InterMat Staff

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees approved Friday (Feb. 14) the recommendation for the NMU Department of Athletics to begin a women's wrestling program. Northern will be the first public university in Michigan to sponsor women's wrestling as an NCAA scholarship level program. The team will compete as a club during 2020-21 and will move to NCAA Division II intercollegiate varsity status starting in fall 2021. "Northern has a tradition-rich history in women's wrestling at the Olympic level and men's wrestling at both the NCAA and Olympic levels," said Forrest Karr, NMU director of athletics. "We are excited to bring women's freestyle wrestling back to campus." Northern hosted women's wrestling as a non-NCAA varsity sport from fall 2004 through spring 2012. It was part of NMU's then U.S. Olympic Education Center and was under the direction of USA Wrestling. The program saw a total of 76 women participate, including Olympians Randi Miller (bronze medalist, Beijing 2008), Adeline Gray (Rio 2016) and Helen Maroulis (gold medalist, Rio 2016). Additionally, the program had team members who garnered 29 National Championship gold medals, 14 World or Pan American medals and five USA Wrestling outstanding wrestler awards. The former team competed at the junior, university and senior world championship levels. Recently, the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition was created to bring the sport of women's wrestling through the NCAA "emerging sport" process, which is the first step toward official recognition of the sport by the NCAA and toward the eventual creation of an NCAA championship event for participating programs. During the Division II Business Session at the NCAA Convention in Anaheim, Calif., held in January 2020, women's freestyle wrestling was added to the emerging sports for women list. "Being added to the emerging sports list was a big step because it will accelerate the process of reaching 40 institutions sponsoring women's wrestling, which will enable the NCAA to offer a championship tournament for the sport," said Karr. Karr said a coach will be hired during summer 2020 and will have the opportunity to recruit student-athletes throughout the 2020-21 academic year. "We plan to renovate locker room space and we are fortunate that our facilities can otherwise accommodate the new women's wrestling program without a major building project," he said. Karr also noted that as Northern's female population within the university student body has grown over the years, adding women's wrestling will help the institution continue to make sure that the numbers of men and women participating in intercollegiate athletics are substantially proportionate to overall enrollment. "Providing participation opportunities at rates proportionate to university enrollment is an important component of Title IX," said Karr. Including women's wrestling, Northern will offer 18 NCAA sports -- 11 for women and seven for men -- as of the 2021-22 academic year. The department currently sponsors 17 NCAA sports. NMU also offers men's Greco-Roman wrestling and men's and women's weightlifting as part of its National Training Site. Beginning in fall 2020, NMU will also sponsor men's and women's alpine ski teams, which will compete as varsity members of the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association, and a coed esports team, which will be a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports.

Ryan Epps is ranked No. 2 at 157 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Augsburg coach Jim Moulsoff knows it won't be easy to say goodbye to Ryan Epps. The two-time national champion embodies everything you want in a successful student-athlete. Epps is one of the leaders on the loaded Augsburg College wrestling team and he also excels in the classroom. Epps, a senior from Cannon Falls, Minn., has compiled a remarkable 136-12 career record in college. Seven of those losses came his freshman year. "Ryan's the hardest working kid," Moulsoff said. "He never stops moving forward and looking to score. He's relentless." Epps, who competes at 157 pounds, is one of four returning national champions in the powerful Augsburg lineup. The Auggies also feature two-time national champion Lucas Jeske (165) along with national champions David Flynn (141) and Lance Benick (197). "It's nice to have guys on our team who have similar mindsets of wanting to be successful -- I think each guy feeds off that," Epps said. "Everyone is buying into what we're doing and everyone is working hard." Augsburg has 120 points back from the team that rolled to the NCAA Division III team title in 2019. "Last year, we did a great job peaking at the right time and wrestling to our potential," Epps said. "We're working hard to do the same thing again this season." Epps is 24-1 this season and ranked No.2 nationally at 157 pounds. His lone loss was an 8-4 setback to fourth-ranked Brandon Murray of Loras at the National Duals. All-American Grant Zamin of Wisconsin-La Crosse is ranked No. 1 at 157. The Auggies were ranked No. 1 before falling to rival Wartburg College at the National Duals. The teams battled again in a dual meet at top-ranked Wartburg on Feb. 6. The Auggies, wrestling without Jeske and Benick, fell 19-14 to the Knights. Augsburg and Wartburg have won every Division III national team title since 1995. The Auggies have won 13 championships, one fewer than their rivals from northeast Iowa. "It's a great rivalry with Wartburg," Epps said. "They always push us to get better. The loss we had to them at National Duals showed us where we were at and let us know what we need to work on. It's a fun atmosphere whenever we wrestle. It's always a battle." Epps began his college career by going 34-7 as a freshman. He fell one win short of being an All-American. He's only lost a combined five times since then while capturing a pair of national crowns. "I made it to the blood round my freshman year, but I wrestled defensively and paid the price at nationals," he said. "I was wrestling not to lose instead of wrestling to win. I made sure the next year it didn't happen again." Anybody who steps on the mat to face Epps knows they are going to be in for a grueling, seven-minute battle. "I push the pace and I don't want to give my opponent a break," he said. "I like to wrestle a physical style. I wrestle aggressively and keep the pressure on." Now Epps is down to the final few weeks of his senior season. "It's been a fun experience at Augsburg," he said. "I've taken on more of a leadership role this year and helped some of the younger guys adapt to college wrestling. It's been an enjoyable season. I'm just trying to keep improving and finish strong." Epps and Jeske have provided a lethal 1-2 punch at the DIII level, winning back-to-back national titles at 157 and 165 in 2018 and 2019. "Lucas is a tough wrestler who is really solid in all three positions," Epps said. "He's had a great career. It would be awesome to win back-to-back titles with him again." Epps is an Academic All-American who carries a 3.4 grade-point average while studying exercise science and physical therapy. He hopes to move on to graduate school after earning his degree at Augsburg. Before that happens, Epps has two final goals left to achieve. Lead his team to another national championship and win a third straight individual national title. Marcus LeVesseur is the only wrestler in school history to win three NCAA Division III titles. He went on to capture a fourth championship for Augsburg in 2007. Epps and Jeske can become the second and third Auggies to win three national titles apiece. "That would be really cool," Epps said. "That is some elite company and it would be special to do it. It's what I've been working for my whole career. Hopefully, I can finish with another title." 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.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Greensboro College will offer women's wrestling as a varsity intercollegiate sport beginning in Fall 2020. It will be the first college or university in North Carolina to do so. The proposal was approved Feb. 12 by President Lawrence D. Czarda, Ph.D., on the recommendation of Robin Daniel, interim director of athletics. "This is a great opportunity for young women wrestlers, especially in the state of North Carolina," said head wrestling coach Kevin Birmingham, who will coach both the men's and the women's teams. "The sport is really taking off at the high-school level, and where are those women going? I want them to come to Greensboro College." Greensboro College, which competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III, began its men's wrestling program in 2015. Costs to add a women's team will be minimal, with space and equipment already on hand. Division III schools, typically among the smallest, do not offer athletic scholarships. The NCAA has designated women's wrestling as an "emerging sport," one that it recognizes but for which it does not yet have sanctioned championships. Women's wrestling has been an Olympic sport since 2004. High-school girls' wrestling is the fastest-growing girls' sport in the country, particularly in the southeastern U.S. Nationally, the number of high school girls participating in wrestling grew from 804 in 1994 to 21,124 in 2019, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Currently, 20 states have sanctioned women's state wrestling championships. A regional high school girls' wrestling match this past weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum drew 180 competitors this year, up from 82 at the inaugural event in 2019. Birmingham was named the Pride's head wrestling coach in 2019 after joining the staff as an assistant coach in 2017. Previously he had coached at Green Hope High School in Cary, N.C., where three of his wrestlers reached the state championships, while his team made the state duals for the first time in six seasons. Birmingham wrestled collegiately at Division I Davidson College, where he tallied 54 wins and 34 pins and qualified for the 2014 national tournament. For more information on Greensboro College women's wrestling, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.

Seven years ago this week the executive board of the International Olympic Committee voted to recommend that wrestling be removed from the Olympic program, starting with the 2020 Games in Tokyo. The announcement triggered the international "Save Olympic Wrestling" movement, which raised more than $5 million, launched press awareness events on five continents, and led to leadership changes which would drive a fundamental restructuring of the sport. As we can clearly see today their decision is a watershed moment in the story of man's oldest and greatest sport. To avoid exclusion wrestling was asked to make big, structural changes. There was a request made to become more gender equitable, leading to 6-6-6, a clear and equal distribution of weight categories among the styles. Rules were also overhauled, including the removal of the ball draw and the reintroduction of the two-point takedown (yes, step outs and takedowns were once equally scored!). For years the IOC had complained they were too complicated, and the sport made too boring -- turns out they were right. During the nine-month campaign wrestling fans who were more focused on their traditional styles were suddenly privy to live streaming events, competition photos, a revamped website, updated results, and behind-the-scenes videos. The sport which once competed as though it were alone in a dark closet, suddenly had the confidence to take center stage. Wrestling also elected a new president. Nenad Lalovic oversaw improved relationships with the IOC and sought its funding to ensure that more nations could participate in a larger number of events. No question, what happened seven years ago left its mark on the sport. The emotional turmoil was real, but so are the positive results: more athletes, from more nations, competing more often and for more attention and funds. Our sport is far from perfect, but with good governance has come the opportunity to grow and adapt. We won't be able to predict the future, but the structure and leadership in place today makes it possible for us to look back fondly on those stress-filled 254 days and realize that the exclusion and fight to get back in made us stronger and helped shape and improve the lives of millions of young men and women. To your questions … J'den Cox at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What do you think of J'den Cox going up to 97 kilograms? -- Brian N. Foley: After months of speculation, J'den Cox took to YouTube to announce his decision to compete at 97 kilograms for the 2020 Olympic cycle. The choice to go up and face five-time world and Olympic medalist Kyle Snyder was somewhat surprising to some fans since Cox isn't a large 92-kilogram wrestler and had won bronze at 86 kilograms during the 2016 Olympic Games. I won't make any predictions on who will win the spot because I think it's important to see first how Cox looks up at 97 kilograms. I will say that (as with David Taylor) going to 86 kilograms it's vital that Cox maintain his lean muscle. He's far too close to meaningful competition to try to add muscle to his frame. While he can add the muscle, his body won't know how to oxygenate the new mass for some time. For that reason, he's better off wrestling 97 kilograms while weighing in a few pounds lighter than he is to put on weight, or even compete at a walking around weight. The other feedback from wrestling fans has been to moan about there not being a 92-kilogram weight in the Olympic Games, nor enough weight classes overall. While I'm sure it would be nice to have a few more weights, remember that there are a full 30 weights up for grabs in three out of four years (all 30 if there is a non-Olympic World Championships), and that the IOC pays an exorbitant amount of money to the international federation for their participation in those Olympics. Given any other name I think most wrestling fans would agree that receiving $20mm (cash, support, and in-kind) for participation in a two-week event every four years is a pretty sweet deal. Add in that the alignment with the Olympics is what funds a vast majority of wrestling programs via National Olympic Committees who value earning medals at the event. More is better, sure. But what we have we can expand and what we put out on the mat can continue to improve. Case in point is Cox vs. Snyder. The United States will win a medal at 97 kilograms and because Cox has gone up those chances are only improving since the national competition will force our best to train even harder and with more focus. Cox is a role model in the sport and a fantastic competitor. No matter the outcome of the match, it's inspiring to see him challenge himself and push the sport to the next level. Q: What were your takeaways from Helen Maroulis' return to competition? Assuming she makes the Olympic team, what is her path to another Olympic gold? -- Mike C. Foley: Helen! I was thrilled to see our Olympic champion back on the mat and competing with gusto. Helen is a self-aware, emotional competitor who wrestles with her heart on her singlet. Sometimes that's beneficial and other times it's hurt her performance. As of late, she seems to be having a more positive experience. Helen's path to Olympic gold isn't terrible. Risako Kawai is the world champion at 57 kilograms but has looked subpar in her last several international appearances. Ningning Rong of China is strong and among the world's toughest competitors, but she's also very beatable. Odunayo of Nigeria has given Helen problems in the past, but she's someone Helen has beaten and can beat again. The scarier wrestlers might be Anastasia Nichita of Moldova and Pooja Dhanda of India. Both are limited in the arsenal of moves, but they strike in a hiccup and are incredibly physical. If Helen goes out flat, she's at risk of being put in a bad position. Winning two gold medals is outrageously hard no matter the person, year, or situation. Even money, I'll take Helen to win a medal in Tokyo. Like most wrestling fans, I'm ready to cheer for her success in Ottawa and beyond. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Victory & Defeat: Greco-Roman Highlights from European Championships Cox explains choice to go up to 97 kilograms Q: So many competitive weights at the Olympic Trials. Who do you see as the safest bet to make the team in each of the three styles? -- Mike C. Foley: Safest bet to make Team USA and be qualified for the Olympic Games in each style. Freestyle is David Taylor. He's the best wrestler in the weight by a pretty large margin and will probably qualify the weight next month in Ottawa. Women's wrestling is Adeline Gray. She's qualified the weight, is the two-time defending world champion, and won't have a significant challenge at the Olympic Team Trials. Greco-Roman is a bit more difficult. Maybe Ellis Coleman. The 67-kilogram weight class is pretty cleared out for him since Ismael Borrero Molina is qualified and there aren't any Cuban ex-pats competing in Ecuador, Brazil, or Venezuela. He'd still need to keep his spot at the qualifiers, but when you look at other weights it's even less certain. Adam Coon has an enormously difficult bracket. He's lost to Chile and Venezuela, and the Brazilian is an Armenian who is also pretty good. The margins are so thin in Greco and at heavyweight that there are no guarantees. However, if he qualifies the weight, I feel confident he can hold on to the starting spot. Q: Did you see Mark Branch's comments on team-point deductions and yelling at officials? Do you agree or disagree? -- Mike C. Foley: He's right. No referee should have the right to deduct a team point during a dual meet competition. The matches are already very tight, and one match can swing the team score in wild directions. If a coach or athlete acts inappropriately, they should be warned via a yellow and red card system, with red cards being ejections. Add a small fine to ensure that coaches don't blow past the red card and you'll be sure to see better behavior mat side. If the NCAA wants to maintain point deductions as a deterrent, then they need to have incredibly tight language on what is and is not allowed to be said or done mat side. Also, the calls must be up for review since it's highly consequential and many times there are misinterpretations that lead to these deductions. Coaches can certainly chill out a bit, but that will also come with better oversight and direction on what they can and cannot say/do on the mat. COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Jon G. I got to watch Penn State wrestle Wisconsin on Friday night (on TV). Congrats to BTN on great coverage and solid announcing, such a good thing for wrestling overall. Some very fun matches to watch. One thing I was struck by though was broad inconsistencies in how top wrestling was officiated and called (or more importantly not called) for stalling. At 125 pounds, it turned into the classic buc'em bronco boring ride out. The wrestler from Wisconsin hung on a claw/spiral ride with no attempt to risk leaving parallel or to work any turns or pinning combinations. The official barely commented, and there was at most one warning of stalling. This was a prime situation in my mind to be starting these guys back on their feet for inaction, or for properly calling stalling on the top wrestler. At 141 pounds, Nick Lee put on a clinic of top wrestling that was impressive to watch. Only a few guys I've seen over the years were that vicious (Jesse Jantzen, J Jaggers, Derek Moore, Kyle Dake, Zain Retherford). He worked the angles, and clearly was trying to work to score points and pin every second on top. He was never warned for stalling, and should not have been. Then at 165 pounds, Vincenzo Joseph put together an impressive match and majored Evan Wick, and was working hard on top ... yet the official repeatedly was telling both wrestlers to keep working and improving, while they clearly already were. All told I finished watching the meet blown away at how inconsistently the exact same position was called in just one dual meet, and how that made for an inconsistent and confusing viewing experience. And that's coming from someone with over 25 years of experience with the sport. For a lay-viewer I'd imagine that their understanding of what should or should not be called as stalling on the mat would be muddled at best. There's a lot of talk here about improving the rules, which I've commented on agree with needs to happen, but equally, how do we improve consistency in officiating to thus incentivize the wrestlers to adhere to the spirit of the rules and not just the letter.

STANFORD, Calif. -- No. 13 Stanford won eight of 10 bouts in a dominating 38-10 win over Little Rock, Thursday, at Burnham Pavilion. Stanford improved to 11-2 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. Little Rock, which is in its inaugural season of wrestling and is the newest member of the Pac-12, dropped to 1-7 overall and 0-2 in the conference. During the intermission, Stanford recognized its five seniors -Jake Barry, Brandon Kier, Trevor Rasmussen, David Showunmi and Gabriel Townsell - as it was the final regular-season home dual on The Farm. The teams traded forfeits to start the dual. The Trojans then took a 10-6 lead with a major decision at 133 pounds. True freshman Fabian Santillan pulled the Cardinal to within one with an 11-7 decision over Conner Ward at 141 pounds. It marks the first collegiate dual win for Santillan. Redshirt junior Requir van der Merwe gave the Cardinal the lead with a 7-1 decision over Tyler Brennan at 149 pounds. van der Merwe improved to 9-4 on the season and 2-2 in duals. Redshirt sophomore Ethan Woods turned in a 10-2 major decision over Tommy Lisher at 157 pounds. Woods is now 9-5 overall and 2-0 in duals for the Cardinal. Redshirt freshman Gabe Dinette also registered a major decision, defeating Will Edgar, 8-0, at 165 pounds. Dinette is now 6-2 overall and 2-0 in duals. Redshirt sophomore Foster Karmon was the first of three straight first-period falls for the Cardinal. At 174 pounds, Karmon recorded a fall in 2:49 over Tristan Tadeo. It was the fourth fall of the year for Karmon, who is now 13-8 overall. True freshman Nick Addison was next with a fall in 1:38 over Matthew Muller at 184 pounds. It was the first career pin for the Fair Haven, New Jersey native. True freshman Seamus O'Malley closed out the dual with a fall in 1:07 over Dylan Johnson at 197 pounds. It was the fifth fall of the year for O'Malley, who improved to 8-4 overall and 3-1 in duals. Up next, Stanford closes out its dual season over the weekend, traveling to North Dakota State on Saturday and South Dakota State on Sunday. Results: 125 Jayden Carson (LR) won by forfeit FF 133 Paul Bianchi (LR) maj. dec. Luciano Arroyo (STAN) 18-8 141 Fabian Santillan (STAN) dec. Conner Ward (LR) 11-7 149 Requir van der Merwe (STAN) dec. Tyler Brennan (LR) 8-1 157 Ethan Woods (STAN) maj. dec. Tommy Lisher (LR) 10-2 165 Gabe Dinette (STAN) maj. dec. Will Edgar (LR) 8-0 174 Foster Karmon (STAN) fall Tristan Tadeo (LR) F2:49 184 Nick Addison (STAN) fall Matthew Muller (LR) F1:38 197 Seamus O'Malley (STAN) fall Dylan Johnson (LR) F1:07 285 David Showunmi (STAN) won by forfeit FF

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Franklin & Marshall's wrestling team celebrated senior night with a commanding 23-10 win over Millersville on Thursday evening in Mayser, bringing the Rupp Cup trophy back to campus. The Diplomats improved to 5-6 while the Marauders fell to 7-10. Before the start of the annual rivalry, the Diplomats honored their six-member senior class of Cole Aaron, Brett Kulp, Emmett LiCastri, Reid Robilotto, Eli Smith, and Jimmy Stillerman. F&M's win over crosstown rival Millersville marked the ninth in the last 10 meetings over the Marauders. To read more about the history of the Rupp Cup, click here. Seven out of the 10 matchups on the night went the Diplomats way, including a pair of decision wins to open action by Cristiaan Dailey (149 pounds) and Noah Chan (157 pounds). Millersville cut the team score to 6-3 heading into 174 pounds where Emmett LiCastri racked up five takedowns in a 19-3 tech. fall win. A 6-4 decision by the Marauders at 184 pounds cut the F&M lead to 11-6 before the Diplomats rattled off three straight wins to put the contest out of reach for good. Ethan Seeley opened the run with a 3-0 decision at 197 pounds. He rode out his opponent for the entirety of the second frame before securing an escape in the third to clinch the bout. Cenzo Pelusi took his competitor the distance at 285 pounds as the score remained tied at 3-3 following all six overtime frames. The Diplomat heavyweight held the edge on riding time, earning the tiebreaker, and awarding three points to the F&M team score. Jose Diaz picked up a key takedown in the opening sudden victory period to capture a 5-3 decision win at 125 pounds, and Wil Gil collected four takedowns at 141 pounds to roll to a 10-3 decision win at 141 pounds. The Diplomats return to EIWA action on Sunday, traveling to Penn for a 7:00 p.m. contest in the Palestra. Results: 149: Cristiaan Dailey (F&M) over Jackson Erb (MILL) (Dec 4-2) 157: Noah Chan (F&M) over Brandon Connor (MILL) (Dec 4-3) 165: Jarrett Feeney (MILL) over Cole Aaron (F&M) (Dec 9-3) 174: Emmett LiCastri (F&M) over Malik Jackson (MILL) (TF 19-3 6:50) 184: Evan Morrill (MILL) over Crew Fullerton (F&M) (Dec 6-4) 197: Ethan Seeley (F&M) over Reece Muldoon (MILL) (Dec 3-0) 285: Cenzo Pelusi (F&M) over Joshua Walls (MILL) (TB-2 (RT) 3-3) 125: Jose Diaz (F&M) over Devin Flannery (MILL) (SV-1 5-3) 133: Jacob Lehman (MILL) over Jack Bruce (F&M) (MD 8-0) 141: Wil Gil (F&M) over Ryan McGuire (MILL) (Dec 10-3)

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Noah Gonser's major decision clinched No. 20 Campbell's 20-13 win over Appalachian State Thursday night inside Carter Gym. In a matchup of the only two unbeaten teams in SoCon action, the Camels (9-2, 5-0 SoCon) claimed four of the final five bouts to top the visiting Mountaineers (8-3, 5-1 SoCon). The win marked Campbell's seventh-straight, including five SoCon matches. CU trailed 10-6 at the midway point after App. State's Thomas Flitz notched a 6-3 decision at 174 pounds. From there, No. 6 Andrew Morgan sparked the charge with a 12-3 major decision to knot the team score at 10-all. At 197, Chris Kober extended the Campbell lead in dramatic fashion, working a decisive takedown with under 10 seconds on the clock to edge Demazio Samuel 4-3. No. 14 Jere Heino then outlasted No. 24 Cary Miller 3-2 in the night's only top-25 matchup, making it 16-10 Campbell heading into the final two weight classes. After Sean Carter brought App. State back within three at 16-13 with a 6-4 decision at 125 pounds, Gonser, ranked No. 8 nationally at 133 pounds, clinched the Campbell win with an 11-2 major decision, lifting the Camels to a 20-13 victory, their second straight over the Mountaineers. Five Camels remain at least 4-0 in SoCon action, including Gonser (5-0), Heil (4-0), Perez (5-0), Morgan (4-0) and Heino (5-0). Next up, Campbell will head to VMI on February 15, wrapping up the regular season on the road at Davidson on February 22. The 2020 SoCon Championships are set for March 8 in Boone, N.C. Results: 141: No. 10 Josh Heil (Campbell) over Bradley Irwin (App State) Dec 8-5 (3-0) 149: No. 22 Jonathan Millner (App State) over Jason Kraisser (Campbell) Dec 9-2 (3-3) 157: No. 20 Matt Zovistoski (App State) over Matthew Dallara (Campbell) MD 16-6 (3-7) 165: No. 18 Quentin Perez (Campbell) over Will Formato (App State) Dec 4-1 (6-7) 174: Thomas Flitz (App State) over Austin Kraisser (Campbell) Dec 6-3 (6-10) 184: No. 6 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) over Julian Gorring (App State) MD 12-3 (10-10) 197: Chris Kober (Campbell) over Demazio Samuel (App State) Dec 4-3 (13-10) 285: No. 14 Jere Heino (Campbell) over No. 24 Cary Miller (App State) Dec 3-2 (16-10) 125: Sean Carter (App State) over Korbin Meink (Campbell) Dec 6-4 (16-13) 133: No. 8 Noah Gonser (Campbell) over Codi Russell (App State) MD 11-2 (20-13)

Nick Lee is undefeated and has earned bonus points in all but one match this season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The dual season is starting to wind down as teams prepare for conference tournaments and ultimately the NCAA tournament. However, that does not mean there are not interesting matches going down. The following is a preview of the top individual matches that are scheduled to happen in duals this weekend. 125: No. 3 Patrick Glory (Princeton) vs. No. 9 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) Princeton wrapped up an Ivy League title last weekend with a rare victory over Cornell. This week they face another Ivy foe in Penn. Glory has started his sophomore season with a 19-0 record that includes tournament championships at the Princeton Open and the Midlands. Along the way Glory has bested the likes of No. 10 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), No. 5 Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) and No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State). Colaiocco has started all the way for Penn as a true freshman after coming out of Blair Academy. He has worked himself into the top 10 with victories over former teammate Chris Cannon (Northwestern), No. 7 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan) and No. 6 Devin Schroder (Purdue). Not only is Glory undefeated on the season, but he has won six-straight with bonus points since the Midlands. Colaiocco has been a tough out this season, but he will be up against it here. Glory's ability to score on the feet and from the top position will really allow him to run up the score and enter the postseason with momentum. Prediction: Glory (Princeton) major decision over Colaiocco (Penn) 133: Joey Silva (Michigan) vs. No. 14 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) Silva has only wrestled four matches this season, but he has won all four of those matches. In his last match, he got out to a big lead against Paul Glynn (Iowa). The Hawkeye staged a comeback and nearly got back into it, but Silva survived. Despite the limited schedule this season, Silva was a top recruit coming out of high school and went 7-1 during his redshirt season last year. Lovett lost four straight matches following the Cliff Kenn Invitational, but he has gotten back on track recently. He enters this match against Silva riding a four-match winning streak. During the stretch, he scored a second-period fall over Travis Ford-Melton (Purdue). In his last match Lovett took home a 4-2 decision over Cayden Rooks (Indiana). Silva's best win this year likely came over Garrett Pepple (Michigan State). Lovett has also recently knocked off Pepple, and he looked a bit more dominant in pulling it off. Both wrestlers came out of high school as highly ranked recruits, and they will likely see each other several more times over their college careers. Prediction: Lovett (Nebraska) decision over Silva (Michigan) 141: No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) This match between No. 1 and No. 2 is clearly the match of the weekend. Not only are both undefeated, but they have both been aggressive and pushing the pace this year. Pletcher has won 23 straight matches on the season, and he has knocked off a variety of ranked opposition. His list of wins includes No. 8 Chad Red (Nebraska), No. 4 Mitch McKee (Minnesota), No. 7 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin), No. 3 Real Woods (Stanford) and No. 5 Dom Demas (Oklahoma). Lee doesn't have quite the same resume on the year, but he is close. Not only has he also knocked off Moran, McKee and Red, but he has also put up bonus points in 15 of his 16 matches on the season. Last weekend he was able to score a fall over McKee before the match even made it to the second period. While Pletcher has been much more aggressive than in previous seasons so far this year, he can still slow it down for a tactical match when he needs to. Lee is always aggressive, but he might just shoot himself into trouble here. Look for Pletcher to hold position before picking a spot to counter on the way to winning a close match. Prediction: Pletcher (Ohio State) decision over Lee (Penn State) 149: John Millner (App State) vs. Jason Kraisser (Campbell) The rivalry between North Carolina and NC State is quickly becoming interesting on the wrestling mats. This match between Tar Heel State teams could also become more and more interesting as the programs continue to develop. Millner has somewhat flown under the radar this year, but he currently holds a 26-4 record. Since the Southern Scuffle, he has won seven straight matches. Despite not being ranked by InterMat, Millner is currently 13th in the RPI, and he seems to be on the way to qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Kraisser has taken some lumps during his true freshman season, but he has seemingly gotten on track recently. Since the Southern Scuffle, he has gone 7-1. During the streak, he picked up a big win over Lane Stigall (Oregon State). Millner and Kraisser met earlier this season and the App State wrestler took an 8-4 victory. Kraisser certainly has the talent, and the Campbell program has a track record of development. However, at this point, Millner should be able to pull this one out. Prediction: Millner (App State) decision over Kraisser (Campbell) 157: No. 16 AC Headlee (North Carolina) vs. Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) Headlee is a two-time national qualifier who has worked his way into the rankings with a 14-6 record. Since the Midlands, he has gone 5-2 with signature wins coming over No. 11 Markus Hartman (Army) and No. 18 BC LaPrade (Virginia Tech). During the stretch, his only two defeats came via decision against No. 4 Quincy Monday (Princeton) and No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (NC State). Rahmani spent a lot of time in the rankings this season after making it to the round of 12 at last year's NCAA tournament. While he has picked up some impressive wins including a fall over Josh Humphreys (Lehigh), he also has his share of losses against unranked wrestlers. It will be interesting to see if he is able to put it together for another postseason run after qualifying for three straight NCAA tournaments. Headlee has been the consistent one of these two this season. He has struggled to break through against the highest ranked wrestlers at this weight. However, he has pretty much handled his business against everyone else. Look for him to control this match and take a decision victory. Prediction: Headlee (North Carolina) decision over Rahmani (Pittsburgh) 165: No. 3 Shane Griffith (Stanford) vs. No. 11 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) Griffith has been able to run through his opposition this year. The redshirt freshman has a 24-0 record on the year. He has not faced a ton of ranked opposition, but he has pulled it out when given the opportunity. Griffith holds wins over No. 16 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), No. 15 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina), No. 7 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) and No. 8 Josh Shields (Arizona State). Fogarty is a three-time NCAA qualifier currently competing in his last season of collegiate wrestling. He has gone 16-2 on the year after putting up a 22-6 record last year. The North Dakota State wrestler has won all four of his matches since the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Fogarty has picked up ranked wins over No. 19 Phillip Conigliaro (Harvard) and No. 18 Shayne Oster (Northwestern). These two met earlier this season at the Roadrunner Open. Back in November, Griffith picked up his first big victory on the year as he scored an 8-1 decision over Fogarty. Things will likely go similarly this time, but it should still be a tough match. Prediction: Griffith (Stanford) decision over Fogarty (North Dakota State) 174: No. 17 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) vs. No. 10 Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) In the first Bedlam match of the season Mantanona was one of the bright spots for Oklahoma. He scored a sudden victory decision over Andrew Shomers in a match with a combined 18 points. Following that dual, Mantanona then won four straight matches including three falls. However, he has recently dropped a pair of matches against ranked opposition. In his last match Mantanona dropped a sudden victory match against No. 16 Sammy Colbray (Iowa State). Smith got a late start to his senior season. He made his debut at the Southern Scuffle, but he defaulted out. He then put on an uninspiring performance against Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa). However, that defeat must have been a wake up call. Since the loss, he has won five straight matches including wins over Colbray, Conor Flynn (Missouri) and No. 15 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming). These two met back during the 2018 season. Smith won a 14-7 match. Both wrestlers have experienced ups and downs since then. Smith remains the favorite, but Mantanona always seems to go for big moves and could easily take the upset. Prediction: Smith (Oklahoma State) decision over Mantanona (Oklahoma) 184: Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) vs. Trent Hidlay (NC State) Bolen was a national qualifier as a true freshman back in 2018. He then redshirted last year before returning to the lineup. His redshirt sophomore season has gotten off to a very good start. He currently holds a 21-1 record with his only loss coming against No. 4 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Since that tournament, he has gone on an eight-match winning streak and scored bonus points in half of those victories. Hidlay established himself as a contender early in the season as he bested Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) and Louie DePrez (Binghamton) in a single weekend. He has since lost a rematch against DePrez, but his only other defeat came against No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State). His season record currently stands at 21-2. While Bolen fell against Lujan at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Hidlay knocked off the veteran before falling in the finals against Valencia. Hidlay has looked ready to go since the start of the season, and he will be a tough out for all the top wrestlers at the end of the year. Prediction: Hidlay (NC State) decision over Bolen (Virginia Tech) 197: No. 12 Greg Bulsak (Clarion) vs. No. 13 Ethan Laird (Rider) This could easily turn out to be a preview of the MAC final. The two former EWL schools joined the conference in the offseason, and these two wrestlers represent two of the four ranked wrestlers in the conference along with No. 20 Wyatt Koelling (Missouri). Bulsak has gone 20-5 on the season, but he has not lost since dropping three matches at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He has picked up ranked wins over Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) and Jay Aiello (Virginia). Bulsak also holds a victory over Penn State redshirt Michael Beard. Laird likely wants to get back on track after falling in sudden victory last weekend in Rider's dual against in-state rival Rutgers. The defeat came via a 4-2 score against No. 18 Jordan Pagano. Laird's record currently stands at 21-6, and he holds victories over Beard and No. 14 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State). Both wrestlers have been dominant in duals this season with their only trouble coming at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Look for Bulsak to get the better of the exchanges and come away with a decision victory. Prediction: Bulsak (Clarion) decision over Laird (Rider) 285: No.1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 3 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) This match lost a bit of steam after Cassioppi dropped a match against No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) last weekend. However, it still remains a marquee match between some of the best heavyweights in the country. Steveson got a late start to the season, but he has quickly built a 10-0 record on the year. During the short season, he has already picked up victories over No. 9 Jordan Wood (Lehigh), No. 5 Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) and No. 15 Seth Nevills (Penn State). Prior to his loss against Parris, Cassioppi had won 15 matches to start his redshirt freshman season. He picked up five falls on the year and defeated the likes of Hilger, Nevills and Matt Stencel (Central Michigan). Both of these heavyweights have above average athleticism. This match will likely have several key scrambles that will determine the winner. Steveson has always had the advantage in their matches up to this point on the high school level, and this one will probably end up the same way. Prediction: Steveson (Minnesota) decision over Cassioppi (Iowa)

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- No. 24 Mizzou Wrestling captured the outright Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championship with a 35-7 win over SIU-Edwardsville Wednesday night (Feb. 12). The win improves the Tigers to 11-7 on the year and a perfect 8-0 in MAC competition. The Tigers have won 22 straight MAC duals since a 25-10 loss to Northern Iowa on Feb. 12, 2017. The Tigers have now won nine straight conference titles, including eight straight since joining the MAC. Mizzou will look to claim the MAC Tournament title from March 7-8 in Dekalb, Ill. In all, Mizzou won eight of 10 bouts Wednesday, including six bonus-point wins. Mizzou turned in three technical falls, one pin and two major decisions in the dominant win. With Wednesday's win, Mizzou ensured that Rider (6-1 MAC) could not catch the Tigers in the MAC team race. Top Tigers 165-pounder Peyton Mocco snapped a personal two-bout losing streak with a dominant 12-3 major decision over Chase Diehl. He now has a career-high 20 wins on the season and has three major decisions on the year. Nine of his 20 wins have come via bonus-point decisions. Senior 174-pounder Connor Flynn was one takedown short of a technical fall with a 17-4 major decision over Kevin Gschwendtner. Flynn is now 16-7 on the season with 10 bonus point wins. Senior 184-pounder Dylan Wisman improved to 15-7 on the year with his first technical fall of 2019-20, posting a 20-4 win in just 3:53 of action. Ranked No. 20 at 197 pounds, Wyatt Koelling earned his 19th win of the season and his first technical fall of the year over SIU-E's Aric Bohn, 17-2. 125-pounder Cameron Valdiviez earned his eighth pin of the year Wednesday. He needed just 47 seconds wo pin Matt Malavsky. His eight pins are a team-high. Cevion Severado posted a 22-7 technical fall win over Jake Blaha, improving to 8-3 on the season. It was his second technical fall of the year in his first MAC dual action of the season. Brock Mauller continued his impressive season with a 5-3, sudden-victory win at 149 pounds. He's 23-1 and has not lost since the year flipped to 2020. Alex Butler has now claimed two straight bout wins since Sunday, winning 3-2 Wednesday in Edwardsville. Hear from Coach Smith On Tonight's Dual… "I saw a lot of positives from our team tonight. All year, people have been coming up to me and telling me we're struggling and having a down year, but I don't look at it like that. I look at like we we are continuing to get better every week. I'm enjoying this season it because they are getting better every time out. I enjoyed watching us compete against Arizona State Sunday and I enjoyed watching it tonight. It was exciting to see Cam wrestle relaxed and Chevy (Cevion Severado) put on a clinic. Alex (Butler) has gotten two wins in a row and Dylan Wisman is wrestling lights out, which is good to see from a senior. Connor Flynn was great tonight as well." On claiming the MAC regular season title outright… "It's not easy to do. Everywhere we go, teams have their biggest crowds and we get every team's best shot every time we wrestle them. It's not something that I take for granted at all. Now we have to shift our focus to Iowa State, and then get ready for the MAC Tournament. Our goal every year is to win that title. I'm happy for our team." A Quick Recap After losing the opening bout of the dual at 157 pounds, Mizzou ran off four straight bout wins from 165 through 197, posting bonus-point wins in all four of those weights, including a pair of technical falls from Wisman and Koelling. That gave Mizzou an 18-4 lead moving into heavyweight. After dropping a tightly-contested heavyweight bout, the dual flipped back to the lightweights. At 125, Valdiviez righted the ship quickly, and rather literally. He needed just 47 seconds to pin Edwardsville's Matt Malavsky, extending Mizzou's lead to 24-7. Severado then picked up Mizzou's third technical fall of the dual at 133 pounds. class. He needed just 5:52 to earn a 22-7 win over Jake Blaha. Butler then moved his personal winning streak to two with a 3-2 win and Mauller closed the dual with a 5-3 win in the sudden victory period as Mizzou closed the dual by winning the final four bouts. Mauller is now 23-1 on the year and has yet to lose this calendar year. vs. SIU-Edwardsville 157: Phyllip DeLoach (11-6) vs. Justin Ruffin (21-6): L, 9-0 Major Decision | 0-4 165: Peyton Mocco (20-9) vs. Chase Diehl (6-16): W, 12-3 Major Decision | 4-4 174: Connor Flynn (16-7) vs. Kevin Gschwendtner (8-16) - W, 17-4 Major Decision | 8-4 184: Dylan Wisman (15-7) vs. Austin Andres (2-12): W, 20-4 Technical Fall (3:53) | 13-4 197: #20 Wyatt Koelling (19-5) vs. Aric Bohn (5-12): W, 17-2 Technical Fall (5:51) | 18-4 HWT: Jake Bohlken (10-11) vs. Colton McKiernan (12-8): L, 3-0 | 18-7 125: Cameron Valdiviez (16-7) vs. Matt Malavsky (1-8): W, Fall (0:47) | 24-7 133: Cevion Severado (8-3) vs. Jacob Blaha (0-11): W, 22-7 Technical Fall (5:52) | 29-7 141: Alex Butler (11-7) vs. Saul Ervin (10-13): W, 3-2 | 32-7 149: #5 Brock Mauller (23-1) vs. Tyshawn Williams (10-6): W, 5-3 (SV-1) | 35-7

Zahid Valencia leads the Most Dominant standings in Division I (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted for the awards they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. This week features the unveiling of standings for the Most Dominant Wrestler award, which features a 15-match minimum to qualify for the standings. In Division I, two-time national champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State holds the slimmest of leads over Penn State 141-pounder Nick Lee for the award. Valencia averages 4.89 team points per match, while Lee sits at 4.88. Princeton 125-pounder Pat Glory, Nittany Lion 174-pounder Mark Hall and Michigan heavyweight Mason Parris round out the top five. Two-time national champion Chris Eddins Jr., of Pittsburgh-Johnstown leads the Most Dominant Wrestler standings in Division II with an average of 4.83 points. McKendree 197-pounder Ryan Vasbinder and Central Oklahoma 184-pounder Heath Gray complete the top three in the division. Division III Most Dominant Wrestler is led by Stevens 149-pounder Brett Kaliner with an average of 5.52 points, while a pair of teammates from Coast Guard are in close pursuit with Nicholas Moreno and Patrick Irwin at 5.40 and 5.30 points, respectively. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of team points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows. Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss) Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss Last season's winner of the award for most falls in Division I is back in the lead looking for a repeat as Central Michigan heavyweight Matt Stencel posted a pair of falls, both in less than a minute, over Buffalo and Kent State last week. Cornell's Ben Darmstadt earned a fall over Penn to keep pace with 12 on the season in second. Tiffin 174-pounder Hayden Bronne, the 2018 winner in Division II for most falls, is pulling away as he looks for his second career award in this category. He is up to 18 falls on the season, five more than Fort Hays State's AJ Cooper and nine more than the next group of wrestlers in the standings. New England College's Evan Fidelibus tallied one fall last week to move to 20 on the season and within one of national leader Marvin Cunningham of JWU (Providence) in Division III. George Mason 141-pounder Alex Madrigal won 19-2 over Hofstra over the weekend to notch his Division I-leading 11th tech fall of the season and move three ahead of Iowa's Spencer Lee, Oklahoma State's Nicholas Piccininni and Princeton's Pat Glory. With a 20-4 victory over Central Missouri, McKendree 197-pounder Ryan Vasbinder increased his lead in Division II tech falls as his eight on the season are two more than Anthony Mancini of Nebraska-Kearney and Carlos Jacquez of Lindenwood (Missouri). A pair of technical falls over Penn College and Oswego State have moved SUNY Oneonta 141-pounder Ahken Chu into the national lead in Division III with 13 tech falls in a combined time of 49:26. The time is critical because that gives him the tiebreaker over Tyler Gazaway of Roger Williams and Stephen Maloney of Messiah who also have compiled 13 tech falls.

Turtogtokh Luvsandorj at the 2018 World Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Northern Colorado wrestling team has added volunteer assistant coach Turtogtokh Luvsandorj to the staff for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Luvsandorj comes by way of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he was born and raised. He moved to the United States in 2006, where he competed and attended high school at St. Benedictine High School in New Jersey. During his prep career, Luvsandorj captured a prep national title as well as NHSCA Senior National All American Honors, placing second. In college, Turtogtokh attended The Citadel Academy where he became the schools all-time leader in wins, with 134. He also garnered two Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year honors, culminating with two conference championships and an All-American finish in 2014 at 165 lbs. Luvsadorj also captured silver at University nationals and later a place on the Mongolian national team. In 2018, Luvsandorj was selected to the Mongolian World Cup team, and earned a fifth-place finish at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Turtogtokh also captured a bronze medal at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin tournament in Russia that year. Turtogtokh brings a wealth of wrestling knowledge to the program and will make an immediate impact on the tail end of the UNC line up, as well as make his own push for this Olympic cycle. Northern Colorado will be on the road this weekend for a pair of duals, starting with Utah Valley on Friday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.(MST) and Wyoming on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.

Iowa coaches Terry Brands, Ryan Morningstar and Tom Brands coaching in Iowa's dual against PSU (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa wrestling coaches Tom Brands, Terry Brands, and Ryan Morningstar have agreed to contract extensions to remain in Iowa City through the 2026 wrestling season, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair Gary Barta announced Wednesday. "We have great confidence in Tom, Terry and Ryan," said Barta. "They are committed to building on the current momentum and operating within our 'Win. Graduate. Do it Right.' philosophy." Tom Brands is in his 14th season as Iowa's head coach. He has won three NCAA team titles, four Big Ten Championships, and owns a dual record of 229-23-1 (.908). Iowa has crowned 12 NCAA individual champions and earned 72 All-America honors since 2007. Terry Brands is in his 22nd season on Iowa's staff. He was an assistant coach from 1992-2000, and returned to the staff in 2009. He has held the title of associate head coach since 2011. Morningstar has served as an assistant coach since 2012. The Hawkeyes are 11-0 this season, sitting atop the Big Ten Conference and ranked No. 1 in the country. Iowa's 2020 lineup includes 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 10, seven ranked in the top five, and two at the top of their respective weight classes, including Spencer Lee at 125 and Michael Kemerer at 174. Iowa has led the nation in attendance in each of Tom Brands' 13 seasons, and the University of Iowa announced Feb. 5 the Carver Circle fundraising campaign to build a new wrestling training facility south of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Duke Carrillo A former Texas high school wrestler who was a U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman 3rd Class (sophomore) died while taking the semi-annual physical readiness test on Saturday, Feb. 8. Duke Carrillo, 21, had wrestled at 285 pounds for Flower Mound High School in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth. Carrillo collapsed during the 1.5 mile run portion of the physical readiness test. "Initial responders provided exhaustive resuscitation efforts," according to the United States Naval Academy's Facebook page. "He was rushed to Anne Arundel Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased at 12:23 p.m. Circumstances surrounding the cause of his death are under review." Vice Adm. Sean Buck, 63rd Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy, said, "My wife, Joanne, and I join the Brigade, staff and faculty in mourning the sudden and tragic loss of Midshipman Duke Carrillo. Our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to the entire Carrillo family, and our extended Naval Academy family, during this extremely difficult time." Duke Carillo -- along with his twin brother Dylan -- reported to Annapolis for the Class of 2022 Induction Day in June 2018, after completing a year at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. He was a Quantitative Economics major (having earned a 4.0 last semester) who was an avid intramural athlete and a member of the Naval Academy's Flight Training Squadron, with aspirations of being a naval aviator. "Duke was an active member of 24th company; he was able to have a special and close relationship with each of his classmates and company mates," said 24th Company Officer Lt. Sara Lewis. "I am honestly able to say he was friends with everyone and uplifted those around him. Due to his calm and loving personality, he will be especially missed in 24th company." Duke Carillo's death was also being mourned back at Flower Mound High School. "Tonight, instead of celebrating our wins and losses, FMHS Wrestling will be mourning one of its own," was the message on the Facebook page for the Flower Mound High School Wrestling program. "If there was ever a wrestler that embodied either teams' values, it was Duke Carrillo. He is a true representation of what it takes to be the best. Duke is a two-time UIL 6A State qualifier, placing 3rd at the 2017 UIL 6A state tournament at 285lbs, he never once gave up." Nick Carrillo was survived by his parents, Gerald and Jennifer, and his brothers Dylan and Jake, both of them Naval Academy midshipmen. Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 13 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the United States Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Md. where a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, February 14 at 1 pm. Interment will follow in the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.

University of the Ozarks will launch a women's wrestling program beginning the 2020-21 academic year, Eagles Athletic Director Jimmy Clark announced this week. The program will be a club sport for the 2020-21 year and will move to an NCAA Division III varsity intercollegiate program starting in the fall of 2021, according to Clark. The new team will expand Ozarks' varsity sports offerings to 21 intercollegiate programs. The University has offered men's wrestling since 2014. The current men's wrestling head coach, LeRoy Gardner, will also lead the women's program. The University will hire an additional assistant coach to assist with the new program. "Women's wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in this country in both college and high school and we're excited about offering this opportunity for women who want to compete on the collegiate level," Clark said. "We've been considering adding it for a couple of years and with our men's wrestling program thriving, we felt it was the right time to add it. We've got the facilities and infrastructure in place, so it just seemed like a natural fit." In 2019, the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) sanction women's high school wrestling in Arkansas, becoming the 18th state to have the sport at the high school level. Nationally there were 2,980 high school sponsoring teams and 21,124 girls wrestling at the high school level in 2018-19, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. That's up 5,000 from the previous year. In addition, women's wrestling was voted in January as an Emerging Sport in NCAA Division III, a giant step toward it becoming an NCAA sanctioned championship-level sport in the near future. There are approximately 65 colleges and universities nationwide who sponsor NAIA or NCAA women's wrestling programs, including Lyon College in Arkansas. Gardner, a former NCAA Division III national champion wrestler at Wartburg College who was inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010, has watched the rapid growth of women's wrestling. "As a wrestler and a coach I have been excited about the growth of women's wrestling," Gardner said. "Now, even more so with the growth in the region and the opportunity to share with these student-athletes all the University of the Ozarks has to offer. It is an exciting time for our sport, campus and community." Clark said he hopes to have about 5-10 wrestlers in the program in the fall of 2020 as the team goes through a limited schedule as a club sport. "That will give us a full year to get the program completely up to speed and to prepare our student-athletes to compete on the varsity level," Clark said. Collegiate women's wrestling is currently classified as a winter sport, with competition beginning in October and running through February. The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) governs the sport and has overseen the national championships since 2008. Until the NCAA structure has been approved and implemented, Ozarks will join and compete in the WCWA. Women's wrestling has been an Olympic sport since 2004, and will be contested in its fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

J'den Cox at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) After much speculation, two-time world champion J'den Cox has announced his weight class for his 2020 Olympic run. Cox, who competed in the non-Olympic weight class of 92 kilograms, told USA Wrestling's Taylor Miller that he will be moving up to 97 kilograms, where he will have to go through Olympic champion and two-time world champion Kyle Snyder. "I want to live a tested life," Cox said. "This is part of my test. My goal is to reach my full potential. I believe 97 is where I'm finally going to reach it, or find it, or get closer to achieving that. But I'm excited. I think the world should be too." Watch the full interview below.

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion wrestling team (7-9, 4-2 MAC) won seven out of 10 bouts, including five straight to open the match, and cruised to a 25-11 victory over Drexel (6-9, 2-5 EIWA) on Monday night at Chartway Arena. "We're trying to get everyone to compete up to their level," head coach Steve Martin said after the victory. "I think our wrestlers that won competed up to their level tonight." The Monarchs took an 18-0 lead into the halftime intermission after winning the first five bouts of the dual, two of which resulted in bonus points for the team. No. 14 Killian Cardinale kicked off the ODU victory with a 7-3 win by decision over Antonio Mininno. Cardinale earned five of his seven points in the second period alone, earning an escape point and two takedowns in the two-minute frame. The redshirt sophomore then rode Mininno the entire third period to gain the riding time advantage and the victory, his fifth in a row. At 133 pounds, freshman Shannon Hanna II and Chase Shields were deadlocked at one point apiece for the majority of the final frame. It looked like the bout was heading towards overtime, but with three ticks on the clock left, Hanna took down Shields to walk away with a 3-1 victory, giving the Monarchs a 6-0 advantage. No. 18 Sa'Derian Perry earned his first technical fall victory of the year with an impressive 16-0 win over Julian Flores in just three minutes and 39 seconds of action. Perry earned a takedown 54 seconds into the battle, and proceeded to ride Flores the entire first period, earning a four-point near-fall on three separate occasions in the frame. The 14-0 advantage going into the second frame period meant that all Perry needed to do was earn a takedown to win the match, and he did 36 seconds into the period to add five more points to the ODU lead. Kenan Carter earned an 11-2 win by major decision to give the Monarchs their second-straight win that resulted in bonus points. Carter earned seven points in the third frame of his bout against Drexel's Vincent Foggia to reach the major-decision plateau. He kicked off the period with a quick escape point, followed by two takedowns. He earned two more points on a stalling call against Foggia and the riding time advantage. In the 157-pound bout, No. 10 Larry Early capped off the first half with a tight 3-2 win by decision over Parker Kropman. It was Early's 12th win in a 13-match span. The All-American earned a takedown in the first period, but Kropman earned two escape points that led to the two combatants entering the third frame tied at two. Early started the period on the bottom and earned an escape point with one minute and 46 seconds remaining on the clock, giving him a 3-2 advantage. The two wrestlers were locked into that score until the final horn, but with less than 10 seconds remaining in the bout, Drexel challenged that Kropman earned a takedown of the Monarch wrestler, which would have given the 157-pound Dragon a 4-3 lead and a restart at the time of the would-be takedown. The call on the mat stood, as did Early's 3-2 win, giving ODU its 18-0 halftime advantage. After the intermission, the Dragons put some points on the scoreboard in the 165-pound bout, where No. 18 Ebed Jarrell earned an 8-0 major decision victory over Shane Jones. Alex Cramer also suffered a major decision loss at the hands of No. 31 Michael O'Malley, 10-2. The two Drexel victories cut the ODU lead to 10 points with three bouts to go. Senior Antonio Agee stopped the Monarchs' momentary slide with bonus points of his own, earning a 10-0 major decision win over Owen Brooks in the 184-pound bout to clinch the match victory for ODU. Agee earned three takedowns, two stalling points, an escape point and a point for five minutes and 15 seconds worth of riding time in his dominating performance. After a Bryan McLaughlin 10-6 victory over Timothy Young at 197 pounds, freshman Jacob Bullock earned the first victory in front of the ODU faithful at Chartway Arena of his career, taking down Sean O'Malley in a 3-1 decision. Much like his classmate Hanna's win earlier in the contest, Bullock earned a late takedown to propel him to victory, taking down O'Malley with just four seconds left in the final frame. "We have to rebound very quickly after this win," Martin explained. "We wrestle again in four days on Friday night against Navy and on Sunday against George Mason, so it's going to be a quick turnaround." Up Next The Monarchs head north this upcoming weekend to take on another Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponent in Navy on Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Annapolis, Maryland. ODU will then travel to Fairfax, Virginia to take on Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe George Mason two days later on Sunday, February 16. Results: 125: #14 Killian Cardinale (ODU) dec. over Antonio Mininno (Drexel) 7-3 133: Shannon Hanna II (ODU) dec. over Chase Shields (Drexel) 3-1 141: #18 Sa'Derian Perry (ODU) TF over Julian Flores (Drexel) 16-0 (3:39) 149: Kenan Carter (ODU) MD over Vincent Foggia (Drexel) 11-2 157: #10 Larry Early (ODU) dec. over Parker Kropman (Drexel) 3-2 165: #18 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel) MD over Shane Jones (ODU) 8-0 174: #31 Michael O'Malley (Drexel) MD over Alex Cramer (ODU) 10-2 184: Antonio Agee (ODU) Md over Owen Brooks (Drexel) 10-0 197: Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel) dec, over Timothy Young (ODU)10-6 285: Jacob Bullock (ODU) dec. over Sean O'Malley (Drexel) 3-1

Gary Traub (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com Chad Dennis of The MatBoss Podcast visits with one of the viral phenoms of the 2019-20 season, Gary Traub of Ohio State. "Gas Tank Gary" as he's been dubbed, has become a fan favorite at heavyweight for his never quit attitude and his late-match heroics. Traub, a walk-on from Sycamore High School, earned a scholarship earlier this season and after being thrust into the starting lineup after Chase Singletary was lost for the year due to injury. Dennis talks with Traub about the sensation that it's become on Episode 47 of The MatBoss Podcast. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Podcasts | RSS

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- Using eight individual victories – including a Top-10 win from No. 19 Jordan Pagano (197) and another ranked triumph from JoJo Aragona (141) – No. 25 Rutgers wrestling (9-6, 3-5) defeated Rider (10-3, 6-1), 25-6, on Sunday night at Alumni Gym. The win secured the 14th consecutive winning dual season for the Scarlet Knights and 13th since head coach Scott Goodale took over the program in 2007. RU jumped out to a fast start, as it claimed the first four bouts of the evening from 125 through 149 pounds. Rutgers added four more wins out of intermission, highlighted by Pagano's upset 4-2 decision over No. 7 Ethan Laird in sudden victory. The Scarlet Knights won all three of their overtime matches on Sunday, including a sudden-victory decision from Gerard Angelo (149) and a thrilling 3-2 decision from Aragona over No. 25 Pete Lipari in tie breaker No. 4. No. 10 Sammy Alvarez (133) collected his fifth major decision of the season, while Nicolas Aguilar (125), Brett Donner (165), No. 12 Billy Janzer (184) and Alex Esposito (HWT) all worked decisions to help RU to its seventh consecutive win over Rider in the all-time series. "It was great to see our guys finish their matches from top to bottom," Goodale said. "We got an awesome start from 125 pounds and he just didn't stop from there. We train really hard week in and week out and I'm glad we were able to put it all out there tonight to get the victory." HOW IT HAPPENED • There was plenty of back-and-forth action throughout the night, beginning with Aguilar against Jonathan Tropea at 125 pounds. After he conceded two takedowns to Tropea in the first period and trailed 6-4 after the second, Aguilar rallied back in the final two minutes of the match. Aguilar landed a single-leg takedown with 55 seconds left in the final period for a 7-6 lead. After a Tropea escape and a stall call against his opponent, Aguilar caught Tropea with an ankle pic en route to an 11-7 decision. • Alvarez wasted no time in his bout with Chris Wright, using a takedown for an early 2-0 lead after the first. After working another takedown in the second and adding an escape in the third, Alvarez held a 5-0 advantage over Wright with the riding-time point locked up midway through the final period. Needing a takedown to secure the major, Alvarez landed the takedown out of the scramble with just three second to go for the 8-0 final. • Aragona followed against Lipari, who entered the weekend ranked No. 25 by FloWrestling. Both traded escapes in regulation to force sudden victory, as both went scoreless in the first four tiebreaker periods. After Lipari landed an escape in tie breaker No. 3 for a 2-1 lead, Aragona needed to counter in tie breaker No. 4 for a chance to tie or win. Aragona responded with a reversal at the buzzer for the 3-2 final. The decision made it 10-0 Rutgers through the first three bouts. • Angelo also forced overtime against his opponent after he was tied 1-1 with Gino Fluri. Angelo caught Fluri with a single leg with 22 seconds left in sudden victory, sweeping with his left leg for the takedown and a 3-1 decision. • Michael VanBrill (157) wrestled hard against No. 7 Jesse Dellavecchia in the following bout, but suffered 3-1 loss as RU held a 13-3 lead at intermission • Donner followed with a 5-3 decision over Joe Casey, while a tight 5-3 loss from Willie Scott (174) against No. 18 Dean Sherry made it 16-6 in favor of Rutgers. • The Scarlet Knights closed out the dual with three consecutive victories, beginning with Janzer against George Walton. Janzer used takedowns in the first and third periods to produce a 5-3 decision over Walton, which gave Janzer a team-high 43 dual points on the season. • Pagano faced Laird at 197 pounds, with his opponent ranked as high as No. 7 in the country by FloWrestling with a 21-5 record. With the score tied 2-2 after regulation, Pagano caught Laird with a single leg and drove him into the mat with 11 seconds left in sudden victory, then was awarded two points right at the buzzer for his biggest individual win of the season. • Esposito closed out the bout with a 7-4 decision over Ryan Cloud, as Rutgers exited Alumni Gym with a 25-6 road victory. Results: 125: 20/25/17 Nicolas Aguilar (RU) over NR/NR/31 Jonathan Tropea (RID) by decision, 11-7; RU leads 3-0 133: 9/10/9 Sammy Alvarez (RU) over Chris Wright (RID) by major decision, 8-0; RU leads 7-0 141: JoJo Aragona (RU) over NR/25/29 Peter Lipari (RID) by decision, 3-2 (TB4); RU leads 10-0 149: Gerard Angelo (RU) over Gino Fluri (RID) by decision, 3-1 (SV1); RU leads 13-0 157: 6/7/6 Jesse Dellavecchia (RID) over Michael VanBrill (RU) by decision, 3-1; RU leads 13-3 165: Brett Donner (RU) over Joe Casey (RID) by decision, 5-3; RU leads 16-3 174: NR/18/22 Dean Sherry (RID) over Willie Scott (RU) by decision, 5-3; RU leads 16-6 184: 12/12/15 Billy Janzer (RU) over George Walton (RID) by decision, 5-3; RU leads 19-6 197: 19/19/20 Jordan Pagano (RU) over 11/7/12 Ethan Laird (RID) by decision, 4-2 (SV1); RU leads 22-6 285: Alex Esposito (RU) over Ryan Cloud (RID) by decision, 7-4; RU wins 25-6 UP NEXT Rutgers returns to the RAC to host Senior Night against No. 21 Northwestern on Friday (Feb. 14) at 7 p.m.

Jordan Burroughs has earned yet another distinction to add to his already impressive list of achievements as the only current wrestler -- male or female -- to earn a place on Sports Illustrated's Fittest 50 for 2020 revealed this past week. Burroughs shared the good news on his social media Saturday: Here's what SI said about Jordan: "Two-time Olympic wrestling champion Jordan Burroughs has moved on from his disappointing finish in Rio 2016, but he hasn't forgotten. The 31-year-old American is motivated by his last Olympic experience as he prepares for Tokyo 2020, using meditation to train his mind and a variety of weightlifting exercises, yoga, plyometrics and more to sculpt his strapping 5'7" physique. As Burroughs chases more gold medals, he is also considering an MMA career post-wrestling, a nod to his all-around conditioning and explosiveness." On SI's fittest men's list, Burroughs is bracketed by LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (ranked No. 9) and UFC fighter Jon Jones at No. 7. (Jones wrestled in high school and college, winning a New York state title, and a National Junior College mat championship as a wrestler at Iowa Central Community College.) Who's SI's fittest male athlete? Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Gymnast Simone Biles was named fittest female athlete of 2020 by Sports Illustrated. Jordan Burroughs has earned highest honors in a number of international men's freestyle wrestling events, including an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, four World championships, six gold medals at World Cup events, and a trio of gold medals at the Pan American Games. Prior to competing on the world stage, Burroughs made a name for himself in folkstyle, having won a New Jersey high school state title before heading west to compete at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was a three-time Big 12 champ, a three-time NCAA All-American, and twice an NCAA titlewinner, first at 157 pounds in 2009, then at 165 in 2011. That year, Burroughs was presented with the Hodge Trophy as the top collegiate wrestler in the U.S., as well as being named InterMat Wrestler of the Year in 2011.

STANFORD, Calif. -- A pair of falls by Tyler Eischens and Shane Griffith sparked a 25-12 win for No. 14 Stanford over Oregon State, Sunday, at Burnham Pavilion. Eischens needed just 21 seconds to pin Logan Meek at 157 pounds. It was the fastest fall by a Cardinal this season and the sixth for the redshirt freshman. He is now 20-7 overall and 8-3 in duals. Griffith followed up at 165 pounds with his team-leading ninth fall of the year. He led Aaron Olmos 9-1 going into the final period. Olmos chose down and Griffith got the turn and secured the pin with 37 seconds left in the period. Stanford improved to 10-2 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12, while Oregon State dropped to 5-6, 0-2 in the conference. Griffith, who is ranked fourth nationally, is now 24-0 on the season, tying Nick Amuchastegui (2011-12) for the second-longest winning streak in program history. Redshirt freshman Real Woods, who is No. 3 in the nation at 141 pounds, got the Cardinal on the board with a 9-1 major decision over Grant Willits. He tallied his 12th straight win and improved to 16-1 overall and 7-1 in duals. Redshirt junior Jared Hill held off Jackson McKinney with a 3-2 decision at 174 pounds. There was no score after the opening period. McKinney went down to start the second and quickly earned the escape. Hill scored a takedown in the second and the score was tied 2-2 going into the third. An escape for Hill to start the third was the difference. Ranked No. 8, Nathan Traxler picked up his second win of the weekend with a 5-2 decision over J.J. Dixon at 197 pounds. The redshirt junior is now 18-3 overall and 7-2 in duals this season. Fifth-year senior David Showunmi closed out the dual with a 6-1 decision over Jamarcus Grant at heavyweight. It was the 10th win of the year for Showunmi. Stanford closes out the home portion of its schedule on Thursday against new Pac-12 member Little Rock. Senior Night begins at 6 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion. Results: 125 Brandon Kaylor (OSU) dec. Jackson DiSario (STAN) 8-7 133 #17 Devon Turner (OSU) dec. Gabriel Townsell (STAN) 10-4 (SV) 141 #3 Real Woods (STAN) maj. dec. Grant Willits (OSU) 9-1 149 Lane Stigall (OSU) dec. #19 Requir van der Merwe (STAN) 8-2 157 Tyler Eischens (STAN) fall Logan Meek (OSU) F0:21 165 #4 Shane Griffith (STAN) fall Aaron Olmos (OSU) F6:23 174 Jared Hill (STAN) dec. Jackson McKinney (OSU) 3-2 184 Colt Doyle (OSU) dec. Nick Addison (STAN) 9-3 197 #8 Nathan Traxler (STAN) dec. J.J. Dixon (OSU) 5-2 285 David Showunmi (STAN) dec. Jamarcus Grant (OSU) 6-1

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Senior captains Kollin Moore and Luke Pletcher closed a chapter on ‘Senior Day,' both recording bout victories in their final match in front of the home crowd. Oiho State won seven of 10 bouts in total, disbanding the Northwestern Wildcats by a final score of 28-10. Moore and Pletcher each improved to 23-0 on the season to maintain their top standing at 197 and 141 pounds, respectively. Sammy Sasso likely cemented his No. 1 rankings for another week as well with his 9-3 decision over Eric Yang in the 149-pound tussle. The other four Buckeye victors all did so with bonus points tacked on. Fritz Schierl received the starting nod at 174 pounds, and made good on it with a fall. The Schierl pin activated a free chicken strip promotion for the 4,657 fans in attendance. Yummy. Rocky Jordan, Gary Traub and Jordan Decatur all registered major decisions. *More to come… Results: 165 lbs | No. 18 Shayne Oster (NW) def. No. 13 Ethan Smith (OSU) | D, 10-9; Team Score: 0-3 174 lbs | Fritz Schierl (OSU) def. Ankhaa Enkhmandakh (NW) | PIN, 6:15; TS: 6-3 184 lbs | No. 13 Rocky Jordan (OSU) def. Jack Jessen (NW) | MD, 10-2; TS: 10-3 197 lbs | No. 1 Kollin Moore (OSU) def. No. 13 Lucas Davison (NW) | D, 14-9; TS: 13-3 285 lbs | No. 23 Gary Traub (OSU) def. Jack Heyob (NW) | MD, 13-3; TS: 17-3 125 lbs | No. 11 Michael DeAugustino (NW) def. Dylan Koontz (OSU) | D, 3-2; TS: 17-6 133 lbs | Jordan Decatur (OSU) def. Dylan Utterback (NW) | MD, 13-1; TS: 21-6 141 lbs | No. 1 Luke Pletcher (OSU) def. Alec McKenna (NW) | MD, 13-4; TS: 25-6 149 lbs | No. 1 Sammy Sasso (OSU) def. Eric Yang (NW) | D, 9-3; TS: 28-6 157 lbs | No. 1 Ryan Deakin (NW) def. Elijah Cleary (OSU) | MD, 11-2; TS: 28-10 The regular season comes to an end on Saturday (Feb. 15) when Ohio State enters the Bryce Jordan Center in Happy Valley for a 7:30 p.m. ET match at Penn State.

MADISON, Wis. -- Michigan State wrestling pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college wrestling this season, as well as one of the biggest upsets in school history, upsetting No. 4 Wisconsin, 19-17, Sunday afternoon inside Wisconsin Field House. The win is the Spartans' first over the Badgers since 2009, and the highest ranked win since MSU knocked off No. 2 Iowa on Feb. 7, 2003. The Spartans, who came into the dual with a 1-7 record in the B1G, showed fight and resilience throughout the entire dual. MSU claimed two bonus point wins and used a huge win from redshirt junior Nick May at 197 pounds to all but seal the victory. Michigan State got bonus point wins at 141 pounds from redshirt junior Matt Santos, and a fall by redshirt freshman Layne Malczewsk at 174 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey continued his hot streak with his eighth-straight victory for the Green and White. Coach Chandler on what this win means to the program... It's just validation for all the things that the guys have been working on. They've stayed completely focused on the process. We talk about the process all the time, the process is effort and execution. In dual meet competition like today, every single guy matters. It doesn't matter who won or who lost, it's how you competed. I can say all 10 guys that stepped out on the mat today, they fought for the entire seven minutes. I'm just really happy for these guys, it's validation to all their hard work. It's a process, things don't happen overnight, you have to stay committed to the process and good things will happen. The dual started at 125 pounds with redshirt senior Logan Griffin taking on Eric Barnett. Barnett got things going early in the first period with a takedown and two-point near-fall to take a 4-0 lead after one period. Griffin shot in and claimed a takedown in the second period, but Barnett answered with a reversal to take a 6-2 lead after two. The Badger held strong in the third period, holding off Griffin's shots to win the opening bout of the dual, 6-2, over Griffin. Wisconsin extended its lead to 7-0 after a win by No. 1 Seth Gross at 133 pounds. Gross went right to work over redshirt senior Garrett People, landing a takedown in the opening seconds to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Pepple fought off Gross's offense in the first period to keep the lead at 2-0. Gross was awarded stalling points on two occasions in the second period to take a 4-0 lead heading to the final frame. Gross tallied two takedowns and another two points for stalling on his way to a 13-2 major decision over Pepple. The Spartans got on the board in the 141 pound bout, with redshirt junior Matt Santos scoring his second major decision victory of the season, this time over Dominic Dentino. Santos went right to work on Dentino, coming away with three takedowns in the first frame on his way to a 6-2 lead after one. Santos didn't let up in the second period over Dentino, recording two more takedowns and added two more in the third frame on his way to a 16-5 major decision victory. Redshirt junior Alex Hrisopoulos battled his fifth ranked opponent in his last six matches in No. 12 Cole Martin at 149 pounds. The two wrestlers went to the final frame with Martin holding a slight 2-0 advantage over Hrisopoulos. Martin scored a reversal to open the period and secured the 7-2 decision with a takedown in the final minute to extend the Badger lead to 10-4. The Spartans added three more points after a hard-fought win by redshirt junior Jake Tucker at 157 pounds. Tucker took on Garrett Model and came out with three quick takedowns midway through the first period and Model added three escapes in the first frame to give Tucker a 6-3 lead after one. Tucker started the second period with a four-point near-fall, but model answered with a reversal, making the score 12-5. Model secured his first takedown of the match in the second frame and tallied an escape in the third, but couldn't overcome Tucker's lead, falling by decision, 12-8. At 165 pounds, Redshirt junior Austin Hiles got the start for the second time in three duals and faced No. 4 Evan Wick. Wick led 2-0 after one period, and 6-1 after two. Hiles battled with Wick for most of the dual, but Wick came away with a 10-2 major decision to extend the Badger lead to 14-7. The Spartans scored 12 points in the final four duals on their way to the upset victory. Malczewski gave MSU some much needed momentum at 174 pounds against Jared Krattiger. Malczewski showed off his stellar defense in the early going and pushed Krattiger with a takedown and two mat points to take a quick 4-0 lead. Krattiger answered with a reversal to cut the lead to two, but Malczewski reeled off an other takedown and came away with a much-needed fall at 2:43 to cut the Badger lead to one at 14-13. At 184 pounds, Caffey extended his win streak to eight, with a 6-2 decision over No. 22 Johnny Sebastian. Caffey, who has knocked off four ranked opponents in his last five duals, held a narrow 2-1 lead over Sebastian after one, but added another takedown and escape in the second period to go up 5-2. Caffey rode out the third period to take the 6-3 with after receiving the riding time point. Leading 16-14, May went to battle with Peter Christensen in a must-win dual, with the No. 5 ranked heavyweight looming for the Badgers. May provided instant offense with a quick takedown in the opening minute. Christensen tallied an escape to give May a 2-1 lead after one. May landed two escapes in the second period and Christensen garnered a takedown to knot the match at four with one period remaining. The two wrestlers scrambled in the third period, but May came away on the scoring side as he secured a takedown in the winding seconds on his way to a 6-5 win. With the Spartans up 19-14, Wisconsin would need a pin to win or a technical fall to go to criteria. MSU's Christian Rebottaro would have his hands full with No. 5 Trent Hillger, and it showed early as Hillger took a commanding 6-2 lead with three takedowns in the first period. Rebottaro would try his best to fight from the bottom, but got called for stalling twice. Hillger fought hard to get Rebottaro in a position to go for the pin and win, but Rebottaro fought off Hillger's offense, falling by decision 9-2 and securing the upset bid for the Spartans, 19-17. Up Next The Spartans hit the road for their final two duals of the season with a pair of non-conference match-ups. MSU takes on Cleveland State on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. in Cleveland, Ohio before ending the season on Friday, Feb. 21 at Central Michigan at 7 p.m. Notes Michigan State defeated Wisconsin for the first time since Jan. 20, 2009 The last time the Spartans knocked off a top-4 opponent was on Feb. 7, 2003, when they defeated No. 2 Iowa on criteria. The Spartans snapped a six-match losing skid against the Badgers. MSU also snapped a four-match losing skid with the win. Redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey extended his win streak to eight and improved to 23-6 overall (8-1 B1G) Caffey has wins over six ranked opponents on the season Redshirt junior Jake Tucker extended his win total to 23 on the season Redshirt junior Nick May snapped a five-match losing skid in perhaps his biggest win of the season for the Spartans. Results: 125 - Eric Barnett (WIS) dec. over Logan Griffin (MSU), 6-2 - WIS leads 3-0 133 - No. 1 Seth Gross (WIS) maj. dec. over Garrett Pepple (MSU), 13-2 - WIS leads 7-0 141 - Matt Santos (MSU) maj. dec. over Dominic Dentino (WIS), 16-5 - WIS leads 7-4 149 - No. 14 Cole Martin (WIS) dec. over Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU), 7-2 - WIS leads 10-4 157 - No. 24 Jake Tucker (MSU) dec. over Garrett Model (WIS), 12-8 - WIS leads 10-7 165 - No. 4 Evan Wick (WIS) maj. dec. over Austin Hiles (MSU), 10-2 - WIS leads 14-7 174 - No. 23 Layne Malczewski (MSU) fall over Jared Krattiger (WIS), 2:43 - WIS leads 14-13 184 - No. 9 Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. over No. 24 Johnny Sebastian (WIS), 6-2 - MSU leads 16-14 197 - Nick May (MSU) dec. over Peter Christensen (WIS), 6-5 - MSU leads 19-14 285 - No. 5 Trent Hillger (WIS) dec. over Christian Rebottaro (MSU), 9-2 - MSU wins 19-17

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won eight of 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in six matches, to win its fourth consecutive dual meet and defeat Indiana 35-6 at Wilkinson Hall on Sunday afternoon. The meet began at 141 pounds. No. 8 Chad Red Jr. wasted no time against Eddie Bolivar, scoring a takedown seconds into the match. Bolivar escaped, but Red then scored a second takedown, earned nearfall points and recorded a pin, all in less than one minute of wrestling. No.16 Collin Purinton (149) then faced No.14 Graham Rooks in the meet's lone match-up of ranked wrestlers. The two grapplers were scoreless after the first period. Purinton started the second period on top and Rooks was able to score a reversal. Purinton used two escapes to knot the score at two apiece, but Rooks was awarded the match-winning point when Purinton earned his second stalling warning of the match and the Hoosier grappler walked away a 3-2 winner. No.18 Peyton Robb (157) scored a takedown and two nearfall points in the first period against Indiana senior Fernie Silva. The second period saw Robb add to his lead with points via escape and a stalling call on Silva. The redshirt freshman from Owatonna, Minn., finished strong for the Huskers, closing out a 9-1 major decision victory with a third-period takedown and a point for riding time. Jake Silverstein saw his first dual meet action of the season at 165 pounds. Squaring off against Hoosier junior Dillon Hoey, Silverstein notched a takedown and four nearfall points in the first period, but Hoey was able to get on the board with a reversal. Hoey scored a takedown and ran his riding time total to over two minutes in Period 2. Silverstein started Period 3 on top and Hoey again registered a reversal, making the score 8-6 in favor of Silverstein. Hoey allowed Silverstein to escape, looking for a takedown which would have effectively tied the bout 9-9, but Silverstein got in on a single-leg shot and scored a takedown to win the back-and-forth match by decision, 11-7 No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) scored a takedown less than five seconds into his bout with Diego Lemley and needed less than a minute to record the meet's second pin. No. 11 Taylor Venz (184) kept the Big Red momentum going after intermission, scoring seven points in the first period and eight points in the second to tally a 15-0 technical fall victory over Jacob Hinz. No. 5 Eric Schultz (197) scored takedowns in all three periods and netted nearfall points in Period 3 to earn an 18-6 major decision victory against Indiana freshman Nick Willham. No. 16 Christian Lance (HWT), wrestling for the first time since Jan. 24 against Penn State, used a workman-like effort to make it two consecutive major decision victories for the Huskers. Lance scored one takedown in each of the first two periods before tallying two takedowns in the third period to defeat Jake Kliemola, 12-4. Alex Thomsen (125) and Liam Cronin exchanged escapes and were tied 1-1 when Cronin scored the match's first takedown with less than one minute remaining in the third period. Cronin was tough on top for the remainder of the bout and won 4-1, adding an additional point with one minute and one second of riding time. No. 14 Ridge Lovett (133) closed out the match with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over fellow freshman Cayden Rooks. Lovett, coming off a victory by pinfall on Friday, scored via a takedown in Period 1, an escape in Period 2 and added a point for riding time. With the win, the Huskers move to 9-3 overall with a 4-3 mark in conference action while Indiana slips to 1-9 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten. The Huskers will host their final home dual of the season when No. 22 Michigan (6-4, 5-2 Big Ten) comes to Lincoln on Friday, Feb. 14. The meet will begin at 8 p.m. and be televised by BTN, with Senior Night festivities taking place prior to the start of the dual. Results: 141: No. 6 Chad Red Jr. pinned Eddie Bolivar (IND) (0:53) (NEB 6, IND 0) 149: #18 Graham Rooks (IND) dec. #16 Collin Purinton (NEB), 3-2 (NEB 6, IND 3) 157: #18 Peyton Robb (NEB) major dec. Fernie Silva (IND), 9-1 (NEB 10, IND 3) 165: Jake Silverstein (NEB) dec. Dillon Hoey (IND), 11-7 (NEB 13, IND 3) 174: #6 Mikey Labriola (NEB) pinned Diego Lemley (IND) (0:52) (NEB 19, IND 3) 184: #11 Taylor Venz (NEB) tech. fall Jacob Hinz (IND), 15-0 (NEB 24, IND 3) 197: #5 Eric Schultz (NEB) major dec. Nick Willham (IND), 18-6 (NEB 28, IND 3) 285: Christian Lance (NEB) major dec. Thomas Penola (IND), 12-4 (NEB 32, IND 3) 125: Liam Cronin (IND) dec. Alex Thomsen (NEB), 4-1 (NEB 32, IND 6) 133: #14 Ridge Lovett (NEB) dec. Cayden Rooks (IND), 4-2 (NEB 35, IND 6)

CLINTON, S.C. -- Gardner-Webb wrestling picked its second dual victory in row Sunday afternoon, taking a 27-18 win at Presbyterian in Southern Conference action. The Runnin' Bulldogs improve to 3-7 overall and 1-4 in SoCon action, while the Blue Hose drop to 1-8 overall and 0-5 in SoCon matchups. PC jumped out to an early lead with a decision at 125 pounds, but Gardner-Webb quickly answered at 133 pounds with Trevon Majette pinning Khalid Brinkley in 1:39 to take a 6-3 lead. All of Majette's wins in dual matches this season have been by fall. Presbyterian reclaimed the lead by taking the following three bouts at 141, 149, and 157 pounds at 15-6. The 'Dogs claimed the overall lead once again, with Christian Trimble and Evan Schenk earning forfeit wins at 165 and 174 pounds respectively to lead at 18-15. PC tied the match at 18-18 following the matchup at 184 pounds but GWU went back on top, 24-18, with Austin Reames winning by forfeit at 197 pounds. In the final match of the afternoon, Roderick Davis picked up a 5-3 decision over Imani Heslop to seal the overall match win for the Runnin' Bulldogs. Gardner-Webb returns to action on Friday, February 14 at VMI. Action is slated for a 7:00 pm start time. Results: 125 – Jacob Brasseur (PC) def. Michael Pappaconstantinou (GWU) Dec. 8-6 133 – Trevon Majette (GWU) def. Khalid Brinkley (PC) Fall 1:39 141 – Reid Stewart (PC) def. Brandon Bright (GWU) Dec. 5-4 149 – Bryton Goering (PC) def. Anthony Schiess (GWU) Fall 1:55 157 – Zachary Phillips (PC) def. Taylor Parks (GWU) Dec. 12-7 165 – Christian Trimble (GWU) wins by forfeit 174 – Evan Schenk (GWU) wins by forfeit 184 – Austin Stith (PC) def. Samuel Mora (GWU) Dec. 5-4 197 – Austin Reams (GWU) wins by forfeit 285 – Roderick Davis (GWU) def. Imani Heslop (PC) Dec. 5-3

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Sun Devils ended its Midwest road trip 2-0, as they avenged last year's loss and defeated No. 20 Missouri, 21-13 on Sunday at the Hearns Center. Redshirt senior Tanner Hall recorded his 100th career win in an ASU singlet after earning the decision win over Jacob Bohlken (Missouri) to help guide ASU to its seven consecutive victory and sixth top-25 win. The match got started off at 165 with Josh Shields getting the Devils on the board early on the Tigers, notching his sixth major decision of the year, 17-6. At 174, Anthony Valencia posted his 9th bonus-point win of the year after picking up a major over Connor Flynn, increasing the Sun Devil lead to 8-0. Zahid Valencia would tack on three more team points as he battled his way past No. 24 Dylan Wisman, 14-10. The Tigers would get on the board at 197, as Kordell Norfleet surrendered his first loss since early January to Wyatt Koelling, 3-1. A career milestone would occur at heavyweight with Hall hitting the century mark in all-time wins at ASU and pushing his season total to 17 on the season. Coming out of intermission, Brandon Courtney picked up his ninth major of the year, moving into the top-10 all-time for major decision wins in one season. The victory is his 20th on the year, tying him with Z. Valencia for the team lead. Josh Kramer would suffer a major decision loss at 133, while Cory Crooks (141) and Josh Maruca (149) dropped their matches by way of decision to bring the Tigers within striking distance for the match finale at 157. The matchup featured a top-15 battle between No. 15 Jacori Teemer and No. 12 Jarrett Jacques. The last match of the afternoon lived up to the hype, as Teemer took the lead early and fended off Jacques till the very end to earn his first top-20 victory as a Sun Devil. Up next, the Sun Devils travel to the west coast to get back into Pac-12 competition as they set up to take on Cal Poly (Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. MST) and Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. MST). Results: 165: #6 Josh Shields (ASU) MD Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 17-6 174: #9 Anthony Valencia (ASU) MD Connor Flynn (Missouri), 15-3 184: #1 Zahid Valencia (ASU) Dec #24 Dylan Wisman (Missouri), 14-10 197: Wyatt Koelling (Missouri) Dec #9 Kordell Norfleet (ASU), 3-1 HWT: #4 Tanner Hall (ASU) Dec Jacob Bohlken (Missouri), 4-1 125: #8 Brandon Courtney (ASU) MD Cameron Valdiviez (Missouri), 17-6 133: Allan Hart (Missouri) MD Josh Kramer (ASU), 14-4 141: Alex Butler (Missouri) Dec Cory Crooks (ASU), 4-2 149: #2 Brock Mauller (Missouri) Dec Joshua Maruca (ASU), 8-4 157: #15 Jacori Teemer (ASU) Dec #12 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri), 10-7