InterMat Staff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Mensah-Stock claimed the team title at the Captains' Cup (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Team Mensah-Stock came from behind to defeat Team Winchester and claim the title at the inaugural Captains' Cup on Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa. National team member Amy Fearnside (Mensah-Stock) opened the championship dual meet with a 14-11 victory over two-time world bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe (Winchester) at 50 kilograms. Lampe looked strong early, racing out to a 9-0 lead before Fearnside battled back, scoring a takedown and three gut wrenches to cut the deficit to 9-8. She eventually took the lead and held on to win by three. Team Winchester then went on a run, claiming wins in the next three matches. Jacarra Winchester (Winchester) won by 10-0 technical superiority over Alisha Howk (Mensah-Stock) at 53 kilograms. Gracie Figueroa (Winchester) edged Abby Nette (Mensah-Stock) 4-3 at 57 kilograms. At 62 kilograms, Macey Kilty (Winchester) capped off a dominant performance at the Captains' Cup with a 10-0 technical superiority over Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Mensah-Stock). Tamyra Mensah-Stock hits a double leg on Alex Glaude at 68 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Trailing 3-1 in the dual meet, Team Mensah-Stock needed a win 68 kilograms to stay alive in the dual meet. World champion and team captain Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Mensah-Stock) came through, earning a fall over Alex Glaude. Team Winchester held a 3-2 lead going into the final match of the dual meet at 76 kilograms. Team Mensah-Stock needed at least a decision victory by shutout to win the dual meet. Dymond Guilford (Mensah-Stock) accomplished that and more. She cruised to a 10-0 technical superiority over Geneva Gray (Winchester). The victory gave Team Mensah-Stock one more classification point than Team Winchester, which broke the tie. Team Francis edged Team Burkert on criteria to placed third, while Team Hildebrandt topped Team Miracle 4-2 in the fifth-place match. Results Championships: Team Mensah-Stock df. Team Winchester, 3-3 (13-12 classification points) 50: Amy Fearnside (Mensah-Stock) df. Alyssa Lampe (Winchester), 14-11 53: Jacarra Winchester (Winchester) df. Alisha Howk (Mensah-Stock), 10-0 57: Gracie Figueroa (Winchester) df. Abby Nette (Mensah-Stock), 4-3 62: Macey Kilty (Winchester) df. Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Mensah-Stock), 10-0 68: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Mensah-Stock) df. Alex Glaude (Winchester), fall 4:32 76: Dymond Guilford (Mensah-Stock) df. Geneva Gray (Winchester), 10-0 Third place: Team Francis df. Team Burkert, 3-3 (12-10 classification points) 50: Emily Shilson (Francis) df. Aleeah Gould (Burkert), 10-0 53: Katherine Shai (Burkert) df. Felicity Taylor (Francis), 5-0 57: Brenda Reyna (Burkert) df. Lauren Mason (Francis), 7-2 62: Mallory Velte (Burkert) df. Emma Bruntil (Francis), 8-0 68: Skylar Grote (Francis) df. Alyvia Fiske (Burkert), 6-1 76: Victoria Francis (Francis) df. Tristan Kelly (Burkert), 11-0 Fifth place: Team Hildebrandt df. Team Miracle, 4-2 50: Sarah Hildebrandt (Hildebrandt) df. Erin Golston (Miracle), 8-0 53: Alex Hedrick (Hildebrandt) df. Ronna Heaton (Miracle), 5-2 57: Koral Sugiyama (Miracle) df. Lauren Louive (Hildebrandt), 17-5 62: Jennifer Page (Hildebrandt) df. Julia Salata (Miracle), 9-0 68: Ashlynn Ortega (Miracle) df. Kayla Marano (Hildebrandt), 4-4 76: Precious Bell (Hildebrandt) df.

AMES, Iowa -- No. 8 Sun Devil Wrestling (6-0, 2-0 Pac-12) walks away with two victories to finish the 2020 regular season undefeated Sunday afternoon. ASU slammed in six individual wins and three bonus points in their 20-15 win over No. 13 Iowa State before dominating Northern Iowa 24-10. "It makes it a good day when we put two wins on the board. Iowa State and Northern Iowa both came to fight which was good because we needed an old fashion battle," head coach Zeke Jones said. "We had huge wins by Cohlton Schultz, Brandon Courtney and Trey Munoz. We're excited to head back home and get to work for the Pac-12 Championships and the NCAA Tournament." No. 3 Brandon Courtney, No. 6 Michael McGee, No. 4 Anthony Valencia, No. 3 Kordell Norfleet and No. 7 Cohlton Schultz all remain unbeaten headed into the Pac-12 Championships. The day began at 10 a.m. with Arizona native Courtney stepping onto the mat against Aden Reeves of Iowa State at the 125 weight class and earning the first points with a quick takedown. Courtney and Reeves battled all match, but ultimately the redshirt junior would run the match with five takedowns and a bonus point for riding time in the 12-4 major decision victory. Redshirt junior Michael McGee followed Courtney's momentum with a takedown and four-point near fall out of the gate for a 6-1 lead over No. 25 Zach Redding. The two would go scoreless in the second with McGee claiming his final points of the match in the third with a reversal. In his 9-4 decision victory over Redding, McGee claimed the riding time bonus point with over four minutes on Redding to put the Sun Devils up in the team score 7-0. Iowa State answered back with three consecutive victories at 141, 149 and 157. Coming out of the break, the Cyclones put points on the board with Isaac Judge earning a quick takedown over No. 4 Anthony Valencia. Selecting bottom to begin the third, Valencia's agile escape cut Judge's lead down to 3-2. Valencia's escape was followed by a takedown and four-point near fall to push him ahead of his opponent for a 8-4 decision victory to cut the Cyclone team lead to 12-10. After being held scoreless in the first period, redshirt freshman No. 15 Trey Munoz would earn an escape, takedown and four-point near fall in his 7-1 decision victory over No. 25 Julien Broderson. The Cyclones would regain the team lead after Cade Belshay was defeated in a 6-5 decision against No. 24 Samuel Colbray, forcing the final two weights to be the dual's deciding factor. No. 3 Kordell Norfleet faced Yonger Bastida, earning the match's opening points with a takedown over the Cuban. Batisda escaped Norfleet's grip, but not long enough as the redshirt senior claimed a second takedown, a two-point and four-point near fall to conclude the first period to lead 10-1. The two went back-and-forth on the mat, but with four escapes, a third takedown and the riding time bonus point, Norfleet would be victorious by a 17-7 major decision. With a 17-15 team lead over ISU, the heavyweight top-10 match would be the dual's deciding factor. No. 6 Gannon Gremmel gave No. 7 Cohlton Schultz the first point of the match as he was knocked for locked hands. Schultz decided to start the second on bottom and earned the escape point midway through to lead 2-0. Gremmel did the same to start the third which forced the 2-1 match into overtime after the riding time point was given. The lone overtime point was awarded to the redshirt freshman when he escaped from Gremmel to lead ASU to a 20-15 team win over Iowa State. The Sun Devils had a short break before returning to the mat against Northern Iowa beginning with a top-ten showdown between Courtney and No. 6 Brody Teske. In the first period, the two exchanged takedowns and escape points for a tied match. Courtney handed Teske his first loss of the season in his 5-3 decision victory. Northern Iowa bounced back, with Nicholas Raimo and Peter Lipari falling short to their opponents. Lipari's match with Ethan Basile went into overtime after UNI won a challenge that reversed takedown points given to Lipari. Down 6 to 3 in the team score, senior Cory Crooks and Tristan Lara went scoreless until Lara earned the first point in an escape to start the second period. Crooks began the third on the bottom to earn an escape point and he followed with a sneaky takedown over Lara in his 3-2 decision victory. Teemer did not wrestle against ISU, but returned to the mat against UNI for a dominating 11-8 decision win over Derek Holschlag at 157. Teemer collected a takedown, two reversals, an escape and four-point nearfall. Continuing the success on the mat for the Sun Devils, Valencia earned two takedowns before pinning Pat Schoenfelder in 4:27 extending the team lead for ASU to 15-6. For the fourth consecutive win by ASU, Trey Munoz won by a 3-2 decision. Munoz started the match with a speedy takedown followed by Lance Runyon's escape. The redshirt freshman began the second on bottom, earning an escape point to regain the 3-1 lead. At 174, No. 6 Parker Keckeisen gave the Sun Devils their second loss of the dual against Cade Belshay. ASU wrestled right back into the win column with No. 3 Kordell Norfleet's defeat of No. 30 Keegan Moore at 197. Thirty seconds in Norfleet completed a takedown to lead 2-0 against the Panthers. Norfleet selected to start on the bottom for the second period and quickly escaped to extend his lead to 3-1. The senior made quick work to secure the 5-3 win. No. 7 Schultz closed out the showcase, facing No. 6 Carter Isley at heavyweight. Schultz earned a takedown to lead 2-0 over Isley heading into the second period. The redshirt freshman made the top-10 bout look easy, defeating Isley with a 4-0 decision. No. 8 Arizona State 20 , No. 13 Iowa State 15 125: #3 Brandon Courtney (ASU)(8-0) defeats Aden Reeves (ISU) MD 12-4, 4-0 133: #6 Michael McGee (ASU)(6-0) defeats #25 Zach Redding (ISU) Dec. 9-4, 7-0 141: #6 Ian Parker (ISU) defeats #17 Peter Lipari (ASU)(2-3) Dec. 8-3, 7-3 149: Jarrett Degen (ISU) defeats Cory Crooks (ASU)(4-3) Dec. 5-0, 7-6 157: David Carr (ISU) defeats Hunter Balk (ASU)(0-2) Fall 1:50, 7-12 165: #4 Anthony Valencia (ASU)(7-0) defeats Isaac Judge (ISU) Dec. 8-4, 10-12 174: Trey Munoz (ASU)(2-1) defeats #25 Julien Broderson (ISU) Dec. 7-1, 13-12 184:#24 Samuel Colbray (ISU) defeats Cade Belshay (ASU)(3-3) Dec. 6-5, 13-15 197: #3 Kordell Norfleet (ASU)(6-0) defeats Yonger Bastida (ISU) MD 17-7 , 17-15 HWT: #7 Cohlton Schultz (ASU)(9-0) defeats #6 Gann Gremmel (ISU) TB-1 3-2, 20-15 Extra Matches: 141- Todd Small (ISU) defeats Julian Chlebove (ASU)(3-4) Inj. 2:17 149- Cam Robinson (ISU) defeats Jesse Vasquez (ASU)(2-2) MD 17-3 157- #12 Jacori Teemer (ASU)(4-1) defeats Carter Schmidt (ISU) Dec. 10-6 184- Joel Shapiro (ISU) defeats Cade Belshay (ASU)(3-4) Dec. 7-2 HWT- Francis Duggan (ISU) defeats Chad Porter (ASU)(0-3) Dec. 10-4 No. 8 Arizona State 24 , Northern Iowa 10 125: #3 Brandon Courtney (ASU)(9-0) defeats #6 Brody Teske (UNI) Dec. 5-3, 3-0 133: Kyle Biscoglia (UNI) defeats Nicholas Raimo (ASU)(0-1) Dec. 9-3, 3-3 141: Ethan Basile (UNI) defeats #17 Peter Lipari (ASU)(2-4) TB-1 7-6, 3-6 149: Cory Crooks (ASU)(5-3) defeats Tristian Lara (UNI) Dec. 3-2, 6-6 157: #12 Jacori Teemer (ASU)(5-1) defeats Derek Holschlag (UNI) Dec. 11-8, 9-6 165: #4 Anthony Valencia (ASU)(8-0) defeats Pat Schoenfelder (UNI) Fall 4:27, 15-6 174: Trey Munoz (ASU)(3-1) defeats Lance Runyon (UNI) Dec. 3-2, 18-6 184: #6 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) defeats Cade Belshay (ASU)(3-5) MD 13-2, 18-10 197: #3 Kordell Norfleet (ASU)(7-0) defeats Keegan Moore (UNI) Dec. 5-3, 21-10 HWT: #7 Cohlton Schultz (ASU)(10-0) defeats #6 Carter Isley (UNI) Dec. 4-0, 24-10 Extra Matches: 149- Jesse Vasquez (ASU)(3-2) defeats Gable Fox (UNI), Dec. 8-1 285- John McConkey (UNI) defeats Chad Porter (ASU)(0-4), SV-1 3-1 UP NEXT: The Sun Devils will head to Corvallis, Oregon for the Pac-12 Championship on Sunday, Feb. 28 all day long. The matches will be streamed via Pac-12.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The Cowboys crowned four champions, the most of any competing team, Sunday afternoon in Stillwater with all four winning wrestlers upsetting top ten opponents in the finals. Jacob Wright (157), Hayden Hastings (174), Tate Samuelson (184) and Stephen Buchanan (197) were all champions for the Cowboys. Wyoming crowned four champions"I'm really proud of our entire team and the way we wrestled today. We had some gutsy performances at 141 and 149 and some comeback performances in the finals." Head Coach Mark Branch "I think today Really helped set the tone for the rest of the season. That's something we haven't really done in Gallagher-Iba before. To wrestle like that and those matches was great. I was really proud of our guys wrestled and we really took a big jump. I'm excited to see that they are starting believe themselves and it showed today." Wright would get his day started in dominant fashion outscoring his first two opponents 22-6 including a 14-4 victory over Chance McLane (OSU) in the quarterfinals. In the finals Wright would come up against No. 10 Wyatt Sheets (OSU). It would be a tight match, but after taking a 3-2 lead Wright shut down the offense of Sheets and came out with the win. It was his first top 10 win of the season. At 174 Hastings had a solid day displaying stingy defense on his way to the finals. In his first two matches Hastings only allowed 5 points, defeating Sean Harman (MIZZ) in the semifinals, 6-3. Hastings squared off against No. 7 Dustin Plott (OSU) in the finals in what would be a close match. Hastings got to his offense early scoring some big takedowns and racking up the riding time. After a comeback from Plott, the riding time would prove to be the deciding factor in the match as Hastings won 8-7 thanks to the riding time point. Samuelson had a strong day on his way to a title displaying the heart and effort of a champion. In the quarterfinals and semifinals he outworked his opponents doubling both of them up on the scoreboard. In the finals, Samuelson faced No. 7 Dakota Greer and defense was key in Samuelson's victory. He scored two takedowns off of counter attacks, including the match winning takedown to seal the victory 10-6. For Buchanan, it was another bid day highlighted by a upset of a top five opponent. Buchanan faced No. 2 Noah Adams (WVU) who he beat a weekend ago when Adams was ranked No. 1. Buchanan proved it was no fluke winning another nail biting match. After trailing 4-2 with less than minute left, Buchanan escaped and went straight to attacking scoring a takedown with 12 seconds left, after adding on the riding time point he won 6-4. The Cowboys also had four third place finishers on the day, including Chase Zollmann (141) and Jaron Jensen (149). Both Zollmann and Jensen won their third place matches by fall with Jensen recording a pin inside the first period. Up next a select group of Cowboys will travel to Air Force on Saturday, Feb. 20 for a round-robin style event with Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley.

EVANSTON, IL -- Northwestern wrestling closed out its home schedule in style, with five Wildcats earning victories on Senior Day in a Top-20 takedown over No. 19 Wisconsin. No. 1 ranked Ryan Deakin made his highly anticipated 2021 season debut and did not disappoint, earning a 21-4 tech fall in the third period over Gavin Model. Deakin also picked up an additional win in the extra matches over Wisconsin's Devin Bahr. Also picking up wins for Northwestern was Colin Valdiviez, Yahya Thomas, David Ferrante and Jon Halvorsen as the Wildcats upended the Badgers, 18-17. After falling behind early, the 'Cats rattled off four-consecutive wins at 141, 149, 157 and 165 lbs. Valdiviez started off the streak with a decisive 14-9 win over Wisconsin's Dominic Dentino. Thomas kept the momentum rolling with his second major victory of the season in convincing fashion, defeating #29 Drew Scharenbrock, 13-4. Following Deakin's tech fall, true first-year David Ferrante earned his first-ever collegiate win for Northwestern, taking down Josh Otto 6-0. Jon Halvorsen added the finishing touches for NU at 197 lbs, winning his first match of the season in a 7-5 decision over Andrew Salemme. Northwestern is back on the mat next weekend as the Wildcats travel to Iowa City on February 19, followed by a trip to Minnesota on February 21 to close out the 2021 regular season. Full results from today's duals can be found below: Results: 125: #20 Eric Barnett (WIS) over Matt Vinci (NU) (MD 10-0) 133: Kyle Burwick (WIS) over Dylan Utterback (NU) (MD 10-1) 141: Colin Valdiviez (NU) over Dominic Dentino (WIS) (Dec 14-9) 149: #14 Yahya Thomas (NU) over #29 Drew Scharenbrock (WIS) (MD 13-4) 157: #1 Ryan Deakin (NU) over #22 Garrett Model (WIS) (TF 21-4 6:15) 165: David Ferrante (NU) over Josh Otto (WIS) (Dec 6-0) 174: Tyler Dow (WIS) over Troy Fisher (NU) (Dec 5-4) 184: #6 Christopher Weiler (WIS) over Jack Jessen (NU) (Dec 10-4) 197: Jon Halvorsen (NU) over Andrew Salemme (WIS) (Dec 7-5) 285: #8 Trent Hillger (WIS) over Jack Heyob (NU) (Dec 5-1) Extra Matches: 125: Ethan Rotondo (Wisconsin) over Matt Vinci (Northwestern) (Dec 6-2) 149: Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) over Aiden Medora (Wisconsin) (Fall 2:52) 157: #1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) over Devin Bahr (Wisconsin) (Dec 7-4) 157: Devin Bahr (Wisconsin) over Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) (Dec 5-3) 165: Patrick Spray (Wisconsin) over Ankhaa Enkhmandakh (Northwestern) (Fall 1:55) 285: Peter Christensen (Wisconsin) over Brendan Devine (Northwestern) (Dec 8-1)

AMES, Iowa -- No. 13 Iowa State (9-3, 4-1 Big 12) split a pair of duals on Sunday, falling to No. 11 Arizona State (5-0), 20-15, and defeating No. 15 UNI (4-4, 3-2 Big 12), 23-17. Both duals went down to the final match. Iowa State-Arizona State Match Highlights Ian Parker won ISU's first match at 141 pounds with an 8-3 decision over Peter Lipari. Parker had a takedown in each period and gained a point for riding time by staying on top of Lipari throughout the majority of the third period. Jarrett Degen blanked Cory Crooks, 5-0, at 149 pounds. Degen got a takedown on the edge in the closing seconds of the second period and tacked on another in the third in his first match in Hilton Coliseum this season. David Carr wasted little time in his match at 157 pounds against Hunter Balk. Carr got two quick takedowns and eight nearfall points before securing the pin at the 1:47 mark. Sam Colbray came up big at 184 pounds with a 6-5 decision over Cade Belshay. Colbray fought back after giving up a first-period takedown. Down 4-3 entering the third period, Colbray picked up an escape and took down Belshay with :22 seconds left in the match to secure the win. The dual went down to heavyweight, as the Sun Devils held a 17-15 lead with one bout left between No. 5 Gannon Gremmel vs. No. 7 Cohlton Schultz. The match was tied at 2-2 after seven minutes. Gremmel gave up a point with a hands to the face violation, but made up for the call by riding out Schultz for most of the second period. Schultz was able to lock up the victory, 3-2, in TB1 by riding out Gremmel for :30 seconds. ISU held the edge in takedowns, 14-11. Iowa State-UNI Match Highlights Zach Redding mounted a come-from-behind 6-5 TB1 victory over Kyle Biscoglia at 133 pounds. Down 5-3 late in the third period, Redding got a takedown with :10 second left to stay alive. Biscoglia's stalling point in TB1 was the deciding factor in the match. Ian Parker moved ISU ahead in the match (9-5) by collecting the fall at the 4:29 mark over Ethan Basile at 141 pounds. David Carr had four takedowns and 10 nearfall points in a dominating 19-2 technical fall over Derek Holschlag at 157 pounds. Isaac Judge scored an important victory at 165 pounds, defeating Pat Schoenfelder, 10-7. Judge gave up a takedown early, but a reversal and two takedowns gave him a comfortable lead. Schoenfelder closed the gap with a pair of takedowns in the third period, but a key reversal helped seal the win. Marcus Coleman won a huge match at 197 pounds. Down in the second period, Coleman took down Keegan Moore with :03 seconds left in the period. He then added another in the third for a 10-5 triumph. Gannon Gremmel wrapped up the Cyclone victory with a 6-3 win over Carter Isley at heavyweight. Two takedowns by Gremmel was the difference. The takedown tally was even at 15-15. Arizona State 20, Iowa State 15 125: Brandon Courtney (ASU) maj. dec. Aden Reeves (ISU), 12-4 133: Michael McGee (ASU) dec. Zach Redding (ISU), 9-4 141: Ian Parker (ISU) dec. Peter Lipari (ASU), 8-3 149: Jarrett Degen (ISU) dec. Cory Crooks (ASU), 5-0 157: David Carr (ISU) pinned Hunter Balk (ASU), 1:47 165: Anthony Valencia (ASU) dec. Isaac Judge (ISU), 8-4 174: Trenton Munoz (ASU) dec. Julien Broderson (ISU), 7-1 184: Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Cade Belshay (ASU), 6-5 197: Kordell Norfleet (ASU) maj.dec. Yonger Bastida (ISU), 17-7 285: Cohlton Schultz (ASU) dec. Gannon Gremmel (ISU), 3-2 TB1 Iowa State 23, UNI 17 125: Brody Teske (UNI) tech. fall Aden Reeves (ISU), 23-4 (6:30) 133: Zach Redding (ISU) dec. Kyle Biscoglia (UNI), 6-5 TB1 141: Ian Parker (ISU) pinned Ethan Basile (UNI), 4:29 149: Tristan Lara (UNI) pinned Jarrett Degen (ISU), 4:30 157: David Carr (ISU) tech. fall Derek Holschlag (UNI), 19-2 (5:00) 165: Isaac Judge (ISU) dec. Pat Schoenfelder (UNI), 11-7 174: Lance Runyon (UNI) dec. Julien Broderson (ISU), 10-4 184: Parker Keckeisen (UNI) dec. Sam Colbray (ISU), 4-3 197: Marcus Coleman (ISU) dec. Keegan Moore (UNI), 10-5 285: Gannon Gremmel (ISU) dec. Carter Isley (UNI), 6-3 Extra Matches: 133: Ramazan Attasauov (ISU) dec. Kyle Gollhofer (UNI), 4-1 141: Todd Small (ISU) inj. def. Julian Chlebove (ASU) 149: Cam Robinson (ISU) pinned Kaleb Olejniczak (UNI), 1:37 157: Jacori Teemer (ASU) dec. Carter Schmidt (ISU), 12-7 174: Mac Southard (ISU) dec. Noah Glaser (UNI), 4-1 125: Kyle Gollhofer (UNI) maj. dec. Caleb Fuessley (ISU), 12-3 133: Jack Wagner (UNI) dec. Ramazan Attasauov (ISU), 7-4 149: Cam Robinson (ISU) maj. dec. Jesse Vasquez (ASU), 17-3 149: Gable Fox (UNI) dec. Ben Monroe (ISU), 4-0 157: Cayd Lara (UNI) maj. dec. Carter Schmidt (ISU), 12-3 285: Francis Duggan (ISU) dec. Chad Porter (ASU), 10-4 141: Cael Happel (UNI) dec. Todd Small (ISU), 7-6 149: Kaleb Olejniczak (UNI) dec. Ben Monroe (ISU), 8-3 184: Joel Devine (ISU) dec. Cade Belshay (ASU), 7-2 285: John McConkey (UNI) dec. Francis Duggan (ISU), 3-1 SV1

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Cleveland State University wrestling team earned its first win of the season and evened its record at 1-1 in Mid-American Conference play on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings (1-3, 1-1) dropped the first two bouts of the dual before taking seven of eight matches the rest of the way, including five straight, to clinch a 23-12 victory. Ohio's Oscar Sanchez secured the lone takedown of the 125-pound bout to claim a 3-2 win over Jake Manley to open the proceedings. The Bobcats extended their lead to 6-0 with another narrow decision at 133 pounds. Ohio's Mario Guillen logged four takedowns in his 9-6 win over Vikings sophomore Logan Heil, who drew within a point with a first-period reversal and trailed only 6-5 before Guillen pulled away in the third. Redshirt freshman Joseph Caprella brought Cleveland State back from the early hole with his first collegiate pin late in the opening period of the 141-pound match. Caprella opened with an emphatic takedown near the edge of the circle before Kyran Hagan tied things up at 2-2. Caprella answered quickly with a reversal that led to the fall. Marcus Robinson controlled the 149-pound bout throughout, grabbing his fifth win of the year via a 10-1 major decision. Robinson moved to a perfect 2-0 in Mid-American Conference while putting the Vikings up 10-6 overall. Freshman Daniel Patten battled for three full periods in addition to overtime against Nick Vestal at 157 pounds in what turned out to be one of the most intense matches of the afternoon. With Vestal ahead 1-0 entering the third, Patten opted to begin the period on the mat and managed an escape after being pushed out of bounds to tie it at 1-1. Vestal was awarded a takedown with the clock ticking down in the third period, but a timely challenge by the Cleveland State coaching staff wiped out the points to maintain the deadlock and send the bout to sudden-death overtime. Neither wrestler scored in the overtime period, which prompted a pair of 30-second tiebreakers, beginning with Patten on top. Patten rode Vestal for the entirety of the first period before another Cleveland State challenge resulted in a point for Patten due to a technical violation on a locked hands call. Patten ultimately took the bout 5-1 thanks to some late heroics paired with the additional point for riding time. Redshirt sophomore Riley Smucker spent most of the 165-pound match on top of Ohio's Kamal Adewumi, recording five takedowns while notching the riding time point for another major decision at 11-1 to extend Cleveland State's advantage to double digits at 17-6 with only four bouts remaining. In the 174-pound match, Anthony Rice was responsible for four of five takedowns in a 10-4 win, also snagging the extra point for riding time. Wrestling with a national ranking to his name for the first time, DeAndre Nassar fell to 5-2 on the campaign with a razor thin overtime loss that went the distance against Carson Brewer at 184 pounds. Nassar trailed 1-0 before a third-period escape knotted the match. The sudden-death period was scoreless before both wrestlers escaped during the 30-second ride out periods. Brewer began the second extra frame on the ground and nearly broke free before Nassar tossed him back to the mat. Brewer took the lead with an escape, but after an unsuccessful Ohio challenge in search of a locked hands technical violation, Nassar began the final ride out on the bottom and escaped. Unfortunately, Brewer's 25 seconds of riding time gave him a 4-3 decision. Justin Jaekin wrestled conservatively at 197 pounds but achieved his goal of clinching the dual win for Cleveland State, falling 1-0 while keeping the Bobcats from securing extra points and maintaining a 20-12 Vikings edge with only one match remaining. John Kelbly put the cherry on top of a successful afternoon with his win in the heavyweight bout. Kelbly forced overtime with an escape in the final seconds, making the score 4-4. The redshirt junior avoided some early trouble in the extra frame and earned a takedown for the 6-4 win. With the conclusion of the regular season, the Viking will now have two weeks to prepare for the MAC Tournament on February 26-27. Results: 125: Oscar Sanchez (OU) over Jake Manley (CSU) - 3-2 dec. | OU leads, 3-0 133: Mario Guillen (OU) over Logan Heil (CSU) - 9-6 dec. | OU leads, 6-0 141: Joseph Caprella (CSU) over Kyran Hagan (OU) - Fall 2:49 | Tied, 6-6 149: Marcus Robinson (CSU) over Alec Mosconi (OU) - 10-1 MD | CSU leads, 10-6 157: Daniel Patten (CSU) over Nick Vestal (OU) - 5-1 dec. TB-2 | CSU leads, 13-6 165: Riley Smucker (CSU) over Kamal Adewumi (Ohio) - 11-1 MD | CSU leads, 17-6 174: Anthony Rice (CSU) over John Mark Williams (OU) - 10-4 dec. | CSU leads, 20-6 184: Carson Brewer (OU) over DeAndre Nassar (CSU) - 4-3 dec. TB-2 | CSU leads, 20-9 197: Colin McNamara (OU)over Justin Jaeckin (CSU) - 1-0 dec. | CSU leads, 20-12 285: John Kelbly (CSU) over Jordan Earnest (OU) - 6-4 SV-1 | CSU leads, 23-12

Nick Lee defeated Drew Mattin 10-4 at 141 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) ANN ARBOR, Mich.. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0, 4-0 B1G), ranked No. 3 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, took down No. 2 Michigan (4-1, 4-1 B1G) for another Big Ten road win. The Nittany Lions won 18-13 in a dual meet rescheduled from Feb. 7. All team and individual rankings listed are InterMat (2/9/21). By virtue of the dual meet win, Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson grabbed his 200th dual meet victory as a collegiate head coach. Sanderson is now 200-26-2 overall in this, his 15th season as head coach, including a 44-10 mark in three years at Iowa State. He is 156-16-2 in this, his 12th season at Penn State. Sanderson is also 86-11-1 in Big Ten dual meets. Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.) notched a key win at 174 in the tightly contested dual meet and true freshman Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J.) made his collegiate debut, winning at 125. Howard made his Penn State debut at 125 picked up an impressive win in his first bout. Howard used takedowns in the first and second periods to post a 6-5 win over Michigan's Jack Medley in the dual's opening bout. Junior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, dominated Dylan Ragusin, who was ranked No. 8 at 125. Bravo-Young used three takedowns and 2:15 in riding time to roll to a 9-2 win and put Penn State up 6-0. Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, controlled No. 20 Drew Mattin from start to finish in a marquee bout at 141. Lee controlled the entirety of the bout, posting two first period takedowns and a third period takedown to post a 10-4 victory with 2:25 in riding time. . Redshirt freshman Terrell Barraclough (Kaysville, Utah) took to the mat a 149 and nearly posted an upset victory over No. 6 Kanen Storr. Barraclough battled back from an early deficit but lost a tough 4-3 decision to the ranked Wolverine. Junior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 9 at 157, took on No. 8 Will Lewan next and used a strong takedown in the third period to post an important 3-1 victory. Berge's win gave Penn State a 12-3 lead at the dual's midpoint. Freshman Joe Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 6 at 165, suffered a 4-1 upset loss to No. 16 Cameron Amine in the second half's opening bout. Amine used a third period reversal to grab the win. Freshman Starocci, ranked No. 8 at 174, had the statement win of the dual, taking down No. 2 Logan Massa in a marquee match at 174. The freshman battled the veteran evenly taking the bout to sudden victory tied 1-1. After a scoreless extra stanza, Massa chose down in his tie-breaker period and Starocci turned the Wolverine for four back points and posted the thrilling 7-1 (tb) win. Sophomore Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 3 at 184, kept Penn State rolling and essentially clinched the dual with a strong 10-5 victory over Michigan's Jaden Bullock. Brooks' win put Penn State up 18-6. Freshman Michael Beard (Pottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 197, battled No. 1 (at 184) Myles Amine tough throughout his bout with the veteran Wolverine but lost a tough 8-5 decision. . Sophomore Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 7 at 285, took on No. 2 Mason Parris in the dual's final bout and dropped a tough 12-2 major to the ranked Wolverine. Michigan closed out the dual with two victories but Penn State rolled to the 18-13 win to remain unbeaten on the year. Penn State was able to work its way to a slim 12-11 edge in takedowns. The Lions won six of ten bouts and Michigan picked up the dual's lone bonus point on Parris' major at 285. Five extra matches were conducted during the dual meet on a separate mat. This year, with condensed schedules, these extra matches, while not counting towards dual meet scores, are official varsity bouts and count towards NCAA competition minimums. Freshman Donovon Ball (New Cumberland, Pa.) picked up a win at 184 in Penn State's first extra bout, posting a 12-4 major over Bobby Striggow. True freshman Beau Bartlett moved up to 149 for extras and rolled over Cole Mattin in an 8-4 win for the Lion rookie. Senior Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) moved up to 157 and lost a close 6-4 (sv) decision to Nick Lombard. Nittany Lion sophomore Konner Kraeszig (Louisville, Ky.) fell 5-2 to UM's Reece Hughes in a bout at 165 and Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) posted a 4-3 win at 174 over Max Maylor in the final extra bout of the day. Penn State is now 4-0 on the year, 4-0 in Big Ten action. Michigan falls to 4-1, 4-1 B1G. The Nittany Lions return to action next Friday, Feb. 19, with a road dual at Ohio State. The Lions and Buckeyes tangle in a dual that will air live on the Big Ten Network at a time to be announced. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: Robert Howard PSU dec. Jack Medley MICH, 6-5 3-0 133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young PSU dec. #8/125 Dylan Ragusin MICH, 9-2 6-0 141: #2 Nick Lee PSU dec. #20 Drew Mattin MICH, 10-4 9-0 149: #6 Kanen Storr MICH dec. Terrell Barraclough PSU, 4-3 9-3 157: #9 Brady Berge PSU dec. #8 Will Lewan MICH, 3-1 12-3 165: #16 Cameron Amine MICH dec. #6 Joe Lee PSU, 4-1 12-6 174: #8 Carter Starocci PSU dec. #2 Logan Massa MICH, 7-1 (TB) 15-6 184: #3 Aaron Brooks PSU dec. Jaden Bullock MICH, 10-5 18-6 197: #1/184 Myles Amine MICH dec. #14 Michael Beard PSU, 8-5 18-9 285: #2 Mason Parris MICH maj. dec. #7 Seth Nevills PSU, 12-2 18-13 Records: Penn State (4-0, 4-0 B1G; Michigan (4-1, 4-1 B1G) Up Next for Penn State: at Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 19, time TBA (B1G Network) Extra Matches: 184: Donovon Ball PSU maj. dec. Bobby Striggow MICH, 12-4 149: Beau Bartlett PSU dec. Cole Mattin MICH, 8-4 157: Nick Lombard MICH dec. Luke Gardner PSU, 6-4 (sv) 165: Reece Hughes MICH dec. Konner Kraeszig PSU, 5-2 174: Creighton Edsell PSU dec. Max Maylor MICH, 4-3 DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J.) against Michigan's Jack Medley. The due battled evenly for over a minute with action remaining neutral throughout. Medley worked his way into control of Howard's shoulders at the 1:45 mark but the Lion freshman was able to stand firm and force a reset midway through the period. Howard connected on a low single off the rest and worked his way into a takedown and 2-0 lead with 1:00 left on the clock. He was able to maintain control on offense for nearly :30 before Medley escaped to a 2-1 score. Howard used a fast, low ankle pick to force a late scramble but time ran out and Howard settled for a 2-1 lead after one. Medley chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Howard fought off a slight Medley shot and action moved out of bounds with 1:10 left in the middle period. Howard deftly ducked under a shot with :45 left and notched his second takedown to up his lead to 4-1. He maintained control until the :05 mark and led 4-3 after two with 1:15 in riding time. Howard chose down to start the third period and escaped with 1:38 left on the clock, taking a 5-3 lead. Medley countered with his first takedown and Howard quickly escaped to lead 6-5 with 1:10 left in the bout. Howard fought off a strong Medley shot to work the clock down to the :30 mark, picking up a stall with :27 left in the bout. Howard took a high single with :18 left that forced a scramble. The move effectively killed the clock and Howard posted a hard-fought 6-5 win in his collegiate debut. 133: Junior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, took on Michigan's Dylan Ragusin, who is ranked No. 8 at 125. Bravo-Young controlled the center of the mat from the onset, controlling the tempo as the clock moved to the 1:45 mark. Ragusin took a slight shot at 1:30 but Bravo-Young quickly locked up action and a reset ensued. Bravo-Young used a low shot to gain control of Ragusin's leg but the Wolverine scrambled out of bounds the action resumed in neutral with :45 left in the period. Bravo-Young picked up a late takedown to lead 2-0 after the opening stanza. Ragusin chose down to start the second period and Bravo-Young controlled the Wolverine for over 1:00, building up a 1:00-plus riding time advantage. The Lion junior maintained his top position for the entirety of the second stanza and carried a 2-0 lead with 2:09 in time into the third period. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period and Ragusin immediately cut him loose to a 3-0 score. The Lion junior quickly took Ragusin down and cut him, then repeated the action to lead 7-2 with :45 left. Bravo-Young also grabbed a penalty point to lead 8-2. The Lion appeared to close out the bout with a takedown on the edge of the mat that would have given him a major, but the move was not awarded and Bravo-Young settled for a strong 9-2 decision with 2:17 in riding time. 141: Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met No. 20 Drew Mattin. Lee quickly took Mattin down in under :10 and led 2-1 early. Lee fought off a slight Mattin shot and moved in on offense, notching a second takedown with 1:50 left in the opening period. Lee locked up an arm bar, trying to turn Mattin for back points as the clock hit 1:00 but Mattin was able to work his way out of bounds for a reset. Lee worked his riding time up over 2:0 and then finished the period on top to lead 4-1 with 2:08 in time. Lee chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way into a reversal and a 6-1 lead with 1:20 on the clock. Lee cut Mattin loose to lead 6-2 at the :50 mark. Lee pressed the action for the rest of the period but Mattin's defense held and Lee led 6-2 with 1:51 in time after two periods. Mattin chose down to start the third period. Lee maintained control long enough to clinch the riding time point before cutting Mattin loose to a 6-3 score. Lee picked up a stall point at the :50 mark. He added another takedown and cut with :15 left but Mattin was able to back away for the rest of the period, fighting off the bonus win. Lee notched a strong 10-4 win with 2:25 in riding time. 149: Redshirt freshman Terrell Barraclough (Kaysville, Utah) faced off against Michigan's Kanen Storr, ranked No. 6 in the bout at 149. Storr worked his way in on a low shot with 2:25 left in the period, turning into the move for a first takedown and a 2-1 lead with 2:02 on the clock. The ranked Wolverine picked up a second takedown with 1:15 left and led 4-2 with 1:00 left in the opening period. Barraclough took a shot that Storr was able to fight off and the bout moved to the :30 mark. Barraclough fought off a late shot and trailed 4-2 after one. Storr chose down to start the second period and controlled the action for over a minute. The Lion freshman continued a strong ride, long enough to build up over 1:00 in riding time for himself. Barraclough finished the period with a rideout and trailed 4-2 but had 1:35 in time after two. Barraclough chose down to start the third period but Storr was able to maintain control long enough to kill the Lion's time advantage as the clock hit 1:20. Barraclough escaped to a 4-3 deficit with :50 left in the bout. The Lion pressed Storr back towards the outside circle, looking for a chance to score. The ranked Wolverine was able to play defense for the remainder of the period and Barraclough dropped a hard-fought 4-3 decision. 157: Junior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 9 at 157, met No. 8 Will Lewan in another top-ten showdown. Lewan took a quick shot at the 2:30 mark but Berge moved aside the effort and the bout continued in neutral with the clock moving to 2:00. Neither wrestler was able to find an offensive opening for the next minute-plus as the first period ended in a 0-0 tie. Lewan chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Berge nearly connected on a low shot but Lewan was able to slide back to maintain his one-point lead. Berge paced the center of the mat, taking a number of quick low shots that did not connect. The Lion junior trailed 1-0 after two periods. He chose down to start the third stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Brady nearly countered a Lewan shot for a takedown but the Wolverine slipped out of Berge's grasp and the bout continued tied 1-1 with 1:10 left. Berge used a low shot to control Lewan's ankle, lifted his leg up and finished off the takedown to take a 3-1 lead with :30 on the clock. Berge finished the match on top and posted the strong 3-1 win over Lewan. 165: Freshman Joe Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 6 at 165, battled No. 16 Cameron Amine. Lee and Amine battled evenly at the onset, working the middle of the mat for the first minute before Amine locked Lee up at the chest and nearly took the Lion down for an early lead. Lee fought through the move and action continued 0-0 at the 1:30 mark. Lee looked to control the center of the mat for the rest of the period and neither wrestler found any offense for the rest of the time. Tied 0-0, Amine chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lee fought off a strong Amine shot, then fought off another Amine shot with :50 left on the clock. Michigan challenged the latter, seeking to overturn the no call. The call was confirmed, no takedown awarded, and Lee trailed 1-0 with :45 on the clock. Down 1-0, Lee chose down to start the third period. Amine controlled the Lion freshman for over 1:00 and worked his riding time advantage up over 1:00 in the process. Amine turned Lee for two back points and clinched his riding time before Lee scrambled to an escape with :20 left in the bout. Amine posted the 4-1 win with the riding time point for Michigan's second win of the dual. 174: Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 174, squared off against No. 2 Logan Massa in another top bout. Starocci connected on a quick shot that nearly ended in a takedown, but Massa was able to fight the move to a stalemate with 2:10 on the clock. Starocci fought off a Massa front headlock as the clock hit 1:30 and action continued in neutral tied 0-0. Massa worked a low single into a potential scoring position but Starocci worked his way back to his feet and keep the bout scoreless with :30 on the clock. Starocci took a slight shot that Massa pushed back on and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Starocci chose down to start the second period. Massa maintained offensive control for over 1:00 before Starocci escaped to a 1-0 lead with :55 on the clock. The duo battled evenly in the middle of the mat as the clock hit :30. Trailing 1-0, Massa chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 1-1 tie. Starocci was able to work the riding time edge down below 1:00 with the short ride. Starocci took a slight low shot at the :45 mark but Massa was able to step away from the move as the clock hit the :40 mark. Neither wrestler threatened for the remainder of the period and the bout moved to sudden victory. Starocci took a slight shot at the :15 mark but Massa was able to counter and kill the move toc close out the extra period. Still tied 1-1, Massa chose down for his tie-breaker period and Starocci took advantage. The Lion used his legs and strength to turn Massa to his back for four nearfall points, finished on top and led 5-1. He chose down for his tie-breaker and picked up a quick penalty point on an illegal hold. Starocci then escaped to close out the tie-breaker period and posted a thrilling 7-1 (tb) win over second-ranked Massa. 184: Sophomore Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 3 at 184, battled Michigan's Jaden Bullock. Brooks countered two quick Bullock shots and kept the bout scoreless as the clock slid to the 2:08 mark. The duo battled evenly for the next minute until Brooks used a fast high double to connect on a takedown on the edge of the mat with 1:02 on the clock. Leading 2-0, Brooks kept control for nearly :20 before Bullock escaped to a 2-1 score. He added a second takedown late in the period to lead 4-1 with :39 in riding time after the opening period. The Lion sophomore chose down to start the second period. He worked his way to a reversal and picked up a stall warning in the process. Bullock escaped and then got in on a single leg, but Brooks forced a stalemate at the :48 mark. Brooks took an 8-2 lead late with a third takedown and carried that lead, with 1:01 in time, into the third period. Bullock chose down to start the third period and escaped to an 8-3 score. Bullock picked up a takedown and led 9-5 with :40 on the clock. Brooks finished off the bout with a low single that killed the clock. He picked up a point on 1:01 in riding time and posted the 10-5 victory. 197: Freshman Michael Beard (Pottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 197, faced off against Wolverine Myles Amine, who entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the nation at 184. The duo battled evenly for over a minute before Beard countered a slight Amine shot to gain control of the Wolverine's leg. Beard worked for a takedown for nearly a minute before Amine was able counter Beard himself for a takedown on the edge of the mat. Beard escaped to a 2-1 deficit with :50 on the clock. Trailing 2-1, Beard chose down to start the second period. He escaped to a 2-2 tie with 1:30 on the clock and quickly turned in on offense. Beard slid down on a low shot and nearly connected but Amine countered once more for a second takedown and 4-2 lead. Beard escaped to a 4-3 score and the bout moved to the third period. Amine chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 5-3 lead at the 1:30 mark. Amine picked up a third takedown on a solid shot to up his lead to 7-3 with :50 on the clock. Beard picked up a penalty point and an escape over the last :40 but dropped a tough 8-5 decision. 285: Sophomore Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 7 at 285, met No. 2 Mason Parris in a battle of ranked big men. The duo worked the middle of the mat evenly for the first minute. Parris finished off a takedown with 1:53 on the clock to open up a 2-0 lead. Nevills took an injury timeout and Parris chose down on the reset. The Wolverine big man worked his way to a reversal and a 4-0 lead with 1:10 on the clock. Parris took a 6-1 lead with :40 on the clock and ended the period with a rideout to lead 6-1 after the first period. Nevills chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 6-2 score. Parris worked his way through for another takedown and upped his lead to 8-2. Parris chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 9-2 lead. He added another takedown to lead 11-2 and clinched his riding time point in the process. Parris finished the bout on top and, with riding time, notched the 12-2 major decision.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- On senior day senior Kyle Luigs pinned his man and two other Hoosiers won by pin as Indiana came away with a 27-13 victory against Maryland on Sunday at Wilkinson Hall. Notes • Indiana improves to 2-5 on the season and they match their most Big Ten dual match wins since the 2016-17 season. • The Hoosiers got off to a quick start with back-to-back pins from Jacob Moran and Kyle Luigs to jump out to a 12-0 advantage. • For Moran it was his first career pin, for Luigs it was his third career pin. • Donnell Washington got the Hoosiers third pin of the day and his second this season, 16 seconds into his match. • Washington improves his individual record to 5-2 on the season. • Freshman Jacob Moran, who started the dual with a pin improves his individual record to 5-3 on the season and gets his second dual match win. • Indiana got two match wins in extra time as Nick South got a take down in the second tiebreaker of his match and Rudy Streck won on a take down in sudden victory. • Graham Rooks improved to 2-1 on the season with a 6-2 decision • The 27 points for Indiana is their most since they beat Maryland 36-3 on Jan. 13, 2019 in the first match in Wilkinson Hall. Results: 125: Jacob Moran (IU) def. Zach Spence (UMD) fall 1:08 (IU 6, UMD 0) 133: Kyle Luigs (IU) def. Jackson Cockrell (UMD) fall 2:26 (IU 12, UMD 0) 141: Danny Bertoni (UMD) def. Cayden Rooks (IU) 6-1 decision (IU 12, UMD 3) 149: #14 Graham Rooks (IU) def. Hunter Baxter (UMD) 6-2 decision (IU 15, UMD 3) 157: Michael Doetsch (UMD) def. Jonathan Kervin (IU) 6-2 decision (IU 15, UMD 6) 165: #24 Nick South (IU) def. Jonathan Spadafora (UMD) 3-1 TB2 (IU 18, UMD 6) 174: #6 DJ Washington (IU) def. Philip Spadafora (UMD) fall 0:16 (IU 24, UMD 6) 184: Kyle Cochran (UMD) def. Drayton Harris (IU) 10-0 major decision (IU 24, UMD 10) 197: Jaron Smith (UMD) def. #28 Nick Willham (IU) 5-3 decision (IU 24, UMD 13) 285: Rudy Streck (IU) def. Garrett Kappes (UMD) 3-1 SV1 (IU 27, UMD 13) Extra Matches: 149: Lucas Cordio (UMD) def. Jonathan Moran (IU) fall 3:16 165: Sammy Cokeley (IU) def. Garrett Fisk (UMD) fall 1:20 197:Kevin Makosy (UMD) def. Robert Deters (IU) 10-4 decision IU Head Coach Angel Escobedo "I thought the guys went out there and competed and got bonus points, which we have been asking all season. It was awesome to see those pins that helped this team. It is great when you start off at 125 and have that pin to get that momentum. I thought the guys performed really well today. We have to build off this and head into Purdue." Up Next Up next the Hoosiers travel to Purdue for a televised match on BTN on Monday February 22 at 8 p.m. ET.

Macey Kilty knocked off Mallory Velte (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The championship match is set the Captains' Cup. Team Winchester and Team Mensah-Stock came through to win their respective pools and earn spots in Sunday's finals. Team Winchester topped Team Burkert and Team Miracle on the opening day, winning 10 of 12 matches. Macey Kilty (62 kilograms) shined for Team Winchester, getting technical superiorities over 2018 world bronze medalist Mallory Velte (11-0) and 2018 Final X runner-up Julia Salata (10-0). Sarah Hildebrandt picked up a pair of wins on Saturday (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Team Mensah-Stock moved into the finals by edging Team Hildebrandt on criteria and defeating Team Francis 4-2. Dymond Guilford (76 kilograms) had a strong day, beating Precious Bell (2-1) and Victoria Francis. Team Burkert will face Team Francis for third place, while Team Hildebrandt meet Team Miracle for fifth place. The placing matches begin at 4 p.m. CT on Sunday/. Pool A Team Winchester df. Team Burkert, 4-2 62: Macey Kilty (Winchester) df. Mallory Velte (Burkert), 11-0 68: Alex Glaude (Winchester) df. Alyvia Fiske (Burkert), 3-2 76: Tristan Kelly (Burkert) df. Geneva Gray (Winchester), 12-1 50: Alyssa Lampe (Winchester) df. Aleeah Gould (Burkert), 10-0 53: Jacarra Winchester (Winchester) df. Katherine Shai (Burkert), 6-2 57: Brenda Reyna (Burkert) df. Gracie Figueroa (Winchester), 14-4 Team Burkert df. Team Miracle, 5-1 68: Alyvia Fiske (Burkert) df. Ashlynn Ortega (Miracle), 6-1 76: Tristan Kelly (Burkert) df. Hannah Gladden (Miracle), 3-1 50: Erin Golston (Miracle) df. Aleeah Gould (Burkert), 10-0 53: Katherine Shai (Burkert) df. Ronna Heaton (Miracle), 10-0 57: Brenda Reyna (Burkert) df. Koral Sugiyama (Miracle), 11-10 62: Mallory Velte (Burkert) df. Julia Salata (Miracle), 8-2 Team Winchester df. Team Miracle, 6-0 76: Geneva Gray (Winchester) df. Hannah Gladden (Miracle), 10-0 50: Alyssa Lampe (Winchester) df. Erin Golston (Miracle), 9-4 53: Jacarra Winchester (Winchester) df. Ronna Heaton (Miracle), 6-2 57: Gracie Figueroa (Winchester) df. Koral Sugiyama (Miracle), 12-1 62: Macey Kilty (Winchester) df. Julia Salata (Miracle), 10-0 68: Alex Glaude (Winchester) df. Ashlynn Ortega (Miracle), 5-1 Pool B Team Mensah-Stock df. Team Hildebrandt, 3-3, (13-12 classification points) 62: Jennifer Page (Hildebrandt) df. Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Mensah-Stock), 17-6 68: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Mensah-Stock) df. Kayla Marano (Hildebrandt), 10-0 76: Dymond Guilford (Mensah-Stock) df. Precious Bell (Hildebrandt), 2-1 50: Sarah Hildebrandt (Hildebrandt) df. Amy Fearnside (Mensah-Stock), 10-0 53: Alex Hedrick (Hildebrandt) df. Alisha Howk (Mensah-Stock), 5-1 57: Abby Nette (Mensah-Stock) df. Lauren Louive (Hildebrandt), 10-0 Team Francis df. Team Hildebrandt, 4-2 68: Skylar Grote (Francis) df. Kayla Marano (Hildebrandt), 6-3 76: Victoria Francis (Francis) df. Precious Bell (Hildebrandt), 8-4 50: Sarah Hildebrandt (Hildebrandt) df. Emily Shilson (Francis), 10-0 53: Felicity Taylor (Francis) df. Alex Hedrick (Hildebrandt), 2-0 57: Lauren Louive (Hildebrandt) df. Lauren Mason (Francis), fall 1:57 62: Emma Bruntil (Francis) df. Jennifer Page (Hildebrandt), 2-2 Team Mensah-Stock df. Team Francis, 4-2 76: Dymond Guilford (Mensah-Stock) df. Victoria Francis (Francis), 10-0 50: Emily Shilson (Francis) df. Amy Fearnside (Mensah-Stock), 9-4 53: Alisha Howk (Mensah-Stock) df. Felicity Taylor (Francis), 5-4 57: Abby Nette (Mensah-Stock) df. Lauren Mason (Francis), 10-0 62: Emma Bruntil (Francis) df. Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Mensah-Stock), 13-2 68: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Mensah-Stock) df. Skylar Grote (Francis), fall 2:22