InterMat Staff

Pembroke, NC -- Willie Hilton (pictured) picked up a tech fall and a major decision as UNC Pembroke split a tri-match with Pensacola Christian and Centenary. The Braves defeated Pensacola 27-16, but fell to Centenary 28-13. In the first match of the night, Centenary downed PCC 27-17. Against Pensacola, the Braves jumped out to an early 9-3 lead after three matches thanks to decisive wins by Matt Schoffner and Hilton. Pensacola battled back with back-to-back wins to take a 10-9 lead. UNCP, however, won four of the final five matches to win the team event 27-16. In the final five matches, Cedric Turner scored a tech fall, while Richard Alstrom picked up a major decision and James Dingle recorded a pin fall. In Pembroke's second match, Centenary won seven of the ten matches including a major decision and two pin falls. The Braves' Hilton did manage a major decision, followed by a five-point Eddo Hojilla victory. Even with Hilton's dominating effort, it was not enough as the Cyclones downed UNCP 28-13. UNC Pembroke, who now has a 3-3 dual record, will be back in action on Saturday, January 14 as they travel to the NWCA National Duals. Centenary 27, Pensacola Christian 17 125: Mike Gummerson (CC) def. Vinny Bianchi (PCC), 5-0 133: Rickey Redd (CC) def. Chris Johnson (PCC), 7-5 141: Zack Brewer (PCC) def. Anthony Accardi (CC), 9-6 149: Jon Peters (PCC) maj. dec. Mark Garripoli (CC), 16-0 157: Greg Tierney (CC) fall John Porcher (PCC), 4:13 165: Jared Duffy (CC) fall Sean Stewart (PCC), 0:52 174: Seth Wisner (CC) def. Tony Colella (PCC), 10-6 184: Mike Colella (PCC) def. forfeit 197: Daniel Miller (PCC) def. Anthony Greene (CC), 2-0 285: Andrew Haubois (CC) fall Lafe Cornwell (PCC), 1:29 UNCP 27, Pensacola Christian 16 125: Matt Schoffner (UNCP) maj. dec. Vinny Bianchi (PCC), 14-3 133: Chris Johnson (PCC) def. Adam Dedmon (UNCP), 2-1 141: Willie Hilton (UNCP) tech fall Zack Brewer (PCC), 20-5 149: Jon Peters (PCC) maj. dec. Eddo Hojilla (UNCP), 9-0 157: John Porcher (PCC) def. Bryan Howington (UNCP), 10-7 165: Cedric Turner (UNCP) tech fall Sean Stewart (PCC), 16-0 174: Richard Alstrom (UNCP) maj. dec. Tony Colella (PCC), 15-6 184: Derek Garris (UNCP) def. Mike Colella, 10-4 197: Daniel Miller (PCC) fall Matt Dunn (UNCP), 6:46 285: James Dingle (UNCP) fall Lafe Cornwell (PCC), 2:58 Centenary 28, UNCP 13 125: Mike Gummerson (CC) maj. dec. Matt Schoffner (UNCP), 11-0 133: Rickey Redd (CC) def. Adam Dedmon (UNCP), 10-8 141: Willie Hilton (UNCP) maj. dec. Anthony Accardi (CC), 21-8 149: Eddo Hojilla (UNCP) def. Mark Garripoli (CC), 8-3 157: Greg Tierney (CC) fall Bryan Howington (UNCP), 1:11 165: Cedric Turner (UNCP) fall Jared Duffy (CC), 6:20 174: Seth Wisner (CC) def. Richard Alstrom (UNCP), 6-0 184: Derek Garris (UNCP) def. forfeit 197: Anthony Greene (CC) def. Matt Dunn (UNCP), 2-1 285: Andrew Haubois (CC) def. James Dingle (UNCP), 3-2

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Stephen Neal, a former Cal State Bakersfield wrestler and current offensive lineman for the two–time defending NFL champion New England Patriots, earned recognition for his work in the trenches, being named the second runner-up for the Tuesday Morning Quarterback Non-QB Non-RB NFL MVP. NFL.com columnist Gregg Easterbrook gives the special "award" annually to the NFL's most valuable non–quarterback or running back. Easterbrook, who pens the whimsical weekly column Tuesday Morning Quarterback, honored Neal above a host of worthy honorees on the Patriots team because "Neal has been a blocking machine this season." He adds, "Neal earns extra gold stars because he did not play football in college." Earlier this season, Easterbrook also honored Neal by naming him to the All-Unwanted All-Pros first–team. The award goes to the NFL's best players who were never drafted or were let go. Neal has anchored the Patriot's offensive line that has been ravaged by injuries this season. He has starting every game and helped lead New England to its fourth playoff berth in five seasons. Prior to playing in the NFL, Neal was a standout wrestler at Cal State Bakersfield, winning a pair of NCAA championships and posting a career 156–10 record. He then went on to win titles at the 1999 World Championships and the Pan–American Games en route to being named that year's FILA International Wrestler of the Year. Easterbrook is a senior editor of The New Republic, a contributing editor of The Atlantic Monthly and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. He contributes his Tuesday Morning Quarterback column to NFL.com readers each week during the NFL season. His columns can be found at http://www.nfl.com/writers/easterbrook.

Team: 1. Arizona St. 2. Cal Poly 3. UC Davis 4t. Boise St. 4t. Oregon St. 6. Oregon 7. Cal State Bakersfield 8. Cal State Fullerton 9. Stanford 10. Portland St. Individual: 125 Pounds 1. Jeremy Mendoza (Arizona St.) 2. Chad Mendes (Cal Poly) 3. Tanner Gardner (Stanford) 4. Eric Stevenson (Oregon St.) 5. Marcos Orozco (UC Davis) 6. Brandon Zoteway (Cal State Bakersfield) 133 Pounds 1. Scott Jorgensen (Boise St.) 2. Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) 3. Justin Pearch (Oregon) 4. Omar Gaitan (UC Davis) 5. TJ Dillashaw (Cal State Fullerton) 6. Tommy Vargas (Cal State Bakersfield) 141 Pounds 1. Derek Moore (UC Davis) 2. Kyle Larson (Oregon St.) 3. Steve Esparza (Cal Poly) 4. Skyler Woods (Oregon) 5. Tommy Owen (Boise St.) 6. Matt Schumm /Jeremy Doyle (Cal State Bakersfield) 149 Pounds 1. Tyler Sherfey (Boise St.) 2. Pat Payne (Arizona St.) 3. Anthony Baza/Brandon Doyle (Cal State Bakersfield) 4. Jeff Owens (Cal Poly) 5. Josh Zupancic (Stanford ) 6. Morgan Atkinson (Cal State Fullerton) 157 Pounds 1. Brian Stith (Arizona St.) 2. Scott Loescher (Stanford) 3. Tony Hook (Oregon St.) 4. Shawn Reilly (Cal State Fullerton) 5. Ryan Williams (Cal Poly) 6. Dustin Noack (UC Davis) 165 Pounds 1. Joey Bracamonte (Oregon) 2. Pat Pitsch (Arizona St.) 3. Frank Richmond (UC Davis) 4. Brian Busby (Cal State Bakersfield) 5. Ray Blake (Stanford) 6. Risto Marttinen (Cal State Fullerton) 174 Pounds 1. Jeremy Larson (Oregon St.) 2. Ken Cook (UC Davis) 3. Christian Arellano (Cal State Bakersfield) 4. Ian Murphy/Ryan Budd (Cal State Fullerton) 5. Yuri Kalika (Cal Poly) 6. Chet McBee (Oregon) 184 Pounds 1. Shane Webster (Oregon) 2. CB Dollaway (Arizona State) 3. Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly) 4. Tyler Bernacchi (UC Davis) 5. Jesse Taylor (Cal State Fullerton) 6. KC Walsh (Boise St.) 197 Pounds 1. Ryan Bader (Arizona St.) 2. Casey Phelps (Boise St.) 3. Matt Monteiro (Cal Poly) 4. Dan Pitsch (Oregon St.) 5. Elliot Kelly (UC Davis) 6. Chris Chambers (Cal State Fullerton) Heavyweight 1. Cain Velasquez (Arizona St.) 2. Andy Patrick (Boise St.) 3. Ty Watterson (Oregon St.) 4. Eric Parker (Cal State Bakersfield) 5. Arturo Basulto (Cal Poly) 6. Chris Dearmon (Oregon)

HEMPSTEAD, New York -- The Hofstra Wrestling team will be one of 80 college teams competing on the 16 mats in the seven divisions of collegiate wrestling at the 2006 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals presented by PayDay PRO at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa on January 15-16. Hofstra will face second-ranked Minnesota in the first round of the Division I bracket on Saturday at 11 a.m. The winner of that match will face the winner of the #7 Iowa State vs. Northwestern at 3 p.m. The Pride, currently ranked 21st in the country, will enter the tournament with a 3-2-1 dual mark following its 28-14 victory over West Virginia Friday night. Minnesota is 8-0 on the year. National Duals champion and top-ranked Oklahoma State, and 2005 Duals finalist Illinois return to this year's tournament, as do Minnesota, Oklahoma, Michigan, Central Michigan and Hofstra. The 2006 Division I field will also see fresh faces from some familiar programs. Coming back to the National Duals will be: Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, Kent State, Northwestern, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Arizona State, Nebraska and host Northern Iowa. "Having all three Iowa Division I programs in the field will really make it exciting for the fans," Moyer said. "There are few places where the passion about collegiate wrestling is rivaled than the state of Iowa." The Cowboys have won the past three NCAA Division I team titles and return four NCAA individual national champions. In its history, Oklahoma State has won 33 national championships and is the defending champion of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Last season, the Cowboys beat Illinois to claim the team championship. "We feel that this is going to be one of the best wrestling tournaments ever held in the United States," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "You have representation from every level of collegiate wrestling, varsity and club, men and women all under one roof. This will be a fantastic event for the fans. In addition to the Division I bracket, 16-team fields will be held in Division II, III and NAIA. Smaller fields will be held on the junior college, women's collegiate freestyle and National Collegiate Wrestling Association for unassociated and club programs levels. TICKET PRICES AND SCHEDULE All Sessions Pass $25 All Sessions Senior/Student* $17 All Session Group Tickets(8+)** $17 Individual Session $12 Individual Session Senior/Student* $8 Individual Session Group Tickets(8+)** $8 Session I - 9 AM - 3PM Saturday; Session II - 3 PM - 11PM Saturday; Session III - 9 AM - 5 PM Sunday

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- Athletic Director Dr. Jeff Geiser announced Tuesday that Adams State College will host a "Pack the House" promotion in conjunction with Championship Night presented by Valley Wide Health Services during next Tuesday's (Jan. 17) basketball doubleheader against rival Fort Lewis College. The women's game begins at 6 p.m. with the men's to follow at 8 p.m. To encourage members of the San Luis Valley community to attend both games and the special Championship Night festivities, Geiser noted that all fans who arrive at Plachy Hall by 7 p.m. will be admitted free. Regular admission prices of $6 for adults, $4 for students and seniors and $2 for children 6-12 will apply after the 7 p.m. cutoff. As normal, AS&F and Grizzly Club members will be admitted free. At halftime of the men's game, ASC's nine championship teams from the past year will be recognized. The Grizzlies swept all six possible Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles in indoor track and field, outdoor track & field and cross country in 2005. The Grizzly cross country teams also swept the North Central Regional Championship titles in November before the ASC women's team went on to claim a record-setting 11th NCAA Division II Championship. "This is a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy some great basketball and to honor the accomplishments of our fine cross country and track & field teams," Geiser said. Tuesday's games are shaping up to be just as important as they are entertaining. The Grizzly women have thoroughly challenged the best in the RMAC, especially in thrilling home games this year, and begin an important 12-game stretch against RMAC West Division foes with the Skyhawks, currently just a game out of the divisional lead. The men's game will be a battle for the top spot in the RMAC's West Division. FLC currently leads the division by just one game over Adams State and Mesa State heading into this weekend's action. Some family bragging rights will also be on the line as ASC sophomore Marcus Mortensen leads the Grizzlies into battle against his younger brother Ryan, a freshman on the Skyhawk squad. Both players were first team all-state and league player of the year selections while playing for their father Wade's Montezuma-Cortez High School team. Wade Mortensen is now the head boy's basketball coach at Alamosa High School. Wade's wife and Marcus and Ryan's mother, Lindy, recently completed her first season as the head volleyball coach at ASC. Visit ASCGrizzlies.com for the latest news and info on Adams Sta

Augustana College wrestler Tim Boldt has been named the North Central Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week for the week ending January 8, the league office announced Tuesday. He shares the award with Les Sigman of Nebraska-Omaha. Boldt, 197-pound senior from Arlington, S.D., went 2-0 last weekend in his first competition of the season. Boldt, who is ranked No. 2 in Division II at 197 pounds, won a 16-7 major decision over Augsburg's Wally O'Connor in the Vikings' 23-14 setback to the defending Division III national champions. O'Connor is ranked No. 3 in Division III. He used 7 takedowns, an escape and riding time to register the win. All 7 of O'Connor's points were escapes. The 2005 Division II national runner-up, Boldt then pinned St. Cloud State's Cody Byrns in 2:19 as he helped the Vikings to a 46-3 NCC victory over the Huskies. The Vikings return home on Wednesday for a dual against Dakota Wesleyan at 7 p.m. in the Elmen Center. Augustana then travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, this weekend for the Division II National Duals. The Vikings finished second at last year's event.

BLOOMSBURG -- Bloomsburg University wrestler Mike Sees (Northumberland/Northumberland) has been named Wrestler of the Week in the Eastern Wrestling League and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Sees, a red-shirt sophomore who wrestles at 125 pounds, was 2-0 for the Huskies last week. He beat Drexel's Steve Mytych, by 4-2 decision, then, came back the following evening to beat Rider's Ryan Smith 13-6. With the victories, Sees, the EWL reigning champ at his weight and former PSAC Rookie of the Year, is now 15-2 for the year and has won of his last eight matches. Bloomsburg, 6-4, will wrestle at the Virginia Duals on Friday and Saturday.

Columbia, Mo. -- College Sports Television (CSTV) announced that it will televise the Jan. 22 home dual between No. 9 Missouri and No. 1 Oklahoma State, beginning at 2 p.m. CST. This marks the second straight year that the Missouri wrestling squad has appeared on CSTV. The network channel 610 for Columbia residents also broadcasted the Tigers' matchup against Lehigh last season, in which then-No. 12 Missouri suffered its first loss of the 2004-05 campaign against the No. 6 Mountainhawks. Promising to be an intense opening to the Big 12 Conference slate, the Tiger-Cowboy matchup will feature 16 wrestlers currently ranked among the top 20 at their respective weights. The three-time defending national champion, Oklahoma State boasts four returning national champions at the 149 pounds, 165 pounds, 197 pounds and heavyweight slots in the lineup. Both teams feature a grappler ranked No. 1 in the nation. Junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) possesses a 26-0 mark for the Tigers at 174 pounds, and senior Steve Mocco is 11-0 for the Cowboys at heavyweight. The Missouri wrestling squad travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, this weekend to compete at the National Duals Jan. 14-15. With seedings for the team tournament released today, the eighth-seeded Tigers could face No. 1 seed Oklahoma State this weekend, offering a preview of the Jan. 22 matchup.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Senior Jake Hager has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his peformances from Jan. 3-8. The Senior from Perry, Okla., was 2-0 at the Lone Star Duals last weekend when the Sooners defeated Clarion, Utah Valley State and Cal-State Fullerton. Hager who is the No. 5 wrestler in the country at the heavyweight division, pinned both of his opponents in under two minutes and received the Outstanding Wrestler award for the upper weight classes. Hager is 16-1, overall and 4-1 in duals. He was the heavyweight champion at the Missouri Open and the Oklahoma Open earlier this season.

The Utah Valley State wrestling team continues the busiest stretch of its season this week when they travel to Oregon to take on Portland State on Wednesday before competing in the Oregon Classic on Friday. They will wrestle Oregon and Pacific University, a Division III school from Forest Grove Oregon, at the Classic which takes place in Redmond, Oregon. "Portland State is a Pac-10 team so it would be great for us to bounce back and have a good showing," said Wolverine head coach Cody Sanderson. "Oregon is a tough team too. But with the way we match up hopefully we can give them a good fight." The Wolverines are coming off of a tough tournament at the Lone Star Duals that saw them lose four times, three of which came against ranked opponents including #3 Oklahoma. Senior Erkin Tadzhimetov went 3-1 in matches at the Lone Star Duals, including an 8-2 win over #3 (D-II) Earl Jones. Utah Valley is in the middle of a stretch that has them wrestling eight duals in 10 days, ending with Northern Colorado next Monday at home. Rawle Earns Scholar-Athlete for December ... Junior Justin Rawle has been named Utah Valley State's Scholar-Athlete of the Month for December. The award is given by the athletic department each month to a student athlete based on academic excellence, leadership, and performance in the field of competition. Rawle had a fall semester GPA of 3.94 that placed him on the athletic department's Honor Roll. He has a cumulative GPA of 3.54. "He's just a great kid, a hard worker...both on and off the mat," said Sanderson. "On the mat he's very tough and aggressive and doesn't back down. He's had a lot of success, which is remarkable considering the fact we moved him up to 149 (from 141 lbs.)." The Wolverine junior has been equally impressive on the wrestling mat. Rawle had an impressive month of December by recording a 7-4 record. Six of the wins came in the Las Vegas Invitational and the Reno Tournament of Champions. Both tournaments are highly regarded on the national level. His other win came in a dual meet against Western State. Up Next ... Utah Valley State will host Northern Colorado next Monday, the 16th in the Activity Center at 7:00pm. close window

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Adam Wright of Old Dominion University, and Charles Griffin of Hofstra University, were named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week, and Scott Hunter of Drexel University was named the CAA Rookie of the Week, for all competition January 3-9. Wright, a senior from Dayton, VA (Turner Ashby), was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Virginia Intercollegiate tournament, leading ODU to its first team State Championship since 1994. Wright won the 197 pound title with a fall, a tech fall and a major decision while collecting his 101st career win. The top ranked 197 in the CAA, Wright improves to 16-4 on the season. Griffin, a sophomore from Reading, PA (Reading), defeated the 16th ranked 141 in the nation, Brandon Rader of West Virginia, 17-8 in a major decision. The victory broke an 11-11 tie and propelled Hofstra to victory over the Mountaineers. Griffin was the CAA Rookie of the Year in 2005. Hunter, a freshman from Macungie, PA (Emmaus), pinned the 15th ranked 165 in the nation, Jim Bertulis of Bloomsburg, leading the Dragons to victory over Bloomsburg last week. Hunter's pin came with just :20 left in the match after trailing by as much as 6-1 in the second period. Hunter tied the match at 7-7 but Bertulis held riding time prior to the fall.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The pairings for the 2006 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals were announced Monday evening with Arizona State University drawing eighth-seeded Missouri in the opening round of the event that will take place Saturday and Sunday at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Unseeded and ranked No. 19 in the nation, the Sun Devils enter the tournament with a 4-4 overall record and stand 2-0 in the Pac-10. Following a 25-18 victory over conference foe UC Davis and a 26-23 setback to No. 7 Iowa State Sunday at the Sun Devil Duals, ASU is now set to face the Tigers (6-0, 0-0 Big XII) in the first round of the national tournament for the second time in four years. At the 2003 Duals, the Sun Devils, who were seeded No. 8, scored a close 19-17 decision over the Tigers before eventually finishing seventh overall. The winner of the ASU-UM dual, which is set for 9 a.m. Saturday morning, will face the winner of No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. Kent State while the losers of these duals will meet in the consolation rounds. The Cowboys are the two-time defending NCAA champions and sport a 6-0 record on the season while the Golden Flashes, coming out of the Mid-America Conference, stand 7-1 on the season. The other opening round pairings include No. 5 Iowa vs. Nebraska; No. 4 Michigan vs. Northern Illinois; No. 3 Oklahoma vs. Cornell; No. 6 Central Michigan vs. host Northern Iowa; No. 7 Iowa State vs. Northwestern and No. 2 Minnesota vs. Hofstra. ASU has competed in the National Duals 13 of the 16 years it has been conducted and holds a 29-27 overall record. The Sun Devils advanced to the finals each of the first two years (1989 and 1990) before falling to OSU both times to place second overall. ASU will look to rebound from a tough tournament one year ago as the Sun Devils did not win a dual for the first time, going 0-2 with losses to Michigan (24-16) and Central Michigan (20-19).

Manheim, Pa -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association has released the draws for four of the seven collegiate dual meet championships to be held Jan. 14-15 at the UNI Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa at the 2006 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals presented by PayDay PRO. The top seed in the Division I tournament is defending National Duals champion Oklahoma State. The Cowboys, who are going for their 34th NCAA Division I tournament title, will face Kent State in the opening round. Second-ranked and second-seeded Minnesota faces CAA champion Hofstra. Third-seeded Oklahoma will face Cornell and fourth-seeded Michigan faces Northern Illinois. Iowa is the fifth-seed and will face Nebraska from the Big 12, while host Northern Iowa will face sixth-seeded Central Michigan from the Mid-American Conference. Seventh-seeded Iowa State takes on Northwestern. Traditional powers Wartburg, Wisconsin-La Crosse and Augsburg are the top seeds in the Division III tournament. Last year, Augsburg beat Wartburg in the final. Wartburg is ranked #1 in Division III after a dominating effort on an East Coast swing last weekend and are 14-0 coming in. Fourth-seeded Luther College of Iowa is ranked 5th and seeded fourth. In the 16-team NAIA tournament, top-seeded Lindenwood is the favorite and will face Campbellsville, a second-year program from Campbellsville, Ky. Dickinson State (N.D.), Dana College (Neb.) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University round out the top four seeds. The Junior College tournament expands to an eight-team bracket and Northwest Wyoming and Labette (Kansas) Community College are the top two seeds. Full tournament coverage can be found on the National Wrestling Coaching Association's media website, www.intermatwrestle.com throughout the course of the event. Division II, NCWA and Women's pairings will be drawn later in the week.

Upper Iowa University red-shirt freshman Tyler Mumbulo (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge Guilford HS) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wrestler of the Week today. Mumbulo won the 125-pound championship at the 2006 Midwest Classic in Indianapolis this weekend. He was one of three Upper Iowa champions, helping the Peacocks to a share of the team title with Ashland University. Mumbulo finished a perfect 4-0 as the five seed in the 125-pound draw. He began with a fall over Campbellsville's John Chidester in 1:09. Mumbulo reached the semifinals with a 4-0 win over four-seed Brent Clausing (Limestone). He then defeated top-seed Rob McCabe, from Adams State, 10-5. McCabe was a 2005 All-American and ranked fourth in the country at 125 pounds. In the finals, Mumbulo defeated second-seed Ty Klofta (Ohio Northern) 8-6. Klofta was a 2005 Division III All-American and ranked third in the nation. The two-day event featured 20 teams from the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA ranks. UIU, ranked 17th in the recent NCAA Division II coaches poll, finished ahead of several top D-II teams. Upper Iowa finished with 130.5 points to share the team title with Ashland, the ninth-ranked team in the country. Wisconsin-Parkside finished third, eighth-ranked Adams State finished fourth and 12th-ranked Mercyhurst finished fifth. The University of Findlay (10th) and the University of Indianapolis (19th) were other top-20 teams in the field. Upper Iowa is an affiliate member of the NSIC in wrestling this season and will be a full league member beginning in 2006-07. The Peacocks will compete in the NWCA National Duals Saturday and Sunday in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Upper Iowa University, located in Fayette, is the only NCAA Division II Institution in the state of Iowa.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Wrestler Matt Keller was named Outstanding Wrestler of the Lone Star Duals this past weekend in Arlington, Texas. Keller, a 133-pound wrestler from McDonald, Tenn., went undefeated in four matches at the Duals, including a 9-5 victory over No. 1-rated Tom Clum of Wisconsin. Keller, ranked as high as No. 8 nationally, helped the Mocs to a 19-18 victory over the 18th-ranked Badgers. Keller, a junior, also had wins over wrestlers from Army, Harvard and Navy. He pinned Army's Whit Dunning at 4:27 in UTC's 25-9 victory over the Black Knights, scored a 12-4 major decision over Navy's Sean Knapp in the Mocs' 26-14 loss to the Midshipmen and won by injury default in UTC's 27-15 win over Harvard. Keller has made an immediately positive impact on the Mocs' wrestling program this season after transferring from the University of Nebraska. He placed in three different national tournaments during the month of December, taking first at the prestigious Brute Reno Tournament of Champions, fourth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and fifth at the 2005 Southern Scuffle. He is a two-time Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week this season and was named the SoCon Wrestler of the Month for December. "Matt has been everything we have expected," UTC Head Coach Joe Seay said. "He is a talented young man who is extremely skilled at this sport. He has been a tough opponent since this season started, and he will continue to work hard toward earning an NCAA berth." The Mocs compete Friday and Saturday at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va.

Columbia, Mo. -- Head Coach Brian Smith announced today that 13 Missouri wrestlers finished the fall semester with grade-point average's above a 3.0, the most student-athletes the team has had crack the barrier in Smith's time in Columbia. Sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.), ranked No. 14 in the nation at 133 pounds, led the academic charge for the No. 9 Tigers by achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA. No stranger to success in the classroom, McCormick was the 2004-05 recipient of the Total Person Program Academic Excellence Award, given to the wrestler with the highest grade-point average. A business major, McCormick has been just as successful on the mat, entering the weekend with a 15-4 record. The Tigers next compete at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 14-15, before returning home to open Big 12 action against the No. 1 Oklahoma State Cowboys Jan. 22, a match that will be televised live on CSTV at 2 p.m. CST.

Entering this season, Central Michigan coach Tom Borrelli returned five of nine NCAA qualifiers, including All-Americans Mark DiSalvo (149) and Wynn Michalak (197). The Chippewas graduated three All-Americans in David Bolyard, Mitch Hancock, and Bill Stouffer. On paper, it looked like a solid team, possibly even good enough to match or slightly exceed last year's 12th place finish at the NCAA Championships. Wynn Michalak (photo by John Sachs) But with the National Duals set to get underway on Saturday in Cedar Falls, Iowa, who could have predicted that we would be talking about Central Michigan, of all teams, as a legitimate threat to reach the finals? No one. The Chippewas, seeded sixth, will face Northern Iowa in the opening round. If they can get by the Panthers, they will face the winner of Oklahoma/Cornell. Before the season started, back in mid-September, I vividly recall breaking down each of the top seven or eight team's lineups to determine what each would need to do in order to place in the top five at the NCAA Championships. At the time, Central Michigan wasn't even on my radar. I wasn't alone in my early analysis, either. Below is a look at where other national media outlets ranked Central Michigan in the preseason: Amateur Wrestling News: 19th Wrestling USA: 18th WIN Magazine: 15th Wrestling Mall: 15th NWCA/InterMat: 13th Now, they are on virtually everyone's radar. The Chippewas were runners-up at both the Reno Tournament of Champions and Midlands Championships -- to Oklahoma State and Illinois respectively. They have a dual meet record of 4-2 -- with their only two losses coming to No. 5 Minnesota (19-13) and No. 2 Michigan (22-14). Tom BorrelliIt's about time people give credit where credit is long overdue. And that's to Borrelli. Since taking over head coaching reins in 1991, he has steadily and quietly built Central Michigan into a national wrestling power. His career record during his tenure in Mount Pleasant is a remarkable 162-79-5. He has guided the Chippewas to Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships every year since 1998. He was named National Coach of the Year by two organizations (NWCA and WIN Magazine) in 1998, after guiding the Chippewas to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships. In 1999, they finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, with five All-Americans, and an NCAA champion in Cassie Cunningham. Borrelli has been successful at Central Michigan because of his ability and desire to recruit student-athletes who are as committed to the classroom as they are to the wrestling mat. His wrestling program has finished in the top 16 academically for the past 13 seasons, including six top-five finishes. Central Michigan has had 24 Academic All-MAC selections under Borrelli, and Cunningham was twice a first-team NWCA Academic All-American. His recruiting classes aren't generally comprised of three and four-time state champions who have dominated the national scene. They are comprised of one and two-time state champions who know the value of hard work and are driven to be successful when their wrestling careers are over. Now the questions is, can this year's Central Michigan's team place higher than the 1998 team that finished fifth? Below are five things that Central Michigan will likely need to have happen in order to put themselves in a position to accomplish that. 1. Wynn Michalak must reach the national finals Michalak, who is ranked No. 1 in the country at 197, has been dominant this season for the Chippewas. He currently boasts an 18-0 record, and has won Reno and Midlands titles. In the Reno finals, Michalak defeated two-time NCAA champion Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State, 5-1. If he continues to wrestle like he has, there is no reason that he won't be in the national finals, with a real chance to become Central Michigan's second NCAA champion ever. 2. Mark DiSalvo must place in the top five Mark DiSalvo (photo by John Sachs)DiSalvo, who placed eighth at the NCAA Championships last season, has a 12-3 overall record this season and is ranked fifth in the country at 149. However, one of those losses came to a post-collegian (and former NCAA champion), Cliff Moore, in the finals of the Midlands. His other two losses have come to All-American Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan and NCAA champion Zack Esposito. He narrowly lost to Esposito, 7-6, in the Reno finals. DiSalvo, who never won a state high school title (third as a junior, runner-up as a senior) is the only wrestler this season to defeat super frosh Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. 3. Jason Borrelli must save his best performance for last Borrelli, the son of Tom Borrelli, is 14-4 this season at 133 pounds. He came out of Mount Pleasant High School as a highly-touted recruit in 2000 -- after finishing his career with a 209-11 record and a pair of state championships. He posted 28 wins as a freshman, but has not duplicated the feat. He is a very good wrestler, but his career has been marred by injuries and disappointments. Last season, he won the MAC and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career, but finished a disappointing 1-2. If he can continue to stay health, he should contend for a place on the All-American podium. 4. Luke Smith must wrestle to his ability Luke Smith (photo by John Sachs)Smith, a sophomore, is 10-2 this season and ranked 13th in the country at 125. He is an extremely talented wrestler who appears to be on the verge of a breakthrough season. In high school, while wrestling in the state of Wisconsin, Smith posted an astonishing 117-2 record and was runner-up at the High School Senior Nationals. He has already made a name for himself nationally in Greco by placing fourth at the 2004 Olympic Team Trials. But at last year's NCAA Championships, Smith lost his first two matches and bowed out early. Central Michigan needs Smith to at least reach the round of 12 and rack up some points for the Chippewas. 5. The supporting cast must step-up The Chippewas have a stable of lesser-known wrestlers who are capable of scoring points at the NCAA Championships. At 141, two wrestlers have seen action in the line-up, Brandon Carter and Eric Kruger. Both have performed well. Carter, who has a record of 13-6, reached the semifinals of the Midlands, but lost 3-0 to top-ranked Nate Gallick of Iowa State, and eventually placed fifth. Kruger is 12-9 this season, which includes a win over Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis. Eric Neil, a returning NCAA qualifier at 157, is 11-4 this season, and has a win over Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion Steve Luke of Michigan. At 174 and 184, The Sinnott twins, Brandon and Christian, have a combined season record of 28-15. And heavyweight Bubba Gritter is ranked by nearly every wrestling media outlet.

Takedown Wrestling Radio once again will present FREE live coverage of the 2006 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals presented by PayDay Pro (High Energy Bar) as the event returns to the University of Northern Iowa. Listen FREE and live from the convenience of your computer to the National Duals in their entirety Saturday January 14 and Sunday, January 15, 2006 courtesy of Asics, Body Bar, 7 Flags Athletic Centers and all of our great Collegiate partners from across the USA! Takedown Wrestling Radio's broadcast of this year's NWCA National Duals can be heard free of charge courtesy of The University of Northern Iowa Panthers. Visit Takedownradio.com Press, "Listen Live. You must have real audio player. A link to real audio is available on the Takedownradio.com web page. Broadcast times are concurrent with the wrestling event schedules. The Broadcast Team: Announcers Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Nick Passolano, J. Carl Guymon and Matt Hoover will be providing the calls, the action, and the interviews and updates LIVE from the UNI Dome! A little about the guys -- Scott Casber -- is a long-time multi-sports PA voice, sports radio talk show host, actor and voice over talent and founder of Takedown Radio. Takedown Wrestling Radio was founded seven years ago with the idea that we can promote the sport and make it available to everyone free of charge. The more fans the spot has the better it is for all of us. Steve Foster -- Long time TDR contributor and co-host has a wrestling background and a passion for the sport that really makes his commentary special. Sometimes Steve gets so loud we even have to turn his microphone down a bit. LOL Nick Passolano -- A Former NCAA wrestler at ISU, Nick knows the ins and outs and reversals. He makes it real for the fans listening at home. Nick is turning in to a fine young broadcaster. J. Carl Guymon -- Long time voice of the Oklahoma State Cowboys joins the TDR broadcast team for play-by-play and updates throughout the run of the Nat'l Duals. J Carl provides play by play of many top wrestling's events in the country of importance to the wrestling community. We're very excited to have him join the TDR team. Matt Hoover -- Former Iowa Wrestling standout and star of NBC TV's America's Biggest Loser joins the TDR Team for some exciting commentary and play-by-play. Sure he's been on Oprah, Tyra, Regis, Leno and Letterman. Now he joins us for wrestling, back where he belongs. This broadcast is presented on behalf of the University of Northern Iowa and sponsored by The International Wrestling Institute and Museum, Asics, Body Bar, 7 Flags Athletic Centers and all of our great Collegiate partners from across the United States of America!

EMU jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first two matches but then dropped a home wrestling meet to Lehigh 25-10 Sunday. In the opening match at 125 pounds, Eagle freshman Sean Clair extended his team best record to 22-8 with a 2-1 overtime victory over Lehigh's Matt Fisk. The match was scoreless in regulation but Clair rode out Fisk for the entire 3rd period and was headed to a 1 point riding time victory. In the last minute however Clair was signaled for locked hands and Fisk was awarded what turned out to be the tying point. After a scoreless first overtime, Clair chose bottom and escaped in 5 seconds. He then rode out Fisk for the last 30 second overtime period to clinch the victory. In the second match, junior Captain Phillip Plowman returned to the line-up after a lengthy injury and dominated Lehigh's John Stout in an 11-2 major decision. Plowman twice had Stout on his back close to a pin and scored three takedowns in the match. His victory put Eastern up in the meet 7-0 but the next seven matches all belonged to the 11th ranked Mountain Hawks. They scored 25 straight points and led 25-7 going into the final match at 285 pounds. EMU true freshman Jake Wood then beat Lehigh junior Dan Murrer 5-2 to complete the scoring. In a close match, Wood scored an exciting takedown in the final period to clinch his foirst collegiate dual meet victory since he stepped into the lineup to replace the injured senior Charlie Walker. Lehigh was led by the 3rd ranked Cory Cooperman who posted an 18-6 major decision at 141, 13th ranked Derek Zinck who beat Chad Roush 21-9 at 157, and 20th ranked Travis Frick who won by a 19-3 tech fall at 174.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's 13th-ranked wrestling team won its first dual match of 2006 with a dominating 35-13 win over Eastern Illinois Sunday. The 'Cats started out hot, winning the match's first three bouts and earned victories in seven of the 10 weight classes. Sophomore All-American Jake Herbert improved his record to 17-0 this season by pinning the Panthers' 13th-ranked Kenny Robertson at 4:15. The dual started with the 157-pound weight class, where Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy) took the mat for the Wildcats. Hagel earned a technical fall over the Panthers' Thomas Johnson at 6:46 when he took a 17-1 lead. Hagel now stands at 14-5 this season. At 165 lbs., Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) won by forfeit to push the Wildcats' lead to 11-0. In the next match, Herbert pinned Robertson at 4:15 to increase Northwestern's lead to 17-0. After senior Matt Delguyd took home a victory over the Panthers' Terron Williams due to an injury default, sophomore Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) won a 5-0 decision over Danny Perez. With the decision, Fox is now 15-5 this season. Junior Jimmy Kim improved his dual-match record to 2-0 this season with a 5-3 decision over Chris Smith. Senior John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) improved his record to 12-3 this season after Eastern Illinois forfeited at the 125-pound weight class. With the win, Northwestern improves its record to 4-0 this season. The Wildcats return to action at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Saturday through Sunday, Jan. 14-15 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. #13-NORTHWESTERN 35 / EASTERN ILLINOIS 13 157 - Greg Hagel (NU) tech. fall over Thomas Johnson (EIU), 17-1 (6:46), 5-0 165 - #19-Will Durkee (NU) won by forfeit, 11-0 174 - #3-Jake Herbert (NU) pinned #13-Kenny Robertson (EIU), 4:15, 17-0 184 - Greg Perz (EIU) major dec. over Joe Gulotta (NU), 14-5, 17-4 197 - #10-Matt Delguyd (NU) inj. def. over Terron Williams (EIU); tied 3-3 ,23-4 285 - #10-Dustin Fox (NU) dec. Danny Perez (EIU), 5-0, 26-4 125 - #9-John Velez (NU) won by forfeit, 32-4 133 - Tony Metzger (EIU) won by forfeit, 32-10 141 - Chase Beebe (EIU) dec. Marty Gould (NU), 6-1, 32-13 149 - Jimmy Kim (NU) dec. Chris Smith (EIU), 5-3, 35-13 Attendance ... 241 Length of Meet ... 1:50 Records ... EIU (1-3) / NU (4-0)

The Big Red wrestling team split a pair of dual meets on Sunday, first dropping its second dual meet of the season to No. 12 Penn State 27-7 and then rebounding with a 26-12 win over Lock Haven. Freshman Troy Nickerson improved to 18-0 on the year with a major decision and a pin. Senior Mike Mormile (No. 10, 133 pounds), sophomore Steve Anceravage (No. 11, 165 pounds) and junior Jerry Rinaldi (No. 9, 197 pounds) each went 1-1 on the day as the Big Red picked up its first dual win of the season. Against Penn State, the match began at 141 pounds, where No. 12 DeWitt Driscoll overwhelmed Matt Easter for a 14-3 major decision. No. 9 James Woodall got two late takedowns to earn an 8-7 decision over Keith Dickey at 149 pounds. Senior Dustin Manotti, ranked No. 2 in the nation, met No. 15 Nathan Galloway, hoping to turn the tide of the match. Manotti got an early takedown and then ended the first with another, going up 4-1. Manotti managed one more point in the match and ground out a tough 5-3 win to bring the Big Red within 7-3. The Nittany Lions won the next five bouts, two of which were major decisions. Nickerson got the Big Red back on the winning track with a 15-5 win over Tim Haas. Nickerson went to the third period up 7-4, but got a takedown with back points and eventually cruise to the major decision. Mormile faced Penn State's Jake Strayer in the final bout of the afternoon. Mormile entered the third down 5-1 and almost cut the lead to 5-3 with a takedown but Strayer fought him off and, with the riding time point, would go on to the 6-1 win. The loss moved the Big Red to 0-2 on the year as it headed to Lock Haven, Pa., to take on Lock Haven University in the nightcap. The second match of the day started at 125 pounds and saw Nickerson get the Big Red off to the right start when he pinned No. 15 Obenson Blanc 6:16 into the match. Nickerson led 8-0 before the takedown which led to the fall. Mormile followed that up with a major decision over Casey Moore, 12-3, giving the Big Red an early 10-0 lead. Matt Easter picked up his first dual victory of the season by beating Brian Ellis 7-3 in the 141 pound match as Cornell held a commanding 13-3 lead after three bouts. No. 16 Joshua Medina beat Dickey 3-1 at 149 and Seth Martin won by injury default after Manotti suffered an injury in the 157 pound match. At 165 pounds, Anceravage got two first period takedowns against Rory McCoy to take the 4-1 lead and would go on to the 8-5 win. In the 174 pound bout, Luke Hogle and Carlos Ponce went scoreless in the first. Hogle would go on to score a takedown and an escape the rest of the way to post the 3-2 win. After Dan Miracola fell to Derrick Morgan 6-2 at 184 pounds, Rinaldi took a 14-2 major decision over Tom Kocher. Rinaldi held a 2-0 lead after the first, which he would extend to 6-1 after the second with two more takedowns. He would end the match with two more takedowns and the riding time point to take the major. Sophomore heavyweight Zach Hammond picked up a 4-2, sudden victory decision over Tim Meyers in the final bout of the evening. Meyers recorded two escapes in the match after Hammond recorded an early takedown to knot the bout at 2-2. Hammond scored a takedown in the sudden victory period to take the win. With the split, the Big Red is now 1-2 on the year and will move on to the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 14-15. After the National Duals, Cornell will return home for a match up with EIWA rival Lehigh at Newman Arena on Sunday, Jan. 22. At Penn State 141: #12 DeWitt Driscoll PSU maj. dec. Matt Easter CU, 14-3 4-0 149: #9 James Woodall PSU def. Keith Dickey CU, 8-7 7-0 157: #2 Dustin Manotti CU def. #15 Nathan Galloway PSU, 5-3 7-3 165: David Erwin PSU def. #11 Steve Anceravage CU 6-3 10-3 174: #12 James Yonushonis PSU def. Luke Hogle CU, 7-3 13-3 184: #1 Eric Bradley PSU maj. dec. Dan Miracola CU, 12-4 17-3 197: #6 Phil Davis PSU def. #9 Jerry Rinaldi CU, 3-0 20-3 HWT: Joel Edwards PSU maj. dec. Zach Hammond CU, 13-3 24-3 125: #5 Troy Nickerson CU maj. dec. Tim Haas PSU, 15-5 24-7 133: #13 Jake Strayer PSU def. #10 Mike Mormile CU 6-1 27-7 At Lock Haven 125: #5 Troy Nickerson wbf #15 Obenson Blanc (6:16) 6-0 133: #10 Mike Mormile maj. dec. Casey Moore 12-2 10-0 141: Matt Easter dec. Brian Ellis 7-3 13-0 149: #16 Joshua Medina dec. Keith Dickey 3-1 13-3 157: Seth Martin inj. def. #2 Dustin Manotti 13-9 165: #11 Steve Anceravage dec. 8-5 Rory McCoy 16-9 174: Luke Hogle dec. Carlos Ponce 3-2 19-9 184: Derrick Morgan dec. Dan Miracola, 6-3 19-12 197: #9 Jerry Rinaldi maj. dec. Tom Kocher, 14-2 23-12 HWT: Zach Hammond dec. Tim Meyers, 4-2 (sv) 26-12

TEMPE, Ariz. -- No. 8 Iowa State (7-2, 0-0 Big 12) downed UC Davis (2-3, 1-1 Pac-10) and No. 19 Arizona State (4-4, 2-0 Pac-10) at the Sun Devil Duals in Wells Fargo Arena Sunday afternoon. No. 17 Jesse Sundell (133) pinned both of his opponents on the afternoon. Kurt Backes, ranked sixth at 184 pounds, and 174-pounder David Bertolino also registered pins. Double winners for the Cyclones were Sundell, Nate Gallick (141) and Travis Paulson (165). Sundell, runner-up at the Midlands Championships, was in a 6-6 deadlock with Omar Gaitan of UC Davis in the second period before he put the Aggie on his back at the 4:30 mark. Sundell then faced ASU's Adam Hickey. Trailing 5-2 in the second period, Sundell reversed Hickey and then stuck him at the 3:44 mark. Sundell now leads the Cyclones with six pins on the season. All-American Travis Paulson improved to 21-1 on the season after picking up an 8-2 decision over Frank Richmond of UC Davis. Paulson, ranked eighth at 165 pounds, then downed the Sun Devils' 10th-ranked Patrick Pitsch, 3-1, thanks to a takedown with 18 seconds left in the match. In the 28-18 win over UC Davis, ISU's Ben Hanisch (125) recorded a 10-0 major decision over Marcos Orozco. Hanisch used two three-point nearfalls and a reversal in the second period to take control of Orozco. At 184 pounds, Backes held an 11-2 third-period lead over Tyler Bernacchi when Backes registered his second pin of the year at the 5:50 mark. Also picking up wins in the victory were Gallick and Jason Knipp (157). In a battle of ranked teams, the Cyclones topped the host Sun Devils, 26-23. Gallick, ranked second, won by forfeit at 141 pounds. Aron Scott scored his second technical fall in two matches, a 22-6 win over Mark LeBeau in 5:58. With ISU ahead 20-7, David Bertolino (174) sealed the Iowa State victory by pinning Alex Pavlenko in 3:53. Bertolino's pin came from a defensive position, and pushed the team score to 26-7 with three matches remaining. Next up for Iowa State is the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Jan. 14-15. The event will be hosted by the University of Northern Iowa, and will be held at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Pairings for the two-day tournament will be announced Tuesday. Iowa State's first-round match will be at either 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. Saturday, with the second match to follow at either 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. No. 7 Iowa State defeats UC Davis, 28-18 125 - Ben Hanisch (ISU) majors Marcos Orozco (UCD), 10-0 133 - Jesse Sundell (ISU) pins Omar Gaitan (UCD), 4:30 141 - #2 Nate Gallick (ISU) defeats #6 Derek Moore (UCD), injury at 2:02 149 - Jeff Bristol (UCD) dec. Aron Scott (ISU), 7-3 157 - Jason Kinpp (ISU) dec. Dustin Noack (UCD), 8-7 165 - #8 Travis Paulson (ISU) dec. Frank Richmond (UCD), 8-2 174 - #14 Ken Cook (UCD) majors Grant Turner (ISU), 10-1 184 - #6 Kurt Backes (ISU) pins Tyler Bernacchi (UCD), 5:50 197 - Elliot Kelly (UCD) tech falls Joe Curran (ISU), 17-2 285 - Broc Maffia (UCD) wins by forfeit No. 7 Iowa State defeats No. 19 Arizona State, 26-23 125 - #6 Jeremy Mendoza (ASU) dec. Ben Hanisch (ISU), 1-0 133 - Jesse Sundell (ISU) pins Adam Hickey (ASU), 3:44 141 - #2 Nate Gallick (ISU) wins by forfeit 149 - Aron Scott (ISU) techs Mark LeBeau (ASU), 21-6 at 5:48 157 - #7 Brian Stith (ASU) majors Jason Knipp (ISU), 12-1 165 - #8 Travis Paulson (ISU) dec. #10 Patrick Pitsch (ASU), 3-1 174 - David Bertolino (ISU) pins Alex Pavlenko (ASU), 3:53 184 - C.B. Dollaway (ASU) pins #6 Kurt Backes (ISU), 1:06 197 - #13 Ryan Bader (ASU) majors Joe Curran (ISU), 17-8 285 - #4 Cain Velasquez (ASU) wins by forfeit

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team won four of the final five bouts to rally from an early deficit and earn a 20-15 victory over No. 11 Lehigh on Sunday (Jan. 8) in front of 1,430 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The two squads split matches evenly at five apiece, but the Wolverines collected bonus points in three to secure the non-conference win. Fifth-year senior Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) highlighted the U-M performance, earning his 100th career victory in impressive fashion with a pin over the Mountain Hawks' Dave Nakasone at 165 pounds. After the Wolverines trailed 12-3 at the halftime intermission, Churella's victory spurred a dominant showing by the Maize and Blue upper weights, which included an overtime win at 174 pounds and a pair of major decisions. Nakasone struck first in the bout, scoring a takedown just 30 seconds into the opening period and, after a Churella takedown, earning a late reversal to keep the score knotted at four apiece after three minutes. The Wolverine captain took over in the second and dominated for the remainder of the abbreviated match, earning a takedown and three back points late in the middle frame to lead 10-4 heading into the final period. Taking a page out of his father's (Mark Churella Sr.) book, Churella used a banana split to roll Nakasone to his back and earn the fall at 5:13, just 13 second into the final period. Senior/junior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) and sophomore/freshman Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) continued the Wolverines' momentum with strong back-to-back victories at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Trailing early in the match at 174, Roy went on the attack in the third period against Lehigh's 20th-ranked Travis Frick, driving through on a single leg on the edge of the mat to take his first lead early in the final regulation frame. Frick cut loose in the final seconds to send the match into a sudden-victory overtime. Frick shot in on a single-leg attempt early in the extra frame, but Roy kicked out and spun around behind to earn the takedown and collect his second straight win over the ranked Mountain Hawk wrestler. Todd dominated from start to finish against David Helfich at 184, scoring four takedowns en route to a 12-4 victory. Late in the third frame, the Wolverine used a double leg to take Helfrich straight to his back and add a pair of back points. With his 1:48 in riding time advantage, Todd collected the extra point at the end of regulation to give the Wolverines their first lead in the dual, one they would not relinquish. A Lehigh win at 197 pounds made the score 16-15 Michigan and brought the dual to the final bout at heavyweight, and fifth-year senior captain Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) locked up the U-M victory with an 11-1 major decision against Dan Murrer. Wagner nearly had his third straight fall late in the second period, using a high-leg turk to maneuver Murrer to his back, but ran out of time. The U-M captain earned a total of five near-fall points in the match and, adding a pair of takedowns and 4:46 in riding time, cruised to the victory. The Wolverines had a rough time at the lower weights, falling at four of the opening five weight classes. Senior/junior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) earned Michigan's lone victory at the lower weights, scoring a 9-4 decision over the Mountain Hawks' John Stout. Moos earned three takedowns, including back-to-back single legs in the opening period, and a second-period reversal to control throughout the match. In the marquee match of the afternoon, junior/sophomore Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) suffered his first loss of the season, falling to third-ranked Cory Cooperman 5-3 at 141 pounds. Trailing 4-0 early in the final period, Churella converted on a double leg midway through the frame to narrow the score, and despite a second stalling call on Cooperman, could not overcome the deficit. The Wolverines (5-1, 1-0 Big Ten) will compete in the prestigious Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals on Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 14-15) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. U-M will be one of 16 teams competing in the Division I field. Hosted by the University of Northern Iowa, all matches will be held at the UNI-Dome. #5 Michigan 20, #11 Lehigh 15 (Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat) 125 -- Matt Fisk (LU) dec. Michael Watts, 7-6 LU, 3-0 133 -- #13 Mark Moos (U-M) dec. John Stout, 9-4 Tie, 3-3 141 -- #3 Cory Cooperman (LU) dec. #5 Josh Churella, 5-3 LU, 6-3 149 -- Matt Ciasulli (LU) dec. #4 Eric Tannenbaum, 6-5 LU, 9-3 157 -- #13 Derek Zinck (LU) dec. #8 Steve Luke, 6-5 LU, 12-3 165 -- #1 Ryan Churella (U-M) pinned Dave Nakasone, 5:13 LU, 12-9 174 -- #6 Nick Roy (U-M) dec. #20 Travis Frick, 6-4 SV Tie, 12-12 184 -- #19 Tyrel Todd (U-M) major dec. David Helfrich, 12-4 U-M, 16-12 197 -- Matt Cassidy (LU) dec. Willie Breyer, 9-3 U-M, 16-15 Hwt -- #3 Greg Wagner (U-M) major dec. Dan Murrer, 11-1 U-M, 20-15

State College, Pa. -- The 12th ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers blasted No. 10 Cornell 27-7 in a battle of national powers in front of an energized Rec hall crowd of 2,233. Head coach Troy Sunderland's team posted its second decisive win over a higher-ranked team of the weekend as the Lions won 24-12 at Lehigh on Friday night. Penn State won eight of the match's ten bouts and got three of the dual's four bonus points. The match began at 141, where Nittany Lion senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) facing Cornell's Matt Easter. Driscoll, ranked 12th nationally, Driscoll opened up the match with a take down :50 in and added two near fall back points. Easter got a point for a Driscoll illegal hold before Driscoll added two more back points. Up 6-1 heading into the second, Driscoll chose down to start the second. After an early escape, he notched another take down and two more back points. Driscoll continued to dominate action for the remainder of the period and, after a stall point, entered the third up 12-1. Easter notched a take down a minute into the final period in an effort to fight off a technical fall. Driscoll escaped quickly and upped his lead to 13-3. With a riding time point, Driscoll posted a 14-3 win and gave PSU an early 4-0 lead and improved his record to 9-4. Senior James Woodall (St. Dupont, Pa.) sparred with Cornell's Keith Dickey at 149. Woodall, ranked No.9, scored a take down, nearly pinning Dickey in the process, a minute in but managed no back points. A Dickey escape would send the bout to the second with the score 2-1. Dickey chose down to begin the second an escaped to knot the bout at 2-2. Woodall would take Dickey down and nearly pin him again, only to get reversed in the process. With the score tied 4-4, Woodall found himself down and giving up two back points to trail 6-4. Dickey, strong on top, would hold Woodall down to carry a 6-4 lead heading into the third. Woodall chose neutral to start the third and took Dickey down with :30 left. The Nittany Lion let him up immediately and within seconds took Dickey down a final time, rode him out, and posted a thrilling 8-7 win. The victory improved Woodall's mark to 5-2 and upped the early Lion lead to 7-0. Nittany Lion Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) faced Cornell's Dustin Manotti at 157 in a battle or ranked wrestlers. Galloway entered the bout ranked 15th while Manotti had a lofty No. 2 ranking. Manotti began the bout with a takedown 1:10 into the bout. Galloway posted an escape :30 later but was taken down soon after to fall behind 4-1. Galloway escaped again and trailed 4-2 heading into the second. Galloway chose down to start the second and closed to within one with an escape. Neither wrestler could manage another point and the bout went to the third with Manotti holding a slim 4-3 lead. The Cornell wrestler chose down to start the third. An escape gave him a 5-3 lead. Manotti fought off a Galloway take down attempt and held that lead with 1:25 left. Galloway continued to supply the offensive pressure, putting Manotti on his heels, but the Big Red senior was able to hold the Nittany Lion junior off steal a hard-fought 5-3 win. Penn State's lead was cut to 7-3 with the loss and Galloway fell to 8-7. Nittany Lion true freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) opened up his bout with 11th-ranked Steve Anceravage of Cornell with a quick take down and over a minutes worth of riding time. Anceravage, a sophomore from Bloomsburg, escaped but was quickly taken down again by the Lion true freshman. Up 4-1, Erwin let Anceravage up and fought off a solid Anceravage shot to carry a 4-2 lead into the second period. Anceravage chose down to start the second and escaped to cut the lead to 4-3. Erwin fought off another close Anceravage attempt at the end of the second and rode that 4-3 lead into the third. Choosing down to begin the final period, Erwin would escape in time to maintain a 1:14 riding time edge and a 5-3 lead. Erwin would control the remaining time and, with riding time, post an impressive 6-3 win over the ranked Anceravage. Penn State was up 10-7 and Erwin improved to 17-4 with the win. At 174, 12th-ranked James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa. defeated Cornell's Luke Hogle. Yonushonis and Hogle would battle evenly throughout the first three minutes, but neither would score, sending the bout to the second tied at zero. Yonushonis chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 1-0 lead in :15. Yonushonis got a takedown with just :12 left in the second and rode Hogle out to take a 3-0 lead into the final two minutes. Hogle began the third down and escaped quickly. The Nittany Lion junior quickly posted another take down and continued to dominate the action. Yonushonis would post yet another takedown and grab an important 7-3 win. The victory put Penn State up 13-3 and improved Yonushonis' record to 12-3. Making his 2006 Rec Hall debut, Nittany Lion Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) would tangle with Cornell's Dan Miracolo. Bradley, ranked No. 1 in the nation and a winner in his season debut on Friday night, would notch the bout's first takedown halfway through the first period. Bradley would not let Miracolo up and headed into the second up 2-0 with 1:42 in riding time. Bradley chose down to start the second and escaped in short order to increase his lead to 3-0. Bradley scored another take down and let Miracola up. Trailing 5-1, Miracola began the third down and was allowed up by Bradley, who immediately applied the offensive pressure, getting another takedown shortly thereafter. Working for bonus points, Bradley let Miracola up again and scored again on the edge of the mat to go up 9-3. The Nittany Lion All-American would get the key take down with :20 left and rode Miracola out, getting the riding time point and the 12-4 major decision. Bradley moved to 2-0 with the win while pushing Penn State's lead to 17-3. In a marquee match-up of ranked grapplers, Nittany Lion All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) met Cornell's Jerry Rinaldi. Davis entered the bout ranked No. 6 while Rinaldi was No. 9. The bout would go scoreless through the first three minutes and Davis chose down to start the second. Davis escaped just :16 in to take a 1-0 lead. The duo would end the second with each nearly scoring off a late Rinaldi shot, but still no takedowns and the match entered the third with Davis holding the slim one point lead. Rinaldi chose down to begin the third but could not fight off Davis. Cornell was hit with a stall call giving Davis a 2-0 lead and the Nittany Lion sophomore continued to ride Rinaldi, amassing a riding time edge and working towards an impressive 3-0 win. Davis' victory upped Penn State's large lead to 20-3 and improved his mark to 10-3. Senior Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.) got the call at heavyweight and took Cornell's Zach Hammond down just second into the bout. On his way to clinching the dual, Edwards would continue to Hammond throughout the first period. He took a 4-1 lead and 2:40 riding time into the second period. Edwards chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to go up 5-1. Hammond would answer with a takedown to cut the Edwards lead to 5-3 with a minute left in the second. But Edwards would quickly escape and notch another takedown to take an 8-3 lead into the final period with a guaranteed riding time point. Hammond chose neutral to start the final period. Edwards quickly posted another takedown. Two stall points later and Edwards would notch a 13-3 major decision, pushing the Nittany Lion lead to 24-3 and clinching the dual. Edwards improved his record to 9-2. Sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) met 5th-ranked Troy Nickerson at 125. Nickerson, with a perfect 16-0 mark heading into the bout, took Haas down a minute in. Haas would escape, but not until 1:09 of riding time had accrued. Nickerson would get another takedown to carry a 4-1 lead into the second period. Haas chose down to begin the middle stanza and was let up by Nickerson. Haas would tie the bout with a takedown :30 in. But a Nickerson escape would give the Cornell grappler a 5-4 lead. Nickerson would answer with another takedown to up his lead to 7-4 entering the final period. Nickerson began the third on the bottom and escaped to an 8-4 lead. Nickerson would post another takedown and two back points, with the riding time point, would post an impressive 15-5 major. Penn State led 24-7 and Haas fell to 13-4. The final bout featured two of the nation's top 133-pounders in Penn State's Jake Strayer (South fork, Pa.), ranked No. 13, and Cornell's Mike Mormile, ranked No. 10. Strayer would nearly get the first takedown on the edge of the mat, but Mormile would fight off the attempt to keep the bout scoreless midway through the first. Strayer, setting the tempo and not to be denied, would get the first takedown shortly thereafter and ride Mormile for the remainder of the first to lead 2-0 entering the second. Strayer chose down to start the second and escaped in just :15 seconds. He would continue to force the issue and get another takedown to up his lead to 5-0. Mormile would get his first point off an escape, but not until Strayer had posted a 1:17 edge in riding time. Strayer led 5-1 entering the final period. Mormile chose neutral to start the third and nearly got a takedown, but the Nittany Lion freshman held of the Cornell senior to maintain his edge. Leading in his upset bid, Strayer continued to dictate the bout's tempo and would not allow Mormile another offensive chance. Strayer would post the 6-1 win and give the Lions the 27-7 win. Strayer improved to 13-1 with the win. Penn State improved to 7-2 with the win while Cornell fell to 0-2. The Nittany Lions have now won four straight and are 5-2 vs. ranked opponents. The Lions outscored Lehigh and Cornell 51-21 in the weekend's two duals. Also, prior to the match, two-time national champion Andy Matter was honored as one of Penn State's three two-time champions. Strayer was named the dual's Ridge Riley Award winner for Most Outstanding Wrestler. Penn State treks to Lock Haven on Wednesday night in its next dual. Match time in Thomas Fieldhouse begins at 7 p.m. Penn State's next home duals are slated for Jan. 27 and 29. Penn State hosts Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. and Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 1 p.m. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens. Dual Summary #12 Penn State 27, #10 Cornell 7 January 8, 2006 - State College, Pa. - Rec Hall 141: #12 DeWitt Driscoll PSU maj. dec. Matt Easter CU, 14-3 4-0 149: #9 James Woodall PSU def. Keith Dickey CU, 8-7 7-0 157: #2 Dustin Manotti CU def. #15 Nathan Galloway PSU, 5-3 7-3 165: David Erwin PSU def. #11 Steve Anceravage CU 6-3 10-3 174: #12 James Yonushonis PSU def. Luke Hogle CU, 7-3 13-3 184: #1 Eric Bradley PSU maj. dec. Dan Miracola CU, 12-4 17-3 197: #6 Phil Davis PSU def. #9 Jerry Rinaldi CU, 3-0 20-3 HWT: Joel Edwards PSU maj. dec. Zach Hammond CU, 13-3 24-3 125: #5 Troy Nickerson CU maj. dec. Tim Haas PSU, 15-5 24-7 133: #13 Jake Strayer PSU def. #10 Mike Mormile CU 6-1 27-7 Records: Penn State 7-2, Cornell 0-2 Attendance: 2,233 Next up for PSU: Visits Lock Haven on Wed., Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. Please join us in thanking these companies and organizations for helping to make your GoPSUsports Web site Possible. 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NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners dominated the Lone Star Duals Saturday inside South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Sooners defeated Clarion, Utah Valley State and Cal-State Fullerton. Senior Heavyweight Jake Hager garnered Outstanding Wrestler by claiming two falls in his two matches. The Sooners trounced Clarion University in the first dual of the day 47-0. Sam Hazewinkel (125), Teyon Ware (141), Matt Storniolo (149) and Jake Hager (Hwt.) led the Sooners by all scoring falls in the dual. Freshmen Will Rowe (157) and Jarrod King (165) scored major decisions as the dual was never in question for the Sooners, who did not lose a single match. No. 2 ranked Junior Joel Flaggert (197) registered a win by forfeit as there was no 197-pound match. In the second dual of the day the Sooners faced Utah Valley State and easily disposed of the Wolverines 47-4. Hazewinkel, Ware, King and Hager all registered falls. Storniolo, freshman Shane Vernon (157) and freshman Cody Hilbun (174) scored major decisions. Junior Justin Dyer recorded a technical fall at 184 pounds, as the Wolverines were heavily overmatched by the Sooners. Flaggert once again scored a win by forfeit as Utah Valley State did not have a competitor at 197 pounds. In the evenings final dual, the Sooners faced Cal-State Fullerton in what would be the most competitive dual of the day. Oklahoma was still able to come away with a 33-12 victory. Hazewinkel scored his third fall of the day and Dyer scored a fall to lead the Sooners. Ware registered a technical fall and Freshman Brad Farmer (Hwt.) scored a major decision in his first action of the day. Flaggert registered his third win by forfeit. "I was really proud of our effort, I thought are guys wrestled real hard and real well technically," said head coach Jack Spates. "Some of the guys who had not battled as hard previously battled very well. We got a lot of pins which builds our confidence heading into the National Duals. (Hazewinkel) and (Ware) wrestled magnificent as did Matt Storniolo. Most of our guys wrestled well and this is a real good building block heading into next weekend." The Sooners return to the mat when they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to compete in the NWCA National Duals on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 15.