake Stevens, Wash.) earned a technical fall over Adam Schlee at 133 pounds. Barnes earned Dana bonus points with his 20-3 victory. Brian Graham (FR, Kansas City, Mo.) squared off against Mike Long at 141 pounds. Graham made quick work of Long with a 13-0 major decision. Terrence Almond (SR, Pelham, Ga.) was bumped up from 141 to 149 to take on Brandon Kruger. Almond claimed his 35th victory of the season by putting Kruger down for a fall at 4:52. Augustana got on the board at 157 as Augustana's number four-rated Austin Scarset defeated fifth-rated Jason Bilinski (JR, Pittsgrove, N.J.). Scarset overwhelmed Bilinski and pinned him at the 4:09 mark to earn Augustana its first points of the night. Bulla Tuzon (FR, Wailuku, Hawaii) got Dana back on track with a 9-4 decision over Aaron Haddorf at 165. Josh Ghobadpoor (FR, Dahlonega, Ga.) faced off against two-time Division II All-American Cody Henrickson at 174. The more-experienced Henrickson defeated Ghobadpoor by technical fall 19-4. Webster Farris (JR, Nebraska City, Neb.) got Dana back on track at 184 pounds. Farris wrestled his way to a 7-2 decision over Beau Severtson. At 197 pounds, sixth-rated Wade Jordan (Coulee City, Wash.) wrestled third-rated Nate Buys. The higher-ranked Buys gave Augustana another win as he pinned Jordan at the 6:06 mark. In the evening's final match, Jesse Boggs (FR, Deming, N.M.) took down Ray O'Connor 4-3 at 285 pounds. The wrestling team also honored six seniors prior to the start of the match. The seniors honored were Terrence Almond, Eddie Locke (Redding, Calif.), Craig Trampe, Shawn Tsutsumi (Kaneohe, Hawaii), and Clinton Dale (Las Vegas, N.M.). The victory raised Dana's season record to 10-2. The home portion of the schedule is complete for the Vikings. Dana has two more duals remaining on its schedule. The Vikings will travel to Mitchell, S.D., on Friday to complete their Great Plains Athletic Conference dual schedule. Dana will square off against Dakota Wesleyan at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, the Vikings will travel to Marshall, Mo., for their final dual of the season against Missouri Valley.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Coming off a dramatic 19-18 victory over Wisconsin last Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the 10th-ranked Wildcats will head East to face No. 12 Penn State and Ohio State, who is receiving votes in the latest rankings. The 'Cats take on Penn State at 6 p.m. Friday before heading to St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio to duel the Ohio State Buckeyes at 1 p.m. Sunday. Quoting Coach Cysewski "Traveling to Penn State and Ohio State in one weekend is always challenging," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "We have some key individual matchups that will affect Big Ten and National seeds." Last Time Out Dustin Fox's (Galion, Ohio/Galion) escape in the third period of the final match proved to the be the difference as the Wildcats defeated ninth-ranked Wisconsin Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 19-18. The Wildcats trailed 18-6 heading into the last four matches, but the 'Cats won all four to claim their first Big Ten victory of the season and hand Wisconsin its first dual loss. Scouting the Nittany Lions No. 12 Penn State is 1-3 in the Big Ten with road losses to Wisconsin and Minnesota to open the conference slate. They are led by third-ranked junior Phil Davis at 197 lbs. and seventh-ranked Mark McKnight at 125. Jake Strayer and James Yonushonis also are ranked in the top-15 at 133 and 174, respectively. The Lions' loss to Illinois was their first home loss of the season. Keep Your Eye On 197: #2 Tamillow (NU) vs. #3 Davis (PSU) 174: #15 Hayes (NU) vs. #7 Yonushonis (PSU) 285: #4 Fox (NU) vs. #13 Anspach (PSU) 125: Precin (NU) vs. #7 McKnight (PSU) Scouting the Buckeyes Ohio State is 2-1 in conference with wins over Indiana and Purdue. It dropped a road contest at Penn State last weekend. Freshman 184-pound Mike Pucillo is the highest-ranked Buckeye at No. 3, but OSU has strength in the middle with No. 17 Lance Palmer at 149, No. 15 Chris Vondruska at 165. J.D. Bergman is ranked eighth at 197. Keep Your Eye On 184: #1 Herbert (NU) vs. #3 Pucillo (OSU) 197: #2 Tamillow (NU) vs. #8 Bergman (OSU) "Dust"in the Wind Junior heavyweight Dustin Fox's escape in the third period of his bout against Wisconsin's Kyle Massey gave him the 3-2 decision and gave the 'Cats the 19-18 win--their first in the Big Ten. The fourth-ranked Fox is 20-2 on the year, 9-1 in dual meets and finished second at the Midlands Championships. Up, Up, Upper Weights In dual meet action, Northwestern's starters from 184 lbs. and up have combined 37-2 record. Top-ranked Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) is 14-0 at 184 lbs., fourth-ranked Fox is 9-1 at heavyweight, Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) is 14-1 at 197 lbs. Overall, the four grapplers combine for a 67-3 record. Northwestern trailed 18-6 heading into Nick Hayes' (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) 174-pound match against Wisconsin before rolling off four-straight wins to take the dual, 19-18. From 174 lbs. and up, the 'Cats are 11-1 through three Big Ten duals.

The EIWA Hall of Fame will induct five new members at the 103rd EIWA Championships, to be held March 2-3 at East Stroudsburg University. The ceremony will take place before the final round of the tournament on Saturday, March 3. The new inductees are Clyde "Red" Witman, former coach at East Stroudsburg, Robert Eberle of Princeton, George Feuerbach of Lehigh, Wayne Hicks of Navy, and Charlie Ridenour of Penn State. Biographical information on the honorees follows. Clyde "Red" Whitman coached at East Stroudsburg University for 17 seasons between 1961 and 1979. His lifetime record was 180 wins, 76 losses and six ties. Clyde holds the school's records for longest wrestling tenure as coach, most dual meet wins and he ranks second in winning percentage. As head coach, he guided 22 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champions and more than 20 All-American medalists. Whitman coached ESU to its highest three finishes at the Division I National Championships – 8th place and twice 13th from 1966-68. His top wrestlers were Gary Cook, a 3-time All-American who placed 3rd twice and 4th in Division I and heavyweight Dick Schumacher, a Div. II national champion and 2-time Division I medalist. Whitman coached five Top 10 teams in Div. II, including the school's highest-ever place, a fifth. Red led teams to PSAC Championships in 1967 and 1970 and his 1966 team was undefeated in duals. Red was also a professor and athletic director at ESU, earning the alumni association's "Great Teacher" award in 1995. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, as well as the halls of fame at West Chester University and East Stroudsburg. He passed away on April 28 of 2006 at the age of 74. Robert Eberle graduated from Brooklyn Poly Prep before wrestling for Hall of Fame coach, Jimmy Reed. Robert became a three-time EIWA champion at 128 pounds, winning all three tournaments entered and was a captain in 1941 for Princeton's co-champion EIWA team. Eberle earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award by pinning Penn's James Laggan, whom he also defeated in the 1940 finals. As a sophomore finalist, Bob defeated another two-time runner-up and he's one of just four Tiger wrestlers ever to earn the Outstanding Wrestler Award. In 1940 he appeared on the cover of the NCAA rule book. As a freshman, Robert Eberle became his school's first-ever freshman winner of Cane Spree, an athletic contest initiated during the Civil War. He graduated with a degree in biology and spent two years in medicine at Columbia before serving as an Army lieutenant in medical administration. In 1948 he earned a master's degree in drama at North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He founded one of the first winter stock theaters in Florida and later became a prime time television director for NBC. Among highlights was directing the Kate Smith Show. While working at WOR-TV and casting Harlem Detective, he resisted pressure from McCarthyism. He also worked with the legendary Russian, George Balanchine, one of the greatest choreographers in the history of ballet. Beloved by family and friends, he died in June of 2000 and was married for 54 years to Mary Hanchette. Their children are Ruth, Robert and Russell, along with three grandchildren. Despite competing at three weight classes for the good of his team, George Feuerbach amassed one of Lehigh's best records with a career mark of 37 wins, five losses and a tie. He became his school's third three-time EIWA champion by winning in the 137 pound finals at home against two-time NCAA third place winner, Gerry Maurey of Penn State. The 7-3 victory helped earn the Outstanding Wrestler Award. Feuerbach also defeated Maurey, 8-1, in a dual meet on the road. Among George's few defeats were two bouts at NCAAs against national finalists and two bout sup a weight, including a 4-3 loss up at 147 against national runner-up Don Frey. After competing for Spring Gardner at Mepham High School, Feuerbach became captain of his Lehigh team and was also an accomplished freestyle competitor. He was a Junior Metropolitan AAU champion in 1946, New York State AAU winner in 1947 and Long Island champion in 1947 and '48. He competed in four National AAU championships and was a fellow teammate of Charlie Ridenour with the New York Athletic Club. Entering the Air Force as a pilot after graduation, Lieutenant George Feuerbach died serving his country in 1956, after an equipment malfunction caused a fatal crash during takeoff. Wayne Hicks was a two-time EIWA champion at 137 pounds and was voted Outstanding Wrestler in 1966 after beating defending national champion, Billy Stuart in the finals. Wayne's only career EIWA tournament loss came in the '65 finals to Stuart, after Hicks defeated another defending NCAA champion in the quarterfinals. He claimed the league's Fletcher Award in 1966 for most career points. Outstanding seemed to come naturally to Wayne—he was an undefeated two-time NJ state champion at Somerville High School and outstanding wrestler as a senior. While at Navy he won two Wilkes Open titles and was voted OW in both 1964 and '65. After graduation from Annapolis, Hicks placed third at the 1971 U.S. World Team Trials, including one tie with future Olympic champion John Peterson. A carrier pilot while serving in the Navy, Wayne was an assistant to Ed Peery with two EIWA championship teams (1972 and 1974). He later spent innumerable years as a volunteer coach for wrestling programs in the area, including the Naval Academy, Navy Junior Wrestling, Crofton Junior League, Old Mill High School and St. Mary's High School, his current avocation. In 2002, Hicks was inducted into the Maryland Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Lifetime Service. Charlie Ridenour was born to be a Penn Stater but served his sport in many ways. He grew up in State College, PA, and was a state champion at 115 pounds in 1939. He became a three-time EIWA champion at 121 pounds for the Nittany Lions from 1941-1943 and was the league's Most Outstanding Wrestler as a junior. As a sophomore at the NCAA Championships, he was the highest scorer, winning 17-5 and 14-11 before losing, 9-7, to the top seed. In 1942 he placed 3rd in the nation by scoring the most falls, with three, and losing only to runner-up Malcolm McDonald. Malcolm succeeded him as a three-time EIWA champion at 121, while one of Charlie's falls came against a future NCAA champion. Charlie missed out on his senior NCAA Tournament due to World War II. He eventually won two National AAU titles, highlighted by defeating NCAA champion, Dick Hauser, to end his 95-bout win streak as an amateur. Ridenour served in the military from 1944-46 and was a U.S. Olympic team finalist in 1948. He was assistant coach at Penn State before becoming head coach at the University of Pennsylvania from 1952-61. Charlie coached one year at Lock Haven before retiring to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He passed away in 1970. In his relatively short life, Charlie Ridenour was widely renowned for his passionate belief in the promotion of wrestling.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -– Penn State Nittany Lion freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending January 28, 2007. The honor is the first for Vallimont and the first for Penn State this season. Vallimont captured his first two career Big Ten dual wins this past weekend, both over ranked opponents. The Lake Hopatcong, N.J., native, unranked at 149 at the time, downed No. 16 Lance Palmer of Ohio State, 10-6, to help the Lions beat OSU, 26-12, on Friday night. Two days later, Vallimont defeated No. 10 Troy Tirapelle of Illinois, 9-3, in the Lions near-upset of No. 11 Illinois, an 18-16 loss. Vallimont outscored the duo by a combined total of 19-9 and improved his overall record to 14-7 (2-2 in Big Ten duals). The conference award is the first for Penn State since Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) earned the honor last January. No. 12 Penn State, under the direction of head coach Troy Sunderland, will host two top ten teams this weekend as the Nittany Lions welcome No. 10 Northwestern to Rec Hall on Friday night at 7 p.m. Penn State then hosts No. 6 Iowa at 12 p.m. on Sunday in a WWCP-TV Fox 8 telecast (also seen regionally on FSN-Pittsburgh). Wrestling wristbands will be given away on Friday night and wrestling ‘trucker hats' will be given away on Sunday. Both items will be available while supplies last. All Penn State duals will be heard live on WBLF AM and WKVA AM as well as streamed for free at GoPSUsports.com. Single-match tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information. Fans can also get tickets at GoPSUsports.com. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. –- Wartburg junior 133-pounder Jake Helvey said what his Knights teammates were thinking after the Orange and Black, ranked No. 2 in the country, toppled top-ranked Augsburg 19-13 in front of a capacity crowd at Si Melby Hall Thursday, Feb. 1. "I just wanted to stay in good position and out-fight my guy," he said in response to strategy used to upend top-ranked Jafari Vanier 5-0. For six of the 10 individual matches, Wartburg did just that. Head coach Jim Miller's squad, reaching 20 wins for the third consecutive season, scored upset wins at 125, as No.7-ranked Robert Struthers upended No. 3-ranked Seth Flodeen 6-2, Helvey turned the tables on Vanier, and sophomore 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont, ranked No. 4, stopped top-ranked Jeremy Anderson 4-2. Miller knew the importance of the win, but also understood what lies ahead. "It's a big momentum boost for us," he said. "It shows we're progessing which is what you want at this time of the season. "Hey, there's still a lot ahead of us," he added. "We know that (Augsburg) will come back strong in the national tournament. We just need to take what happened tonight and build off of it for our remaining schedule." Wartburg (20-1) trailed the Auggies (10-1) 13-9 after third-ranked 174-pounder Robbie Gotreau major decisioned Jason Zastrow 14-2. However, the talented trio of sophomore Romeo Djoumessi, junior 197-pounder T.J. Miller, and senior heavyweight Blake Gillis produced three consecutive wins, including a major from Gillis, to take the dual.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Oklahoma State used three major decisions to lift the Cowboys to a 21-13 victory over No. 20 Nebraska on Thursday night at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska got an upset from ninth-ranked Dominick Moyer over fourth-ranked Nathan Morgan, and Jordan Burroughs followed with a win at 149 to put the Cornhuskers in a position to win the dual in the final match. Nebraska needed a pin at 157 to win the dual. Newly McSpadden escaped in the closing minutes to send the match into overtime. In the overtime period, McSpadden took a shot and a scrambled ensued. McSpadden came out on top to score the winning takedown and beat Chris Oliver to close out the dual for the Cowboys. "Going into the last match, I was thankful for the major decisions that we got early," head coach John Smith said. "I was pleased with them (major decisios), and they were important going into the last match. "It was a good win. This can be a tough place to wrestle, and we found a way to scrap out a win. It was a good effort by Newly to close out the dual." The Cowboys jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the dual. Johny Hendricks got it started with a major decision at 165. Brandon Mason and Jack Jensen both followed with decisions. Nebraska tried to climb back into the dual with a major decision at 197 and a decision at 125, but the Cowboys put distance in the score as Jared Rosholt and Coleman Scott both scored major decisions at heavyweight and 133, respectively. OSU led 18-7 and appeared to be in good position, but an upset at 141 and a Nebraska victory at 149 gave the Huskers an opportunity to win the dual in the final bout. McSpadden came through for the Pokes, however, with an overtime victory to make the final score 21-13. OSU improved to 13-4 on the season, while Nebraska dropped to 7-6. The Cowboys return home on Saturday when second-ranked Missouri visits Gallagher-Iba Arena for a dual slated to begin at 7 p.m.

A fresh, new semester is upon us, and here at Dana, a fresh start is just what we need. We picked up action following our runner-up performance at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals with an attempt to defend our title at the Northwestern Invite in Orange City, IA on January 20. The beginning of the tournament had many of us questioning our performances and looking ahead at a long day. To our disappointment we put only three men, Terrance Almond (141) and Eric Graham (133), and Wade Jordan (197) into the semifinals, and only Terrance to the finals. As we have battled in the past, many of us set out on our treks through the backside bracket. All in all, we made good on or vengeance towards the medal rounds. After losing in the semis, Eric claimed a third-place medal by getting two big wins over an NAIA rival. As I've done in the past after an early loss, I also claimed third place by avenging my quarterfinal loss. Additional placers were Craig Trampe (125), Jason Bilinski (157), Dan Pray (157), Bula Tuzon (165), and Jesse Boggs (285). An additional highlight ironically included a loss for Wade Jordan (197) to the returning national champion at 197 in the closing seconds of their semifinal bout. The ultimate star of the day for Dana and the Northwestern Invitational was the performance of Terrance Almond. Terrance terrorized the competition by recording a major decision, a tech fall, and two pins to claim the tourney title. With his outstanding day, Terrance returned the Outstanding Wrestler award back to Dana for the third consecutive year. Terrance is following in the footsteps of two other Dana All-Americans, Blair Alderman and Marshall Marquardt. Webster FarrisAfter a day of much mat-time, we were faced with little time for relaxation. We began pushing hard towards a conference dual against Northwestern on Friday (26th) and three-time defending Division II national champion Nebraska Omaha on Saturday (27th). In short, our performances were less than satisfactory. In the dual with Northwestern we anticipated on being dominant. Our less than stellar performance landed us in a close dual that we narrowly won 22-14. The following night was another night of some disappointment as we dropped several close matches and lost the dual. We were granted an opportunity on Saturday against Nebraska Omaha and were defeated, 26-9, a score that we felt was not indicative of our competitive level. The two duals, weren't, however, totally negative. Heavyweight Jesse Boggs went 2-0 by winning us the dual on Friday and avenging an early loss on Saturday. Burke Barnes (133) surprised nobody with his continually excellent performances, one that earned him a big win against a tough Northwestern wrestler. After this weekend, many of us were down but not out. Monday we were right back up as we have a chance for partial redemption and further preparation for the post-season as we host Division II Augustana on the 31st. Coaches have identified my practice objectives, particularly Coach Rollins, who continues to baffle me with his knowledge of the sport. I'm just trying to soak it all in. Others are working with their assigned coaches as well. We are seeing great relationships develop between wrestlers as well. It is apparent through examples like Burke Barnes, offering any of his time to help someone out in the room, that we are all interested in winning and we all care for one another. These are great signs at Dana as we continue to prepare our defense for March. Hope everybody's getting amped for the postseason, I know we at Dana are! Thanks everybody, talk to you all later. Train Hard, Webster Farris Past Entries: Entry 3 (1/18/07) Entry 2 (12/6/06) Entry 1 (11/21/06)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -– Highlighted by a pin from two-time All-America Evan Sola, North Carolina ran off 19 unanswered points to open the match and held off rival Duke for a 30-12 victory Friday at Chapel Hill High School. Winners of four straight Atlantic Coast Conference duals, the Tar Heels have now captured 32 of their last 33 meetings with the Blue Devils. Seniors David Dashiell and Spencer Nadolsky each added technical falls, as UNC posted its second-highest point total of the season. With the victory, Carolina also earns a point towards the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils. The wrestling point extends UNC's lead to 6.5-4.5 in the annual contest. Nadolsky, the nation's No. 11 heavyweight, got things started for the Tar Heels (7-6, 4-1 ACC) with a technical fall in the first bout of the night. The Holland, Mich., product tallied nine points in the second period and finished off Mike Tunick by a 21-6 margin at the 6:22 mark of the match. Nadolsky is now 20-6 on the season. Drew Forshey, who was won nine of his last 10 bouts, then logged a 13-4 major decision against Chapel Hill native Kellan McKeon at 125 to open up a nine-point lead for UNC. The 10th-ranked Sola followed with his fourth pin of the season against Chris Thuman in just 1:32 to push the advantage to 15-0. Forshey is now 16-7 overall with an 11-2 mark in duals and a 5-0 record against the ACC, while Sola is now 10-3 on the year. Freshman Mike Rappo won a fourth consecutive bout for Carolina with a 14-5 major decision over Wes Kuser at 141. Rappo scored seven points in the third period and added a point for riding time to post his third major decision of the season and even his record at 11-11. Trailing 19-0, the Blue Devils (7-6, 0-3 ACC) got on the board with back-to-back wins at 149 and 157 to trim the UNC lead to 13. Daniel Shvartsman scored a 5-4 decision over Vincent Ramirez on a late takedown, and Voris Tejada followed with a sudden victory takedown of Keenan Duffie to take a 3-1 decision at 157. No. 14 Keegan Mueller put the Tar Heels back on track with a 6-2 decision over Aaron Glover at 165 to push the lead to 22-6. The Dallas native is now a team-best 24-6 and sports a 10-2 dual record. After Duke picked up six points with a win by default at 174, Daniel Llamas won his first dual of the season at 184. The Durham product scored an 11-5 decision over Duke's Matthew Koelling before Dashiell closed the match with a 20-4 technical fall of Patrick Keenum at 197 in just his third bout of the season. The Tar Heels are back in action at NC State next Wednesday, Feb. 7.

PISCATAWAY -- The Broncs won six bouts to defeat Rutgers Wednesday night. "I was pleased overall," said Rider head coach Gary Taylor. "We're a little banged up right now, so to get through this match and get a win over a team that just beat Boston U. pretty solid was good." For Rider (8-6, 3-2 CAA), sophomore Doug Umbehauer (Shamong/Lenape), ranked eighth in the nation, junior 141 Don Fisch (Williamstown/Delsea) and senior Nathan Galloway (State College, PA) won major decisions. "It was huge for them to get the majors," said Taylor. "That's what you expect from your better people. They have to come through and get you the extra points." Sophomore Mike Kessler (Randallstown, MD/Owings Mills) and freshman 184 Mike Miller (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) also won for the Broncs. "Kessler beat a pretty tough kid who is very solid," Taylor said. "Mike probably had the best performance for us tonight." Rider junior T. J. Morrison (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cedar Cliff), ranked 14th in the nation, was winning 11-2 before his opponent was disqualified for stalling. Rutgers (8-4, 4-2 EWL) won the first two bouts, building a 9-0 lead. Rider competes at Clarion Saturday. "Clarion is better than they've been in recent years," Taylor said. ‘If we wrestle well we should win, but we have to wrestle well. Then we get a team from Iowa (Iowa State) who just knocked off the defending national champions (Oklahoma State) and are probably the most improved team in the country."

This week we'll take a look at the week gone by and the weeks to come in our TDR Top 20 Report with Jeff Murphy. We'll Catch up with the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Johny Hendricks, who earned that distinction and honor based on his hard driving performance against Northern Iowa and Iowa State. At 10:20, Lee Roy Smith, the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, joins us to discuss the induction of four Distinguished Members in to the Hall. We'll touch base with our themat.com/TDR Athlete of the week Mo Lawal. Mo has just returned to the USA. Rider's Long time head coach and terrific singer Gary Taylor joins us to discuss his coming meeting and dual meet with Cael Sanderson's Cyclones on Feb. 9. Author Nolan Zavoral joins us to discuss his book "A Season on The Mat: Dan Gable & the Pursuit of Excellence". This is one of the best wrestling books I've ever read. Full of color, life and circumstance. At 9:50, Deanna Gilbert of Billy Joe's Pitcher Show joins us for a look at for UFC 67. Join us for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show.

WEST POINT, N.Y. –- Following Sunday's dual meet loss to Harvard, Army head wrestling coach Chuck Barbee was concerned with the aggressiveness of his squad. Those concerns were erased Wednesday night at Christl Arena. Army won six of 10 bouts and upset EIWA rival, No. 25 Columbia, 21-13. Columbia was ranked 25th in the latest InterMat poll. The Black Knights were the aggressors from the beginning and improved to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the EIWA. Columbia fell to 4-2 overall and 0-2 in conference meets. "We definitely talked about taking the match to our opponents," Barbee said. "After Harvard, we were just flat and tonight the guys really stepped up and showed good fight, the kind of Army fight that we need." Nathan Thobaben opened the dual with a fall at heavyweight and Fernando Martinez, Matt Kyler, Christian Snook, Brian Rowan and Scott Ferguson all won decisions as the Black Knights beat Columbia for the second straight season. The match stated at heavyweight and Thobaben got the Black Knights off to a great start with a first-period fall over Kevin Lester. Lester scored an early takedown at the edge of the mat. Seconds later, Thobaben stood up and escaped. He then took Lester down and to his back and racked up his third fall of the season in 1:27. On Sunday, Lester pinned Paul Weibel of Lehigh, the 20th ranked wrestler in the country. "Nathan really set the tone," Barbee said. "He beat a very good heavyweight and got us off on the right foot." Martinez extended the Army advantage to 9-0 with a 4-0 decision at 125. Following a scoreless first period, Martinez took down to start the second period and needed just seven seconds to escape. He added a takedown later and almost scored back points but led 3-0 after the second period. He rode out Brandon Kinney for the entire third period and had more than three minutes of riding time for his 18th victory of the season. Army's William Simpson dropped a tough match at 133 that made it 9-3. There was no scoring in the first period against Matt DeLorenzo, the 18th ranked wrestler in the country according to InterMat. Simpson aggressively rode out DeLorenzo in the second period. He chose neutral in the third and was taken down with 50 seconds left. He tried several rolls to score the escape or reversal but could not get the point needed to force overtime and dropped a 2-1 decision. Kyler put together three takedowns and an escape on the way to an 8-3 win at 141. Kyler had a takedown midway through the first period, an escape and takedown in the second and a final takedown in the third period to make it 12-3 Army after four weights. He also had more than two minutes of riding time on the way to his team-best 25th win of the season. Columbia cut its deficit to five, 12-7 with a major decision by Matt Dunn at 149, 9-0. Snook battled his way to a 4-3 win at 157 to give the Black Knights an eight-point advantage. Columbia's Devon Mesanko had a first-period takedown but Snook escaped seconds later. Mesanko took down to start the second period and Snook took him to his back for two more points and had more than 90 seconds of riding time. Snook chose top in the final period and Mesanko escaped to make it 3-3 but with riding time Snook scored a 4-3 decision and made the match score 15-7. "Wrestling is much more fun when you just go after and don't have the burden of winning or losing," Barbee said. "Tonight we just went after it and it showed that good things will happen." Rowan also rebounded from an early deficit and put Army ahead 18-7. Ricky Turk had a reversal after a scoreless first period but Rowan quickly escaped. Rowan then took him down later in the period to make it 3-2. He added a third-period escape for the final 4-2 margin. The Lions closed within eight points but Brent Smith made them work for it. Columbia's Matt Palmer led 4-0 early in the second period. Smith escaped but Palmer had a takedown to make it 6-1. Palmer escaped to open the third period and also had riding time for an 8-1 lead. Smith, though, had a takedown and took Palmer to his back for three points. He could not get the fall though and fell 8-6. Ferguson clinched the match with an impressive showing at 184. Andy Geving of Columbia had an early takedown but Ferguson controlled the match from the second period on. He had a takedown early in the second period and then a pair of double-leg takedowns and riding time for a 10-4 win that gave Army a 21-10 advantage. The final bout of the evening needed sudden victory to determine a winner and it was Columbia's Nick Sommerfield earning the victory with a takedown 17 seconds in the extra one-minute session. Army will wrestle at the Academy Championships, Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Air Force junior heavyweight Anthony Stegeman has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. Stegeman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder HS) led the Air Force Academy in three dual meets, going undefeated on the weekend. Stegeman opened with a fall, his fourth of the year, over North Dakota State's Justin LaGosh, registering a pin in a time of 4:34. He then registered an 8-3 decision over Adams State's Jeff Schossow and closed out the weekend with a tech fall over Portland State's Zack Smith. Stegeman snapped his eight-match losing streak and improves his dual mark to 5-8. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and Wyoming. Others Nominated: North Dakota State: Adam Aho, 157, So., Frazee, Minn. (Frazee HS) Northern Colorado: Blayze Bahe, 133, So., Goodland, Kan. (Goodland HS) UNI: Moza Fay, 157, So., Anamosa, Iowa (Anamosa HS) South Dakota State: Jason Stripling, HWT, Jr., Minneota, Minn. (Minneota HS) Utah Valley State: Justin Morrill, 141, Fr., Logan, Utah, Mountain Crest High School Wyoming: Nick Ramirez, 133, R-Fr., Albuquerque, N.M. (Rio Rancho HS)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. –- Following a week that saw him clinch two Southern Conference duals with wins at heavyweight, VMI senior Scott Buhman has been named the SoCon's Wrestler of the Week for the week of Jan. 31. Buhman, a senior from Portage, Ind., led the Keydets to their first two SoCon victories of the season, as each match hung on his bouts. On Thursday, he defeated Appalachian State's Dave Hazell 2-1 in overtime to clinch the 21-17 win for VMI. In league action against Davidson on Sunday, Buhman once again rallied for the Keydets and recorded his fourth major decision of the season as he defeated Wil Carter to seal the 25-19 victory for VMI. Buhman ranks second on the team (tied) with 21 wins this season, while his four major decisions lead the team. His 86 career wins, against only 55 losses, tie him for the tenth-most victories in VMI history. Earlier this season, Buhman placed second at the Keystone Classic and seventh at the Nittany Lion Open, along with a third place finish at the Pembroke Classic and a fourth-place showing in the Virginia Intercollegiates.

The Gophers hit the road for the first time during the Big Ten season this weekend to face a pair of ranked conference opponents. Minnesota will meet the 18th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., in Bloomington and stop in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, Feb. 4 to take on No. 11 Illinois at 1 p.m. Gopher Wrestling Notebook Streaks, streaks and more streaks... ...Konrad Goes for 63 In a Row Senior heavyweight Cole Konrad is currently riding the second-longest winning streak in the nation at 61 consecutive matches. He trails only Missori's Ben Askren, who has won his last 73 contests. Konrad broke Tim Hartung's school record of 58 consecutive wins with his win against Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 21 and will be going for numbers 62 and 63 this weekend. ...Schlatter Not Far Behind Sophomore Dustin Schlatter is right on the heels of Konrad, currently with 54 straight wins of his own, good enough for the third longest streak in the country. Overall, Schlatter has won 66 of 67 matches for a .985 win percentage in his collegiate career, which currently ranks as the highest career winning percentage in school history. ...Rivera on a Roll Junior Manuel Rivera has attracted the attention of fans across the nation with his performance this season. Unbeaten at 29-0, Rivera currently possesses the nation's fifth-longest winning streak at 29 consecutive matches. He has earned bonus points in 16 of his 29 wins this season. Mack is Back! Two-time All-American Mack Reiter made his first appearance of the season competing unattached last weekend at the Jimmie Open in Jamestown, N.D. Reiter dominated the competition on his way to the 133-pound title, pinning all four of his opponents. Reiter, who has been out since the beginning of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, is scheduled to make his first dual meet start this weekend. The Series vs. Indiana Minnesota has dominated the series against the Hoosiers, holding a 39-4-1 advantage all-time. The last time Indiana defeated the Gophers was on Feb. 23, 1992 by a score of 29-13. Prior to that, Indiana had not beaten the Gophers since 1968. Minnesota downed Indiana, 25-13, on Senior Day last year in Minneapolis to finish unbeaten at home for the fifth time under Head Coach J Robinson. The Gophers broke a 13-13 tie with three wins to close the dual. The Series vs. Illinois The Gophers hold a 26-21-2 advantage in the all-time series against Illinois, but the Illini have held the upper-hand in the last two meetings. While the two schools did not meet last year, Illinois topped the Gophers twice in dual meets during the 2004-05 season and went on to capture to its first conference title since 1952, finishing 6.5 points ahead of the Gophers at the 2005 Big Ten Championships. Marquee Match-ups Both of Minnesota's opponents this weekend boast rosters stacked with ranked opponents. Jayson Ness and C.P. Schlatter will face the stiffest tests, as both are scheduled to face a pair of top-10 opponents. Ness will take on No. 8 Angel Escobedo of Indiana on Friday and No. 6 Gabe Flores of Illinois on Sunday. The featured match of the weekend will most definitely occur in the 157-pound bout on Sunday when Schlatter, ranked third in the country, meets Illinois' top-ranked Mike Poeta. First, he must get through No. 7 Brandon Tucker on Friday night.

With the recent advent of the New Year, and the subsequent NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, it's time to take a look at which Division III wrestlers are making their mark at each weight class. The NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals helped to clear up some muddled rankings at some weights, and served to dirty some others. Division III wrestling is arguably the most challenging of all the divisions to rank. With smaller schools and budgets, interstate travel makes match-ups from afar rarer. Not only this, but every year there is a spate of wrestlers who don't wrestle the first semester, only to show up after the Christmas break. This year is no different in this regard, and includes a very notable athlete indeed (up a weight!). Last week, we looked at the first five weight classes (125-157). Now let's now take a peek at the final five weight classes (165-285) … 165 Pounds: Marcus LeVesseur, Senior, Augsburg Marcus LeVesseur (Photo/The Guillotine)So there you have it: He's back. Up a weight after a season-long hiatus, LeVesseur is looking to complete his legendary journey through the annals of DIII wrestling history. One can be reasonably sure that the other 165-pounders were hoping he would a) not return, or b) stay at 157. No such luck. He has started with a 12-0 record (he didn't compete the first semester), which brings his college total to an astounding 135-0. He has had a couple of close matches (for him), thus far, score-wise upon his return. Although he did pin his way to the Sunshine Open title before the New Year, he beat Aaron Haddorf of DII Augustana, 6-3, in the teams' dual … and beat Wartburg's Jason Knipp (an Iowa State transfer), 5-1, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. It should be said that he dealt No. 3-ranked Steve Martell (Johnson and Wales) an 8-0 loss at those same Duals. The biggest question for fans of DIII wrestling might be: Will he reach the coveted 159-0 mark set by Cael Sanderson? Due to his sitting out the first semester -- probably not. It can be reasonably said, however, that he will end up a four-time NCAA champion, though. Not bad. Others on the Radar: Scott Dorn, Senior, UW-La Crosse Dorn might be voted "Least happy to see LeVesseur" in 2007. He has looked extremely tough this season. His 2-2 record at Midlands shows he is a top-level college wrestler. And, apart from a 5-3 loss to a tough Jake Dieffenbach of NAIA Lindenwood in the Wisconsin Open final, he has been on a mission. Steve Martell, Junior, Johnson & Wales Last season's fourth-place national finisher will be looking to get to the finals in 2007. Currently 18-3, Martell had a fair showing at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He will look to close the gap between him and the likes of LeVesseur, however, as he lost their Duals match 8-0. Jason Knipp, Senior, Wartburg After failing to make Iowa State's varsity lineup this season at 149 pounds (losing out to Cyler Sanderson, Knipp transferred to Wartburg. Knipp had a solid NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, losing only to LeVesseur, 5-1. He defeated Bryon Grothus of Coe, 5-0, in their dual. A darkhorse pick come March. 174 Pounds: Josh Chelf, Junior, UW-La Crosse One of the premier current DIII wrestlers, Chelf has shown himself to be a top 174-pounder at any weight thus far this season. He won both the Husky and Wisconsin Opens (in the latter he was 5-0 with four pins). Most impressive, however, is his fifth place finish at Midlands. His most notable defeat at Midlands was a victory over highly touted Michigan State wrestler Rocky Cozart, 7-3. A returning AA, Chelf appears to be well on his way to bettering his third place finish in 2006. Others on the Radar: Kyle Vanderhyde, Sophomore, Olivet Vanderhyde, who was named OW of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, is 15-3 on the season. During the Duals he sent the 174 class a message by handing Dan Jonhenry of Heidelberg an 11-3 major defeat. He also won a pair of matches at the Duals up at 184. John Dolan, Senior, Williams A sixth-place finisher last year, Dolan would like nothing more than to cap off his senior season with a high-AA finish. He could very well end up a finalist if the brackets are good to him. 184 Pounds: Jason Lulloff, Senior, UW-La Crosse Jason Lulloff (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)Lulloff has been a presence on the DIII wrestling scene for some time now. He capped off a very successful season last year with a third place finish at the National Championships. Lulloff has continued his fine for so far this season, holding a 22-3 record; two of his three losses came at Midlands, where he was a respectable 2-2 and lost to only DI grapplers. He was also the 184-pound champion at the Wisconsin Open and Husky Open, taking 1st place in the latter over Josh Zabel, also of UW-La Crosse. Lulloff, who has been beset by injuries during his career, has been conspicuously absent in the Eagles' recent matches, leaving the DIII wrestling world to wonder whether he'll be back to garner a higher place on the podium at Nationals. Others on the Radar: Romeo Djoumessi, Sophomore, Wartburg Don't let the sweet name fool you: Djoumessi is one tough dude. Last year he split time with two-time NCAA champion Akeem Carter and this year, with Carter gone, the weight is all his. He could've started at 99% of DIII schools, but he waited for his turn and is taking full opportunity. His recent results have been dotted with majors, pins and tech falls. In fact, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, the sophomore went 4-0, with a pin, a technical fall, a major and one decision (8-5 over Augsburg's George Lynaugh). A good bet for finalist at the NCAA Championships. Nick Calandrino, Senior, Ithaca At 20-4 this season, and 78-32 in his career, Calandrino is the Bombers' biggest hope to erase the memory last season's disappointing National tournament, where the team did not have an All-American. A 2006 qualifier at 197, the senior is looking tough and looking forward to getting himself to the finals in March. 197 Pounds: Brandon Kelly, Senior, Wilkes Kelly, who is currently injured, placed third at last season's NCAA Championships. At 6-1 this season, he has seen limited time, but has solid results, winning the RIT Invitational early on. His lone loss thus far came via a 5-3 shocker to Lycoming's Matt Miller. Kelly has not wrestled competitively since that defeat. Kelly beat No. 2-ranked TJ Miller of Wartburg twice in last year's NCAA's. He missed the opportunity to face-off against Miller again in Wilkes' dual meet loss to the Knights earlier in the season. If he can recover successfully, look for him to butt heads with the Wartburg junior again in March. Others on the Radar: TJ Miller, Junior, Wartburg Although he did finish fourth in the nation last season, there are no doubts that Miller was not satisfied with the result. He went into the NCAA's as the No. 1 seed, but the two aforementioned losses to Kelly laid his title hopes to rest. While he hasn't had the dominating results during the dual season from last year -- surely he's no mystery anymore, the coach's son is finals material. Alex Bonander, Sophomore, Luther Having just missed AA honors last season (he was one match shy), Bonander looks well on his way to avoiding anything resembling a sophomore jinx. With a 21-4 record, which includes a 3-2 record at Midlands, Bonander appears to be in the right gear headed into conference and national time. 285 Pounds: Blake Gillis, Senior, Wartburg This has got to be the year. Bridesmaid twice to Ryan Allen, Gillis is the prohibitive favorite to come away victorious at the National Championships. He has dominating victories so far this season against his major competition. At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals he handed Augsburg's Andrew Neumann a major defeat, beating him 11-2. Then, in the Knights' dual against Luther, Gillis humbled John Miller (then ranked No. 2), embarrassing the Norse sophomore, 15-0, in 3:54. The biggest question at this point of the season isn't whether Gillis will be a finalist for the third time, but who will have to face him in Dubuque. Others on the Radar: John Miller, Sophomore, Luther Well, if a technical fall loss to the No. 1 guy in the country doesn't get you motivated for the latter part of the season, nothing will. This is what is facing the prodigious Norse heavy. Miller ended his freshman season with All-American honors in New Jersey, where he lost a wild 22-13 decision to Mike Blair for seventh-eighth place. Miller is 11-3 on the season (with an impressive nine falls out of those 11 victories), but has a long way to go if he wants to take out the likes of Gillis. Arkadiy Levitin, Junior, Hunter A recent 8-7 loss, at New York States, to Kevin Lester of Columbia leaves Levitin with a 24-1 record on the season. The junior heavy, who was a national qualifier in 2004, also has 16 pins. Earlier this campaign, Levitin won the Ithaca and Oneonta tournaments.

CHICAGO -- World Sport Chicago, in alliance with Chicago 2016 and the City of Chicago, will present its first major event on Feb. 6 with the 2007 Chicago Cup: USA vs. Russian World Champions, an exhibition wrestling match at the Welsh-Ryan Arena on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. World Sport Chicago is non-profit organization that was formed to promote the development of amateur sport and international competition in the Chicagoland area. Headed by Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Conley, World Sport Chicago works to enhance the image, awareness and participation of Olympic and amateur sports across Chicago with the goal of giving athletes the opportunity to see and experience sport across all levels. The 2007 Chicago Cup will start with a youth demonstration at 5 p.m., and the wrestling match will begin at 7 p.m. "The USA vs. Russia wrestling match is a great example of the type of event World Sport Chicago will bring to the area," said William Scherr, chairman of the board of World Sport Chicago. "Fans will have the chance to see our national team take on some of the very best wrestlers in the world in a major international competition that will make for a historic day in Chicago sports." The U.S. National Team is led by World Silver Medalist Mike Zadick at 60 kg/132 lbs., and World Bronze Medalists Sammie Henson (55 kg/121 lbs.) and Donny Pritzlaff (74 kg/163 lbs.). The event will also include four exhibition matches featuring world-class athletes in Greco-Roman and women's freestyle. Two U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers will face opponents from China while two American women will battle top opponents from Canada. "This event will showcase America's top wrestlers in heated competition against the best wrestlers in the world," said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling's Executive Director. "Fireworks are sure to fly as the athletes attempt to establish themselves on the world's elite stage." For more information on the 2007 Chicago Cup: USA vs. Russian World Champions, visit www.worldsportchicago.org. For more information on World Sport Chicago and Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics, visit www.chicago2016.org. About World Sport Chicago World Sport Chicago was established as an independent 501(c)3 corporation, and the Athlete's Advisory Council (AAC) of Chicago 2016 will provide strategic counsel, as appropriate. Through strategic partnerships with organizations such as the United States Olympic Committee, International Olympic Committee, National Collegiate Athletic Association and other national governing bodies, World Sport Chicago works to promote the development of recreational and competitive sports throughout the region. A major component of the organization's programs will be hosting demonstrations that provide kids the opportunity to learn from all-star athletes. Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Conley is the executive director of the organization, while wrestling world champion and Olympic Medalist William Scherr serves as chairman of the board. About Chicago 2016 Chicago 2016 is a 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is to seek the privilege of hosting the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Chicago. The Committee's Board comprises business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Its honorary chairmen are Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Patrick Ryan serves as chairman and CEO.

Oklahoma State's fourth-ranked wrestling team travels to Lincoln, Neb., to face No. 20 Nebraska on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Oklahoma State comes into the dual with a 12-4 record and is ranked fourth in the country according to both W.I.N Magazine and the NWCA coaches' poll. All four of the Cowboys losses have come to the three teams ranked ahead of them. The last time OSU wrestled in Lincoln, the Cowboys escaped with a 19-18 victory. The official scorer made a scoring error in the 184-pound match that would have tied the dual, but it was too late to make a change by the time the error was caught. OSU leads the all-time series with the Cornhuskers, 49-2-1. The Cowboys have not lost in the last 19 meetings, with NU earning a tie in 1996 as the only blemish in that time. The last Cornhusker victory came way back on Feb. 14, 1993 when the Huskers won 39-12 in Stillwater. Nebraska's only win in Lincoln came during the 1921-22 season, and OSU leads the series in Lincoln 19-1-1. The dual will be broadcast live on 93.7 FM with Rex Holt and Roger Moore providing the commentary. Last Time Out Oklahoma State split a road trip last weekend with Northern Iowa and third-ranked Iowa State. The Cowboys pounded Northern Iowa, 35-6, but fell at Iowa State, 21-12, to close out the weekend. OSU won seven of the nine matches, with the Panthers forfeiting at heavyweight. Five of the seven victories were by bonus points. Tyler Shinn recorded a fall at 125, while Nathan Morgan recorded a technical fall at 141. Three other Cowboys recorded major decisions. The Cowboys could not carry the momentum into the dual with the Cyclones as ISU won six matches to take the dual. OSU started with a 6-0 lead as the dual started at 165. Johny Hendricks defeated third-ranked Travis Paulson and Brandon Mason followed with a decision over Grant Turner. The two swing matches were at heavyweight and 125, and ISU won both. Jared Rosholt tied the match at heavyweight with a takedown, but he released David Zabriskie and he could not score the winning takedown before time expired. Nick Fanthorpe then defeated Tyler Shinn at 125 to put ISU ahead in the dual 15-6 and all but clinch victory for the Cyclones. The Cowboys got decisions from Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan to pull within three points, but ISU finished with a pair of decisions of their own to close out the dual. Scouting the Huskers Nebraska comes into the dual with a 7-5 record and ranked 20th in the nation according to the recent coaches' poll. The Huskers have three wrestlers ranked in the top 20, but have been plagued by injuries as heavyweight Jon May has been lost for the season. Freshman Craig Brester has come on strong and is 9-1 in dual meets with his first loss coming to top-ranked Max Askren at 197. Brester is currently ranked No. 12 nationally. Domicick Moyer leads the way for NU with a No. 9 national ranking, while 125-pounder Paull Donahoe is ranked No. 10 and leads the team with a 24-3 record. Moyer and Donahoe are the Huskers best All-America candidates. The Huskers have a pair of NCAA qualifiers in the lineup in Robert Sanders and Marc Harwood, but neither wrestler is ranked. Sanders is 17-12 at 149, while Harwood bumped up from 165 to 174 and is 10-7 on the season. Last Time Versus Nebraska The fifth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers visited Stillwater to try and upset second-ranked Oklahoma State. The Cowboys removed any doubt of an upset when Zack Esposito recorded a technical fall in the first match, and Johny Hendricks put OSU up 9-3 with a major decision at 165. The Cowboys siezed the momentum as Brandon Mason followed with an upset over third-ranked Jacob Klein and Rusty Blackmon defeated Vince Jones. OSU went on to win the dual by a score of 27-15, which really was not that close as the Cornhuskers did not record a takedown until the last match of the dual when Patrick Aleksanyan took down Nathan Morgan, but Morgan rallied to win 12-6. Steve Mocco recorded a fall, and Coleman Scott recorded a decision to help lead the Cowboys. Hendricks Earns Second Big 12 Honor Johny Hendricks went on the road and wrestled a pair of top five opponents. Hendricks first defeated No. 5 Nick Baima of Northern Iowa, 2-1. He followed it up with a decision over third-ranked Travis Paulson of Iowa State. It was the second time Hendricks has defeated both wrestlers this season. He is currently 25-0 on the season, and has won his last 47 matches. Hendricks Named Wrestler of the Week Johny Hendricks was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performance for the week ending Jan. 21. Hendricks defeated Iowa's fourth-ranked Mark Perry on a late takedown before pinning Oregon's Jake McCoy. The previous week at National Duals he defeated the second, third, fifth and seventh ranked wrestlers in the country. Simpson Makes Debut True freshman Dakotah Simpson was pulled out of redshirt to face rival Iowa in the quarterfinals of the National Duals. Simpson made an immediate impact in the dual, pinning fifth-year senior Alex Grunder to put the Pokes up 15-0 and all but sealing the Cowboy victory. Simpson is currently 6-3 on the season and won an open title at the Oklahoma Open.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The top two small-college wrestling programs in the country will face off on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Augsburg College's Si Melby Hall, as Augsburg faces Wartburg (Iowa) in a dual meet. Augsburg is currently ranked No. 1 in the latest Division III national poll, while Wartburg, the defending NCAA Division III national champions, is ranked No. 2 in the current poll. There are no advance tickets sold for the meet, and all seats are general admission. Tickets will be available in the Kennedy Center lobby (main entrance to Si Melby Hall and the Kennedy Center) starting at 5 p.m., and doors to the Si Melby Hall gym will open at 6 p.m. The dual meet begins at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to park in Lot L on the east side of campus (see campus map by clicking here; Si Melby Hall/Kennedy Center is No. 25 on the map). Please be reminded that certain Augsburg parking lots that are reserved for students, faculty/staff, etc., are subject to ticketing. Parking lots B, E, F, G, and J are ticketed 24 hours every day (see campus map by clicking here). Fans can also park for $5 at the Fairview-University Medical Center Riverside campus' Yellow Ramp (see Fairview map by clicking here). along 23rd Avenue South off of Riverside Avenue. The $5 parking deal is for the Yellow Ramp ONLY; all other Fairview ramps/lots will charge regular hourly rates. You MUST have your game ticket stub to show to the parking attendant when you leave, in order to get the $5 parking deal. There are no in-out privileges at the Fairview lots/ramps. If you have questions regarding tickets or parking, please contact the Augsburg athletic department at 612-330-1249. Augsburg is 10-0 in dual meets this season, and has won 85 of 100 matches in its 10 dual wins (including three shutout victories). Augsburg topped Wartburg 22-10 at the championship match of the NWCA Division III National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, earlier this month. Augsburg has eight individuals ranked nationally, including four No. 1-ranked wrestlers -- Jafari Vanier (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) at 133 pounds, Quincy Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.) at 141, Jeremy Anderson (Jr., Thief River Falls, Minn.) at 157 and Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) at 165. Wartburg, 18-1 in dual meets this season, has seven individuals ranked nationally, including one No. 1-ranked individual -- heavyweight Blake Gillis (Sr., Spencer, Iowa).

WASHINGTON -- Junior Adam LoPiccolo, a heavyweight wrestler from Glen Rock, Pa., has been released from the men's wrestling program. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects any additional information regarding disciplinary actions toward a student. LoPiccolo had been the No. 5 ranked heavyweight in the country in 2006-07 and was a two-time NCAA qualifier for the Eagles.

BELMONT, NC -- The Belmont Abbey wrestling team, in its final home match of the season, defeated Limestone by a 31-16 tonight at the Wheeler Center. The Abbey was victorious in seven of ten matches, including a pair of pins and a tapout. Senior AJ Scales, the lone senior who was honored prior to the match, recorded the first Crusader pin, as he pinned William Moss, the top-ranked heavyweight in the East Region, 2:07 into the match. Adam Phillips, wrestling at 157 pounds, forced Mikel Bush into a tapout 2:43 into his bout. One match later, Phil Bliss wasted no time in recording a win, pinning Greg Satterfield 18 seconds into the match. Other Abbey winners were Chris Neidermeier (125 pounds), Appolon Jean-Paul (141 pounds), David Hoggard (174 pounds) and Tim Stanton (197 pounds). Belmont Abbey is back in action Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. when it goes on the road to face Anderson.

THIS WEEK Iowa (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) will kick off the month of February with two Big Ten road duals. The Hawkeyes will wrestle at Michigan (1-5-1, 0-2 Big Ten) Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and at Penn State (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT). ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC. All remaining dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will also be available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. To listen online, go to the wrestling schedule, click on the event and click on the Listen link. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($6.95 per month or $49.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($99.95 per year). Television - The Penn State dual will be aired live on FOX Sports Pittsburgh. Announcers Steve Jones and Ken Chertow will call the action. The Internet - Press releases, meet results, audio broadcasts and dual livestats are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live dual scoring, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. LUEDKE ON A ROLL Hawkeye senior 174-pounder Eric Luedke is 21-1 in collegiate matches and 12-0 in dual competition this season. The Colby, KS, native has won his last 19 matches. His only loss this season was a 6-5 decision to Nebraska's Brandon Browne at the Kaufman-Brand Open. His 21 wins include three pins, one technical fall, two major decsions and 15 decisions. Luedke, who is ranked as high as second, has also scored 40 team points in dual competition, which ranks fourth on the team. His streak will be tested this weekend against Michigan redshirt freshman Jordan Sherrod and Penn State senior James Yonushonis. Yonushonis is ranked seventh in the nation with a 24-3 overall and 14-1 dual record. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES Michigan is 1-5-1 (0-1 in the Big Ten) with a win over Lehigh (18-14), losses to Central Michigan (21-12), Iowa State (25-15), Nebraska (23-13), Minnesota (26-9) and Michigan State (21-17), and a tie with Hofstra (18-18). Head Coach Joe McFarland is 105-28-4 overall and 47-9-2 in Big Ten duals in eight seasons at Michigan. He has a 129-48-4 record in 11 years as a college head coach. During his tenure with the Wolverines, McFarland has coaches two NCAA champions, 27 all-Americans and seven Big Ten champions. He is assisted by Michigan alums Kirk Trost and Mike Kulczycki, and Central Michigan alum Kevin Vogel. The Wolverines are led by team captains and returning all-Americans Josh Churella (149) and Eric Tannenbaum (165), and sophomore Tyrel Todd (184). Tannenbaum is undefeated a 15-0 overall (7-0 in duals), Churella is 19-2 (6-1) and Todd is 16-3 (6-1). Michigan's heavyweight is Iowa City native Omar Maktabi. The junior was a 2003 state finalist at West High School. THE SERIES Michigan leads the series, 25-23-1 and has won the last three meetings. The Wolverines have a 13-10 series lead at Ann Arbor. Iowa's last win in the series was 29-11 at the 2003 National Duals. LAST MEETING Iowa lost a 19-15 decision to Michigan to finish sixth at the 2006 N.W.C.A/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. The Hawkeyes won five decisions, but Michigan used bonus point victories at two weights to pull out the team win and place fifth at the tournament. The Hawkeyes were without 174-pound starter Mark Perry, who suffered an injury in the first day of the tournament. Michigan 19, Iowa 15 125 - Lucas Magnani (I) dec. Michael Watts (M), 5-4 133 - Mark Moos (M) dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 12-6 141 - Josh Churella (M) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 3-1 149 - Ty Eustice (I) dec. Eric Tannenbaum (M), 7-4 157 - Joe Johnston (I) dec. Steve Luke (M), 6-4 165 - Ryan Churella (M) maj. dec. Eric Luedke (I), 8-0 174 - Nick Roy (M) pinned Ben Stedman (I), 3:25 184 - Paul Bradley (I) dec. Tyrel Todd (M), 7-5 197 - Dan Erekson (I) dec. William Breyer (M), 6-2 Hwt. - Greg Wagner (M) dec. Matt Fields (I), 4-0 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS Penn State is 10-5 (1-3 in the Big Ten) with wins over Clarion (47-0), Pittsburgh-Johnston (29-6), Edinboro (27-9), Lehigh (23-12), Lock Haven (20-15), Cornell (18-12), North Dakota State (39-3), Bloomsburg (22-9), Rider (41-0) and Ohio State (26-12), and losses to Hofstra (24-10), Edinboro (19-17), Wisconsin (17-16), Minnesota (31-12) and Illinois (18-16). Head Coach Troy Sunderland is 89-73 in nine seasons at Penn State. During his tenure, he has coached two NCAA champions, 16 all-Americans and six Big Ten champions. He is assisted by Penn State alums David Hart and John Hughes, and Matt Dernlan. The Nittany Lions are led by returning all-Americans James Yonushonis (174) and Philip Davis (197). Yonushonis, a senior, is 24-3, and Davis, a junior, is 18-1. Penn State's other top wrestlers are senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (12-2), junior 125-pounder Mark McKnight (17-3) and sophomore 133-pounder Jake Strayer (17-4). THE SERIES Iowa leads the series, 21-5-2, and holds a 9-2-1 advantage at University Park. Penn State won the last meeting (21-12) in 2006. Iowa's last win in the series was 23-16 in 2005. LAST MEETING The Hawkeyes lost to Penn State, 21-12, last February at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. It was only the 11th Iowa wrestling loss in Carver since the facility opened in 1983. Senior Joe Johnston got the dual off to an exciting start at 157 pounds when he rallied from an 8-0 deficit to defeat Nathan Galloway, 12-10. Johnston recorded a takedown with 1:02 remaining and followed with a three-point nearfall to win the match. Penn State responded by winning six of the next seven bouts, including a pin at 125, to build a 21-6 lead. Sophomore Alex Tsirtsis (141) and senior Ty Eustice (149) scored wins for the Hawkeyes to end the dual, but could not affect the team result. Penn State 21, Iowa 12 157 - Joe Johnston (I) dec. Nathan Galloway (PSU), 12-10 165 - David Erwin (PSU) dec. Eric Luedke (I), 4-3 174 - James Yonushonis (PSU) dec. Ben Stedman (I), 7-5 184 - Eric Bradley (PSU) dec. Paul Bradley (I), 4-2 197 - Philip Davis (PSU) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 7-1 Hwt. - Ryan Fuller (I) dec. Joel Edwards (PSU), 7-4 125 - Tim Haas (PSU) pinned Lucas Magnani (I), 1:01 133 - Jake Strayer (PSU) dec. Daniel Dennis (I), 10-7 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. 5-2 DeWitt Driscoll (PSU) 149 - Ty Eustice (I) dec. James Woodall (PSU), 7-3 LAST WEEK Iowa went 1-1, defeating Purdue (36-3) Friday night in West Lafayette, IN, and losing to Wisconsin (21-14) Saturday night in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won nine of 10 matches at Purdue, including two by major decision and two by pin. Highlights included Griffith, IN, native and junior Alex Tsirtsis had a happy homecoming with a 20-10 major decision over Nick Bertucci at 141, and senior Mario Galanakis (133) and junior Matt Fields (Hwt.) collecting their respective 35th and 55th career victories. Senior 149-pounder Alex Grunder also upset Purdue's 11th-ranked Jake Patacsil, 7-5, avenging an earlier loss. Iowa lost its Big Ten home opener to Wisconsin the following night in Iowa City. It was the Badgers' first win in the series since 1966. The Hawkeyes won four bouts on the night, and three of their six losses were by two points. Sophomore Charlie Falck's (125) 12-9 decision over Collin Cudd gave Iowa its only team lead of the night, as the Badgers rolled off four-straight decisions to take a 12-3 lead. Junior Mark Perry's 18-2 match termination over Jake Donar at 165 made up some ground, and senior Eric Luedke 5-0 decision over Mike Felling at 174 pulled Iowa to within one (12-11). But Wisconsin scored a decision at 184 and a first-period pin at 197 to put the win out of reach for the Hawkeyes. Fields won the final match of the night - a 6-3 decision over Kyle Massey. HAWKEYES SIGN TWO Iowa signed two student-athletes to national letters of intent in the early signing period. Jordan Johnson of Bettendorf, IA and Brodie Ambrose of Eldridge, IA, are Tom Brands' first signings as Iowa's head coach. Johnson won the 2006 Class AA Illinois state heavyweight state title at Naperville North High School. He moved to Bettendorf, IA, and will be competing for Bettendorf High School this season. Ambrose placed third at 171 pounds at the 2006 Class 3A state tournament for North Scott Eldridge High School. He will compete at 189 pounds this season and is a projected 197-pounder for the Hawkeyes. Ambrose also is a 189-pound Fargo freestyle all-American. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 154-16 (.906) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2002-03. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. Iowa's meet with Iowa State earlier this year drew 13,732. That figure ranks 11th in NCAA and Carver-Hawkeye Arena history. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 806-212-30 (.783) in 95 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 16, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 129 all-Americans have earned all-America status 263 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for Iowa's remaining home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth/non-University of Iowa students. Tickets purchased at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for youth/non-University of Iowa students. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge with a student ID. For tickets, contact the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-424-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of two Olympic gold medals, seven NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 605-84-2 (.877), including three undefeated seasons. NEXT COMPETITION Iowa will host Michigan State (2-5, 1-1 Big Ten) Sunday, February 11 at 2 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The match will be aired live on Iowa Public Television.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The 15th-ranked wrestling team ends the month of January by hosting Southern Conference foe The Citadel Wednesday. The Mocs and the Bulldogs meet at 6 p.m. at Maclellan Gym on the UTC campus. While The Citadel is facing its first SoCon opponent of the season, UTC is looking to move to 4-0 in the league with a win over the Bulldogs. The Mocs, 13-1 overall, moved up one space in this week's NWCA/InterMat Collegiate Rankings from 16 to 15. They took over first place in the league standings this past weekend, sweeping UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State. The Citadel, 3-4 overall, has wins over Anderson University, Duke and Campbell. The Bulldogs put together a successful day a week ago, edging the Blue Devils 20-17 and shutting out Campbell 54-0 on the same day. The Bulldogs have four freshmen in their tentative lineup, but return 2005 SoCon Champion Travis Piccard at 157 pounds. Piccard, a senior, sat out the 2005-06 season but is currently 13-3 overall and will give UTC's Jake Yost a stiff test. Junior Darius Caldwell is set to wrestle at 174 pounds against UTC's Lloyd Rogers. Caldwell placed second in the weight class at last year's SoCon Championships, and Rogers is trying to halt a two-match losing skid. UTC's Michael Keefe, ranked 14th at 141, Matt Keller, seventh at 133, and No. 10 Aaron Martin (149) remain undefeated in dual matches this season. Martin jumped from 12th to No. 10 in the latest NWCA/InterMat National Rankings. Keefe, who has sat out the last two duals, is questionable for Wednesday's action. Also likely to see mat time for the Mocs are No. 18 Javier Maldonado at 125, T.J. Sayers at 165, Josh Edmondson at 184, Nick Lorenzano at 197 and No. 18 Matt Koz at 285. Josh Keefe could step in for his brother at 141, as could Cody Cleveland. Also available to wrestle Wednesday are Joey Knox (157), Seth Garvin (165), Mike Marable (184) and Kyle McKee (197). Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $2 for youths under the age of 18.