InterMat Staff

From a national high school wrestling standpoint, much of the best competition of 2005-2006 is done until NHSCA Senior Nationals. The Ironman, Beast, Reno, and Powerade have all come and gone. But make no mistake -- there is not a single wrestler who won at these prestigious events that would not trade their title to be on top of the podium at their respective state tournaments. While Ironman and Beast may be much tougher to win, it is the state tournament that every wrestler will judge their season based on. Furthermore, there will be many match-ups of national significance at the state tournaments. The following are highlights of what to expect! Ohio Division II 152 pounds: Colt Sponseller vs. Josh Rohler The general consensus in Ohio is that this is the biggest showdown of the 2006 state tournament. Sponseller, only a junior, crushed the opposition to win state at 140 last year as a sophomore and then placed at Junior Nationals in freestyle as well. Sponseller scored a technical fall in the state finals. Rohler is probably the best wrestler in the nation who has not won state. As a sophomore, he finished second at 140, losing 5-3 (giving up a number of bizarre penalty points) in a match in which he was favored. As a junior, he twice defeated two-time Junior National Freestyle All-American Dave Rella, only to get inexplicably upset in the semifinals by a wrestler that Rella would then technical fall. Rohler would finish third. In the post-season, he redeemed himself by winning the NHSCA Junior National Championships. Not only has Rohler defeated Rella twice, he has also defeated since-graduated stars Dave Erwin (now nationally ranked for Penn State) and three-time Pennsylvania state champion Joey Eckloff. However, he has been hampered this season by a knee injury suffered at the Beast of the East and missed over a month of the season. The contrast of styles makes this match-up even more interesting. Sponseller is a takedown artist who attacks relentlessly. Rohler is an outstanding counter specialist and mat wrestler. Ohio's ranking services, meanwhile, are as split as the fans as to which wrestler to favor. Legendary wrestling analyst Brian Brakeman picked Sponseller, and had this to say about the match-up: I think Sponseller will win, though this choice will undoubtedly motivate Rohler. There are three critical factors. It's been more than a month now and Rohler must still have issues with that knee that "no more than two weeks out" now rings as very optimistic. Second, I think Sponseller is better on his feet--a half-step quicker and a great finisher. Third, I wonder about Rohler's reaction in these big bouts. He's wrestled a lot of them in life, but twice now he has struggled at a crucial moment in the state tournament process. This tendency could be exacerbated if his knee is not 100%. By contrast, OhioWrestlingSite.com picked Rohler, focusing on the elite wrestlers he has defeated in past seasons. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Rohler over Sponseller California 112 pounds: Trevor Machado, Justin Paulsen, and Nikko Triggas Nikko Triggas (Photo by Jon Malinowski)Though Triggas was Cadet Nationals Greco champion and third in freestyle over the summer, it was at the Walsh Ironman he made a name for himself. At that tournament he first dismantled Pennsylvania AAA state champion Chris Sheetz, 14-3, and then nearly scored a technical fall over Lakewood St. Edward's super freshman Collin Palmer. He looked nearly invincible. He reaffirmed his superstar status by defeating Justin Paulsen in the finals of Reno, 8-4, and certainly looked like a "shoe-in" for the California title. Not so fast. Paulsen stunned the wrestling world by defeating Triggas in double-overtime at the Five Counties tournament in California. Paulsen, himself, is a three-time state place-winner in single-division California. Further complicating this weight is returning state champion Trevor Machado. Machado actually defeated Triggas 13-11 in overtime last season in the state semifinals. Machado would then go on to win easily in the finals, while Triggas scored a technical fall in his third place bout. This year, Triggas avenged his defeat, handing Triggas his only loss of the year by a 4-2 count. Two other tough competitors who are possibly national caliber wrestler here are Justin Durham and Nicolo Naranjo. Durham had a win over Machado last season, but failed to place at state. Naranjo had a win over Triggas, but Triggas came back to technical fall him in their third place bout. Expect for others to challenge -- as California lower weights are always loaded. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Triggas over Machado Pennsylvania AAA 140 pounds: Ashtin Primus vs. Nick Nelson Here we have a tremendous contrast of styles. Senior Ashtin Primus is the deadliest cradler in the nation, having wracked up 111 pins and counting in his career. The junior Nelson is a control wrestler- a master of winning close bouts. Though they did not wrestle, these two were in the same weight at the 2005 Pennsylvania AAA State Tournament, where Primus won his first state title and Nelson finished third. How tough was this weight class? Zack Kemmerer, this year's Ironman and Beast of the East champion, placed fifth, losing to both Nelson and Primus. Alex Krom, the only wrestler to defeat Adam Frey (Senior National and double Junior Nationals champion) in 2005, placed only fourth, losing to Nelson in the third place bout! This year, Nelson drew first blood, scoring a fall over Primus at the Super 32 challenge, although Primus was leading at the time. Nelson also defeated Bubba Jenkins at that tournament (considered by many the best 145 in the nation). However, at Powerade, Primus scored a four-point move in the final 15 seconds, to avenge his preseason loss 7-4. Both wrestlers have defeated very tough cadet national champions this fall- with Primus winning over Blair Academy's Mario Mason and Nelson defeating Luke Ashmore of Bishop Lynch in double overtime. These two both rank in the top six in the nation at 140 (along with Lance Palmer, Garrett Scott, Matt Vacanti, and Zach Bailey)- but like last year, only one can be state champion! Look for Nelson to avoid the cradle and pull off the upset in a one-point bout. Rev Wrestling Prediction: Nelson over Primus Iowa AAA 119 pounds: Nate Moore vs. Russell Weakley Nate Moore (Photo by Jon Malinowski)A cousin of NCAA champion Cliff Moore, Nate Moore has established himself as one of the top sophomores in the nation this season. While he was upset in the state finals last year at 103 by Marc Ballweg, Moore went on to finish second at Cadet Nationals in freestyle last summer. This year, he has moved to 119 with much improved results. Moore has two impressive overtime wins, the first over Ben Ashmore in the preseason, the second over his likely state semifinals opponent -- senior Russell Weakley. Weakley is himself a two-time state champion. Moore is rated as the No.10 sophomore. He may be rated too low. Both wrestlers are easily among the top ten 119's in the nation. This will be by far the premier match-up of the Iowa state tournament. Rev Wrestling.com Prediction: Nate Moore over Russell Weakley Ohio Division II 130 pounds: Adam Kriwinsky, Coby Boyd, Willie Saxton, and Chase Skonieczny Ohio has packed four national-caliber 130's into a single division in what promises to be the best competition of the 2006 state tournament. Adam Kriwinsky was a state champion at 112 pounds as a sophomore and runner-up at 119 as a junior. Not one for freestyle, he really made a name for himself at the Ironman against Billy Murphy, the nation's best 130. For the first half of that match, Murphy was taking down Kriwinsky and letting him up in what looked like a rout. However, with the score 8-4, Kriwinsky suddenly struck back with a counter takedown of his own. From there, the relentless Kriwinsky had Murphy on the run, falling just short in a 10-9 loss. Kriwinsky uses his long arms to hit cradles and his single-leg, which he typically finishes on the mat. The wrestler with the most national credentials, but no state finals appearances thus far, is Willie Saxton of Buckeye Local High School. Saxton won the NHSCA Juniors last spring at 125 pounds -- and was a Junior National Freestyle All-American in Fargo as well. He is also a former Cadet National Freestyle runner-up. This year, he has been untouchable -- thrashing defending Division I state champion Kevin Hardy by a 17-6 score early in the season. The only question mark for Saxton may be is schedule -- other than Hardy, he has not faced nearly the competition the others (who compete for top-flight programs) have. Coby Boyd is one of the top sophomores in the nation (currently ranked as the No.15 sophomore in the Rev Power Rankings). Boyd was FILA Cadet National Freestyle champion last spring and may have more impressive national-level wins than any wrestler in this group. Among his victims over the past two seasons have been junior national All-American Brandon Precin, senior national fourth place finisher Jordan Lipp, Luke Silver (the No.21 junior), Chase Skonieczy, and Quentin Wright. Boyd is hard to score on and can be a pinner -- how a match between him and offensive machine Saxton might go is completely unpredictable. Skonieczny placed third at Ironman, losing by fall to Boyd but beating Kriwinsky (Boyd beat Skonieczny, Skonieczny beat Kriwinsky, and Kriwinsky beat Boyd). While he failed to place at Beast of the East, he rebounded by winning the Powerade in impressive fashion, beating state champ Hardy for the second time this year and the beating tough Virginia state champ Collin Dozier in the finals (rated as the No.48 junior). Rev Wrestling.com Prediction: Saxton over Boyd, Kriwinsky third, Skonieczny fourth Pennsylvania AAA 119 pounds: Nine-headed monster! We've saved the best for last. There is no class in the nation that can even compare to the depth of the donnybrook that will take place at 119 pounds in Pennsylvania's "AAA" division. There are no fewer than nine wrestlers who would literally win 90% of the state tournaments in this country. Seven state placers return at this weight, including two state champs and two third place finishers. Two other wrestlers have not yet placed but can beat anyone at this weight on a given day. No fewer than four cadet or junior national All-Americans will be competing in this weight. Let's start with the returning state champions. Matt Kyler is favored by many observers in Pennsylvania, and with good reason. Kyler was the undisputed No. 1 103 in the nation last year. Kyler then moved to 112 for Fargo without missing a beat, finishing first in Greco-Roman and fourth in Freestyle. Continuing to grow, he is now at 119 pounds. However, Kyler hit a snag when he lost for the first time since his sophomore year to Walter Peppelman by an 11-8 count. Peppelman finished third at state last year in a ridiculously tough 103-pound class, losing only two matches all year -- both to Kyler. The other returning champ is the surprising Chris Sheetz, who sort of came out of nowhere to win over a tough field at 112 last year (there are no easy fields in Pennsylvania "AAA" division- particularly in the lower weights). Sheetz got off to a rocky start, placing fourth at Ironman at 112, (majored and pinned in his losses), then moving up to 119 for Beast where he failed to place, getting pinned by fellow member of the this weight class Matt Bonson (who placed seventh at 103 last year). Since then, Sheetz has rebounded with a 13-5 win over returning state placer Andrew Flegler and a fall over another returning state placer in this weight, Rudy Chelednik. Based on these impressive wins, Sheetz cannot be counted out. My pick at this weight, however, is none of the aforementioned wrestlers. Russ Souders is a three-time state place-winner transferred from Wilson Area into Easton this year after placing third in the AA division despite being probably the best wrestler in the class. Souders probably should have won state as a sophomore as well, losing in the finals to a wrestler he defeated 7-1 at the previous week's District Finals. This year, Souders vaulted into the national spotlight at the NHSCA Final Four Duals, where he rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat the consensus No.1 119-pound wrestler in the nation, Ben Ashmore of Bishop Lynch (TX) High School, by a 9-6 score. Souders has also pinned the very tough Billy Chamberlain. Chamberlain could be the dark horse here. Though he went 0-2 at state last year, he placed third at the Beast of the East that season and third at Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. This year he has wins over Chelednik, Flegler, and Bonson but was pinned by Souders. Chelednik is another possibility. A returning seventh-place finisher at 112, he split with Peppelman at Powerade, but has lost to Chamberlain and Sheetz. However, Chelednik posted a recent win over nationally ranked, overwhelming "AA" favorite Troy Dolan. A final dark horse could be Jason Deluca. Deluca is a junior who failed to place at state last season. However, he was beaten at state by the arguable pre-tourney favorite and eventual third place finisher. This year, from my information he appears to be undefeated, with an overtime win over Peppelman. Last year, Chamberlain defeated him by a point. Rev Wrestling.com Prediction: 1. Russ Souders 2. Matt Kyler 3. Billy Chamberlain 4. Walter Peppelman 5. Matt Bonson 6. Chris Sheetz 7. Rudy Chelednik 8. Jason Deluca

WASHINGTON -- For the second time in three duals, the American University wrestling team prevailed in a match that came down to the final bout, taking a 20-16 over North Dakota State thanks to No. 10 Adam LoPiccolo's (Glen Rock, Pa./Glen Rock) 4-1 decision victory at heavyweight Monday night. The win closes out AU's regular season and moves them to 13-6 on the year. American won two matches by major decision, but gave up points from forfeit at 141, putting the match at 17-16 with the heavyweight bout left. With the score tied 0-0 after two periods, LoPiccolo started down and escaped in five seconds to take a 1-0 lead. The sophomore was hit with a stalling point with 12 seconds left, but scored a takedown a few ticks later and tacked on a riding point to clinch the match for AU. The fact that the dual came down to the final period was representative of much of the night's point-for-point action. At 133, Jordan Lipp (Beachwood, Oh./Beachwood) needed two takedowns in the final period to win his match, but only got one, falling 8-6, including a point added on for riding time. After the forfeit at 141, Tom Kniezewski (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) won his seventh straight match at 149 by scoring a takedown with 1:11 left and holding on to the 3-2 decision. At 157, Christopher Stout (Hackettstown, N.J./Blair Academy) pushed his match into overtime with an escape and a takedown in the final minute of the third period. In the second overtime, Stout escaped for the 10-9 win. Rudy Rueda (Waldorf, Md./DeMatha) followed with his second win in a row at 165, an 8-1 decision, but Dwayne Hash-Barberis (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia Glenville) lost a tough double overtime decision at 174, 5-4. With the score 13-12, No. 1 Josh Glenn (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City) scored the Eagles' second major decision win on the night - the first coming from Matt Morkel (Omaha, Neb./Skutt). Glenn scored two near falls on his way to the 13-3 win. The advantage shrunk to one when Tyler Flatt (Albany, N.Y./Blair Academy) dropped a 16-5 major decision at 197, leaving LoPiccolo with the task of clinching it for the team. The Eagles have almost two weeks off before heading to the EIWA Championships hosted by Lehigh March 4th and 5th. American 20, North Dakota State 16 125--Matt Morkel (AU) maj. dec. Mike Meger 10-2 133--Eric Sanders (NDSU) dec. Jordan Lipp 8-6 141--David Cunningham (NDSU) wins via forfeit 149--Tom Kniezewski (AU) dec. Gabe Mooney 3-2 157--Chris Stout (AU) dec. Andrew Quittschreiber 10-9 (2 OT) 165--Rudy Rueda (AU) dec. Zach Molitor 8-1 174--Matt Hermann (NDSU) dec. Dwayne Hash-Barberis 5-4 (SV-2) 184--Josh Glenn (AU) maj. dec. Matt Wetterling 13-3 197--Jacob Bryce (NDSU) maj. dec. Tyler Flatt 16-5 Hwt.--Adam LoPiccolo (AU) dec. Mike Maresh 4-1

EAU CLAIRE -- UW-La Crosse won seven of the 10 weight classes to claim its ninth straight conference title today at the 2006 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) hosted by UW-Eau Claire. The fifth-ranked Eagles won the championship with 159 points. 18th-ranked UW-Stevens Point finished second for the fourth straight time with 119 points. UW-Whitewater finished third with 84 points, followed by UW-Platteville with 78 points, UW-Eau Claire with 72 points, UW-Oshkosh with 60 points, and Lawrence University with 58 points. Each weight class final came down to decisions as there were no pins in the final matches. At the 125-pound weight class, it was the Eagles' Pat Parrillo defeating UW-Stevens Points' Jake Calhoun by a 6-4 decision. Kevin Barber also took first place for La Crosse in the 133-pound weight class as he defeated Dane Droessler of Platteville in a 4-3 decision. Platteville's Zach Chambers pulled an upset in the 141-pound weight class as he defeated No.1 seeded and defending champion Joel Burdick of Stevens Point in the finals by a 10-4 decision. Chambers was also named the Wrestler of the Meet. Another Pioneer pulled an upset and won the 149-pound weight class, as Ryan Higgins defeated La Crosse's Jake Larsen by a 9-3 decision. Larsen was the No.1 seed and the defending champion of the weight class. Ross Needham of La Crosse won his second-straight championship in the 157-pound weight class, defeating Chris Brown of Stevens Point in a 9-2 decision. Eau Claire's Derek Sikora won his second conference championship at 165 pounds, as he defeated Scott Dorn of La Crosse by an 8-3 decision. Sikora, who is ranked first in his weight class in Division III, has either won or was runner-up in the championships the last four seasons. The Eagles would then sweep the final four weight classes. Third-ranked Josh Chelf in the 174-pound weight class defeated seventh-ranked Al Stacilauskas of Stevens Point by a close 6-5 decision to claim the title. Second-ranked Jason Lulloff defeated defending champion Ben Dictus of Lawrence by a major decision of 10-1 in the 184-pound weight class. The Eagles' Jim Swanson then defeated Eau Claire's Justin Mc Auly by a 5-3 decision in the final of the 197-pound weight class. This was Swanson's second-straight championship At heavyweight, second-ranked Ryan Allen claimed La Crosse's final championship for as he defeated fourth-ranked Mike Hayes of Stevens Point by a 4-1 decision. This was Allen's fourth-straight championship. Hayes received the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award. Nate Skaar of La Crosse was named Coach of the Year. Along with the champions, the following wrestlers are the conference's NCAA qualifiers: Burdick of Stevens Point at 141 pounds, Mike Rohowetz of La Crosse at 141 pounds, Larsen of La Crosse at 149 pounds, Dorn of La Crosse at 165 pounds, Stacilauskas of Stevens Point at 174 pounds, Dictus of Lawrence at 184 pounds, Hayes of Stevens Points at heavyweight, and Ryan Rozek of Platteville at heavyweight. Alternates include: Adam Dorner of Oshkosh at 174 pounds, Mike Schmidt of Whitewater at 184 pounds, and Mc Auly of Eau Claire at 197 pounds.

Wrestling is undoubtedly one of the most physical sports there is. In recent years, a lot of the top wrestlers in America have stepped off the mats due to the toll that this sport takes on their bodies. The shelf life of a male American wrestler? Usually somewhere around 28 or 29 years old, and that is if they are at the top of the ladder. But heavyweight Tolly Thompson has aged like a fine wine. Turning 33 years old in June, Thompson is the senior U.S. Freestyle World Team member. He also may be the oldest returning wrestler when Season 2 of Real Pro Wrestling gets underway later this year. "I don't really think about my age," Thompson said while taking a break between a workout and looking after some of the rental properties he owns in Iowa. "I still feel like I'm 23 when I step onto the mat, not 33. I've had some bad breaks health-wise in my career, but in the last year or so, things have really been coming together for me." That includes Thompson's bronze medal in the 2005 World Championships, his first World Championships competition. Thompson also recently captured a bronze medal at the Yasar Dogu International in Turkey and a gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs. However, Thompson was not expecting to wait this long to get his first chance at a World medal. In 1998, he was on track to become the next great U.S. heavyweight, following in the footsteps of Bruce Baumgartner and Real Pro Wrestling commentator Tom Erikson. After winning the U.S. Freestyle National Championships, Thompson tore his knee apart. He could not compete in U.S. World Team Trials. Kerry McCoy, a coach for the Pennsylvania Hammer, took over the spot in 1998, and ended up competing through the 2004 Olympic Games. Along the way, McCoy won a silver medal at the 2002 World Championships. Overall, he gathered five World and Olympic finishes in the top seven at heavyweight. Tolly ThompsonSome would say that Thompson only flourished after McCoy stopped competing. Some does not include Thompson. "Kerry is a great competitor. He worked hard for everything he won. But so have I," Thompson said emphatically. "Over the last year and a half, I have been wrestling with as much confidence as I have at any other point in my career. I feel I am capable of winning any match, including if Kerry were to come back and compete." But so far, McCoy has not come back to compete. And Thompson has not only produced glaring results in international competitions, he has dominated his U.S. opponents. College star Steve Mocco, who has had the eyes of the wrestling world on him since he was in the eighth grade, was pinned by Thompson at the U.S. Nationals and defeated twice more by him at the U.S. World Team Trials. Cole Konrad, another up-and-coming college star, has yet to defeat Mocco in freestyle, though he has downed him three times during this collegiate season. With so much focus on the wrestlers who have come before him and those whom may someday take over his spot, it would be understandable for Thompson to become frustrated. Because of his age, many wrestling critics continue to doubt him, and look for one of the younger wrestlers to step to the top of the ladder. "I'm not going to take anything away from the younger guys. Steve and Cole have worked hard, and they are going to have their chance to shine someday. But I'm not ready to give this spot up yet, and they're going to have to earn it," Thompson said. Earning it is what it took Thompson nearly 33 years to do. Now, even with a World medal around his neck, he is being labeled as too old by some within the wrestling community. With Mocco completing his senior season, he may get a chance to earn it during Real Pro Wrestling's Season 2. For Konrad, he will have to wish for a chance at the U.S. Nationals or the U.S. World Team Trials. But until that time comes, Thompson will keep his corkscrew where it belongs -- in his wine cellar.

Dana College Head Wrestling Coach Steve Costanzo was named 2006 Regional Coach of the Year as his Vikings won their fourth regional wrestling championship Saturday in Sioux City, Iowa. Dana finished with 197.5 team points, 85 points ahead of second place William Penn. Five Vikings won individual championships: 125- Burke Barnes (Kimberly, Idaho), 133-Jimmy Rollins (Woodbury, N.J.), 157-Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.), 165-Trent Leichleiter (Harvard, Neb.), and 197- Blair Alderman (Spokane, Wash.). All 12 Viking wrestlers placed in the top four of their respective weight classes with seven Vikings making their way into the finals. At 125 pounds, Barnes dominated the competition with three falls on his way to the title. Rollins continued his winning ways by recording two falls, including a fall in the 133-pound finals over No. 3 ranked Mike Miller of Bacone. Henderson recorded two falls, a major decision and finished with a decision over Brandon Graham of William Penn in the 157-pound finals. At 165 pounds, Leichleiter claimed his first regional title and his 100th college victory in the finals with a 4-1 victory over TJ Stuart of William Penn. Alderman (197) stayed on track in a dominating fashion with two falls and a major decision. This is the second regional title for Alderman. Terrence Almond (141, Pelham, Ga.) and Anthony Haukenberry (149, Buckley, Wash.) both finished in the runner-up position. Almond scored three falls, but then lost in overtime to No. 3 ranked Bryan Odle of Bacone. Haukenberry, the 2004 NAIA National Champion, made his way to the finals with a huge revenge victory over No. 2 ranked Brad Stockton of Waldorf 7-3 in the semi-finals. Haukenberry lost in the finals to No. 1 ranked Darren Cotton. Other placers for the Vikings included third-place finishes from Craig Trampe (125, Ord, Neb.), Scott Taylor (Arapahoe, Neb.), and Marshall Marquardt (174, Altoona, Iowa). Sonny Silva (133, Kimberly, Idaho) and Jason Lozier (149, Omaha, Neb.) both finished in fourth place. The Vikings will vie for Dana's first ever NAIA team national championship in two weeks. The 49th Annual NAIA National Wrestling tournament takes place March 3-4 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Top 5 Teams: 1. Dana, 197.50 2. William Penn, 112.50 3. Morningside, 94.50 4. Bacone, 93.50 5. Waldorf, 76.00

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed sole possession of the 2006 Big Ten Conference dual-meet title with a 31-9 victory against No. 17 Indiana on Sunday (Feb. 19) in front of 851 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. With the victory, the Wolverines closed the regular season with a 16-2 overall record and won the Big Ten dual-meet championship outright with a perfect 8-0 mark. Michigan won eight of 10 individual bouts, including back-to-back falls at 141 and 149 pounds from junior/sophomores Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) to secure a substanial early advantage. Churella had built up an early advantage against Nick Spatola after a takedown and three-point near fall in the opening period and carried his momentum into the second frame with a quick single leg. The Wolverine went to work on top, using a high-leg turk to turn Spatola before moving around to the front position to finish with a head and arm at the 4:01 mark. Tannenbaum made little work of Indiana's Isaac Knable in the subsequent bout, using a single leg to take the Hoosier straight to his back and earn his second fall of the season at the 15-second mark. Fifth-year senior captains Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) both went out winners in their final appearances at Cliff Keen Arena, earning decision victories at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Churella scored a pair of takedowns and accumulated 4:49 in riding time en route to a 6-1 victory over the Hoosiers' Max Dean, while Wagner needed just a takedown midway through the opening period to earn a 3-2 decision against Dave Herman to close out the afternoon's competition. The performances by Churella and Wagner bookended a stretch of five consecutive U-M wins in the second half of the dual meet. Senior/junior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) started strong and ended strong to control the entire bout against Marc Bennett at 174 pounds, scoring on a pair of first-period takedowns and adding two more in the third. At 184 pounds, sophomore/freshman Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) grabbed the early lead and never trailed against Justin Curran after scoring on a late first-period takedown. Curran pulled back into the match, scoring his own takedown midway through the final frame to trim Todd's lead to one point, but the Wolverine rallied with an escape and single leg just seconds later to register the 7-2 decision. Junior/sophomore Omar Maktabi (Iowa City, Iowa/West HS) claimed his first career dual win in overtime against Louis Gouleta at 197 pounds, scoring out of a scramble situation to claim a 3-1 victory. Freshman Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) opened the dual meet with a dominant 13-1 major decision over the Hoosiers' Blane Culp to claim his fourth consecutive win at 125 pounds. Watts struck immediately, scoring on a pair of inside trips in the opening frame before adding two back points late in the period. The Wolverine freshman collected another takedown in the second and used a high-leg turk to score a three-point near fall at the final buzzer. The Wolverines will take a two-week break to prepare for the 2006 Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 4-5 in Bloomington, Ind. Hosted by Indiana University, the two-day tournament will be held at Assembly Hall. #3 Michigan 31, #17 Indiana 9 125 -- Michael Watts (U-M) major dec. Blane Culp, 13-1 U-M, 4-0 133 -- Andrae Hernandez (IU) pinned Jim Shutich, 6:45 IU, 6-4 141 -- #4 Josh Churella (U-M) pinned Nick Spatola, 4:01 U-M, 10-6 149 -- #4 Eric Tannenbaum (U-M) pinned Isaac Knable, 0:15 U-M, 16-6 157 -- Brandon Becker (IU) dec. #13 Steve Luke, 5-3 U-M, 16-9 165 -- #1 Ryan Churella (U-M) dec. Max Dean, 6-1 U-M, 19-9 174 -- #10 Nick Roy (U-M) dec. Marc Bennett, 10-4 U-M, 22-9 184 -- #18 Tyrel Todd (U-M) dec. Justin Curran, 7-2 U-M, 25-9 197 -- Omar Maktabi (U-M) dec. Louis Gouletas, 3-1 SV U-M, 28-9 Hwt -- #3 Greg Wagner (U-M) dec. Dave Herman, 3-2 U-M, 31-9 Quotes: Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland On the potential of a U-M letdown ... "I was a little concerned after Friday's emotional win. We talked about it a little bit yesterday, but I didn't think we'd have a problem. These guys are pretty focused from meet to met, and they're good about the preparation. It didn't seem to be a problem; everyone was focused and ready to go. We didn't want any 'co' in front of the Big Ten season championship." On Michigan's undefeated conference record ... "I think it's a nice feather in our cap. It's very difficult to do, because it is such a tough conference. It's a grueling season. For these guys to be able to do it week to week says a lot about the character of the guys we have in the program. I'm proud of them, really proud." On preparing for the postseason ... "We're going to try to get some good workouts in, get these guys ready and keep them fresh. We want to focus in. We're going to try to wipe the slate clean and get ready for the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Championships. The biggest thing is just to put this all behind us. I think these guys will be ready. They've been looking forward to these tournaments."

PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Behind individual titles from Alfonso Paez at 133 pounds and Joe Garcia at 141 and five second-place showings, the No. 9 Menlo College men's wrestling team captured its second NAIA Western Regional Championship title in three seasons, collecting 82 team points Saturday to edge out No. 7 Southern Oregon (81) and host No. 6 Embry-Riddle (80). Head coach Keith Spataro was named 2006 Western Regional Co-Coach of the Year along with SOU's Mike Ritchey. Embry-Riddle's Hayden Harrison was named the competition's Most Outstanding Wrestler after the No. 3 seed defeated Menlo's Kyle Bickford for the 157 title. Southern Oregon's Jimmy Grochowsky, the NAIA's top-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, was named the region's Wrestler of the Year. Simon Fraser of British Columbia was a distant fourth with 23 points. The title was Menlo's second after clinching the 2004 Western Regional. The Oaks finished second a year ago in an event they hosted. Top-seeded Paez downed Embry-Riddle's Micaiah Watkins (maj. dec. 10-1) before defeating teammate and second-seed Pablo Sanchez, 4-1, for the 133 title. Sanchez was an earlier 8-3 victor against Southern Oregon's Barry Johnson. Garcia secured his title courtesy of a 6-2 win against second-seeded Gordo Villaescusa of Embry-Riddle. Garcia, ranked No. 3 nationally at 141 pounds, opened with a 16-2 major decision over Embry-Riddle's Jason Mendez. At 125, Menlo freshman Mike Rodriguez opened his day with a 4-3 upset of Embry-Riddle's Richard Byrd, ranked third nationally by the NAIA. Rodriguez then fell to Southern Oregon's Trevor Lofstedt in the final, 6-4. Top-seeded Bickford received a bye to open the 157 bracket before losing to Harrison, who began his day with a fall of the Oaks' Robert Davis at the two-minute, 58-second mark. It was the second-consecutive runner-up finish for Bickford while Davis settled for third. Senior Jesse Vasquez fell to Southern Oregon's Rick Story in his opening match but rebounded with a 20-5 technical fall against Embry-Riddle's Danny Eller in the third-place bout. Top-seeded Tyrell Blanche of Menlo pinned Southern Oregon's Abe Ewing at 1:34 in his 197-pound opening bout before dropping the title match to Simon Fraser's Rozbeh Banihashimi. Blanche captured last season's 197-pound title. Menlo senior heavyweight Ben Flores, ranked third nationally, fell to top-seeded and No. 1 Mikahil Abdul-Latif of Simon Fraser in the championship bout, 21-7. Flores defeated Southern Oregon's Taylor Wilkerson to begin the day. Wilkerson pinned Menlo's Nick Berry at 1:40 in the third-place bout. Menlo freshman Andrew Cunha settled for third place at 149 after losing an opening-round match to Embry-Riddle's Eli Arismendez, 11-2. At 165, Menlo's Stephen Towne lost a 3-1 opening-round decision to Grochowsky before Southern Oregon's James Mannenbach handed him a 7-4 defeat in the third-place bout. Menlo didn't enter a wrestler at 174. The Oaks complete their season March 3-4 at the NAIA National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa. Menlo was the 2004 national runner-up. Men's Wrestling Result 2006 NAIA Western Regional Championships Embry-Riddle University; Prescott, Ariz. Feb. 19, 2006 Team Scores 1. Menlo College (82 Points) 2. Southern Oregon University (81 Points) 3. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (80 Points) 4. Simon Fraser University (23 Points) Most Outstanding Wrestler Hayden Harrison (Embry Riddle University) 2006 Wrestler of the Year Jimmy Grochowsky (Southern Oregon University) 2006 Coach of the Year Keith Spataro (Menlo College) and Mike Ritchey (Southern Oregon University) Individual Placements 125 1. Trevor Lofstedt (Southern Oregon University) 2. Michael Rodriguez (Menlo College) 3. Frank Villaescusa (Embry Riddle University) 4. Junior Valladolid (Southern Oregon University) 133 1. Alfonso Paez (Menlo College) 2. Pablo Sanchez (Menlo College) 3. Barry Johnson (Southern Oregon University) 4. Micaiah Watkins (Embry Riddle University) 141 1. Joe Garcia (Menlo College) 2. Gordo Villaescusa (Embry Riddle University) 3. Jason Mendez (Embry Riddle University) 4. Matt Holt (Southern Oregon University) 149 1. Eli Arismendez (Embry Riddle University) 2. Jimmy Ulrey (Southern Oregon University) 3. Andrew Cunha (Menlo College) 157 1. Hayden Harrison (Embry Riddle University) 2. Kyle Bickford (Menlo College) 3. Robert Davis (Menlo College) 165 1. Jimmy Grochowsky (Southern Oregon University) 2. Calvin DeVault (Embry Riddle University) 3. James Mannenbach (Southern Oregon University) 4. Stephan Towne (Menlo College) 174 1. David O'Brien (Southern Oregon University) 2. Josh Fitzgerald (Southern Oregon University) 3. Nick Walden (Embry Riddle University) 184 1. Joffre Lander (Embry Riddle University) 2. Rick Story (Southern Oregon University) 3. Jesse Vasquez (Menlo College) 4. Danny Eller (Embry Riddle University) 197 1. Rozbeh Banihashimi (Simon Fraser University) 2. Tyrell Blanche (Menlo College) 3. Bob Charlton (Embry Riddle University) 4. Abe Ewing (Southern Oregon University) HWT 1. Mikahil Abdul-Latif (Simon Fraser University) 2. Ben Flores (Menlo College) 3. Taylor Wilkerson (Southern Oregon University) 4. Nick Berry (Menlo College)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Thanks to a 15th consecutive win by Vincent Ramirez and a pin by Chris Ramos in the final two bouts of the day, North Carolina scored a 19-16 win over Old Dominion in a back-and-forth match Sunday at Carmichael Auditorium. The Tar Heels (16-8-1) won their final four duals of the season for their most victories since the 1989 squad posted 18 victories. With Carolina trailing the Monarchs (11-6-1) by a 16-10 margin, Ramirez scored a 6-2 victory over BJ Compton at 141 pounds to bring the Tar Heels within three. A decision in Ramos' favor would have given Carolina its second draw of the season, but he pinned ODU's Jeff Becker in two minutes to give Carolina six points at 149 and the 19-16 victory. Ramirez's victory improved his record to 35-6 and 20-1 in duals, while Ramos is now 15-13 and has three pins on the season. Junior Deon Barrett got the Tar Heels off on the right foot with an 8-6 decision over Nick Pallano at 157 pounds to open the match. The Monarchs then claimed the next three bouts to take a 9-3 advantage after four matches. Junior David Dashiell put the Tar Heels back in the win column with a key 5-4 decision over 17th-ranked Adam Wright at 197. Dashiell is now 30-10 on the year and has a single-season career best in victories. Junior Spencer Nadolsky, ranked 12th nationally, followed with an 11-1 major decision over John Dolida at heavyweight to give Carolina its first lead of the day at 10-9. The victory was Nadolsky's 38th of the season, which is tied for fifth on the Tar Heels' single-season win list. Old Dominion picked up the next two matches, including a major decision at 125 to take the 16-10 lead before Ramirez and Ramos closed out the match with the decision and the fall to give the Tar Heels the win. Carolina returns to action at the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, set for March 4 at MatJam 2006 in Lexington, Va. North Carolina 19, Old Dominion 16 Records: UNC 16-8-1, ODU 11-6-1 WT. BOUT RESULT SCORE TEAM SCORE 157 Andre Barrett (UNC) def. Nick Pallano (ODU) 8-6 UNC 3-0 165 Robby Gosnell (ODU) def. Garrett Atkinson (UNC) 6-3 TIED 3-3 174 TJ Hansen (ODU) def. Jake Puckett (UNC) 2-0 ODU 6-3 184 David Mendoza (ODU) def. Justin Dobies (UNC) 8-4 ODU 9-3 197 David Dashiell (UNC) def. #17 Adam Wright (ODU) 5-4 ODU 9-6 HWT #12 Spencer Nadolsky (UNC) def. John Dolida (ODU) 11-1 MD UNC 10-9 125 Bryan LaShomb (ODU) def. Bobby Shaw (UNC) 12-3 MD ODU 13-10 133 Ryan Williams (ODU) def. Jared Royer (UNC) 5-0 ODU 16-10 141 Vincent Ramirez (UNC) def. BJ Compton (ODU) 6-2 ODU 16-13 149 Chris Ramos (UNC) def. Jeff Becker (ODU) Fall 2:00 UNC 19-16

BLOOMSBURG -- Despite a loss to Bloomsburg University, the East Stroudsburg University wrestling team completed its fourth straight winning season. Bloomsburg took advantage of a forfeit and had two major decisions and beat the Warriors 35-0, Sunday at Nelson Fieldhouse. ESU did complete its dual meet season 10-9, the fourth consecutive winning season. ESU will wrestle at EIWA's March 4 and 5 at Lehigh University. Bloomsburg 35, ESU 0 125- Mike Sees (BU) maj. dec. Matt Swallow (ESU), 16-0 133- Rick Donald (BU) dec. Nate Nauroth (ESU), 9-2 141- Brad Forbes (BU) dec. Kyle Ferris (ESU), 5-3, OT 149- George Hickman (BU) won by forfeit 157- Aric Fuhrman (BU) dec. Mark Smith (ESU), 6-4 165- Frank Beasley (BU) dec. Keith Smith (ESU), 3-2 174- Jim Bertulis (BU) dec. Dave Sullivan (ESU), 8-3 184- Nate Shirk (BU) dec. Dave Williams (ESU), 8-2 197- Jesse Hasseman (BU) dec. Charles Deighton (ESU) 7-3 HWT- Mike Spaid (BU) maj. dec. Adam Karasevicz (ESU) 9-0

WASHINGTON -- The American University wrestling team won eight matches by bonus points Sunday afternoon in a 38-9 dismantling of South Dakota State on the road. Three Eagles won by fall and five won by major decision as AU lost only match they contested. Adam LoPiccolo (Glen Rock, Pa./Glen Rock) started the match off with his 20th win of the year by fall in the first period. Matt Morkel (Omaha, Neb./Skutt) and Jordan Lipp (Beachwood, Oh./Beachwood) pushed AU's lead to 14-0, both winning by major decision. Lipp has now won 10 of his last 11 matches. After an American forfeit at 141, Tom Kniezewski (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) scored his second pin in as many matches for his 21st win of the year. Christopher Stout (Hackettstown, N.J./Blair Academy), Rudy Rueda (Waldorf, Md./DeMatha) and Dwayne Hash-Barberis (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia Glenville) followed with major decision victories to clinch the match for AU. Like Kniezewski at 149, No. 1 Josh Glenn (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City) won by fall for the second time in as many matches pushing his record to 26-1 on the year. Glenn lead the EIWA in pins with 17 on the year. With the win, the Eagles move to 12-6 on the year in duals. Tomorrow they face off against North Dakota State in their last dual of the year before the EIWA Tournament, which takes place in two weeks. American 38 South Dakota St 9 285-Adam LoPiccolo, AU F2:29 Jason Stripling 125-Matt Morkel, AU 14-3 Marcus Waters 133-Jordan Lipp, AU 19-7 Alan Marvin 141-Dusty Kavitz, SDS FF 149-Tom Kniezewski, AU F1:10 Brad Gregory 157-Chris Stout, AU 12-4 Chad Herrboldt 165-Rudy Rueda, AU 12-3 Justin Retallic 174-Dwayne Hash-Barberis, AU 15-4 Travis Gottschalk 184-Josh Glenn, AU F1:53 Levi Krehmeyer 197-Cody Nehl, SDS 6-0 Tyler Flatt

Philadelphia - Drexel dropped a tough match to No. 14 Lehigh, 21-19, in the Dragons' final regular season dual meet of the season. Drexel ended its season 20-9 while Lehigh improved to 12-5-1. The 20 wins mark a new school-record for victories in a season. Lehigh jumped to a 10-point lead on the first three matches of the evening. Lehigh's Matt Fisk used a second-period escape to earn a 1-0 decision over Steve Mytych (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) in a match-up of freshman 125-pounders. Lehigh's Jon Stout and Cory Cooperman followed with a pair of decision victories, the latter a major decision. Facing a 10-point deficit, the Dragons looked to junior Chris Renninger (Cresonia, Pa./Blue Mountain) to get them back in the match. Renninger responded with his 10th pin of the season at 3:33 of the match. In the next match, 19th-ranked Ryan Hluschak (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) recorded a win by fall of his own when he matted Trevor Chinn at 4:18. Hluschak has now won 16 of his last 17 matches. The two wins by fall put Drexel on top, 12-10. Lehigh countered with former NCAA national champion Troy Letters at 165 pounds. The senior defeated Drexel's Scott Hunter (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus), 17-3, to give the Mountain Hawks a 14-12 match lead. Lehigh also won at 174 and 184 pounds, the latter by major decision to extend its lead to 21-12. At 197 pounds, Drexel's Jon Oplinger (Bath, Pa./Northampton) stunned 16th-ranked Matt Cassidy when he earned a 16-6 major decision to pull Drexel within five points with just one match remaining. Defending CAA heavyweight champion Chris Cowen (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) faced Lehigh's heavyweight offering, Kevin McFarland, who usually wrestles at 197 pounds. Cowen earned a pair of takedowns and was awarded a point when McFarland was cited for stalling but was unable to record a pin. Cowen did win a 7-0 decision, though the Mountain Hawks escaped with a 21-19 match win. Drexel will host the 2006 CAA Championships on March 3 and 4. The first match is slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 3. February 19, 2006 (Philadelphia, Pa.) Lehigh 21, Drexel 19 125 - Matt Fisk (L) d. Steve Mytych, 1-0 133 - John Stout (L) d. Zach Makovsky, 7-3 141 - Cory Cooperman (L) m.d. Billy Martin, 24-11 149 - Chris Renninger (D) wbf. Matt Ennis, 3:33 157 - Ryan Hluschak (D) wbf. Trevor Chinn, 4:18 165 - Troy Letters (L) m.d. Scott Hunter, 17-3 174 - Travis Frick (L) d. Nick Kozar, 3-2 184 - David Helfrich (L) m.d. Brian Stouffer, 12-3 197 - Jon Oplinger (D) d. Matt Cassidy, 16-6 HWT - Chris Cowen (D) d. Kevin McFarland, 7-0

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma State continued its dominance over instate rival Oklahoma winning 21-12 at the Howard McCasland Fieldhouse in Norman, Okla. The Cowboys improved to 16-2 on the season and have now won 16 consecutive duals against their Bedlam rival. The dual remained close early as the Cowboys won three of the first five matches, but OU got a technical fall from Teyon Ware at 141 and OSU led 9-8 at the halfway point. Oklahoma was leading the dual 8-3 following Ware's technical fall, but Oklahoma State took the lead with consecutive decisions from Zack Esposito and Kevin Ward. Ward gave up a late takedown to Will Rowe to tie the match, but Ward escaped with four seconds left to win. The Cowboys began to assert themselves after the 165-pound match. Johny Hendricks bullied Jarrod King around the mat for seven minutes. Hendricks was looking for a major decision but got countered in the third period for a late takedown and won 12-5. Brandon Mason kept OSU's string of victories alive against OU's Wes Roberts. Mason scored the match's only takedown to win 3-0. The win put the Cowboys ahead in the dual, 15-8. Justin Dyer got the Sooners back on the scoreboard putting Rusty Blackmon on his back twice and earning a major decision. Jake Rosholt iced the dual for Oklahoma State scoring a late takedown over Joel Flaggert to win by decision, 4-1, and putting OSU up 18-12 heading into the heavyweight match. Steve Mocco put the finishing touches on the dual defeating Jake Hager, 8-1. The Cowboys head to the Big Tournament in Ames, Iowa and will look for its eighth Big 12 championship in 10 years. No. 2 Oklahoma State 21, No. 11 Oklahoma 12 Howard McCasland Fieldhouse * Norman, Okla. Attendance: 1,846 125- Sam Hazewinkel (OU) Dec. Coleman Scott (OSU), 2-0 133- Nathan Morgan (OSU) Dec. Trey Blakely (OU), 9-2 141- Teyon Ware (OU) TF5 Ethan Kyle (OSU), 19-4; 6:06 149- Zack Esposito (OSU) Dec. Matt Storniolo (OU), 4-0 157- Kevin Ward (OSU) Dec. Will Rowe (OU), 6-5 165- Johny Hendricks (OSU) Dec. Jarrod King (OU), 12-5 174- Brandon Mason (OSU) Dec. Wes Roberts (OU), 3-0 184- Justin Dyer (OU) MD Rusty Blackmon (OSU), 13-4 197- Jake Rosholt (OSU) Dec. Joel Flaggert (OU), 4-1 285- Steve Mocco (OSU) Dec. Jake Hager (OU), 8-1

MADISON, Wis. -- Fresh off upsetting No. 18 Michigan State, the No. 23 Wisconsin wrestling team nearly made it a sweep with a tie against No. 6 Illinois on the road. The 15-15 stalemate set the Badgers' regular season record at 9-5-1 and 4-3-1 in Big Ten Conference action. The Illini finished with a 10-2-1 overall record and 5-2-1 in the league. The Badgers charged into Illinois' Huff Hall winning the first three matches with decisions from Tom Clum (133 lbs.), Ed Gutnik (141 lbs.) and Tyler Turner (149 lbs.). Turner dominated his match and despite scoring three takedowns in the final minute, he ran out of time to get the final two points to secure a major decision and settled for the 10-4 win. "We came out really aggressively today and attacked well," said assistant coach Cory Wallman. "Our guys are getting to where they need to be and are peaking at the right time of year, just before Big Tens." With nine points in Wisconsin's favor, the featured match-up at 157 lbs. was cued up with the top-ranked Alex Tirapelle of Illinois facing Wisconsin's No. 5 Craig Henning. Both wrestlers came into the match undefeated in Big Ten action. After two scoreless periods, Tirapelle managed an escape early in the third. He was able to evade Henning the rest of the match and notched a 2-0 with 1:17 of riding time. Illinois took four more matches at 165 lbs., 184 lbs., 197 lbs. and 125 lbs. The Badgers had a chance to pull away when heavyweight Lee Kraemer got his opponent Matt Weight on his back. Weight fought off a pin, but Kraemer earned a three-point nearfall and the 7-5 decision victory. In the final match of the day, Wisconsin's Collin Cudd faced eighth-ranked Kyle Ott. Cudd kept the score close scoring three escapes in the 5-3 loss. The three points only got Illinois close enough to tie, the first of the season, for either team. The Badgers now look to the postseason and the 2006 Big Ten Championships, March 3-5 in Bloomington, Ind. Seeding for the tournament will take place in the next week. Stay tuned to uwbadgers.com for the latest news and updates. #6 Illinois 15, #23 Wisconsin 15 Feb. 19, 2006 Huff Hall (ILL-UW) 133: #6 Tom Clum (WIS) dec. #19 Gabe Flores (ILL), 1-6 (0-3) 141: Ed Gutnik (WIS) dec. Joel Karr (ILL), 6-2 (0-6) 149: #11 Tyler Turner dec. Troy Tirapelle (ILL), 10-4 (0-9) 157: #1 Alex Tirapelle (ILL) dec. #5 Craig Henning (WIS), 2-0 (3-9) 165: #7 Mike Poeta (ILL) dec. #17 Jake Donar (WIS), 7-1 (6-9) 174: #14 Kelly Flaherty (WIS) dec. Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL), 0-1 (6-12) 184: #5 Pete Friedl (ILL) dec. Matt Maciag (WIS), 9-2 (9-12) 197: #8 Tyrone Byrd (ILL) dec. Dallas Herbst (WIS), 1-0 (12-12) HWT: Lee Kraemer (WIS) dec Matt Weight (ILL), 7-5 (12-15) 125: #8 Kyle Ott (ILL) dec. Collin Cudd (WIS), 5-3 (15-15)

CLARION, Pa. -- The bonus points that have eluded the Lock Haven University wrestling team (6-13, 2-4 EWL) came in bunches today (Feb. 19) in a Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) victory at Clarion University, 34-6. LHU got a fall from No. 17 Seth Martin (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove), a major decision from No. 17 Joshua Medina (Las Vegas/Pima C.C.) at 149, and decisions from Casey Moore (Beech Creek, Pa./Central Mountain) at 133, Jacob Lauffenburger (Russell, Pa./Warren) at 165, junior Carlos Ponce (Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah Miami Lakes) at 174 and junior Derrick Morgan (Milan, Pa./Athens) at 184. Sophomore No. 16 Obenson Blanc (Naples, Fla./Lely) and freshman Tom Kocher (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) both picked up forfeit wins. "I'm happy with the effort tonight," said LHU head coach Rocky Bonomo. "Gaining momentum at the end of the dual season is crucial heading into EWL's. Momentum and doing the little things well at this level is so important, and we had both tonight." After the 125 forfeit, Moore battled Rob LaBrake. After a flurry of action in the first but no points for either man, Moore got a double-leg into a takedown near the outside of the circle during period two. LaBrake worked a reversal once they reset, and Moore worked his own reversal just seconds later for a 4-2 lead going into the third. Moore worked a cradle into three backpoints in the third for a 5-3 win, his 10th of the season. Sophomore Brian Ellis (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) drew Greg Lewis at 141 reversing Ellis's offensive move into his own takedown for the first points of the bout, adding a pair of nearfall points later in the period. Ellis brought the score to 4-1 with an early second-period escape. Ellis kept the pressure on throughout the second, but Lewis's strong defensive work wouldn't allow the sophomore to score. Lewis took the third period 1-0 for his second win over Ellis this season, this time a 6-2 tally. At 149, Medina snared Derrick Smith for the first two points just 30 seconds in, adding to his advantage for a 4-1 lead at the end of the first. Medina controlled the rest of the bout for a 13-1 major decision, his sixth of the year. Martin drew Lucas Christopher at 157, trading a takedown for an escape, a 2-1 Martin lead after the first period. Martin followed that up with an escape and a takedown in the second, and rolled Christopher over in the third period for a fall at 6:03. Martin now had 12 falls this season in his team-high 32 victories. Lauffenburger scored the first points in his match with Chris Goings at 165 and after a scoreless second, led 2-1. Goings worked for an escape in the third, bringing the bout to 2-2 with 1:25 left. A late Goings single leg was just that, and the two men went to overtime. An illegal move by Goings in the overtime period gave Lauffenburger a 3-2 sudden victory, sealing an LHU team victory with the upcoming forfeit at 197. At 174, Ponce used some quickness to shift around Dave Gardner for a takedown later sitting down on a Gardner attack for another pair of points and a 4-1 lead after the second period. Ponce posted a reversal and a takedown in the third for the 9-5 win. Morgan controlled Dominic Ross at 184, riding an early takedown out for the remainder of the first, and adding an escape, a time advantage and a pair of takedowns over the remainder of the match for an 8-1 win. After a 197 forfeit win, senior Tim Meyers (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) worked against Clarion heavyweight A.J. Brooks. Brooks scored the first points of the bout with a second-period escape, following that up with a takedown shortly thereafter. Meyers got his own escape in the third, but was unable to manage any more points, as Brooks took the 4-1 decision. LHU won the match, however 34-6. Martin, Medina, Moore, Lauffenburger, Ponce, Morgan, Blanc, Kocher, Bonomo, Ellis, Meyers and the rest of the Bald Eagles are back in action Saturday, March 4 at the EWL Championships, hosted by Edinboro University.

ATHENS, Ohio -- Kermit Blosser passed away on the evening of February 18, 2006, at the Hickory Creek Nursing Center in The Plains, Ohio. Ohio University's first national champion in any sport, Blosser had recently celebrated his 95th birthday. Kermit, the son of a rail worker, was born on Feb. 1, 1911, and raised in Enterprise, Ohio. He showed up for Ohio University's freshman football practice in the fall of 1928 as a self-described "little 175-pound neophyte from Logan High School." As a sophomore end, Kermit started his first game in the 1929 season opener at Indiana, which turned out to be an 18-0 victory for the Bobcats. The following week, he started the home opener against West Liberty State College that was the first-ever game played in the newly built Peden Stadium, which still serves as the home field for the Ohio football squad. The Bobcats won that game as well, 26-0, and finished the year 9-0. More impressively, they outscored their opponents 306-13 that initial season at Peden Stadium. They followed it up with another undefeated season in 1930, an 8-0-1 campaign in which they outscored their opponents 227-32. During Kermit's three varsity seasons, Ohio lost only one game, a 7-6 decision to Indiana in the 1931 season opener. His teams went 24-1-1 during that span while claiming three Buckeye Conference championships and outscoring their opponents 705-59. To cap off his collegiate career, Kermit won the school's first national title in any sport by taking the 191-pound wrestling crown in 1932. Following his graduation from Ohio University in 1932, he was a successful basketball coach first at Glouster High School and later at Columbus South High School. Then, after serving as a gunnery officer aboard a warship in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, Kermit returned to the Athens campus as an assistant coach for football, basketball and wrestling. He was on the Bobcat coaching staffs that won the school's first Mid-American Conference football title in 1953 under Carroll Widdoes and four of Jim Snyder's seven conference championship basketball teams. Despite having never played the game of golf, Kermit became Ohio's first head golf coach in 1947. He quickly became a scratch golfer himself while his program - led by future PGA champion Dow Finsterwald - won its first conference title in 1951 by 24 strokes. The Bobcats proceeded to win nine of the next 10 MAC championships as well. His teams ended up winning 18 conference titles, giving Kermit more championships than any other coach in any sport in MAC history. He was inducted into the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame's second class in 1966 and the charter classes of the NCAA Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980 and MAC Hall of Fame in 1988. After retiring from teaching physical education in 1977 and coaching in 1988, Kermit was honored for his 42 years of service by his MAC peers, who named the conference's golf-coach-of-the-year award after him. Even in retirement, Kermit continued to impact Ohio Athletics as a special assistant to the department's director. Up until his final days, he came to his office in the Convocation Center almost every day and attended as many home athletic events as he could. "This is a great loss to the athletic department and to our golf program," said Bobcat golf coach Bob Cooley, who played under Blosser and succeeded him as Ohio's golf mentor in 1988. "He gave me a lot of good advice and I learned a tremendous amount from him over the years. He was one of the all-time greats and was very well respected on the national level. He will be deeply missed." Kermit was preceded in death by his beloved wife, the former Mildred Howard of Glouster, Ohio. He is survived by their children, Richard Blosser and his wife Suzy of Savannah, Ga., and Carol DeCaminada and her husband Joseph of Clarkston, Mich., as well as four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. A memorial service is being planned by the athletics department and details on that event will be announced at ohiobobcats.com when they are finalized in the coming days.

Two days after dropping its first match of the season at Michigan, the top-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team dominated No. 18 Michigan State, 41-3, on Sunday afternoon in East Lansing, Mich. Minnesota won nine of 10 matches and finished the regular season 20-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten. It's just the fourth time in school history that the team has reached 20 dual meet wins in a single season. The Golden Gophers racked up three major decisions, a technical fall and a pair of pins in the win. Top-ranked heavyweight Cole Konrad got Minnesota started with a 17-6 major decision against Max Lossen. Improving to 33-0 on the year, Konrad's 33-match winning streak ranks fourth in school history. He has now won 62 of his last 63 matches. Michigan State got its only win of the day at 125 pounds although it still proved to be a disappointment. Third-ranked Nick Simmons dominated redshirt freshman Travis Lang in a 9-2 decision, but Lang's reversal late in the third period denied Simmons the bonus point for the major decision. Third-ranked Mack Reiter extended the Golden Gopher lead to 8-3 with a 17-3 major decision against Jeff Wimberley at 133 pounds. Reiter led 7-1 after the first period en route to the win. He is now 25-3 on the year and finished unbeaten with a 6-0 record during the Big Ten season. 13th-ranked Manuel Rivera gave Minnesota a 14-3 lead with his pin of Tim Hammer in 6: 09 at 141 pounds. Hammer was wrestling in place of fifth-ranked Andy Simmons. Rivera led 2-0 after the first period, but put the redshirt freshman to his back with less than a minute to go in the match. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter continued his stellar freshman season with a 15-0 technical fall against 15th-ranked Darren McKnight at 149 pounds. Schlatter recorded his team- best 10th technical fall on the year as he improved to 34-1 on the season. He has now won 22 matches in a row. Schlatter's older brother C.P. followed with a pin of Tony Greathouse in just 1:46 at 157 pounds following intermission. Ranked fourth in the nation, Schlatter recorded his first pin of the season. He is now 31-5 on the year and 18-2 in dual meets. Not to be outdone, senior Matt Nagel needed just 1:22 to record the fall against Bryan Harney at 165 pounds. It was Nagel's second pin in two career matches against Harney. His win gave Minnesota a 31-3 lead. The upset of day occurred at 174 pounds as 14th-ranked Gabriel Dretsch defeated fifth- ranked R.J. Boudro, 3-1. The pair traded escapes in the second and third periods. With time winding down on the match, Dretsch claimed the win with a late takedown. In his return to his home state, sophomore Roger Kish recorded a 16-5 major decision against Joe Williams at 184 pounds. A former four-time state champion out of LaPeer, Mich., Kish won for the 12th time in his last 13 matches. He is now 30-4 on the year. Despite giving up nearly 17 pounds, sophomore Mitch Kuhlman closed out the dual with a 5-4 decision against Jeff Kuhlman at 197 pounds. A natural 165-pounder, Kuhlman finished the season with a 3-4 record in Big Ten dual meets. Minnesota will have next weekend off as it prepares for the 2006 Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind., March 4-5. #1 Minnesota 41, #18 Michigan State 3 Feb. 19, 2006 East Lansing, Mich. Attendance: 962 HWT - #1 Cole Konrad (MN) maj. dec. Max Lossen (MSU), 17-6 125 –#3 Nick Simmons (MSU) dec. Travis Lang (MN), 9-2 133 - #3 Mack Reiter (MN) maj. dec. Jeff Wimberley (MSU), 17-3 141 - #13 Manual Rivera (MN) pinned Tim Hammer (MSU), 6:09 149 - #2 Dustin Schlatter (MN) tech. fall. #15 Darren McKnight (MSU), 15-0, 4:01 157 - #4 C.P. Schlatter (MN) pinned Tony Greathouse (MSU), 1:46 165 - #9 Matt Nagel (MN) pinned Bryan Harney (MSU), 1:22 174 - #13 Gabriel Dretsch (MN) dec. #5 R.J. Boudro (MSU), 4-1 184 - #9 Roger Kish (MN) maj. dec. Joe Williams (MSU), 16-5 197 - Mitch Kuhlman (MN) dec. Jeff Kuhlman (MSU), 5-4

State College, Pa. –– The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 8 in the country, won eight of ten bouts and hammered Purdue 32-8 at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse. The win helped head coach Troy Sunderland's team close out the regular season with a 13-4 record, 5-3 in Big Ten action. The dual beg at 149 and with No. 13 James Woodall (Dupont, Pa.) home with a skin infection, true freshman Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) faced No. 9 Doug Withstandley of Purdue. Lapham began the bout with a solid scoring chance, but Withstandley managed to fight the effort off and force a stalemate. The Nittany Lion freshman fought off the Boilermaker senior's scoring attempt as the first wound down and sent the bout to the second scoreless. Withstandley, however, chose down to begin the second and quickly reversed Lapham to go up 2-0. Withstandley rode Lapham out and took a 2-0 lead into the third. Lapham chose neutral to begin the final period. Withstandley quickly got in on a single leg and went up 4-0 with a take down. A second stall on Lapham put Withstandley up 5-0 and the Purdue senior worked onwards to a convincing 10-2 major decision. The victory gave Purdue an early 4-0 lead. Lapham fell to 8-11 on the year while Withstandley improved to 22-8. No. 12 Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) met Jake Murphy at 157. Looking to bounce back from a tough upset loss on Friday night at Ohio State, the Nittany Lion junior got the first take down of the dual early to go up 2-1 after a Murphy escape. Galloway notched a second take down with a minute left and, after three near fall points, took a 7-1 lead into the second. Galloway chose down to begin the middle stanza and escaped to an 8-1 lead, but two stall calls were called in the process on Galloway, cutting the Lion junior's lead to 8-2. Still dominating the bout, another Galloway take down gave him a 10-3 lead after two, plus a 1:06 riding time edge. Murphy chose down to begin the final period and quickly escaped, cutting the lead to 10-4. With Penn State needing a major to tie the dual in the early stages, Galloway added a fourth take down to go up 12-5 after a Murphy escape. A fifth take down with under :30 left cemented the major with Galloway going on to post an important 15-6 major decision. With the dual tied 4-4, Galloway improved to 11-12 and broke a personal five match losing skid. Murphy fell to 9-22. True freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) put his No. 12 ranking on the line against Purdue's Dan Bedoy at 165. Erwin wasted no time to take an early 2-0 lead on Bedoy and began working hard on top for a pinning combination, but Bedoy fought Erwin off and escaped to a 2-1 deficit. But Erwin would increase his lead with another take down as the first ended led 4-1 after three minutes. Bedoy chose down to begin the second and was cut loose by Erwin as the Nittany Lion freshmen began working towards bonus points. A second and third stall on Bedoy and another Erwin take down put Erwin up 8-2 as the second period ended. Erwin chose down to begin the third period and quickly escaped to a 9-2 lead. The Nittany Lion freshman continued to dominate the third period, adding one more take down plus a riding time point for a 12-2 major decision. The victory put Penn State up 8-4 and improved Erwin's mark to 23-6. Bedoy fell to 1-7 on the year. Nittany Lion junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 9, met Nick Corpe of Purdue at 174. Corpe, a talented freshman with a 16-15 mark entering the dual, took a quick shot but was countered almost immediately by Yonushonis, who got the take down and went up 2-1 early after the Corpe escape. The hard-working junior got in on a pinning combination, looking to pin Corpe and get his second fall of the weekend road swing. Corpe managed to fight off the effort, but Yonushonis went up 7-1 with the move and back points. Up 7-1 with 1:38 in riding time to begin the second, Yonushonis chose down to start the second. He quickly escaped to an 8-1 lead and continued to dominate the second period, getting three more take downs and carrying a 14-3 lead into the third. Corpe chose down to begin the final period and escaped, but trailed 14-4. Yonushonis began working for bonus points. He added two more take downs to post an 18-4 major decision. The victory put Penn State up 12-4 and moved Yonushonis to 19-6 on the year. Corpe fell to 16-16. In a marquee match-up, Penn State All-American Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.), ranked No. 7, took on No. 2 Ben Wissel. Wissel nearly got an early take down as the first wound down, but Bradley stepped away. Bradley quickly shot back, only to have Wissel return the favor and fight off the Penn State senior's attempt, forcing a stale mate with :20 left. The first period ended scoreless. Bradley chose down to begin the second and got his escape to go up 1-0 with 1:20 left in the second. Neither of the nation's top grapplers got a take down in the second, sending the bout to the third with Bradley holding a 1-0 lead. Wissel chose down to begin the third and was cut by Bradley, tying the score at 1-1. Wissel got the dual's first real scoring chance early in the third but could not finish as the men scooted off the mat. Wissel quickly got in again on Bradley's legs, but a potentially dangerous hold stopped action again. As time wound down, Wissel got in once more on both Bradley's legs, but the Nittany Lion senior showed his prowess by countering the move and working around behind Wissel to get the winning take down with :02 left. The 3-1 win improved Penn State's lead to 15-4 and moved Bradley to 9-1 on the year. The victory also stated a strong case for Bradley to get a No. 1 seed at the Big Ten Championships with a perfect 6-0 mark in conference duals. Wissel suffered only his third loss in 34 outings (31-3). Sophomore All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) took on No. 18 Nathan Moore of Purdue at 197 in another marquee match-up. Moore surprised Davis early by getting an early take down and a 2-1 lead. Davis countered with his own take down to go up 3-2 and never looked back. After a Moore escape, Davis notched another take down to go up 5-3 heading into the second. Davis chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 6-3 lead. The Harrisburg native added one more take down and entered the third period up 8-3. Moore chose neutral to begin the third and took Davis down to cut the Penn State lead to 9-5 after the Davis escape. Davis quickly got in on another single leg and went up 11-5 with another take down. The rest of the dual was scoreless and Davis posted an impressive 9-5 win over the nationally ranked Boilermaker. Penn State moved out to a decisive 18-4 lead while Davis improved to 17-3. Moore fell to 29-12. At heavyweight, Penn State's Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.), ranked No. 19, met Purdue's Aaron Keough. Edwards struck first in the bout, getting a take down midway through the first. The Nittany Lion senior added two near fall points before Keough escaped to go up 4-1, added a second take down and led 6-1 with over a minute's worth of riding time. The dominant wrestler on the mat, Edwards got two more back points while nearly pinning Keough. Edwards, leading 8-1, chose down to start the middle period. An escape made Edwards' lead 9-1. Keough got his first take down quickly afterwards and cut the lead to 10-3 after the Edwards escape, which is how the second period ended. Keough chose down to begin the last two minutes and quickly escaped to a 10-4 deficit. The Purdue freshman began to set the tone offensively in the third and nearly took Edwards down. But the Penn State senior managed to fight off the attempts. Each grappler had his chances as the third played itself out, but no more scoring was to be had. Edwards grabbed the hard fought 11-4 win after the riding time point. Penn State went up 21-4 with its sixth straight win in the dual while Edwards improved to 14-4 on the year. Keough fell to 14-23. Looking to continue his strong performance at 125, true freshman Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) met Purdue's Jeff Price. Pataky bolted out to a quick 11-0 lead with a lightening fast take down and three quick three-point near fall moves. A fourth and fifth near fall move followed and Pataky posted a blisteringly fast 17-0 technical fall at the 2:15 mark. The five team points moved Penn State out to a 26-4 lead and improved Pataky to 15-6 on the year. The technical fall was the second of the weekend for Pataky and his sixth of the year, a team best. In another marquee match-up, Nittany Lion freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) met Purdue's Chris Fleeger, a senior. Strayer entered the bout ranked No. 9 while Fleeger was ranked No. 5. Fleeger, a sixth-year senior, got the first take down early in the first to take an early 2-0 lead. Strayer managed to fight off a number of Fleeger attempts to get back points before Fleeger did manage to go up 5-0 with a three-point near fall. After a restart, Fleeger got another three-point near fall but gave up a penalty point on an illegal hold. Two more near fall points were added by Fleeger before Strayer escaped to a 10-2 deficit, ending the first period. Fleeger chose neutral to begin the second period. Strayer got in on a double-leg attempt, but Fleeger fought it off to maintain his eight-point lead. Fleeger added a late take down to carry a 12-2 lead into the final period. Strayer chose neutral to begin the final period but Fleeger quickly went up 14-2 with another take down. Strayer battled out for the escape but could not manage a take down on a late attempt. Fleeger went on to post a very impressive 17-3 major decision over Strayer. Penn State still led the dual 26-8 while Strayer suffered just his third loss of the year (19-3). Fleeger improved to 9-1 on the year. At 141, the final dual of the day matched senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) against Purdue's Jason Cook. Driscoll was ranked No. 11 entering the bout. Cook nearly got a take down to start the first, but Driscoll's strength and speed allowed him to fight off the attempt. Driscoll, while trying for a countering take down a few seconds later, leaned back on Cook and got the pin, his second of the weekend, at the 2:26 mark. The pin gave Penn State a 32-8 final decision and Driscoll improved to 14-7 on the season. Cook fell to 23-10. The pin was Driscoll's second of the weekend and his seventh of the year, a team best. "I was very concerned with some of the match-ups coming in, but we controlled a lot of the matches, none bigger than Eric Bradley's win at 184," Sunderland said. "We're very happy to get two road wins this weekend and now we can focus on Big Ten's. We have some things to work on, like how we finish matches, so we'll take these wins and get ready for the next step." Combining Penn State's wins at Ohio State Friday and today's win over Purdue has the Lions winning 16 of 20 bouts with four pins and two technical falls. Penn State improved to 13-4, 5-3 in the Big Ten. Purdue falls to 9-9, 1-7 Big Ten. The Nittany Lions end the year with a superb 8-1 record on the road. The 13 wins is the second most for Sunderland in his tenure as PSU's head coach and the five Big Ten wins ties Sunderland's coaching best. From a percentage standpoint, the 13-4 mark (.764) is the best of Sunderland's Penn State head coaching career. A 14-5 (.737) mark in 2003-04 was Sunderland's prior best in both percentage and wins. The Nittany Lions will now take two weeks to prepare for the 2006 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, hosted by Indiana University. Action takes place in Assembly Hall on March 4-5. #8 Penn State 32, Purdue 8 Indianapolis, Ind. - Conseco Fieldhouse 149: #9 Doug Withstandley PUR maj. dec. Jason Lapham PSU, 10-2 0-4 157: #12 Nathan Galloway PSU maj. dec. Jake Murphy PUR, 15-6 4-4 165: #12 David Erwin PSU maj. dec. Dan Bedoy PUR, 12-2 8-4 174: #9 James Yonushonis PSU maj. dec. Nick Corpe PUR, 19-6 12-4 184: #7 Eric Bradley PSU dec. #2 Ben Wissel PUR, 3-1 15-4 197: #6 Phil Davis PSU dec. #18 Nathan Moore PUR, 9-5 18-4 HWT: #19 Joel Edwards PSU dec. Aaron Keough PUR, 11-4 21-4 125: Brad Pataky PSU tech. fall Jeff Price PUR, 17-0 (2:16) 26-4 133: #5 Chris Fleeger PUR maj. dec. #9 Jake Strayer PSU, 17-3 26-8 141: #11 DeWitt Driscoll PSU pinned Jason Cook PUR, WBF (2:26) 32-8 Records: Penn State 13-4, 5-3 Big Ten; Purdue 9-9, 1-7 Big Ten Up Next for PSU: The 2006 Big Ten Championships, Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind. - Hosted by Indiana University, March 4-5.

FRESNO, Calif. - The UC Davis wrestling team won seven matches to take a 32-13 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs Saturday evening in Fresno, Calif. in both team's final dual of the season. Derek Moore pinned Garrett Spooner four minutes and nine seconds into the 141-pound match to highlight the Aggies' win. Omar Gaitan got the dual started for UC Davis with a narrow 6-5 decision over Sean Carlson at 133-pounds. At 149-pounds, Jesse Padilla took a 10-1 major decision win over Dustin Rocha which was followed by another Aggie win at 157-pounds by Jon Clark. Clark took a 10-7 decision over Darrell Goodpaster. With an already commanding 17-0 lead in the dual, UC Davis accepted forfeits at 165 and 174-pounds to further the Aggie lead to 28-0. At 184-pounds, Greg Gifford was able to turn a takedown into a win by fall over Tyler Bernacchi 5:59 into the match. Eliot Kelly grabbed what would be the final Aggie win of the night at 197-pounds as he shut-out Miguel Rodriguez in a 12-0 major decision. In the heavyweight match, Cody Parker scored a two-point near fall in the first period and scored three takedowns to take an 18-6 major decision over Broc Maffia. In the final match of the night, Cory Borges took control in the first period of the 125-pound match and scored on a two-point takedown. In the second period, Orozco scored a three-point near fall that almost was converted to a pin. Unfortunately for Orozco, Borges took the 8-4 win by decision. With the win, the Aggies' season record has been lifted to 8-9 overall. UC Davis will be in competition next Sunday, Feb. 26 through Monday, Feb. 27 at the 2006 Pac-10 wrestling championships being held at Stanford. UC Davis 32, Fresno State 13 133 - Omar Gaitan (UCD) dec. Sean Carlson (FS), 6-5 141 - Derek Moore (UCD) fall Garrett Spooner (FS), 4:09 149 - Jesse Padilla (UCD) m.d. Dustin Rocha (FS), 10-1 157 - Jon Clark (UCD) dec. Darrell Goodpaster (FS), 10-7 165 - Frank Richmond (UCD) accepted forfeit 174 - Dustin Noack (UCD) accepted forfeit 184 - Greg Gifford (FS) fall Tyler Bernacchi (UCD), 5:59 197 - Eliot Kelly (UCD) m.d. Miguel Rodriguez (FS), 12-0 HWT - Cody Parker (FS) m.d. Broc Maffia (UCD), 18-6 125 - Cory Borges (FS) dec. Marcos Orozco (UCD), 8-4

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The No. 25-ranked University of Northern Iowa Panthers' wrestling squad climbed back to the .500 mark with a 26-15 victory over the visiting North Dakota State Bison. UNI finished the dual season with a mark of 8-8-2. North Dakota State fell to 6-4 on the year. The match also marked the final dual for the Panthers in the West Gym. Next season, UNI will compete in the McLeod Center. UNI junior Seth Wright (125 lbs.) gave a first period takedown to NDSU's Mike Meger and then took over the match as he cruised to a 19-8 major decision. Midway through the second period Wright used a reversal and then both a three-point nearfall and a two-point nearfall to open up the match. Wright evened his record this year at 14-14 with the victory. Senior Chris Helgeson (133 lbs.) finished off his home career with an 8-3 decision over the Bison's Eric Sanders. Helgeson moved to 25-15 with the win. Sophomore C.J. Ettelson (141 lbs.) took out some frustration on NDSU's David Cunningham in netting a 16-0 technical fall at the 4:19 mark of their match. Ettelson, who was pinned last night in a dual against South Dakota State, scored 11 first-period points en route to the win. Ettelson is now 25-10 on the season. Junior Ryan Osgood (149 lbs.) was able to squeeze out a 3-1 victory over NDSU's Gabe Mooney. Osgood trailed late in the second period, 1-0, before scoring a takedown with only five seconds left in the period. Osgood added an escape early in the third period and was able to hold off Mooney's late shots in the final stanza. Osgood earned his 10th win of the season to go against 11 losses. Senior Chris Bitetto (157 lbs.) continued the Panthers' assault with a 17-6 major decision over the Bison's Andrew Quittsschreiber. Bitetto led 8-3 after two periods and finished off his opponent with three takedowns and a two-point nearfall in the final period. Redshirt freshman Moza Fay (165 lbs.) got his 30th win of the season with a shutout of NDSU's Zach Molitor, 7-0. Fay rode Molitor for more than five minutes in the match and did not allow Molitor to be on the offensive. Fay is 30-6 on the year. Junior Nick Baima (174 lbs.) notched his 11th straight win in disposing of NDSU's Matt Hermann, 11-2. Baima and Hermann battled to a 0-0 tie after one period. Baima chose the down position in the second period and scored an escape and a takedown in the period's first 10 seconds. Baima added three more takedowns in the third period to improve to 31-3 on the season. Baima's victory also gave UNI a 26-0 lead in the dual. At that point in the dual, UNI had tallied 23 takedowns to only one for the Bison. At the meet's end UNI would hold a 23-6 edge in takedowns. NDSU was able to bounce back and win the final three matches of the evening. Matt Wetterling (184 lbs.) pinned UNI's De'Andre Nunn at the 2:48 mark of the first period. Jacob Bryce (197 lbs.) scored a 7-1 victory over the Panthers' Andrew Anderson. NDSU heavyweight Mike Maresh recorded a fall over UNI's Tyler Rhodes at the 4:15 mark of the their match to close out the dual. The Panthers will be in action again on March 5 at the NCAA West Regional in Laramie, Wyo. The Panthers will be competing against Wyoming, Fresno State, Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois at the West Regional. UNI has won the West Regional 20 years in a row. The squads will be competing for spots in the NCAA Division I National Championships to be held March 18-20 in Oklahoma City, Okla. NOTES: UNI honored three seniors (Chris Bitetto, Chris Helgeson, Michael Shedek) ... Shedek was unable to attend the match because of a family illness ... UNI won its final three duals of the season. FINAL RESULTS: UNI 26, NDSU 15 125 - Seth Wright (UNI) maj. dec. Mike Meger (NDSU), 19-8 133 - Chris Helgeson (UNI) dec. Eric Sanders (NDSU), 8-3 141 - C.J. Ettelson (UNI) tech. fall David Cunningham (NDSU), 16-0 (4:19) 149 - Ryan Osgood (UNI) dec. Gabe Mooney (NDSU), 3-1 157 - Chris Bitetto (UNI) maj. dec. Andrew Quittschreiber (NDSU), 17-6 165 - Moza Fay dec. Zach Molitor (NDSU), 7-0 174 - Nick Baima (UNI) maj. dec. Matt Hermann (NDSU), 11-2 184 - Matt Wetterling (NDSU) pinned De'Andre Nunn (UNI), 2:48 197 - Jacob Bryce (NDSU) dec. Andrew Anderson (UNI), 7-1 HWT - Mike Maresh (NDSU) pinned Tyler Rhodes (UNI), 4:15

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Duke Blue Devils went 1-1 in wrestling action on Saturday in Columbia's first-ever Hall of Fame weekend, defeating Harvard, 24-21, after falling to Columbia, 30-7, earlier in the day. Duke's record moves to 3-11 overall with Saturday's effort. Harvard defeated Columbia, 29-16, prior to their dual meet against Duke. Harvard's record moves to 5-9-1 overall while Columbia's record moves to 8-8. The Duke-Columbia dual meet started at the heavyweight division and the Lions jumped out to a 3-0 lead with John Grando's 7-3 victory over freshman Wade Van Sickle. Columbia extended its lead to 7-0 when Jeff Sato registered an 11-2 major decision victory over sophomore Kellan McKeon at 125 pounds. The Blue Devils got on the board at 133 pounds as freshman Michael Degli Obizzi defeated Columbia's Eric Amstutz, 8-2. Columbia rebounded after its lead was cut to four by winning the next six matches to close out the meet. Dean Kinports scored an 8-0 major decision victory over junior Philip Wightman at 141 pounds, Ricky Turk defeated junior Daniel Shvartsman, 17-11, in a close match at 149 pounds and Derek Sickles registered a 7-1 win against freshman Addison Nuding at 157 pounds. Columbia's Dustin Tillman extended the Lions' lead to 23-3 by pinning redshirt freshman Aaron Glover in 4:37 at 165 pounds. Tenth-ranked Matt Palmer outlasted Duke senior Levi Craig, 9-4, at 174 pounds while Columbia's Sam Kuntz scored a major decision victory over redshirt freshman Dan Fox at 184 pounds. Duke sophomore Konrad Dudziak ended the dual meet by dominating Nick Sommerfeld at 197 pounds, scoring an 11-0 major decision victory. Columbia 30, Duke 7 HWT - John Grando (Columbia) def. Wade Van Sickle (Duke), 7-3 (0-3) 125 - Jeff Sato (Columbia) major decision Kellan McKeon (Duke), 11-2 (0-7) 133 - Michael Degli Obizzi (Duke) def. Eric Amstutz (Columbia), 8-2 (3-7) 141 - Dean Kinports (Columbia) major decision Philip Wightman (Duke), 8-0 (3-11) 149 - Ricky Turk (Columbia) def. Daniel Shvartsman (Duke), 17-11 (3-14) 157 - Derek Sickles (Columbia) def. Addison Nuding (Duke), 7-1 (3-17) 165 - Dustin Tillman (Columbia) pinned Aaron Glover (Duke), 4:37 (3-23) 174 - Matt Palmer (Columbia) def. Levi Craig (Duke), 9-4 (3-26) 184 - Sam Kuntz (Columbia) major decision Dan Fox (Duke), 10-2 (3-30) 197 - Konrad Dudziak (Duke) major decision Nick Sommerfeld (Columbia), 11-0 (7-30) The Duke-Harvard match also started at the heavyweight division and the Blue Devils fell behind early again. Harvard's seventh-ranked Bode Ogunwole scored a major decision victory over freshman Wade Van Sickle to put the Crimson up 4-0. After going up 6-4 with a win by forfeit at 125 pounds, Duke was forced to forfeit the 133-pound bout due to an injury to freshman Michael Degli Obizzi. Duke junior Philip Wightman followed with what would be the highlight of the day. Facing 14th-ranked and undefeated Max Meltzer at 141 pounds, the Omaha, Neb., native scored a win by fall, pinning Meltzer in 5:48. Meltzer entered match a perfect 13-0 on the season before falling to Wightman. Junior Daniel Shvartsman outlasted Harvard's Matt Button, 7-6, at 149 pounds to extend Duke's lead to 15-10 before Bobby Latessa's 4-3 win over freshman Addison Nuding cut the Blue Devil lead to two. Harvard then took an 18-15 lead on Andrew Flanagan's technical fall win over redshirt freshman Aaron Glover at 165 pounds. Senior Levi Craig pinned Harvard's Wesley Walker in 1:44 in the 174-pound bout to put the Blue Devils up 21-18. The Crimson managed to tie the dual meet at 21-21 when Louis Caputo defeated redshirt freshman Dan Fox, 6-0, at 184 pounds. With the score tied entering the final bout of the night, sophomore Konrad Dudziak scored a 5-1 decision win over Billy Colgan at 197 pounds to give the Blue Devils the 21-18 team victory. "We had a phenomenal win against Harvard tonight," stated Duke Head Coach Clar Anderson. "The key to that match was getting pins from Philip Wightman at 141 pounds and Levi Craig at 174 pounds. We had to forfeit at 133 but we were able to overcome that. This was a great win for our guys. It was also great to see Duke alumni from the area at the match. It really made it a special win for us." The Blue Devils will close out their regular season with next Friday's 7 p.m. dual meet at Princeton. Duke will then compete at the ACC Tournament on March 4. Duke 24, Harvard 21 HWT - Bode Ogunwole (Harvard) major decision Wade Van Sickle (Duke), 11-2 (0-4) 125 - Kellan McKeon (Duke) won via forfeit (6-4) 133 - Robbie Preston (Harvard) won via forfeit (6-10) 141 - Philip Wightman (Duke) pinned Max Meltzer (Harvard), 5:48 (12-10) 149 - Daniel Shvartsman (Duke) def. Matt Button (Harvard), 7-6 (15-10) 157 - Bobby Latessa (Harvard) def. Addison Nuding (Duke), 4-3 (15-13) 165 - Andrew Flanagan (Harvard) technical fall Aaron Glover (Duke), 20-4, 6:18 (15-18) 174 - Levi Craig (Duke) pinned Wesley Walker (Harvard), 1:44 (21-18) 184 - Louis Caputo (Harvard) def. Dan Fox (Duke), 6-0 (21-21) 197 - Konrad Dudziak (Duke) def. Billy Colgan (Harvard), 5-1 (24-21)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Joe Baker and Spencer Manley opened the match with bonus-point victories and a total of seven Midshipmen won bouts as No. 19 Navy defeated Army, 24-9, in an EIWA wrestling match Saturday evening in front of 1,801 spectators at Alumni Hall. Navy's win, its sixth straight over Army in the all-time series, improves the Mids' season record to 13-2 overall and 4-1 in the EIWA. Army, who saw its six-match winning streak snapped, falls to 8-4-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. Navy took a quick 9-0 lead and Army never got closer than six points throughout the duration of the match. Baker jumped all over Army junior Frank Baughan at 133 pounds, securing a 19-4 technical fall verdict. Baker used three takedowns and a pair of near falls to open up a 12-2 lead at the end of the first period and the freshman coasted to the victory, giving the Midshipmen a 5-0 edge. In the 141-pound match, Manley recorded four takedowns en route to an 11-2 major decision triumph over Army freshman Whitt Dunning. Patrick Simpson got Army on the board and sliced Navy's lead to 9-3 with a hard-fought 4-1 decision opposite Matt Gulosh at 149 pounds. The senior team captain, who led 1-0 after the second period, scored a takedown early in the third stanza and added the riding time point to account for the final margin. The Nashville, Tenn., native improved his team-leading overall record to a sparkling 29-5 on the season. Navy reclaimed its nine-point advantage in the 157-pound bout as John Jarred produced a 7-2 decision over Army's Brian Rowan. Jon Anderson kept Army within striking distance in the 165-pound bout as the senior turned in an 8-2 win by decision over Craig Dziewiatkowski, trimming Navy's edge to 12-6. Leading 3-0 after the second period, Anderson seized control of the match with a pair of third-period takedowns. The Virginia Beach, Va., product upped his record to 22-4 overall and 9-1 in duals. Navy stormed back by winning the next four bouts and extending its cushion to 24-6 with just one match remaining. William Simpson finished the match by taking a 5-4 decision from Alex Usztics at 125 pounds. The freshman from Nashville, Tenn., led 2-0 after the first period and held that edge throughout the match. Simpson is now 25-12 on the season, including 10-4 in dual matches. Navy now leads the all-time series versus Army, 40-5-5. Army's wrestling team returns to the mat in two weeks when the Black Knights travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to compete at the 2006 EIWA Championships at Lehigh's Stabler Arena. 125: William Simpson (A) dec. Alex Usztics, 5-4 *133: Joe Baker (N) tech. fall Frank Baughan, 19-4 (5:43) 141: Spencer Manley (N) maj. dec. Whitt Dunning, 11-2 149: Patrick Simpson (A) dec. Matt Gulosh, 4-1 157: John Jarred (N) dec. Brian Rowan, 7-2 165: Jon Anderson (A) dec. Craig Dziewiatkowski, 8-2 174: Matt Stolpinski (N) dec. Chad Marzec, 5-3 (SV) 184: Jonny Kane (N) dec. Luke Calvert, 10-7 197: Chris Pogue (N) dec. Charles Martin, 3-2 HWT: Tanner Garrett (N) dec. Michael Sprigg, 3-2 *The match began at 133 pounds

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- The No. 8 Missouri wrestling program ended its season on a high note against UNC-Greensboro, taking a 30-12 victory in their second dual of the day at Maclellan Gym in Chattanooga, Tenn. The win gave Missouri a 13-5 record in dual competition this season, including two wins in Big 12 Conference action. Giving the Tigers an early lead for the second straight dual, redshirt freshman Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) gave the Tigers a 6-0 advantage with a third-period pin over Nathan Berryman. After establishing a 4-0 lead through the first two frames, Chandler began the final period in the top position, turning Berryman to his back for Chandler's fourth dual victory in his last five bouts. Junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) picked up three takedowns in the first five minutes against Mark Ring, establishing a 6-2 advantage heading into the final two-minute set. Escaping 30 seconds after the whistle, the Tigers 165-pound starter increased his lead to seven with an escape, takedown and reversal, adding 3:06 of riding time for the major decision. Racking up 21 points in the opening period, No. 1 junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) dominated his bout against Craig McIntosh, taking a first-period technical fall over his opponent. The win was Askren's seventh technical fall of the season and increased Askren's consecutive wins streak to 38, the longest active streak in the nation. Competing at 184 pounds, redshirt freshman Joey Garrity (Orion, Ill.) scored with a takedown and two-point nearfall in the first period against Kane Smith, establishing a 4-0 advantage. Escaping his opponent's hold to stretch the lead to five, Garrity was able to get another takedown for an 8-1 decision. Facing the first of three ranked Spartans in the starting lineup, No. 15 senior Jeff Foust (Blue Springs, Mo.) fought to a scoreless tie after three minutes against No. 16 Daren Burns, then established a 1-0 lead with an escape. Burns was able to tie the score and send the match into sudden victory, but Foust won a scramble in the extra period to get the decision, 4-2. Wrestling at 125 pounds, No. 17 Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.) picked up Missouri's second fall of the dual in just 1:11. Gaining control with a quick takedown, DeVoe placed Justin Walp on his back twice, finishing the bout with his second attempt. Sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) faced his second tough match of the day, trading points with Chris Bencivenga at 133 pounds. Ranked No. 16 in the nation, McCormick gained the upper hand by winning a scramble with 25 seconds left in the second frame to get the win, 8-4. Next up for Smith's squad is the Big 12 Championships tournament in Ames, Iowa, held on Saturday, Mar. 4. Results 157 – Michael Chandler (MU won by fall over Nathan Berryman (UNCG): 6:13 165 - #5 Matt Pell (MU) maj. dec. Mark Ring (UNCG): 12-4 174 - #1 Ben Askren (MU) won by tech. fall over Craig McIntosh (UNCG): 21-3, 3:00 184 – Joey Garrity (MU) dec. Kane Smith (UNCG): 8-1 197 - #15 Jeff Foust (MU) dec. #16 Daren Burns (UNCG): 4-2 HWT – No. 16 Tyler Shovlin (UNCG) won by fall over Sean Connole (MU): 4:04 125 – #17 Austin DeVoe (MU) won by fall over Justin Walp (UNCG): 1:11 133 - #16 Tyler McCormick (MU) dec. Chris Bencivenga (UNCG): 8-4 141 – #20 Kevin Artis (UNCG) dec. Amond Prater (MU): 6-1 149 – Cody Harrington (UNCG) dec. Marcus Hoehn (MU): 3-1 Updated Records 125 – Austin DeVoe: 29-12 (72-43) 133 – Tyler McCormick: 24-6 (44-20) 141 – Amond Prater: 18-8 (18-8) 149 – Marcus Hoehn: 8-10 (8-10) 157 – Michael Chandler: 16-12 (16-12) 165 – Matt Pell: 29-3 (95-24) 174 – Ben Askren: 38-0 (104-8) 184 – Joey Garrity: 21-21 (21-21) 197 – Jeff Foust: 14-5 (84-34) HWT – Sean Connole 18-22 (18-22)

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Seniors Joe Mazzurco, Dustin Manotti, Mike Mormile, and Dan Miracola made the most of their final home match as the No. 14 Big Red wrestling squad secured its fourth consecutive Ivy League Championship with a 33-6 win over Brown. The conference victory, its 23rd in a row, brings Cornell's record to 9-4 overall, and concludes its Ivy schedule at a perfect 5-0. Brown falls to 8-9-1 overall, and 1-3-1 in the Ancient Eight. Before the match commenced, Cornell honored its eight seniors. Though not competing against Brown, John Cholish, Jim March, Matt Pollock, and Mike Reish were also recognized for their contributions to the program. A pair of wrestlers who will be a part of the festivities at this time next year got the Big Red started as Matt Easter and Keith Dickey both pulled out 6-4 decisions to put Cornell on top 6-0. Manotti, ranked sixth in his 157-pound weight class, then recorded his 125th career victory, a 14-3 major decision over Mike Savino. With the score 10-0, Brown got an unlikely win from Shawn Kitchner as he edged No. 13 Steve Anceravage 6-3. Any enjoyment from the Rhode Island contingent was short-lived, however, as Miracola, Mazzurco, and Jerry Rinaldi used the next three bouts to make an emphatic statement. First, it was Miracola who earned a 13-4 major decision over Matt Gevlinger in the 174-pound match. At 184 pounds Mazzurco scored early and often in a 23-7 technical fall victory over Branden Stearns. He came very close to pinning Stearns' shoulders to the mat midway through the second period, and took him down four times in a 1:20 flurry that brought about the stoppage. Rinaldi built a 13-0 third period lead against Brown 197-pounder Leo Saniuk, and, although an escape by Saniuk prevented Rinaldi from reaching the 15 point differential during time, recorded 3:21 of riding time to grab a 16-1 win. The last three matches provided more excitement. Brown's heavyweight Levon Mock scored a controversial takedown as time expired to gain a 4-3 win over Zach Hammond as fans in attendance voiced their displeasure. With the score now 24-6, No. 4 Troy Nickerson made sure to avoid a similar fate by wrapping up his match in a mere 57 seconds, scoring a pin over Jeff Schell. The afternoon concluded with Mormile's hard fought 2-0 victory over Dan Apello. Mormile got one point for an escape at the outset of the 2nd period and then held Apello without one of his own from the down position in the 3rd to bring the 33-6 match to an end. In addition to being Cornell's fourth straight Ivy League crown, it is the seventh under head coach Rob Koll. The Big Red last lost an Ivy League match on Feb. 2, 2002 against Penn. In all matches, the win was also the squad's eighth consecutive. Cornell has not lost since Jan. 14th when it dropped matches to Michigan and Oklahoma. The Big Red hits the mats again on Mar. 4-5 at the EIWA Championships in Bethlehem, Penn., where Lehigh will be looking to avenge its Jan. 22 loss to Cornell. No. 14 CORNELL 33 VS. BROWN 6 141- Matt Easter (C) dec. Mark Savino 6-4 C:3 B:0 149- Keith Dickey (C) dec. Mike Ashton 6-4 C:6 B:0 157- No. 6 Dustin Manotti (C) major dec. Mike Savino 14-3 C:10 B:0 165- Shawn Kitchner (B) dec. No. 13 Steve Anceravage 6-3 C:10 B:3 174- Dan Miracola (C) major dec. Matt Gevlinger 13-4 C:14 B:3 184- No. 3 Joe Mazzurco (C) def. tech fall Branden Stearns 23-7 C:19 B:3 197- No. 7 Jerry Rinaldi (C) def. tech fall Leo Saniuk 16-1 C:24 B: 3 HWT- Levon Mock (B) def. Zach Hammond 4-3 C:24 B:6 125- No. 4 Troy Nickerson (C) pinned Jeff Schnell :57 C:30 B:6 133- No. 15 Mike Mormile (C) dec. Dan Apello 2-0 C:33 B:6

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- The No. 8 Tiger wrestling squad earned a convincing 37-6 victory over Chattanooga in the first of two duals on the day, taking nine out of ten bouts. Missouri wrestlers scored pins at 165, 174 and 149 pounds. Facing No. 7 Matt Keller, No. 16 sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) faced a one-point deficit after the opening three minutes, then chose down to start the second period and escaped with 39 seconds left to tie the score at 2. Riding out Keller throughout the third period, McCormick turned his opponent to his back with just five seconds left in the bout, winning the match with a two-point nearfall, 4-2. Following his brother's upset with one of his own, senior Chris McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) upset returning All-American and No. 19 Michael Keefe at 141 pounds, 4-1. After Keefe broke a 0-0 stalemate with an escape in the second period, McCormick took down his opponent to establish a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame. Strong on top, McCormick added 1:36 of riding time and an escape to record the victory. Beginning the dual at 157 pounds, redshirt freshman Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) scored Missouri's first points of the meet with a takedown and three-point nearfall in the final minute of the first period against Jake Yost. Continuing to press the advantage, Chandler added another three-point nearfall and a takedown, heading into the final frame ahead 10-4. Fighting off an impressive comeback attempt by Yost, Chandler was able to earn the victory, 15-11. Ranked No. 5 at 165 pounds, junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) turned an early takedown into seven points, leading his match against Justin Otis 7-2 after the first period. After getting another takedown in the second period, Pell was able to execute a cradle against his opponent, pinning Otis with just three seconds left in the period. Following Pell's fall with one of his own, No. 1 junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) racked up 10 points in the opening period, scoring on a pair of takedowns and two three-point nearfalls against Kyle McKee. Taking down McKee, Askren was able to turn McKee to his back and record his 25th fall of the campaign in 3:39. No. 12 Raymond Jordan, a redshirt freshman from New Bern, N.C., fought to a scoreless tie through the opening three minutes against John Davis, then picked up the first point of the bout with an escape. Davis was able to escape 30 seconds into the final frame, forcing the 184-pound bout to one minute of sudden-victory overtime. After nearly being taken down on a shot by Davis, Jordan countered his opponent's move to end the bout 27 seconds into overtime. Finishing a five-bout win streak for Missouri, senior Jeff Foust (Blue Springs, Mo.) defeated Lloyd Rogers by major decision, 15-3, to give the Tigers a 22-0 lead at the midpoint of the dual. Racking up six points in the first period, Foust chose down to start the second frame and escaped his opponent's hold, establishing a 7-0 lead. Ranked No. 15 at 197 pounds, Foust scored on a pair of takedowns, a three-point nearfall, and added riding time to take the bout, 15-3. After the Mocs earned a win at heavyweight, senior Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.) got the Tigers back on track with a 7-3 decision over Javier Maldonado. Fighting a close battle in the third period, No. 17 DeVoe extended a 4-2 lead with a takedown, then added riding time to seal the win. Competing in his first bout back after an injury suffered against Oklahoma State, sophomore Josh Wagner scored Missouri's final points of the dual with a fall in 2:34 over Aaron Martin. "This match was probably the best our team has wrestled this season," said Head Coach Brian Smith. "Every one of our guys wrestled aggressively, and we did a great job picking up points for riding time and controlling wrestlers on the mat." Missouri will follow its first dual with a match against UNC-Greensboro, beginning immediately after completion of the win over Chattanooga. Results 157- Michael Chandler (MU) dec. Jake Yost (UTC): 14-11 165 – #5 Matt Pell (MU) won by fall over Justin Otis (UTC): 4:57 174 - #1 Ben Askren (MU) won by fall over Kyle McKee (UTC): 3:39 184 - #12 Raymond Jordan (MU) dec. John Davis (UTC): 3-1, SV 197 - #15 Jeff Foust (MU maj. dec. Lloyd Rogers (UTC): 15-3 HWT – Israel Silva (UTC) won by fall over Sean Connole (MU): 1:51 125 – #17 Austin DeVoe (MU) dec. Javier Maldonado (UTC): 7-3 133 - #16 Tyler McCormick (MU) dec. #7 Matt Keller (UTC): 4-2 141 – Chris McCormick (MU) dec. #19 Michael Keefe (UTC): 4-1 149 – Josh Wagner (MU) won by fall over Aaron Martin (UTC): 2:34 Updated Records 125 – Austin DeVoe: 28-12 (71-43) 133 – Tyler McCormick: 24-6 (44-20) 141 – Chris McCormick: 28-9 (79-51) 149 – Josh Wagner: 19-12 (37-22) 157 – Michael Chandler: 15-12 (15-12) 165 – Matt Pell: 28-3 (94-25) 174 – Ben Askren: 37-0 (103-8) 184 – Raymond Jordan: 30-9 (30-9) 197 – Jeff Foust: 13-5 (83-34) HWT – Sean Connole 18-22 (18-22)

In order to accommodate football players who are playing on Saturday, Oct. 27, there will be special weigh-ins for football players only on Sunday, Oct. 28 at the UCR Regional Sports Center from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. CT. The following steps must be taken to weigh in on Sunday, Oct. 28 ... Football players weighing in on Sunday (or their parents) must send us an email at contact@intermatwrestle.com to let us know that you will (or possibly will) be playing in a football game on Saturday, Oct. 27 and will be weighing in on Sunday, Oct. 28. In addition, the wrestler or parent must call us on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 612-460-5824 anytime before 6 p.m. to confirm that you are still planning on weighing in on Sunday morning. Please note that if we do not receive a call from the wrestler or parent on Saturday, Oct. 27 before 6 p.m. CT, the wrestler will be scratched from the tournament and will not be included in the brackets. Wrestlers who are playing football on Saturday, Oct. 27 must make the weight they registered for online. If they do not make weight, they will be scratched from the tournament.