InterMat Staff

DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University wrestling team earned its 13th win of the season when it dispatched of Drexel, 35-3, on Senior Night in Victor E. Court Friday. It is the Huskies' (13-4, 7-2) first 13-win campaign since 2004-05 when NIU won 14 duals that season. NIU won nine of the 10 bouts on the evening, recording a pair of pins, two major decision wins and scored two wins in overtime. Bryce West improved to 20-9 on the season when he began the meet with a 7-4 victory at 125. His brother Drew, who was returning to the mat for the first time since Nov. 17, 2019, battled at 133, but fell 6-5. With the match tied, 3-3, Anthony Gibson put NIU up for good when recorded a fall victory in the first period at 141. Senior McCoy Kent posted an 11-3 maj. dec. win at 149. Mason Kauffman held off Parker Kropman, 5-3, at 157 just before intermission. Izzak Olejnik scored another bonus-point victory for the Huskies when he earned a 12-2 maj. dec. win over Michael Manley at 165. Kenny Moore outlasted Michael O'Malley at 174. The Huskie senior earned a 4-3 win with a takedown in the first tiebreaker. Brit Wilson posted a fall victory at 184 in the closing seconds of the first period before Gage Braun recorded a 6-4 win at 197. Max Ihry capped the evening off with a 3-1 overtime victory over Sean O'Malley at 285. "On a night honoring our seniors, who put so much into the program, it's good to see our guys step up and have a good performance," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "McCoy Kent did a good job putting bonus points up for us. Kenny Moore beat an opponent who's ranked in some polls. So that's a great win to build off going into the MAC Championships." The Huskies return to the mat Saturday, March 7 when NIU plays host to the 2020 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships at the Convocation Center March 7-8. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. There are also a limited number of exciting premium packages available to wrestling fans. For $175 fans will have access to the Nelson Club for the duration of the tournament. The price includes parking, a food buffet, water, soda, wine, beer and a cash bar. Fans interested in purchasing one of the 75 Nelson Club passes or one of the two suites available should call 815-753-7225. Results: 125: Bryce West (NIU) dec. Antonio Mininno (DU), 7-4 133: Chase Shields (DU) dec. Drew West (NIU), 6-5 141: Anthony Gibson (NIU) fall Tyler Williams (DU), 2:39 149: McCoy Kent (NIU) maj. dec. Vincent Foggia (DU), 11-3 157: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Parker Kropman (DU), 5-3 165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) maj. dec. Michael Manley (DU), 12-2 174: Kenny Moore (NIU) dec. Michael O`Malley (DU), 4-3 TB-1 184: Brit Wilson (NIU) fall Owen Brooks (DU), 2:54 197: Gage Braun (NIU) dec. Bryan McLaughlin (DU), 6-4 285: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. Sean O`Malley (DU), 3-1 SV-1

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Heavyweight Brandon Metz won the final bout and North Dakota State claimed its seventh straight dual win defeating South Dakota State 19-18 in a Big 12 Conference dual on Friday, Feb. 21, in Frost Arena. NDSU (10-3, 6-1 #Big12WR) wrestles at No. 19-ranked Iowa State (9-4, 6-1 #Big12WR) at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State travels to No. 24 Missouri on Saturday. South Dakota State (12-6, 6-3 #Big12WR) trailed 16-6 before reeling off three straight wins -- a major decision by Tanner Cook at 174 pounds, a tech fall from No. 15 Zach Carlson at 184 and slim 3-2 decision by No. 12 Tanner Cook -- to take an 18-16 heading into the final match of the evening. Enter Metz, a redshirt sophomore from West Fargo, N.D., who gained a first period takedown and an escape early in the third to hold off South Dakota State's Blake Wolters 3-2 to not only take the bout, but give the Bison the dual win and keep the Border Bell trophy. The No. 28-ranked Metz improved to 20-7 overall and 8-3 in duals. North Dakota State won four of the six matches. McGwire Midkiff used a third period escape to earn a topsy-turvy 8-7 decision over No. 17-ranked Daniel Vega. It was the second straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent for Midkiff (11-5, 6-3). No. 17-ranked 133 pounder Cam Sykora helped to extend the lead to 8-0 with his first tech fall since Jan. 2 at the Southern Scuffle by the score of 19-4 at 4:31. It was the sixth tech fall of the season for Sykora (13-4, 9-3). South Dakota State bounced back with wins by Clay Carlson and No. 10 Henry Pohlmeyer at 141 and 149 pounds to cut the deficit to 8-6. NDSU No. 13-ranked 157 pounder Jared Franek continued to make a statement with a convincing 18-3 tech fall at 7:00 over Garrett Jordan. It was ninth straight win and the third tech fall of the season for Franek, who pushed his record to 22-6 overall and 11-2 in duals. Andrew Fogarty (18-3, 11-1), who was ranked No. 8 at 165, fought off a late rally from Kenny O'Neil for a 9-3 decision. Results: 125: McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) dec #17 Daniel Vega (SDSU), 8-7 133: #17 Cam Sykora (NDSU) tech fall Zach Price (SDSU), TF 19-4 4:31 141: Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU), 7-3 149: #10 Henry Pohlmeyer dec Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), 3-0 157: #13 Jared Franek (NDSU) tech fall Garrett Jordan (SDSU), TF 18-3, 7:00 165: #8 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) dec Kenny O'Neil (SDSU), 9-3 174: #23 (165) Tanner Cook major dec Luke Weber (NDSU), MD 17-8 184: #15 Zach Carlson tech fall Noah Cressell (NDSU), TF 16-1 7:00 197: #12 Tanner Sloan dec Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 3-2 285: #28 Brandon Metz (NDSU) dec Blake Wolters (SDSU), 3-2

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio wrestling team (7-8, 4-4 MAC) edged Utah Valley (2-11) this evening at the Convocation Center, 18-17. "For the first part, I think we competed pretty hard," said 23rd-year head coach Joel Greenlee. "It was a good win for us. Our goal was to try to get three wins this weekend and end the season on a high note." The Bobcats overcame a 7-0 deficit after the Wolverines picked up a win by decision at 125 pounds and a major decision victory at 133. Redshirt senior Shakur Laney (Canal Winchester, Ohio) got Ohio on the board with a 16-1 win by technical fall over redshirt freshman Kainalu Estrella in 4:54 at 141. Laney has now picked up wins in seven of Ohio's last eight duals, including six in a row. "I think any time you're on a roll like that, you get more confident and more confident and more confident," said Greenlee of Laney's recent run. "I think right now he's wrestling the best that he's ever wrestled." Laney's win sparked a run of four-straight triumphs for the Bobcats. Redshirt sophomore Alec Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) logged an 8-2 win by decision at 149 over freshman Cameron Hunsaker, putting Ohio in front, 8-7. The Bobcats extended their lead to 12-7 thanks to a 13-5 major decision win for redshirt senior Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio) over redshirt sophomore Jed Loveless at 157, then redshirt junior Joe Terry (Pickerington, Ohio) made it an eight-point advantage for Ohio with a 7-4 win by decision over redshirt junior Koy Wilkinson at 165. Utah Valley trimmed Ohio's lead to five with a win by decision at 174, but senior Hunter Yeargan (Willard, Mo.) provided what proved to be the winning points for the Bobcats at 184 with a 6-3 win by decision over redshirt sophomore Ashton Seely. Redshirt senior Tanner Orndorff picked up a 5-4 win by decision at 197, and redshirt sophomore Tate Orndorff followed with an 11-1 major decision win at 285 to allow the Wolverines to close the dual with victories in back-to-back bouts, but the Bobcats were still one point better in the end. Ohio wraps up the 2019-20 regular season on Sunday (Feb. 22) as the Bobcats take on Mid-American Conference foe Buffalo (8-10, 3-6 MAC) at noon ET, then square off with Gardner-Webb (5-7) later in the afternoon. In between Ohio's two duals, Buffalo and Gardner-Webb will face off. All three duals involving Ohio will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Ohio will honor its alumni prior to Sunday's dual against Buffalo, then celebrate its six-member 2020 senior class prior to the dual against Gardner-Webb, with Carson, Kade Kowalski (Nashport, Ohio), Laney, Ben Schneider (Orland Park, Ill.), Terry and Yeargan set to be honored. Results: 125: Will Edelblute (Utah Valley) def. Trevor Giallombardo (Ohio), 6-0 dec. (0-3) 133: Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) def. Giovanni DiSabato (Ohio), 10-1 maj. dec. (0-7) 141: Shakur Laney (Ohio) def. Kainalu Estrella (Utah Valley), 16-1 tech. fall, 4:54 (5-7) 149: Alec Hagan (Ohio) def. Cameron Hunsaker (Utah Valley), 8-2 dec. (8-7) 157: Zac Carson (Ohio) def. Jed Loveless (Utah Valley), 13-5 maj. dec. (12-7) 165: Joe Terry (Ohio) def. Koy Wilkinson (Utah Valley), 7-4 dec. (15-7) 174: Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) def. Logan Stanley (Ohio), 8-2 dec. (15-10) 184: Hunter Yeargan (Ohio) def. Ashton Seely (Utah Valley), 6-3 dec. (18-10) 197: Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley) def. Jake Walker (Ohio), 5-4 dec. (18-13) 285: Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) def. Jordan Earnest (Ohio), 11-1 maj. dec. (18-17)

College Park, Md. -- Mason's final dual match of the season came down to the last match of the evening between the Patriots and Terps inside XFINITY Center Pavillion. With the Patriots down two points, 16-14, Alex Madrigal delivered Mason's only major decision tonight with a 9-0 win over Maryland's Hunter Baxter at 141 pounds to edge Maryland, 18-16. The Patriots finish the season 9-9, matching last season's win total. The Terps drop to 2-16. Mason's win broke Maryland's four-match win streak against the Patriots. The Green and Gold last defeated the Terps by a narrow margin, 17-16, at College Park on Nov. 9, 2014. Mason earned three straight decisions to jump ahead 9-0 in the match, which began at 149 pounds. Colston DiBlasi defeated the Terps' Ryan Garlitz, 5-0, to improve to 27-8 this season. Kolby Ho (157) matched his win total from last season with his 22nd win. At 165, Mason redshirt sophomore Neil Schuster notched his 20th win this season and is 4-0 since coming back from missing six weeks due to injury. Maryland took its' first lead, 11-8, after nationally-ranked Jaron smith earned a technical fall over the Patriots' Ramses Montalvo in the 197 match. The match was tied, 11-11, after the freshman Jake Slinger won the heavyweight match-up versus UM's Parker Robinson with a 6-1 decision. A win for Maryland at 125 dropped the Patriots back to a five-point deficit, 16-11. At 133, freshman Josh Jones cut the Terps' lead to 16-14 with a narrow 2-0 decision against King Sandoval. Jones Improved to 16-11. Up Next Several wrestlers will travel to Lock Haven to wrestle in the Mat-Town Open II Tournament on Sunday. Results: 125 | Brandon Cray (UM) fall over Talha Farooq (Mason), Fall (0:56), UM leads 16-11 133 | Josh Jones (Mason) over King Sandoval (UM), Dec. 2-0, UM leads 16-14 141 | #26 Alex Madrigal (Mason) major decision over Hunter Baxter (UM), 9-0; Mason wins 18-16 149 | #19 Colston DiBlasi (Mason) over Ryan Garlitz (UM), Dec., 5-0; Mason leads 3-0 157 | Kolby Ho (Mason) Lucas Cordio (UM), Dec., 11-7; Mason leads 6-0 165 | Neil Schuster (Mason) Kyle Cochran (UM), Dec., 2-1; Mason leads 9-0 174 | Josh Ugalde (UM) over Tony Lombardo (Mason), Dec., 8-3; Mason leads 8-3* 184 | Philip Spadafora (UM) over Paul Pierce (Mason), Dec., 4-2; Mason leads 8-6 197 | Jaron Smith (UM) technical fall over Ramses Montalvo (Mason), TF 23-7; UM leads 11-8 285 | Jake Slinger (Mason) over Parker Robinson (UM), Dec., 6-1; Match tied 11-11 *Point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored a 26-10 win over Indiana in McKenzie Arena tonight. The Mocs earned wins in seven of the 10 matches to cap off Senior Night and the dual season. UTC improved to 7-9 overall, while the Hoosiers dropped to 2-10. Indiana came out with two early wins, including a bonus point at 133, to take a 7-0 lead. Chattanooga responded by taking the next six in a row. Sophomore Mason Wallace put UTC on the board with a decision at 141. He evened his record at 8-8 after cutting down from 149 midway through the season. Sophomore Tanner Smith put his No. 23 national ranking on the line against No. 14 Graham Rooks at 149. He improved to a team-best 23-7 with the 12-8 decision. Sophomore Tyler Shilson snapped a three-match slide with his win at 157. That was followed by sophomore Drew Nicholson posting a major decision at 165. Sophomore Hunter Fortner almost put the match out of reach with a pin at 174. It was his third pin of the year as has improved to 10-15 overall. Indiana closed the gap to 19-10 with a win at 184. Senior Rodney Jones clinched the team victory with his major decision at 197. It was Jones' fifth win in a row, upping his record to 17-9. Sophomore Grayson Walthall closed out the dual with a nice 6-3 decision over Rudy Streck at heavyweight. Up next for the Mocs is the Southern Conference Tournament. Action takes place on Sunday, March 8, in Boone, N.C. Results: 125: No. 22 Liam Cronin (INDI) over No. 16 Fabian Gutierrez (CHAT) (Dec 9-7) 133: Cayden Rooks (INDI) over Wade Cummings (CHAT) (MD 12-2) 141: Mason Wallace (CHAT) over Eddie Bolivar (INDI) (Dec 8-2) 149: No. 23 Tanner Smith (CHAT) over No. 14 Graham Rooks (INDI) (Dec 12-8) 157: Tyler Shilson (CHAT) over Fernie Silva (INDI) (Dec 11-5) 165: Andrew Nicholson (CHAT) over Dillon Hoey (INDI) (MD 11-3) 174: Hunter Fortner (CHAT) over Diego Lemley (INDI) (Fall 4:16) 184: Jake Hinz (INDI) over No. 13 Matthew Waddell (CHAT) (Dec 12-7) 197: Rodney Jones (CHAT) over Nick Willham (INDI) (MD 14-4) 285: Grayson Walthall (CHAT) over Rudy Streck (INDI) (Dec 6-3)

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- End of the season, and Central Michigan is wrestling well. End of a match, and the Chippewas, to a man, wrestled with energy. End of a career, and a big, big win for Logan Parks. The Central Michigan wrestling team won six matches including the final two on Friday as the Chippewas topped Michigan State, 21-15, in a nonconference dual before 1,015 at McGuirk Arena. It was CMU's sixth-consecutive dual victory as it finished 8-4. The Chippewas will now look ahead to the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 7-8 in DeKalb, Ill., and to the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis March 19-21. How It Happened The Chippewas got a pin from 125-pounder Drew Hildebrandt in the night's opening bout, and then won five more matches by decision. Those victories came from Drew Marten (133), Dresden Simon (141), Parks (157), Landon Pelham (197) and Matt Stencel (285). The meet was tied, 15-15, after Michigan State won three consecutive at 165, 174 and 184. Pelham put the Chippewas ahead, 18-15, with a dramatic 3-1 overtime win, and then the fourth-ranked Stencel closed it with a workmanlike 4-1 victory, his ninth straight as he improved to 26-4. Big Win for Parks Parks, the lone senior on the Chippewa roster, posted a 4-2 victory over 25th-ranked Jake Tucker. Parks, who is ranked 16th, had never beaten Tucker in three previous meetings. Down 1-0 entering the third period, Parks tied it with an escape and then scored a takedown with just under a minute remaining. It was Parks' fourth-consecutive victory and his ninth in his last 12 matches. He improved to 18-10. "It was big for the team, it was big for him," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "I could tell he was going to wrestle good tonight. "I think he was pretty emotional, but he handled it really well. He kept his composure, he stayed real basic in his match which is real important. The times he's been beaten by that kid the kid's outscrambled him and so we had to keep him real basic so he didn't get in any scrambles. He scored from a front headlock which is as basic as it gets." It was an inspiring victory for Parks, who has displayed a steady resolve throughout his five years at CMU. "He's been so steady, that's the biggest thing," Borrelli said. "His freshman year I think he lost 13 matches in a row or something like that. Just to fight through that and end up where he is right now – you appreciate that as a coach to see a kid fight through adversity and then become the leader of the team." Turning Point Pelham's win put the Chippewas in front for good, and it came after he fought off several attacks from May where the Spartan gained the advantage. But was never able to complete a takedown against the cagey Pelham, a junior who improved to 18-10. They went to overtime tied 1-1 and then Pelham scored a takedown 16 seconds in. "I watched a lot of film this week, 10-15 of (May's) matches, and I saw that once he gets tired he gets a little lazy on his feet and gets upright and he lost a couple times this year in overtime hitting that same move," Pelham said. "I knew once he was tired it would probably be there." Conditioning The Chippewas have long been known for their conditioning and it paid off in spades on Friday. In nearly every match, CMU appeared to have the fresher wrestler in the third period. Marten, for instance, did all of his scoring in the third period in his 7-2 win. "It's definitely something we talk about every day, all season long, (that) we're going to break guys," Pelham said. "It's what we're known for. I think we work harder than a lot of teams out there and a lot of teams know that. That's why a lot of kids don't come here because they can't handle it." Said Borrelli: "I think we're getting in good shape. Shape is kind of your mental attitude too and we've had success, that's our sixth win in a row. When you're confident in yourself, you can keep pushing and it's easier than when you're not so confident in yourself." Good Start, Again Hildebrandt's pin was his eighth of the year and he extended his win streak to nine matches. He has pinned five of his opponents in that stretch. Hildebrandt, who is ranked eighth nationally, leads the Chippewas with 28 wins (against three losses). He has scored bonus points – eight pins, six major decisions – in 14 of his victories. He is 12-0 in duals, an important statistic because most duals begin at 125 and he always gives CMU a shot of early momentum, which is critical in a dual meet. "It feels awesome when Drew goes out there and sticks guys," Pelham said. "We think Drew, he's the best 125-pounder in the country. It's not fair how much pressure we put on Drew, but we've come to expect a pin at 125 … He just keeps on going out there and doing it. It's huge." Results: 125: Drew Hildebrandt (C) pinned Logan Griffin, 5:30 133: Drew Marten (C) dec. Garrett Pepple, 7-2 141: Dresden Simon (C) dec. Matt Santos, 8-2 149: Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU) dec. Corbyn Munson, 6-5 157: Logan Parks (C) dec. Jake Tucker, 4-2 165: Drew Hughes (MSU) dec. Tracy Hubbard, 4-2, SV-1 174: Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. Jake Lowell, 9-4 184: Cameron Caffey (MSU) pinned Ben Cushman, 2:01 197: Landon Pelham (C) dec. Nick May, 3-1, SV-1 285: Matt Stencel (C) dec. Christian Rebottaro, 4-1

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- In front of a sellout crowd of 1,880 Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, No. 11 Lehigh capped its dual meet season with a 19-14 win over No. 5 Arizona State. The Mountain Hawks started fast, winning the first four bouts of the evening and ended up winning six of 10 on the night to secure their 11th straight dual victory to close the regular season. "Everybody wrestled really well tonight," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We came out with a lot more fire than we had in the last two duals. We needed to do that because Arizona State has a really nice team. A couple matches got away from us, which was tough to see because overall I thought we wrestled really well." Lehigh finishes the dual season at 12-3. The Mountain Hawks' victory snapped Arizona State's nine-dual winning streak. The Sun Devils fell to 14-2 with the loss. Lehigh has now won four duals over top five-ranked teams in the Pat Santoro era, with two of the four victories coming this season. Fifth-ranked junior Brandon Paetzell keyed Lehigh's fast start with a 6-1 decision over No. 9 Brandon Courtney in the opening bout at 125. Paetzell scored a first period takedown, rode out the second period and added an escape and takedown in the third to improve to 16-2 on the year. "He really set the tone," Santoro said of Paetzell. "He loves to compete. Just loves to wrestle. You can see it when he's out there." Sophomore Jaret Lane got the nod at 133 and defeated Josh Kramer 4-1. Lane broke a 1-1 tie with a third period takedown and then rode out to add the riding time point. Lehigh honored its nine-member senior class prior to the match, with three seniors seeing action Friday evening. At 141, Ryan Pomrinca scored on a single leg shot 17 seconds into sudden victory to defeat Cory Crooks 3-1. Sophomore Jimmy Hoffman capped the Lehigh run with a 5-4 victory over Josh Maruca at 149. Hoffman gave up the first takedown, but turned Maruca for a two point near fall early in the second period. A Maruca reversal and Hoffman escape tied the bout at 4-4 after two periods, but Hoffman escaped early in the third and held on from there to put Lehigh up 12-0. Arizona State picked up its first win at 157 as a late reversal lifted Jacori Teemer past sophomore Josh Humphreys 8-7. Humphreys used a first period takedown and a strong ride to lead 2-0 after one and then led 4-2 after two, but Teemer turned the tides with a takedown and two point near fall in the third. Humphreys reversed and was on the way to winning 7-6 on riding time when Teemer mustered a reversal to take the lead and kept Humphreys down to win. Seventh-ranked Josh Shields brought the Sun Devils within 12-8 with a 19-4 technical fall over freshman Brian Meyer in the first bout following intermission. The technical fall marked the first time this season Meyer gave up bonus points to his opponent. Fittingly, on senior night, senior Jordan Kutler helped right the ship, but it didn't come easy. The third-ranked Kutler was taken down almost immediately by a blast double leg from ninth-ranked Anthony Valencia. Kutler escaped and responded with a takedown of his own, then went to work with a strong ride from the top position to lead 3-2 after one. He added takedowns in each of the final two periods, plus a second period escape and riding time to win 9-4 and put Lehigh up 15-8. "They've wrestled a few times in freestyle," Santoro said. "We knew he had a double and it would probably come right off the whistle. He gets just about everybody with it. You just have to stay with it and just keep wrestling. Jordan has very good composure and just kept wrestling. That was a really good win for him." Junior Chris Weiler then followed with Lehigh's lone bonus point win of the night at 184. Weiler scored a takedown in each period, a second period escape and two penalty points for stalling, plus nearly six minutes of riding time as he spent most of the match trying to turn Cade Belshay. The final score, a 10-0 major decision, put Lehigh up 11 points with two bouts remaining. With a bit of cushion, Santoro sent out senior Chase Gallik up another weight at 197 to face Kordell Norfleet. Gallik did his job, keeping Norfleet to a 12-6 decision, which essentially sealed the dual for the Mountain Hawks. A top 10 battle at heavyweight between eighth-ranked junior Jordan Wood and No. 6 Tanner Hall went the Sun Devil's way by a 5-2 score. Hall scored on a shrug move in the second period and countered a Wood shot for the clinching takedown late in the third. The Mountain Hawks will now shift focus towards the 116th EIWA Championships, which Lehigh will host March 6-7 at Stabler Arena. Lehigh will be looking to win its third straight EIWA team title and 37th title all-time. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours. The 2019-20 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. Results: 125 – Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) dec. Brandon Courtney (ASU) 6-1 133 – Jaret Lane (Lehigh) dec. Josh Kramer (ASU) 4-1 141 – Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh) dec. Cory Crooks (ASU) 3-1, sv 149 – Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh) dec. Josh Maruca (ASU) 5-4 157 – Jacori Teemer (ASU) dec. Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) 8-7 165 – Josh Shields (ASU) tech fall Brian Meyer (Lehigh) 19-4, 7:00 174 – Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Anthony Valencia (ASU) 9-4 184 – Chris Weiler (Lehigh) major dec. Cade Belshay (ASU) 10-0 197 – Kordell Norfleet (ASU) dec. Chase Gallik (Lehigh) 12-6 285 – Tanner Hall (ASU) dec. Jordan Wood (Lehigh) 5-2 Attendance – 1,880

DURHAM, N.C. -- The second-ranked NC State wrestling team concluded an undefeated dual season with a 34-9 win at Duke Friday night. The Wolfpack (15-0, 5-0 ACC) won seven of the 10 matches, including six for bonus points. With the win, NC State finishes a perfect 5-0 in ACC action and wins the ACC regular-season title for the third straight season. It's the first time NC State has won three in a row since 2000-02. The Pack also finished the season a perfect 15-0 in duals, the first undefeated season in school history (the program started in 1925). The win was NC State's 27th consecutive dual win at Duke, dating back to 1967. The dual started at 125 pounds, and Duke forfeited that weight along with 141 pounds to spot the Pack 12 team points. The first bout was at 133 pounds, with R-Fr. Jarrett Trombley using a four-point near fall in both the second and the third periods and scored a 17-4 major decision. A.J. Leitten used a 10-point first period and scored a 14-0 major decision at 149 pounds. No. 2 Hayden Hidlay made quick work of the 157-pound bout, as he scored a takedown just 10 seconds in and turned into into a pin at the 1:32 mark. At the halfway point, NC State was up 26-0. Duke got on the board with back-to-back decisions at 165 and 174 pounds, to pull the score to 26-6 with three bouts left. More bonus for the Pack at 184 pounds, as No. 3 Trent Hidlay used a 10-point first period and a four-point near fall ended his 17-2 tech fall win. A Blue Devil decision at 197 pounds, was followed by So. Deonte Wilson claiming an 8-1 decision to close out the win. Up Next The defending ACC champions, the Wolfpack will be back in action March 8 at the 2020 ACC Championship which will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa. Results: 125: #19 Jakob Camacho (NCSU) forfeit – 6-0 133: Jarrett Trombley (NCSU) major dec. Harrison Campbell; 17-4 – 10-0 141: #11 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) forfeit – 16-0 149: A.J. Leitten (NCSU) major dec. Wade Unger; 14-0 – 20-0 157: #2 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) WBF Eric Carter; 1:32 – 26-0 165: Ben Anderson (DU) dec. Matt Fields; 7-1 – 26-3 174: Mason Eaglin (DU) dec. Tyler Barnes; 6-2 – 26-6 184: #3 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) tech fall Kai Blake; 17-2 – 31-6 197: Vincent Baker (DU) dec. Tyrie Houghton; 7-6 – 31-9 285: Deonte Wilson (NCSU) dec. Jonah Niesenbaum; 8-1 – 34-9

EDINBORO, Pa. -- The No. 21-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team wrapped up its dual season in style, cruising to a dominant 33-5 win over Edinboro on Friday night (Feb. 21) at the Fighting Scots' McComb Fieldhouse. The Wolverines won eight bouts, including each of the first six and four with bonus points. Senior/junior Jack Medley, ranked 18th nationally at 125 pounds, set the tone in the first bout, scoring seven takedowns and eight back points en route to a dominant 23-4 technical fall against Lucas Rodriguez. Four of his takedowns came off a fireman's dump; he went feet-to-back with the move late in the second period to break the match open. Medley added another six-point move in the third, locking up a cradle for the takedown and another four-point near fall to end the bout at the 6:01 mark. After a forfeit win for fifth-year senior Austin Assad at 133 pounds, the Wolverines earned three straight decisions to build their lead to 20-0 at the intermission break. Freshman Cole Mattin used a second-period near fall to score the bulk of his points in a 6-0 decision against Nate Hagan at 141 pounds. Mattin rode out the frame, adding four points off a suck back and added an escape in the third and 1:33 in riding-time advantage. Senior/junior Kanen Storr, ranked ninth nationally at 149 pounds, earned a 6-2 decision against Tyler Vath in his return to the lineup, behind a first-period single leg, second-period ankle pick and 2:18 in riding-time advantage. Freshman Will Lewan, ranked ninth at 157 pounds, scored a takedown per period en route to an 8-1 decision over Peter Pappas, scoring on counter attacks in the first and second before adding a go behind in the this and 1:25 in riding time. Senior Tyler Meisinger carried the momentum into the second half of the dual, using a first-period pancake on the edge to pin Derek Ciavarro at the 1:44 mark -- his first fall of the season. The Fighting Scots earned razor-thin decision wins at 174 and 184 pounds. Sophomore/freshman Max Maylor nearly pulled off an upset against 16th-ranked Jacob Oliver in the former, giving up a locked-hands penalty and escape in the final 10 seconds of regulation to force overtime, where he fell 4-2. Junior/sophomore J.T. Correll could not quite overcome an early deficit -- and could not finish on a last-second leg attack -- in an 8-7 defeat to Cody Mulligan. Edinboro was deducted team point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the latter bout. Fifth-year senior Jackson Striggow did overcome a two-takedown deficit in the subsequent bout at 197 pounds, scoring takedowns in the second and third frames and riding for 2:28 advantage time to beat Dylan Reynolds, 8-6, in the final dual match of his collegiate career. Sophomore Mason Parris, ranked second at heavyweight, added the capper with another bonus win in the final bout, rolling to a 10-1 major decision against Jon Spaulding with four takedowns -- two in the first period -- and 2:37 riding-time advantage. He improved to 26-0 on the season and has earned bonus points in 17 matches. Michigan will have two weeks to prepare for the 2020 Big Ten Championships, slated for Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, in Piscataway, New Jersey. Action will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Results: 125 -- #18 Jack Medley (U-M) tech. fall Lucas Rodriguez, 23-5 (6:01) -- U-M, 5-0 133 -- Austin Assad (U-M) win by forfeit -- U-M, 11-0 141 -- Cole Mattin (U-M) dec. Nate Hagan, 6-0 -- U-M, 14-0 149 -- #9 Kanen Storr (U-M) dec. Tyler Vath, 6-2 -- U-M, 17-0 157 -- #9 Will Lewan (U-M) dec. Peter Pappas, 8-1 -- U-M, 20-0 165 -- Tyler Meisinger (U-M) pinned Derek Ciavarro, 1:44 -- U-M, 26-0 174 -- #16 Jacob Oliver (EU) dec. Max Maylor, 4-2 SV -- U-M, 26-3 184 -- Cody Mulligan (EU) dec. J.T. Correll, 8-7 -- U-W, 26-5* 197 -- Jackson Striggow (U-M) dec. Dylan Reynolds, 9-7 -- U-M, 29-5 Hwt -- #2 Mason Parris (U-M) major dec. Jon Spaulding, 10-1 -- U-M, 33-5 * Edinboro deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct

BUFFALO, NY -- The University at Buffalo wrestling team sent their seniors out with a win, defeating Binghamton, 20-15, on Senior Night at Alumni Arena on Friday night. The win snapped the Bulls' four-dual losing streak. After falling behind, 3-0, Derek Spann wrestled a strong match to upset eighth-ranked Zack Trampe, earning the 9-8 decision. Spann used a takedown, two-point nearfall and a reversal in the second period to build an 8-3 lead. Spann improved to 15-2 in duals with the win. John Arceri earned a 6-2 decision over Michael Zarif at 149 to tie the dual at 6-6. Arceri had two first-period takedowns and never looked back. The Bearcats had to forfeit the 157 bout, giving Michael Petite the win. Then at 165, Troy Keller, wrestling in his final home dual, earned a 16-0 technical fall over Dylan Wood. Keller needed only 5:41 to finish the job and put the Bulls ahead, 17-6. Sam Schuyler sealed the win for the Bulls with a 3-1 sudden victory over Sam DePrez at 197. The match was tied at 1-1 heading into overtime. It didn't take long for Schuyler to get a takedown in the overtime to earn the walk-off win. "We needed that. We were tight," head coach John Stutzman said. "Hopefully we can keep progressing. We just got keep getting better." The Bulls will conclude the regular season at Ohio on Sunday, wrestling the Bobcats as well as Gardner-Webb. Results: 125 – Tomassa Frezza (BING) won by decision over Jordan Reyes (UB), 9-8 133 - #20 Derek Spann (UB) won by decision #8 Zack Trampe (BING), 9-8 141 – Antony Sparacio (BING) won by decision over Marcus Robinson (UB), 3-2 149 – John Arceri (UB) won by decision over Michael Zarif (BING), 6-2 157 – Michael Petite (UB) won by forfeit 165 – Troy Keller (UB) won by technical fall over Dylan Wood (BING), 16-0 (5:41) 174 – Aidan Monteverdi (BING) won by decision over Bryson Alsteen (UB), 5-2 184 - #5 Lou DePerez (BING) won by decision over Pete Acciardi (UB), 12-6 197 – Sam Schuyler won by sudden victory over Sam DePrez, 3-1 285 – Joe Doyle (BING) won by decision over Nolan Terrance (UB), 4-0

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 17 Illinois wrestling closed out the regular season with a 23-9 victory over Fresno State on Friday at Huff Hall. The Illini were led by redshirt senior Eric Barone's upset win over No. 14 Jacob Wright in the 157-pound match, which was the first of five consecutive bouts won by the Illini in the dual. Illinois also saw wins from redshirt freshman Justin Cardani (125), senior Travis Piotrowski (133), redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel (165), redshirt senior Joey Gunther (174), redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel (184) and redshirt sophomore Matt Wroblewski (197). The Illini close the 2019-20 dual schedule with a record of 10-4 overall, including 6-1 in duals at Huff Hall. "More than anything I thought we wrestled pretty well," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "We got slowed down a little bit like we did last week which concerns me, but I think our guys are ready for a couple days off and getting ready for the postseason now. The seniors did great and they've been great to our program." Redshirt freshman Justin Cardani started the day with a strong performance in the 125-pound bout against Jeremy Trinh. Cardani jumped out to the early lead with a takedown and later a four-point nearfall in the first period. He'd tack on two more with a reversal in the second. He earned the riding time point, and achieved a shutout, 11-0, major decision over Trinh. Cardani, ranked 19th nationally at 125, moves to 15-7 on the season and closes the dual schedule with a record of 11-3. Senior Travis Piotrowski made the last appearance of his career at Huff Hall on Friday. Taking on Lawrence Saenz in the 133-pound bout, the four-year starter Piotrowski opened his last home match with a quick takedown. He escaped twice, and added on another takedown in the third, defeating Saenz by decision, 6-4. Ranked seventh nationally at 133-pounds, Piotrowski is now 23-2 this year, and ends the dual season undefeated at 14-0. After Fresno State won the next two bouts, the Illini needed a win to stay in front. Redshirt senior Eric Barone attacked quickly against No. 14 Jacob Wright, going ahead early in the first with a takedown. With the match tied at 2-2 in the third, Barone escaped to re-take the lead at 3-2. Barone tacked on a takedown in the final seconds to put the finishing touches on a 6-2 upset decision win over Jacob Wright. Barone's win on Senior Day is his fourth straight victory. Redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel looked to keep the momentum going in the 165-pound match against Adam Kemp. After trailing early in the first, Braunagel responded with two takedowns later in the period and would take a 5-3 lead into the second. Braunagel did not allow a point the rest of the way, and would go on to defeat Kemp by decision, 8-3. Ranked No.12 nationally at 165. Braunagel is now 20-6 overall and finishes the dual schedule going 10-3 in those matchups. Redshirt senior Joey Gunther had solid third period to get a win in his final start at Huff Hall. Trailing Jackson Hemauer, 1-0, at the start of the third, Gunther escaped and recorded a takedown to take a 3-1 lead. Gunther added a second takedown in the period, and would go on to defeat Hemauer by decision, 5-3. Gunther, ranked 15th nationally at 174-pounds, moves to 15-6 on the season. Redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel had a dominant performance in his matchup with Hunter Cruz at 184-pounds. Ranked 15th nationally, Braunagel recorded eight takedowns against the No. 32-ranked Cruz en route to an 18-5 major decision. Braunagel is now 18-8 on the season. Redshirt sophomore Matt Wroblewski earned the final Illini victory of the dual. Taking on Dominic Kincaid, Wroblewski recorded two first period takedowns and ended the opening frame with a 4-3 lead. Wroblewski added a takedown in both the second and third periods, and would win the 197-pound bout in a 10-6 decision over Kincaid. With the regular season now wrapped up, Illinois wrestling will prepare for the 2020 Big Ten Championships, set for Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8 at Rutgers. Results: 125: No. 19 Justin Cardani (ILL) major dec. Jeremy Trinh (FRES), 11-0 | ILL 4, FRES 0 133: No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) dec. Lawrence Saenz (FRES), 6-4 | ILL 7, FRES 0 141: No. 15 DJ Lloren (FRES) dec. No. 17 Dylan Duncan (ILL), 3-2 | ILL 7, FRES 3 149: Greg Gaxiola (FRES) dec. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 4-3 | ILL 7, FRES 6 157: Eric Barone (ILL) dec. No. 14 Jacob Wright, 6-2 | ILL 10, FRES 6 165: No. 12 Danny Braunagel (ILL) dec. Adam Kemp (FRES), 8-3 | ILL 13, FRES 6 174: No. 15 Joey Gunther (ILL) dec. Jackson Hemauer (FRES), 5-3 | ILL 16, FRES 6 184: No. 15 Zac Braunagel (ILL) major dec. No. 32 Hunter Cruz (FRES), 18-5 | ILL 20, FRES 6 197: Matt Wroblewski (ILL) dec. Dominic Kincaid (FRES), 10-6 | ILL 23, FRES 6 285: No. 9 Josh Hokit (FRES) dec. No. 27 Luke Luffman (ILL), 8-2 | ILL 23, FRES 9

Nick Piccininni warms up at the Southern Scuffle (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The most celebrated rivalry in college wrestling returns for yet another edition this Sunday. No. 10 Oklahoma State may have won last year's match by 15 points, but No. 1 Iowa comes into this match as a heavy favorite. The Cowboys would need a variety of upsets to happen to take this dual, but stranger things have happened. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the match. 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) These two have wrestled four times in their college careers. Lee has won three of those matches, but when they last met in a dual meet, Piccininni picked up a shocking first-period fall. The Oklahoma State wrestler not only handed Lee his only bonus point defeat in college, but it also fueled the Cowboys to a team victory in the dual. Of course, Lee went on to win the rematch at the NCAA tournament and become a champion for the second time. This year he has won all 10 of his matches and put up bonus points in all but one of those matches. He took time away from the season to get in some freestyle matches and won the 57-kilogram title at Senior Nationals. Lee holds victories this season over No. 18 Jack Medley (Michigan), No. 14 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) and No. 6 Devin Schroder (Purdue). Piccininni ended up finishing fifth at the NCAA tournament last year to become an All-American for the second time. This year he has built a gaudy and impressive regular season record once again. On the year, he is 23-1 with victories coming over No. 15 Danny Vega (South Dakota State), No. 13 Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa), No. 11 Patrick McKee (Minnesota), No. 5 Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) and Mackall. Last weekend Piccininni appeared to be fading late in the Bedlam match against Christian Moody (Oklahoma). However, he turned things around in a hurry and scored a late fall. Piccininni showed in the dual meet match last year that he can certainly threaten Lee. However, in the rematch, Lee was able to control the match and win without being overly dominant from the top. Piccininni has to keep this match close in the first period, but that is easier said than done against Lee. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) major decision over Piccininni (Oklahoma State) 133: No. 3 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) DeSanto returned last weekend for the first time since suffering a knee injury and defaulting out of his bout against No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State). He came out sporting a large brace, but he was still able to score a 24-8 technical fall over Boo Dryden (Minnesota). DeSanto's only other loss on the season came against No. 1 Seth Gross (Wisconsin). Other than those two defeats, he has won 13 matches and picked up six technical falls. Witcraft was pressed into the starting lineup early in his true freshman season. He has taken some losses along the way, but he has his fair share of impressive victories as well. His 16-7 season record includes victories over No. 16 Todd Small (Iowa State), No. 15 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) and No. 12 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming). DeSanto looked more or less like himself in running over Dryden last weekend. However, Witcraft will be much more of a test. If the Iowa wrestler is still dealing with an injury, an upset is certainly possible. However, it is hard to see Witcraft escaping with the victory here. Prediction: DeSanto (Iowa) major decision over Witcraft (Oklahoma State) 141: No. 5 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. Dusty Hone (Oklahoma State) Murin had not wrestled in nearly a month prior to last weekend. If you believe his post-match interview, he did not even know he was returning to the mat until the intermission break. However, he certainly made the most of his return experience. He came out without a shoulder brace for the first time this season and defeated No. 6 Mitch McKee (Minnesota) in overtime. McKee defeated Murin twice last season. Murin missed a lot of tough opponents on the year, but he is 11-1 on the year with wins over No. 10 Josh Heil (Campbell) and No. 8 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin). Most people penciled Kaden Gfeller into the starting lineup at 141 pounds for this season. However, Hone got the shot early in the year and held onto the role the whole way. He has gone 18-7 during his redshirt freshman season. He entered last weekend's Bedlam match riding a four-match winning streak, but he dropped a 4-3 decision against No. 4 Dom Demas (Oklahoma). Murin had one of his best performances of the season last weekend against McKee. If he has gotten healthier, he should be a tough out for some of the title contenders when it comes time for the NCAA tournament. Hone has been a solid starter for the Cowboys, and he has kept it close against some of the weight's top wrestlers. However, he has never really been able to break through for wins on this level. Prediction: Murin (Iowa) decision over Hone (Oklahoma State) 149: No. 2 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) This will be the match of the dual. Both wrestlers have spent time in the No. 1 spot in the rankings this year, and this bout could easily be a preview of the NCAA finals at 149 pounds. Lugo has gone 17-1 on the season with his only defeat coming against No. 1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) in rideouts. He has won several matches extremely close, but he has passed the vast majority of tests so far. Lugo holds ranked wins over No. 17 Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State), No. 16 Collin Purinton (Nebraska), No. 15 Graham Rooks (Indiana), No. 11 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), N0. 10 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), No. 9 Kanen Storr (Michigan), No. 7 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) and No. 3 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina). Lewallen has not faced nearly as many ranked wrestlers as Lugo has this season, but he has been able to build an 18-1 record. His lone defeat on the year came in sudden victory against No. 5 Brock Mauller (Missouri). Lewallen has gotten back on track with three straight major decisions wins since that defeat. This might be a popular upset pick, but the path to victory for Lewallen is not entirely clear. Lugo likes to play matches close against high-level opponents, but if he is able to get to his underhook, he should be able to control the neutral position. In the past, Lugo was simply a standup wrestler, but he has made strides on both top and bottom this season. It has become an underrated part of his game. Prediction: Lugo (Iowa) decision over Lewallen (Oklahoma State) 157: No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) At times this season, Young has reverted to his defensive style and engaged in low scoring matches. That was on display last weekend as he went to overtime before besting Ryan Thomas (Minnesota) via a 5-4 decision. Despite slowing the pace down in some matches, Young has been outstanding on the year. He holds a 15-2 record with his only losses coming against No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State) and No. 4 Quincy Monday (Princeton). Since dropping a one-point decision against Monday in early December, Young has won 13 straight matches. Sheets has been on the cusp of the rankings for most of the season. He has put together a 17-6 record and put a scare into many ranked wrestlers. Sheets is currently riding a five-match winning streak that has been him upset No. 14 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) and No. 20 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma). This was a 9-5 match in the dual meet last year, and a similar score seems like the likely outcome. When Young has gotten to his offense, he has been able to extend the score, but he seems content to win close as well. Prediction: Young (Iowa) decision over Sheets (Oklahoma State) 165: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (iowa) vs. No. 6 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) Outside of the rivalry match against No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), Marinelli has been perfect on the season. He has won his 16 other matches and put up bonus points in nine of those matches. Since the loss against Joseph, Marinelli has bounced back with a major decision over Reece Hughes (Michigan) and a technical fall over Kasper McIntosh (Minnesota). Wittlake was a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school. He took some questionable losses during his redshirt season, but he has looked beyond solid as a starter this season. Wittlake has put together a 25-1 record with his only defeat coming against No. 3 Shane Griffith (Stanford). His schedule has not been particularly tough, but he does hold ranked wins over No. 20 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel), No. 14 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) and No. 9 Thomas Bullard (NC State). Since the Southern Scuffle, Wittlake has not had a lot of trouble getting to his offense. Over his last 10 matches he is averaging 13.1 points per match. With that being said, he will likely struggle to get out of the power ties of Marinelli. Not only does the Iowa wrestler do a great job of controlling the tie-ups, but he also wears on an opponent over time. This might be close early, but look for Marinelli to pull away late. Prediction: Marinelli (Iowa) decision over Wittlake (Oklahoma State) 174: No. 1 Michel Kemerer (Iowa) vs. No. 13 Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) These two wrestled twice back in 2017 when they were both 157-pounders. Kemerer won a one-point match in their first meeting and then scored a 7-1 victory via a six-point move in sudden victory at the NCAA tournament. After sitting out last year with an injury, Kemerer has moved up to 174 pounds and looked tremendous. In only 12 matches this year he has knocked off five of the top-eight wrestlers at this weight class. His most impressive victory came when he scored an 11-6 victory over No. 2 Mark Hall that propelled Iowa to a victory over Penn State. Smith got off to a late and slow start to the season. He made his season debut at the Southern Scuffle and then lost two of his first four matches. Smith then got it together and went on a five-match winning streak that saw him knock off No. 14 Sammy Colbray (Iowa State). However, last week in the Bedlam match, he was upset against Anthony Mantanona. Smith held a late lead but surrendered a six-point move in the final seconds to drop a 10-5 decision. Kemerer should be able to handle this match. He had the advantage when Smith seemed to be closer to his peak. On top of that, Kemerer's pace and persistence could easily give Smith a lot of problems. Prediction: Kemerer (Iowa) decision over Smith (Oklahoma State) 184: No. 9 Abe Assad (Iowa) vs. No. 14 Anthony Montalvo (Oklahoma State) Assad joined the starting lineup after an impressive runner-up performance at the Midlands. He won his first four matches as a starter, but he then dropped back-to-back bouts against Aaron Brooks (Penn State) and Cameron Caffey (Michigan State). Assad has been out of action since the Feb. 2 match against Caffey, but the reports are that he will return to the lineup for this dual. Montalvo has a 19-5 record on the season, but he has performed much better recently. Since the Southern Scuffle, he has put together a 9-1 run that has seen him only come up short against No. 4 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa). Montalvo also picked up ranked victories over No. 16 Zach Carlson (South Dakota State) and No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh). Assad had a hot start to his run in the starting lineup, but he has certainly cooled off since. He will have to shake the rust off soon as he returns against a live opponent. Montalvo has certainly been playing with fire recently as some of his matches have been razor close. However, he comes into this match with the momentum and will likely be the one scoring the takedown in crunch time. Prediction: Montalvo (Oklahoma State) decision over Assad (Iowa) 197: No. 6 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. No. 16 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) Warner has wrestled his way to a 14-3 record on the season. Early in the year it looked like he was going to hold down one of the top spots in the rankings after winning his first four matches and knocking off No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton). However, he has since dropped a rematch against Brucki as well as matches against No. 8 Jay Aiello (Virginia) and No. 4 Eric Schultz (Nebraska). Since losing to Schultz he has bounced back with four straight victories. Last weekend, he scored a major decision over Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin). Geer also had a solid start to the season, and he still holds an impressive 19-6 record. However, he enters this match with very little momentum. Geer has dropped back-to-back matches against Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) and Jake Woodley (Oklahoma). In his first match against Woodley, he was able to score a 4-2 decision, but in the rematch the Sooner took home a 10-9 decision. So much of Warner's offense relies on his ability to counter an opponent's leg attacks. Geer is normally solid when he is able to lead in matches, and he should be prepared to avoid Warner's counters. This would be an upset, but Geer's style and length could give him the advantage. Prediction: Geer (Oklahoma State) decision over Warner (Iowa) 285: No. 3 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. Austin Harris (Oklahoma State) Prior to the last two weekends, Cassioppi had an undefeated record. However, in consecutive weekends, he dropped matches against No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) and No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota). Despite those losses, he has cemented himself as the No. 3-ranked wrestler with another 15 wins including victories over No. 17 Seth Nevills (Penn State), No. 16 Gary Traub (Ohio State), No. 14 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa), No. 13 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), No. 6 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) and No. 4 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan). Harris has been undersized throughout the entire year, and he has taken some lumps on the way to a 5-9 record. However, in those nine losses he has only surrendered bonus points three times. He comes into this match with some momentum as he scored his first bonus point victory of the year. In the Bedlam dual, he took a major decision over Collin McCoy (Oklahoma). With that being said, Harris will really be up against it here. Cassioppi came into this season with the reputation of a pinner. He has scored five falls this year, but eight of his wins have been regular decisions. Harris has been sounded defensively in terms of giving up bonus, but it is hard to see him staying off his back here. Prediction: Cassioppi (Iowa) fall over Harris (Oklahoma State) Dual Meet Predicted Score: Iowa 29, Oklahoma State 6

Arizona State University announced Thursday that it has suspended two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia following a positive drug test. "Zahid Valencia has been suspended indefinitely from the ASU men's wrestling team," according to the statement released by the athletic department. There are no other details available at the time, but if true that he failed a drug test, Valencia would be done with this NCAA career and likely be ineligible to compete at the international level. The news comes on the heels of United World Wrestling announcing the reallocation of three Olympic licenses from anti-doping violations at the 2019 Wrestling World Championships in Nur-Sultan. And while I'm personally hopeful that this is the last of the news, I'm certain that with so many big tournaments on the horizon this won't be the last batch of cases to hit the news. Anti-doping is a vital part of ensuring a fair and competitive sports landscape. Rolling with jiu-jitsu against athletes on steroids is frustrating even for someone who does jiu-jitsu recreationally, I can only imagine the anger I'd feel if I were an Olympic wrestler and I knew my competitor was doped to the gills. But with money and the draw of an Olympic medal I suspect we will see more cases, not fewer. Sad day. To your questions … Princeton after clinching the Ivy League title (Photo/Beverly Schaefer) Q: Princeton is ranked fourth in the tournament rankings and got a boost when Matthew Kolodzik returned. Do you think Princeton will win a team trophy in Minneapolis? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't want to become locker room fodder for a bunch of really smart kids who can also double leg me through the earth, but I am highly suspicious of their ability to turn in a flawless performance at the NCAA tournament. But why must I start negative?! Look at that question … PRINCETON being discussed as potentially winning a team trophy at the NCAA Division I Championships in 2020? That's an unbelievable achievement in itself. Coach Ayers deserves a ton of credit for attracting alumni support, top recruits, and effective assistant coaches. He's also developed the talent pool with maximum efficacy and even picked an online fight with Coach Koll at Cornell. Things are coming up Tigers every day, so ya' know what? Sure. Princeton will win a team trophy this year in Minneapolis. Q: Where is the best place to bet on the NCAAs? -- Ian F. Foley: For many years, Sportsbook.com posted betting odds on the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The odds were pretty easy to exploit in the early days of NCAA wrestling betting. When J Jaggers won his first NCAA title in 2008, he had odds of 22-1 before the tournament. As the years went on, the betting odds became tighter and harder to exploit. However, last year, Sportsbook.com did not post odds for the first time in a long time. BetDSI entered the wrestling betting market in the spring of 2018, first posting odds on the U.S. Open and then Final X. Last season, BetDSI posted odds on dual meets and NCAAs. However, after last year's NCAAs, BetDSI stopped posting wrestling odds. There have no odds for dual meets this season, and I would be surprised if BetDSI posts lines for the NCAAs. Unless something has changed, this could be the first year in a long time that no offshore sportsbook offers betting on the NCAAs. If anyone has any additional info on sites offering betting odds for this year's NCAAs, please share in the comments section. Q: What did you think of Tom Brands' comments on Austin DeSanto? -- Mike C. Foley: Tom Brands gets it. He knows that there can't be exceptions for poor behavior, no matter the wrestler or the time of year. Brands also recognizes that as of now the incidents haven't cost Iowa anything major, but that will soon change. "These guys know what is expected," he says early in the response. To me that signals that whatever he is sharing with the press the team is well aware of the same. Also, he's showing that there are clearly defined expectations and consequences for actions that are unbecoming a Hawkeye and/or those that cost the team points, or a chance at the NCAA title. And still he has DeSanto's back. His admiration for him and his support is plain to anyone, even repeating the line from Terry that DeSanto "[is] not a circus act," which I think is important to remember both as a former wrestler and member of the media. DeSanto is stressed and he doesn't handle stress especially well. Mocking him or putting him on an island won't solve anyone's problems and will only exacerbate any underlying issues. But I also like Coach Brands' last thoughts, where he explicitly reminds DeSanto publicly that "[the coaches] look bad because we can't get you under control." Which is just enough guilt to hopefully motivate DeSanto and remind the other guys on the team that its about buttoning up during the last month of the season. Don't make an unforced error, and when trouble is thrust on you, simply walk away. Overall, the video reminded me how much I like Tom Brands. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Tom Brands on Austin DeSanto Jacarra Winchester makes the cut to 53 kilograms and gives insight on the cut. Link: China to compete at relocated Asian Olympic Qualifier Q: How does Jacarra Winchester stack up against the world at 53 kilograms? Do you view her as a strong medal threat in Tokyo? -- Mike C. Foley: First of all, Jacarra needs to qualify the weight in Ottawa. If she does that then this discussion becomes more real and that Instagram post is going to start getting way more views from fans and media alike (Go get 'em, Jacarra). Assuming she qualifies the weight and secures the spot, I'd expect her to fall behind Yong mi Pak (North Korea), Mayu Mukaida (Japan), and Vinesh (India). Those are very strong opponents who could almost finish with three of the four medals 95% of the time you run this tournament. Quianyu Pang (China) is good, but I think Jacarra has way too much for her and can avoid big throws. The rest of the filed, truthfully, just isn't at her level. The Cuban and the Ecuadorian are very athletic and can cause Jacarra problems if she's not in good shape, but again her wrestling is much better than theirs as is her competitive on-the-mat strategies. Let's see how Jacarra performs in Ottawa, but I like her chances to qualify the weight and medal in Tokyo. Q: Nick Piccininni pinned Spencer Lee in the dual meet last year. Lee came back to beat him 11-4 at NCAAs. How do you see their match playing out Sunday night in Iowa City? -- Mike C. Foley: Spencer Lee by major decision. Think he's shown a separation in recent months and won't fall victim to the mental lapses like he did in last year's dual meet. Also, can I wish him to stay perfectly healthy? I like the idea of him wrestling for Team USA in Tokyo.

MADISON, Wisc. -- If you ask Isaiah Patton about his senior year, you would be hard-pressed to find much to be excited about, but that changed Thursday night when he picked up a 3-2 win the third tiebreaker period to lock up the 20-18 dual win for 17th-ranked UNI over No. 12 Wisconsin. The win was locked up with Patton's win at 197 but started with a first-period win by Jay Schwarm at 125. Schwarm picked up an early takedown, but his opponent Eric Barnett reversed him. Schwarm picked up a quick reversal of his own and rode Barnett for over a minute before locking him in a cradle and earning the pin with 43 seconds left in the first period. The pin was his 15th pin on the season and 14th over a Division I opponent. He moves into sole possession of the top spot in the NCAA for pin falls this season. After Schwarm's pin put the Panthers up 6-0, the Badgers responded with a 16-0 technical fall by defending national champion Seth Gross at 133. At 141, Michael Blockhus grabbed four takedowns and a ride time point to earn a 9-4 decision over No. 4 Tristan Moran to give UNI a 9-5 lead after three bouts. At 149, Triston Lara wrestled for Max Thomsen against No. 15 Cole Martin and battled from the opening whistle. Lara led 4-1 early and 4-2 heading into the third, but Martin battled back with two takedowns in the third to earn the 10-8 win. UNI held on to a 9-8 lead after two bouts. At 157, Drew Scharenbrock topped Derek Holschlag 7-2 to give Wisconsin an 11-9 lead heading into the break. No. 4 Evan Wick topped Austin Yant 16-4 at 165 to extend the Wisconsin lead 15-9, but the next three bouts would belong to the Panthers. Bryce Steiert earned a 9-1 major decision with three takedowns to cut the deficit to 15-13. Taylor Lujan grabbed a first-quarter takedown and four-point near-fall on the way to a 12-2 major decision. The win put UNI up 17-15 with two bouts to go. At 197, Patton entered the dual with a 0-5 record on the year and a 0-3 mark in duals, but his first win of the season may be arguably the biggest of his career. He met Taylor Watkins and the two wrestlers went through the first period without a score. Watkins got on the board first with an escape in the second, but Patton responded with an escape of his own in the third. In sudden victory, neither wrestler gained an advantage, sending the bout to a tiebreaker. Watkins didn't score in his choice of the first tiebreaker but got on the board with a penalty point in the second half of the tiebreaker. Patton earned an escape to send it to SV2. Another scoreless sudden victory session led to another tiebreaker session. Patton picked up an escape in TB3 and rode out Watkins in the second half of the final tiebreaker to pick up the win and give UNI the 20-15 lead. Carter Isley went toe-to-toe with No. 5 Trent Hilgar but fell 3-0 after making it through two periods with no score. The Badger win cut the final score to 20-18, but it wouldn't be enough to overcome the five-point deficit. The win gives UNI a final dual record of 8-4 on the year, the best record since going 11-3 in the 2016-17 season. Results: 125: JaySchwarm (UNI) over Eric Barnett (WISC) (Fall 2:19) 133: Seth Gross (WISC) over Jack Skudlarczyk (UNI) (TF 16-0 5:00) 141: Michael Blockhus (UNI) over Tristan Moran (WISC) (Dec 9-4) 149: Cole Martin (WISC) over Triston Lara (UNI) (Dec 10-8) 157: Drew Scharenbrock (WISC) over Derek Holschlag (UNI) (Dec 7-2) 165: Evan Wick (WISC) over Austin Yant (UNI) (MD 16-4) 174: Bryce Steiert (UNI) over Jared Krattiger (WISC) (MD 9-1) 184: Taylor Lujan (UNI) over Tyler Dow (WISC) (MD 12-2) 197: Isaiah Patton (UNI) over Taylor Watkins (WISC) (TB-3 3-2) 285: Trent Hillger (WISC) over Carter Isley (UNI) (Dec 3-0) UP NEXT The Panthers next head to the Big 12 Championship in Tulsa, Okla., March 7-8. Seven Panthers are now ranked in various polls and the Panthers will look to make some noise in Tulsa.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Four straight wins in the latter half of the match fueled American University wrestling to an 18-14, come-from-behind win at George Mason in a road dual meet. The Eagles (4-7) twice scored bonus points while the Patriots (8-9) did so only once and also lost two team points for unsportsmanlike conduct. MATCH RECAP Sal Profaci (141) started off the meet with his eighth straight win and did so in shutout fashion, taking down ranked opponent Alex Madrigal by 10-0 major decision. In an upset between two more ranked opponents, Kizhan Clarke (149) suffered just his second loss of the dual season in a 4-1 decision against Colston DiBlasi. Three more AU losses followed, putting the Eagles down 13-4 halfway through the meet. Tanner Harvey (184) brought the momentum back in the Eagles' favor against Paul Pierce. He led 17-5 after two periods, and a takedown just 33 seconds into the 3rd period ended it with a tech fall victory, 20-5. Facing Ali Salem, AU's William Jarrell earned his first collegiate dual win by decision, 4-2 at 197 pounds. The run continued with a 4-2 decision for Niko Camacho at 285, and Gage Curry gave AU an 18-13 lead with a 3-1 decision at 125 pounds. The final match went to Mason at 133, but Joshua Vega did well to give up no bonus points for the Eagles, who won 18-14 after the two team points taken off George Mason's total. Results: 141 - Sal Profaci (AU) major dec. Alex Madrigal (GMU), 10-0 (AU 4-0) 149 - Colston DiBlasi (GMU) dec. Kizhan Clarke (AU), 4-1 (AU 4-3) 157 - Kolby Ho (GMU) dec. Ethan Karsten (AU), 11-5 (GMU 6-4) 165 - Neil Schuster (GMU) dec. Tim Fitzpatrick (AU), 7-4 (GMU 9-4) 174 - Anthony Lombardo (GMU) major dec. Anthony Wokasch (AU), 15-1 (GMU 13-4) 184 - Tanner Harvey (AU) tech. fall Paul Pierce (GMU), 20-5 (GMU 13-9) 197 - William Jarrell (AU) dec. Ali Salem (GMU), 4-2 (GMU 13-12) 285 - Niko Camacho (AU) dec. Jake Slinger (GMU), 4-2 (AU 15-13) 125 - Gage Curry (AU) dec. Talha Farooq (GMU), 3-1 (AU 18-13) 133 - Josh Jones (GMU) dec. Joshua Vega (AU), 9-3 (AU 18-16) George Mason mat control violation -2.0 (Final: AU 18-14) UP NEXT The final dual meet of the season will be the toughest yet for the Eagles, who travel to #2 Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 23 at noon.

PHILADELPHIA -- In its next-to-last action of the dual season, No. 11 Lehigh posted a convincing 35-9 victory over Penn Thursday night at the Palestra. The Mountain Hawks won six of the eight contested bouts, with four bonus point wins on the way to their 10th consecutive dual win. Junior Chris Weiler won by technical fall in his return to action, while sophomore Josh Humphreys freshman Brian Meyer and junior Jordan Wood posted wins by major decision, for the Mountain Hawks, who are now 11-3 on the dual season and 7-1 against EIWA foes. The dual began at 141, where Doug Zapf, the only ranked Quaker to compete Thursday, held off sophomore Dan Moran 3-1 behind a second period takedown. From there, Lehigh rolled off five consecutive victories to take control by a 19-3 margin. Sophomore Jimmy Hoffman gutted out a 2-1 decision over Lucas Revano at 149. Hoffman had to take an injury timeout after tweaking his knee on and Revano second period escape. Revano took bottom after the timeout and Hoffman rode out to build a large riding time advantage. Hoffman escaped early in the third and with strong defense prevailed 2-1 behind 1:50 of riding time. "You have to be good in all three positions and top is one of those," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "There are so many aspects to this sport that you better be good in all of them because you never know when you're going to need one of them." Humphreys put Lehigh in front for good with a 9-1 major decision over Jon Errico at 157. Humphreys had three takedowns and a reversal, and accumulated more than five minutes of riding time working to turn Errico. Meyer made it back-to-back major decisions with a 10-2 victory over Jack Conway at 165. Needing a takedown late with secure the major, Meyer scored a takedown with eight seconds remaining, his fourth takedown of the bout, to extend Lehigh's lead. "It was fun to see Brian go out and execute and get a lot of takedowns tonight," Santoro said. "I'm really happy for him. He is getting better every week and he has wrestled some studs this year. Senior Jordan Kutler put the Mountain Hawks up 14-3 at intermission with a 10-4 decision of Neil Antrassian at 174. After sitting out the Bucknell dual, Weiler came back with a vengeance, building a 9-0 lead after one period on the way to a 16-0 technical fall over John Stout at 184. Weiler scored a takedown and had a two point near fall, a four point near fall and a stalling point in the first period. He opened the second with an escape and then scored a takedown and four point near fall to end the bout at 4:16. "He did what he was supposed to do," Santoro said of Weiler. "It's great having Chris back in our lineup. We miss him when we don't have him. When he's in there he makes us a lot better." Penn's only other points came at 197 where Cole Urbas was a winner by injury default over junior Jake Jakobsen. Scoreless in the second period, Urbas returned Jakobsen to the mat and turned him for four near fall before action was stopped due to a Jakobsen injury. While Jakobsen attempted to talk his way into continuing, the Lehigh coaches erred on the side of caution with the 19-9 lead in the dual. Wood closed the evening out with a 14-3 major decision over Nate Hoagland at 285. Penn (6-9, 5-6 EIWA) then forfeited 125 and 133 to juniors Brandon Paetzell and Nick Farro, respectively. The Mountain Hawks will close out the dual meet season tomorrow when they host No. 5 Arizona State on Senior Night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Lehigh will recognize its eight member senior class prior to the dual, which begins at 7 p.m. A very limited number of tickets still remain and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours. "You always want to be wrestling well at the end of the year," Santoro said. "Its that championship mindset right now. We're into that last stage so you have to be excited about tomorrow night and you have to be excited going into Easterns and NCAAs." The 2019-20 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. Results: 141 – Doug Zapf (Penn) dec. Dan Moran (Lehigh) 3-1 149 – Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh) dec. Lucas Revano (Penn) 2-1 157 – Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) major dec. Jon Errico (Penn) 9-1 165 – Brian Meyer (Lehigh) major dec. Jack Conway (Penn) 10-2 174 – Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Neil Antrassian (Penn) 10-4 184 – Chris Weiler (Lehigh) tech fall John Stout (Penn) 16-0, 4:16 197 – Cole Urbas (Penn) injury default Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh) 4:28 285 – Jordan Wood (Lehigh) major dec. Nate Hoagland (Penn) 14-3 125 – Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) won by forfeit 133 – Nick Farro (Lehigh) won by forfeit

Zahid Valencia at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia has been suspended indefinitely from Arizona State's wrestling team after a report surfaced that he failed a drug test. The failed drug test came at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, Italy, on Jan. 18, according to the Arizona Republic. Valencia won a gold medal at the event competing at 86 kilograms. According to the report, the drug Valencia tested positive for was a recreational drug, not a performance enhancing drug. Valencia won NCAA titles the past two seasons at 174 pounds. He has compiled a 20-0 record this season and has been ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds all season.

HASTINGS, Neb. -- Hastings College Athletic Director B.J. Pumroy announced that Cara Romeike (Car-uh Rome-ike-uh) has been named head coach of the women's wrestling team. The team, announced last fall, will begin competing in the 2020-21 academic year. Cara RomeikeRomeike is currently head girls wrestling coach at Cyprus High School in South Jordan, Utah. She led her team to a 3rd place finish with one bracket champion and five place winners at the Utah Girls State Championship this season. A Texas native, Romeike wrestled collegiately at the University of Jamestown, which like Hastings College is in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. At Jamestown she was a three-time captain, two-time conference champion and NAIA National Runner-Up in 2019 at 130 lbs. "Coach Romeike has the enthusiasm, drive and leadership to build a successful program. She demonstrated this as a leader of her peers as a student athlete, and in her work in Utah," Pumroy said. "We are thrilled she's bringing the culture that both she and the campus expect from a new program." Romeike has already started recruiting students to apply to Hastings College and join the Broncos this fall. After completing the current school year, she will move to the area. "I could not be more excited to start the women's wrestling program at Hastings College," Romeike said. "I am extremely passionate about the sport of wrestling, as well as promoting the sport to women across the country. Hastings College has a lot to offer academically and has a wonderful sense of community. I could not be more grateful to work for such a fine institution." Romeike was a Dean's List student at the University of Jamestown and graduated with a biology degree. Beyond her high school coaching experience, she has served as a board member for USA Wrestling in Utah. She also has coached Team Utah and Team Texas in national women's wrestling competitions. In 2019 there were 20 schools who competed at the inaugural NAIA National Invitational Women's Wrestling Championship held in Jamestown, including two from Nebraska. There are 63 colleges and universities nationwide who sponsor women's wrestling. The Nebraska State Wrestling Coaches Association sponsored the inaugural Girls State Tournament in York, Nebraska, earlier this month, and 181 high school girls competed in the tournament. In the 2018-19 school year, Nebraska had the 20th most high school girls wrestling participation in the country. Hastings College is Nebraska's premier private college. A four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement, Hastings' student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad Pro and a two-week study abroad experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.

ANGOLA, Ind. -- Trine University Assistant Vice President for Athletics Matt Land has named Amy Hildebrandt as the inaugural head coach of the Thunder women's wrestling team. "Amy is a great asset to Trine University and the sport of women's wrestling," said Land, "She is determined to grow women's wrestling. Her lifelong passion will serve Trine University well as we develop our program." Amy HildebrandtHildebrandt has served as the coach of the Penn High School girl's wrestling team for the past two years. While there she has led the team to two state championship titles while coaching four individual state champions. The team can trace its roots to Hildebrandt's time at Penn as a student when she was instrumental in starting the first Penn Girl's Wrestling Club which later became the full-fledged team when the IHSGW began sponsoring the sport statewide. "I am honored to be Trine University's first women's wrestling coach." said Hildebrandt, "Women's wrestling has always been my passion and I am excited to be a part of the sport's growth. I look forward to introducing the Trine community to women's wrestling and leading a new group of young women at the University." Hildebrandt has also served as coach of the Penn Wrestling Club for the past two years. The club works with elementary and middle school-aged athletes on the fundamentals of wrestling. For the past two years, she has also served as an assistant wrestling technician at the University of Michigan Women's Wrestling Camp. Currently, Hildebrandt is stationed at the United States Olympic Training in Colorado Springs, Colo. where she assisting her sister in preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Trine University announced in January that it would begin sponsoring women's wrestling for the 2020-21 season. They will become the first NCAA institution to sponsor the sport in Indiana.

EMORY, Va. -- Director of Athletics Anne Crutchfield has announced the hiring of Pete Hansen as the inaugural men's and women's wrestling coach at Emory & Henry College. Hansen moves from his position as an assistant football coach with the Wasps, to lead the wrestling program as it prepares to compete in fall 2020. Pete Hansen"I am thrilled to have Pete launch our men's and women's wrestling programs," said Crutchfield. "His passion to mentor student-athletes on and off the playing field is a great match with the direction we want to go with wrestling. Pete has vast experience on the recruiting trail, and he is well-versed in what the Emory & Henry experience can be for prospective student-athletes." Hansen makes a move to head coach after a successful collegiate wrestling career at Southern Virginia University. In 2009, Hansen finished in fifth place at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NWCA) national championship - earning him All-American status for the season. He qualified for the NWCA national championship in three of his four years at SVU. Other career highlights include a first-place finish in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament in 2008 and a third-place result at the same event the following year. "When I heard that E&H was going to start a wrestling program, my first thought was that we are going to be great because of the deep tradition of wrestling in the region," said Hansen. "The opportunity to build something from the ground up doesn't come around every day. As a coach, if that doesn't get your blood pumping, I don't know what does." Wrestling has become a growing sport in NCAA Division III for both men and women. However, Emory & Henry will be just the second school in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) to offer both men's and women's wrestling. Currently, only Ferrum College provides both. Washington and Lee University currently offers men's wrestling while Roanoke College and Shenandoah University have recently made announcements to add the sport. "Emory & Henry has tradition of excellence and an alumni base that is supportive like nowhere else," added Hansen. "This inaugural season will be something special, and I know that we are going to build this program into something that will make them proud. Our goal is to show the world how great Emory & Henry can be." The addition of men's and women's wrestling expands the College's varsity sports offerings to 26 with 22 NCAA Division III programs, IDA and IHSA equestrian teams and competitive cheer and dance squads.

As the second half of February is upon us, state championship season has begun in earnest. Highly notable state championships are being conducted this weekend -- most notably the National Preps at Lehigh University; both the dual team and individual state tournaments in Iowa; as well as individual bracket events in states such as Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. 1. A Fab 50 national champion to be decided The top two teams in the country, Blair Academy (N.J.) and Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), both conclude their seasons this weekend with the National Prep Championships. Wyoming Seminary out-pointed Blair Academy to win the Walsh Jesuit Ironman in early December, while Blair Academy won the dual meet when the two squads met five weeks ago. As a result, this is the rubber match, where the rubber hits the road, and so forth. The current national No. 1 is Blair Academy. With that being said, they will enter this weekend as the underdog, since two of their elite wrestlers did not compete in their National Prep qualifier last weekend: Trevor (126) and Travis (152) Mastrogiovanni. That being said, the Buccaneers still have seven nationally ranked wrestlers, led by Marc-Anthony McGowan (106) and Shayne Van Ness (132), who are both ranked No. 1 in the country. they are joined by No. 10 Ryan Miller (120), No. 12 Lucas Chittum (132), No. 10 Rylan Rogers (182), No. 8 Peyton Craft (195), and No. 11 Noah Pettigrew (220). When Wyoming Seminary out-pointed Blair Academy to win the Walsh Ironman, the Buccaneers were absent a pair of nationally elite wrestlers at that point (Trevor Mastrogiovanni and Shayne Van Ness); in addition, the Buccaneers had Domonic Mata in the lineup at that point, but he has not competed for them since the Beast of the East. The Blue Knights are led by three national No. 1 ranked wrestlers of their own, Nic Bouzakis (126), Beau Bartlett (138), and Lachlan McNeil (145). Three other are ranked: No. 12 Drew Munch (132), No. 14 Gabriel Arnold (160), and No. 9 Kolby Franklin (220), while Brennan Cernus (113) is the first wrestler outside the rankings. While there is a certain vibe of it being just two teams and the field, there is reason to say that it isn't the case, as four additional nationally ranked teams are present in the field: No. 7 Malvern Prep (Pa.), No. 41 Mount St. Joseph's (Md.), No. 42 McDonogh School (Md.), and No. 48 Baylor School (Tenn.). 2. Class 1A rubber match at "The Well" Barring the unexpected, there is going to be a third dual meet matchup of the season between No. 46 Don Bosco (Iowa) and No. 47 Lisbon (Iowa) on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Lisbon beat Don Bosco 34-32 in mid-December at the Battle of Waterloo, as the teams split the weight classes at seven-apiece, and Lisbon won two of three matches decided by two points. Then on the second to last day of January, Don Bosco made the trip to Lisbon and put a 37-21 hammering on the Lions; the Dons won nine of the fourteen bouts, made all the right lineup strategy adjustments, and won all three matches decided by two points or less. Don Bosco has won the last two dual team state titles, though they have faced Denver on both occasions in the final; Lisbon last won the dual team title in 2017 when they beat Don Bosco 45-26 in the final. On the traditional side of things, Lisbon won the title in 2017 (sweep) and 2018, while Don Bosco got the sweep last year; Don Bosco was runner-up in 2017 and 2018 with Lisbon finishing as runner-up last year. Lisbon is the second seed and draws Clarion-Goldfield-Dows before a semifinal against the winner of West Sioux vs. Denver; while top seed Don Bosco faces Woodbury Central before a semifinal date against either Lake Mills or Logan-Magnolia. The traditional tournament, which is in its 100th year overall in Iowa (though it's only the 95th sanctioned by the IHSAA) starts on Thursday and concludes with championship matches on Saturday evening. Don Bosco qualified ten to state, nine as district champions; while Lisbon will be working with two less wrestlers, with all eight reaching state as district champions. While both teams are supremely talented, it would be a significant surprise if they approached the 194 points that Don Bosco amassed in 2009, which serves as the Class 1A traditional state meet scoring record. Rankings from prior to the state series by The Predicament suggest that Don Bosco will have two state champions, Cade Tenold (160) and Thomas Even (182); while Lisbon is projected to have three in Robert Avila (132), Cael Happel (138), and Cole Clark (195). Dylan Ragusin and Jacob Rundell have split matches this season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 3. A Friday to pay attention to in Illinois It happens this year that there are multiple weight classes where the de facto finals match is arguably going to take place on Friday as opposed to in the final on Saturday, such is the nature of four sectionals qualifying four each feeding into 16-man state brackets that are seeded based on a point system for sectional champions. Certain circumstances occur where the point system is imperfect: impact freshmen, key wrestlers injured the previous year, upsets at the sectional tournaments. In the Class 3A 106-pound weight class, two contestants are ranked among the top ten in the country, No. 7 Charlie Farmer (Moline) and No. 9 William Baysinger (Prospect). Farmer is the top-ranked wrestles of the four sectional champions having placed fifth at state last year. Returning state qualifier Ben Aranda (DeKalb) and Junior National freestyle All-American Sammie Hayes (Carl Sandburg) are sectional champions in the bottom half. Undefeated freshman Baysinger, who has a head-on win during the season over Super 32 placer and 16U freestyle All-American Farmer is in the same half-bracket as Farmer. Also in the weight class is 16U nationals double All-American Joe Fernau (Montini Catholic), who is in the same quarter as Farmer, entering state off a 9-5 sectional semifinal loss to Fernau. A Friday night showdown between past state champions is likely at 126 pounds in Class 3A, as No. 5 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest) and No. 6 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic) are both in the top half of the draw; returning state champion Ragusin is the top-ranked of the sectional champions, while Rundell is ranked fourth since he was unable to compete at the state tournament last year after winning a state title in 2018. These two wrestlers split bouts during January; Ragusin winning in the finals of the Doc Buchanan, while Rundell won at the Beat the Streets Duals. Sectional champions in the other half-bracket are three-time state qualifier Sam Spencer (Huntley), a 2018 state placer, and 2018 state qualifier Mikey Kaminski (Lockport); the senior Kaminski was also champion at the Preseason Nationals. What confuses me here is how Kaminski is ranked above Rundell given their career credentials. 2018 state qualifier Nick Minnito (Plainfield Central) is in the same quarter as Rundell, two-time state qualifier Reese Martin (Neuqua Valley) is with Ragusin and returning state qualifier Alex Lalezas (Chicago Mt. Carmel) is paired with Spencer in a potential quarterfinal bout. One massive upset at the sectional state in Class 3A at 195 has created an absolutely massive quarterfinal bout. Returning state medalist, and this year a Doc Buchanan runner-up, Daemyen Middlebrooks (Oak Park River Forest) lost 16-7 to sophomore Ghee Rachal (Marist) in the sectional semifinal this past week; that result dropped him four positions to No. 18 nationally. The weight class overall is anchored by two-time state medalist Nick Stemmet (Yorkville), who is undefeated on the season and ranked No. 10 nationally. Rachal would lose by injury default in the final to returning state qualifier Dzhabrail Khurshidov (West Aurora), which yielded Khurshidov the second ranking. As a result, Middlebrooks -- who was third at the sectional -- is relegated to one of the top two quarters of the draw, and it happens to be that Middlebrooks vs. Stemmet is a quarterfinal slated for Friday morning or early afternoon. Rachal is also in the top half bracket and finds himself in a quarter-bracket with sectional champion Isaiah Pettigrew (Fremd). The junior Khurshidov should go relatively un-challenged in his bottom half of the draw. 4. Battle for the crown in the Hoosier State No. 40 Indianapolis Cathedral has won the last two IHSAA state titles despite failing to win the IHSWCA State Dual Tournament on either occasion. This year, the Irish were champions in the state duals with a 32-26 win over now No. 39 Evansville Mater Dei. Two other Indiana teams have also spent some time in the national rankings during the course of the season, 2017 state champion Brownsburg and Crown Point. Mater Dei qualified the most individuals to the state tournament with nine, while Cathedral and Crown Point qualified eight each, and Brownsburg brings seven to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday night; it should be noted that Chesterton also qualified eight wrestlers to state. With the Indiana state tournament being single elimination, except for an umbrella eight-person event on Saturday, wrestlers must win on Friday night in order to place; a Friday night loss equals no wrestling on Saturday. A couple notes of interest in looking at the field through the lens of the top five teams, there is only one weight (152) where none have a state qualifier, while two weighs (138 and 160) feature a wrestler from each of the top five teams. Crown Point leads the way with five wrestlers that won semi-state titles, which means that those wrestlers would not see the champion from another semi-state until the semifinal round; the other four teams in this conversation had three semi-state champions each. There is only one Friday night head-on bout involving the top five teams, and that comes at 170 pounds where Gavin Layman (Chesterton) faces Gabe Sollars (Evansville Mater Dei). In an interesting twist, the winner of that bout could be positioned to face semi-state champion Tyler Wagner (Indianapolis Cathedral) on Saturday morning with a spot in the state semis on the line. In the 138-pound bracket, where each of the top five teams has a state qualifier, there are two possible head-on quarterfinal bouts that could play key roles in the overall architecture of the team race. Assuming Friday night wins, the pairing would place 2018 state placer Logan Bailey (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. three-time state placer Drake Campbell (Brownsburg), with Campbell having a career 0-3 mark in the state quarterfinals; while two-time state placer/returning state runner-up Blake Boarman (Evansville Mater Dei) would face semi-state champion Ethan Kaiser (Chesterton). There are five other potential quarterfinal matches involving top five teams that could happen on Saturday morning, if wrestlers win on Friday night: semi-state champion Logan Frazier (Crown Point) vs. now three-time state qualifier Cole Ross (Evansville Mater Dei) at 113; three-time state medalist (IN/MI) Riley Bettich (Crown Point) vs. returning state third place Alec Freeman (Evansville Mater Dei) at 120, though the reward for winning that bout is a likely semifinal against national No. 12 Zeke Seltzer (Indianapolis Cathedral); two-time state medalist Kysen Montgomery (Brownsburg) vs. returning sate medalist Stephen Robertson (Crown Point) at 126; semi-state champion Noah Hollendonner (Crown Point) against state placer Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg) at 160, though Asbury is likely to be eliminated on Friday night by returning state runner-up Cooper Noehre (Greenfield-Central); and state medalist Macartney Parkinson (Evansville Mater Dei) vs. Johnny Parker (Indianapolis Cathedral) at 182, though Parker is likely to be eliminated on Friday night by three-time state placer Mason Winner (Jay County).

Braxton Amos will represent Team USA at 220 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) On Tuesday afternoon, the organizing committee for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic announced the 13-member Team USA squad for the all-star event to be held on Saturday, March 14. The event in its 45th year is held at the Fitzgerald Field House on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. This year's main event will happen at 6 p.m. and involve two matches at both the 138 and 195-pound weight classes, while absent matches at 113 and 195 pounds due to lack of likely available coverage for either Team USA or Pennsylvania seniors. The undercard bout will start at 4 p.m. and feature wrestlers from the WPIAL against those from Maryland. Selections for the WPIAL and Pennsylvania teams will come promptly after the PIAA state finals conclude on Saturday, March 7th. The Maryland team will be announced right around that time as their state tournament also takes place that weekend. Below is the Team USA squad, along with InterMat ranking as of Feb. 19. 120: No. 10 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) 126: No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII, N.J.) 132: No. 2 Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) 138: No. 3 Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.) and No. 5 Cael Happel (Lisbon, Iowa) 145: No. 3 Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.) 152: No. 1 Chase Saldate (Gilroy, Calif.) 160: No. 1 Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.) 170: No. 5 (at 182) Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.) 182: No. 3 John Poznanski (Colonia, N.J.) 195: No. 4 Silas Allred (Shenandoah, Ind.) and No. 5 Gabe Christenson (Southeast Polk, Iowa) 220: No. 1 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.)

February 15 was one of the biggest nights of the season for college wrestling. This past Saturday night, two marquee Big Ten dual meets were held back-to-back. It was a memorable and magical night for the sport. Ohio State wrestled at Penn State in front of a sellout crowd of nearly 16,000 fans in State College. The Iowa-Minnesota dual followed before a huge crowd of more than 12,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Both duals featured huge crowds and electric atmospheres. Not only that, both matches were televised live on the Big Ten Network. No doubt, the sport received plenty of exposure that night. There were a lot of people watching. With perennial powers Iowa and Oklahoma State set to meet this weekend, let's take a look at some of the best rivalries in college wrestling. Here is the list we came up with and it's in no particular order: Spencer Lee gets in on a shot against Oklahoma State's Nick Piccininni (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Iowa vs. Oklahoma State The Hawkeyes and Cowboys are the two winningest, by far, programs in college wrestling history. Oklahoma State has won 34 national titles and Iowa 23. The most recent meeting between the teams saw the Cowboys beat the visiting Hawkeyes last year before 13,000-plus fans in Stillwater. OSU's Nick Piccininni pinned national champion Spencer Lee in the marquee match of the dual. Piccininni and Lee are expected to meet again this weekend at 125 pounds. Top-ranked Iowa is heavily favored to win this year's dual with OSU, but it's always compelling when these power programs battle. Former Augsburg coach Jeff Swenson holds up the Swens/Milboy Belt in 2019 (Photo/David Peterson) Wartburg vs. Augsburg These schools don't offer athletic scholarships and compete at the NCAA Division III level, but no collegiate rivalry is better than the Battle of the Burgs. The teams have won every DIII national team title over the past quarter-century and both programs are still elite. Top-ranked Wartburg edged No. 2 Augsburg earlier this month before a boisterous sellout crowd in Waverly, Iowa. This rivalry continues to deliver with outstanding battles between the powerhouse small-college programs. Cornell vs. Lehigh This has been one of the best rivalries for more than half a century between Eastern programs with long and storied histories. Lehigh initially was the bigger power on the national stage, but Cornell has been a consistent title contender over the past decade with star wrestlers like Kyle Dake, Gabe Dean and Yianni Diakomihalis. The Cornell-Lehigh dual remains one of the very best with large crowds gathering each year when these two perennial powers meet. Cornell has dominated the series in recent years, but Lehigh has won the last two duals in the series. The Mountain Hawks prevailed 19-14 this season when Lehigh heavyweight Jordan Wood won the final match of the dual. Penn State vs. Iowa This has developed into a must-see match when these two teams meet. The Nittany Lions have developed a dynasty in the past decade by winning eight national titles. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 1 this year, and won a close home dual over Penn State this year. The 165 battle between two-time national champion Vincenzo Joseph of PSU and two-time All-American Alex Marinelli of Iowa was worth the price of admission. Joseph prevailed after falling to Marinelli the previous two seasons. This year's Penn State-Iowa dual came down to heavyweight where Iowa's Tony Cassioppi prevailed as the Hawkeyes rallied for a 19-17 victory. Huge crowds and edge-of-your-seat drama have become the norm when these two super powers meet. Both teams have loaded rosters and this rivalry will continue to thrive over the next decade and beyond. Army vs. Navy This likely can apply for just about any sport when Army faces Navy, but it's always a fierce battle when the two service academies meet on the wrestling mat. The level of competition is typically high and it will be again when these teams meet this weekend in Annapolis. It should be another entertaining match to watch between these long-time athletic rivals. Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina State The Atlantic Coast Conference has become much more relevant in wrestling and these two programs are a big reason why. Both schools have won trophies with top-four finishes at the NCAA tournament. And they've had some excellent battles in dual meets, including this year. North Carolina State edged Virginia Tech 21-18 on Valentine's Day in Raleigh, N.C. Second-ranked Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech topped No. 3 Trent Hidlay 3-1 in the featured bout at 184 pounds. Franklin & Marshall regained the Rupp Cup this year (Photo/Franklin & Marshall Athletics) Franklin & Marshall vs. Millersville This is a matchup not as many people know about, but the battle for the Rupp Cup is definitely a good one when these teams meet. Franklin & Marshall regained the Rupp Cup on its senior night after earning a 23-10 win over Millersville this past Thursday in Lancaster, Pa. The teams meet annually for the battle of the Rupp Cup in honor of Lancaster County wrestling patriarch Ted Rupp, a Franklin & Marshall alum who maintained strong ties to both his alma mater and Millersville University. In 1948-49, Rupp coached both Millersville and F&M, finishing with a 20-2 combined record. There is no love lost between Iowa and Iowa State (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Iowa vs. Iowa State Growing up as a wrestling fan in Iowa in the 1970s and 1980s, the Iowa-Iowa State dual was something you didn't want to miss. They used to dual each other twice a year and there were some epic battles. The big win by Iowa's Jim Zalesky after ISU's Nate Carr bumped up a weight class stands out as one of the most memorable. Zalesky and Carr each won three NCAA titles, but Carr's move up to face Zalesky at 158 didn't go well. Zalesky overpowered Carr by a 20-5 score in the 1982 dual at Hilton Coliseum. One of the more memorable wins for ISU came in 1981 when the No. 3 Cyclones upset No. 1 Iowa at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State led 19-14 heading into the heavyweight bout. Iowa's Lou Banach needed to win by fall and was leading 9-0 when he tried to cradle Dave Osenbaugh to his back. But Osenbaugh countered and caught Banach on his back for a dramatic fall. Cyclone fans stormed the mat after the landmark win for Iowa State. Ohio vs. Kent State They call it the Grudge Match and it has lived up to its billing over the years. The Ohio-Kent State matches have been compelling and hard-fought, including the most recent dual this season. For the second straight time, Ohio claimed Grudge Match bragging rights this season after earning a 26-17 triumph over rival Kent State. You can't help but love rivalries like this. Especially ones with a cool name like they have. Penn State vs. Ohio State These Big Ten rivals have had many outstanding matchups over the past decade. The Buckeyes are the only other program to win NCAAs besides Penn State since 2011. The teams had another hard-fought battle last weekend with Penn State winning 20-16 before a crowd of 15,995 fans at home. Second-ranked Nick Lee of PSU rallied from an early deficit to defeat No. 1 Luke Pletcher 8-4 in the featured bout at 141 pounds. It was another entertaining dual to watch. National champion Mark Hall of Penn State showed off his explosive capability by recording an impressive early fall. North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State This rivalry goes back many years to when they battled in Division II as North Central Conference rivals. The 2001 DII nationals came down to the final match at heavyweight when the Bison and Jackrabbits met in the last match of the tournament to determine the team champion. NDSU prevailed to win the title. The teams now compete in Division I and both programs have enjoyed success at the top level. SDSU's Seth Gross won a DI national title in 2018 and the Jackrabbits have had a strong season during the 2019-20 campaign. The long-time border rivals are scheduled to meet again Friday night in Brookings, S.D. Iowa vs. Minnesota When Iowa assistant coach J Robinson left to take over as the head coach at Minnesota, it wasn't long before the Gophers became relevant on the national level. And it wasn't long before they developed a rivalry with the powerhouse program just to the south of them. Iowa and Minnesota have had many epic battles on the mat. The most memorable performance for Minnesota came at the 2001 NCAA tournament. The Gophers had a record 10 All-Americans while edging Iowa to win the national team title at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. In the most recent meeting, No. 1 Iowa rolled past Minnesota 35-6 before 12,608 fans on Saturday night in Iowa City. Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma This long-standing dual meet between traditional Big Eight/Big 12 rivals is known as Bedlam. These proud and powerful programs have had many epic battles over the years featuring standouts John and Pat Smith at Oklahoma State and Dave and Mark Schultz at Oklahoma. When you think of college wrestling, the state of Oklahoma is always one of the first areas of the country that comes to mind. This dual is always one that is worth the price of admission. It's one of the best rivalries in the sport. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- As a nationally ranked program, the Johnson & Wales University wrestling team is very selective in its recruiting. Nine-year-old Daine Johnson's fight and determination caught the attention of JWU head coach Lonnie Morris and on Monday he was officially signed to the Wildcats through Team IMPACT. Daine JohnsonTeam IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 2,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom. A native of North Providence, RI, Johnson is courageously batting Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Also known as brittle bone disease, Osteogensis Imperfecta is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the bones. It results in bones that break easily. The severity may be mild to severe. As a team member, Johnson attends JWU practices, meets, team dinners, events, and more. He's served as honorary captain at both Wildcat home meets this winter. Ranked ninth in the country, the Wildcats will go for their fourth-straight NCAA Northeast Regional championship, Feb. 29-March 1, at Rhode Island College.

Pat Downey at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Pat Downey, junior college wrestling champ, NCAA All-American and 2019 U.S. World Team member, will be participating in two top-of-the-card matches at the BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Jiu Jitsu Times reported Sunday that Downey will face Gordon Ryan, ADCC Submission Fighting World Federation Champion, in two types of matches -- first, a Brazilian jiu jitsu match with no time limit, with winner to be determined by submission only … immediately followed by a freestyle wrestling match under international rules. The Ryan-Downey main event matches -- as well as the rest of the BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix -- will be streamed live on FiteTV. Both contestants shared news about their participation at the Feb. 29 Leap Day event on social media. Downey tweeted the following: Ryan, 24, is a two-time gold medalist at the 2017 and 2019 ADCC World Championships. The New Jersey native earned two gold medals (+ 97.5 kilograms/214 pounds; absolute) at the 2018 No-Gi World Championships, as well as two golds in the same categories at the 2018 No-Gi Pan American Championships. Downey brings an amateur wrestling background to the event. The 28-year-old Baltimore native won two Maryland high school state titles before heading west to Iowa, where he was a 2015 NCJAA national champion at Iowa Central Community College. As an Iowa State wrestler, Downey then earned NCAA Division I All-American honors by placing fifth in the 197-pound bracket at the 2016 NCAAs at Madison Square Garden in New York. Since being released from the Cyclones in Feb. 2017, Downey has concentrated on freestyle competition. At the 2019 World Championships, Downey placed ninth at 86 kilograms/189 pounds.