InterMat Staff

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed the first half of its rivalry weekend with a dominant 39-3 victory over in-state foe Michigan State on Friday evening (Feb. 9) in front of 1,062 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines claimed nine of 10 matches, earning bonus points in six, to claim their fifth straight Big Ten Conference dual win. The Wolverines earned three first-period falls; none quicker than fifth-ranked junior/sophomore Stevan Micic, who got the Wolverines on the board at 133 pounds after MSU claimed the opening match. Micic scored on a quick single leg, then locked up a nearside cradle to stick Logan Griffin just 33 seconds into his bout. It was Micic's second fall of the season and 10th straight bonus-point victory. Michigan's captains, fifth-year senior Domenic Abounader and graduate student Adam Coon, also claimed quick falls at 184 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Abounader, ranked fifth in the latest InterMat poll, earned a pair of turns in the first period, using a power half for the latter to pin Shwan Shadaia at 2:17 -- his second fall of the season. Coon, ranked second nationally, secured his team-best ninth fall midway through the first frame against Christan Rebottaro, using crusher for his fifth takedown of the bout and to end it at the 1:44 mark. Coon is 21-0 on the season. Michigan earned good wins up and down its lineup. Junior/sophomore Sal Profaci posted a gritty 2-0 decision over Javier Gasca at 141 pounds -- his first collegiate win in three meetings between the two -- on a quick escape in the second and a third-period rideout. Senior/junior Malik Amine, ranked 18th, defeated Austin Eicher, 7-3, at 149 pounds behind a pair of takedowns and 1:43 in riding-time advantage. Senior/junior Alec Pantaleo, ranked seventh at 157 pounds, stayed on the attack throughout an 8-4 decision against Jake Tucker before the intermission break. Pantaleo finished on three leg attacks, including two in the first period, and just missed on several more to stay in control throughout. Junior/sophomore Logan Massa, ranked ninth, cruised to an 11-2 major decision over Austin Hiles after the break. Massa scored on four takedowns, similarly converting on two in the first period, and followed three with period rideouts to earn 2:55 in advantage time. Michigan earned bonus points in all five bouts after the intermission. Senior/junior Garrett Sutton and graduate student Kevin Beazley also earned major decisions at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. Sutton was dominant in his dual-season debut, earning five totals -- two apiece in the first and third periods -- and riding for 2:00 to beat Logan Ritchie. Beazley, ranked 12th nationally, scored three takedowns and earned eight back points to build up a big lead through the first and second periods before claiming a 20-12 win against Nick May. The Wolverines (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) will wrap up rivalry weekend with a 6 p.m. slate against No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday (Feb. 11) at Crisler Center. Dubbed "The Clash at Crisler," the dual will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Tickets are available through the U-M Ticket Office and will be available at the gate on Sunday. Results: 125 -- Rayvon Foley (MSU) dec. No. 9 Drew Mattin, 10-3 [MSU, 3-0] 133 -- No. 5 Stevan Micic (U-M) pinned Logan Griffin, 0:33 [U-M, 6-3] 141 -- Sal Profaci (U-M) dec. Javier Gasca, 2-0 [U-M, 9-3] 149 -- No. 18 Malik Amine (U-M) dec. Austin Eicher, 7-3 [U-M, 12-3] 157 -- No. 7 Alec Pantaleo (U-M) dec. Jake Tucker, 8-4 [U-M, 15-3] 165 -- No. 9 Logan Massa (U-M) major dec Austin Hiles, 11-2 [U-M, 19-3] 174 -- Garrett Sutton (U-M) major dec. Logan Ritchie, 12-3 [U-M, 23-3] 184 -- No. 5 Domenic Abounader (U-M) pinned Shwan Shadaia, 2:17 [U-M, 29-3] 197 -- No. 12 Kevin Beazley (U-M) major dec. Nick May, 20-12 [U-M, 33-3] Hwt -- No. 2 Adam Coon (U-M) pinned Christian Rebottaro, 1:44 (5:21) [U-M, 39-3]

AMES, Iowa -- A pair of pins by Markus Simmons and Dane Pestano and a sudden-victory decision by Marcus Harrington in the final match paced Iowa State (8-8, 3-5 Big 12) to a 26-22 win over Fresno State (4-15, 1-4 Big 12) Friday night in Hilton Coliseum. Harrington won the deciding match at 285 pounds, as the Cyclones were clinging to a 23-22 lead with one bout to go. Harrington was down 3-1 early to A.J. Nevills, who was 26-5 heading into the match. A second-period takedown by Harrington tied the match at 3-3 and Harrington was the aggressor in overtime, recording the winning takedown 24 seconds into the period. How It Happened Simmons (133) got the Cyclones their first points by pinning Trevor Williams. Simmons had three takedowns in the third period and led 17-4 before recording the fall at the 6:06 mark. Jarrett Degen lost a close match at 149 pounds to Khristian Olivas, 14-13. Degan gave up back points and was down 6-1 in the first period, and trailed 12-5 after two periods. The freshman fought back with three takedowns in the third period, but it wasn't enough to recover from the early deficit. Chase Straw notched a technical fall at 157 pounds against Greg Gaxiola. Straw had a pair of four-point near falls in the opening period and ended the match on another four-pointer at 5:41. Pestano electrified the Hilton Coliseum crowd at 184 pounds. Pestano had a commanding 11-4 lead over Angel Solis late in the third period. While riding Solis in the closing moments, he tilted the Bulldog and notched the fall with 0:01 left in the match. Results: 125: Sean Williams (FS) maj. dec. Sinjin Briggs (ISU), 10-2 (1:07-RT) 133: Markus Simmons (ISU) pinned Trevor Williams (FS), 6:06 141: Chris DeLoza (FS) wins by forfeit 149: Khristian Olivas (FS) dec. Jarrett Degen (ISU), 14-13 157: Chase Straw (ISU) tech. fall Greg Gaxiola (FS), 19-3 (5:41) 165: Skyler St. John (ISU) wins by forfeit 174: Dominic Kincaid (FS) dec. Danny Bush (ISU), 7-4 (1:14) 184: Dane Pestano (ISU) pinned Angel Solis (FS), 6:59 197: Josh Hokit (FS) pinned Joe Teague (ISU), 1:43 285: Marcus Harrington (ISU) sudden victory A.J. Nevills, 6-4 (SV-1)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- In front of a record crowd at Reynolds Coliseum, the sixth-ranked NC State wrestling team won eight of the 10 individual bouts and defeated No. 24 North Carolina 26-7 Friday night. After two bouts the Tar Heels held a 4-3 lead, but the Wolfpack roared back winning six straight matches to take a 23-4 lead heading into the last two bouts. The ACC dual featured seven matches of ranked vs. ranked wrestlers. NC State improves to 14-1 on the season, and a perfect 4-0 in ACC action. The win was the fifth in a row for NC State in the series, the most consecutive wins over the Tar Heels for the Pack since a streak of seven from 1980-84. The dual started at 165 pounds, as R-Jr. Sam Melikian got the starting nod. After falling behind 2-0 to start the second, Melikian scored a takedown and then four-point near fall for a six point move that paved the way to a 10-4 win. UNC answered with a major decision at 174 pounds and took a 4-3 lead after two bouts. The Pack answered with its own major at 184 pounds, and No. 3 R-Sr. Pete Renda got the 8-0 shutout win over No. 18 Chip Ness. Renda scored a takedown in the first, and a ride out with a two-point near fall in the second in leading to the bonus point win. No. 6 R-Sr. Michael Macchivello made it back-to-back wins over ranked foes, as his first period takedown was the lone on of the bout, and he defeated No. 16 Danny Chaid 3-2. No. 22 Sr. Michael Boykin got his second straight start at heavyweight, and a fall in each of the first two periods and then two in the third led to a 10-3 win and gave the Wolfpack a 13-4 lead at the intermission. At 125 pounds, No. 4 R-Jr. Sean Fausz made his home dual debut with a 16-2 major decision. Fausz controlled the bout the entire match, including a four-point near fall as time expired. With a late takedown in the second period, and a strong third period on top, No. 19 Tariq Wilson scored a 4-1 win over No. 20 Zach Sherman at 133 pounds. No. 2 Sr. Kevin Jack made it six in a row for the Pack, as a first period takedown led to a 4-2 win over No. 20 A.C. Headlee and gave the Pack a 23-4 lead with two bouts left. UNC broke the Pack's streak, as No. 7 Troy Heilmann scored a 5-1 win over No. 13 R-Sr. Beau Donahue at 149 pounds. The Pack closed the dual with its eighth win of the night, as No. 3 R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay used a barrage of takedowns in the third period and scored a 12-6 win over No. 17 Kennedy Monday. Up Next: The Pack will return to home action next weekend, hosting the final two duals of the season. Up first will be an ACC showdown with No. 9 Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m.) on Friday night, followed by a dual with No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday (4:30 p.m.). Results: 165: Sam Melikian (NCSU) dec. Josh McClure; 10-4 – 3-0 174: #16 Ethan Ramos (UNC) major dec. #19 Daniel Bullard; 17-8 – 3-4 184: #3 Pete Renda (NCSU) major dec. #18 Chip Ness; 8-0 – 7-4 197: #6 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. #16 Danny Chaid; 3-2 – 10-4 285: #22 Michael Boykin (NCSU) dec. Andrew Gunning; 10-3 – 13-4 125: #4 Sean Fausz (NCSU) major dec. James Szymanski; 16-2 – 17-4 133: #19 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) dec. #20 Zach Sherman; 4-1 – 20-4 141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) dec. #20 A.C. Headlee; 4-2 – 23-4 149: #7 Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. #13 Beau Donahue; 5-1 – 23-7 157: #3 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) dec. #17 Kennedy Monday; 12-6 – 26-7

The University of Minnesota wrestling team took to the road on Friday and defeated No. 18 Rutgers 20-12 at the RAC. Minnesota won six matches during the dual, including a tech fall by No. 6 Ethan Lizak at 125-pounds. The Gophers picked up victories, all by decision, from Rylee Streifel, No. 12 Mitch McKee, No. 14 Tommy Thorn, No. 17 Jake Short and Dylan Anderson. “We had really good intensity by all ten guys who went out there today,” head coach Brandon Eggum said after the dual. “Even the matches we lost today, three of those four were matches we should have had. Miles [Patton] did a great job stepping in for us today, almost pulled off the upset at 149.” “I think the guys showed great intensity to begin matches, and it led to scoring a lot of points. There is no question that the guys who score the opening takedown often win matches,” Eggum said. “We were just happy to see guys going out there and not focusing on winning, but wrestling the way we want them to wrestle for seven minutes.” For the first time this season, the Gophers began a dual at heavyweight, giving Rylee Streifel the opportunity to come out and set the pace. Streifel and Razohnn Gross wrestled to a scoreless first period, and then Streifel started on top in the second. Streifel was able to ride out Gross in the second period, keeping the Scarlet Knight off balance for the entire period, and putting riding time at two full minutes. Streifel kept his energy up, and was able to earn an escape quickly in the third period, giving him the first point of the match. Streifel was able to defend his way to a 2-0 decision, giving the Gophers the first points of the dual. At the top of the lineup, it was Ethan Lizak who took the mat. With No.1 Nick Suriano not wrestling for the Scarlet Knights, Lizak went out and dominated. The 2017 NCAA Finalist took his opponent, Luke Ecklof, down within seconds of the first period, and went to work on top. Lizak eanred four points on a near fall, and held a 6-0 lead after one period. In the second, Ecklof started on top, and Lizak slipped out between Ecklof's legs to earn a two-point reversal, extending his lead to 8-0 early in the second. Lizak wouldn't stop there, he earned a pair of four-point near falls, giving him his seventh tech fall of the season. With an 8-0 Minnesota lead, Mitch McKee took the mat for the Gophers at 133-pounds. McKee exchanged takedowns and escapes with No. 20 Scott DelVacchio, knotting the score at three near the end of the first period. DelVacchio took McKee down once again at the end of the first, and then an escape in the second made McKee's deficit 6-3. The sophomore began to chip away at DelVacchio, earning a takedown making it 6-5. Then McKee held his position on top for the remainder of the period, giving him over a minute of riding time, essentially tying the match headed into the third period. In the third, DelVacchio was able to erase the riding time point, but McKee escaped to tie the match with 1:30 to go. McKee wasted no time, earning a takedown just 15 seconds later, and McKee rode out DelVacchio to earn the 9-6 decision, extending the Minnesota lead to 11-0. All-American Tommy Thorn took the mat at 141-pounds against Michael Van Brill. The theme of the night continued to be early Minnesota takedowns, and Thorn kept that going, giving him a 2-0 lead early in the first. Thorn would force two stall calls on Van Brill, giving him a 3-0 lead after one. After a quiet second period, Thorn escapes in the third, and then used a second takedown to go up 6-0 before the riding point made it a 7-0 decision for the redshirt junior. In his first dual action since Nov. 21, 2015, Miles Patton showed heart in his match against No. 11 Eleazar DeLuca. Patton fell behind after an early takedown, but continued to hang around and trailed 3-1 early in the second. Patton had some good stuff offensively, and tied up the match at three with a takedown with short time in the second. Patton was able to take a 4-3 lead with 1:45 to go in the third after his escape, but DeLuca took it back with 1:10 to go, and was able to ride out Patton the rest of the way for the 6-4 decision. After halftime, the Gophers returned with a 14-3 lead, and Jake Short was on the mat for the Maroon and Gold. After two minutes of scoreless wrestling, Short elevated John Van Brill's leg and scored a takedown to open up the scoring. Short chose to start the second period in the neutral position, and it paid off. Short earned a second takedown, giving him a 4-0 lead. Short held a 4-1 lead heading into the final period, and was able to hold on for the 4-3 decision by the time the horn rung out at the RAC, giving Minnesota a 17-3 lead with four matches to go. The biggest match of the night came at 165, No. 8 Nick Wanzek took on No. 11 Richie Lewis. The two exchanged escapes heading into the final period, but Lewis was able to scramble his way to a takedown with short time, earning him a 3-1 decision over Wanzek. At 174, Pfarr was put in an early hole after a takedown and four-point near fall in the first. Pfarr didn't break though. He fought back, earning an escape and a reversal made it 7-3 at the end of two. Pfarr continued to battle, and forced Joe Grello backwards continually. Grello was hit with numerous stall calls, giving Pfarr a chance with 1:10 to go, down just 9-7. Grello was able to secure a second takedown of Pfarr, giving him a 12-7 decision over Pfarr. After Krone took a loss against No. 12 Nicholas Gravina, Dylan Anderson had the dual on his shoulders with the score at 17-12. Against Anthony Messner, a senior wrestling for the Scarlet Knights on senior night, Anderson stepped up to the challenge. Anderson fell behind after a quick takedown to open the match, but the redshirt freshman made an adjustment and continued to press forward. He earned a reversal in the first, and by the start of the second period, riding time was also on his side. The Hudson, Wis. native shook off Messner, and scored his second takedown, giving him a 5-3 lead with short time in the second. Anderson wouldn't be denied, he escaped in the third to make it 6-3, but he didn't stop wrestling. He earned two more takedowns to end the match, and earned the 11-4 decision and the Gophers the dual victory. Minnesota continues their final Big Ten roadtrip with Maryland on Sunday. The Gophers will be on the Big Ten Network for the third time this season, the dual is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. CT. Make sure to follow the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you do not miss any content as we get closer to postseason action. Results: HWT: Rylee Streifel dec Razohnn Gross, 2-0 | Minn 3 - Rutgers 0 125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak tech fall Luke Ecklof, 16-0 | Minn 8 - Rutgers 0 133: No. 12 Mitch McKee dec No. 20 Scott DelVacchio, 9-6 | Minn 11 - Rutgers 0 141: No. 14 Tommy Thorn dec Michael Van Brill, 7-0 | Minn 14 - Rutgers 0 149: No. 11 Eleazar DeLuca dec Miles Patton, 6-4 | Minn 14 - Rutgers 3 157: No. 17 Jake Short dec John Van Brill, 4-3 | Minn 17 - Rutgers 3 165: No. 11 Richie Lewis dec No. 8 Nick Wanzek, 3-1 | Minn 17 - Rutgers 6 174: Joe Grello dec Chris Pfarr, 12-7 | Minn 17 - Rutgers 9 184: No. 12 Nicholas Gravina dec Brandon Krone, 7-1 | Minn 17 - Rutgers 12 197: Dylan Anderson dec Anthony Messner, 11-4 | Minn 20 - Rutgers 12

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 19 Northwestern (9-4, 4-4 Big Ten) notched its third ranked win of the season on Friday night, topping No. 22 Purdue (8-7, 2-6 Big Ten), 24-16, at Mackey Arena in front of a national television audience on the Big Ten Network. For Northwestern, the victory exemplifies a marked improvement in the 2017-18 season. NU's four conference wins equals the number from the previous three campaigns combined. Its three team ranked wins are the most since logging four in the 2010-11 season. Saddled with a 6-0 deficit entering his bout, Zack Chakonis (197) decided to take matters into his own hands. After a scoreless first period, Chakonis needed only nine seconds to pin Max Lyon of Purdue to even up the team scores at six points apiece. Looking for even more clutch wrestling, Conan Jennings (285) offered his assistance against No. 15 Shawn Streck. He only led, 4-3, after the second period, but dominated the final period to win via 7-3 decision. No. 10 Sebastian Rivera (125) was not fazed at all facing NU's second-straight ranked opponent, No. 17 Luke Welch. After a relatively slow first period, Rivera turned the jets on, notching an escape, take down, and four-point near fall to take a 9-0 lead on Welch. He added another takedown and a riding time point to top Welch via 12-1 major decision. Rivera's team-high fourth ranked win increased Northwestern's lead to 13-6 over the Boilermakers. No. 5 Ryan Deakin (149) dominated his bout against Austin Nash from start-to-finish. He picked up his third tech fall of the season, a 19-4 throttling of the Boilermaker. That gave NU an 18-12 lead in the dual. With only a six-point lead entering the last two bouts, Shayne Oster (157) pinned his opponent Griffin Parriott in 5:43 to guarantee the #B1GCats a dual victory. It was Oster's fourth pin of the season, tying him for second-most on the squad. Chicago's Big Ten Team wraps up its Big Ten dual slate on Sunday, February 11, at Indiana. The match is set for a 12 p.m. start. Results: 174 / No. 11 Dylan Lydy, Purdue def. No. 19 Johnny Sebastian, Northwestern / D, 2-1 (TB1) 184 / Max Lyon, Purdue def. Mitch Sliga, Northwestern / D, 6-5 197 / Zack Chakonis, Northwestern def. Christian Brunner, Purdue / F, 3:09 285 / Conan Jennings, Northwestern def. No. 15 Shawn Streck, Purdue / D, 7-3 125 / Sebastian Rivera, Northwestern def. No. 17 Luke Welch, Purdue / MD, 12-1 133 / Ben Thornton, Purdue def. Colin Valdiviez, Northwestern / D, 5-4 141 / No. 16 Nate Limmex, Purdue Alec McKenna, Northwestern / D, 7-2 149 / No. 5 Ryan Deakin, Northwestern def. Austin Nash, Purdue / TF, 19- 4 (7:00) 157 / Shayne Oster, Northwestern def. Griffin Parriott, Purdue / F, 5:30 165 / Jacob Morrissey, Purdue def. Michael Sepke, Northwestern / MD, 13-0

PITTSBURGH -- In a dual that went down to the wire, the South Dakota State University wrestling team extended its dual winning streak to a school-record-tying 12 matches with a 25-13 win at Pittsburgh Friday night. The 12th-ranked Jackrabbits, who were propelled to the win by four bonus-point victories, improved to 12-2 overall. Pitt dropped to 2-10 in duals this season. Luke Zilverberg, ranked 14th at 157 pounds, scored the first SDSU victory of the night with a 10-2 major decision over Taleb Rahmani. It was Zilverberg's team-leading 22nd victory of the season. After the Panthers grabbed a 7-4 lead, SDSU took the lead for good by winning the next three matches to go ahead 14-7. David Kocer, the 12th-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds, started the streak with a 15-3 major decision over Tommy O'Brien for his 99th career victory. Martin Mueller at 184 pounds and 11th-ranked Nate Rotert at 197 pounds each won by decision. Pitt pulled to within a point at 14-13 with two bouts to go as heavyweight Ryan Solomon and 125-pounder L.J. Bentley each won by decision. However, SDSU put an emphatic stop to the Panthers' upset bid. What figured to be a marquee matchup between top-ranked Seth Gross and 10th-ranked Dom Forys of Pittsburgh never materialized as Gross lived up to his top billing by recording a takedown and trio of four-point near-falls in the first period for a 14-0 lead. Gross finished off his 16-0 technical fall victory with a takedown 20 seconds into the second period after a neutral start. Needing only to avoid being pinned to win the dual, Henry Pohlmeyer trailed 1-0 entering the third period against the Panthers' Nick Zanetta. Pohlmeyer, who rode out the entire second period from the top position, escaped early in the third period, took Zanetta down and put him to his back for a pin 35 seconds into the final stanza to seal the Jackrabbit victory. UP NEXT The Jackrabbits will go for a program-record 13th consecutive dual victory Sunday afternoon at Big 12 Conference rival West Virginia. Action is set to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Central) at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. Results: 149: Robert Lee (Pitt) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 10-3 157: #14 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec. Taleb Rahmani (Pitt), 10-2 165: Jake Wentzel (Pitt) major dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 12-2 174: #12 David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Tommy O'Brien (Pitt), 15-3 184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) dec. Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 9-7 197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Zach Bruce (Pitt), 4-3 285: Ryan Solomon (Pitt) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 7-0 125: L.J. Bentley (Pitt) dec. Connor Brown (SDSU), 5-2 133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) tech. fall #10 Dom Forys (Pitt), 16-0 [3:20] 141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) def. Nick Zanetta (Pitt), by fall 5:36 NOTES * Friday's dual marked the first-ever meeting on the wrestling mat between SDSU and Pittsburgh * The Jackrabbits previously won 12 consecutive duals during the 1985-86 and 2015-16 seasons * Zilverberg recorded his 92nd career victory to move into a tie with Josh Sammons (1994-97) for 18th place on the SDSU career wins list * Rotert upped his career victories total to 91 in reaching the 20-win mark for the fourth consecutive season * Gross improved to 19-1 overall and stayed unbeaten at 133 pounds this season in recording his sixth win by technical fall during the 2017-18 campaign

KENT, Ohio -- The Old Dominion (8-8, 4-2 MAC) wrestling team defeated Kent State (11-9, 1-4 MAC) by a score of 19-14 on Friday night in the Memorial Athletic Center. The Monarchs won six out of the ten bouts. “The kids battled tonight in a hard fought win on the road. This is the first time we have beaten KSU at their place so we were happy with our kids controlling their own performance,” said head coach Steve Martin. “Collectively as a group we wrestled for seven minutes and fought for our positions, which is a big plus here at the end of the year. Earlier this season Kent State beat UVA and Utah Valley who have been in and out of the top-25, so this was a good win." Opening up the night with bonus points for the Monarchs, Michael McGee earned a major decision victory over Jake Ferri in the 125-pound bout. “McGee and Madrigal were dominant in their matches tonight earning a major decision and decision win.” At 133, Caleb Richardson suffered a loss by decision to Anthony Tutulo. At 141, Alex Madrigal defeated Tim Rooney for the second time this season. The sophomore earned a 7-1 victory and now moves to a 17-6 record this season. Kenan Carter defeated Nick Monico by a 2-0 decision with an escape and riding time ultimately making the difference. Carter improves to 20-11 this season. In a close bout, Larry Early won the 157-pound match by a 3-2 decision to extend the Monarch lead to 13-3. “Carter won the old fashioned way by riding out his opponent, which was nice to see. Early defeated an opponent that he had problems with in the past by attacking from start to finish.” Luke Drugac suffered a loss by major decision at 165. Extending the lead for ODU, Seldon Wright secured a 5-2 decision over Dylan Barreiro at 174. In the 184-pound bout, Antonio Agee earned a win by decision over Colin McCracken to give the Monarchs their final win for the night. ODU led 19-7 after Agee's bout. “Wright and Agee grinded out wins against hard nosed opponents at 174 and 184.” Kent State earned bonus points in the 197-pound bout with a major decision over John D'Agostino. In the final bout, Ali Wahab dropped a decision to Stephen Suglio in the final seconds. “We wrestle a tough Ohio team on Sunday so we are looking forward to another opportunity to compete.” Results: 125: Michael McGee (ODU) md over Jake Ferri (KSU), 11-1 133: Anthony Tutolo (KSU) dec over Caleb Richardson (ODU), 3-1 141: #19 Alex Madrigal (ODU) dec over Tim Rooney (KSU), 7-1 149: Kenan Carter (ODU) dec over Nick Monico (KSU), 2-0 157: Larry Early (ODU) dec over Casey Sparkman (KSU), 3-2 165: Isaac Bast (KSU) md over Luke Drugac (ODU), 14-5 174: #17 Seldon Wright (ODU) dec over Dylan Barreiro (KSU), 5-2 184: Antonio Agee (ODU) dec over Colin McCracken (KSU), 6-2 197: Kyle Conel (KSU) md over John D'Agostino (ODU), 16-7 285: Stephen Suglio (KSU) dec over Ali Wahab (ODU), 6-4 Up Next The Monarchs will face Ohio (4-6, 2-4 MAC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Cornell wrestling team used late bonus points, including a first period fall by freshman phenom Yianni Diakomihalis, to hold off Drexel 22-13 on Friday evening at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The Big Red improved to 10-2 while extending its win streak to six matches, while the Dragons fell to 10-4. In front of a large and boisterous Dragon crowd, the Big Red stayed poised and avoided giving any energy to the home team in improving to 11-1-1 all-time against Drexel. Cornell is now 90-0 against EIWA opponents other than Lehigh over the last 14 seasons (102-4-1 overall). Cornell entered halftime with a 12-4 lead after the dual started at 165. Ebed Jarrell got the Spirit Day crowd into a frenzy with a major decision victory to kick off the night, but four consecutive Big Red victories, all by decision, put the visitors in control. Brandon Womack got things started with a 2-0 win over Austin Rose and 174, followed by 11th-ranked Max Dean's 8-3 triumph over Alex DeCiantis. Ben Darmstadt, ranked No. 3 at 197, picked off the first of three expected top 20 foes on the weekend when he topped No. 20 Stephen Loiseau by a 6-4 margin. Jeramy Sweany closed out the first half with a 6-1 decision over Josh Murphy. The Dragons mounted a comeback with Zack Fuentes and No. 4 Austin DeSanto earning wins, the latter sneaking out a 2-1 decision over Chaz Tucker at 133. Yianni Diakomihalis ended Drexel's momentum with a first period pin of Julian Flores in just 81 seconds and Will Koll clinched the dual with a 10-0 major decision over Trevor Elfvin in a match that will be key for EIWA seeding. Cornell will attempt to claim its 16th straight Ivy title tomorrow when it meets Penn at 12 p.m. and Princeton at 6 p.m. A win in either match would clinch at least a share, a sweep would be its 16th consecutive unbeaten season in conference action. Results: 165: Ebed Jarrell (D) won by major decision over Adam Santoro (C), 13-5 174: Brandon Womack (C) won by decision over Austin Rose (D), 2-0 184: #11 Max Dean (C) won by decision over Alex DeCiantis (D), 8-3, 197: #3 Ben Darmstadt (C) won by decision over #20 Stephen Loiseau (D), 6-4 285: Jeramy Sweany (C) won by decision over Josh Murphy (D), 6-1 125: Zack Fuentes (D) won by decision over Noah Baughman (C), 6-0 133: #4 Austin DeSanto (D) won by decision over Chaz Tucker (C), 2-1 141: #4 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) won by fall over Julian Flores (D), 1:21 149: Will Koll (C) won by major decision over Trevor Elfvin (D), 10-0 157: Garrett Hammond (D) won by decision over Kyle Simaz (C), 7-4

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Clarion wrestling team clinched its first winning season in 15 years with a complete effort on Friday night, defeating Bloomsburg 30-9 on the road thanks to an abundance of bonus points. The Golden Eagles (9-4, 4-1 EWL) will finish with a winning overall record for the first time since 2002-03, and will wrap Eastern Wrestling League competition on Sunday when they host Lock Haven. It was a night where nearly everyone had their moment, as the Golden Eagles won seven of the 10 bouts on the mat, four of them by bonus points. Two of those wins came by fall, with Avery Shay and Toby Cahill each notching pins against the Huskies. It was those extra points that allowed Clarion to overcome a 6-0 deficit to start the match. Bloomsburg struck first by winning the first two bouts of the night, but Brock Zacherl rectified that with a huge technical fall at 141 pounds. The redshirt junior worked Shawn Orem throughout the entire bout, notching takedown after takedown to ensure bonus points. The technical was secured in the waning seconds of the third period, when Zacherl took Orem down for two points and snagged four back points to bump his advantage to 26-8. The addition of Zacherl's riding time advantage made it 27-8 and pulled the Golden Eagles to within 6-5 in the team match. Taylor Ortz tacked on more bonus points in the 149-pound bout, nearly shutting Braden Stahlnecker out for a 12-1 major decision. The score was relatively close after two periods, with Ortz scoring a takedown in the first period and doing a strong job of riding in the second. He eventually tilted Stahlnecker for a four-point near fall and the rout was on, as Ortz eventually built his way up to a major decision. One final takedown came in the final seconds, and the addition of the riding point put the Golden Eagles ahead 9-6 in the team match. Avery Shay wrapped that stretch of wins when he scored a win by fall in the 157-pound, and in dramatic fashion to boot. The true freshman trailed Kevin Laubach 4-2 entering the third period but gathered himself for a two-point takedown just before time expired, sending the bout to sudden victory. Shay remained the aggressor in the overtime period, taking several shots at Laubach before finally connecting for a takedown. He got Laubach in a dangerous position and worked him first for back points, and eventually scored the pin to open up a 15-6 lead for the Golden Eagles. The Huskies claimed the 165-pound bout in a tiebreaker after two overtime periods, but Dom Rigous got Clarion back on track and put a big dent in Bloomsburg's comeback hopes. In his low-scoring bout with Kyle Murphy, he got the only point he needed with an escape to start the second period. Rigous began the third in the top position and rode Murphy out for the full two minutes, picking up the riding time point and a 2-0 decision. Greg Bulsak followed with a 3-2 decision in the 184-pound bout, scoring an escape and a takedown in the second period to beat Trevor Allard, and Dustin Conti clinched the team match with a decision at 197 pounds. Cahill closed out the night with his sixth fall of the season and second in as many bouts, getting on top of Bruce Graeber just 1:09 into their bout to close the win. Results: 125: Willy Girard (Bloomsburg) over Gavin Park (Clarion) (Dec 9-7) 133: Andy Schutz (Bloomsburg) over Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) (Dec 7-0) 141: Brock Zacherl (Clarion) over Shawn Orem (Bloomsburg) (TF 27-8 6:50) 149: Taylor Ortz (Clarion) over Braden Stahlnecker (Bloomsburg) (MD 12-1) 157: Avery Shay (Clarion) over Kevin Laubach (Bloomsburg) (SV-1 (Fall) 7:48) 165: Nate Newberry (Bloomsburg) over Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) (TB-2 (RT) 4-3) 174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) over Kyle Murphy (Bloomsburg) (Dec 2-0) 184: Greg Bulsak (Clarion) over Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg) (Dec 3-2) 197: Dustin Conti (Clarion) over Logan Womelsdorf (Bloomsburg) (Dec 3-1) 285: Toby Cahill (Clarion) over Bruce Graeber (Bloomsburg) (Fall 1:09)

A dramatic beginning and a dominant finish led the Princeton wrestling team to an exciting 24-17 win over Columbia Friday night in the first of a four-match homestand to conclude the 2017-18 regular season. The victory keeps Princeton alive in the Ivy League chase, and sets up a potentially historic Saturday night in Dillon Gym. The Tigers (2-1 Ivy) will host Cornell (3-0 Ivy) at 6 pm on the Ivy League Network. The Big Red, who take on Penn Saturday at 12 pm, have won 31 straight dual matches against Princeton and have the longest league championship streak of any team among the 33 Ivy League sports. A Princeton victory would keep the Tigers in the thick of the championship race going into a home match the following Saturday against Penn. Princeton faced a must-win situation Friday against Cornell, and Tiger co-captain Mike D'Angelo got the ball rolling with a Top-20 win over Markus Scheidel at 157. The 17th-ranked D'Angelo, who missed last weekend with injury, scored an overtime takedown to post a 2-1 victory over the 13th-ranked Scheidel. Fellow Princeton co-captain Jonathan Schleifer built on that lead with a win at 165, and sophomore Kevin Parker added a 10-1 major at 184 to build the lead to 10-5. 17th-ranked freshman Patrick Brucki added more team points with a 12-3 major decision, his team-best 21st win of the season, though ranked heavyweight Garrett Ryan got Columbia back in the match with a major decision. Princeton needed a momentum stopper, and sophomore Matteo DeVincenzo handled that role. His 10-0 major built the lead back to 18-10, and it assured Tiger All-American Matthew Kolodzik a chance to clinch the victory in the evening's final match. After a pair of Columbia wins, that scenario played out, and Kolodzik was more than up to the challenge. He took the early lead, but never relinquished and eventually put Jacob Macalolooy on his back in the third period for the fall. While Princeton will be looking to stay in the 2018 Ivy League title chase tomorrow, the Tigers will also honor the 1978 EIWA championship team prior to the Cornell match. Also, the first 200 Tiger fans in Dillon Gym will receive an orange Princeton wrestling t-shirt. Results: 157 – #17 Mike D'Angelo (P) dec. Markus Scheidel 2-1, TB-1 165 – Jonathan Schleifer (P) dec. Laurence Kosoy 10-5 174 – Tyrel White (C) TF Carlin Powell 22-7 184 – Kevin Parker (P) mdec. Andrew Psomas 10-1 197 - #17 Patrick Brucki (P) mdec. Michael Bulkin 12-3 285 - #16 Garrett Ryan (C) TF Michael Markulec 24-9 125 – Matteo DeVincenzo (P) mdec. Spencer Good 10-0 133 – Alec Kelly (C) mdec. Jonathan Gomez 14-6 141 – JP Ascolese (C) dec. Jordan Reich 12-5 149 - #12 Matthew Kolodzik (P) WBF Jacob Macalolooy 6:27

Ever dreamed of being involved in the making of a film? Now you can realize that dream ... by contributing to the brand-new crowdfunding campaign for "The Price of Legacy: Wrestling with a Dynasty" film now in production. The campaign, which launched Thursday on indeegogo.com, allows supporters of the sport of wrestling to help filmmakers complete this documentary. The film demonstrates the impact wrestling on this small community. The rich wrestling legacy that has been created by the successful Perry High School wrestling program has produced two Olympic medal-winning wrestlers -- Dan Hodge, and Jack VanBebber. The crowdsource funding campaign for "The Price of Legacy" offers appealing rewards for contributors at all levels. For example, with a $10 donation, givers receive a personal thank-you on the film's official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. By contributing $25, donors receive the above reward, along with an official 5" x 7" movie postcard signed by the filmmakers. The $50 "Ankle Pick" giving level offers contributors the personalized thank-you and signed movie postcard ... along with a DVD copy of the film upon completion. The $75 "Cross Face" level adds the perks of the "Ankle Pick" plus a "Price of Legacy" t-shirt. Additional giving opportunities -- each with their own unique set of special, commemorative gifts for donors -- are available up to $5,000. (Donors who contribute to the Danny Hodge $5,000 level will be named Co-Executive Producer of the film, participate in "behind the scenes" production meetings, be on-site during filming in certain locations, and attend all functions and movie premieres. Transportation and accommodations are not included.) In an email message sent to the wrestling community this week to introduce this new crowdfunding campaign, "The Price of Legacy" executive producer Chance Leonard said, "We have two major goals for 2018. 1. Reach our fundraising goal of $150,000 to complete the documentary; 2. Release the film in the 2018 calendar year." "As a wrestling participant, family member, coach or fan, you can directly help us achieve our goals and bring needed visibility to the great sport of wrestling," Leonard continued. "Your contribution will be utilized to complete the filming and post production process." Individuals wishing to contribute to the completion of "The Price of Legacy: Wrestling with a Dynasty" may do so online by visiting the documentary's official website ... or its IndeeGoGo.com page. Why a film about Perry, Oklahoma? Perry High School can claim one of the most accomplished prep wrestling programs in the entire country. Although the town of Perry, Okla. has only about 5,000 residents, its wrestling program has produced greatness in its more than 95-year history. Among the achievements of the mat Maroons: Two Olympic medalists -- Jack VanBebber, gold medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, and Dan Hodge, who won silver at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne -- 164 individual state champs, 964 dual wins, eighteen dual state titles, and eighteen individuals who have earned a total of 28 All-American honors at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. If that weren't enough, Perry can claim a total of 41 Oklahoma high school team titles -- a national record. In fact, the program has won a state team title at least once in every two years since 1961. As Chance Leonard told InterMat in a 2017 interview, "'The Price of Legacy' chronicles the exciting story of an incredible, small Oklahoma town called Perry and it is told through the words and tales of the incredible people who built it. The documentary will focus on the people of Perry, people who through character, determination, work ethic and commitment have, beginning with the Oklahoma Land Run, created a thriving town with exceptional businesses and a 95-year wrestling dynasty. The film's main character is the town of Perry and the audience will see through the lens of the Perry (High School) wrestling program."

The Arizona State wrestling program will be getting a new place to compete. The Arizona Board of Regents approved plans Thursday to build a new multi-purpose arena for the Sun Devils wrestlers. The new 175,000 square-foot arena for wrestling - along with men's hockey and women's gymnastics -- will seat 5,000 spectators including 250-300 club seats, and 48 loge seats, according to ArizonaSports.com. The new facility will be built just north of Wells Fargo Arena, present home for Arizona State wrestling, and is expected to be completed in time for the 2020-21 season. The new multi-sport facility is part of a $160 million plan approved by the Board of Regents which will also mean major renovations to Wells Fargo Arena. That facility, which seats approximately 14,000, has not undergone any significant upgrades since it opened in 1974. Arizona State isn't the only state university to announce new venues for wrestling competition. In the past year, both Ohio State and Indiana University have revealed plans for multi-sport arenas designed to provide a more fan-friendly, intimate setting for sports such as wrestling.

The 2018 Winter Olympic Games start this week in Pyeongchang, Korea, with 91 countries from every continent on hand to compete. The Games have been marred by a variety of controversies surrounding the doping of Russian athletes, but also producing quality reinforcement for what sport can do to create better dialogue among nations. Last month Korea and North Korea (DPRK) agreed to field the first-ever joint national team at the Winter Games. The deal, struck in part by members of the IOC, brings the two nations together in the most significant way since the Sunshine policy was halted in 2010. There is plenty (PLENTY) of reason to stay skeptical of international sports, and even reasons to stay skeptical of the work put into establishing a joint team. But it's not always documentary-worthy deception plots. Like any organization there are bad actors, but the vast majority of the people involved in the Olympic movement believe in the righteous mission of the Games and its ability to deliver change. Large scale actions like the unification of the Koreas for a sporting event will be bookmarked in history; other generations will learn about this moment and study its short and long-term effect on world peace. A negotiation between two in-conflict nations for the reasons of goodwill through sport inspires all types of influential forces on both North and South Korea. The goodwill of the Olympic movement dries up in eras of scandal, but it's important to understand that it has a role in so much more than helping to host and brand a pair of quadrennial games. I traveled to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, this week to help deliver media content from the 2018 African Championships. My staff arrived several days before the event and we set up interviews, shooting locations and just managed to get our sorts before the madness of this week's events. Additionally, there were at least another half dozen staff there to run the tournament, manage the IT, weigh-in athletes, etc. Running any continental championship is difficult, but doing it in Africa provides a spectacular array of additional issues (not the least of which was safety). My team, the rest of the crew and some 45 referees were on hand. More than 30 nations participated, and many brought female competitors and female coaches. A number of wrestlers are staying after the camp to learn from some of the top former athletes and coaches in the world, including world champion Alexi Rodriguez of Cuba, and later Azerbaijan. All of that travel cost, overhead, instructional know how and conceptualization of the event came from the monetary funding and root inspiration of the Olympic movement. Like any large institution, the Olympic movement requires oversight and healthy skepticism, but it's important to never lose sight of what it delivers daily to people around the world. We are a better world with the Olympic Games as a means for dialogue and the recent actions in Korea prove that sport can overcome any political obstacle. On a related but separate note, the Olympic gathering also saw the confirmation of United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic to the Executive Board of the IOC. Already the first IOC member, Lalovic is the first wrestling president to hold the position. The EB is the determining group for a large majority of Olympic decisions and though Lalovic is on the IOC to serve all of sport (and the EB to attend to the interests of the summer sports) his presence provides a political voice for the sport of wrestling at the most important table in all of sport. As noted above, I've been in Nigeria this week and writing this in the course of traveling back over 28 hours! As such, I only grabbed a few questions and added a missive on the thinking behind Penn State's decision to stay at Rec Hall for last week's Penn State vs. Ohio State match. To your questions .. Q: Any thoughts on the Kanen Storr saga? -- Mike C. Foley: My loyalties would tempt me to shy away from the drama between the Paulsons and Iowa State, but one point jumped out to me: How in the sh*t was Kanen legally able to rent a former coach's place?! They once suspended basketball coach Rick Majerus for buying one of his athletes a bagel. The other thought on it … of course kids are going to contact former assistant coaches. They are role models and just because they take new jobs shouldn't mean they are dead to each other. That said, I have no other details. Q: Penn State vs. Ohio State highlighted a huge flaw in the rules/safety system which can be fixed. Twice, Ohio State wrestlers were situated against the scorers table (and one of them broke it) but still "in bounds." The rules state that the mat must extend five feet from the boundaries, right? Given that it takes one toe to stay in bounds, and wrestlers are probably 5 feet 8 inches tall on average (just a guess), don't we need ten feet of extra mat space? I regularly see guys end up on the hardwood in Iowa, Oklahoma State, and probably others as well. It's more for safety and seems like an easy fix. I would hate for the action to end up hurting a kid because we didn't make mats slightly bigger. -- Anil C. Foley: One-hundred percent. And though I love to say you can fix things with a firm out of bounds, I think that even Greco-Roman and freestyle see some throws that extend boundaries a bit. However, with a firmer out of bounds we would never see that type of extended contact past the boundary circle. Good query. The wrestling on the hardwood has always bothered me. 6,699 fans packed Rec Hall to witness Penn State defeat Ohio State (Photo/Richard Immel) HALFTIME MISSIVE: Penn State vs. Ohio State Most of the college wrestling world was abuzz last weekend after Penn State upended Ohio State in State College, 19-18. The matchup of two top-ranked programs could have drawn near 16,000 fans, but the Nittany Lion administration eschewed convention and chose instead to feature the bout in Rec Hall, which was bursting at the seams with the attending 6,699 fans. The Nittany Lions made a smart calculation. By keeping their ordinary dual meet location, Penn State saw increased prices as generated by higher demand. Because Penn State could guarantee a sellout while also controlling distribution, Penn State was further able to box out Ohio State fans from attending -- the ultimate in at-home mat advantages. The match was entertaining for fans watching online, and it seemed, those in person. While the wrestling action was highlighted by the upset of top-ranked Kollin Moore (Ohio State) at 197 pounds, the choice of seating, and the discussion of the economic motivation also generated heated debate. College wrestling exists in a sports economy modeled after the success of football and basketball. Those revenue generating sports create income for their institutions by selling 20,000 person capacity arenas 20 times a season, and 70,000-plus capacity football stadiums 6 times a season. Those massive ticket sale numbers (and donor incentives) have recently inspired programs like Rutgers, Ohio State and Iowa to create buzz around one-off mega-showcases with attendance bonanzas. What Penn State did was turn that model on its head and ask if they could get as much revenue and attention from a more intimate showcase. The gamble was that the limited tickets sales would drive up price (while not ticking off Nittany Lion diehards), create intimacy with fans, and generate an appealing image for fans watching at home. The smaller-is-better crowd model is often used at the international level. Bundesliga, the German professional wrestling league, caps their crowds at roughly 2,000 people -- though often times less since the size of the gymnasiums in small German towns sets obvious parameters. Beer is sold, crowds are within feet of the action and regional rivalries flourish with returns going right back into the club's coffers. The Indian Professional Wrestling League (PWL), which completed its third season last month, overfills small venues in hopes of adding to the same sense of Bedlam accomplished in State College last week. For Sony and the online carriers of the league the bargain is to make the other 1.2 billion Indians not in attendance feel like they are part of the production. Remember that India's media giants revitalized cricket by both shortening matches and adding a slew of fan shots to their coverage. Watching a three-hour cricket contest now means observing the real life iteration of the fun you see people having in a beer commercial (though some of them are actors, which is next-level product placement). In terms of visibility and positive reinforcement of the wrestling product, a packed stadium of 3,000 to 6,000 people creates a sense of atmosphere that brands want to support. There isn't much sense in booking a venue for 12,000 or more when wrestling can only draw 5,000 passionate, engaged fans. Smaller stadiums, invested sponsors and creative production should be our sport's new norm. Reducing the size of the arena is not the only way to increase revenue, or provide a positive back drop for an event, but with shrinking budgets and a focus on creating income and a brand-friendly venue, it's one that should be considered more often by administrators and coaches around the county, and the world. Q: A few things I noticed about the Penn State-Ohio State dual: 1. Penn State's conditioning was the deciding factor (especially in the upper weights). 2. Ohio State looked flat and overwhelmed in several matches. 3. The hands to the face and stalling calls were inconsistent. 4. Why would you not have a second official in such a huge match? -- Steve H. Foley: 1. I agree. 2. Meh. I think the tide turned a bit in the middle, but the overwhelmed part was only noticeable/concerning at 184 pounds. 3. I agree. 4. I HAVE NO IDEA. Except that it's possible they don't have a protocol for adding more referees for conference dual meets. Q: If you're the Penn State staff, do you ride with the hot hand Anthony Cassar? Or how do you settle it? Sounds like Shakur Rasheed won the wrestle-off, but suffered a minor injury. -- Mike C. Foley: Whoever Cael chooses you can be certain that State College will disagree with the choice come March if the individual and team don't win the team title. At this point I think another wrestle-off might be the only fair option. THOUGHT OF THE WEEK By Jared W. Competition vs Participation? I live in a state, that in recent years, expanded to 5 divisions from 3. I have noticed that kids are qualifying for states with extremely mediocre records and in some cases losing records. I've seen qualifying tournaments with byes, incomplete weights, and kids with 5-21 records in state qualifying tournaments. What I have noticed is the state is pumping out two-time, three-time, and four-time state champs at a much more frequent pace, yet failing to have kids who challenge the best kids across the nation. When we were a 2-division state, we had Dapper Dan participants, Fargo champs and All-Americans, Senior Nationals champs, and collegiate Division I conference champs and All-Americans. When it was a one-division state we had Division I champs and finalists. We haven't had any of those since the state expanded. The argument I hear for the 5 divisions is that it allows more kids to compete. While I don't dispute that, I do contend that it doesn't promote the best wrestling possible. I'm all for 3-4 classifications if your state holds a dual state tournament, but I will always be a fan of a 1-division individual state tournament. At the very most, I don't think that states aside from maybe Texas and California need more than 2 classifications for individuals.

St. Cloud, Minn. -- The No. 1 ranked St. Cloud State University wrestling team (18-0, 8-0 NSIC) celebrated Alumni Day! with a 33-6 win over visiting No. 6 Upper Iowa (9-4, 5-2 NSIC) on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. Upper Iowa opened the match with a 6-0 victory by No. 6 Josh Walker over Shiquan Hall at 133 to go up 3-0 in the team standings. The Huskies took the lead back and would not relinquish it the rest of the match as No. 3 Jarred Oftedahl had a technical fall over Aaron Baker at 141 to put SCSU up 6-3. The lead increased to 9-3 on No. 1 James Pleski's 3-2 decision over Damian Penichet at 149. The lead went to 12-3 as No. 1 Larry Bomstad had 10-5 decision over Mac Spotts at 157. Devin FitzPatrick picked up a 23-9 major decision over Cody Nelson at 165 to increase the margin to 16-3. At 174, SCSU's No. 3 Kolton Eischens had a technical fall over No. 8 Jordan Gundrum for six more team points. Upper Iowa's Dalton Hahn pulled off the 7-4 upset decision over No. 8 Brady Nelson at 184. The No. 6 ranked Vince Dietz picked up a 2-1 decision on a point on riding time at the end of the match over Nick Baumler at 197. The No. 10 ranked Lawrence Phillips earned a 7-4 decision over Triston Westerlund at 285. The Huskies No. 5 ranked Brett Velasquez had a 22-7 technical fall over No. 6 Maleek Williams to close out the match and secure the team a 33-6 victory. St. Cloud State's wrestling program will close out the 2017-18 regular season with a 7 p.m. match against Augustana next Thursday, Feb. 15, at Halenbeck Hall. Results: 133 - #6 Josh Walker (UIU) over Shiquan Hall (SCS) (11-2) (Dec 6-0) 141 - #3 Jarred Oftedahl (SCS) (23-2) over Aaron Baker Jr (UIU) (TF 0:43) 149 - #1 James Pleski (SCS) (21-1) over Damian Penichet (UIU) (Dec 3-2) 157 - #1 Larry Bomstad (SCS) (21-2) Over Mac Spotts (UIU) (Dec 10-5) 165 - Devin FitzPatrick (SCS) (18-3) Over Cody Nelson (UIU) (MD 23-9) 174 - #3 Kolton Eischens (SCS) (25-3) over #8 Jordan Gundrum (UIU) (TF 3:00) 184 - Dalton Hahn (UIU) over #8 Brady Nelson (SCS) (7-2) (Dec 7-4) 197 - #6 Vince Dietz (SCS) (26-2) over Nick Baumler (UIU) (Dec 2-1) 285 - #10 Lawrence Phillips (SCS) (24-4) over Triston Westerlund (UIU) (Dec 7-4) 125 - #5 Brett Velasquez (SCS) (21-2) over Maleek Williams (UIU) 22-7

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Competing in the Downtown Showdown at the Providence Performing Arts Center, the Harvard wrestling team (4-4, 2-4, 1-3 Ivy) snapped a three-match skid with a commanding 21-12 win over Ivy League foe Brown (4-6, 4-3 EIWA, 2-2 Ivy) on Thursday evening. Junior Nolan Hellickson (125) set the tone of the match, earning his fifth win in his last six bouts, following a 3-1 decision over Brown's Donald Keeley. Fellow junior Ryan Friedman (133) gave the Crimson a 6-0 advantage with a tight, 9-4 decision over Hunter Kosco. The Crimson was just getting started. At 141 pounds, sophomore A.J. Jaffe picked up his 19th win of the year, and second technical fall of the season with a dominating performance against Ezekial Salvo. Classmate, Hunter Ladnier (149) gave the Crimson a 15-0 lead posting an 11-3 major decision over the Bears' Zach Krause. Brown finally put points on the scoreboard with a decision at 157, but the match belonged to Harvard. Senior Tyler Tarsi (165) battled Jonathan Viruet to a 5-3 decision, before senior captain Josef Johnson (174) put the match out of reach, edging out Bryce Rogers in sudden victory, 3-1. Harvard Highlights Junior Nolan Hellickson (125) has won five of his last six bouts following a 3-1 decision over Donald Keeley. Sophomore A.J. Jaffe (141) posted his 19th win of the year with a 21-3 technical fall over Ezekial Salvo. Senior captain Josef Johnson (174) earned his, team-leading, 22nd win of the season defeating Bryce Rogers in sudden victory, 3-1. What's Next Harvard returns to the mats on Saturday Feb. 17 in New York, N.Y. to face Columbia and Hofstra, beginning at 1 p.m. Results: 125: Nolan Hellickson (H) def. Trey Keeley (B), Dec. 4-1 (Harvard 3-0) 133: Ryan Friedman (H) def. Hunter Kosco (B), Dec. 10-4 (Harvard 6-0) 141: AJ Jaffe (H) def. Zeke Salvo (B), TF 21-3 (Harvard 11-0) 149: Hunter Ladnier (H) def. Zach Krause (B), MD 11-3 (Harvard 15-0) 157: Justin Staudenmayer (B) def. Brock Wilson (H), Dec. 3-1 (Harvard 15-3) 165: Tyler Tarsi (H) def. Jon Viruet (B), Dec. 5-4 (Harvard 18-3) 174: Josef Johnson (H) def. Bryce Rogers (B), Dec. 3-1 SV1 (Harvard 21-3) 184: CJ LaFragola (B) def. Kanon Dean (H), Dec. 5-3 (Harvard 21-6) 197: Tucker Ziegler (B) def. Clifton Wang (H), Dec. 8-2 (Harvard 21-9) 285: Ian Butterbrodt (B) def. Angus Cowell (H), Dec. 3-1 SV1 (Harvard 21-12)

BOONE, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team faced a 17-15 deficit with just two matches remaining, but a pair of technical falls lifted the Blue Devils to a 25-17 victory over Appalachian State Thursday evening inside Varsity Gym. Consecutive dominant performances by Mitch Finesilver and Zach Finesilver gave the final 10 points of the dual to Duke, extending its win streak to three straight matches. With Duke (6-5) trailing 17-15, Mitch dominated Angel Najar from the opening whistle, and cruised to the 19-2 technical fall to launch Duke back in front by three, 20-17. The tech fall was his fourth of the year and second consecutive. Zach followed suit and iced the dual victory for the Blue Devils with a 16-1 tech fall over Laken Cook at 165. It was his first technical fall of the season as he picked up his fifth dual win of the season. The Blue Devils took a 4-0 lead after the first match of the evening, when Matt Finesilver picked up a 15-1 major decision at 174 pounds against No. 18 Forrest Przybysz. The ranked victory was the second for the rookie and pushed his win streak to eight matches. Appalachian State (2-10) answered with a major decision at 184 and decision at 197 for its first lead of the night, 7-4. The tide turned back in Duke's favor as the Blue Devils won three straight matches to go up 15-7 after six bouts. Senior Jacob Kasper continued his dominance at heavyweight with a technical fall after two periods, besting Cary Miller 17-1. The nation's fourth-ranked heavyweight pushed his career wins total to 98 and his season total to 29. Senior Thayer Atkins and rookie Josh Finesilver put forth gritty performances, coming away with narrow decisions at 125 and 133, respectively. Atkins held off De'Andre Swinson down the stretch for the 4-2 decision, while Josh outscored Codi Russell 10-8. Appalachian State responded with bonus point victories at 141 and 149, scoring 10 points to go up 17-15 with Mitch and Zach remaining. From there, Mitch and Zach Finesilver closed out the match in strong fashion. The Blue Devils return to action Sunday with a 2 p.m. match inside Cameron Indoor Stadium against Pittsburgh. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra and can be viewed on the WatchESPN platform. Results: 174: Matt Finesilver (DU) def. Forrest Przybysz (APP), 15-1 maj. dec. (0-4) 184: Alan Clothier (APP) def. Kaden Russell (DU), 16-5 maj. dec. (4-4) 197: Randall Diabe (APP) def. Alec Schenk (DU), 8-3 dec. (7-4) HWT: Jacob Kasper (DU) def. Cary Miller (APP), 17-1 tech. fall (7-9) 125: Thayer Atkins (DU) def. De'Andre Swinson-Barr (APP), 4-2 dec. (7-12) 133: Josh Finesilver (DU) def. Codi Russell (APP), 10-8 dec. (7-15) 141: Irvin Enriquez (APP) def. Jeremiah Reitz (DU), fall, 1:00 (13-15) 149: Gavin Londoff (APP) def. Brandon Leynaud (DU), 14-5 maj. dec. (17-15) 157: Mitch Finesilver (DU) def. Angel Najar (APP), 19-2 tech. fall (17-20) 165: Zach Finesilver (DU) def. Laken Cook (APP), 16-1 tech. fall (17-25)

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson freshman Michael McClelland picked up his first collegiate win as wrestling downed The Citadel in Southern Conference action Thursday night, 25-15. With the win Davidson improves to 2-9 overall and 1-5 in SoCon matches, while with the loss The Citadel falls to 1-10 and 0-5 in league action. With a 6-3 team lead following an opening bout injury default, sophomore Hunter Costa battled through a bloody nose to claim an 8-7 decision over William Curtis at 165-pounds. Classmate's Noah Satterfield and Conor Fenn backed up Costa with consecutive major's at 174 and 184 pounds to put the 'Cats up 17-3 midway through the match. On a night that started at 149 pounds, it circled back to McClelland at 125 for the seventh bout of the evening. The Waxhaw, N.C., native then dominated Bulldog William Jacobs, earning a technical fall, 17-0, in 6:45 for his first collegiate victory. Senior Dustin Runzo capped off the night with a 10-5 decision at 141-pounds. The victory marked the first SoCon dual meet win for the 'Cats since defeating Campbell on Feb. 15, 2015, 33-9. Davidson returns to the mats Saturday, Feb. 10 against Belmont Abbey in non-conference action. The first bout from Belk is slated for 7 p.m. with a Senior Day ceremony prior to the match. Results: 149: Will Baldwin (DC) inj. default over No. 32 Ty Busicko (CIT), 3:59 157: Rian Burris (CIT) dec. over Tony Palumbo (DC), 6-2 165: Hunter Costa (DC) dec. over William Curtis (CIT), 8-7 174: Noah Satterfield (DC) maj. dec. over Bradley Mewhort, 12-0 184: Conor Fenn (DC) maj. dec. over Michael Lopouchanski (CIT), 18-10 197: Sawyer Root (CIT) dec. over Konner Pritchard (DC), 5-2 285: Michael McAleavey (CIT) dec. over Will Cooley (DC), 6-4 125: Michael McClelland (DC) tech. fall over William Jacobs (CIT), 17-0, (6:45) 133: Nicholas Long (CIT) fall over Zamir Ode (DC), 1:22 141: Dustin Runzo (DC) dec. over Douglas Gudenburr (CIT), 10-5

Zain Retherford has owned the series against Brandon Sorensen (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) No. 1 Penn State is still riding high off their win over No. 2 Ohio State. On Saturday, they welcome No. 7 Iowa to the Bryce Jordan Center for a dual. The Nittany Lions are a clear favorite to win the dual, but last weekend showed that anything can happen. The match features four top-ten matches and 13 ranked wrestlers. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual meet. The lineups are a prediction of each team's best squad 125: No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. Carson Kuhn (Penn State) Lee continued his strong true freshman campaign with a pair of wins over ranked opponents last weekend. On Friday, he scored a 15-0 technical fall over No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), and then on Sunday, he bested No. 10 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) via 7-4 decision. The win over Rivera was somewhat concerning for Hawkeye fans. Lee built a 6-0 lead in the first period before allowing Rivera back in the match. Since coming out of redshirt in January, Lee has gone 6-0 and also defeated No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), No. 7 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) and No. 9 Drew Mattin (Michigan). Kuhn transferred in for the second semester and finally made his Penn State debut against Ohio State. He put an early scare into Tomasello but ended up falling via major decision. Kuhn previously competed for Boise State. In 2015, he was the Pac 12 runner-up at 133 falling to Joey Palmer (Oregon State) in the finals. Since coming out of redshirt, Lee's matches have mostly gone one of two ways. He either blows his opponent out of the water early or gets a big lead and sits on it for a decision win. Kuhn showed he was game against Tomasello, but he will struggle under Lee and likely give up bonus. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) tech. fall over Kuhn (Penn State) 133: Paul Glynn (Iowa) vs. Corey Keener (Penn State) Considering Iowa chose to sit senior Phil Laux on senior day last Sunday, it appears as if Glynn has finally locked down the starting spot at 133. Against Northwestern, he stopped a three-match losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Colin Valdiviez. For the most part, this season has been a struggle for Glynn. He has gone 6-8 and dropped all five of his matches against ranked competition. Keener will be looking to stop a three-match losing streak. The Central Michigan transfer has dropped his last three matches against No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), No. 12 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) and No. 20 Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers). Keener holds a 12-6 record on the season, but he has not defeated a ranked wrestler on the season. Neither wrestler is coming into this match with a lot of momentum. Glynn is aggressive on the feet and goes for a lot of leg attacks. However, he has trouble getting through the hand fight and struggles to finish. This could be a close match, but if Keener scores some points early in the match, Glynn will struggle to catch up. Prediction: Keener (Penn State) dec. Glynn (Iowa) 141: Carter Happel (Iowa) vs. No. 8 Nick Lee (Penn State) Iowa is still platonning Happel and Vince Turk at this weight. Last weekend, the coaching staff announced ahead of time that Happel would wrestle on Friday and Turk would go on Sunday. Happel took full advantage of the opportunity and picked up a come-from-behind fall over No. 14 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota). This is the biggest win picked up by either Happel or Turk this season and should be enough for him to earn the starting spot moving forward. Penn State pulled Lee out of redshirt last month. He won his first six matches in the Nittany Lion singlet including wins over No. 16 Nate Limmex (Purdue) and Thorn. However, in his last match, Lee dropped a one-point decision against No. 7 Joey McKenna (Ohio State). While redshirting, the freshman placed second at the Southern Scuffle and picked up a victory over No. 9 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa). Lee should be a clear favorite here. Happel is coming off his biggest win of the year, but he does not shine when his opponent leads. Lee is a hyper offensive wrestler. He will continually attack the legs and force Happel to be defensive. That should be enough to run up the score. Prediction: Lee (Penn State) maj. dec. Happel (Iowa) 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) Sorensen has started his senior season off strong. He has gone 18-0 and took first place at the Midlands. During his run, he has already knocked off No. 4 Justin Oliver (Central Michigan), No. 5 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern), No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State), No. 8 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) and No. 11 Eleazar Deluca (Rutgers). Last Sunday, Sorensen picked up a second win over Deakin when the referee called Deakin for a headgear grab in sudden victory. Retherford's hunt for a third straight national title has gotten off to a good start. He is undefeated at 21-0 and has scored bonus points in all of those victories. Against Ohio State, he gave up two early takedowns but still managed to put up a technical fall over No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes. The bonus points ended up being key in Penn State's upset. During the season, Retherford has also defeated Deakin, Deluca and No. 18 Malik Amine (Michigan). These two have met four times during their college careers. Retherford has won all four of the matches. Their last meeting came at the NCAA tournament with Retherford picking up a first-period fall. However, Sorensen has shown the ability to make it a match as their previous encounter went to overtime. Retherford should be a clear favorite in this match, but stranger things have happened in college wrestling. Prediction: Retherford (Penn State) maj. dec. Sorensen (Iowa) 157: No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. Bo Pipher (Penn State) After missing the Michigan dual, Kemerer has gotten back in the lineup with a pair of wins. He bested No. 17 Jake Short (Minnesota) on Friday before scoring a technical fall over Shayne Oster (Northwestern) on Sunday. For the season, Kemerer has gone 18-0 and defeated No. 5 Micah Jordan (Ohio State), No. 6 Josh Shields (Arizona State) and No. 9 Clayton Ream (North Dakota State). Pipher has received the call to fill in for No. 1 Jason Nolf while he sits out with an injury. The replacement job got off to a tough start against Ohio State as Pipher gave up a technical fall in the second period. The loss dropped the sophomore's season record to 5-10. Kemerer has been dealing with what coaches call a "knee tweak." Even with that being the case, he should be able to pick up bonus points in this match. Pipher gave up bonus points against Jordan, who does not have the same level of top game as Kemerer. Prediction: Kemerer (Iowa) fall over Pipher (Penn State) 165: No. 7 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) The 165-pound weight class in the Big Ten this year is absurdly deep. Marinelli missed the early part of the season with an injury and thus had to jump into the deep end right away. He has passed all tests so far this season. He holds an undefeated record and wins over No. 8 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), No. 9 Logan Massa (Michigan), No. 10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), No. 11 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) and No. 14 Te'Shan Campbell. Joseph has put to bed the notion that his freshman year national title win was a fluke. This season, he has been downright dominant. He has gone 16-0 and defeated multiple ranked wrestlers. He holds victories over Massa, Wanzek, Lewis and Campbell. Of his 16 wins this season only three have not been via bonus. This is where this dual gets really interesting. Marinelli has not allowed a takedown since Lewis took him down in his season debut. He is incredibly stingy and makes every match a grind. Joseph is normally up for that kind of contest. Expect this one to be a close contest for years to come. Joseph should be the favorite since he has the better finishing ability, but Marinelli certainly has a shot. If the Iowa wrestler is able to pull the upset, he will have moved himself into the title picture at 165. Prediction: Joseph (Penn State) dec. Marinelli (Iowa) 174: Joey Gunther (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) While Kaleb Young has gotten some matches recently at this weight, Gunther appears to be the pick for the postseason. Since the Midlands, Gunther has gone 2-1 with wins over Gary Ritchie (Michigan State) and Chris Pfarr (Minnesota). So far this season, he has faced only one ranked opponent, No. 13 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), and dropped a 3-1 decision. Since suffering an exhibition loss at the All-Star Classic against No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), Hall has been perfect on the season. In his last match, he duplicated his NCAA finals performance from last year and bested No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State). During the year, Hall has also defeated No. 20 Devin Skatzka (Indiana), No. 19 Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern), No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy), No. 6 Myles Amine (Michigan) and No. 5 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh). Hall is a clear favorite in this matchup. It will be interesting to see if Gunther can keep it close for the team score. While Hall has an impressive bonus rate, he does occasionally get a little too defensive. Prediction: Hall (Penn State) maj. dec. Gunther (Iowa) 184: Mitch Bowman (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) Bowman earned a spot in the InterMat rankings with a victory over Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State). However, after that win, he dropped three straight matches against No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State), Domenic Abounader (Michigan) and Brandon Krone (Minnesota). Even though Bowman stopped the losing streak with a major decision victory over Mitch Sliga (Northwestern), he fell out of the rankings. Nickal has had a few close matches this year. He defeated No. 4 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) and No. 12 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers) in one-point matches and knocked off No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) via 5-2 decision. However, in his last match, Nickal put a stamp on rival No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) and picked up a major decision. He is now 21-0 with an 86-percent bonus rate. In a lot of ways, Bowman has been a nice surprise for Iowa this season. Pat Downey's transfer never worked out, and Bowman has picked up some solid wins at the weight. However, Nickal is a bridge too far. Against Martin, he showed that he is in top form, and he will be looking for bonus points here. Prediction: Nickal (Penn State) maj. dec. Bowman (Iowa) 197: No. 7 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) vs. No. 8 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) After starting the season undefeated, Wilcke dropped three matches in a row against No. 5 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State), No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) and No. 12 Kevin Beazley (Michigan). The Iowa wrestler has gotten back on track with decision wins over Dylan Anderson (Minnesota) and Zack Chakonis (Northwestern). His biggest win remains a sudden victory decision over No. 9 Frank Mattiace (Penn). The word is that Cassar lost a wrestle-off against teammate Shakur Rasheed for the spot. However, in that match Rasheed suffered an injury. Thus Cassar got the call against Moore for the Ohio State match. He went out, shocked the world and handed Moore his first loss of the season. It remains to be seen who will be the starter at this weight going forward for Penn State. In addition to Moore, Cassar has also bested Mattiace and No. 20 Stephen Loiseau (Drexel). This is an interesting match that could have a big impact on the team score. Both wrestlers have exceeded expectations so far this season. Wilcke got off to a hot start and has since cooled down. On the other hand, Cassar appeared to lose his starting job before knocking off the top-ranked wrestler at the weight. It should be a close match with Cassar picking up a late takedown. Prediction: Cassar (Penn State) dec. Wilcke (Iowa) 285: No. 3 Sam Stoll (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Nick Nevills (Penn State) So far this season, Stoll has done his best to position himself as the third best heavyweight in the country. His lone loss came against No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan). Since that loss, he has picked up back-to-back wins over Rylee Streifel (Minnesota) and Conan Jennings (Northwestern). Stoll holds signature wins over No. 20 Jake Gunning (Buffalo), No. 11 Derek White (Oklahoma State) and No. 9 Tanner Hall (Arizona State). One of Nevills' best performances of the year was not even a win. Last weekend, he stepped on the mat against world and Olympic champion No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) with his team winning by four points. He lost the match, but he did not give up bonus points, and Penn State escaped with the win. Nevills had a tough showing at the Southern Scuffle where he lost to both No. 5 Nathan Butler (Stanford) and No. 19 Michael Boykin (NC State). However, since that tournament he has gone 5-2 with his only losses coming against Snyder and Coon. During the stretch, he picked up a big win over No. 7 Youssif Hemida (Maryland). Outside of Nevills' performance at the Southern Scuffle, these two have had very similar seasons. They both pretty much defeat everyone outside of Coon and Snyder. As is often the case, this match will likely come down to who can ride. Neither wrestler is likely to score on the feet, so riding time could be a huge factor. Stoll has had the better season so far and should be the favorite to win a close one. Prediction: Stoll (Iowa) dec. Nevills (Penn State) Dual Meet Prediction: Penn State 25, Iowa 14

Nick Williams, former Oklahoma State wrestler who is now an Oklahoma high school coach despite battling ALS, has been named recipient of the 2018 Gallagher Award, Oklahoma State announced Wednesday. Nick WilliamsThe Gallagher Award, named in honor of the legendary Cowboy wrestling coach Edward Clark Gallagher, is presented annually to an Oklahoma State alumnus who, according to the statement, "exemplifies the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions." Williams will be presented with the award prior to the Oklahoma State vs. University of Oklahoma Bedlam Dual this Sunday, Feb. 11 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Nick Williams lettered at Oklahoma State from 1993-95, wrestling mostly at heavyweight for the Cowboys. Prior to coming to Stillwater, Williams was a three-time Oklahoma state champ at Geary High School. Since graduating from Oklahoma State, Williams has had a long and successful high school wrestling coaching career in Oklahoma, starting at Madill where he was named the 2A Coach of the Year in 2002 -- and Mangum. Since 2004, Williams has served as head wrestling coach at Altus High School in southwest Oklahoma, where the two-time 5A Oklahoma Coach of the Year has mentored 62 state qualifiers, 21 state placers, 15 state champions and eight All-Americans. He was named an All-State coach in 2010. In 2017, Williams was diagnosed with ALS -- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, and the subject of ice-bucket challenge fundraisers a couple years ago. According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a progressive nervous system (neurological) disease that destroys nerve cells and causes disability. It slowly robs the person of their muscle function, ability to walk, ability to talk, and eventually the ability to breathe. Last May, the Altus High School gym was renamed in Williams' honor. Oklahoma State head wrestling coach John Smith -- a 1997 Gallagher Award honoree -- weighed in on Nick Williams being named to receive this prestigious award. "Coach Williams is one of my favorites," Smith said of the man who wrestled for him early in his Cowboy coaching career. "I've been so proud watching his coaching career. Everywhere he's been, he's been successful. What he's done at Altus has been amazing. He continues to set examples for young coaches all around the state. Last spring, he was diagnosed with ALS and today he's still coaching. That tells you a lot about Nick Williams the coach. We're excited about Nick receiving the 2018 Gallagher Award. If anyone deserves it, it's him." The Gallagher Award has been presented each year to an outstanding Oklahoma State wrestling alumnus. In addition to coach Smith, past honorees have included 1960 Olympic gold medalist Doug Blubaugh (2003) and legendary wrestling coach Bobby Douglas (2005). Just last year, Stanley Henson, three-time NCAA champ in the late 1930s who wrestled for coach Ed Gallagher, was presented with the award. Henson, who had been the oldest living NCAA champion in any sport, passed away Feb. 1 at age 101. Gallagher Award Recipients 1986 - Rex Peery 1987 - Frank Lewis 1988 - Myron Roderick 1989 - Tommy Chesbro 1990 - Joe McDaniel 1991 - John W. Divine 1996 - Ray Murphy 1997 - John Smith 1998 - Grady Peninger 1999 - Kenny Monday 2000 - Pat Smith 2001 - Kendall Cross 2002 - Mike Sheets 2003 - Doug Blubaugh 2004 - Grover Rains 2005 - Bobby Douglas 2006 - Charles Hetrick 2007 - Fred Davis 2008 - Lee Roy Smith 2009 - Bobby Stites 2010 - Bill Harlow 2011 - Eddie Griffin 2013 - Jim Shields 2014 - Mike Jones 2015 - Jay Arneson 2016 - Hardell Moore 2017 - Stanley Henson 2018 - Nick Williams

Lance Benick battles UW-Eau Claire's Ramsey Bloy (Photo/Don Stoner, Augsburg University) He scored one takedown. And then another. Then another. It was just his second match back, after not competing in more than a year, but Lance Benick was on a roll. The Augsburg University freshman was piling up points and flashing the tenacity, explosiveness and resolve that made him one of the nation's most prized recruits. Then reality started setting in. "I remembered how hard wrestling a live match was," he said with a laugh. Benick glanced at the scoreboard and was surprised at what he saw. There was still a minute and a half left. In the first period. "I looked at the clock," he said. "and I said, 'Oh my God, I'm going to die.'" Benick powered through that bout, holding off seventh-ranked Tyler Vittal of North Central 9-8, on his way to helping lead Augsburg University to the team title at last month's National Duals in Fort Wayne, Ind. Now ranked ninth nationally in NCAA Division III at 197 pounds, Benick has a 6-3 record after joining the Auggies team after Christmas. He dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 6 Michael DiNardo of Johnson & Wales at the National Duals. He went 2-1 in that event. "The transition to Augsburg has gone really smoothly," Benick said. "Everybody has been really helpful." Lance Benick gets his hand raised after winning his fourth state title (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine) A four-time Minnesota state high school champion who also made a U.S. Cadet World Team, the 6-foot-1 Benick was ranked No. 1 nationally as a senior at Totino-Grace High School. He was a highly sought after recruit who signed with Arizona State. He redshirted during a challenging first season at ASU. Benick then returned home to Minnesota and even contemplated giving up the sport. "After a long Division I grind season, I was ready for a break," he said. "I took a month and a half off from wrestling. I was missing it after the time off." Benick spent a year taking classes at a community college in Minnesota before enrolling at Augsburg. He continued to work out and wrestle, but did not compete during that time. "Obviously, Lance has been away from a training schedule for a while and there was a big transition for him when he came here," Augsburg coach Jim Moulsoff said. "He's adjusting to his schedule academically and his schedule for training for college wrestling. He's fit right in with our team and he's doing a great job for us." Benick joined a perennial powerhouse program in Augsburg, which has won 12 national titles in Division III. The Auggies are ranked No. 1 this season and they are seeking their first national title since 2015. "It's a Division III program, but there are still some really good wrestlers at this level," Benick said. "We have guys on our team with Division I talent who could start or definitely wrestle on a DI team. We have some excellent wrestlers and most of my teammates are Minnesota guys that I already knew. It's been really fun to be a part of this team already." Lance Benick with his mother Joanne and father Tom Benick also is part of a tight-knit family. He has a close bond with his mother, Joanne, who has battled brain cancer. "My mom is doing great," Lance said. "She's been cancer free for the last three years. I remember they told her she only had a week to live, but she never gave up and she fought through it. She's doing really well now. She's been through so much and she's been a big inspiration in my life. "The struggles you go through in wrestling are so small compared to life and what my mom has battled through. It's pretty impressive what she's done." Moulsoff said Benick has found an ideal fit on the Augsburg campus in Minneapolis. "Lance is very close to his family," Moulsoff said. "For any college student, that first year is very, very challenging. Compound that with moving a couple thousand miles from home and the demands of being a student-athlete at a Division I program -- that's a lot for anybody. "Being back closer to his family in Minnesota has helped him immensely, and allowed him to regroup academically and athletically here at Augsburg." Benick said being back in his home state has enabled him to regain his focus, on and off the mat. "Being back home, it's made a big difference for me," he said. "It's really nice to be around my family. They've been really supportive. And I have a bunch of close friends who support me as well." Even though Benick just started competing again, he's already aiming high in his first season at Augsburg. "My goal is to be a national champion," he said, "Anything short of that would be a disappointment to me." Moulsoff is impressed with what Benick brings to the mat. "Lance is a very, very talented wrestler," Moulsoff said. "He has a great feel for the sport. He's very athletic and he can score big points in bunches when he needs to. He's been a great addition to our lineup." Lance Benick is currently ranked No. 9 at 197 pounds in Division III (Photo/Don Stoner, Augsburg University) Benick also hasn't given up on even bigger aspirations he's set for himself. He has trained in freestyle wrestling with Minnesota Storm. "I would still like to make a World Team on the Senior level in freestyle," he said. "You don't see a lot of Division III guys do that, but I still have high goals for myself. I believe I can be successful on the international level." For now, Benick is focused on preparing for the final weeks of the college season. In his most recent match, Benick led for nearly the entire bout before dropping a 5-4 decision to No. 2 Kyle Fank of Wartburg last Thursday night. "The biggest key for me is to keep progressing," he said. "Coming back, I've had to adjust to making weight again for the first time in over a year. And I need to keep working my way into shape. Conditioning is an issue, and I'm still struggling with it. It was really rough when I first competed again. I'm doing extra work after practice and I have another month to get myself in shape. I'm getting there. "I am getting the feel back for wrestling and I just need to keep improving. It's fun being out there and being able to compete again. It's great to be back." This story also appears in the Feb. 9 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Bonus-point wins by Taylor Gambill, Connor Ventura, and Anthony Spallino keyed Colorado School of Mines in an upset of No. 5 CSU-Pueblo Wednesday night in their dual meet finale. The Orediggers end the season 10-2, their best-ever record in the modern NCAA era. Mines jumped to a 9-3 after three bouts as Josiah Seaton won a sudden-victory nailbiter over Zachary Gracia, 7-5, to start at 125 but Mines responded with Noah Au-Yeung's comeback 8-7 win at 133 and Gambill's 1:26 pin of Tanner Kuketz at 141. The Thunderwolves answered with three straight wins to take the lead, however, as Jared Mestas earned a 15-0 tech fall over Ryan Carpenter at 149, Kyle Fantin beat Ethan Ruby 10-4 at 157, and Gavin Melendez beat Jack Damenti 11-2 at 165. The Orediggers reeled off two wins of their own to take control of the dual sparked by TJ Shelton's 12-5 decision over Jair Flores at 174. Ventura then got a crucial 20-2 tech fall over Aaron Benton at 184 thanks to three near-fall 4's in the match, and Anthony Spallino won a penalty-point-filled bout with Donavon Rincon by a major decision margin, 10-2, to give Mines a 21-15 lead. That meant CSU-Pueblo needed a pin at heavyweight, but Cody Johnson only managed a 5-4 win in a hard-fought bout with Jake Feldman to seal the 21-18 win for Mines. NOTABLES - The win was Mines' third of the season over a top-25 team after beating No. 13 Fort Hays State on Nov. 8 and No. 21 Adams State on Jan. 27. - Mines has had eight of their 12 duals this season decided in the final match, including each of their last four; Mines is 7-1 in those duals. NEXT UP Mines hosts the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open Sunday at Steinhauer Fieldhouse beginning at 10 a.m. Results: 125: Josiah Seaton (CSUP) over Zachary Gracia (MINES) (SV-1 7-5) 133: Noah Au-Yeung (MINES) over Levi Maes (CSUP) (Dec 8-7) 141: Taylor Gambill (MINES) over Tanner Kuketz (CSUP) (Fall 1:26) 149: Jared Mestas (CSUP) over Ryan Carpenter (MINES) (TF 15-0 6:59) 157: Kyle Fantin (CSUP) over Ethan Ruby (MINES) (Dec 10-4) 165: Gavin Melendez (CSUP) over Jack Damenti (MINES) (MD 11-2) 174: TJ Shelton (MINES) over Jair Flores (CSUP) (Dec 12-5) 184: Connor Ventura (MINES) over Aaron Benton (CSUP) (TF 20-2 5:45) 197: Anthony Spallino (MINES) over Donavon Rincon (CSUP) (MD 10-2) 285: Cody Johnson (CSUP) over Jacob Feldman (MINES) (Dec 5-4)

Williamsburg, KY -- UC men's wrestling defeated the fifth-ranked Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College on Wednesday night 23-9 on Wednesday night. With this win, the Patriots earn first place of the MSC with a flawless 6-0 record in conference and 13-1 on the year, the Blue Raiders' record falls to 5-1 in conference and 7-4 overall. Ranked first at 125 pounds, Hayden Lee started the match with an 8-6 decision over 15th-ranked Chad Lampe to push UC ahead first at 3-0. At 133 pounds, top-ranked Jake Sinkovics notched a 12-1 major decision over tenth-ranked Brady Moser, increasing the Patriot lead to 7-0. Trent Leon, ranking 16th at 141 pounds, picked up an 8-4 decision over Lucas McCain for the score to go to 10-0. Second-ranked Tres Leon, 149 pounds, then earned a 9-8 decision over top-ranked Cam Tessari to make it 13-0 UC. In the 157 pound weight class, Bobby Ehman notched his own 8-4 decision over 18th-ranked Bryce Hoffman to move the lead to 16-0. After five matches, the Blue Raiders managed to sneak in a 4-2 decision win at 165 pounds to shorten the score to 16-3. At 174 pounds, Lindsey Wilson took another decision win in overtime to shrink down the lead to 16-6. Cameron Jones, ranking first at 184 pounds, followed up with a 16-6 major decision win over Kohl Dodd to extend the lead to 20-4. The Blue Raiders notched a win at 197 pounds in overtime to cut UC's lead to 20-9. In the 285 pound weight class, 10th-ranked Quandre Chisolm earned a 5-1 decision win over fifth-ranked Brandon Reed for the Patriots to win the match by a final score of 23-9. The Patriots will return to the mat on Saturday, February 17 for the MSC Championship in Bowling Green, KY. Results: 125 #1 Hayden Lee (UC) defeated #15 Chad Lampe (LW) D, 8-6 3-0 133 #1 Jake Sinkovics (UC) defeated #10 Brady Moser (LW) MD, 12-1 7-0 141 #16 Trent Leon (UC) defeated Lucas McCain (LW) D, 8-4 10-0 149 #2 Tres Leon (UC) defeated #1 Cam Tessari (LW) D, 9-8 13-0 157 Bobby Ehman (UC) defeated #18 Bryce Hoffman (LW) D, 8-4 16-0 165 #2 Diorian Coleman (LW) defeated #11 Tristan Macri (UC) D, 4-2 16-3 174 #8 Colton Gonzalez (LW) defeated #10 Hunter Bell (UC) TB-2, 7-6 16-6 184 #1 Cameron Jones (UC) defeated Kohl Dodd (LW) MD, 16-6 20-6 197 #20 Corey Hinkle (LW) defeated #11 Eric Deluse (UC) SV-1, 3-1 20-9 285 #10 Quandre Chisolm (UC) defeated #5 Brandon Reed (LW) D, 5-1 23-9

EDMOND, Okla. -- The No. 6 McKendree University men's wrestling team defeated No. 10 University of Central Oklahoma 22-18 this evening to move to 15-4 overall on the dual season. Isaiah Kemper (Evansville, Ind./Central) and Ryan Strope (Westphalia, Mo./Fatima) collected big wins on the night defeating ranked opponents to continue to build their national resume. Kemper upset No. 7 Will Steltzen 5-3 at 149 pounds and Strope pinned No. 11 Bryon Dutton in the first period. The men's wrestling team wraps up the dual season on Sunday at the Lombardi Duals hosted by Maryville University. The Bearcats will open up the day against No. 2 Norte Dame (Ohio) at Noon. Results: 125: Eli Hale, UCO, dec. Marcus Povlick, 7-2 133: NaQuan Hardy, McK, dec. Blake Dauphin, 7-2 141: Darren Wynn, McK, dec. Josh Breece, 6-2 149: Isaiah Kemper, McK, dec. Will Steltzlen, 5-2 157: Ryan Strope, McK, pinned Bryan Dutton, 2:58 165: Qiante Wagner, McK, major dec. Mason Thompson, 16-8 174: Nick Foster, McK, dec. Reid Rodich, 6-1 184: Joel Dixon, UCO, major dec. Ryan Vanbinder, 15-6 197: Colton Looper, UCO, pinned Luke Diener, 5:53 Hvy: Caleb Cotter, UCO, tech. fall Christian Boyles, 16-0

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- The nationally-ranked No. 23 Rider University wrestling team won six of the first eight matches, including three with bonus points in defeating Hofstra, 22-21, Wednesday night at Alumni Gymnasium. With the win, the Broncs improve to 12-4, while the Pride slips to 8-9. J.R. Wert (Christianburg, VA/Christianburg) scored a major decision at 125 to get things started before Anthony Cefolo (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), Tyson Dippery (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin [Rutgers]) and Gary Dinmore (Skillman, NJ/Hunterdon Central [Penn State]) also won decisions to stake Rider to a 13-0 lead. After Hofstra got on the scoreboard with a decision at 157, Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) earned a 17-4 tech fall at 165 to extend the lead to 18-3. Hofstra made things interesting with a Sage Heller fall at 174, but Wayne Stinson (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington Regional) sealed the match with a major decision at 184. The Broncs would need every one of Stinson's four points, as Rider forfeited at 197 and the Pride took 285 by medical forfeit to account for 12 Hofstra points in the final two weight classes. Quotes & Notes "Every win is important. To get the losing streak turned back around and get a W for the guys is everything. Because now they get a nine-day break before we get Minnesota and we can kind of rest up and train into that match. So it was very important to get that win." "Our kids are grinding right now. It was a tough weekend this past weekend. But the grind is everything. Right now, to get their legs fresh and catch their breath - they're not far off. But they need this rest right now to get back on target. And we've got some rest times built in from now until the conference and then NCAA's. They're not far off and this break will put them back on track, 100 percent." - Rider Head Coach John Hangey "We had kind of a rough, bumpy weekend. But it was good to come back home, be in our own gym and feel ourselves out a little bit. After my match, we had a couple up's and down's, especially at the end. But it felt good to start off the match with a win and that's what I hope to do to get momentum going for everybody else." - Redshirt Senior J.R. Wert "I'm fighting for a spot in the line-up and giving everything I've got. So I knew that Mike Fagg-Daves has been banged up pretty bad, so I knew that I had to get a four-point major decision to seal it so he didn't have to go out there hurt." "Wrestling is a sport of its own. You can have so many up's and you can have so many down's. I've gotten so close with the coaches and team and my family. Without these guys, wrestling wouldn't be the same. I'm trying not to think about this as being the last one coming up, because it's going to hit me really hard and I'm not going to like it. But I'm just trying to enjoy it every day, because I don't have many days left. It's a countdown for me at this point." - Redshirt senior Wayne Stinson Rider snapped a two-match losing skid with the victory. Walsh improved to 20-1 on the season and ran his career win total to 111. Rider will now enjoy nine days off before its Feb. 16 match against Minnesota at Alumni Gym. The Feb. 16 match against Minnesota will be Senior Night. Rider will honor its seven seniors prior to the match. Results: 125 - J.R. Wert (Rider) Maj. Dec. Jacob Martin (Hofstra), 10-0; Rider leads, 4-0 133 - Anthony Cefolo (Rider) Dec. Garrett Lambert (Hofstra), 6-2; Rider leads, 7-0 141 - Tyson Dippery (Rider) Dec. Vinny Vespa (Hofstra), 3-2; Rider leads, 10-0 149 - Gary Dinmore (Rider) Dec. Ryan Burkert (Hofstra), 3-2; Rider leads, 13-0 157 - Chris Mauriello (Hofstra) Dec. B.J. Clagon (Rider), 10-9; Rider leads, 13-3 165 - #5 Chad Walsh (Rider) TF Ricky Stamm (Hofstra), 6:54; Rider leads, 18-3 174 - Sage Heller (Hofstra) WBF Dean Sherry (Rider), 3:34; Rider leads, 18-9 184 - Wayne Stinson (Rider) Maj. Dec. Anthony Olivieri, 17-4; Rider leads, 22-9 197 - Nezar Haddad (Hofstra) Wins By Forfeit; Rider leads, 22-15 285 - #7 Mike Hughes (Hofstra) Wins By Medical Forfeit Mauro Correnti (Rider), 0:12; Rider wins, 22-21

Zain Retherford gets his hand raised after a win at the Keystone Classic (Photo/Juan Garcia) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. This week debuts the Most Dominant Wrestler award standings, which requires a 15-match minimum in the division to qualify. Last year's winner, Zain Retherford of Penn State has put himself in a strong position to repeat by scoring an average of 5.67 team points per match, to lead his teammates Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal who also average more than five points per match. Nick Becker of Wisconsin-Parkside is the leader in Division II with an average of 4.80 points at 174 pounds to edge heavyweight Jarrod Hinrichs of Nebraska-Kearney by .06 points per match. Division III is the closest competition so far with only .01 points separating leader Isaiah Bellamy of Wesleyan (Connecticut) with 5.28 points per match at heavyweight over Wartburg 157-pounder Mike Ross at 5.27. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows. Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss) Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss) Penn State 157-pounder Nolf holds a lead in aggregate time to break a tie with 149-pound teammate Retherford for the lead in Division I falls with 15 each. MORE: Penn State rallies to top Ohio State in match of the year In Division II, Central Oklahoma 165-pounder Mason Thompson continues to hold the lead with his 12 falls, which is one more than Tiffin 184-pounder Hayden Bronne. Bellamy has staked his lead in the Most Dominant Wrestler standings by leading all divisions with 17 falls, while Michael DiNardo of Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island) has 16. Jamel Morris of NC State was the first Division I wrestler to reach double digits in tech falls with 10 this season in 38:07 as he maintains the national lead by aggregate time over Cam Sykora of North Dakota State. Nick Vandermeer of Lake Erie has reclaimed sole possession of the tech fall lead in Division II with eight. Jay Albis of Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island) has stormed to the Division III lead in tech falls with 15 at 133 pounds. Awards Standings