InterMat Staff

Some of America's biggest stars will be competing at the NLWC event (Photos/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club returns with another show on Rokfin. Tuesday's show features some of the club's top members as they prepare for the upcoming Olympic Team Trials. To that end, multiple wrestlers will take multiple matches on the card. The following is a match-by-match preview of the event's main card. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. ET with junior matches, and the senior matches start at 7:30 p.m. ET. Vincenzo Joseph vs. Jevon Balfour This is Joseph's first year focusing only on freestyle after finishing his college career at Penn State in 2020 as a four-time All-American and two-time champion. During that season, he went 15-1 and entered the Big Ten tournament undefeated. He lost in the finals to rival Alex Marinelli of Iowa. Both were expected to make the finals of the NCAA tournament that never materialized. Joseph has competed sparingly in freestyle. He defeated fellow Penn State alumnus Dan Vallimont at NLWC 1 back in September. In his last action, Joseph dropped a match against former collegiate rival David McFadden at PRTC Summit 1. Balfour wrestles internationally for Canada. He won a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games at 74 kilograms. He has also picked up medals at the Grand Prix of Spain, Canada Cup and Commonwealth Games. Back in December, Balfour joined the Spartan RTC for the RTC Cup and went 0-4 against Hayden Hidlay, Carson Kharchla and Mekhi Lewis (twice). Joseph will need to rebound here and get back on track. He had previously defeated McFadden on the collegiate mats, but in their match last month, McFadden dominated on the way to a match-termination victory. If Joseph is anywhere near peak form, he should be able to handle this match. However, it should be a good measure of his current status with the Olympic Team Trials quickly approaching. Prediction: Joseph VPO1 over Balfour David Taylor vs. Max Dean Taylor comes into this match with a lot of momentum. In his last outing, the 2018 world champion defeated multiple-time world champion Jordan Burroughs who moved up in weight for the fantasy match. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Taylor has won all of his matches as he also defeated Myles Martin and Max's brother Gabe. Dean is missing out on this collegiate wrestling season since the entire Ivy League is sitting out. However, he is doing his best to stay active on the freestyle circuit. He has already picked up wins over C.J. Brucki, Ryan Epps and Muhammed McBryde. For Cornell, Dean is already a two-time All-American, and he was an NCAA finalist in 2019. Taylor showed in his last match that he is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Dean has proven himself to be a tough out. However, he is up against it here. It may end up being a struggle to stay on the mat for the full six minutes. Prediction: Taylor VSU1 over Dean Vito Arujau vs. Zach Sanders Arujau is another Cornell wrestler who is keeping himself busy with freestyle. He has been extremely active as he entered both the RTC Cup and the America's Cup as well as wrestled in a variety of one-off shows. During the run, he has picked up victories over the likes of Sammy Alvarez, Darian Cruz, Nahshon Garret and Michael Colaiocco. Sanders has also had a busy schedule recently. He has taken his fair share of losses. However, he holds recent freestyle victories over Jack Mueller, Sean Russell and Frank Perrelli. Sanders wrestled collegiately for Minnesota where he was a four-time All-American. He finished third as a senior in 2012. Sanders is a veteran and a tough test for anyone. However, Arujau's ability to score with his leg attacks and make a difference from the top position makes him a clear favorite in this match. It might be close early, but Arujau will likely pull away if given the chance on top. Prediction: Arujau VSU1 over Sanders Vito Arujau vs. Sean Russell Arujau will also face Russell at the event. Russell started his collegiate career at Edinboro before transferring to Minnesota for his senior season. He exhausted his eligibility in 2019 and finished as a four-time NCAA qualifier and a one-time All-American. Russell and Arujau just wrestled earlier this month at the America's Cup. Russell was able to make it to the second period. However, Arujau won the match without surrendering a single point and took the 10-0 victory. Prediction: Arujau VSU1 over Russell Thomas Gilman vs. Zach Sanders Gilman dominated in his two previous NLWC appearances as he scored victories over Darian Cruz and Frank Perrelli. However, since he defeated Perrelli in November, Gilman dropped a match against Seth Gross and finished third at the Henri Deglane in France. Gilman wrestled collegiately at Iowa where he was a three-time All-American. Immediately following the end of his collegiate career, Gilman won a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships. Gilman should be the clear favorite in this match. Sanders is not afraid to engage, so this could turn out to be an exciting match. However, even if Gilman encounters trouble early, his pace and pressure should be enough to pull out the victory. Prediction: Gilman VSU1 over Sanders Thomas Gilman vs. Sean Russell Gilman and Russell previously wrestled during the 2017 college season. At the time, Gilman was a senior at Iowa, and Russell was a sophomore at Edinboro. The Iowa representative dominated throughout the contest and took a 10-2 major decision. A similar result will likely play out here as well. Prediction: Gilman VSU over Russell Zain Retherford vs. Evan Henderson Retherford started 2020 with a tough run at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier. He fell in the semifinals against Argentina's Agustin Destribats and failed to qualify 65 kilograms for the U.S. However, Retherford bounced back with a strong string of performances on NLWC shows. He picked up domestic victories over Alec Pantaleo and Reece Humphrey. In his last outing, Retherford picked up one of his biggest victories to date as he scored a shutout 6-0 victory over multiple-time world medalist Bajrang Punia. Back in October, Henderson finished second at the 2020 Senior Nationals with key victories over Jaydin Eierman and Ian Parker. He went on to defeat Anthony Echemendia and Anthony Artalona on one-off shows. In his last action, Henderson entered the America's Cup and picked up wins over Josh Saunders and Mitch McKee. The North Carolina alum exhausted his eligibility in 2016 with his best finish coming in 2014 where he finished fourth at 141 pounds. Henderson certainly has the experience and physical ability to make this a close match. Retherford likes to work from distance, and Henderson could slow him down by controlling the ties. However, Retherford has shown in his recent outings that he is adaptable and should be able to roll with whatever challenges Henderson presents. Prediction: Retherford VPO1 over Henderson Kyle Snyder vs. Nate Jackson Snyder, the three-time NCAA champion and five-time world medalist, relocated to the NLWC. He finished with a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships and is hoping to get back to the top of the podium in the upcoming Olympics. Snyder suffered an injury at the 2020 Senior Nationals back in October and defaulted to a sixth-place finish. He got back on track with a victory over Ty Walz at NLWC 4 and a championship at the Henri Deglane tournament. Jackson has been one of the most active wrestlers on the domestic freestyle circuit. In January alone, the former Indiana wrestler defeated Wynn Michalak on the undercard of Adeline vs. Tamyra. He then dropped a 6-1 match against world champion J'den Cox on the undercard of Burroughs vs. Taylor. In his last match, Jackson picked up a very impressive comeback win over Mark Hall on the debut PRTC show. If Snyder is still dealing with an injury, he might struggle against Jackson. He showed in his last outing that he can compete with some of the best domestic freestyle competitors. Snyder should have a size advantage, but if he is slowed by an injury he might struggle to keep up with Jackson. Prediction: Snyder VPO1 over Jackson Kyle Snyder vs. Scottie Boykin Boykin could really use a win here. He had a tough showing at the America's Cup. He lost all four of his matches at the event and only wrestled the full six minutes against former Oklahoma State wrestler Austin Schafer. Boykin wrestled collegiately at Chattanooga where he was a three-time NCAA qualifier. As a senior in 2018, he won the SoCon championship with a victory over Sawyer Root. Snyder should be able to take this one in dominant fashion. Boykin has been around the block, but he has not shown anything that would indicate he would be overly competitive with Snyder. Prediction: Snyder VSU over Boykin Bo Nickal vs. Gabe Dean This will be a rematch of the 2017 NCAA final at 184 pounds. At the time, Dean was an undefeated senior looking for his third straight NCAA title. Nickal was a sophomore coming off a runner-up finish as a freshman. In the end, Nickal pulled off the upset via a 4-3 score. The Penn State wrestler went on to win two more NCAA titles and finished his eligibility in 2019. Later the same year, he won the U23 World Championships. Recently, he has not been overly active on the freestyle circuit. In his last action, back in September, he took a close victory over Alex Dieringer. Dean took some time off after 2017, but he returned in 2020 and made an impact. He won the 2020 Senior Nationals with impressive victories over Taylor Lujan, Trent Hidlay and Nate Jackson. Last month, he scored a victory over Michael Macchiavello on the debut Spartan Combat show. If Nickal is in top form he should be the favorite here. Dean is very tough defensive and could keep it close. However, a few explosive moves from Nickal could result in enough points to hold on for the victory. Prediction: Nickal VPO1 over Dean Vincenzo Joseph vs. Kyle Dake Dake has been on quite a run since wrestling returned last summer. The run began with a one-point victory over Frank Chamizo. The two-time world champion then defeated David McFadden this past January. Dake then went to the Henri Deglane tournament where he scored three straight match termination victories including a fall over Khadzhimurad Gadzhiyev in the finals. Dake matches are usually boom or bust affairs. He can either score quickly and earn dominant victories or pull out close wins. This one seems to be falling into the one-sided type of match. Prediction: Dake VSU1 over Joseph Jason Nolf vs. Kyle Dake Since last summer, Nolf has gone 3-0 on one-off shows. He defeated Jordan Oliver via a 4-1 score at the Rumble on the Rooftop event in June. Nolf then defeated David McFadden on the debut NLWC show. In his last action, he scored a 10-0 victory over former collegiate wrestler and current MMA fighter Bubba Jenkins. During his collegiate days at Penn State, Nolf was a four-time NCAA finalist and a three-time champion. This should be an interesting match. Dake does not normally have trouble against domestic competition outside of Jordan Burroughs. Nolf has not lost since falling against collegiate rival Isaiah Martinez in the finals of the 2019 Bill Farrell Memorial. Dake remains the favorite, but Nolf is very hard to score on and is adapting his scrambling to freestyle. Expect Dake to pull this one out, but do not be surprised if Nolf makes it closer than expected. Prediction: Dake VPO1 over Nolf

Binghamton's Lou DePrez is pre-seeded No. 1 at 184 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The preliminary seeds for the 2021 EIWA Championships at Spooky Nook Sports Complex, selected by coaches' vote earlier today, are shown below. Replacement wrestlers are permitted until weigh-ins; the coaches will confer again the night before the tournament and will consider covid-related replacements for seeding until that time. The seeds will remain preliminary until locked in at weigh-ins on Friday morning. 125: 1 Jaret Lane Lehigh 2 Logan Treaster Navy 3 Gage Curry American 4 Dylan Ryder Hofstra 5 Micah Roes Binghamton 6 Brandon Seidman Bucknell 7 Bryce Cockrell LIU 8 Ryan Chauvin Army West Point 9 Kyle Waterman Drexel 10 Cole Meyer Sacred Heart 133: 1 Malyke Hines Lehigh 2 Darren Miller Bucknell 3 Anthony Sobotker Binghamton 4 Chandler Olson Drexel 5 Garrett Lambert Hofstra 6 Mark Montgomery Army West Point 7 Jacob Allen Navy 8 Devin Matthews LIU 9 Kyle Randall Sacred Heart 141: 1 Cody Trybus Navy 2 Zack Trampe Binghamton 3 Lane Peters Army West Point 4 Tyler Williams Drexel 5 Vinny Vespa Hofstra 6 Connor McGonagle Lehigh 7 Drew Witham LIU 8 Kurt Phipps Bucknell 9 Jordan Carlucci Sacred Heart 10 Patrick Ryan American 149: 1 P.J. Ogunsanya Army West Point 2 Casey Cobb Navy 3 Kizhan Clarke American 4 Jimmy Hoffman Lehigh 5 Luke Nichter Drexel 6 Greg Gaxiola Hofstra 7 Matthew Kolonia Bucknell 8 Michael Zarif Binghamton 9 Chris Gomez LIU 10 Seth Brown Sacred Heart 157: 1 Holden Heller Hofstra 2 Markus Hartman Army West Point 3 Parker Kropman Drexel 4 Andrew Cerniglia Navy 5 Nick Delp Bucknell 6 Luca Frinzi Lehigh 7 Nick Palumbo Sacred Heart 8 Rhise Royster LIU 9 Matt Swanson Binghamton 165: 1 Zach Hartman Bucknell 2 Tanner Skidgel Navy 3 Ricky Stamm Hofstra 4 Brevin Cassella Binghamton 5 Evan Barczak Drexel 6 Brian Meyer Lehigh 7 Will Schmidt Sacred Heart 8 Clayton Fielden Army West Point 9 Ryan Ferro LIU 174: 1 Michael O'Malley Drexel 2 Ross McFarland Hofstra 3 Ben Pasiuk Army West Point 4 Jacob Nolan Binghamton 5 Jake Logan Lehigh 6 Vincent Andreano Bucknell 7 Tim Fitzpatrick American 8 Dean Caravela Navy 9 Thomas DiGennaro LIU 10 Pat O'Donnell Sacred Heart 184: 1 Lou DePrez Binghamton 2 David Key Navy 3 Taylor Brown Army West Point 4 Charles Small Hofstra 5 Joe Accousti Sacred Heart 6 Josh Stillings Drexel 7 James Langan LIU 8 Frank Guida Bucknell 9 Dylan Ammerman Lehigh 197: 1 John Jakobsen Lehigh 2 JT Brown Army West Point 3 Jacob Koser Navy 4 Bryan McLaughlin Drexel 5 Trey Rogers Hofstra 6 Robert Hetherman Sacred Heart 7 Mason McCready Bucknell 8 Sam DePrez Binghamton 9 TJ Frandan LIU 285 1 Jordan Wood Lehigh 2 John Birchmeier Navy 3 Robert Heald Army West Point 4 Zachary Knighton-Ward Hofstra 5 Joe Doyle Binghamton 6 Dorian Crosby Bucknell 7 Tim Nagosky LIU 8 Sean O'Malley Drexel 9 Mark Blokh Sacred Heart Action begins on Friday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. ET with the pigtail, quarterfinal, and pigtail consolation rounds. Semifinal, consolation quarterfinal, and consolation semifinal action will begin at 2:00 pm. The placement round, followed by awards and presentations, begins at 5:30 pm. Fans can watch the tournament on FloWrestling. Live bout results will be shown on Flosports Arena. Information about seeding, results, and awards will be posted on the EIWA website.

Freshman Beau Bartlett started for Penn State at 149 pounds on Friday (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The final weekend of the 2021 regular season is behind us. Even though we saw a slew of Big Ten matchups canceled due to a COVID-19-related issues yet again, the last weekend of the regular season did not fall short on noteworthy storylines. Here are five things that caught my eye from this past weekend (Feb. 19-21) in college wrestling. Penn State seems to still be playing musical chairs at 149 pounds When Penn State took on Big Ten rival Michigan on Feb. 14 in Ann Arbor, redshirt freshman Terrell Barraclough got the nod at a 149 pounds. This was a tough match against a top-10 opponent in Kanen Storr. At the time of the bout, the dual was still in reach for both teams. Barraclough battled back from an early deficit but lost a tough 4-3 decision to the ranked Wolverine. To me, this signaled that Barraclough would be the starter moving forward. After watching the dual against Ohio State this weekend, it would appear that the 149-pound weight class is still up in the air in State College. Against Ohio State, it was true freshman Beau Bartlett who had the rather unenviable task of making his varsity collegiate debut on the road against No. 2 Sammy Sasso. Bartlett proved he was up for the challenge. The Tempe, Arizona native took an early lead with the bout's first takedown. But Sasso battled back and took a 4-2 lead into the third. The Buckeye then rode Bartlett nearly the entire third period to claim the riding time point and took a 5-3 decision. Sasso remained perfect on the season at 9-0. As I have said all season, it will be interesting to see who Sanderson decides to start in the postseason with all-important team points up for grabs. In limited action, both Barraclough and Bartlett have showed promise despite their inexperience. Similarly, both were four-time state champions in high school. I'm inclined to think Bartlett will be the starter at the Big Ten Championships, but only time will tell. California Baptist set to join Big 12 Conference Last week on Tuesday, Feb. 16, we learned that California Baptist University wrestling has received a letter of intent from the Big 12 Conference regarding affiliate membership starting in 2022-23. Iowa inactive once again It looked as if the No. 1 Hawkeyes were going to get the all-clear to return to the mat and get a final dual meet tune-up against conference foe Wisconsin prior to the Big Ten Championships. Unfortunately, while the Iowa medial staff signed off on the dual, the Wisconsin medical staff did not. As a result, the dual was canceled out of an abundance of caution. As it stands right now, Iowa is not slated to take to the mat again until March 6-7 in State College for the Big Ten Championships. If this holds true, that means Iowa will enter the Big Tens having not wrestled a live dual in one month. Additionally, No. 5 Kaleb Young (157) and No. 1 Alex Marinelli (165) will take to the mat for the first time since Jan. 22. On paper, the Hawks likely have the most talented starting lineup in the country. That said, it will be interesting to see how Iowa performs when the lights are brightest after such a long layoff. While I still expect the Hawkeyes to do well, it is less than ideal to be thrown into the meat grinder that is the Big Ten Championships after such a lengthy hiatus. Equally unfortunate for both competitors and fans alike, we likely won't see No. 1 Iowa and No. 2 Penn State square off in a dual to determine the Big Ten regular season team champion.

Oklahoma State's seniors were honored Sunday in Stillwater (Photo/Oklahoma State Athletics) STILLWATER -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team secured its 47th undefeated regular season in program history with a 24-16 victory over No. 19 Oklahoma in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday night. "It takes teamwork to win dual meets," head coach John Smith said. "We take pride in it and it's important to us. An undefeated dual season is an accomplishment, but let's use it as motivation heading into the Big 12 Championships." The sixth-ranked Cowboys jumped out to an early 9-0 lead on senior night courtesy of a Trevor Mastrogiovanni decision and a fall from Daton Fix. A takedown late in the third period led Mastrogiovanni to his 10th win of the season and second over Mason Naifeh of Oklahoma. Top-ranked Daton Fix continued to dominate his opponents this season, pinning Tony Madrigal in 4:54. Fix collected his fourth fall in five matches, already doubling his total from his outstanding freshman season in 2019. Two Cowboy seniors finished their careers in Gallagher-Iba Arena with Bedlam wins. No. 4 Boo Lewallen picked up a 6-2 decision over No. 18 Mitch Moore to move to 12-1 on the season, while No. 13 Dakota Geer earned his ninth bonus-point victory of the season with an 11-0 major decision over Darrien Roberts. AJ Ferrari locked up the dual win for the Cowboys in the 197-pound bout with a 4-1 decision over No. 15 Jake Woodley. The talented freshman used a third-period takedown on the edge of the mat to make the score 3-1 with Ferrari adding a riding time point. The win marks Ferrari's third ranked win of the season, pushes his overall record to 12-1 and completes an undefeated dual season with his only loss coming to No. 4 Noah Adams in last week's Cowboy Challenge Tournament. Travis Wittlake wrestled an almost identical match to his first Bedlam bout with Troy Mantanona in Norman. Wittlake was taken down early, but was dominant the remainder of the match, picking up his fourth technical fall of the season with a 26-11 win over Mantanona. Freshman Jakason Burks made the first dual start of his career and was handed the task of wrestling No. 6 Dom Demas. Burks was 6-1 at 125 pounds this season, but was forced to bump up to 141 pounds due to injuries at the position. He held his own against the Sooner star for most of the match with the score being 6-3 in favor of Demas midway through the third period, but a throw from Demas got Burks to his back where he was pinned at the 5:31 mark. Oklahoma State will have two weeks to prepare for the Big 12 Championships taking place March 6-7 in Tulsa at the BOK Center. The Cowboys will aim to claim their ninth-consecutive conference tournament championship when they return to the mat. Results: 125: No. 17 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) dec. Mason Naifeh (OU), 6-4 133: No. 1 Daton Fix (OSU) fall Tony Madrigal (OU), 4:54 141: No. 6 Dom Demas (OU) fall Jakason Burks (OSU), 5:31 149: No. 4 Boo Lewallen (OSU) dec. No. 18 Mitch Moore (OU), 6-2 157: No. 11 Justin Thomas (OU) MD No. 19 Wyatt Sheets (OSU), 13-5 165: No. 3 Travis Wittlake (OSU) TF Troy Mantanona (OU), 26-11 7:00 174: Anthony Mantanona (OU) dec. No. 13 Dustin Plott (OSU), 7-4 184: No. 13 Dakota Geer (OSU) MD Darrien Roberts (OU), 11-0 197: No. 12 AJ Ferrari (OSU) dec. No. 15 Jake Woodley (OU), 4-1 HWT: Josh Heindselman (OU) dec. Austin Harris (OSU), 3-1

Curtis Blaydes (left) and Phil Hawes, both past NJCAA national champions, were among the ex-wrestlers on the UFC Fight Night card Professional MMA at the highest level sure seems like a cruel, volatile, unpredictable proposition. The UFC held another fight night card on Saturday, with one of our own prominently featured as top billing. Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes, in all likelihood, was a win or two away from his first shot at one of the most coveted titles in combat sports: UFC heavyweight championship. There were several wrestlers on Saturday's UFC Fight Night card, even after collegiate wrestlers/high school state champs Drakkar Klose (Michigan) and Chas Skelly (Texas) had their bouts canceled at the last minute. Here we will examine the bigger fights featuring the better wrestlers. Let's examine what we learned about wrestlers on the UFC Fight Night card. Curtis Blaydes Wrestling resume: 95-18 high school record wrestling for Chicago's De La Salle Institute, including a 44-0 state championship winning senior season. Received scholarship money to wrestle NCAA Division I for Northern Illinois University, going 19-2 before transferring to Harper College and winning an NJCAA national title at heavyweight. This one has got to sting for Blaydes. The big man from Chicago has been steadily improving since his UFC debut in 2016, and came into this fight red-hot, dominantly winning his last four fights. He has used his wrestling brilliantly to serve as the foundation to implement very effective striking, sound top-side grappling, round-winning clinch/cage work, and a veteran's sense of strategy. On Saturday night he started out looking fantastic against his extremely dangerous foe. One-time UFC heavyweight title-challenger Derrick Lewis is a KO machine, needing just one punch to put out the lights. Blaydes kept Lewis guessing and off balance for nearly the entirety of the contest, using solid footwork, great distance via a steady jab, multi-punch combinations, and a slick, chopping low-kick to punctuate engagements. He was fighting like a fully developed mixed martial artist. The approach worked like a charm until he decided to take his first fully committed shot and ate a lethal uppercut in the process. A couple-cringe-inducing follow-up shots ensured Blaydes would not be getting up any time soon, and just like that, Blaydes must regroup and rebuild. The long and short of it is this: Curtis Blaydes looked absolutely stellar through 6.5 minutes of action. He was in great shape, composed, confident, and very sharp. But this is the heavyweight division. And Derrick Lewis is the most prolific puncher in said division. These unfortunate outcomes will always be lurking when fighting under such circumstances. Blaydes still has the ability and relative youth to make another run, and I'm sure he will, but I'd be lying if I said this isn't a considerable setback that couldn't have come at a worse time. Phil Hawes Wrestling resume: Qualified for 2006 and 2007 New Jersey state championships. Won 2009 NJCAA Nationals at 197 pounds for Iowa Central. Signed with North Dakota State, but ultimately wrestled a season a piece at Iowa State (NCAA Division I) and Wartburg College (NCAA Division III). Hawes gave freestyle a brief go for the 2012 season before moving to MMA. Just like with wrestling, Hawes has been a bit of a slow starter, or perhaps a late bloomer in MMA. Undeniably capable of competing at the highest level, Hawes is finally making good on buzz that he first cultivated way back in. 2015. Hawes arrived violently in the UFC this year, making a statement with a first-round knockout win less than a minute into his official debut. For his second outing he was paired with Russian Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov, a fighter with about as much MMA experience as Hawes. I was more than a little nervous for Hawes leading up to this fight. Imavov is an enormous middleweight (185 pounds) with problematic height and length, very good boxing, serviceable wrestling (he is from Dagestan after all), and the ability to fight well on the inside. It seems that Hawes, aka Megatron, was aware of this, and when he couldn't find a home for his powerful hands early on, he decided to switch up his approach. What followed for the next three rounds was a wrestling and clinch-fighting clinic put on by Hawes. The New Jersey native, fighting out of South Florida, put Imavov on his back repeatedly. And when he wasn't scoring takedowns he was vigorously pressing his foe against the cage, working his grips, fighting the hands, and landing short but effective strikes to the entirety of his target's body. He was expertly implementing a strategy known to be absolutely miserable for the losing fighter as it leaves them dog-tire and much less dangerous. Hawes survived quite a scare in the final round, finding himself on rubber legs and fending off a late rally, but in the end he had done more than enough to collect his victory. It was a solid showing for Hawes and one that he needed to flash at some point in his ascent. Darrick Minner Wrestling resume: 2007 and 2008 All-State at Nebraska Class B High School (Nebraska City High School) State Championships (112 pounds and 125 pounds). Wrestled collegiately for Iowa Western. A professional fighter since 2012, featherweight dynamo Darrick Minner fights the way we want to see all lighter-weight converted wrestlers fight: fast and powerful, with awesome takedowns, even better scrambling ability, and a hammer from on top. Minner has coupled a nasty submission game with his frenetic wrestling and will mix it up on the feet enough to avoid being predictable. Minner looked outstanding on Saturday night, landing punches in volume and making his takedowns count by maintaining positional advantages on the mat and working for submissions. Of Minner's 26 pro MMA wins, 22 have come by submission, 20 of them in the first round. It's usually some sort of arm choke (wrestlers have a real affinity for this) that he snatches up quickly. When Minner is forced to fight an entire fight, he often loses some of his edge. Not this time. Fighting a very game opponent, Minner was the clear frontrunner for the duration. After kicking around on the regional MMA scene for seven years, Minner now has some real momentum in the big show. Let's see if he can parlay it into something big. Others in action John Castaneda, a Minnesota high school wrestler with a season at Minnesota State University-Mankato (NCAA Division II), had his hands full with former WEC champ and aging-but-dangerous vet Eddie Wineland, but he hung tough in a firefight and came out on top. Castaneda pulled out a pretty furious barrage of punches to end the fight in the closing seconds of Round 1. British Junior National freestyle champ Tom Aspinall took on grizzled legend Andrei Arlovski in a pretty gnarly fight. Arlovski is a man who spent several training camps wrestling with three-time world champ and Olympic medalist Bilyal Makhov as his training partner. Aspinall got the better of the tough Arlovski standing before taking him down and choking him out. California high school wrestler Jared Vanderaa is shaping up to be a promising fighter, but he got put on his back, clobbered, and finished by Sergey Spivak in Round 2.

Winning seven individual matches on the day, the Nebraska wrestling team closed the 2021 regular season with a 25-9 win over Illinois on Sunday in Champaign, Ill. The Huskers finish the conference-only slate 7-1, going undefeated in the last six duals of the regular season. The Huskers earned bonus points in three matches, picking up major decisions at 174 and 184 pounds and a technical fall in the 149-pound bout. Mikey Labriola and Eric Schultz finish the regular season undefeated in eight matches on the year while Liam Cronin and Chad Red Jr. went 6-1 on the year with their only losses coming against Iowa in the second dual of the season. Cronin got the day started with a 4-3 decision over Justin Cardani in the 133-pound match. Behind 1-2 in the final seconds of the second period, Cronin scored a takedown to tie the bout 3-3. The senior recorded another escape in the third period to take the match. Chad Red Jr. (141 pounds) added another win for the Huskers against Dylan Duncan in a match that went down to the final seconds. Red Jr. scored a reversal and two near fall points in the last seconds of the bout, taking a 4-3 win for the Huskers. At 149 pounds, Ridge Lovett earned his second dual win of the season and first technical fall of the season with a 20-5 win over Danny Pucino. Lovett earned two four-point near falls, three takedowns, two escapes and a two-point near fall to take the match. Caleb Licking picked up his second consecutive win with a 10-4 decision over Luke Odom at 157 pounds. Licking held Odom scoreless through two periods while scoring two takedowns and building up his riding time. He added two more takedowns and an escape in the final period while recording over three minutes of riding time in the match to give him his third win of the season. Mikey Labriola earned his fourth major decision of the season in a 17-6 win over Trey Sizemore. The win is his 18th major decision of his career and brings his total match points to a team-high 105 for the 2021 campaign. Returning to the lineup at 184 pounds, Taylor Venz won a 12-1 major decision over No. 14 Zac Braunagel. He recorded four near fall points, three takedowns and added two more points from an escape and 1:45 of riding time for his second bonus point win of the season and first win over a ranked opponent this year. Eric Schultz earned the Huskers final win of the day, defeating Matt Wroblewski, 4-1, at 197 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Schultz earned an escape and a takedown in the second period and added a riding time point to earn his eighth win of the season. The Tinley Park, Ill. native's regular season dual win streak improves to 12 matches over two seasons. Tucker Sjomeling, Peyton Robb and Christian Lance each battled ranked opponents in their matches, but ultimately fell to the Illini. Sjomeling earned the start at 133 pounds, falling 8-10 to No. 14 Lucas Byrd. Peyton Robb met Danny Braunagel in the 165-pound match but fell by decision, 6-9. Christian Lance battled No. 10 Luke Luffman through more than two minutes of overtime but Luffman earned the deciding takedown to take the match, 4-2. The Huskers finished undefeated in extra matches on the day with Jeremiah Reno, Brock Hardy and Brandyn Van Tassell pinning their opponents while Alex Thomsen added a decision win for Nebraska. A post-season push comes next for the Huskers, who have just under two weeks before they hit the mat in State College, Pa. for the 2021 Big Ten Championships on March 6-7. Results: 125: #9 Liam Cronin (NEB) dec. Justin Cardani (ILL), 4-3 (NEB 3, ILL 0) 133: #14 Lucas Bryd (ILL) dec. Tucker Sjomeling (NEB), 10-8 (NEB 3, ILL 3) 141: #7 Chad Red Jr. (NEB) dec. #14 Dylan Duncan (ILL), 4-3 (NEB 6, ILL 3) 149: Ridge Lovett (NEB) tech. fall Danny Pucino (ILL), 20-5 (NEB 11, ILL 3) 157: Caleb Licking (NEB) dec. Luke Odom (ILL), 10-4 (NEB 14, ILL 3) 165: #8 Danny Braunagel (ILL) dec. #18 Peyton Robb (NEB), 9-6 (NEB 14, ILL 6) 174: #2 Mikey Labriola (NEB) major dec. Trey Sizemore (ILL), 17-6 (NEB 18, ILL 6) 184: #16 Taylor Venz (NEB) major dec. #14 Zac Braunagel (ILL), 12-1 (NEB 22, ILL 6) 197: #1 Eric Schultz (NEB) dec. Matt Wroblewski (ILL), 4-1 (NEB 25, ILL 6) 285: #10 Luke Luffman (ILL) dec. #11 Christian Lance (NEB), 4-2 SV-3 (NEB 25, ILL 9) Extra Matches: 125: Jeremiah Reno (NEB) pinned Joshua Contreras (ILL), 6:57 133: Alex Thomsen (NEB) dec. We Rachal (ILL), 3-2 149: Brock Hardy (NEB) pinned Andrew Cohen (ILL), 4:58 197: Brandyn Van Tassell (NEB) pinned Isaiah Pettigrew (ILL), 2:39

MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 12 Gopher wrestling team (7-2) won eight of 10 matches in a 29-10 win against No. 11 Northwestern (2-6) at Maturi Pavilion on Sunday. Gable Steveson completed his third undefeated regular season, while sophomore Patrick McKee upset No. 7 Michael DeAugustino at 125 pounds. Coming out of intermission with Minnesota leading the dual, 15-4, Steveson cruised to a 16-1 technical fall against the Wildcats' Jack Heyob at heavyweight. He led 8-0 after the first period with a takedown and six near-fall points en route to his 26th consecutive victory. Steveson is now 9-0 on the season and 59-2 in his career, including a 48-0 regular-season mark. Ranked 15th in the country at 125 pounds, McKee followed with a 9-6 decision against DeAugustino. McKee dominated the first period with a takedown and over two minutes of riding time, but DeAugustino opened the second period with a reversal and near fall to take the lead. Trailing 5-4 with 50 seconds left in the match, McKee's takedown and two-point near fall completed the comeback. After Northwestern began the dual with a major decision by top-ranked Ryan Deakin at 157 pounds, the Gophers responded with six straight wins. True freshman Andrew Sparks improved to 8-1 in his first season with a 14-11 decision against David Ferrante at 165 pounds. After junior Jake Allar's decision at 174 pounds, true freshman Isaiah Salazar picked up his first career pin in his second dual start at 184 pounds to extend the lead to 12-4. Sophomore Garrett Joles added a 10-8 decision against Jon Halvorsen at 197 pounds. Redshirt freshman Marcos Polanco and sophomore Michael Blockhus closed out the dual with wins. Polanco's takedown late in overtime sealed a 3-1 decision at 141 pounds. Blockhus upset No. 14 Yahya Thomas, 3-2, with the match's lone takedown in the final minute of regulation at 149 pounds. Winners of its last five dual meets, Minnesota will compete at the 2021 Big Ten Championships, which will be hosted by Penn State, March 6-7. Results: 157: #1 Ryan Deakin (NU) maj. dec. #6 Brayton Lee (UM), 12-0 (NU 4, UM 0) 165: #17 Andrew Sparks (UM) dec, David Ferrante (NU), 14-11 (NU 4, UM 3) 174: Jake Allar (UM) dec. Troy Fisher (NU), 6-5 (UM 6, NU 4) 184: Isaiah Salazar (UM) pinned Jack Jessen (NU), 5:32 (UM 12, NU 4) 197: Garrett Joles (UM) dec. Jon Halvorsen (NU), 10-8 (UM 15, NU 4) HWT: #1 Gable Steveson (UM) tech. fall Jack Heyob (NU), 16-1 5:05 (UM 20, NU 4) 125: #15 Patrick McKee (UM) dec. #7 Michael DeAugustino (NU), 9-6 (UM 23, NU 4) 133: #12 Chris Cannon (NU) pinned Boo Dryden (UM), 4:13 (UM 23, NU 10) 141: Marcos Polanco (UM) dec. Colin Valdiveiz (NU), 3-1 SV1 (UM 26, NU 10) 149: Michael Blockhus (UM) dec. #14 Yahya Thomas (NU), 3-2 (UM 29, NU 10) Extra Matches: 133: Jake Gliva (UM) maj. dec. Matt Vinci (NU), 16-4 149: Jake Bergeland (UM) dec. Trevor Chumbley (NU), 2-1 157: Maxx Mayfield (NU) dec. Ryan Thomas (UM), 7-4 174: Bailee O'Reilly (UM) tech. fall Ankhaa Enkhmandakh (NU), 16-1 *Extra Matches: Due to only wrestling within the conference, the Big Ten will permit schools to hold extra matches on competition dates. Though they will not count towards dual scoring, they will count towards an individual's varsity record for purposes of seeding for the conference and national tournament.

Lehigh's Jordan Wood (285) is a three-time EIWA champion (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) In perhaps the strangest season in the EIWA's long history, America's oldest college wrestling tournament will be held off-campus for the first time ever. With the member institutions unable to host events of this size, we will gather at Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pennsylvania on Friday, February 26, 2021. For those wondering, this will be just the sixth one-day EIWA tournament and the first since 1909 at Yale, when Eli William Howard Taft was two weeks into his Presidency. Five of last year's top seven will be among the ten teams competing. Lehigh has won three consecutive team titles and hopes to add another to their string; but the Mountain Hawks were hit hard by graduation and have added illness and injury to their woes. Lehigh may challenge, but the Midshipmen of the U. S. Naval Academy appear to be in the driver's seat. Navy returns two champions, a veteran team, and adds a pair of freshmen who haven't lost yet during this shortened season. Army West Point was also hurt by graduation, but returns a veteran lineup that also adds two solid plebes. The Mids can't afford to falter in what looks to be a tight team race. The Pride of Hofstra may have the most experienced lineup in the field; their best newcomer is a senior transfer. Bucknell, Binghamton, and Drexel all have a blend of old and new and could move up if the top few teams falter. Navy last won in 1990; Army won for the only time in 1987. The others are relative newcomers to the EIWA and are all seeking their first team title. Honors extend beyond the team and individual titles. Also to be decided are the Outstanding Wrestler (determined by the coaches' vote), the Fletcher Award (most career points), and the Sheridan Award (most falls in the least time in the championship bracket). The coaches vote for Coach of the Year and the referees honor the most sportsmanlike team (the award given, this year, in honor of the late Greg Strobel, whose team received the award the first time it was presented). The EIWA has received forty-five automatic qualifying bids for the NCAA Championships at St. Louis in three weeks; at-large selections to be announced on March 9th will augment the contingent. Due to the unusual circumstances of this season, team rosters are more unsettled than usual at the time of this writing. Season records are a whole lot thinner than usual, so expect more than the normal number of upsets. The weight-by-weight preview: 125 NCAA bids: 3 The best bet for a high place is someone who's been there before; that's Gage Curry of American, three finishes in the 3rd or 4th spot, 3-time NCAA qualifier. But American lost its entire dual season to Covid stoppages, so Curry hasn't wrestled a bout. The only other returning placewinner is Hofstra's Dylan Ryder, 8th a year ago, 3-0 this season. Navy's Logan Treaster was the 6th seed last year and was 25th in the recent Coaches' Panel ranking with a 9-1 record; his loss is to Lehigh's Jaret Lane, 22nd in the CP ranking, 5-0 and down from 133 last year. Others to watch are freshman Micah Roes of Binghamton, 4-0 in his rookie season; Brandon Seidman of Bucknell, 5-1 and making his first EIWA appearance in his junior year; and 3-3 freshman Bryce Cockrell of Long Island University. 133 NCAA bids: 3 For the first time in memory a weight class has no returning placewinners (hint: they all moved to other weight classes). Bucknell's Darren Miller , 4-1, has the highest CP ranking (23rd) and was seeded 5th last year. Lehigh's freshman Malyke Hines, 2-1, is ranked 32nd. Drexel senior Chandler Olson also stands at 4-1; he was 15-4 before a season-ending injury a year ago. Army plebe Mark Montgomery is 3-3 and has a win over Miller. Binghamton's Anthony Sobotker, 3-1 this year after a 61-9 career at Nassau CC, has a win over Montgomery, as does Hofstra senior Garrett Lambert, 2-2. Navy's Jacob Allen, at 6-4, has the most wins in the field. 141 NCAA bids: 5 Defending champion:: Cody Trybus, Navy Defending champ Trybus is the favorite to repeat, on the strength of a 9-0 record and a No. 10 CP ranking. Binghamton's Zach Trampe moves up from 133 where he placed 3rd and 4th; he's also qualified for NCAAs twice. He's 3-1 with the No. 25 CP ranking. Army senior Lane Peters is another 2-time placer (5th and 7th), also 3-1, CP ranking of No. 31. Vinny Vespa of Hofstra placed 5th at 133 in 2017. Drexel soph Tyler Williams is 4-1 with a win over Vespa. American soph Patrick Ryan was 14-6 as a true freshman two years ago and 14-8 in a deferred year. Freshmen Connor McGonagle of Lehigh and Drew Witham of LIU seek to have an impact. 149 NCAA bids: 4 It says here that the man to beat is Army junior PJ Ogunsanya. He's already finished 5th and 6th, is 6-0, and was ranked 19th in the CP ranking before he beat No. 18, Navy's Casey Cobb. Cobb, an 8-1 senior, moves up from 133 where he had 4th- and 7th-place finishes and qualified for NCAAs. Both have beaten Lehigh's Jimmy Hoffman, 6th last year and an NCAA qualifier; he's 2-3 with a CP ranking of No. 25. American's Kizhan Clarke is also an NCAA qualifier, placing 7th at 157 and 4th at 149 last year when he was ranked in the top 10 much of the season. Hofstra will enter Greg Gaxiola, a transfer from Fresno State who qualified for NCAAs and holds the No. 30 CP ranking. His only loss is to Drexel freshman Luke Nichter, 5-0 on the season. Bucknell's Matt Kolonia, 18-9 a year ago and 2-1 this year, could also make some noise. 157 NCAA bids: 5 There appears to be a clear top four at 157. Army's Markus Hartman placed 3rd last year, is 5-1, and is the CP No. 14 ranked wrestler. But he was pinned by No. 20 Holden Heller of Hofstra, who's 5-0. Drexel senior Parker Kropman, 4th and 7th at 149, is 4-0 and No. 21. Navy freshman Andrew Cerniglia is 5-0, CP No. 26. Four wrestlers with one loss between them means that there's only the one head-to-head result. From Bucknell we'll see 4-4 freshman Nick Delp. Lehigh freshman Luca Frinzi is 2-1; Sacred Heart senior Nick Palumbo moves up from 149. 165 NCAA bids: 5 Defending champion:: Tanner Skidgel, Navy (2019, 2020) Two-time champ Skidgel, 9-1 on the season, should be the clear favorite here. But Bucknell's Zach Hartman, 6-0, is 7th in the CP rankings to the Mid's 14th. Skidgel prevailed in the EIWA finals a year ago, 4-2, the only time the two have met. We could see a repeat of last year's championship match. Other contenders for high places are 5-0 Ricky Stamm of Hofstra, Drexel's 4-1 Evan Barczak, and 4-0 Binghamton freshman Brevin Cassella. All have CP rankings; Stamm has two EIWA places already, Barczak was nationally ranked two years ago. 174 NCAA bids: 5 Last season Drexel freshman Michael O'Malley finished 4th in a deep weight class. As a sophomore he's 5-0, ranked 15th, and has defeated No. 30 Ross McFarland of Hofstra, the only other ranked wrestler at the weight. McFarland may not enter, as he's being pressed for Hofstra's spot by Reece Heller. Two sophomores -- Binghamton's Jacob Nolan, 4-0, and Bucknell's Vince Andreano, 4-1 -- have had good seasons. Navy senior Dean Caravela, 7-3, will be at his first tournament. Lehigh freshman Jake Logan is 2-4 but has a win over Caravela. Another sophomore, American's Tim Fitzpatrick, was 8th last year at 165. A newcomer is Army plebe Ben Pasiuk, just 2-0 this season, with the wins by major decision over Caravela and Logan. 184 NCAA bids: 6 Defending champion:: Lou DePrez, Binghamton Binghamton junior DePrez has the inside shot here; he won last year, is a 2-time NCAA qualifier, and is ranked 4th in the Coaches' Panel. Navy plebe David Key is ranked 18th and boasts a 7-0 record. Army senior Taylor Brown has made the unusual jump from 157 pounds without appearing to give away much size to his opponents; he's 4-2 and is ranked 32nd. Hofstra's Charles Small is 4-1; he's not ranked but he holds the only past place not belonging to DePrez. Sacred Heart senior Joe Accousti moves up from 174 last year; he's 3-2 at the higher weight. LIU junior James Langan moves up from 174 this year. Lehigh senior Dylan Ammerman won a three-way wrestleoff for the right to wrestle at Manheim. 197 NCAA bids: 5 Four former placewinners figure to contend for the top spot here. Lehigh's John Jakobsen earns first mention as a two-time placer and NCAA qualifier. He's 4-3, ranked 19th, and beat Army's JT Brown (20th) this season. Brown is 5-1 this year, has the highest past place (4th, which earned him an NCAA berth), and has beaten Navy soph Jacob Koser (4-2, CP No. 16, 8th a year ago). Koser, in turn, has beaten Jakobsen. Drexel's Bryan McLaughlin, who hasn't wrestled any of them this year, brings a 4-1 record and the No. 21 ranking to the party; he was 6th last year and received a spot at NCAAs. Hofstra junior Trey Rogers is 4-1 and has beaten Sacred Heart junior Robert Hetherman, who's 2-1. Hetherman has a win over Bucknell's Mason McCready, a 3-4 sophomore. Any of them could move up if a spot in the top four opens up. 285 NCAA bids: 4 Defending champion:: Jordan Wood, Lehigh (2018, 2019, 2020) There's never been a four-time champion at the tournament's highest weight. Lehigh's Wood, 4-1 with a No. 7 CP ranking, plans to be the first. Those most likely to challenge are Navy soph John Birchmeier, 5-0 with the No. 24 ranking; Army senior Bobby Heald, 3-2 with the No. 29 ranking; and Hofstra junior Zachary Knighton-Ward, 4-2 with the No. 33 ranking and 4th place at last year's tournament. Others to look for are Drexel's Sean O'Malley, no results this year, the No. 8 seed a year ago; Bucknell freshman Dorian Crosby, 3-3; and Binghamton's Joe Doyle, 0-0 this year but 5th and 6th in the past two tournaments. Pre-seeds will be announced late Monday, February 22nd. With COVID still causing issues for some teams, the coaches can make changes right up until their meeting Thursday night, a change for this year only. With everyone hoping for a return to normal, we expect that the 118th EIWA tournament will be held at a college campus to be determined on the weekend of March 4-6, 2022. Fans can watch the tournament on FloWrestling. Live bout results will be shown on Flosports Arena. Information about seeding, results, and awards will be posted on the EIWA website.

USAFA, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy wrestling team wrapped up the regular season with the USAFA Round Robin, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 20, at the East Gym. The Falcons had 22 wrestlers compete in paired matches against Northern Colorado and Utah Valley in the final tune-up before Big 12 Championships. The event was a non-team scoring, non-weight class champion event, and served as an opportunity for grapplers to get their final matches of the regular season in before Big 12s. AF's 22 wrestlers combined for 28 wins in a highly successful afternoon. Leading the way going 3-0 were sophomore Cody Phippen at 125, freshman Will VomBaur at 125, junior Trey Brisker at 157, and junior Jake Thompson at 184, in what was his season debut. All three of Phippen's wins were via bonus points (2 TF and 1 fall), while VomBaur picked up a tech, Brisker had a tech and a fall, and Thompson had three decision without giving up a single point. Elsewhere, sophomore Nick Krug, freshman Giano Petrucelli, junior Vincent Dolce, and freshman Sam Wolf all picked up a pair of wins, while senor Lenny Petersen, sophomore Dylan Martinez, and freshman Wyatt Hendrickson all went 1-0 in their final matches before the championships. The Falcons will return to the mats Saturday-Sunday, March 6-7, for the 2021 Big 12 Championships, which are set to take place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. A limited number of tickets are on sale. The first three sessions will be streamed on ESPN+, while the finals will be on ESPN2 and the Watch ESPN App.

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- North Dakota State senior 165-pounder Luke Weber won his eighth and ninth straight matches as the Bison wrestling team closed out its regular-season schedule Saturday, Feb. 20, with the Last Chance Challenge inside Frost Arena. There was no team scoring. Competitors from NDSU and South Dakota State wrestled 41 matches in the round-robin event, which served as a final tune-up for the teams' starting lineups two weeks ahead of the Big 12 Championships and provided extra matches for reserves who did not have the benefit of open tournaments due to COVID-19. Weber, who hasn't lost since Jan. 10, picked up a 4-1 victory by decision over SDSU's Kenny O'Neil and won by fall over Dalton Lakmann in 2 minutes, 7 seconds. Weber improved his record to a team-best 10-2 overall with four pins. NDSU freshman Kellyn March, ranked No. 26 nationally at 133 pounds, picked up his first collegiate pin with a victory over Greg Coapstick at 1:25. The Bison also got pins from 149 Jaden Van Maanen and 184 TJ Pottinger. At 157 pounds, No. 11-ranked Jared Franek picked up his third straight victory with a 19-4 technical fall over Jack Thomsen. Freshman 125 Ryan Henningson split four matches including a pair of wins by technical fall 17-2 over Coapstick and 18-3 over Ethan Bowman. The Bison got wins from Ryan Ripplinger and Sam Stuhl at 133 pounds, Austin Braun picked up his first victory of the season at 157 pounds, Jesse Shearer, Riley Habisch and Austin Brenner all won matches at 174 , while Gary Wokojance and Michael Nelson added victories at 184 pounds. NDSU freshman 197 Owen Pentz was a 7-1 winner over SDSU's Jacob Schoon and No. 29-ranked Bison heavyweight Brandon Metz was a 4-3 winner over SDSU's Bowen McConville.

Dylan Ragusin won by fall at 133 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team wrapped up its dual-meet season with a decisive 28-9 win over in-state rival No. 23 Michigan State on Friday evening (Feb. 19) at the Spartans' Jenison Field House. The Wolverines won seven of 10 matches, earning bonus points in three, including first-period pins at 133 pounds and heavyweight. Graduate student Myles Amine claimed the night's marquee match, scoring four takedowns en route to an 11-6 decision over eighth-ranked Cam Caffey at 197 pounds. Amine, ranked second after making his season debut last weekend, finished on three single-leg shots in the first period, added another in the second and rode for 2:31. It was Amine's second straight win over a ranked opponent. He improved to 3-0 on the season. Junior heavyweight Mason Parris, ranked second nationally, also remained unbeaten on the season, improving to 6-0 with his first-period fall against Christian Rebottaro at the 2:20 mark. Parris piled on the points early, scoring on a single leg and a six-point feet-to-back dump before turning Rebottaro with arm bar and transitioning to a reverse half for the fall. Parris has earned bonus points in all six of his wins this season, including a team-best three falls. Freshman Dylan Ragusin picked up his second pin of the season -- and first up at 133 pounds -- to earn U-M its first, and lasting, lead of the dual meet after an MSU win at 125 pounds. Ragusin, who struck first on an early schuck for a takedown, stepped over a whizzer off Jordan Hamdan's single-leg attack to turn and pin the Spartan in a scramble at 1:42. Ragusin improved to 4-1 on the season. Sixth-year senior Logan Massa, ranked sixth at 174 pounds, earned a big bounceback win after his first loss of the season last weekend, cruising to a 16-6 major decision against Drew Hughes. Massa scored on seven takedowns, including five in the second period, on a variety of single-leg and go-behind attempts. Massa improved to 5-1 on the season and has scored bonus points in all five wins. Senior/junior Drew Mattin claimed a 4-0 shutout against Matt Santos at 141 pounds behind an early first-period takedown and 1:54 in riding-time advantage, while junior/sophomore Will Lewan and sophomore/freshman Cameron Amine bracketed the intermission break with decisions at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Lewan, ranked ninth at 157 pounds, earned a solid 7-2 decision against Chase Saldate, finishing on three single-leg takedowns -- one per period -- with a foot sweep. Amine, ranked 16th, edged Jake Tucker, 4-3, at 165 pounds with a first-period go behind for the deciding takedown. The Wolverines (5-1, 5-1 Big Ten) will have two weeks to prepare for the 2021 Big Ten Championships, slated for Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, in State College, Pa. Results: 125 -- #13 Rayvon Foley (MSU) dec. Jack Medley, 7-2 -- MSU, 3-0 133 -- Dylan Ragusin (U-M) pinned Jordan Hamdan, 1:42 -- U-M, 6-3 141 -- Drew Mattin (U-M) dec. Matt Santos, 4-0 -- U-M, 9-3 149 -- Peyton Omania (MSU) dec. #5 Kanen Storr, 15-8 -- U-M, 9-6 157 -- #9 Will Lewan (U-M) dec. Chase Saldate, 7-2 -- U-M, 12-6 165 -- #16 Cameron Amine (U-M) dec. Jake Tucker, 4-3 -- U-M, 15-6 174 -- #6 Logan Massa (U-M) major dec. Drew Hughes, 16-6 -- U-M, 19-6 184 -- #9 Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. Jaden Bullock, 6-2 -- U-M, 19-9 197 -- #2 Myles Amine (U-M) dec. #8 Cam Caffey, 11-6 -- U-M, 22-9 Hwt -- #2 Mason Parris (U-M) pinned Christian Rebottaro, 2:20 -- U-M, 28-9 Extra Matches The 2020-21 dual season will feature several "extra matches" with every scheduled dual meet. These matches will not factor into dual scoring but are official, countable matches that will be considered for conference allocation and postseason seeding purposes. 149 -- Cole Mattin (U-M) major dec. Jackson Renicker, 18-5 157 -- Fidel Mayora (U-M) major dec. James Fotis, 9-1 165 -- Marty Larkin (MSU) major dec. Matt McKenna, 11-3 174 -- Caleb Fish (MSU) pinned Max Maylor, 4:10 197 -- Andrew Davison (U-M) dec. Austen Malczewski, 10-5 Hwt -- Brad Wilton (MSU) dec. Blake Querio, 5-2

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0, 5-0 B1G), ranked No. 3 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, won seven of ten bouts to win handily at No. 11 Ohio State (5-4, 5-4 B1G), the team's fifth-straight conference dual away from home. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad broke the dual meet open in the second half to roll to a 28-12 victory in Columbus. All team and individual rankings listed are InterMat (2/16/21). Penn State picked up ranked victories at 174, 184 and 285 to take down the Buckeyes. The young Nittany Lions featured a line-up that included five freshmen (two true) and two sophomores, a total of seven underclassmen. The dual began at 125 where true freshman Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J.) took on No. 10 Malik Heinselman. The Lion freshman battled the Ohio State veteran tough but lost 5-2 in the dual's opening bout. Junior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, put on an offensive show in his match-up. Bravo-Yong turned a 6-2 lead into an 18-6 lead with a furious second period that included four takedowns and a reversal. He ended the match with four back points to post a 26-8 technical fall at the 5:37 mark over Ohio State's Jordan Decatur. Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, put Penn State up 9-3 with a dominant 15-3 major over OSU's Dylan D'Emilio. The Lion senior tallied five takedowns in the win. True freshman Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.) made his Penn State dual debut up at 149, taking on No. 2 Sammy Sasso. Bartlett took an early lead with the bout's first takedown but Sasso came back for the hard-fought 5-3 win to cut Penn State's lead to 9-6 Junior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 8 at 157, turned a late takedown into a 3-1 win over Ohio State's Elijah Cleary. Berge's win gave the Nittany Lions a 12-6 lead at halftime. Freshman Joe Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 14 at 165, notched his bout's first takedown against No. 10 Ethan Smith but suffered a reversal and was pinned at the 2:34 mark. Smith's win briefly tied the dual at 12-12. Penn State won out. Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 174, continued his outstanding wrestling, taking on No. 3 Kaleb Romero. A week after downing the nation's second-ranked grappler, Starocci took Romero to a tie-breaker and used a rideout to post a 2-1 (tb) victory, putting Penn State up 15-12. Sophomore Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 2 at 184, controlled No. 20 Rocky Jordan for seven minutes in his bout. Brooks broke open a close 2-1 bout with a six-point second period, on his way to a 13-4 major. Freshman Michael Beard (Pottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 197, the clinched the Penn State win. Beard turned a shot into a scramble against Gavin Hoffman into a takedown :30 into the first period. He then turned the Buckeye to his back and, after a minute's worth of work, picked up the first period pin at the 1:20 mark to put Penn State up 25-12. Sophomore Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 285, closed out the dual with Penn State's seventh win of the night. Nevills used a third period takedown to post a 3-2 victory over No. 16 Tate Orndorff and Penn State walked away with a 28-12 victory in Columbus. The Nittany Lions allowed only three takedowns during the dual meet. Penn State rolled up a 24-3 advantage in takedowns. Sanderson's team picked up seven bonus points off a pin (Beard), a tech fall (Bravo-Young) and two majors (Nick Lee, Brooks). No extra matches were conducted during the dual meet on a separate mat. This year, with condensed schedules, these extra matches, while not counting towards dual meet scores, are official varsity bouts and count towards NCAA competition minimums. Penn State is now 5-0 on the year, 5-0 in Big Ten action. Ohio State falls to 5-4, 5-4 B1G. The Nittany Lions close out the dual season with their lone home dual of the season on Monday, Feb. 22. Penn State welcomes Maryland to Rec Hall for a 6 p.m. dual meet that will air live nationally on the Big Ten Network. Results: 125: #10 Malik Heinselman OSU dec. Robert Howard PSU, 5-2 0-3 133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young PSU tech fall Jordan Decatur OSU, 26-8 (TF; 5:37) 5-3 141: #2 Nick Lee PSU maj. dec. Dylan D'Emilio OSU, 15-3 9-3 149: #2 Sammy Sasso OSU dec. Beau Bartlett PSU, 5-3 9-6 157: #8 Brady Berge PSU dec. Elijah Cleary OSU, 3-1 12-6 165: #10 Ethan Smith OSU pinned #14 Joe Lee PSU, WBF (2:34) 12-12 174: #5 Carter Starocci PSU dec. #2 Kaleb Romero OSU, 2-1 (tb) 15-12 184: #2 Aaron Brooks PSU maj. dec. #20 Rocky Jordan OSU, 13-4 19-12 197: #16 Michael Beard PSU pinned Gavin Hoffman OSU, WBF (1:20) 25-12 285: #8 Seth Nevills PSU dec. #16 Tate Orndorff OSU, 3-2 28-12 Records: Penn State (5-0, 5-0 B1G); Ohio State (5-4, 5-4 B1G) Up Next for Penn State: at Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 19, time TBA (B1G Network) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J.) took on Ohio State's Malik Heinselman, who was ranked No. 10 nationally at 125. The duo wrestled the first minute evenly, sparring in the center of the mat looking for a chance to move on offense. With the clock moving to the midway point of the opening period, each wrestler fought off an offensive push to keep the bout scoreless. Howard nearly connected on a throw with :50 left but Heinselman fought off the effort and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Heinselman chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Howard turned in on offense, shooting a number of times at Heinselman, but the Buckeye was equal on defense to maintain his lead with just under 1:00 left in the middle stanza. Heinselman connected on a late low shot to take da 3-0 lead into the third period. Howard chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 score. Howard quickly shot low on the Buckeye but Heinselman was able to counter for a takedown and a 5-1 lead. Howard escaped with :50 on the clock to cut the lead to 5-2. But the young Nittany Lion could not break through Heinselman's defense and fell 5-2. 133: Junior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, took on Jordan Decatur. Bravo-Young quickly worked his way into control of Decatur's left ankle, trying to pull the Buckeye back on to the mat for a takedown. The Lion junior finished off the move for a 2-0 lead with 2:02 on the clock. Decatur escaped to a 2-1 score and quickly worked into a single leg that Bravo-Young deftly defended, forcing a stalemate with 1:14 left in the period. Bravo-Young took Decatur down on the edge of the mat to up his lead to 4-1 with :50 on the clock. He cut Decatur loose and added a third takedown on a double leg with :20 left. Bravo-Young finished off the period with a rideout and led 6-2 with 1:02 in time after one period. Bravo-Young chose down to start the second period. He scrambled his way into a reversal, picking up the two points plus a penalty point in the process. The flurry broke the bout open and the Lion junior rolled up four takedowns and a stall point to lead 18-6 with over 1:00 in riding time after two periods. Decatur chose down to start the third period, Bravo-Young cut him loose and quickly took him down again to up his lead to 20-7. Another cut and takedown gave the Lion a 22-8 lead with 1:35 on the clock. He then took Decatur down one final time and turned him for four back points to clinch the technical fall. Bravo-Young walked away with a 26-8 tech fall at the 5:37 mark. 141: Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met Dylan D'Emilio. Lee scored quickly, taking a 2-0 lead at the 2:05 mark to open up an early lead. Lee picked up a second takedown with 1:30 left to wrestle in the opening period and led 4-1. He then put together a strong ride, turning D'Emilio for two back points to up his lead to 6-1. He finished with a rideout and led 6-1 after the opening period. Lee chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped. He then took D'Emilio down again and led 9-2 with 1:20 left in the period. The Lion senior picked up a fourth takedown with just under a minute left and led 11-2. With over 2:00 in riding time, Lee continued to control the action for the rest of the period and carried that nine-point lead into the third period with well over 2:00 in riding time. D'Emilio chose down to start the third period and escaped to an 11-3 score. Lee worked the center of the mat, fighting off a D'Emilio shot, countering and taking the Buckeye down to up his lead to 13-3 with :25 left in the bout. He picked up a stall point and a riding time point on nearly 2:47 in time to post the convincing 15-3 major decision. 149: True freshman Beau Bartlett, making his Penn State dual debut up at 149, faced off against No. 2 Sammy Sasso. Bartlett drew first blood, turning a fast low shot into a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 1:45 on the clock. Sasso escaped quickly to cut the Lion lead to 2-1 and action resumed in neutral. Bartlett worked to control the action in the middle of the mat, moving forward on offense. Sasso turned a high single into a takedown and rideout as the period ended to take a 3-2 lead into the second stanza. Sasso chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 lead. Bartlett continued to pace the center circle, trying to connect on offense but unable to break through Sasso's strong defense as the clock hit the :45 mark. The Lion freshman battled the Buckeye veteran evenly for the rest of the period and trailed 4-2 after two periods. Bartlett chose down to start the third period but could not break free of a strong Sasso ride as the time clicked below 1:00. Bartlett worked his way to his feet with :30 on the clock but Sasso was able to maintain control and finished the period on top. He tacked on a riding time point with 1:45 in time as well. Bartlett dropped a hard-fought 5-3 decision to the second-ranked Buckeye in his collegiate debut. 157: Junior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 8 at 157, took on Ohio State's Elijah Cleary. Berge worked on offense for the first minute-plus, nearly connected on a takedown on the edge of the mat. But Cleary worked his way out of bounds to keep the match scoreless, giving up a stall warning in the process. Berge battled Cleary evenly for the remainder of the period and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Berge chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Lion junior worked on offense, forcing Cleary to the outside circle repeatedly but not finding a gap in the Buckeyes offense. The duo worked the center of the mat for the next :30 before Cleary gained control of Berge's left leg, trying to take the Lion down. But Berge fought off the effort and carried a 1-0 lead into the third period. Cleary chose down to start the third period. Berge worked the Buckeye down to the mat briefly but Cleary escaped at the 1:40 mark to tie the bout at 1-1. With 1:00 left in the bout, Berge once again gained control of Cleary's ankle on the edge of the mat but the Buckeye was able to move to the outside circle once more and this time a stalemate forced a reset with :30 to wrestle. Berge was undaunted, however, turning a low double into a takedown and a 3-1 win with just :08 left. The final takedown gave the Nittany Lion the two-point victory. 165: Freshman Joe Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 14 at 165, met No. 10 Ethan Smith. Smith shot first, nearly connecting on a solid shot, but Lee countered and nearly scored himself before a dangerous hold stopped action at the 2:05 mark. Smith shot again low on the Lion freshman and Lee was injured on the move. While no takedown occurred, Smith chose down on the reset due to the injury time. Lee worked offensive control for :22 before Smith escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lee quickly moved in on offense and took a 2-1 lead . Smith turned the Lion for a reversal and then turned the Lion to his back for a pin at the 2:34 mark. 174: Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 174, battled No. 3 Kaleb Romero in one off the dual's marquee bouts. Starocci paced the middle of the mat, working on offense as he looked for an early score. The ranked grapplers battled evenly for the first two minutes with neither wrestler finding an opening. Starocci took a high shot with :40 left but Romero worked action out of bounds and the bout continued on a reset with a 0-0 score. Tied 0-0, Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Lion maintained neutral until Romero took a low shot at the 1:20 mark. Starocci fought the move off for the next :40 and forced a reset at the :43 mark. Starocci used a strong high double to nearly notch a takedown but Romero once again worked his way out of bounds with :15 left in the middle period. Romero chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. The clock hit the 1:00 mark still tied 1-1. Starocci continued to shoot Romero backwards, but the Buckeye was able to defend each Lion shot to keep the bout tied. Another Starocci shot led to another reset and the bout moved to sudden victory tied 1-1. Romero worked his way in on a solid single and nearly took the Lion down. But Starocci was able to fight it off and countered the move for a takedown and an apparent 3-1 win. But Ohio State challenged the call and won the challenge and action resumed tied 1-1 with :27 left. Starocci shot again off the reset but Romero fought off the move and the bout moved to a tie-breaker. Starocci chose down for his tie-breaker choice and quickly escaped to a 2-1 lead. Romero then chose down for his tie-breaker period. Starocci was able to control the Buckeye for :16 before a reset stopped action. He then broke the Buckeye down for the rest of the period and posted a thrilling 2-1 (tb) win. 184: Sophomore Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 2 at 184, took on No. 20 Rocky Jordan. Brooks fought off an early Jordan high single and turned the move into a takedown of his own to open up an early 2-0 lead. Brooks broke Jordan down in the middle of the mat and built up a sizeable riding time edge. Jordan escaped to a 2-1 score with 1:10 left. Brooks forced Jordan into a stall warning with :30 left in the period and led 2-1 after one. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. With over 1:00 in riding time, Brooks' offense forced Jordan into another stall and then Brooks took the Buckeye down again to open up a 6-1 lead. Jordan escaped with :30 left but Brooks rolled through another shot and opened up an 8-2 lead with over 2:00 in riding time after two periods. Brooks chose down to start the third period and Brooks cut him loose to an 8-3 score. Brooks tripped the Buckeye to the mat for a fourth takedown and a 10-3 lead with 1:39 left in the bout. Brooks tacked on another takedown at the 1:02 mark to clinch the riding time point and lead 12-4. Brooks finished the bout on top and rolled to the 13-4 major decision with nearly 3:00 in riding time. 197: Freshman Michael Beard (Pottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 197, battled Gavin Hoffman. Beard quickly moved in on Hoffman, turning a scrambling shot into a takedown and a pinning opportunity. Beard worked the top position for almost a minute as Hoffman worked to fight off the fall. But Beard continued to pressure the Buckeye and picked up the first period pin at the 1:20 mark. 285: Sophomore Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 285, took on No. 16 Tate Orndorff. The ranked big men battled evenly in the middle of the mat for the first ninety seconds with neither wrestler able to make a mark on offense. The due battled evenly for the entirety of the first period and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Nevills chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Nevills took a handful of shots that Orndorff was able to step away from and Nevills fought off a solid Orndorff counter at the 1:00 mark. Nevills worked the Buckeye to the edge of the mat and Orndorff was equal on defense. With Nevills leading 1-0 after two periods, Orndorff chose down to start the third period. The Buckeye escaped to a 1-1 tie with 1:35 on the clock. Nevills almost connected on a high single but the Buckeye defended the move and the bout continued tied 1-1 past the 1:00 mark. Nevills turned a low single into a brief scramble and the bout's first takedown with :25 on the clock. Orndorff added a late escape but Nevills posted the strong 3-2 win.

MADISON, Wis. -- Out of an abundance of caution, the Big Ten wrestling dual meet between Wisconsin and Iowa originally scheduled for this Sunday, Feb. 21 has been canceled. The event has been canceled due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. Due to the shortened Big Ten schedule for conference teams this year, the dual will not be rescheduled.

Television coverage has been announced for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, March 6-7, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The first three sessions of the Championship will be distributed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, while the championship matches will be televised live at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2. All matches from the Championship will also be available on the ESPN App. All-session tickets are available online at www.bokcenter.com. General admission reserved tickets start as low as $49, while reserved seating is $69 and premium seats are available for $89 and $109. All fans will be in POD seating, which increases distancing and minimizes fan crossover when entering and exiting their seats. Fans must purchase all tickets in a selected POD group, available in select section groupings of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 seats. A limited number of suites are available for purchase for this event. Price varies by location and includes all-session tickets. For inquiries, contact Leah Taber at ltaber@asmtulsa.com. 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship Schedule (times are subject to change) Saturday, March 6 Session 1: Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] - 11 a.m. CT Session 2: Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] - 5 p.m. CT Sunday, March 7 Session 3: Consolation Semifinals, Third & Fifth Place Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] - 10 a.m. CT Session 4: Championship Matches - 5 p.m. CT [ESPN2]

The COVID era of wrestling will soon be coming to an end. This weekend marks the last dual meets of the season, conference tournaments start next weekend, and the NCAA tournament is on the books for March 18-20 in St. Louis. With case numbers plummeting, deaths receding, and the number (and rate) of vaccinations increasing it's safe to assume that the 2021 season will be the only one competed under the stringent COVID protocols of the NCAA and its member institutions. While there is reason to be optimistic and look forward to normalcy, now is not the time to lose focus or give into COVID fatigue. And that goes for the wrestlers! Coaches I've spoken to are extremely proud of their wrestlers and how much discipline they've shown the past several months. When this started most athletes were wrestling in masks. They're getting tested three times a week and several times before competitions, not to mention the number of tests they have to take to get out of COVID protocol. Teams are often broken into small groups where they can only train with a certain number of athletes. Then, when they go home they are restricted to who they can see. No dining out, church, pickup basketball, or whatever. The lives of these college athletes is completely controlled by COVID and the consequences brought down by potentially falling out of line and infecting teammates and/or bringing them into protocol. For the number of teams active this season and the asks being made of these young men, it's incredible to me just how successful the season has been thus far. There have been more than two dozen match cancellations, but given all that's at risk, and how often it's begin risked, that's an obscenely low number for a bunch of 18-23-year-old men on a college campus. Nobody can predict what will happen next, but for now, on the cusp of the conclusion of the regular season it's impressive to me, and I'm sure all fans, that these coaches and their athletes have navigated these difficult times so well. It's an impressive nod to the resiliency and toughness of our community. To your questions … Virginia Tech head coach Tony Robie, along with assistant coach Jared Frayer (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Q: Who will be the first ACC program to win an NCAA team title? How far away is that from being a reality? -- @DHoff_dissident Foley: Virginia Tech has looked sharp this season. Any question marks around the program following the departure of Kevin Dresser have been answered several times over. This program is a powerhouse and Tony Robie is one of the absolute best wrestling coaches in the nation. Given current momentum there is every reason to believe that Virginia Tech earns a team trophy this year and can be on top inside five years. Anything is possible! NC State is equally impressive and while not as powerful as years past, can very easily find a year to sprint to the top. Their teams are unique, scrappy, and give fits to all their opponents. The only catch has been an inability to overperform at the NCAAs. That's not to say they always underperform, they just haven't had a year where everyone is exceeding their seeds, pinning opponents and bringing heft into the final rounds. Given another successful few years the stability of the lineup could provide that type of return and a march to the top of the team podium. Q: Did Penn State finally find its answer at 125 pounds with Robert Howard? Where do you see him fitting in the mix? -- Mike C. Foley: Bergen Catholic for the win! When talent meets coaching, the fans win, but nobody more than Penn State. I have no idea if he is the answer Q: When do you think there will be an announcement on tickets for NCAAs? How many fans will be allowed to attend? -- Mike C. Foley: The Olympic Trials in April will host 5,000 fans in Fort Worth for a stadium that holds 15,000. Social distancing, mask-wearing, and at 30% capacity. The NCAA hasn't announced any plans to sell tickets for the tournament, but the word on the street is that they won't be moving any tickets to fans. Coaches are still waiting to find out about their allocations. Q: Any takeaways from the Captains' Cup? -- Mike C. Foley: We need more women's wrestling at the college level. I loved seeing the enthusiasm and direction that the event took. What the women wanted to achieve on the mat was exactly the same as the men -- win. But on camera the mood of the wrestlers, the feeling, the interactions were all a little different than the men and it was much appreciated. Q: After a hard work week, do you think fans of wrestling prefer escapism or to have politics mingled in with the sport they love? @NathanJohn_319 Foley: The idea that a columnist needs to provide his/her audience with escapism is nonsense. Am I meant to 'stick to sports' because a joking reference to a callous, cement-headed choice by an American senator? There are plenty of reasons to read columns, and plenty of reasons to avoid them, but don't pearl clutch because the author takes a jab at a member of your political team. We're all big boys and girls and those in power need to be held accountable. Anyway, that's enough mingling for this week. Q: Are you paying for this vacation with GameStop profits? -- @knarkill Foley: Sunny Cancun for Cruz. NYC flurries for Foley. The GameStop phenomenon was an incredible watch albeit from the sidelines. I have a very normal level of risk tolerance. I like surfing but avoid big waves. I love motorcycles but keep it inside the speed limit. I enjoy making a profit from doing nothing, but almost completely avoid the stock market. In the end I agree with the adage that in a gold rush it's better to sell the shovels. The GameStop pump was insane for 450 million reasons, but I was shocked by how many people I knew in the wrestling community were posting about their gains and losses. My theory is that the community has long been involved in cryptocurrencies and because some of the monied leaders in the sport (e.g. Novo) have such an outsized presence in the space (and hires wrestlers) that the trickle down has meant more wrestlers in crypto. Being that crypto is a highly volatile 'asset' the risk tolerance needed to trade GameStop or Dogecoin was already baked into the Wrestling Investor's DNA. Of course, there is no way to know if our community is more risk tolerant than say swimming or track and field, but from my very stable, very boring investment portfolio I was gobsmacked by how many 18-55-year-old white men I knew who had $1000+ invested into a brick-and-mortar video game store most popular in 2009. My gut is you and many others made it out alive and for that I'm thrilled. You guys take the big waves -- I'm happy on the long board. Q: Any predictions on Tuesday's NLWC event? Some wrestlers will be competing in multiple matches. -- Mike C. Foley: First, let's recognize the brilliance of the Rokfin model. They don't produce the event, or pay the athletes, or advertise, or promote, or have any financial interest in the storylines. They just have a place for creators to post and for customers to put their credit card information. When people do sign up to watch the content the company takes a $9.99 cash rip, while the creators are given tokens worth a price that can, and does, fluctuate. Forgive the lack of nuance in this business model, but if you told me 20 years ago that I could pay people with a currency of my own creation, while I was being paid in cash for people to watch THEIR content, while also simultaneously creating the rules for the currency AND being the largest holder of said currency -- I'd have asked where I could sign up. As stated previously, I'm remarkably risk-averse when it comes to these types of things, but am I alone in wondering how this will pan out in a few years? Gotta be some hiccups, right? Anyway, I have a genuine curiosity in how this plays out in the long run and will watch with wonder (and maybe some envy) as it proceeds. No predictios. Just super interested. Vito Arujau df. Zach Sanders, 10-3 Vito Arujau df. Sean Russell, 11-8 Thomas Gilman df. Zach Sanders, 10-2 Thomas Gilman df. Sean Russell, 5-0 Yianni Diakomihalis df. Nahshon Garrett, 10-0 Zain Retherford df. Nahshon Garrett, 6-2 Zain Retherford df. Evan Henderson, 7-4 Kyle Snyder df. Nate Jackson, 6-4 Kyle Snyder df. Gabe Dean, 8-3 Kyle Snyder df. Scottie Boykin, 10-0 Gabe Dean df. Bo Nickal, 3-2 David Taylor df. Max Dean, 10-0 Kyle Dake df. Vincenzo Joseph, 7-2 Jason Nolf df. Kyle Dake, 4-2

WVU head wrestling coach Tim Flynn (Photo/WVU Athletics) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- In accordance with the Big 12 Conference wrestling interruption guidelines, the wrestling match between West Virginia and Iowa State on Friday, Feb. 19, has been canceled. Fans who purchased tickets for the matchup against Iowa State will receive a refund in the coming week through the Mountaineer Ticket Office. Looking ahead, West Virginia travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship on March 6-7. The 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place on March 18-20, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Michigan State's Cameron Caffey is expected to face Michigan's Myles Amine on Friday (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) As the postseason gets closer and closer many of the top wrestlers who had been out of action are returning to the lineup. Recently Daton Fix (Oklahoma State), Myles Amine (Michigan), Robert Howard (Penn State) and Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) returned to action. They should all be back on the mats this weekend in top matches. The following previews those matches as well as the rest of the top matches in each weight. 125: No. 10 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) vs. Robert Howard (Penn State) After starting his career with back-to-back NCAA qualifying seasons, Heinselman appears to be having a breakout season as a junior. He has gone 6-1 to start this campaign with his only defeat coming against last year's Big Ten runner up No. 14 Devin Schroder (Purdue). Henselman already holds victories over Justin Cardani (Illinois), No. 12 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) and No. 13 Rayvon Foley (Michigan), and he got back on track last weekend against Kurt McHenry (Michigan). Howard made his long-awaited collegiate debut last weekend and scored a 6-5 decision over Jack Medley (Michigan). The Penn State faithful is hopeful that the highly touted true freshman can finally bring some stability to the 125-pound spot for the Nittany Lions. Howard joined the squad after a strong high school career at Bergen Catholic. There he was a four-time New Jersey state finalist and two-time champion. He also represented the U.S. three times at the Cadet World Championships. This match will say a lot about Howard's prospects going forward this season. Heinselman has been very strong after seemingly growing into the weight. Howard showed flashes of what made him such a prized recruit last weekend, but this will be a tougher test. With that being said, his pedigree and scoring ability should be able to carry him to a signature victory here. Prediction: Howard over Heinselman 133: No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) Fix missed the first Bedlam dual this season, but luckily for him, they are wrestling two this year. The NCAA finalist returned to action last weekend and won four matches on the way to a tournament title at the Cowboy Challenge. Fix went 35-2 as a redshirt freshman back in 2019 and dropped a controversial overtime match in the finals against Nick Suriano (Rutgers). Last season as a sophomore, Madrigal went 21-9 and qualified for the NCAA tournament through the Big 12. This year has proven tough as he has gone only 3-6 and dropped his last two matches against Paul Bianchi (Little Rock) and Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State). His last victory came via fall over Trayton Anderson (South Dakota State) on Jan. 31. Fix should be a big favorite in this match. The two have met before with Fix taking a 20-5 technical fall. However, it should serve as a gauge for where Fix is as the postseason approaches. He got back into action last weekend, but Madrigal will be a tougher test for sure. Prediction: Fix major decision over Madrigal 141: Anthony Echemendia/Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) It will be interesting to see who Ohio State sends to the mat here. Echemendia suffered the first loss of his collegiate career against No. 1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) via fall back on Feb. 7, and he has been out of the lineup since. D'Emilio started the last two matches and picked up victories over Parker Filius (Purdue) and Drew Mattin (Michigan). D'Emilio won the wrestle-off back in January. Whoever gets the start here will have a chance to make a statement against Lee. Making a statement against Lee is easier said than done. The Penn State senior has won all four of his matches so far this season with three of those victories coming via bonus points. Mattin was the only wrestler to escape without giving up bonus this year. While waiting for the collegiate season to start, Lee wrestled in a pair of freestyle matches on NLWC shows. He picked up a match-termination victory over Brandon Wright and a 14-10 win over No. 8 Tariq Wilson (NC State) in an all-action bout. Lee should be favored regardless of who Ohio State sends to the mat. Echemendia should be an interesting challenge. He has struggled to adapt to some of the ground work associated in folkstyle. However, Lee likes to do a lot of his scoring from the neutral position. Would he modify his approach to take advantage of Echemendia weaknesses or try to match strengths against the freestyle specialist. Prediction: Lee major decision over Echemendia 149: Peyton Omania (Michigan State) vs. No. 5 Kanen Storr (Michigan) After redshirting and going 19-6 in the 2019 season, Omania took an Olympic redshirt last year to focus on Greco. He won a bronze medal at the 2019 Junior World Championships and won a title at the 2020 U23 Nationals. He returned to folkstyle for this season. The results have not always been there, but he has shown flashes of potential. Omania held a lead against No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) before the Buckeye snuck away with a 7-6 victory. Storr has gone 4-1 with his only defeat coming against Sasso. However, despite the winning record, he has certainly been keeping it close. His largest margin of victory is only four points. Last weekend, he defeated Penn State's No. 20 Terrell Barraclough by a 4-3 score. Since transferring to Michigan from Iowa State for the 2019 season, Storr has gone 47-14 and qualified for a pair of NCAA tournaments. Storr should come into this match as the favorite. He will likely be able to ride and keep the match close. However, Omania has the ability to hit a big throw, and that one big move might be enough to take the match. Look for Storr to control the majority of the match, but Omania will remain dangerous throughout the contest. Prediction: Omania decision over Storr 157: No. 6 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) vs. No. 1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) Last week, Deakin returned to action for the first time this season. He picked up a pair of victories over Wisconsin wrestlers. He scored a technical fall over Garrett Model in the dual, and then won a decision over Devin Bahr in an extra match. Last year, Deakin went 21-0 and won the Big Ten championship at this weight. He is ranked No. 1, but the competition will start to get tougher right away. Lee moved up from 149 pounds this year, and he has had a strong season so far. He holds a 7-1 record with his only defeat coming against No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) in overtime. Since that loss, he bounced back with four straight victories including a 3-2 decision over No. 7 Kendall Coleman (Purdue). Deakin has held the No. 1 ranking despite not wrestling for most of the season. He was dominant last year and had a legit shot at a national title if the NCAA tournament occurred last year. However, he will be up against it here. Lee has had a strong year and certainly has the momentum in this match. Look for Deakin to get it done, but this will be anything but easy. Prediction: Deakin decision over Lee 165: No. 8 Danny Braunagel (Illinois) vs. No. 18 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) Braunagel qualified for the NCAA tournament last year as a redshirt freshman. This year, he has started the season with an undefeated 5-0 record. His signature win came during his second event of the season. He upset No. 10 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) in a match that was a key element of Illinois' upset over the Buckeyes. Braunagel gets another chance to add another big victory to his resume if this match happens. Robb had a tough start to this season as he dropped his first two matches against No. 17 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) and No. 1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa). However, since then, he has gotten back on track with six straight victories. However, this will be his toughest match since those early season meetings. Braunagel has taken a step forward this season, so he should be able to take care of business here against Robb. Look for Braungael to control the standing portions of this match and win the takedown battle on the way to a decision victory. Prediction: Braunagel decision over Robb 174: No. 3 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Carter Starocci (Penn State) Romero started this season by winning five straight matches. During the run, he won matches over the likes of Joe Grello (Rutgers) and Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin). Romero then ran into No. 1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa). The Ohio State representative wrestled tough and ultimately dropped a 3-1 decision. He then missed his next match. It will be interesting to see if he returns to the lineup for this bout or if he is dealing with an injury. After an undefeated redshirt season, Starocci was expected to be one of the top competitors at 174 pounds this year. Things got off to a rough start as he dropped a 10-9 decision against No. 14 Donnell Washington (Indiana) in his first match of the season. However, since then, Starocci got it together. He has won his last four matches. In his last bout, the Penn State representative picked up his biggest victory to date as he scored a 7-1 victory over No. 6 Logan Massa (Michigan) in overtime. Both of these wrestlers are very hard to score against. If this match happens, it will almost certainly be a close one. Starocci showed that he is able to pull out this type of match, and he comes into this bout with a lot of momentum. Prediction: Starocci decision over Romero 184: Kyle Cochran (Maryland) vs. No. 17 John Poznanski (Rutgers) Cochran was a New Jersey state champion and a three-time placer in high school. He chose to head a bit south and wrestler in college for Maryland. After starting his collegiate career at 157 pounds during the 2018 season, he has moved up to 184 pounds this year. The results have been mixed as he has built a 4-4 record. He nearly pulled off a pair of upsets over No. 16 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) and No. 20 Rocky Jordan (Ohio State), but he ultimately dropped both matches via 4-2 scores. Poznanski was also a New Jersey state champion, but he is much younger than Cochran. He is a true freshman, who has quickly made a name for himself with a 3-1 record. He won his first three matches including victories over Jordan and No. 18 Max Lyon (Purdue). However, in his last match, Poznanski dropped his first collegiate match against No. 10 Owen Webster (Minnesota). This Big Ten battle will be between a pair of New Jersey state champions from different generations. One of Cochran's biggest strengths is his ability to ride legs from the top, so the move up in weight was an interesting move. On the feet, this should be Poznanski's match. Look for this one to be closer than expected, but the younger one should be able to take it. Prediction: Poznanski decision over Cochran 197: No. 8 Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) vs. No. 2 Myles Amine (Michigan) After three straight top-four finishes at the NCAA tournament, Amine took an Olympic redshirt last year. He wrestles internationally for San Marino, and he surprisingly won a silver medal at the 2020 European Championships. In the process, he punched his ticket to the upcoming Olympics. Amine did not return to the Michigan lineup until mid-February. He surprisingly moved up to 197 pounds and picked up victories over Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) and No. 16 Michael Beard (Penn State). Caffey moved up from 184 pounds this season. He has gone 5-1 with his only defeat coming against No. 1 Eric Schultz (Nebraska). Already this year, he has picked up victories over Hoffman, Garrett Joles (Minnesota) and No. 17 Thomas Penola (Purdue). This should be an interesting match from a stylistic perspective. Amine has been mostly focusing on freestyle since the end of the 2019 season. That might get him into trouble here against Caffey. The Michigan State wrestler is extremely adept at scrambling, and he is able to turn an opponent's attacks into points. Amine remains the favorite, but Caffey might be able to surprise him in some positions. Prediction: Amine decision over Caffey 285: No. 12 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) vs. No. 3 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) and No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) are clearly the class of the Big Ten and the nation at heavyweight. However, Cassioppi and Hillger are both contenders for the third spot behind those two. Hillger has taken a pair of somewhat surprising losses this season. He dropped overtime matches against No. 10 Luke Luffman (Illinois) and No. 11 Christian Lance (Nebraska). Last season, he went 23-6 as a sophomore and established himself as one of the best heavyweights in the country. Outside of a match against Steveson, Cassioppi has won all of his matches this season. He enters this match after picking up three-straight falls over Luffman, Dorian Keys (Purdue) and No. 16 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State). These two met twice last season with Cassioppi taking both matches via decision. Iowa has been out of action after shutting down team activity. This will be a good gauge on Cassioppi's status and momentum if the dual happens. Prediction: Cassioppi decision over Hillger

Northern Iowa, coached by Doug Schwab is ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Major Top 20 (Photo/UNI Athletics) MANHEIM, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association released its first Mid-Major Top 20 of the season on Wednesday. Formulated in 2017, the Mid-Major Top 20 concentrates on the programs that fall outside of the traditional "Power 5" conferences. COVID-19 played a significant role in this year's college sports season, with wrestling being impacted without the participation of seven schools that would qualify for inclusion in the Mid-Major Top 20. The six wrestling Ivy League schools -- Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Penn and Princeton along with the lone Division III school sponsoring Division I wrestling, Franklin & Marshall, did not compete this season. Northern Iowa, one of the nation's top non-Power 5 wrestling programs historically, comes in atop of the poll, followed by the U.S. Naval Academy and first-year head coach Cary Kolat. Traditional Mid-American Conference power Central Michigan is third, followed by Campbell at four and Rider fifth. While the Big 12 is a Power 5 conference, a number of its affiliate members are considered Mid-Majors and seven of them are in the Top 20. The EIWA has six schools in the rankings, followed by the MAC and SoCon with three each. Methodology: The NWCA Division I Mid-Major Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by coaches representing teams from non-Power 5 conferences. Each first-place vote is worth 20 points, 19 points for a second-place vote, 18 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 20th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results. Teams who are not competing this season are not included in the voting process. NWCA Division I Mid-Major Wrestling Coaches Poll February 17, 2021 Rank School Record Points Conf. All-Sports Conf. 1 Northern Iowa (4) (4-4) 98 Big 12 Missouri Valley 2 Navy (1) (5-1) 96 EIWA Patriot League 3 Central Michigan (5-2) 82 MAC MAC 4 Campbell (8-1) 81 SoCon Big South 5 Rider (4-1) 78 MAC Metro Atlantic 6 Wyoming (3-3) 72 Big 12 Mountain West 7 North Dakota State (7-3) 63 Big 12 Summit 8 Northern Colorado (4-2) 61 Big 12 Big Sky 9 Binghamton (3-1) 57 EIWA America East 10 Appalachian State (7-2) 56 SoCon Sun Belt 11 Lehigh (3-4) 53 EIWA Patriot League 12 Army West Point (2-3) 46 EIWA Patriot League 13 Northern Illinois (6-3) 44 MAC MAC 14 South Dakota State (5-6) 42 Big 12 Summit 15 Chattanooga (8-4) 22 SoCon SoCon 16 Drexel (2-1) 22 EIWA Colonial 17 Air Force (2-5) 21 Big 12 Mountain West 18 Hofstra (2-1) 20 EIWA Colonial 19 Utah Valley (2-4) 12 Big 12 WAC 20 Cal Poly (2-3) 11 Pac-12 Big West Others Receiving Votes: Buffalo 6, Edinboro 5, Kent State 1, Lock Haven 1

On Jan. 18, 2018, Bryce Meredith and Seth Gross made NCAA wrestling history. On that now historic Thursday three years ago, Meredith and the Wyoming Cowboys traveled Brookings, South Dakota, for a dual meet against Big 12 foe South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits of South Dakota State bested the Cowboys of Wyoming by way of a 20-18 decision, but the two-point Wyoming defeat wasn't what had the college wrestling world aflutter -- it was the 141-pound matchup between No. 1 Seth Gross (133) and No. 1 Bryce Meredith (141). During that dual, Meredith and Gross became the first known NCAA Division I wrestlers since the weight certification rule change in 1998 to wrestle each other as top-ranked wrestlers from different weight classes. The match materialized, and ultimately came to fruition due to a series of bank-and-forth tweets between the two top-ranked wrestlers in the days preceding the dual. First, on Jan.15, three days prior to the dual, Gross tweeted that SDSU fans should pack Frost Arena for the Big 12 conference dual against Wyoming. Then, Meredith somewhat jokingly replied to Gross' tweet by merely suggesting it could be a matchup of him against Gross. To that, Gross responded by suggesting that a head-to-head match later that week would be good way to finish their best-of-three series, which was currently tied at 1-1 from their past matches throughout their respective college careers. Meredith and Gross had met twice in 2016. Meredith took the first match during the regular season, as Gross came away with the win in the Big 12 tournament semifinals. Gross moved down to 133 pounds after the 2016 season and was the NCAA runner-up a year in 2017. From there, Wrestling Twitter took over, creating a buzz and an excitement over the possible match. By match day, the hype was both significant and noticeable. Would a simple Twitter conversation result in one of the best individual matches of the 2017-18 season? Yes, yes it would. Seth Gross bumped up a weight class (to 141 pounds) and took on Bryce Meredith. Gross went on to lose 4-2. The match was as tightly contested as one would expect for a battle of No.1's, both of whom had been NCAA finalists at prior points in their collegiate careers. After a scoreless first, Gross escaped Meredith 30 seconds into the second period. The period would end with that same 1-0 score. Down 1-0 to start the final frame, Meredith, who chose bottom to start the third, escaped within five seconds, at the 1:55 mark of the third. to tie the match 1-1. With about a minute and 30 seconds left, Gross got in deep on a single-leg shot but failed to covert. Instead, after a hectic 30-second scramble, Meredith turned Gross' initial takedown attempt into two points for himself via takedown. The Cowboy found himself ahead and in the top position with a minute remaining in the regulation. Gross was able to escape the Meredith ride will 11 seconds remaining, the score was now 3-2 in favor of the heavier Meredith. The bout ended 3-2, before a riding time point was added for Meredith to extend the margin. The match ended with a final score of 4-2. You can see the match highlights here. The match not only lived up to the hype, but also was the talk of the wrestling community for days afterward. Meredith's coach, Mark Branch, echoed similar sentiments as his wrestler with regard to why the matchup needed to happen. "When we got to match day and confirmed that it was going to happen, it kind of exploded," Cowboys coach Mark Branch said to Scott Nulph of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in a 2020 piece that looked back and reflected on the historic match, now more than two years later. "That's when it felt like it was something special and the right thing to do. I was for it because of the exposure that it created, the attention it got for our programs and our sport." With respect to the individual rankings at that time, Meredith cemented his hold on the top spot at 141 with the win, and Gross was still ranked No. 1 at 133 the following week. Years later, Meredith has said he has zero regrets about the impromptu match that turned the college wrestling world upside down in 2018. In, fact, Meredith would recommend others take similar risks whenever possible. "I would recommend to do anything that builds the sport and builds your brand," Meredith said to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle last year. "What can you do to leave your legacy on this sport? That (match) was one way we both (Gross and I) could do it." Unfortunately, in the years since that cherished third Meredith-Gross battle in Brookings, we haven't seen as many instances of teams or individual wrestlers putting their reputations or records on the line so selflessly -- for the good of the sport and its loyal and devoted fans -- as Meredith and Gross did. Rather, what we have seen is numerous probable ranked-versus-ranked matches fall through just prior to the match. Take the Purdue Tri-Meet that happened on Feb. 7 in West Lafayette, Indiana, as a prime example. The event, which had the host Purdue Boilermakers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Iowa Hawkeyes, featured a top-notch grouping of 125-pounders: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa); No. 10 Malik Heinselman; and No. 11 Devin Schroder. Purdue's Devin Schroder defeated Iowa's Aaron Cashman by technical fall (Photo/Purdue Athletics) Presumably this tri-meet of Big Ten foes should have yielded three matches featuring two ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds -- but only one such match occurred -- No. 11 Devin Schroder (Purdue) defeated No. 10 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) with a 1-0 decision. Additionally, Schroder was the only one of the three grapplers to wrestle in both of their teams dual meets that day. Lee was held out of the Iowa vs. Purdue dual, while Heinselman was pulled from the Ohio State vs. Iowa dual literally seconds before the dual began. Now, don't get me wrong, I expect that had Lee had the opportunity to wrestle both Heinselman and Schroder, he would have won in convincing fashion. Lee has looked unbeatable this season, there is no other way to say it. However, the reason I bring up these recent happenings is because it demonstrates a disturbing trend common to college wrestling: Coaches resting athletes in an effort to preserve (or possibly improve) their seeds for the conference tournament and national tournament at the end of the season. This is not to say that there are never instances where it is perfectly reasonable and justified to rest a starter -- there certainly are. After all, the wrestling season is a grind. Plus, as the NBA has proven in recent years, that there is some legitimacy to implementing load management measures. In 2020 for instance, we saw a handful of elite NCAA wrestlers participate in a various international events and Olympic qualifying events during the college season. With that, guys like Lee, Sebastian Rivera, and others missed some time. Ohio State's Kyle Snyder was another prominent example where load management was implemented at times during his NCAA tenure, especially during the back half of his Buckeye career as he was pursuing his freestyle and Olympic aspirations simultaneously. There are also other numerous other reasons to justify resting a marquee wrestler. That said, what we saw recently was worrisome to say the least. In consecutive, nationally televised duals, we saw two healthy wrestlers (who both competed that same day) not in action. For fans, it was upsetting. For the sport, it's just a bad look. In the future, to prevent teams from resting athletes solely for the purposes of protecting postseason seeding, I would like to see the NCAA make some changes to create greater accountably. While there are many ways to achieve this, and no solution will be perfect, here are some suggestions: 1. Institute a continuous weighted points system that, at the end of the season, will give wrestlers single "score" that will help dictate seeding for NCAAs. All wrestlers will begin with the same number of points (i.e. 100 points). Points are added and subtracted as the season progresses. Those with the highest point totals are seeded highest. Those who end with the lowest totals are seeded lowest. 2. Make dual meet participation more valuable in the context of seeding consideration for NCAAs. Conference meets will hold greater value than non-conference meets. (i.e five points for every conference meet wrestled, three for every non-conference meet wrestled). An additional point will be added and subtracted depending on the individual match result. 3. Institute a point system that adds or deducts varying point values for each type of win (add points) and defeat (subtract points). Also, fall, technical fall, major decision and decision will have differing point values (i.e 25 for fall, 20 for tech, 15 for major decision, 10 for a decision). 4. Award more points for ranked and upset wins. Subtract less points for losses to ranked opponents. Admittedly, instituting a weighted point system for seeding would not be as simple as I described above -- I know that. Many more extremely detailed bullet points would need to be added to successfully put a system such as this into place. And yes, there are some glaring holes, flaws, and question marks with the four bullets above and this strategy in general. However, allowing a wrestler's record to be so immensely impactful toward their postseason seeding is clearly detrimental to the sport. Wins and losses certainly should have some importance to seeding, but right now they carry far too much weight in my opinion. The biproduct of such an exclusively wins-and-losses predicated seeding system leads to exactly what we witnessed recently and have seen at other marquee tournaments such as the 2019 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, which saw Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) and Michael Kemerer (Iowa) resting in street clothes for the entire event, much to their chagrin. When healthy athletes are held out of matches and tournaments, fans are not getting the best bouts. Under this system, nobody wins -- not athletes, not fans, and certainly not the sport.

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The Davidson wrestling program has paused all team-related activities due to positive COVID-19 test results among Tier 1 personnel, ultimately shutting down the season. Tier 1 personnel include scholar athletes, coaches and any staff member whose job requires close regular contact. The pause stretches through the 2021 Southern Conference Championship. "The 2020-21 season was by no means perfect, however our scholar-athletes can confidently demonstrate great pride in their efforts this season," said head coach Andy Lausier. "It's certainly disappointing that we will not be able to compete at the Southern Conference Championships, but we walk away from this past season with our heads high, grateful for every opportunity to compete, and proud of the three SoCon dual meet victories our team achieved."

RIVERSIDE -- California Baptist University wrestling has received a letter of intent from the Big 12 Conference regarding affiliate membership starting in 2022-23. The Big 12 is currently home to Air Force, Fresno State, Iowa State, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, South Dakota State, Utah Valley, West Virginia and Wyoming. The Lancers would give the conference 12 teams in 2022-23, as Fresno State is set to discontinue its program at the end of this season. "California Baptist University and Lancers Wrestling are looking forward to our future membership with the Big 12," CBU Interim Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman said. "As one of the premiere athletic conferences in the country, the Big 12 brings a long history of success in the sport of wrestling. We are looking forward to our new friendships and rivalries in the Big 12 as we continue to build our wrestling program into a nationally recognized competitor. This marks the start of another exciting chapter in the history of California Baptist University and Lancers Athletics." The Big 12 has a rich history that is unmatched with any other league in the country with current members claiming 49 team national championships and 314 individual championships. Oklahoma State leads the sport with 34 national titles and 142 individual crowns while Iowa State owns eight team and 69 individual championships, and Oklahoma has seven team and 67 individual. Seven of the conference's 12 teams are currently receiving Top 25 votes, with five being ranked in the latest poll: No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Iowa State, No. 16 Northern Iowa, No. 17 Northern Colorado, No. 22 Oklahoma and Wyoming and West Virginia. The approval of CBU to join the Big 12 is conditioned on the program's successful completion of its NCAA Division I four-year reclassification process. The Lancers are in the midst of the third year of the transition period with an anticipated final approval in July 2022. The affiliate membership will be effective for the 2022-23 academic year. CBU will join the other Big 12 wrestling members in a regular-season scheduling alliance and will compete for the league's postseason title and automatic qualification into the NCAA championships. "CBU continues to achieve sustained growth in academic programming, enrollment, physical plant expansion, fiscal resource development, and athletic attainment. Affiliating with the prestigious Big 12 in wrestling is an honor that aligns with our pursuit of excellence," CBU President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis said. The Big 12 Wrestling Championship has been hosted in Tulsa, Okla., at the BOK Center since 2017. The Big 12 and the Tulsa Sports Commission previously announced a partnership to host the championship at BOK Center through 2024. The Lancers established a strong reputation for themselves in the NCAA before making the move to Division I in 2018-19. CBU finished third in the D-II standings in its final two years (2017-18) after a sixth-place performance in 2016. Over those five D-II years, the Lancers qualified 25 wrestlers for the Division II Championships, produced 15 All-Americans and three division champions. CBU also won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title in 2016 and 2018 and two regional crowns (2017-18) over that span. CBU has gotten off to a strong start in Division I. In their first two transition seasons, the Lancers have produced eight All-Americans at the National Collegiate Open, including the 2019 heavyweight champion. "It is a great privilege to be conditionally accepted into the Big 12 Conference," Coach Lennie Zalesky said. "Historically, the Big 12 has a long tradition of being one of the best DI wrestling conferences in the nation. Today, the Big 12 is competitive with the best in the nation, and the conference has some of the best wrestlers and teams in the nation. We look forward to the challenge of competing with these teams. The West Coast, and particularly California, is host to many good and talented high school wrestlers, and I sincerely believe that CBU will compete well with these teams in the relatively near future." Zalesky, a legend in the wrestling world in his own right, has led CBU's program as head coach since 2011. He was named the 2017 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, and has been inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame, California Wrestling Hall of Fame and Alaska Wrestling Hall of Fame. Prior to CBU, Zalesky coached at UC Davis before the program was dropped prior to the 2010-11 season. In nine seasons in Davis, he coached numerous Pac-10 placers, four conference champions and had 27 athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships. Perhaps his best season came in 2007 when he was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Derek Moore, CBU's assistant coach, was a big reason for the Aggies' success in 2007. He won the first NCAA Division I championship in the history of the UC Davis Athletic program and was named that year's Most Outstanding Wrestler, which gave it a top-22 finish as a team. As a wrestler, Zalesky was a three-time All-American wrestler at Iowa. During his time there, he helped the Hawkeyes to four straight national championships, and he notched a record of 73-2-1 in his last two seasons. He was twice the national runner-up at 142 pounds and won three Big Ten titles.

At the direction of the University of Iowa medical team, the Iowa Athletics Department announced Monday that the Iowa wrestling program has returned to limited in-person activities, ending a seven-day pause in response to positive COVID-19 test results within the program. Iowa will continue to follow Big Ten Conference medical protocols and the direction of the UI medical team regarding a full-team return to in-person activities. Iowa's dual with Northwestern scheduled for Friday, Feb. 19, has been postponed out of an abundance of caution surrounding the health and safety of the participants. A determination on the Hawkeyes' dual scheduled at Wisconsin for Sunday, Feb. 21, will be made later this week.io

Kamaru Usman at the UFC press conference following his win at UFC 258 For the second Saturday in a row, the Ultimate Fighting Championship was in play this past weekend, as usual offering up a nice card of quality fighting entertainment. There were several high-level wrestlers originally scheduled to do their thing, but after two-time California high school state place-winner Bobby Green fainted at weigh-ins, we lost his fight against UFC 155-pound veteran Jim Miller. New Jersey's Miller was also a former All-State wrestler for Sparta High School back in 2002. In total there were three former wrestlers in action, chief among them 170-pound UFC king Kamaru Usman in the main event. On to the performances … Kamaru Usman Wrestling resume: Third place at Texas high school state championships, NAIA national qualifier (William Penn), three-time NCAA Division II All-American, two-time national finalist, 2010 national champ (UNK), resident athlete at Colorado Springs OTC, 2010 university world team member. Back in July, I had opined that while extremely skilled and obviously very successful thus far, UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman had not yet put in his signature performance inside the cage. He's been undeniably effective, has shined brightly against an overmatched foe or two, and has dug deep to pull out hard-fought wins against high-caliber opponents, but he hadn't yet put all the pieces together. Despite this, the 33-year-old Usman finds himself with an 18-1 overall MMA record, is undefeated inside the UFC, and has now defended his title on three occasions. This should give you some idea of the massive pugilistic potential possessed by Usman. I believe he can and will improve his ability considerably. On Saturday night Usman found himself in the cage with arguably his most dangerous foe yet. With his cache at an all-time high after his pillar-to-post drubbing of Tyron Woodley, challenger Gilbert Burns brought world-class submission ability, nasty kickboxing, fantastic takedowns, and serious aggression with him into the cage for his first UFC title fight. If Usman had a bit of a tendency to let off the throttle at times, looking a bit underwhelming as a result, he wouldn't have a chance to do so against Burns. If the result wasn't the signature performance of Usman's career, it was damn close. He looked outstanding. Despite being badly hurt early on by Burns' punches, Usman wouldn't be denied. He was as durable as he needed to be, able to gradually turn up the dial on his offense as the fight went on. A huge welterweight with grit and determination for days, the champ was able to take everything the formidable challenger could dish out, eventually finding his groove thanks to his ever-expanding wealth of experience and some phenomenal coaching. Usman usually fights best in close quarters, establishing the takedown threat early, and eventually uncorking the big straight right hand. He won this fight with a very different game plan. Leaning heavily on his jab and some slick low leg kicks, Usman won this fight with intelligence, patience, tact, and technique. It was a real pleasure to watch. When a man as physically armed as Usman can now win fights with this sort of approach, he becomes a riddle not many will be up to solving. Kamaru Usman looked fantastic. Having said that, the crazy thing is, he can still improve. Considering his chosen fighting identity, Usman has much room for improvement. If he were content to make wrestling the base of his game, launching all offense from the clinch or from an established takedown threat, I'd say that his title-winning performance against Woodley could be his masterpiece. But that's not the type of fighter Usman aspires to be. Not only does he yearn for all-time great status, he wants to be able to kickbox and grapple with the best of them, in addition to being able to out-wrestle anyone. Given his goals, Usman is still a bit stiff and has a smidge of hesitation in his execution. Should he focus on his movement as he soldiers on as champion, I believe we may see a truly awe-inspiring performance from the champ in the next few fights. Kelvin Gastelum Wrestling resume: Arizona high school state champion, ranked as high as fifth in the nation as a freshman at North Idaho College. The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 tournament winner Kelvin Gastelum has always been regarded as a highly skilled, highly technical, but inconsistent fighter. For years he has blended head-scratching, uninspired performances with real deal cream of the crop talent showcases. He sports a cool, calm demeanor inside the cage and is almost equally proficient in all three phases of an MMA contest. And now, he also has experience on his side as he sports an 11-6-1 record over eight years in the UFC. Despite losing his last three fights, Gastelum is a fighter known to have the ability to show up at any time and remind people why he is never far from the top 10 division rankings. On Saturday night, the Arizona native was matched up with a fighter we still don't know what to expect from. Ian Heinisch (more on him later) is older than Gastelum by almost three years, but has half the MMA experience and comparatively, even less UFC experience. Heinisch also has an absolute ton of offensive firepower. Gastelum shined on Saturday night. He edged his opponent in every area of the contest and he looked good doing it. His hands were sharp, his takedowns executed beautifully, and his scrambles very much on point. Gastelum showed just how much experience and poise under pressure can affect the outcome of a fight. We had a definite fight on our hands as Heinisch wasn't going away quietly, but as the fight wore on, Gastelum became more and more comfortable and cruised to a unanimous decision victory. It was a fun fight and a three-dimensional performance that suggests Gastelum has much left in the tank. Ian Heinisch Wrestling resume: Colorado high school state champion, two-time Fargo All-American (Greco-Roman), briefly on the roster at North Idaho College. Still relatively young in the game, with a ton of desire, and quite gifted physically, Ian Heinisch is a fighter learning on the job as he attempts to navigate the shark-infested waters of the UFC. With all the offensive horsepower he will ever need, heavy hands, very strong wrestling, and a great disposition for fighting, it's easy to root for Heinisch as he always brings it on fight night. Heinisch showed up on Saturday night with just about all the muscle one could pack onto a 185-pound frame, looking confident and enjoying himself as a fighter in the big show. Things started great as he hit a picturesque level-change and double leg against his more experienced foe. He brought the fight right at Kelvin Gastelum and was soon cranking all his might into his first of a few dangerously close submission attempts. Heinisch threw big punches, on-the-money low kicks, and even a couple well-timed, well-placed flying knees. Despite putting in a very respectable performance complete with a lot of impressive offense, Heinisch just happened to be weak in the very areas that his opponent was strong. Namely, fight IQ, BJJ, and pacing. If Heinisch has the desire and the ability to hang in there and keep plugging away, he will be an immediate contender as soon as he makes his next leap in fighting ability.

Daton Fix made a successful return, cruising to a title at the Cowboy Challenge (Photo/Oklahoma State Athletics) We are one week closer to the 2021 NCAA wrestling postseason. Even though the always highly anticipated Penn State vs. Iowa dual meet didn't happen as originally scheduled due to a COVID-19-related shutdown in Iowa City, the weekend did not fall short on noteworthy storylines. Here are five things that caught my eye from this past weekend (Feb. 12-14) in college wrestling. Cowboy Challenge This wrestling season has been an odd one to say the least. Sunday, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a sliver of normalcy returned as fans saw a regular season tournament style event, the only such event of the season. The Cowboy Challenge, though smaller than usual, still proved exhilarating: Daton Fix returned to the mat after his suppression. The United States Anti-Doping Agency suspended Fix for a year after the Sand Springs, Oklahoma native tested positive for a prohibited substance last year. Fix said he ingested Ostarine unintentionally after drinking from a water bottle his father prepared for himself. Still, Fix has remained the consensus No. 1 at 133. Sunday, Feb. 14 he defended that ranking, going a perfect 3-0, with three falls. It may have been Fix's first match for the Cowboys in 2021, but the 2019 NCAA finalist appears to be in midseason form. Another note from the Cowboy Challenge: West Virginia's No. 4 Noah Adams failed to avenge his lone loss of the season to No. 12 Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming. After Buchanan snapped Adams' 39-match win streak in a dual contest on Feb. 6, the Wyoming Cowboy beat the Mountaineer again in Stillwater eight days later. Adams used a reversal to regain control with 30 seconds left in the match, but it wasn't enough, as Buchanan escaped to score a late takedown for the 5-4 lead. With the takedown, Buchanan claimed the riding time point for the 6-4 win. The two will likely see one another again in early March at the Big 12 Championships, March 6-7 in Tulsa Oklahoma. No. 3 Penn State downs No. 2 Michigan Penn State may have had their dual against Iowa postponed, but the Lions did not stay idle this weekend. Both Penn State and Michigan -- and the Big Ten Network -- scrambled to put a marquee dual meet in front of a national audience. The hastily rescheduled dual between conference foes did not disappoint. Not only was the dual a here, 18-13, in favor of Penn State, but also it produced numerous talking points: Cael Sanderson collected his 200th career coaching victory. Congratulations, Cael. The Nittany Lions appear to have eliminated any remaining questions related to their starting lineup as postseason competition nears. It appears that true freshman Robert Howard is the guy at 125. Redshirt freshman, Terrell Barraclough, looks to be in at 149. Additionally, it was confirmed earlier in the week that Greg Kerkvliet will not suit up at heavyweight for PSU. Howard looked solid in his first collegiate match, delivering a tight 6-5 victory over a talented Jack Medley. He proved the college stage wasn't too big for him. While I don't want to overreact after a single match, I expect him to make some noise in the coming weeks. Similarly, Barraclough took No. 6 Kanen Storr to the brink in a 4-3 defeat. This is certainly encouraging for the PSU faithful. After a rocky start to his redshirt freshman campaign, No. 8 Carter Starocci proved why he was one of the of the most coveted recruits in the Class of 2019. He stunned No. 2 Logan Massa in overtime. Massa chose down in his tie-breaker period and Starocci turned the Wolverine for four back points and posted the thrilling 7-1 win. As Jim Gibbins intimated during the broadcast, another Penn State star may have just been born. This young crop of Nittany Lion grapplers will be fun to watch over the next few seasons. Another top-ranked wrestler returned to the mat Sunday Ryan Deakin (Photo/Northwestern Athletics)There had been speculation as to whether the nation's top 157-pounder, Ryan Deakin, would wrestle for the Northwestern Wildcats in 2021. That question was answered this weekend during the Wildcats final home dual, a Big Ten showdown with Wisconsin, on Senior Day in Evanston, Illinois. The consensus No.1 Deakin made his 2021 season debut and looked dominant, earning a 21-4 tech fall in the third period over Gavin Model. Deakin also picked up an additional exhibition win in the extra matches over Wisconsin's Devin Bahr. For Deakin, these wins come after a 2019-20 season that saw the Bloomfield, Colorado native finish as a Big Ten champion and a Hodge Trophy finalist. On the year, he was a perfect 21-0 with 13 wins by major decision. Although the Wildcat is a little late to the party, he will be an instant title contender at 157 pounds in St. Louis next month. Virginia Tech wins ACC team title, Mekhi Lewis is dethroned At 165 pounds, the featured match of the Pitt vs. Virginia Tech dual did not disappoint. While the match didn't go the distance, No. 10 Jake Wentzel looked in control against No. 1 Mekhi Lewis. Wentzel got the win after two periods of action. An apparent left shoulder injury to Lewis ended the match early. Wentzel had over two minutes of riding time when the match was stopped. In the first period, after Wentzel was in deep on a single leg, Lewis got defensive, hooping around on his free leg for over a minute before Wentzel finally secured the takedown. Wentzel ended the period in the top position with a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Wentzel authored a debilitatingly physical, but clean ride for a minute and 36 seconds before injury time was called for the VT middleweight. Due to the injury, Wentzel was able to choose his position on the restart. He chose bottom and escaped to take a 3-0 lead into the third. However, the match was called. While nobody wants to win via injury default, No. 10 Wentzel's dominance through the first two periods should not be overlooked. The Pitt redshirt senior can be suffocating from the top position. It is possible that these two ACC rivals could meet two more times this season, first at ACCs, then again at NCAAs. That said, both Lewis and Wentzel will face still competition in the coming weeks. The 165-pound class is very deep in not only the ACC, but also nationally. It felt like Rivalry Week on the mat this weekend Usually, college football and college basketball get the most attention and notoriety when rivalry games are referenced. Well, during Week 7 of the 2021 college wrestling season, there was no shortage of rivalry matchups being decided on the mat. Arguably the biggest rivalry in college sports, Michigan vs. Ohio State, came down to the wire, being decided in the final seconds of dual's last bout. The No. 12 Buckeyes fought valiantly, but couldn't hand hated rival, No. 2 Michigan, its first loss of 2021. Complete match results can be seen here. One of the oldest, most respectful rivalries in college sports, Army vs. Navy, also played out on the mat this weekend. No 18 Navy defeated Army West Point in annual Star Match. Navy won four of the final six matches, including a match-clinching 14-3 major decision by 157-pound freshman Andrew Cerniglia to capture a 20-13 victory over Army, Friday evening at Christl Arena. Complete match results can be seen here.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling (10-0, 4-0 MAC) finished the regular season with three champions in the Cowboy Challenge featuring wrestlers from No. 6 Oklahoma State, Wyoming and West Virginia. Redshirt junior Dack Punke took the first place title at 125 pounds, defeating sophomore teammate Noah Surtin in the finals. Freshman Josh Edmond won the title at 141 pounds, to improve to 10-0 on the season. Junior Brock Mauller also took home the championship at 149 pounds, defeating No. 4 Boo Lewallen in the finals. Freshmen Trey Crawford, Sean Harman and Duwayne Villalpondo all secured third place finishes in their weight classes. Hear From Head Coach Brian Smith On Sunday's tournament champions… "It was a good day. It was a very productive day. Starting with a two hour weigh-in and then a tournament format, we haven't had that all season. Brock was unbelievable. We was our only starter going today. He wrestled a top five opponent in the country and gets three wins and a big win in the finals. I really liked the way Brock wrestled today. They were some of the best matches I've seen him wrestle in his career. I'm really happy for Dack in getting a tournament title today and of course Josh Edmond gets an injury default in the finals but he was winning before that. I'm really happy with how he's improved throughout the season." On Mizzou's young wrestlers… "When I think of all the young guys we had wrestling today. For me as a coach to get to see them and how they wrestle in a tournament was one of the better days. I knew we were getting some big wins. Just seeing Duwayne Villapondo, Sean Harman and some of the guys getting some big wins today, it was a very good day."