InterMat Staff

Funeral services were held this past weekend for Luke Sharpe, NCAA All-American wrestler for the University of Oklahoma, who passed away Feb. 23. He was 73. Sharpe placed third in the heavyweight bracket at the 1966 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The fifth-seeded, 6' 7", 250-pounder made it to the semifinals at the NCAAs, losing to top-seeded Bob Billberg of Minnesota State-Moorhead. Sharpe defeated Steve Shippos of Iowa State, 3-0, in the match for third place, avenging a loss to the Cyclone big man in the finals at the 1966 Big 8 conference championships two weeks earlier. "He was academically gifted," is how Sooner teammate and 1972 Olympic gold medalist Wayne Wells described Sharpe in a tribute in The Oklahomana on Monday. "Had Luke continued in postgraduate competition and gained more experience, he had the potential to be successful on the international scene. He chose to pursue academics and business interests." Louis "Luke" K. Sharpe was born on October 14, 1944 in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 1945, his family moved to Checotah, Okla. where he attended school through junior high. The Sharpes then relocated to Faribault, Minn. Where Luke graduated from Shattuck School in 1962. Upon graduation, Luke Sharpe headed south to Duke University in Durham, N.C., where, according to his obituary, he wrestled, played football, and joined Phi Delta Theta social fraternity. Frustrated with Duke athletics, he transferred to the University of Oklahoma to pursue his interest in wrestling, where he was guided by head coach Tommy Evans and former head coach Port Robertson. http://www.hbmfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Louis-Luke-Sharpe/#!/Obituary After graduating from Oklahoma, Sharpe earned a Master's Degree in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1967. He began doctoral work at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas where he received a PhD in Marketing-Consumer Behavior in December 1970. Sharpe continued a career in academia, serving on the faculties at the University of Utah and the University of Texas in Austin. He authored or co-authored twenty-one publications and one book from 1970 to 1974. In 1974, Sharpe left the collegiate world to join Sharpe's, the family clothing business based in Checotah. There he served many roles helping the stores expand to twenty-four locations in three states. He also helped establish Dentures and Dental Services, a group of full service dental clinics with forty locations in five states. Sharpe is survived by his wife Holly, a daughter, two sons, and three grandchildren. A memorial service was held Sunday in Eufaula, Okla. For those seeking to honor Luke Sharpe, the family asks that donations be made to Oncology Research at Mayo Clinic- Dept. of Development, 200 1st St. SW Rochester, Minnesota 55905.

Kyle Snyder gets his hand raised after winning the Olympic gold medal (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Junior Kyle Snyder, the youngest Olympic champion in United States wrestling history and a two-time Big Ten champion, is a semifinalist for the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award. The AAU Sullivan Award has been presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Representatives from the AAU created the Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize contributions and achievements across the country of amateur athletes. Fans can vote for Snyder starting today (Monday, March 6), through Monday, March 13th at 11:59 p.m. Snyder added a second Big Ten title at 285 lbs. to his resume yesterday, topping previously undefeated and second-ranked Connor Medbery of Wisconsin, 8-5. His win helped the Buckeyes win their second team title in the past three years. A junior from Woodbine, Md., Snyder is 12-0 this year and 10 of those wins coming by bonus points. Dating back to last season, he's won 23 consecutive collegiate matches and averaged over 15 points per match with five falls, eight technical falls and five major decisions. In one of the most memorable championships matches in NCAA history, he ended Nick Gwiazdowski's 88-match win streak in front of a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden. On the international scene, Snyder won the gold medal at 97kg last August in the Rio Games, becoming the first active Ohio State student-athlete to win a Olympic championship since Jerry Lucas (basketball) in 1960. Most recently, he won the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia, regarded as the toughest Open international freestyle event of the year. Only three wrestlers have ever won the James E. Sullivan Award, Olympic champions John Smith (1990), Bruce Baumgartner (1995) and Rulon Gardner (2000).

Tom Drake Tom Drake, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga mat champ and University of Alabama wrestling coach whose varied career included professional wrestling and politics, died Feb. 2 in Cullman, Ala. He was 86. While at what was then called the University of Chattanooga in the early 1950s (prior to its affiliation with the University of Tennessee system), Drake was a three-time Southern Conference wrestling champ. Drake qualified for the 1952 Southern Olympic finals in wrestling and advanced to the U.S. Olympic finals in Ames, Iowa. He also played football, participating in two college all-star games -- the Senior Bowl, and the Blue-Gray Game. In 1952 he received UTC's Templeton Trophy for the "Best All-Around Athlete" at Chattanooga for his accomplishments in football, wrestling and track. After graduating from Chattanooga in 1954, Drake served in the U.S. Army, then launched a long career in professional wrestling. However, while in the squared circle, he did not put aside his academic or athletic career. In 1960, Drake entered law school at the University of Alabama, where he earned a master's and a J.D. from the university's School of Law. During his time there, he served as a student coach for legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. In addition, while at Tuscaloosa, Drake coached Alabama's now-defunct intercollegiate wrestling team as well. Born Dec. 5, 1930, in Falkville, Ala., Thomas Edwin Drake, in the words of the Cullman Today newspaper upon his passing, "led an illustrious life that included time as an attorney, former professional wrestler, politician, and former member of the athletic staff of Alabama football coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant." Drake's life intersected with a number of famous historical individuals, much like that of the fictional character Forrest Gump. Here's how pro wrestling historian Mike Mooneyham described Drake in a tribute published in the Post and Courier newspaper this past weekend: "The 'Cullman Comet,' as Drake was affectionately known, coached football with the likes of the legendary Paul 'Bear' Bryant, served nine terms in the Alabama state legislature, and even had an audience with the Pope. A chance meeting with a former Golden Gloves boxing champion (and future governor) named George Wallace set him on course for a law degree and an illustrious career in politics that included two terms as (Alabama) Speaker of the House. "There were very few things Drake didn't do. Farmer, attorney, politician, pilot, wrestler. During the same calendar year, Drake coached Joe Namath in football, met President John F. Kennedy and wrestled Lou Thesz for the NWA world heavyweight title..." "…But it was in the Alabama legislature where Thomas Edwin Drake made his biggest impact on the lives of those he served (for more than three decades)." "Never too busy to dispense advice, legal or otherwise, the congenial Drake was a beloved figure in Alabama. He was an advocate who fought for the rights of all, winning landmark cases for working people throughout the state. His down-home political style never changed during his more than three decades in office. He valued integrity above all else, and worked tirelessly to live up to the expectations of his constituents." In addition to his public service, Drake also practiced personal injury law and general civil law for over 48 years, handling many high-profile cases across Northern Alabama. Tom Drake was welcomed into at least three different Halls of Fame for his athletic career. In 1992, Drake became the first athlete ever to be tapped for the Hall of Fame at Tennessee-Chattanooga in two sports -- football and wrestling. In 2001, Drake was presented with the Frank Gotch Award at the Tragos-Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, for his more than two decades as a professional wrestler. Seven years later, Drake was the recipient of the Senator Hugh Farley Award, given to an individual who has distinguished himself both inside and outside of the ring, at the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Amsterdam, N.Y. Drake is survived by three sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; and wife of 56 years, Christine McKoy Drake, who practiced law with him. Funeral services have already been held.

Bubba Jenkins (Photo/Bellator) Two weeks after Bubba Jenkins and Bellator MMA had parted ways, the 2011 NCAA wrestling champ has signed a multi-fight deal with Russia-based Absolute Championship Berkut, and will make his organizational debut at ACB 54 in Manchester, England on Saturday, March 11. With just one week's notice, Jenkins, who was 8-3 in Bellator and 11-3 overall, will face Ali Bagov (22-10) in a lightweight (155-pound) bout. Bagov, who launched his pro career in Oct. 2009, was originally scheduled to face Alexandre Pimentel at the event. "ACB continue to show the international pulling power of their promotion as another top fighter puts pen to paper to sign a multi-fight deal with the organization," ACB said in a statement on its Facebook page Friday. "Joining the ever-growing ranks of the ACB roster is Bubba 'The Highlight Kid' Jenkins. Bubba made his mark on the collegiate wrestling scene with multiple accolades including the highest of them all when he became the All-American NCAA Division One Champion. With this high-level wrestling base Bubba transitioned well into MMA and developed an all-action style that has seen him finish 7 of his 11 pro victories and that has aptly earned him the nickname of 'The Highlight Kid'!" As InterMat reported Feb. 15, Bellator MMA severed the relationship with Jenkins, according to multiple MMA websites ... while the former Arizona State and Penn State wrestler said the decision was his, saying on Twitter, ""Haha don't get it twisted folks. I don't get fired ...I fire" . In an interview with MMAFighting.com immediately after separating from Bellator, Jenkins said, "I wouldn't say that big name fighters in other organizations want to leave. I would say they get released, or they get this or they that, but for them to want to leave is something about the organization. Why is it that Hector Lombard wanted to leave Bellator? Why is it that Eddie Alvarez wanted to leave Bellator? Why is it that Will Brooks -- being a champion of the sport, their champion -- wanted to leave? Why is it that people want leave this organization in the prime of their championship buzz? "I believe Bellator has their certain guys -- and every organization has their breadwinners -- but it's like man, when you have a guy that's been aiming for the top with you and he gets to the top or a he gets to certain platform where he's like, 'okay, I've been working this hard, can you show me that you care for me,' and then they're just like, well we don't really care for you, and they let people to go or they push you out. It's like, what kind of sport are we in? It's such a dog eat dog world." Jenkins had announced his plans for a professional MMA career minutes after winning the 157-pound title for Arizona State at the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, having just pinned his former Penn State teammate David Taylor in the finals. Jenkins' first fight was in December of 2011.

NEW YORK -- Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. and USA Wrestling announced today that the men's and women's national wrestling teams of the United States and Japan will square off in New York City's Times Square on Wednesday, May 17 in the seventh annual wrestling celebration. This year's event will take place in Times Square's Duffy Square (between 46th and 47th streets). Competitors for Team USA, which will include members of the 2016 Olympic team as well as other elite stars, and their Japanese opponents will be announced in the coming weeks. "We welcome our friends and colleagues from Japan to help us spread the word and once again make history with our event in Times Square," said Beat the Streets Chairman of the Board Mike Novogratz. "We have worked with many nations in our goodwill mission for young people over the years, but bringing both the men's and women's elite wrestlers from Japan here for this dual meet will be a unique experience for all, with every dollar helping further our mission of growing the sport of wrestling in New York City across the country and around the world, from the grassroots on up." In 2013, the event dubbed "The Rumble on the Rails," was hosted in historic Grand Central Terminal and featured dual meets between Team USA, Russia and Iran. Playing an important role in the international Keep Olympic Wrestling effort, this historic wrestling event gained international media coverage and helped wrestling retain its status on the Olympic Games program. The world-class competition has been hosted in Times Square five previous times. In 2011, the United States defeated World Champion Russia, 5-2, the first sports event ever held in historic Times Square. In 2012, another U.S. vs. Russia dual meet was held in Times Square, along with the U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off for the 60 kg/132 lbs. position on the U.S. Olympic Team in men's freestyle. In 2014, Team USA defeated a World All-Star Team in Times Square, 8-3. In 2015, "Salsa in the Square" featured a meeting between Team USA and Team Cuba in the three Olympic styles, held shortly after the historic change in USA and Cuban political relations. Last year the US met Iran in a dual meet in Times Square as a preview to the 2016 Olympic Games. This will be the eighth straight year in which a major international-style wrestling competition will be hosted as part of the Beat the Streets Benefit activities. In 2010, an all-star challenge featuring top U.S. wrestlers was held on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. Top Beat the Streets youth wrestlers will take the mat showcasing their skills in exhibition matches beginning at 3:00 p.m. to kick off the NYC Benefit. For the second straight year, the Benefit will feature the PSAL Girls Freestyle Dual Meet Championships finals, showcasing the two top New York City girl's freestyle wrestling high school teams from the spring girl's freestyle season. Then it's Team USA vs. Japan at 6:00 p.m. with video highlights and special guest appearances followed by the Beat the Streets Benefit Celebration. Tickets are required for entry and can be purchased at www.btsny.org or 212.245.6570 or by emailing beatthestreets@eventassociatesinc.com. Standing room available for non-ticket holders on first come first serve basis. A ticket is required for the Benefit Celebration at the Marriott Marquis. More details are available at http://www.btsny.org/gala. The Benefit Celebration will follow the wrestling competition. This unique and electrifying annual event helps Beat the Streets (BTS) raise significant funds to further its mission. Whether it's providing a safe, constructive outlet for our urban youth, fighting childhood obesity, empowering women, or uniting entire nations, wrestling teaches persistence, dedication, and the value of working hard to achieve one's goals and creates opportunities for personal and universal growth. BTS currently serve over 3,000 student-athletes every year. Beat the Streets Wrestling Schedule In New York City, May 17, 2017 3:00 p.m. - Beat the Streets Youth Exhibition Matches between 46th and 47th Streets 4:45 p.m. - New York City Girl's Freestyle Dual Meet Championships Finals between 46th and 47th Streets 6:00 p.m. - World Class Wrestling: Team USA vs. Team Japan between 46th and 47th Streets Followed by Benefit Celebration About Beat the Streets The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTS works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to bring the life changing sport of wrestling to over 3,000 New York City student-athletes to help them achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTS and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life lessons of grit, personal responsibility and teamwork, physical fitness and nutrition, and life-long learning. The goal of fostering strong, well-rounded student-athletes is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, life skills workshops, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org. About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the Sport of Wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. Simply, USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. It has over 220,000 members across the nation, boys and girls, men and women of all ages, representing all levels of the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender. More information can be found at TheMat.com.

Missouri claimed the title at the MAC Championships CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Mizzou Wrestling crowned six individual champions as the Tigers won their sixth consecutive conference championship at the 2017 Mid-American Conference Championships on Sunday. Mizzou set a MAC Tournament record by scoring 154.5 team points, surpassing its 2015 mark of 139.5 points. "This year has been special," said head coach Brian Smith. "We were up and down all year, but we have a lot of talent on this team and I knew we needed to put a consistent effort together at this tournament. And did I ever get it over the last two days. I'm proud of the program, proud of Mizzou. There are a lot of good guys in our room and our staff did a great job getting them ready to succeed over the last few days." Senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) was named the MAC Most Outstanding Wrestler for the third time following his conference championship over Old Dominion's Kevin Beazley. With the title, Cox became the second four-time conference champion in program history, following Drake Houdashelt who captured conference titles from 2012-15. "I'm honored to accomplish such a feat," said Cox after his title bout. "I'm blessed to be on the board behind Drake Houdashelt. It is a great feeling and I've worked hard for it, but I got to work even harder and have get more done at the national tournament." "He's a special young man," Smith said of Cox. "I've known him since he was four, and it is kind of a sad thing that his time is coming to an end, because we are very close. The way he works and the way he lives his life is the model of what every student-athlete should be." Mizzou's six conference champions - Cox, redshirt sophomore 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.), redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.), redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.), redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) and redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) - is the most conference champions in one season in program history. It marked Lewis' second consecutive conference title, while Erneste, Eierman, Mayes and Lavallee each captured their first conference titles. Mizzou finished 48 points ahead of second place Northern Iowa, the widest margin in MAC Championships history since the Tigers won by the same margin in 2013, its first MAC Championship. Northern Iowa finished runner-up with 106.5 points, while Central Michigan finished third with 103.5 points, marking the first time in MAC history three teams scored at least 100 points. After two falls on Saturday, Cox recorded an 8-2 win over Beazley, who entered the tournament as the two-seed and 12th in the nation by WIN Magazine. The win marked the 10th ranked victory of the season for Cox. Lewis and Mayes each avenged defeats in a Feb. 12 dual against Northern Iowa by beating Panther wrestlers in Sunday's finals. Lewis snuck past Bryce Steiert by a score of 4-3 in the second tiebreaker overtime, while Mayes defeated Max Thomsen by a score of 6-5. Erneste needed overtime as well to defeat Buffalo's Bryan Lantry. The two wrestlers were tied, 2-2, in the sudden victory overtime when Erneste rolled through a takedown attempt from Lantry, then scored a takedown of his own and two-points for a near-fall to win the title. Eierman recorded his second bonus point win of the tournament to capture his title, defeating Ohio's Noah Forrider by a score of 10-1. Lavallee and Central Michigan's Collin Heffernan needed overtime as well to determine a winner, as the two were still tied following the second sudden victory overtime. Both wrestlers scored escapes in the second tiebreaker overtime, but Lavallee had the advantage with 24 seconds of riding time, giving him the victory. Redshirt freshman heavyweight Austin Myers (Alexandria, Ky.) and redshirt junior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.) both earned automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament by placing third and fifth, respectively. Myers upended No. 1 seed Zack Parker (Ohio), 3-1, in the third place bout, while McGhee defeated Eastern Michigan's Noah Gosner, 4-1, to earn his second trip to the NCAA Tournament. Redshirt freshman 184-pounder Matt Lemanowicz (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and redshirt 174-pounder Dylan Wisman (Winchester, Va.) finished fourth and sixth at the tournament, respectively, falling one place short of earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In total, eight Tiger wrestlers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Sunday, held March 16-18, in St. Louis, Mo. Wisman and Lemanowicz will wait to see if they receive a wild card bid, which will be announced later this week. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling). Team Scores 1. Mizzou, 154.5 2. Northern Iowa, 106.5 3. Central Michigan, 103.5 3. Old Dominion, 94.0 5. Northern Illinois, 92.0 6. Buffalo, 80.5 7. Eastern Michigan, 64.0 8. Ohio, 62.5 9. Kent State, 55.0

TULSA, Okla. -- With its 51st conference championship locked up on Saturday, eight members of the Oklahoma State wrestling team earned Big 12 titles Sunday afternoon to tie a program record. As a team, the Cowboys accumulated 176.5 points to set a Big 12 record, while the 83-point margin of victory is also a new conference record. Oklahoma State celebrates (Photo/Bruce Waterfeld)Individual title winners included Nick Piccininni, Dean Heil, Anthony Collica, Joe Smith, Kyle Crutchmer, Nolan Boyd, Preston Weigel and Austin Schafer. Collica became the eight wrestler in school history to win four conference titles, while Heil and Boyd claimed their third and Smith, Crutchmer and Weigel each won their second. "It's what you hope for when you come in heavy favorites. Actually doing it is a different story. As a whole, I saw my team wrestle better than they had all year. That was what I was hoping for. I saw a lot of things in the final matches that I didn't like that were different than what I saw from those guys in the earlier rounds. I can really take those final matches and tell them that these aren't the kinds of things that will get you on the podium in two weeks. It's good to have a little bit of that, rather than everything being perfect. When you're a heavy favorite and you deliver that, you feel good about what you've done." All 10 OSU starters advanced to Sunday's final round, setting up a dual-like event where the Cowboys were matched up with many of the Big 12's best at every weight. If the event had used dual scoring, the Pokes would have come out on top, 30-6. "We had some closer matches than that this season," Smith said. "I don't want to rub that in. We have some great coaches in our league and we have some historically great teams and some teams that I know are going to be coming (in the future), so I'll just say that when it counted most this weekend we were punching people right in the noise and that's what you hope for." Nick Piccininni opened things up for the Cowboys with a big win over No. 4 Josh Rodriguez of North Dakota State for his first career Big 12 Championship. Tied at four at the end of regulation, Piccininni and Rodriguez battled through a couple of overtime periods before the Cowboy redshirt freshman tallied the decisive takedown in the second sudden victory period. "It's an awesome feeling finishing a shot like that in overtime and getting the win," Piccininni said. "It was a fun one. It was exciting and I was happy with the outcome." After a tough loss in a back-and-forth match between Kaid Brock and South Dakota State's top-seeded Seth Gross that served as the Cowboy redshirt freshman's second defeat of the season, Dean Heil got the Pokes back on track at 141 pounds in a 10-7 decision over Bryce Meredith of Wyoming for his third conference title. Heil led throughout the match, tallying four takedowns and a reversal to clinch the championship. The win capped off an impressive weekend for Heil, which saw the NCAA Champion rack up his first two pins of the season on the way to the title bout. "I know Bryce is a tough opponent," Heil said. "Every time we wrestle, he gives me a go. Coach Smith came up to me before my match and told me to be ready for anything and to come out and continue wrestling. I expected scrambles and they happened. I was ready for them, so they all basically ended in my favor." Senior Anthony Collica registered a 7-4 decision over Oklahoma's Davion Jeffries in Sunday's 149-pound finals, claiming his fourth Big 12 crown and becoming only the eighth Cowboy to complete such a feat. Collica. With his lead cut to 5-4 with a minute to go in the match, Collica scored a takedown in the final seconds to lock up his win. "It's always fun being here," Collica said. "The finals match didn't go how I wanted, but I got the win and felt pretty good up until that match but to get out of here with a win feels great." Sophomore Joe Smith defended his title at 157 pounds in dominant fashion over second-seeded Clay Ream of North Dakota State. Smith shut out Ream in an 8-0 major decision to finish off a spectacular weekend in which he outscored his opponents, 32-0. "It was a good tournament overall," Smith said. "The Big 12 is getting a lot tougher and the teams that came here are tough. There are a lot of guys ranked in the top 20 or top 10 in the nation, and overall I thought it was a good tournament for both myself and the team. I thought I wrestled well. I wrestled a couple of tough kids. I've been working on top a lot, so I really felt my top game start to roll on as the tournament went on." The Cowboys' final loss of the day came at 165 pounds, where redshirt sophomore Chandler Rogers came up short against West Virginia's Dylan Cottrell in a 5-4 match. Tied at three in the third, Cottrell won a scramble for a takedown with just over a minute left. Rogers broke free and after nearly catching Cottrell on his back in the final seconds, was not awarded a takedown after review. Competing in his hometown, Crutchmer got the BOK Center crowd on its feet after finishing off an 8-4 decision over Oklahoma's Matt Reed. The senior was in control throughout, building his lead to as large as five in the third period to finish off his second career Big 12 title. "It's surreal," Crutchmer said. "I'm excited and I've got a bunch of friends and family here. For me being a senior and getting to wrestle at my last Big 12 Championships here in Tulsa is awesome. I'm glad I came out on top." Senior Nolan Boyd claimed his third conference championship at 184 pounds with a 15-4 major decision over Northern Colorado's Dylan Gable for his third major of the weekend. Boyd had no problem with Gable, racking up six takedowns in the match to get the win. "That match felt good," Boyd said. "Some of the other ones, I didn't felt like I cut loose and had the matches I wanted, but that's in the past, so we're going to keep moving. My team wrestled incredibly and that was fun to watch. We've got stuff to work on, and it was a fun tournament." Preston Weigel picked up his second-straight Big 12 crown at 197, defeating the bracket's top seed in No. 5 Jacob Smith of West Virginia. Late in the first period, Weigel converted on a takedown and was initially awarded a fall; however, it was ruled that Smith injured himself as he was falling to the mat, and the pin was changed to an injury default. Senior heavyweight Austin Schafer finished off his first Big 12 Championship run with a 9-0 major decision over Utah Valley's Dustin Dennison. The win wrapped up an outstanding weekend for the Edmond, Okla., native, as he earned a pin and a pair of majors to earn top honors. "It was pretty cool environment," Schafer said. "It felt like a dual. When guys lost, the other guys picked up the pace and kept us all in line and kept the motivation going. We really wrestled for each other out there and that's what you want to see in the postseason." The Cowboys will bring all 10 starters to this month's NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., which is set for March 16-18 at the Scottrade Center. OSU will be looking for its 35th national title. Big 12 Championships Final Round Results 125: Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 7-5 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) dec. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State), 9-7 141: Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) dec. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 10-7 149: Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) dec. Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma), 7-4 157: Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) MD Clay Ream (North Dakota State), 8-0 165: Dylan Cottrell (West Virginia) dec. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), 5-4 174: Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) dec. Matt Reed (Oklahoma), 8-4 184: Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) MD Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado), 15-4 197: Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) inj. def. Jacob Smith (West Virginia), 2:24 285: Austin Schafer (Oklahoma State) MD Dustin Dennison (Utah Valley), 9-0 Big 12 Wrestling Team Standings 1. Oklahoma State - 176.5 2. Oklahoma - 93.5 3. South Dakota State - 90.5 4. North Dakota State - 82.5 5. Wyoming - 71.5 6. West Virginia - 50 7. Northern Colorado - 48.5 8. Northern Colorado - 48.5 9. Utah Valley - 32 10. Air Force - 28

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The March magic that Ohio State captured last night carried over into Sunday, as the Buckeyes crowned four champions and won the fourth Big Ten wrestling team title in school history as Indiana's Assembly Hall. THE SHORT STORY The Buckeyes got two dramatic title match victories at 133 and 174 pounds, respectively, and added wins at 197 and 285 pounds by Kollin Moore and Kyle Snyder to distance itself from second-place Penn State. Along the way, Nathan Tomasello became just the third three-time Big Ten champion with his 5-4 decision over Cory Clark and Bo Jordan scored an overtime takedown to defeat Mark Hall of the Nittany Lions. In the team race, Ohio State finished ahead of top-ranked Penn State by 9.5 points, 139.5-130.0. Iowa was third with 112.5 points. TOMASELLO MAKES HISTORY The championship round started with Tomasello scoring a buzzer-beating escape against Cory Clark after Clark tied the match at 4-4 with a takedown on the edge of the mat. A redshirt junior, Tomasello previously two titles at 125 pounds before making the move to 133 lbs. this year. Trailing 1-0 entering the final period, the match was tied of a locked hands call against Clark and then Tomasello went ahead 2-1 with an escape. He scored a takedown with 34 seconds left, only to have Clark counter with a takedown of his own. Bo Jordan with Ohio State coach Tom RyanJORDAN TOPS HALL, BUCKEYES INCH CLOSER TO TITLE After Penn State creeped to within two points in the team score following Zain Retherford's win over Micah Jordan in the 149 lb. final, B. Jordan finished on a takedown in sudden victory against second-seeded Mark Hall to secure a 6-4 victory. The title, Jordan's first, comes after two previous trips to the finals at 165 lbs. It also was an eight point swing in the team race, giving Ohio State much needed breathing room. MOORE WINS BIG AT 197 Moore took the remaining drama out of the team race when he scored an impressive 15-11 win over top-seeded Brett Pfarr of Minnesota. Moore scored 11 first-period points, highlight by a takedown a four-point near fall, to give him all the distance he'd need on the scoreboard. Moore was also named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year. SNYDER FINISHES IT OFF Snyder added yet another line to his resume in the 285 final, topping second-seeded and second-ranked Connor Medbery of Wisconsin 8-5 behind two first-period takedowns and another in the third. Snyder is now a three-time Big Ten finalist and two-time champion. A HISTORITICAL CONTEXT • Ohio State's team title is the fourth in school history and first outright championship since 1951. • The Buckeyes put six wrestlers into the finals - a program record - and the four champions are the most in school history. Ohio State also set a record with 139.0 team points. • Head coach Tom Ryan earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second time in the last three seasons. • For the second time in the last four years, a pair of brothers wrestled for the Scarlet and Gray in the finals. In 2013, both Logan and Hunter Stieber did it; today, it was Micah and Bo Jordan. NCAA AUTOMATIC QUALIFERS Eight Buckeyes earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 16-18 in St. Louis, Mo. Earlier in the day, Jose Rodriguez punched his ticket with a pin of Purdue's Ben Thornton in the seventh place match at 125 lbs. True freshman Luke Pletcher also won a consolation semifinal match in the morning session and finished fourth at 141 lbs.

Campbell claimed its first SoCon title (Photo/Todd Drexler) CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Campbell picked up two key victories in the championship round to secure the 2017 Southern Conference championship Saturday evening inside McAlister Field House. The Camels finished Saturday's event with an overall team score of 89.5 points to claim their first SoCon Championship in team history. Appalachian State finished second with 86 points and SIUE finished third with 69.5 points. Campbell's 89.5 points is the highest team score by a champion since 2013 when Chattanooga scored 102.5 points. Joshua Heil and Quentin Perez collected first place medals at 141 and 165, respectively. Both competitors defeated their Appalachian State counterparts, which proved to be the difference maker in the team score. The Camels entered the championship round with a 2.5-point lead, 82.5-80, over the Mountaineers. Neither side added to their total through the opening three matches of the championship round until Heil's win at 141. The Brunswick, Ohio native won by a 10-2 major decision over Irvin Enriquez to extend the Campbell lead to 6.5 points. His match was the first of three Campbell championship round matches against Appalachian State. Halfway through the final round, App State's second competitor, Matt Zovistoski, picked up three points at the 149-pound final to close the gap to 3.5 points. With Campbell holding a slim 3.5-point lead, Perez rose to the occasion in his 8-4 victory over App State's Forrest Przybysz. His win increased the Campbell lead to 6.5 points and clinched the team title with four matches remaining. Six competitors reached the podium for Campbell Saturday evening. Along with the two first place finishers, the Kraisser brothers (Austin and Nathan) and Heino brothers (Jere and Ville) picked up second place finishes in their four respective weight classes. Benjamin Barton won his third place matchup, 3-1, in sudden victory at 149-pounds. Five Camels have qualified for the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., March 16-18. Austin Kraisser also has the potential to qualify, but will have to wait until the NCAA Selection Show, March 8th at 6 p.m. The five NCAA qualifiers are the most in Campbell history. Last season, CU sent two, Nathan Kraisser and Ville Heino, to the 2016 NCAA Championships. The Camels sprinted out of the gate in Saturday's quarterfinal round as all 10 competitors won their opening match. Seven of the 10 wins were bonus point victories, including four falls. As a team, Campbell totalled 10 bonus point wins on Saturday. After the opening two rounds, Campbell had a 16-4 combined record, as six competitors qualified for the championship round. The NCAA qualifiers will now set their eyes on the NCAA Championships, March 16-18, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. For more up-to-date information, follow Campbell Wrestling on Twitter @GoCamelsWrestle. Team standings Campbell - 89.5 Appalachian State - 86.0 SIUE - 69.5 Chattanooga - 66.0 Gardner-Webb - 37.5 The Citadel - 33.5 VMI - 9.5 Davidson - 7.0 Individual champions/NCAA qualifiers 125 - Freddie Rodriguez, SIUE 133 - Chris Debien, Chattanooga 141 - Josh Heil, Campbell 149 - Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State 157 - Ryan Mosley, Gardner-Webb 165 - Quentin Perez, Campbell 174 - Jake Residori, SIUE 184 - Bryce Carr, Chattanooga 197 - Jake Tindle, SIUE HWT - Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State Additional NCAA allocations 125 - Nathan Kraisser, Campbell; Vito Pasone, Appalachian State 157 - Aaron Walker, The Citadel 184 - Ville Heino, Campbell; Hunter Gamble, Gardner-Webb HWT - Jere Heino, Campbell ; Jared Johnson, Chattanooga Southern Conference Coach of the Year Cary Kolat, Campbell Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler Ryan Mosley, Gardner-Webb

Grand View won its sixth straight NAIA national title TOPEKA, Kan. -- (Team Scores | Brackets) It happened again. Grand View (Iowa) rewrote the record book by winning its sixth-straight team title and set a new scoring record of 234.5 points Saturday night in the final session of the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas. The 60th annual event took place at the Kansas Expocentre for the fourth-straight season. The Vikings, which realistically locked down the team championship by the end of the first day, are the first team in NAIA Wrestling history to win six-consecutive national titles. Additionally, the Vikings are only the fourth program in collegiate wrestling history (NAIA, NJCAA, NCAA). The other programs to do so are NCAA Division I Iowa (six-straight (1995-2000) and nine-straight (1978-1986)), NCAA Division I Oklahoma State (seven-straight (1937-1949)) and NCAA Division II Cal Poly (seven-straight (1968-1974)). "This is a really tight nit group," said Grand View head coach Nick Mitchell. "Every year you have to have a close knit group - a bunch of guys that really care for each other - and I think this team had that at another level this year. These guys really looked out for each other, pushed each other. It's something that can't be overlooked." Grand View set a new team scoring standard shattered last season's mark of 210.0. The club has now either tied or set a new scoring record in three out of the last four years. Five of Grand View's six grapplers in the finals walked away as national champions, highlighted by Jacob Colon at 133 pounds. The senior from Clear Lake, Iowa, claimed a major decision (12-1) victory over No. 2 Mitch Pawlak of Indiana Tech to earn a second-straight individual title. "He (Colon) is one of those guys that's a prime example of how to do everything," said Mitchell. "Jacob does a great job in school, he does a great job off the mats and he's a huge leader for us." Grand View's three other national champions were Josh Wenger at 141 pounds, Grand Henderson at 165 pounds, Lawton Benna at 174 pounds and Evan Hansen at 197 pounds. Benna and Henderson both improved upon second-place finishes a season ago, while Wenger and Hansen were competing at the national championships for the first time. In total, the five title winners gives Grand View 29 national champions in the club's nine-year history. The Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) claimed second-place honors at this year's championships. The team tallied 74.5 points and was headlined by four All-Americans, including runner-up finishes by Cam Tessari at 157 pounds and Rhodes Bell at 174 pounds. Rounding out the top five in the team standings was No. 3 Campbellsville (Ky.) (64.5 points), No. 4 Williams Baptist (Ark.) (61.5 points) and No. 5 Southern Oregon (60.5 points). Southern Oregon has now finished among the top 10 in the team standings for nine-consecutive years. Montana State-Northern, which took eighth overall in the team race, was the only club besides Grand View to have more than one individual claim a national title. Brandon Weber, who was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at this year's national championships, started off the finals in exciting fashion for the Lights, as he claimed a 4-2 sudden victory win over Tessari at 157 pounds. Ben Stroh rounded out a perfect championship session for Montana State-Northern with a 6-5 victory over Chuck Sharon of Campbellsville (Ky.) at 184 pounds. The senior for Chinook, Mont., has been the model of consistency all season and was named the NWCA/NAIA Wrestler of the Year after ending the year with a 45-2 record. At 125 pounds, Troy Lakin of Menlo (Calif.) - the No. 3 seed entering the event - downed top-seeded Adrian Camposano, 15-6, en route to the Oaks' first national title since Robert Davis and Jesse Ruiz claimed the 165 pound and 285 pound banners in 2008. Menlo now has seven all-time national champions. Scottie Bonds (133 pounds) of Midland (Neb.) gave the club its second national champion. The junior pinned Walker Marshall of Grand View (Iowa) at the 6:53 mark. Lastly, Williams Baptist (Ark.) made program history when Demetrius Thomas became the school's first-ever national champion. The redshirt freshman used a near fall in the opening period to jump out to an early lead that he would never relinquish en route to a 10-2 major decision win over Ceron Francisco of Concordia (Neb.). For more information on the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Ohio State wrestling team recaptured its March magic on Saturday during the first two sessions of the 2017 Big Ten Championships and currently stands in first place with 117.0 points on the strength of six finalists. The Buckeyes won six of seven semifinals matches and are 18.5 points ahead of second-place Penn State. THE SHORT STORY Clutch performances by Myles Martin and Micah Jordan in semifinal upsets were backed up by wins from No. 1 seeds Kyle Snyder, Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan along with Kollin Moore's decision that pushed six Buckeyes into tomorrow's championship round. Still alive on the consolation side of the brackets are Luke Pletcher (141), Jose Rodriguez (125) and Cody Burcher (165). MARTIN/NICKAL MEET AGAIN Nearly 12 months after he beat top-seeded Bo Nickal in the 174-lb. NCAA final, Martin added another signature win to his resume when he knocked off the nation's No. 1-ranked and unbeaten top seed again on Saturday night, 6-4. Trailing 2-1, Martin throw Nickal to his back and go two points for a takedown, giving him a 3-2 lead at the end of the first period. He added a second-period takedown to make the score 5-3, escaped the start the third for a 6-4 lead and then held on from there, punching his ticket for a date with second-seeded Sammy Brooks of Iowa tomorrow afternoon. MICAH ADVANCES TO FIRST B1G FINAL The first upset of the semifinals occurred at 149 pounds as M. Jordan finished off a takedown just as time expired in the second period for the decisive points in a 2-1 win over No. 2 seed Brandon Sorensen of Iowa. The win gives Jordan his first-ever berth in the Big Ten finals. THREE NO. 1 SEEDS ADVANCE At 133 lbs., Tomasello once against had a tough match against No. 4 seed Steven Micic of Michigan, winning 6-5 with a takedown in each period. Tomasello previously edged Micic at the CKLV finals last December. B. Jordan advanced to his third straight Big Ten finals by pushing the pace against fourth-seeded Myles Amine of Michigan on his way to a 14-8 decision. Jordan scored eight of his 14 points in the final two minutes and improved to 13-1 on the season. Snyder got out to an early lead against Michael Kroells of Minnesota in the 285 lb. semifinals, scoring four takedowns in the first five minutes and winning by decision, 14-7. Just as his match was ending, Moore was the sixth Buckeye to advance to the finals as he held on for a 10-8 decision over Nebraska's Aaron Studebaker. Moore opened up a sizable lead in the third period and never looked back. BURCHER PULLS SURPRISE AT 165 Cody Burcher, who had wrestled a long list of ranked wrestlers close during the regular season, finally broke through with a signature win in the second round of the consolation bracket at 165, knocking off fifth-seeded Joey Gunther of Iowa, 6-1. Ahead 1-0 in the third, Burcher got Gunther on his back and was awarded a four-point near fall. He later tacked on riding time to complete one of the more notable upsets on Saturday. It also avenged a 3-0 loss to Gunther in the regular season dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. SESSION I STANDOUTS The Buckeyes' three No. 1 seeds - Tomasello, B. Jordan and Snyder - all received byes directly into the quarterfinals. M. Jordan, Martin and Moore picked up the pace and scored much-needed bonus points. Jordan was first, getting a 19-7 major decision over Minnesota's Carson Purinton. Martin then followed with a 20-8 major decision against Michigan State's Shwan Shadaia and Moore easily defeated Jacob Hinz of Indiana, 19-2. Those bonus points would prove vital, as the quarterfinal round saw several top seeds pushed to the limit. Pletcher and Martin picked up two of the most impressive victories of the session, toppling a pair of Nebraska Cornhuskers in the process. Pletcher, a forfeit winner in the first round, defeated No. 4-seeded Colton McCrystal for the second time in the last three weeks by getting a third period takedown and then fighting off one from McCrystal in the closing seconds. Martin, meanwhile, earned another win over 2016 NCAA finalist TJ Dudley with a wild six-point sequence in the third period that include a takedown and four-point near fall on his way to a 12-7 decision. JORDAN SURVIVES B. Jordan got a tougher-than-expected test in the quarterfinals, falling behind eighth-seeded Devin Skatzka of Indiana 7-4 after two periods. Jordan quickly escaped to start the third, got a takedown to make it 7-7 and then scored the decisive points on another takedown with inside of 1:20 remaining. He rode out the remainder of the period for a 10-8 victory. MOORE, SNYDER ROLL AT UPPER WEIGHTS The 1-2 punch of Snyder and Moore had no trouble in their quarterfinal bouts. Snyder won by technical fall for the third time in his last four Big Ten Championship matches (dating back to last season) when he used 11 takedowns and a four points nearfall to finish off a 26-9 technical fall over Rutgers' Razohnn Gross. Moments later, Moore punched his ticket to the semifinals with a 10-5 decision against Iowa's Cash Wilcke. BONUS POINTS PROVE CRITICAL After winning four matches by bonus points in the championship round, Ohio State picked up a pin and major decision in the consolation round by Jake Ryan and Cody Burcher, respectively. Ryan's fall came in just 1:37 over Northwestern's Ben Sullivan and Burcher used a takedown, four point nearfall and over 2:00 of riding time to shut out Dylan Lydy of Purdue. Those points pushed the Buckeyes within two of first-place Penn State at the end of the opening session. SESSION I/II NOTES • Ohio State wrestlers went 14-3 in the first session of the championships with six bonus point wins (three major decisions, one fall, two technical falls). • On the day, the Buckeyes won 23 of 30 matches. • The six finalists in the most the Buckeyes ever had in their Big Ten Championships history. The previous record was four in 2015. HOW IT SETS UP TOMORROW All 10 championship matches can be seen live on BTN beginning at 3 p.m. They will start at 125 lbs. and end at 285. Ohio State's finals matches are: • 133: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello vs. No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) • 149: No. 3 Micah Jordan vs. No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) • 174: No. 1 Bo Jordan vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) • 184: No. 4 Myles Martin vs. No. 2 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) • 197: No. 2 Kollin Moore vs. No. 1 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) • 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder vs. No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) Additionally, Pletcher will wrestle in the 141 consolation round against Ryan Diehl of Maryland in the morning session. Rodriguez will go for seventh place against Ben Thornton of Purdue; Cody Burcher wrestles in the 165 lb. seventh-place match against Johnny Sebastian and Jake Ryan goes for ninth place - and an automatic NCAA Championships bid - at 157 lbs.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- The Edinboro wrestling team dominated the 42nd Annual Eastern Wrestling League Championships on Saturday at Bloomsburg University. The Fighting Scots sent nine wrestlers to the semifinals, with eight reaching the finals. A school record six wrestlers would come away with championships as Edinboro won its third EWL title in the last four years and 15th in head coach Tim Flynn's 20 years. Edinboro finished with 121.5 points to easily outdistance second-place and defending champion Rider (75 points). Lock Haven was third (71.5 points) in the seven-team field. Lock Haven's Ronnie Perry was selected as the Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 141 lb. title. More importantly, seven Edinboro wrestlers accounted for the EWL's allotment of 17 automatic qualifiers and qualified for the upcoming NCAA Division I National Championships on March 16-18. "We wrestled good," related Flynn. "We qualified seven guys for Nationals. We're real happy with that. It's hard to get wins in March. We were hungry. I thought we scored points when we had to, and a couple guys two when they were down. This is nice for the kids. They like to get their pictures up on the wall. We didn't win last year." Redshirt sophomore Sean Russell (32-6), ranked ninth by InterMat, earned his second trip to Nationals after winning his second straight 125 lb. title thanks to an 11-3 major decision over Clarion's Jake Gromacki. Patricio Lugo and Billy Miller will also be going to Nationals for the second time after winning their first EWL crowns. Lugo, a sophomore, finished a dominant day with a 17-2 technical fall (6:34) over Sahid Kargbo of George Mason at 149 lbs. Ranked ninth by InterMat, Lugo improved to 30-7 while winning twice by fall along with the technical fall. Miller (31-9) had a much more arduous path to the heavyweight championship. He needed overtime in two of his three matches, winning a 7-3 decision in a tiebreaker over Thomas Haines of Lock haven in the finals. It marked the third time that Miller, ranked 12th, and Haines, ranked 11th, had met this year, with Haines winning the first two by identical 4-3 decisions. Miller trailed 3-2 after Haines escaped in the first 30 second tiebreaker, but Miller would grab a 4-3 lead just before the buzzer with a takedown. An escape and another takedown in the second 30-second session clinched the title. Three other EWL champions will be making their first trip to Nationals. Redshirt freshman Korbin Myers (29-10), ranked 20th, also needed a tiebreaker to defeat Lock Haven's DJ Fehlman by a 7-4 decision. Myers won thanks to a reversal and penalty point in the second 30-second period. With just one spot available at 174 lbs., Ty Schoffstall knew he needed to finish first to reach Nationals. The redshirt junior did just that, picking up a grueling 12-8 decision over Adam Mackie of Lock Haven. Schoffstall will take a 20-9 record to Nationalds. Freshman Dakota Geer also competed in a weight class with just one automatic qualifier, and although he probably had a trip to St. Louis locked up, he left no doubt by winning a 6-3 decision over Cleveland State's Nick Corba in the finals at 184 lbs. Geer is ranked 15th and has a 29-8 record. Austin Matthews is Edinboro's seventh national qualifier after finishing second at 165 lbs. The redshirt junior, ranked 11th with an 18-7 record, will make his third ytip to Nationals He went last year as the 157 lb. champion, and in 2014 while wrestling for Clarion. Matthews dropped a 9-5 decision to fifth-ranked Chad Walsh of Rider in a rematch of last year's 157 lb. finals which Matthews won. Chase Delande (20-16) had a chance to make it eight qualifiers with a win at 157 lbs., but the redshirt junior lost a 9-1 major decision to Rider's B.J. Clagon, ranked 18th, for the lone qualifying spot. Redshirt freshman Dylan Reynolds (14-19) finished fourth at 197 lbs. 2017 EWL CHAMPIONSHIPS FINAL TEAM SCORES 1. EDINBORO -- 121.5 points 2. Rider -- 75 3. Lock Haven -- 71.5 4. Clarioin -- 48.5 5. George Mason -- 27.5 6. Cleveland State -- 21 7. Bloomsburg -- 5.5 OUTSTANDING WRESTLER -- Ronnie Perry, Lock Haven (141 lbs.) CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES 133 lbs. -- Korbin Myers (EU) dec. DJ Fehlman (LHU), 7-4 tb1 141 lbs. -- Ronnie Perry (LHU) dec. Brock Zacherl (CU), 5-3 149 lbs. -- Patricio Lugo (EU) tech. fall Sahid Kargbo (GMU), 17-2 (6:34) 165 lbs. -- Chad Walsh (RU) dec. Austin Matthews (EU), 9-5 285 lbs. -- Billy Miller (EU) dec. Thomas Haines (LHU), 7-3 tb1 125 lb. -- Sean Russell (EU) maj. dec. Jake Gromacki (CU), 11-3 157 lbs. -- B.J. Clagon (RU) maj. dec. Chase Delande (EU), 9-1 174 lbs. -- Ty Schoffstall (EU) dec. Adam Mackie (LHU), 12-8 184 lbs. -- Dakota Geer (EU) dec. Nick Corba (CSU), 6-3 197 lbs. -- Ryan Wolfe (RU) dec. Dustin Conti (CU), 9-2

Tulsa, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State Cowboys sent all 10 wrestlers to the finals during the first day of action at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship. This marks the first time in conference history any school has advanced all of their athletes to the final round of action. Oklahoma, North Dakota State and West Virginia both advanced two wrestlers, while Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming all placed one. OSU also sits atop of the team standings with a total 155.5 points. Oklahoma and South Dakota State sit in second and third with 64.5 points and 63 points, respectively. North Dakota State tallied 58.5, while Iowa State recorded 40 and West Virginia posted 37.5 points. Wyoming sits in seventh and Northern Colorado comes in eighth. Utah Valley and Air Force round out the field. The 125-pound bracket will see a matchup of top seed Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) and second-seed Nick Piccininni (OSU), while the high powered match up of No. 1 Seth Gross (SDSU) and No. 2 Kaid Brock (OSU) battle for the 133-pound title. Gross and Brock have meet once before this season, with Gross coming out on top. At the 141-pound dual, OSU's Dean Heil and Wyoming's Bryce Meredith will battle it out. One of two Bedlam matches will see Davion Jeffries (OU) tussle with the No. 1 seed, Anthony Collica (OSU), for the 149-pound title. Joe Smith (OSU) along with NDSU's Clay Ream will go at the 157 slot, while Chandler Rogers (OSU) and Dylan Cottrell (WVU) will face off at 165. Rounding out the finals, OU's Matt Reed opposes OSU's Kyle Crutchmer for the 174-pound title. Nolan Boyd of Oklahoma State and Dylan Gabel of Northern Colorado will go for the 184-pound championship, as Jacob Smith (WVU) and Preston Weigel (OSU) compete for the 197 title, followed by a match between Austin Shafer (OSU) and Dustin Dennison (UVU). Sunday's morning session will be broadcast exclusively on FloSports and FloWrestling. FSN picks up the championship round in the afternoon. For live results, visit FloArena.

Cornell claimed its 11th straight EIWA title RALEIGH, N.C. -- Led by individual titles by Joey Dance, Solomon Chishko, Zach Epperly, Zack Zavatsky, Jared Haught and Ty Walz, nationally fifth-ranked Virginia Tech captured the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship Saturday night at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina before a crowd of 3,081 fans. The title for the Hokies was their third overall as they became only the second team in the last eight years to win the ACC's regular season and tournament wrestling championships in the same year. Tech's 2013 team was the last team to accomplish that feat since 2008. Virginia Tech finished with 93 points, followed by NC State (64), Pitt (54), Virginia (52.5), North Carolina (44) and Duke (24.5). The 29-point margin of victory was the highest by an ACC team since NC State captured the 2007 title by a 36-point margin. "It feels good, obviously, said Tech interim head coach Tony Robie. "The goal every year for us is to win championships and win ACC championships. I think to win the dual meet title and then win the tournament title - says a lot about our guys and our team and our program. It says a lot about our coaching staff and the direction that we're going. I think our guys have come together in the last few weeks, and they're ready to go. They know what this time of year is about. They're seasoned and they're prepared. It's just a matter of competing and going and taking what we feel like we've earned. It was a good day." "We had the hashtag going that it's all about us (#AllAboutUs)," said Dance. "I think we showed everyone that it really is all about us. Whatever happened with [Kevin] Dresser and all that stuff, we didn't let that affect us. We were ready to go here at the ACCs and we'll be ready to go at nationals. We stayed poised and focused the whole time, and the team looked good today." NC State's Kevin Jack, who captured the individual title at 141 pounds with an impressive 10-4 win over Virginia's George DiCamillo, was a unanimous choice by all six ACC coaches as the Most Valuable Wrestler of the Championship. Jack, the nation's second-ranked wrestler, improved to 29-1 for the season. "It is always fun to win such a great individual title as this weight class in this conference," said Kevin Jack. "It was extra special to compete in front of this great crowd and to win the title in Reynolds with my dad down here. The first step is over, now it's time to turn my attention to the NCAAs." "Kevin's wrestling style is so exciting to watch, he can score with the best of them," said NC State head coach Pat Popolizio. "We had such a great crowd in here to watch a great tournament. The title certainly boosts his confidence as he prepares for the NCAA Championships in a couple of weeks." The six individual titles for the Hokies were the most for a single team in the ACC Championship since the NCAA went to its present weight classifications in 1999. Pitt captured three individual titles for the first time since the Panthers have been a member of the ACC. Junior Dom Forys won at 133 pounds, followed by redshirt freshman Taleb Rahmani at 157 and finally, sophomore Te'Shan Campbell at 165. Dance, a senior from Christiansburg, Virginia, started the evening off on the right foot for Virginia Tech by winning his third straight ACC title at 125 pounds with a dramatic 3-1 sudden victory win in overtime over NC State's Sean Fausz. Chishko, a redshirt sophomore from Jeanette, Pennsylvania, then won at 149, defeating North Carolina's Troy Heilmann. The Hokies then won the final four weight classes of the evening. Junior Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Virginia) won at 174, downing North Carolina's Ethan Ramos (4-3). Then sophomore Zack Zavatsky captured the 184 title, defeating NC State's Michael Macchiavello, 3-2. Junior Jared Haught (Parkersburg, West Virginia) then won at 197, defeating UNC's Daniel Chaid (6-3). Senior Ty Walz (Cleveland, Ohio) finished the evening off, taking an 8-3 decision from Duke's Jacob Kasper at heavyweight. "This is a big statement, " "You've seen it on Twitter, the hashtags (#ItsAllAboutUs), it's all about us. That's our main focus. We're focused on all 10 of us and the guys that are behind the scenes - it's all about us and the coaches we have right now. And now we look forward to going to St. Louis in a couple of weeks." Team Scores 1. Virginia Tech, 93.0 2. NC State, 64.0 3. Pitt, 54.0 4. Virginia, 52.5 5. North Carolina, 44.0 6. Duke, 24.5 Most Valuable Wrestler: Kevin Jack, NC State Individual Results: Championship Finals 125: Joey Dance (VT) d. Sean Fausz (NCS), 3-1, SV-1 133: Dom Forys (UP) d. Jamal Morris, 5-0 141: Kevin Jack (NCS) d. George DiCamillo (UVA), 10-4 149: Solomon Chishko (VT) d. Troy Heilmann (UNC), 12-7 157: Taleb Rahmani (UP) major decision Sal Mastriani (VT), 13-5 165: Te'Shan Campbell (UP) d. Brian Hamann (NCS), 7-0 174: Zach Epperly (VT) d. Ethan Ramos (UNC), 4-3 184: Zack Zavatsky (VT) d. Michael Macchiavello (NCS), 3-2 197: Jared Haught (VT) d. Daniel Chaid (UNC), 6-3 285: Ty Walz (VT) d. Jacob Kasper (DU), 8-3 Earning automatic NCAA bids: 125: Joey Dance, Virginia Tech; Sean Fausz, NC State; Jack Mueller, Virginia. 133: Dom Forys, Pitt; Jamal Morris, NC State. 141: Kevin Jack, NC State; George DiCamillo, Virginia; Joey Ward, North Carolina. 149: Solomon Chishko, Virginia Tech; Troy Heilmann, North Carolina; Sam Krivus, Virginia. 157: Sal Mastriani, Virginia Tech; Teleb Rahmani, Pitt; Andrew Atkinson, Virginia; Jake Faust, Duke. 165: Te'Shan Campbell, Pitt; Brian Hamann, NC State. 174: Zach Epperly, Virginia Tech; Ethan Ramos, North Carolina; Connor Bass, Duke 184: Michael Macchiavello, NC State; Zack Zavatsky, Virginia Tech 197: Jared Haught, Virginia Tech; Danny Chaid, North Carolina 285: Ty Walz, Virginia Tech; Jacob Kasper, Duke; Ryan Solomon, Pitt; Cory Daniel, North Carolina; Mike Kosoy, NC State. 2017 ALL-ACC Wrestling Team Joey Dance, Virginia Tech (125) Sean Fausz, NC State (125) Dom Forys, Pitt (133) Jamal Morris, NC State (133) Kevin Jack, NC State (141) George DiCamillo, Virginia (141) Solomon Chishko, Virginia Tech (149) Troy Heilmann, North Carolina (149) Sal Mastriani, Virginia Tech (157) Taleb Rahmani, Pitt (157) Te'Shan Campbell, Pitt (165) Brian Hamann, NC State (165) Ethan Ramos, North Carolina (174) Zach Epperly, Virginia Tech (174) Zack Zavatsky, Virginia Tech (184) Michael Macchiavello, NC State (184) Jared Haught, Virginia Tech (197) Danny Chaid, North Carolina (197) Ty Walz, Virginia Tech (285) Jacob Kasper, Duke (285)

Cornell claimed its 11th straight EIWA title LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Cornell crowned four individual EIWA champions and the Big Red raised the team title for the 11th straight season when the smoke cleared on Saturday afternoon at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion. Sophomore Brandon Womack (165) and seniors Dylan Palacio (157), Brian Realbuto (174) and Gabe Dean (184) each earned a spot on top of the podium. For Dean, it was the fourth straight year he won the 184-pound title, becoming the 11th wrestler overall and fifth Cornellian to take home four crowns. With the victories, the senior moves within two victories of setting the all-time Cornell record, as his 148 are two shy of Mack Lewnes. For his efforts, the Hodge Trophy candidate also came home with the Coaches Trophy for Outstanding Wrestler and the John FLetcher Memorial Trophy for most career points at EIWAs (96.5 points). Realbuto, meanwhile, won his third EIWA title and Palacio won his second straight. They join Dean in becoming the 15th, 16th and 17th four-time NCAA qualifiers in school history. For Womack, it is his first championship and NCAA appearance. Also earning spots at the national tournament were senior Mark Grey (133) and sophomore Ben Honis (197) by virtue of their third place finishes.Freshman Noah Baughman also placed third, putting him in position to earn a possible at-large bid. In addition, Jonathan Furnas placed sixth at 149 and Craig Scott was seventh at 285, both reaching the podium. Rob Koll, who continues to engineer the greatest run in conference history, was named EIWA co-Coach of the Year. MORE INFO TO COME

TOPEKA, Kan. -- (Brackets | Team Scores) Three returning champions punched tickets into the finals, while Grand View (Iowa) locked in a sixth-straight national championship and set another team scoring record Saturday in Session III action at the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas. For the second-straight year, the championship bouts will be distributed live on ESPN3, while a mat-side broadcast is also available on www.NAIANetwork.com. Wrestling starts at 7 p.m. CST. To access the ESPN3 broadcast, click here. Grand View is the first team in NAIA wrestling history to win six-consecutive national titles. Additionally, the Vikings are only the fourth program in collegiate wrestling history (NAIA, NJCAA, NCAA). The other programs to do so are NCAA Division I Iowa (six-straight (1995-2000) and nine-straight (1978-1986), NCAA Division I Oklahoma State (seven-straight (1937-1949) and NCAA Division II Cal Poly (seven-straight (1968-1974). The Vikings ended the afternoon with 211.5 team points to eclipse 2016's team total of 210.0 points. Grand View has either tied or set a new scoring record in three out of the last four years. Grand View had all 12 of its entries earn All-America honors, including six that have a chance at a national title tonight in Session IV. Jacob Colon, who is the top-seed and returning national champion at 133 pounds, has arguably been the most dominant of the Viking grapplers. The three-time All-American has three pins on the tournament, including a stick of No. 4 David Berg of Midland (Neb.) in the semifinals. Colon faces four-time All-American Mitch Pawlak of Indiana Tech in the 133-pound title match. Pawlak, who won the 125-pound championship last season, is hoping to become the first two-time national champion in program history. These two met earlier this season at the National Duals in a match that was won by Colon, 13-0. Blake Cooper (165 pounds) of Warner Pacific (Ore.) was the third returning national champion to punch a ticket into the finals. The sophomore defeated Ricky McCarty of Oklahoma City - the 2015 national champion at 165 pounds - for a shot to be a two-time title winner. Three other programs have multiple individuals in the finals - Campbellsville (Ky.) (2), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (2) and Montana State-Northern (2). Among these three schools, Montana State-Northern has gone the longest without a national champion. The Lights most recent title winner was Evan Heinbauch at 184 pounds in 2011. Dalton Bailey (197 pound) of Life (Ga.) and Demetrius Thomas (285) and Williams Baptist (Ark.) both became their program's first-ever finalist. Bailey, who is the top-seed at 197 pounds and boasts a 24-0 record on the year, downed unseeded Jeremiah Gerl of Hastings (Neb.) - the only non-seeded individual in the semifinals - 5-2. Prior to Bailey, Life had never had a wrestler finish better than fourth at the national championships. Thomas, who in addition to teammates Tyler Fraley (141 pounds) and Joshua Chiles (184 pounds) are only the fourth, fifth and sixth All-Americans in their program's young history, upset returning national champion Dean Broghammer of Grand View, 18-9. The Ferguson, Mo., native is also an All-American for the first time in his career. In the team race, Lindsey Wilson rests in second-place with 74.5 points. The Blue Raiders previous-best team finish came in 2015 when they took third place. Rounding out the top five within the team scoring are Campbellsville (64.5 points), Southern Oregon (60.5 points) and Indiana Tech (59.5 points). Perennial powerhouse program Southern Oregon pushed its NAIA record number of All-Americans to 227. Overall, the Raiders had four wrestlers place at this year's national championships, including fourth-place finishers Tyler Cowger at 149 pounds and Hunter Hodges at 157 pounds. Montana State-Northern boasts the next most all-time All-Americans with 171. For more information on the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 9-0 B1G) sits in first place after the opening session of the 2017 Big Ten Championships at Indiana University. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad will have seven individuals wrestling in tonight's semifinals. Eight Nittany Lions are still alive as Penn State looks to win its second straight, and sixth overall, Big Ten Championship. Penn State, saddled with six first round byes and an injury default, still sits atop the conference in the team race. Penn State is in first with 70.0 points, Ohio State is a close second at 68.0 and Iowa is in third with 55.5. Missing out on the chance for first round bonus points, the Nittany Lions responded with five pins in the quarterfinals and seven overall. True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), the No. 2 seed at 125, stepped on the mat against Purdue's Ben Thornton for one second and then took an injury default loss. Suriano will medically forfeit out of the tournament and leaves Bloomington with a 16-3 overall record (having lost his last two matches with injury defaults). Suriano will be in the pool for an at-large bid at 125 when the NCAA announces the full field (including at-large bids) for the 2017 NCAA Championships. The announcement takes place on Wednesday, March 8, at 6 p.m. Eastern on NCAA.com. Red-shirt freshman Triston Law (Windber, Pa.) went 0-2 at 133 and did not place. Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), the No. 2 seed at 141, received a bye and then was upset by Michigan State's Javier Gasca in the quarterfinals. Gulibon's loss moves him into tonight's consolation action, needing one more win to secure a bid to the NCAA Championships and still holding the ability to finish as high as third. Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 149, rolled through his first two opponents. Retherford picked up two pins, getting a the fall at the 6:12 mark over Purdue's Nate Limmex and then pinning Michigan State's Nick Trimble at the 4:45 mark in the quarterfinals. Retherford moves into tonight's semifinals and has secured a spot in the NCAA Championships. The pins were his 14th and 15th of the year. Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 157, received a first round bye and then pinned Wisconsin's TJ Ruschell at the 5:58 mark to move into tonight's semifinals and earn a trip to NCAAs. The fall was Nolf's 12th of the year. Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the No. 4 seed at 165, notched an important 8-3 decision over No. 16 Joey Gunther of Iowa, picking up three takedowns, advancing to the semifinals and earning a trip to the NCAA Championships. True freshman Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), the No. 2 seed at 174, received one of Penn State's six first round byes and then made short work of Purdue's Jacob Morrissey in the quarters. Hall pinned Morrissey in just :29 to move into the semifinals and earn a trip to NCAAs. It was his 12th pin of the year. Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), the No. 1 seed at 184, continued Penn State's quarterfinal pin parade. Nickal pinned No. 22 Hunter Ritter of Wisconsin at the 3:41 mark. The fall, Nickal's 14th of the year, moved the Texas native into the semifinals and secured a spot in the NCAA Championships. Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), the No. 4 seed at 197, received Penn State's sixth first round bye. He then posted a hard-fought 3-2 win over Rutgers' Matt Correnti in the quarterfinals. The win moved McCutcheon into the semifinals and punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), the No. 3 seed at 285, picked up a first round fall, pinning Michigan's Dan Perry at the 4:25 mark. He then posted Penn State's sixth quarterfinal fall, pinning Brooks Black of Illinois at the 4:45 mark and advancing to the Big Ten semis. Six of Penn State's seven semifinalists have earned spots in the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships two weeks from now in St. Louis' Scottrade Center on March 16-18. With 285 only qualifying five automatically, Nevills needs one more win. Gulibon is still alive at 141, needing one more victory in consolation action to get a bid at 141 and can still finish as high as third. Penn State posted a 9-5 overall record and picked up 14.0 bonus point off the seven pins. Penn State will continue the event tonight with session two, set to begin at 6 p.m. Eastern session . The championship, serving as the NCAA qualifier for the conference, concludes on Sunday with 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern sessions. The Nittany Lions, now Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) Champions and NWCA National Dual Meet Champions, are the defending Big Ten Champion and have won five of the last six Big Ten crowns. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2016-17 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. 2017 Big Ten Championships - Team Standings (top four) after Session 1: March 4, 2017 - Assembly Hall - Bloomington, Ind. 1: PENN STATE - 70.0 2: Ohio State - 68.0 3: Iowa - 55.5 4: Minnesota - 52.0

TOPEKA, Kan. -- (Brackets | Team Scores) Grand View's (Iowa) quest for a sixth-straight national title continued Friday night at Session II of the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas. The Vikings, who went 9-1 in their 10 quarterfinal matches, ended the night with 126.5 points and 12 All-Americans. If Grand View wins a sixth-consecutive national title, the Vikings will become the only NAIA program to accomplish the feat and the only the fourth program in collegiate wrestling history (NAIA, NJCAA, NCAA). The other programs to do so are NCAA Division I Iowa (six-straight (1995-2000) and nine-straight (1978-1986), NCAA Division I Oklahoma State (seven-straight (1937-1949) and NCAA Division II Cal Poly (seven-straight (1968-1974). With all 12 individuals punching through to the All-America rounds, Grand View sets a new program record for All-Americans in a single season and is the first program since Dana (Neb.) in 2006 to place all entries. Highlighting the individuals for Grand View are Jacob Colon (133 pounds), Michael Pixley (184 pounds) and Dean Broghammer (285 pounds). All three student-athletes are in the semifinals and are vying for a second-straight national championship. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) held its second-place position in the team race with 50.5 points. The Blue Raiders had four wrestlers earn All-America accolades, including three individuals in the semifinals -- Cam Tessari (157 pounds), Rhodes Bell (174 pounds) and Matt Walker (184 pounds). Southern Oregon rests in third-place with 48.5 points, while Campbellsville (Ky.) (46.5 points) and Indiana Tech (45.5 points) round out the top five. Twenty different programs have grapplers still competing for a shot at a national title, including nine individuals from Grand View. Campbellsville boasts the next most with four wrestlers, while Lindsey Wilson has the previously mentioned three. Seven different squads have two student-athletes in the semifinals. The parity among this year's championship field was on display during Session II as only three weight classes - 133 pounds, 157 pounds and 184 pounds - fell true to seeds. Jeremiah Gerl of Hastings (Neb.) was the only non-seeded wrestler to advance to the semifinal round. The junior knocked off No. 12 Eric Fan of Eastern Oregon, 9-4, to become only the third individual in Bronco wrestling history to reach the semifinals - Blake Fruchtl (141 pounds) in 2014 and Brandon Hudiburgh (197 pounds) in 2008 are the others. Hastings has never had an individual finish higher than fifth-place at the national championships. Dustin Miller of Lyon (Ark.) became the first-ever All-American in program history with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Chandler Strand of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) in the consolation bracket. The Scots are one of the relatively new programs to NAIA wrestling, as the team has only competed at the varsity level since the start of the 2014-15 season. Eastern Oregon, which resurrected a program that had been dormant since the 1970's, had its first All-American since Greg Nelson finished fifth at heavyweight in 1972 when Matthew Nguyen earned a spot in the semifinals. The junior from Vancouver, Wash., squares off against West Group rival Troy Lakin of Menlo (Calif.) in the semifinals. Nguyen is 2-0 against Lakin this season, including a 9-4 decision in the championship match of the West National Qualifier on Feb. 18. Mitch Pawlak (133 pounds) of Indiana Tech and Tyler Cowger (149 pounds) of Southern Oregon solidified themselves as two of the best wrestlers in their respective program's history, as both became four-time All-Americans today by advancing to the semifinals. Pawlak, who won the 125-pound title last year, is searching for a second-straight national championship, while Cowger is hoping for his first after finishing second a season ago. Other notable performances on the day came from Lawton Benna (174 pounds) of Grand View, Nicholas Meck (174 pounds) of York (Neb.) and Dalton Bailey (197 pounds) of Life (Ga.). A three grapplers kept their unbeaten seasons alive with wins in the quarterfinals. Either Benna or Meck is guaranteed to have their quest for a perfect year ended tomorrow, as the two are matched in one of the two 174-pound semifinals. All 10 top seeds advanced to the semifinal round. For more information on the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Cornell advanced six wrestlers to Saturday's quarterfinals and will have nine alive heading into the final day of the 2017 EIWA Championships at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion. The Big Red enters the final day on top of the team race with 81.5 points, 12 clear of second place Lehigh, who also has six semifinalists. Still alive in the semis and looking to make finals with a win in the morning are Noah Baughman (125), Mark Grey (133), Dylan Palacio (157), Brandon Womack (165), Brian Realbuto (174) and Gabe Dean (184). Cornell and Lehigh will have a pair of matchups right off the bat on Saturday, with the Big Red looking to swing upsets and tilt the race squarely in its favor. Noah Baughman, who used a third period turn to earn an 8-2 win over Binghamton's Steve Bulzomi in the quarters, will meet top-seeded and fifth-ranked Darian Cruz. A win would guarantee the freshman an invitation to the NCAA tournament, while a loss would put him on the outside looking in as the EIWA earned just two qualifiers at 125. Senior Mark Grey will also face a top-seeded Mountain Hawks and will attempt to punch his ticket to the national tournament when he meets ninth-ranked Scott Parker. He won a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Princeton's Pat D'Arcy in the quarters. Unsurprisingly, seniors Brian Realbuto (174) and Gabe Dean (184) will head to their final day of EIWA tournament competition knowing they are safe to make travel plans to St. Louis. Both earned dominant technical fall victories in the quarters and will face fourth-seeded service academy wrestlers on Saturday morning, with Realbuto meeting dangerous Jadean Bernstein of Navy and Dean squaring off with Army West Point's Samson Imonode. Senior Dylan Palacio and sophomore Brandon Womack will also have an opportunity to reach the finals, with Palacio having an oppoortunity to do so while looking for his second EIWA title. Palacio funked out a 5-1 win over Penn's May Bethea, while Womack earned a 3-0 decision over Navy's Drew Daniels. Both will meet opponents from Brown, with Womack facing Jon Viruet, who handed Palacio his only loss earlier this season in a wild 14-13 contest, and Palacio meeting eighth-seeded Steven Galiardo. Jonathan Furnas (149) recovered from his first round loss with consecutive wins by major decision in the back draw, while Ben Honis (197) and Craig Scott (285) bounced back from defeats in the quarters to get within one more win of the podium. Sophomore Will Koll lost twice after winning his opener on Friday morning to fall out of the competition. LEWISBURG, Pa. -- On its quest for an 11th straight EIWA title, Cornell put itself squarely in the middle of the chase with all 10 wrestlers alive after the first session on Friday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. The Big Red holds a narrow 23-19.5 lead over Lehigh thanks to nine wrestlers advancing to the quarterfinals. Cornell dominated in the first round, going 9-1 with seven bonus wins - including five first period falls. The Big Red hit the mat four straight times from 157 until 184 with consecutive falls in a total of 1:59 - less than a full period of wrestling. The highlight was Dylan Palacio sticking his opponent in 15 seconds, the fastest fall by a Cornell wrestler in EIWA history. Brian Realbuto pinned his opponent in 24 seconds, Gabe Dean put his down in 36 seconds and Brandon Womack took all of 44 seconds. Along with Mark Grey's pin in 1:16, Cornell's bonus point attack gave the Big Red some cushion as its main rival, Lehigh, lost two wrestlers. The Big Red also earned a major decision win by Ben Honis at 197 and a technical fall victory by Will Koll at 141. Both Noah Baughman to begin the tournament and Craig Scott to end the round won regular decisions, though both came by more than a takedown. The lone loss was a late takedown that sent Jonathan Furnas into the back draw, falling 4-3 to Danny Reed of Columbia. Furnas bounced back with a major decision win over Bucknell's Seth Hogue in the consolation rounds to stay alive for the podium and a spot at NCAAs.

TOPEKA, Kan. -- (Brackets | Team Scores) Five-time defending team Article Imagechampion Grand View (Iowa) ended Session I of the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas, leading the team competition with 39.5 points. Wrestling in Session II starts at approximately 6:30 p.m. CST. The 60th annual event is taking place inside the Kansas Expocentre for the fourth-straight year. Ten of Grand View's 12 qualifiers remain on the championship side of the bracket, including all three of the club's returning national champions -- Jacob Colon (133 pounds), Michael Pixley (184 pounds) and Dean Broghammer (285 pounds). Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is currently in second place with 23.5 points, followed by third-place Indiana Tech with 23.0 points. The Blue Raiders have five individuals in the quarterfinals, headlined by top-seeded Cam Tessari at 157 pounds, while Indiana Tech has three wrestlers that still have a chance at a national title. Arguably the largest upset on the day so far came early in the morning session, as Casey Dobson of Great Falls (Mont.) downed returning national champion Victor Hughes of Baker (Kan.), 2-1, at 149 pounds. Dobson, a redshirt freshman from Great Falls, Mont., trailed 1-0 late into the third period until a takedown with less than 30 seconds left in the match decided it all. Dobson then pinned Isaiah Frank of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) to become the first Great Falls grappler on the day to punch a ticket to the quarterfinals. He next faces the No. 10 seed Jaedin Sklapsky of Campbellsville (Ky.). Sklapsky is looking to improve upon a sixth-place finish last season. Indiana Tech's Mitch Pawlak, who is a returning national champion and the No. 2 seed at 133 pounds, looked strong through his first two matches. The three-time All-American opened the tournament with a first round pin of Demarco Speller of Wayland Baptist (Texas), before sticking Colby Watters of Baker (Kan.) in the round of 16. Tyler Cowger (149 pounds) of Southern Oregon, who was the national runner-up last year, is also vying for his fourth All-America honor. The senior advanced to the quarterfinals with wins of Robert Humphrey of Indiana Tech (4-2) and Kenny Boyd of Missouri Valley (6-0). He faces the No. 12 seed Hunter Bell of Cumberlands (Ky.) tonight in the evening session. Three wrestlers kept their unbeaten streaks alive by punching tickets into the quarterfinals - Lawton Benna of Grand View (17-0), Nicholas Meck of York (Neb.) (18-0) and Dalton Bailey of Life (Ga.) (22-0). History was made for first-year programs Central Christian (Kan.) and Reinhardt (Ga.) during the opening session. Devontae Fitzgerald - the Central Christian's lone qualifier - picked up the program's first-ever victory at the national championships, downing Brandon Aragon of Jamestown (N.D.), 13-11, in the consolation bracket. Reinhardt's Tucker Russo at 157 pounds knocked off Brandon Archuleta, 10-4, in first round. The freshman from Soddy Daisy, Tenn., is the program's lone qualifier. In his second round match, Russo was pinned by No. 2 seeded Brandon Weber of Montana State-Northern. Unfortunately, his championship came to an end in the first session due to a loss 7-5 Mitch Roadruck of Indiana Tech. All 10 top-seeded grapplers advanced to the round of eight. For more information on the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here.

Chris Honeycutt (Photo/Bellator) Former Fighting Scot wrestler Chris Honeycutt will not be fighting at Friday's Bellator 174, according to multiple media reports Thursday. Honeycutt, who was slated to face Kendall Grove in a middleweight (185-pound) bout at Winstar Casino in Thackerville, Okla., has been replaced by Mike Rhodes, 27, who brings a 10-4 professional record and a four-match win streak going back to April 2015. Grove, 34, is 23-16-0 overall record in his eighth fight in Bellator, in a professional career that stretches back to 2003. The reason for Honeycutt's withdrawal was not reported. The former Edinboro University Fighting Scot wrestler did not mention why he's not fighting on Friday in his Facebook or Twitter accounts, nor was there any explanation at Bellator's official website. Since launching his pro MMA career in Jan. 2013, the 28-year-old Honeycutt is 9-1-0. His only pro MMA loss was a first-round TKO at the hands of former University of Iowa wrestler Paul Bradley at Bellator 144 in Jan. 2016. As a wrestler at Pennsylvania's Edinboro University, Honeycutt was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and runner-up at 197 pounds at the 2012 Nationals.

The brackets have been released for the 2017 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The event takes place Saturday-Sunday at Assembly Hall on the campus of Indiana University. Link: Brackets

The NCAA postseason officially began last week with the Pac-12 Championships held in Palo Alto. The conference tournament -- always held three weeks before the NCAA tournament -- was won by Arizona State who sneaked past host Stanford 127 to 122.5. The balance of NCAA Division I teams hit that mat this weekend, leaving plenty of action for fans of the sport to watch on TV and online. Wrestling has never been more accessible to the fan, which means that the more we tune in, the more positive data can be shared with decision makers at streaming providers. So … watch, it'll help the sport grow! March is an exciting time of year for our young wrestlers. For many their entire wrestling life will come down to this weekend and with most competing in the sport for more than 15 years, there is an incredible amount of pressure building for this weekend, and that of NCAAs. This pressure causes the mind of a college wrestler to exist under constant stress and leaves it incredibly delicate come championship season. From my experience most college wrestlers derive an immense amount of their self-worth from what happens on the mat. Keeping that in mind we should all be respectful of their journey and stay as positive as possible of their successes and their failures. Yes, we might be disappointed in outcomes, but this is sport and these are kids. Let us be positive … to a fault. To your questions … Stanford's Jim Wilson won three Pac-12 titles (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What do you make of Stanford coach Jason Borrelli's decision to not let Jim Wilson wrestle off at 174 pounds at the Pac-12 Championships? Peter Galli qualified the spot, giving the Pac-12 two spots at 174 pounds. The allocation would have been taken away had Wilson wrestled. That would have meant Wilson would have had to beat ASU's Zahid Valencia to qualify for the NCAAs, which seems unlikely, because he was not going to receive an at-large spot. -- Mike C. Foley: This is a tricky situation. Coach Borrelli is tasked with qualifying as many wrestlers as possible for the NCAA Championships to help Stanford earn All-American plaques and national championship trophies. Jim Wilson is a senior wrestler who has won three Pac-12 titles. If you take away Jim Wilson's previous successes, Borrelli's thinking is rational. Wilson had suffered a somewhat major injury from which he was only just cleared and is likely not in great condition, hadn't competed in a while, and any wrestle-off is somewhat meaningless given the familiarity of the opponent. I tend to think this was the right call, though extremely difficulty. One note is that this wouldn't have happened in the old qualification system since that one included the subjective opinions of the conference coaches looking to boost their chances at gaining future qualifiers. In that situation I could see Borrelli allowing the wrestle-off and potentially Wilson to wrestle. Heartbreaking for Jim Wilson. Wish him the best in his MMA career. Q: How good at wrestling are the assistants at the top programs? I know that they were amazing in their day, but based on your experience are they as good as the wrestlers they work with? Can Casey Cunningham really beat Jason Nolf consistently in live goes? Would you expect that Donny Pritzlaff can beat everyone under heavyweight at Rutgers? Hard for me to imagine that Terry Brands is still going live with teenagers at 48 years old. Wouldn't these guys still be competing if they were truly good enough to beat these guys in live wrestling? Any context you can share? -- Bryan R. Foley: So much to unpack here … First, the assistant coaches and other mat coaches in their 30's and 40's are NOT going full practices. Most likely they teach technique, go live in situations and maybe go 2-minute go's. This isn't to say they wouldn't be able to hang for longer, but the body doesn't hold up well to that type of abuse. Most of the coach wrestling comes from assistant coaches who are within 5-8 years of graduation. They are either still competing, or haven't felt gravity long enough for their backs, knees, hips or necks to start giving them constant pain. Those are the workhorses in the room. As for Coach Cunningham vs. Nolf, it's important to remember that Coach has seen a lot more wrestling than Nolf, which allows him the privilege of eliminating most of his inefficiencies. He's also a man and man-strength is a real thing. I know it's not wrestling, but I was just having this same conversation a few days ago regarding jiu-jitsu and my professor Marcelo Garcia. Forget what he does to me, I've seen a 35-year-old Marcelo obliterate the top .00001 of jiu-jitsu competitors. Most in the 20's, most of them training year-round and winning tournaments. How does he overcome their multitude of advantages (often including size)? He's more technical and there are no mistakes or risks in his game. One move leads to another, which leads to another and another. Every reaction changes his next decision, but can keep moving down the list. Like a great chess player, guys like Marcelo and Casey know the moves, their opponents and have seen the board way more times than any youngster. Q: Cornell's Dylan Palacio hasn't shown much this season, but he's wildly entertaining on and off the mat. What do you expect from him in the postseason? -- Mike C. Foley: Off the mat? Did I miss something? Maybe I saw something on Facebook or Instagram. I'm not sure what qualifies as a normal expectation, but I assume he'll be in the finals of the EIWA Championships and that he'll place in St. Louis. Tough to see him falling outside of the top eight, though now I'm nervous about this off-the-mat entertainment. Q: Some of the recurring topics of complaint across men's and women's wrestling: 1. 125-pound weight class seems to be too low for men and there seems to be more men between the 140-plus weight ranges in college. 2. Women's/men's wrestling needs more coverage. Would coed wrestling teams be beneficial for wrestling in the long run? We can have anywhere from 16-20 weight classes with the "low" weight classes being more of "unofficial" women's weight classes. Put more weight classes in the middle to upper weights. Some glaring things are the possibility of women "losing" weight classes. Plus the fact that there are probably not enough women competing in high school wrestling to sustain participants at all NCAA divisions, let alone JC/NAIA. I am not advocating that that women's wrestling is failing, but there are opportunities. Much like men's and women's track, where everyone competes on the same date. That is the model I am coming from with the opportunity to trail blaze a truly coed sport. -- Dan C. Foley: Love this idea! The best part is that the first-ever coed dual went down last year in NYC and was such a hit they instituted for 2017, too. There are certain hiccups with starting this program now, but with more focus turning to women's wrestling and the growth of the sport helping push administrators to offer it in more private and public schools, there is certainly hope for coed teams throughout the nation. The Olympics and world championships have days with women and men mixed together and the results have always been encouraging. You tend to hear fans explain that they had no idea women's wrestling was so different in terms of technique. More than a few also flatly admit it's more entertaining than most freestyle and Greco-Roman matches. Kevin Dresser speaks at a press conference after being introduced as ISU's coach (Photo/Iowa State Sports Information) Q: Have any current Virginia Tech wrestlers announced they are following Coach Dresser to Iowa State? Or any of the coaching staff? -- Spencer S. Foley: No Virginia Tech athletes have announced plans to transfer and it's doubtful any will since Tony Robie is a big part of the program's success. Also, the geography of the VT team and recruits would lend to them staying on the East Coast. Q: Where do you think Kevin Dresser will be this weekend? Big 12 Championships? Or ACC Championships? Where should he be? -- Mike C. Foley: He should be at the ACC Championships. He has little domain over the Iowa State program and I'm sure that he'll want to see his guys for Virginia Tech start their postseason performance. Q: What will be the biggest surprise at this weekend's conference tournaments? -- Mike C. Foley: My guy Jack "The Mauler" Mueller will take out top-seeded Joey Dance of Virginia Tech to win the ACC title! COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Jacob J. Disappointed in your assumption here regarding Texas wrestling, especially this statement: " … would have shown the world our sport's most redeemable and admirable qualities, rather than our culture's most vile and basest instinct." Texas has done a phenomenal job of promoting girls wrestling and being ahead of the curve. We have two divisions: 5A and 6A for boys and girls. Because we offer these opportunities the transgender issue became what it did. Most other states don't even offer what Texas does. UIL states that an athlete must participate with the gender given at birth. That is not an unreasonable rule. If a 215-pound boy was transitioning to a female (this will eventually happen) and wanted to compete against females…would you promote Texas to let him wrestle with 215-pound girls so they wouldn't be so VILE? I thought the UIL was actually very progressive in making an exception for the individual because the testosterone was prescribed for medical purposes. They did not ignore her medical situation and say "tough crap, that's not a medical condition. You can't be on testosterone." They made an exception and let her compete deeming the testosterone a medical necessity. They also factored in the amount of testosterone and what its medical impact would be. They deemed it minimal. I feel for the individual and my heart goes out to her situation. I don't know what it is like to be in her shoes and wish her the best of luck. When a few boos started after she won a good bunch of the crowd cheered to drown them out. And they were drowned out. A 17-year-old kid should never be booed whether I agree or not. Overall, I think your opinion is obviously your own and something you are entitled to. But it ignores all the nuances of the situation and is easy to 'arm chair quarterback.' "They should have done this or that….." It was extremely complex and I think the powers that be did their best to navigate a very complicated issue. You gave no mention to Texas girls wrestling being the force that it is, and did not acknowledge the fact that at the end of the day, they did let her compete. There was nothing vile or basest about the way Texas handled the situation.

Follow the action at the seven NCAA Division I conference tournaments taking place this weekend. . Big Ten Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 4 - Sunday, March 5 Venue: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (Bloomington, Ind.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates | Pick 'Em Contest Big 12 Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 4 - Sunday, March 5 Venue: BOK Center (Tulsa, Okla.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates MAC Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 4 - Sunday, March 5 Venue: McLeod Center (Cedar Falls, Iowa) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates SoCon Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 4 Venue: McAlister Field House (Charleston, S.C.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates EWL Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 4 Venue: Nelson Field House (Bloomsburg, Pa.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates ACC Wrestling Championships Date: Saturday, March 4 Venue: Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, N.C.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates EIWA Wrestling Championships Date: Friday, March 3 - Saturday, March 4 Venue: Sojka Pavilion (Lewisburg, Pa.) Event Website | Results | Twitter Updates Pac-12 Wrestling Championships Date: Sunday, February 26 Venue: Maples Pavilion (Palo Alto, Calif.) Event Website | Results

TOPEKA, Kan. -- (Brackets) The 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas, official brackets have been released. Session I action inside the Kansas Expocentre starts Friday at 10 a.m. CST. The 60th annual event consists of four sessions, concluding Saturday with the championship finals at 7 p.m. Official brackets were verified and approved by the NAIA-Wrestling Coaches Association Bracketing Committee Thursday afternoon. For the second-straight season, all matches at the national championships will be streamed live. Fans can find sessions I - III on the NAIA Network (www.NAIANetwork.com). It's recommended that fans use the interactive bracket via the live scoring system on Trackwrestling to find their specific match. The title bouts (session IV) will be distributed on ESPN3. For more information on the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here.