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InterMat Staff

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  1. Stephen Neal Imagine coming face-to-face with four former NFL stars with a combined total of nine NCAA wrestling championships among them ... all in one place. You can meet this heavyweight lineup of athletes -- Curley Culp, Bob Golic, Carlton Haselrig, and Stephen Neal -- as well as experience the "Wrestling and Football" exhibit at the NCAA Wrestling Fan Fest event taking place during the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland in March. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is partnering with the Pro Football Hall of Fame to create this exhibit which showcases the connections between the sport of wrestling and football. The "Wrestling and Football" exhibit will be on display at the NCAA Wrestling Fan Fest in the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland -- Hall A on March 15-17. Held in conjunction with the Division I Wrestling Championships held at nearby Quicken Loans Arena, the Fan Fest is free to the public. In addition to the "Wrestling and Football" exhibit, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame will also host a roundtable discussion -- moderated by Sandy Stevens -- featuring the wrestlers-turned-football players Curley Culp (Pro Football Hall of Fame member and NCAA wrestling champion) ... two-time wrestling All-American and 14-year National Football League veteran Bob Golic ...six-time NCAA wrestling champion and NFL veteran Carlton Haselrig ... and two-time NCAA wrestling champion and three-time Super Bowl Champion Stephen Neal. The four former athletes will discuss their careers in wrestling and how wrestling played an instrumental role in their success on the gridiron. The event will be held on Thursday, March 15, from 4:15-5 p.m. on the Fan Fest Main Stage in the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland -- Hall A in downtown Cleveland, a few short blocks north of Quicken Loans Arena. Culp, Golic, Haselrig and Neal will sign autographs immediately following the discussion. Curley Culp wrestled at Arizona State and won the national title at heavyweight in 1967 while also capturing the Gorriaran Award for most falls after pinning opponents in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. As a high school wrestler in Yuma, Culp won back-to-back Arizona state heavyweight wrestling championships in 1963 and 1964. In addition to wrestling for the Sun Devils, Culp was an All-American in football at Arizona State who then played 14 seasons in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions from 1968-1981. He helped Kansas City win the Super Bowl in 1970 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 2013. Bob Golic wrestled for the now-defunct mat program at the University of Notre Dame where he was a two-time NCAA All-American at heavyweight, finishing fourth in 1977 and third in 1978. He lost in the winner's bracket both years to three-time NCAA champion Jimmy Jackson. Golic was an Ohio state heavyweight wrestling champion, defeating Harold Smith, who represented the United States at the World Championships in 1981. He was a two-time All-American in football for Notre Dame in 1977 and 1978, and helped the Irish win the national title in 1977. Golic played 14 seasons in the National Football League with the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Raiders from 1979-1992. Carlton Haselrig competed back in the era when NCAA Division II champions could compete a few days later in the Division I tournament. Three years in a row (1987, 1988 and 1989) he won the DII title for the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and then captured the DI crown, finishing with six national championships, a record that will not be broken. Despite not having played football since high school, Haselrig was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 12th round of the 1989 National Football League Draft. He played four seasons for the Steelers, being selected to the Pro Bowl in 1992, and one season with the New York Jets. Haselrig was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2016. Stephen Neal was a two-time NCAA champion (1998 and 1999) and four-time NCAA All-American at California State University, Bakersfield, finishing fourth as a freshman and second as a sophomore. He won a gold medal at the World Championships in 1999 and won the FILA (now United World Wrestling) Outstanding Wrestler award, presented to the best wrestler in the world. After placing second at the 2000 Olympic Trials, Neal turned his attention to professional football. Despite never playing football at Cal State Bakersfield, he played 10 years in the NFL for New England and helped the Patriots win Super Bowl titles in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Neal was welcomed as a Distinguished Member into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, weighed in on the powerful connection between the wrestling mat and football field. "There have been countless football players who say that wrestling played a big role in their accomplishments on the football field," said Smith. "We have four individuals who achieved success in both sports, and are looking forward to hearing their stories about wrestling and how it helped them in the National Football League and beyond." Admission to the NCAA Wrestling Fan Fest -- and the "Wrestling and Football" exhibit -- is free and open to the public. A ticket to the NCAAs is NOT required. Schedule of Events Thursday, March 15 3-7 p.m. NCAA Fan Festival and Win Magazine Memorabilia Show, Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland -- Hall A 5:15-6 p.m. National Wrestling Hall of Fame Roundtable Discussion "Wrestling and Football" 6-6:30 p.m. Autograph session with Curley Culp, Mike Golic, Carlton Haselrig and Stephen Neal Friday, March 16 2-7:30 p.m. NCAA Fan Festival and Win Magazine Memorabilia Show, Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland -- Hall A Saturday, March 17 3-7:30 p.m. NCAA Fan Festival and Win Magazine Memorabilia Show, Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland -- Hall A While in the Cleveland area for the 2018 NCAAs and Fan Fest, visitors may wish to also include a side trip to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, approximately one hour south of downtown Cleveland on Interstate 77.
  2. Juan Adams What does it take to become a professional wrestler? It's not as simple as showing up at a WWE event in trunks and "in character." Nearly 40 individuals are seeing if they have the "right stuff" for the pro ring by participating in a three-day talent tryout at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. this weekend. Among the individuals named in a WWE statement include at least three former amateur wrestlers: Juan Adams, Derrick Mehman and David Vieru. Juan Adams wrestled heavyweight at the Virginia Military Institute, where he was ranked as high as No. 30 at 285 pounds by WrestlingReport.com. Prior to heading to VMI, Adams was a three-sport athlete at Strake Jesuit Preparatory School in Houston, competing in wrestling, football and track. Upon graduating from VMI in 2016, Adams entered mixed martial arts competition. The 6'5", 283-pound Adams -- who has now known as "The Kraken" -- is 4-0 in amateur MMA bouts and 3-0 in his young pro career. Derrick Mehman, 32, also has an amateur mat career extending from high school into college. As a wrestler at Denver High School in northeast Iowa, where he was a two-time conference champ, and placed fourth in the state championships as a junior. After graduation, Melman enrolled at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa, where he became an NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American, placing fifth at the 2007 Nationals at 197 pounds. He then transferred to University of Iowa where he was listed on the roster at 197. Now the 6'4", 246-pound Mehman competes in MMA as "Caveman", sporting a 19-10 overall record having fought in Bellator, Strikeforce and World Series of Fighting. David Vieru was a two-sport star at Centennial High in Gresham, Ore., bringing home a state title as a senior at heavyweight in the 2010 OSAA Class 6A Championship after placing twice before at the Oregon state tournament. He was named Oregon's outstanding senior at 285 his senior year. In college he focused on his other sport, football, at Oregon State. Vieru is an imposing figure, standing 6'4" and tipping the scales at 355 pounds, according to the WWE. These three former matmen will be joining three dozen other athletes from various disciplines, including gymnastics, bodybuilding, strongman competitions and football. The camp also features individuals who have already worked as pro wrestlers in various organizations from the U.S. and abroad. A number of recent-vintage pro wrestling stars were once amateur wrestlers, including WWE's Chad Gable (2012 London Olympics Greco-Roman wrestler Chas Betts), as well as Kurt Angle (1996 Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA heavyweight champ at Pennsylvania's Clarion University), Brock Lesnar (2000 NCAA heavyweight champ for University of Minnesota), and Jack Swagger (who, as Jake Hager, was an NCAA All-American at University of Oklahoma). Over the past century, many collegiate wrestlers have entered the squared circle, including, in the 1930s, Earl McCready, three-time NCAA heavyweight champ for Oklahoma State ... Iowa's Joe Scarpello, Minnesota's Verne Gagne and Oklahoma State's Dick Hutton in the 1950s ... Oklahoma's Dan Hodge and Oklahoma State's Jack Brisco in the 1960s ... and Chris Taylor, Iowa State heavyweight, in the 1970s ... to name just a few NCAA champs who enjoyed successful careers as pro wrestlers.
  3. AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, announced that Bethlehem, Pa., has been selected as one of three cities to host a Final X event. The event will be hosted at Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University, starting at 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, June 23, with exclusive live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling, as well as on the FloSports apps on iOS, Roku and Apple TV 4. The Final X series will determine the 2018 U.S. Senior World Teams in men's and women's freestyle. FloWrestling will provide exclusive coverage of all three Final X events. The two other Final X events will be held on June 9 in a city to be announced and June 16 in State College, Pa. “Final X is not just an event series but a status,” FloSports co-founder and CEO Martin Floreani said. “Only the best American wrestlers of our generation make it to Final X, and those that become Final X have the opportunity to represent the most glorious country on earth.” “We are really excited to bring Final X to the campus of Lehigh University, a program with an incredibly rich and deep history in the sport of wrestling,” USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender said. “Pat Santoro has continued to build one of America's strongest wrestling programs at Lehigh. Special thanks to Greg Strobel and the administration at Lehigh for making this opportunity happen for wrestling. The Lehigh Valley and Final X promises to be an amazing combination for wrestling.” In Bethlehem, the top two men's and women's freestyle wrestlers in each of six weight classes will compete in a best-of-three series, with winners earning spots on the U.S. Senior World Team to compete at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 20-28, 2018. The weight classes assigned to the Final X event in Bethlehem are: • Men's freestyle weight classes (61 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg) • Women's freestyle weight classes (50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 65 kg) The Team Selection procedures for the U.S. World Teams in both styles allow for 2017 Senior World medalists to advance directly to Final X under certain conditions. In men's freestyle, the 2017 World medalist would have to compete in the same weight class as at the 2017 Worlds. In women's freestyle, the World medalist would have to compete in a specific weight class set by the Team Selection procedures. Based upon these procedures, if they enter the specified weight class, 2017 World champion Helen Maroulis in women's freestyle (57 kg) and 2017 World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski in men's freestyle (125 kg) will advance directly to Final X in Bethlehem. Maroulis was a 2016 Olympic champion and boasts two World titles. In weight classes which do not have a 2017 World medalist who qualifies for Final X directly, the winner of the 2018 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 26-28, will advance to Final X. The Final X field will be finalized at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament for men's and women's freestyle, set for Rochester, Minn., May 18-20. Both the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament will air live and on-demand only on FloWrestling.com. Bethlehem, Pa. and Lehigh University have hosted numerous major wrestling events, with the local region considered one of the true wrestling hotbeds in the nation. Five NCAA Division I national championships have been hosted by Lehigh (1933, 1935, 1941, 1948, 1951). The annual National Prep School Wrestling Championships is annually held at Lehigh. In addition, Who's No. 1, the popular pre-season high school all-star event created by FloWrestling, has also been hosted there. The EIWA, the oldest conference in college wrestling, has been hosted by Lehigh 23 times (1915, 1922, 1929, 1937, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1961, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2015). Information on ordering tickets for the Final X event in Bethlehem will be announced shortly. To access live and on-demand coverage of Final X, users must sign up to become a monthly or annual PRO subscriber on FloWrestling. Either subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Roku or Apple TV 4. For more information, visit FinalX.tv, FloWrestling.com or TheMat.com. About FloSports FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, partners with event rights holders and governing bodies to unlock a world of sports coverage that true fans have been waiting for. Through live streaming of premier events, original video programming, and weekly studio shows, FloSports is growing the sports, the events, the athletes and the fans. Current verticals under the FloSports header are Basketball, MMA, Football, Wrestling, Track, Gymnastics and more. 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. USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. USA Wrestling has more than 232,000 members, including athletes, coaches, officials, parents, fans and others who are actively involved in the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender.
  4. The DiBlasi brothers -- Colston and Weston -- have asked to be released from Iowa State. Colston DiBlasiColston DiBlasi, a sophomore 165-pounder, has asked for and been granted a full release transfer to any school outside the Big 12, per conference rules ... while his younger brother Weston, who had signed to wrestle for the Cyclones last November, is seeking release from his National Letter of Intent. Colston DiBlasi has not said where he intends to transfer. The family said Weston -- a two-time Missouri state medalist who is projected to wrestle at 125 or 133 pounds in college -- plans to go to the school Colston selects. Colston DiBlasi told the Des Moines Register that simple disagreements with the new coaching staff -- headed up by Kevin Dresser -- led to his decision. He was recruited by former Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson and his staff. A product of Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Missouri, Colston DiBlasi was a three-time individual state champ, and was a Top 100 Class of 2015 recruit. At Iowa State, DiBlasi compiled an overall record of 59-35 with 37 pins; this season, he was 20-12 with 17 falls, mostly at 157 pounds, though he had wrestled two matches this season at 165, losing both. Colston DiBlasi's release is the fifth from the Cyclones since Dresser took the helm, and follows on the heels of the contentious departure of Kanen Storr a couple weeks ago.
  5. Nathan Tomasselo opened with a technical fall over Drew Mattin (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Bonus points generated by Kollin Moore and Nathan Tomasello distanced No. 2 Ohio State (13-1, 8-1 B1G) by three points, 18-15, in a road dual at No. 4 Michigan (10-3, 7-2 B1G) which saw the 10 bouts split 5-5. Additional Buckeye victors included Ke-Shawn Hayes, Myles Martin and Joey McKenna. The evening's festivities began with a traditional 125-pound start to the dual. Tomasello nabbed a lone takedown in the first period, carrying a slim 2-1 edge into the second period. He was able to stretch his lead to 11-2, however, turning Drew Mattin late in the second stanza. Tomasello continued to pour it on in the third, recording a 20-5 tech fall right before the clock struck 0:00. At 133 pounds, it was the the first of four rematches from the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational earlier this season. In the initial go-around, Ohio State's Luke Pletcher had his hand raised; but this time it was Stevan Micic of Michigan earning the win to even the season series. Despite suffering his first loss of the year through 23 matches, Pletcher kept fighting for his team to the very end while thwarting a late push from Micic for a major decision. The Wolverine had to settle for an 11-4 decision and three team tallies. McKenna, coming off arguably his biggest triumph of 2017-18 last week versus Penn State's Nick Lee, returned to the winners column in Ann Arbor. McKenna took down Sal Profaci twice in the opening frame and accumulated over a minute of riding time by period's end. He would go on to add an escape and maintain that riding time bonus for a 6-2 decision. Hayes took a similar path to that of McKenna, garnering a pair of first-period takedowns and a healthy portion of riding time. Hayes logged over 90 seconds on top before electing to start the second period in the neutral position. He'd add another takedown from there and then again in the third period, ultimately settling in as a 9-2 winner. It marks his team-best sixth win over a Top-20 opponent this season. Ohio State's 11-3 upper hand in the team score slowly disappeared over the next three bouts though, all going in favor of the Wolverines. The three consecutive wins received an exclamation point from Myles Amine at 174 pounds, beating the buzzer for a late takedown to defeat Bo Jordan, 6-5, and push Michigan ahead 12-11. Myles Martin topped Domenic Abounader (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Martin then put the Buckeyes back on track in the 184-pound tilt, besting Domenic Abounader for the second time this year. It was no walk in the park for Martin, masterfully scrambling as the final seconds ticked away to secure a 5-3 decision. His 23rd win overall (23-1) lifted Ohio State on top for good. As an audible "O-H, I-O" chant reverberated throughout the Crisler Center, clear for those watching on ESPN2 to hear, Moore executed a takedown parade in the subsequent bout. He pulled even with Te'Shan Campbell and Martin for the team lead on his sixth major decision of the year, topping Kevin Beazley by a final ledger of 17-6. Second-ranked Adam Coon improved to 21-0 and avenged a loss in the 2016 Big Ten Championship finals by handing Kyle Snyder his first collegiate loss in nearly three years. The 280-pound Wolverine posted the heavyweight battle's lone takedown and earned a 3-1 win over the 225-pound Snyder. Results: 125 lbs |No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) tech fall No. 9 Drew Mattin (UM), 20-5; Team Score: 5-0 133 lbs | No. 5 Stevan Micic (UM) dec. No. 2 Luke Pletcher (OSU), 11-4; TS: 5-3 141 lbs | No. 7 Joey McKenna (OSU) dec. Sal Profaci (UM), 6-2; TS: 8-3 149 lbs | No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU) dec. No. 18 Malik Amine (UM), 9-2; TS: 11-3 157 lbs | No. 7 Alec Pantaleo (UM) dec. No. 5 Micah Jordan (OSU), 12-7; TS: 11-6 165 lbs | No. 9 Logan Massa (UM) dec. No. 14 Te'Shan Campbell (OSU), 6-2; TS: 11-9 174 lbs | No. 6 Myles Amine (UM) dec. No. 3 Bo Jordan (OSU), 6-5; TS: 11-12 184 lbs | No. 2 Myles Martin (OSU) dec. No. 5 Domemic Abounader (UM), 5-3
  6. SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- No. 8 Arizona State (11-3, 4-0 Pac-12) started their regular season finale with back-to-back pins and cruised to a 38-9 victory at Cal Poly (0-8, 0-4 Pac-12) on Sunday, marking the first time the Sun Devils have posted a perfect conference record since 2005-06. After No. 1 Zahid Valencia (174) pinned his seventh opponent of the season, Kordell Norfleet (184) earned his first career pin to give the Sun Devils a fast 12-0 lead. Cal Poly won their first of two bouts on the day, a 6-5 decision after the first set of tiebreaker periods, before ASU won three straight major decisions at heavyweight (No. 4 Tanner Hall), 125 (No. 12 Ryan Millhof), and 133 (No. 14 Ali Naser) to lead, 24-3. The Mustangs' Colton Schilling gave them six points on a pin at 141 for their closest margin, 24-9, but No. 8 Jason Tsirtsis (149) defeated Josh Cortez by decision before No. 4 Josh Shields (157) and Oliver Pierce (165) closed the match with a fall and tech fall, respectively. During this dual season, the Sun Devils compiled the third-longest win streak in program history (10 matches), defeated Stanford for the first time since 2012-13, and reached the 10-win mark for the third consecutive season (sixth streak of three years or longer in program history). Next, the Sun Devils have two weeks to prepare to defend their Pac-12 title on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Oregon State's Gill Coliseum (Corvallis, OR). For tickets and more, visit https://pac-12.com/wrestling/championships. Results: 174 - #1 Zahid Valencia FALL Killian Vendler, 3:26 184 – Kordell Norfleet FALL Ryan Anderson, 2:30 197 – Tom Lane DEC Cade Belshay, 6-5 TB-1 HWT – #4 Tanner Hall MD Spencer Empey, 11-3 125 – #12 Ryan Millhof MD Yoshi Funakoshi, 8-0 133 – #14 Ali Naser MD Tyler Schilling, 21-9 141 – Colton Schilling FALL Nikko Villarreal, 3:39 149 – #8 Jason Tsirtsis DEC Josh Cortez, 2-1 157 – #4 Josh Shields FALL Jett Moy, 4:52 165 – Oliver Pierce TF Ryan Farina, 18-3 4:08
  7. STILLWATER - Oklahoma State completed its conference schedule undefeated Sunday with a 31-6 victory against the Sooners at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Senior Day. OSU has won 15 of its past 16 meetings with OU. The Cowboys (12-2, 7-0 Big 12) won all but two matches on the afternoon. Six of the Cowboy victories came with riding time and five wins included bonus points. Keegan Moore picked up his sixth fall of the season and Dean Heil concluded his career at GIA with a bonus-point win as well. "On Friday it hadn't hit me that (these were) my last two matches in Gallagher," Heil said. "After the match Friday, it started to sink in a little bit. It really sank in before today's dual. There was a lot of emotion. I'm done. That's it … I was just saying 'goodbye' and 'thank you for supporting me.' I won't ever get the chance to do that again, unless they host the U.S. Trials here." To kick things off, Nick Piccininni took out No. 16 Christian Moody with an 8-2 decision for the Cowboys. In his seventh consecutive win, the seventh-ranked Cowboy scored a late takedown in the first, a four-point nearfall in the second and collected nearly two minutes of riding time en route to victory. No. 3 Kaid Brock notched OSU's first bonus-point win of the day in a 15-5 major decision over OU's Jake Rubio. Brock scored three takedowns in the first period with one coming at the buzzer. Brock went to the third with an eight-point lead and scored two more takedowns in the final frame. The Cowboy prevented Rubio from scoring any offensive points, only allowing five escapes. In his GIA finale, senior Dean Heil took the 141-pound match in a 15-6 major decision over Mike Longo. Heil came out firing with two first-period takedowns and a four-point nearfall before finishing the match out with two more takedowns and a reversal in the final four minutes. The match marked Heil's 8th career major and 111th win as a Cowboy. "I would've gotten emotional if he didn't wrestle well," head coach John Smith said. "I like to see the guys wrestle their last match in Gallagher and wrestle it well … great memories and no regrets. We've had some good fortune with our seniors as they've exited Gallagher. I just respect that." Boo Lewallen pushed the Cowboys further ahead with a 13-4 major decision against Davion Jeffries. Lewallen also recorded two takedowns in the first period and a third in the second. He dominated the top position from there and amassed more than three minutes of riding time with a takedown at the buzzer to finish off the bout. In a 7-2 decision, Jonce Blaylock dropped the Cowboys' first match of the day to Justin Thomas before Chandler Rogers took an 8-2 win over Dawaylon Barnes. No. 10 Rogers had two takedowns in the first and a quick escape in the second. He was the fifth Cowboy of the day to collect riding time with more than three minutes. The Cowboys' second loss of the day came at 174 when Hestin Lamons dropped a 9-3 decision to No. 10 Yoanse Mejias. Teammate Keegan Moore quickly got things back on track for the Cowboys. After finishing one shot in the first, he took Matt Waddell to his back for a 40-second fall. "When you're excited and you're ready to wrestle, things come back to you and that cradle came back to him," Smith said. Filling in for Preston Weigel at 197, Andrew Marsden won a hard-fought 9-6 decision against Andrew Dixon. Marsden was down three heading to the final frame before he scored an escape and was awarded a penalty point and takedown. Heavyweight Derek White finished off the day for OSU with a 21-6 technical fall coming early in the second period. No. 11 White collected four takedowns and a four-point nearfall in the first. He proceeded with a barrage of shots in the second and four more takedowns. The win was White's fourth technical fall of the year and 14th bonus-point win. The Cowboys will be back in action against new Big 12 foe Fresno State in Fresno, Calif., this Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. CT. Results: 125: No. 7 Nick Piccininni (OSU) dec. No. 16 Christian Moody (OU) 8-2 133: No. 3 Kaid Brock (OSU) MD Jake Rubio (OU) 15-5 141: No. 6 Dean Heil (OSU) MD Mike Longo (OU) 15-6 149: No. 14 Boo Lewallen (OSU) MD Davion Jeffries (OU) 13-4 157: Justin Thomas (OU) dec. Jonce Blaylock (OSU) 7-2 165: No. 10 Chandler Rogers (OSU) dec. Dawaylon Barnes (OU) 8-2 174: No. 10 Yoanse Mejias dec. Hestin Lamons (OSU) 9-3 184: Keegan Moore (OSU) fall Matthew Waddell (OU) 0:40 197: Andrew Marsden (OSU) dec. Andrew Dixon (OU) 9-6 HWT: No. 11 Derek White (OSU) TF Connor Webb (OU) 21-6
  8. EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE clinched a winning record in the Southern Conference Sunday after splitting a pair of matches at the Vadalabene Center. SIUE, 4-3 in SoCon action and 6-12 overall, dropped a 32-9 decision to Campbell to open the day but rebounded for a convincing 46-6 triumph over VMI. It was SIUE's biggest dual victory of the season. "We felt like there were more matches that we could have won throughout the year," said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. "Every year we've gotten better at the SoCon Tournament so we're trying to build on that as well." John Muldoon, Tyshawn Williams and Christian Dulaney were double winners for the Cougars. Muldoon captured a key victory at 133 pounds, besting Nathan Boston 8-5. Boston came into the match ranked No. 31 in the coach's national individual rankings. Muldoon then earned a technical fall over VMI's Jacob Mills. Williams scrambled to defeat Zachary Barnes 11-10 at 149 pounds. He added a 5:00 pin against VMI's Dylan Walsh. Dulaney won a pair of decisions at 197 pounds, defeating Campbell's Chris Kober 10-5 and VMI's Max Gallahan 7-4. SIUE collected four falls and two technical falls against VMI. Williams, Dakota Leach (141), Karsten Van Velsor (157) and Bryce Shewan (174). "Many of our wrestlers have put themselves into position to gain good seeds at the SoCon Tournament," added Spates. The Cougars have one more week left in the regular season and have two nonconference matches left on the schedule. SIUE welcomes No. 3 Missouri Wednesday for a 6 p.m. dual and No. 19 Northwestern next Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest. SIUE 46 VMI 6 125 - Zac Gentzler (SIUE) over James Milstead (VMI) (TF 18-3 5:49) 133 - John Muldoon (SIUE) over Jacob Mills (VMI) (TF 16-1 4:44) 141 - Dakota Leach (SIUE) over Michael Hulcher (VMI) (Fall 6:37) 149 - Tyshawn Williams (SIUE) over Dolan Walsh (VMI) (Fall 5:00) 157 - Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE) over Steven Midkiff (VMI) (Fall 1:29) 165 - Nate Higgins (SIUE) over Shamus Bartmess (VMI) (TF 16-1 6:48) 174 - Bryce Shewan (SIUE) over Jack Scalio (VMI) (Fall 6:07) 184 - Christopher Beck (VMI) won by forfeit 197 - Christian Dulaney (SIUE) over Max Gallahan (VMI) (Dec 7-4) 285 - Tommy Helton (SIUE) vs. Jake Koch (VMI) (MD 8-0) Campbell 32 SIUE 9 125 - Korbin Meink (Campbell) over Zac Gentzler (SIUE) (SV-1 3-2) 133 - John Muldoon (SIUE) over Nathan Boston (Campbell) (Dec 8-5) 141 - Jonathan Ryan (Campbell) over Dakota Leach (SIUE) (MD 12-4) 149 - Tyshawn Williams (SIUE) over Zachary Barnes (Campbell) (Dec 11-10) 157 - Austin Kraisser (Campbell) over Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE) (Dec 8-5) 165 - Quentin Perez (Campbell) over Nate Higgins (SIUE) (Fall 5:44) 174 - Andrew Morgan (Campbell) over Bryce Shewan (SIUE) (MD 13-5) 184 - Luke Funck (Campbell) won by forfeit 197 - Christian Dulaney (SIUE) over Chris Kober (Campbell) (Dec 10-5) 285 - Jere Heino (Campbell) over Tommy Helton (SIUE) (Fall 5:53) Campbell 55 VMI 0 125 - Korbin Meink (Campbell) over James Milstead (Vmi) (TF 15-0 3:11) 133 - Nathan Boston (Campbell) over Jacob Mills (Vmi) (Fall 0:49) 141 - Jonathan Ryan (Campbell) over Michael Hulcher (Vmi) (Dec 17-11) 149 - Zachary Barnes (Campbell) over Dolan Walsh (Vmi) (TF 20-4 2:32) 157 - Austin Kraisser (Campbell) over Steven Midkiff (Vmi) (Fall 2:26) 165 - Quentin Perez (Campbell) over Shamus Bartmess (Vmi) (Fall 3:22) 174 - Andrew Morgan (Campbell) over Jack Scalio (Vmi) (Fall 4:15) 184 - Luke Funck (Campbell) over Christopher Beck (Vmi) (Fall 2:24) 197 - Chris Kober (Campbell) over Max Gallahan (Vmi) (Fall 3:55) 285 - Jere Heino (Campbell) over Jake Koch (Vmi) (Fall 0:44)
  9. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Drexel wrestling team earned a quality conference victory Sunday afternoon in our nation's capital, taking down American, 25-16. The Dragons improved to 11-4 (5-4 EIWA) with the victory. Sunday's matchup began at 141 pounds to set up a thrilling top-10 battle at 133 pounds between No. 4 Austin DeSanto and No. 9 Josh Terao to close things out. The Dragons found themselves in an early hole after dropping a decision at 141 pounds and a major decision at 149, but battled back to win six of the next eight matches to take the dual. No. 22 Garett Hammond got the Dragons on the board at 157 pounds with a 6-3 decision over Eric Hong. At 165 pound, No. 31 Ebed Jarrell earned a 12-4 major decision over Anthony Wokasch before No. 32 Austin Rose took a 4-2 decision from Michel Eckhart at 174. No. 26 Alex DeCiantis then pinned Connor Allshouse with five seconds remaining on the first period clock at 184 pounds. The Dragons then further separated themselves from the Eagles by receiving a forfeit at 197 pounds. After dropping a fall at heavyweight and a close decision at 125 pounds, the Dragons had the match in hand with the marquee matchup still to wrestle. DeSanto and Terao did not disappoint as the match went into extra time where the Drexel freshman grappler used a takedown to win it, 12-10. The Dragons close out their regular season on Saturday, Feb. 17 when they host neighborhood rival Penn at the Daskalakis Athletic Center with the Cheesesteak Trophy on the line. Drexel will also honor its seniors before the match. Results: 141: Kizhan Clarke (AU) DEC Julian Flores (DU), 3-1 149: No. 18 Michael Sprague (AU) MAJ Evan Barczak (DU), 10-2 157: No. 22 Garett Hammond (DU) DEC Eric Hong (AU), 6-3 165: No. 31 Ebed Jarrell (DU) MAJ Anthony Wokasch (AU), 12-4 174: No. 32 Austin Rose (DU) DEC Michael Eckhart (AU), 4-2 184: No. 26 Alex DeCiantis (DU) WBF Connor Allshouse (AU), 2:55 197: No. 17 Stephen Loiseau (DU) by forfeit 285: No. 26 Brett Dempsey (AU) WBF Sean O`Malley (DU), 6:18 125: Gage Curry (AU) DEC Zack Fuentes (DU), 3-2 133: No. 4 Austin DeSanto (DU) DEC No. 9 Josh Terao (AU), 12-10 (SV-1)
  10. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- After falling to Nebraska at home just two days earlier, the No. 20 Wisconsin wrestling team rebounded, with a win against No. 14 Illinois on Sunday. The dual was tight throughout, with UW's lead never surpassing six points. "Today we won the close matches," Head Coach Barry Davis said. "On Friday against Nebraska we weren't able to do that, but today we came out and battled with a chip on our shoulder and that helped us get the victory. It was overall a hard fought win. Now we have the upcoming week to prepare and make adjustments for Rutgers and Purdue, then it's tournament time." Coming off of a win over eighth-ranked Tyler Berger of Nebraska, No. 19 Andrew Crone kept his hot streak going on Sunday against No. 20 Kyle Langenderfer. Crone defeated his opponent with a takedown and four near-fall points in sudden victory, 8-2 at 157 pounds. With that win, the Delafield, Wisconsin native improved to 22-7 on the season and is 8-0 in dual action. The Badgers won two matches that involved bonus points, with the first coming at the 149-pound weight class when Cole Martin caught Eric Barone in the third period and got the pin, which was pivotal in the squad taking the team win. The other bonus point victory came from junior Ryan Christensen, who recorded five takedowns and a four point near-fall in a 17-4 major decision over David Riojas at 174 pounds. Hunter Ritter defeated Andre Lee at 197 pounds in a very tight battle, as Ritter scored a late takedown in the third and fended off Lee to take his 20th victory of the season. Ritter is now 7-0 in Big Ten dual action and 8-1 in overall dual competitions. Johnny Jimenez got back on track with a big win, kicking off the dual against Illinois with a nail-biting 1-0 decision victory over No. 18 Travis Piotrowski. Notes to know No. 6 Evan Wick dropped another tough match at 165 pounds, suffering a 14-6 major decision against two-time national champion Isaiah Martinez, who ranks No. 2 in the country. No. 9 Ricky Robertson was in a battle against No. 6 Emery Parker, but fell in the end in a 9-4 decision at 184 pounds. Eli Stickley dropped his match against No. 12 Michael Carr by a 10-4 decision at the 141-pound weight class. Jens Lantz was defeated at 133 pounds to Illinois' Dylan Duncan, 5-2. Ben Stone fell to Deuce Rachal by a 7-5 decision. Results: 125: Johnny Jimenez (WIS) dec. #18 Travis Piotrowski, 1-0 133: Dylan Duncan (ILL) dec. Jens Lantz (WIS), 5-2 141: Mike Carr (ILL) dec. Eli Stickley (WIS), 10-4 149: Cole Martin (WIS) fall Eric Barone (ILL), 5:15 157: #19 Andrew Crone (WIS) dec. #20 Kyle Langenderfer (ILL), 8-2 (SV-1) 165: #2 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) major dec. #6 Evan Wick (WIS), 14-6 174: Ryan Christiansen (WIS) major dec. David Riojas (ILL), 17-4 184: #6 Emery Parker (ILL) #9 Ricky Robertson (WIS), 9-4 197: Hunter Ritter (WIS) dec. Andre Lee (ILL), 3-2 HWT: Deuce Rachal (ILL) dec. Ben Stone (WIS), 7-5
  11. FAIRFAX, Va. – Holding on to a slim two-point advantage in the team lead, Philip Robilotto's first-period pin at 197 pounds sealed Franklin & Marshall's 22-17 win in non-conference wrestling competition against George Mason on Sunday afternoon in Virginia. The Diplomats improved to 2-11 with the dual victory while the Patriots' slide was extended to seven straight losses and now stand at 3-12 on the year. Following a major decision set back at 125 pounds, F&M seized the momentum with two consecutive wins to take a 9-4 edge heading into 149 pounds. Dan Martoccio got the action started at 133 with a pin at 2:04 while Brett Kulp (141 pounds) tallied three points in the second period, before clinching his match with a takedown in the third, for a 5-0 shutout. Each team traded major decisions at 149 and 157 with Emmett LiCastri delivering four points to the Diplomats with a 13-5 victory at 157 pounds. LiCastri notched three takedowns in the bout while recording four nearfall points in the second frame. George Mason held on for a narrow 4-2 decision at 165 to cut the Diplomats' lead down to 13-11. Josh Young kept the Patriots at bay with an 8-3 decision at 174. Storming out of the gate with two takedowns in the first period, Young kept the pressure on Mason's Levko Higgins and added a third-period takedown to roll to his decision win. A Patriot decision at 184 pounds once again brought George Mason within two, but Robilotto was dominant at 197 pounds. Leading at 4-2 after a takedown and reversal, Robilotto pinned Eli Spencer at 1:48 to dispatch the Patriots with six key team points. Antonio Pelusi (No. 31), who entered his 285-pound match with wins in 12 of his previous 13 contests, faced off against No. 30 ranked Matt Voss in the day's final match. Tied at 1-1 at the end of the third period, Voss avenged a 4-2 (SV-1) loss to Pelusi earlier in the season with a 4-2 (TB-1) victory after earning a takedown and an escape. The Diplomats will look to keep rolling on Thursday when F&M welcomes Millersville to the Mayser Center in the annual Battle for the Rupp Cup at 7:30 p.m. Results: 125: Ibrahim Bunduka (GEMA) over Edgar Garcia (F&M) (MD 13-4) 133: Dan Martoccio (F&M) over Trevor Mello (GEMA) (Fall 2:04) 141: Brett Kulp (F&M) over Jose Tapia (GEMA) (Dec 5-0) 149: Tejon Anthony (GEMA) over Wil Gil (F&M) (MD 11-3) 157: Emmett LiCastri (F&M) over Ryan Yorkdale (GEMA) (MD 13-5) 165: Garrett Griffith (GEMA) over Jacob Conners (F&M) (Dec 4-2) 174: Josh Young (F&M) over Levko Higgins (GEMA) (Dec 8-3) 184: Austin Wilkerson (GEMA) over Steven Mercadante (F&M) (Dec 9-4) 197: Philip Robilotto (F&M) over Eli Spencer (GEMA) (Fall 1:48) 285: Matt Voss (GEMA) over Antonio Pelusi (F&M) (TB-1 4-2)
  12. KENT, Ohio -- Kent State made Sunday afternoon a Senior Day to remember with a 21-13 upset over No. 16 Central Michigan. Two overtime victories and a surprising pin at heavyweight were among the Golden Flashes' six hard fought wins at the M.A.C. Center. "They had two guys out of the lineup, but any time you can get a win against Central Michigan, I'll take it," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. With his team down 3-0, junior Kyle Conel (197) showed a sign of more things to come with a go-ahead takedown late in third period. In the battle of Top 30 wrestlers, Conel prevailed 6-5 over Jordan Atienza. The afternoon's biggest difference –maker was senior Stephen Suglio (285), who pinned No. 18 Matt Stencel with two seconds left in the second period. Suglio gave up a takedown in the second and trailed 4-2, but a quick burst and roll from the bottom quickly put Stencel on his back. "It was exhilarating," Suglio said. "I couldn't have asked for a better Senior Day. It was awesome to be able to get the momentum rolling." Two matches later, it was Anthony Tutolo's turn to come up with a big takedown with under 20 seconds to go. Early in the third, Dresden Simon led Tutolo 3-2 with over a minute of riding time built up. Stalling calls on Simon from the neutral position gave Tutolo a 4-3 lead on the scoreboard, but a takedown was still needed to avoid overtime. Looking to prevent another stalling call, Simon shot in on Tutolo, who spun around for two points and the eventual 6-3 victory. The Flashes then claimed back-to-back decisions in sudden victory at 141 and 149. Sophomore Tim Rooney trailed Reiley Brown 4-2 to start the third period, but a takedown and 1:06 of riding time was enough to force overtime. A shot by Rooney led to a long scramble and eventual takedown with six seconds left in the extra period. Redshirt freshman Nick Monico (149) was unable to finish off a takedown until a shot in sudden victory for a 3-1 decision over Nolan Saxton. Junior Casey Sparkman (157) then picked an opportune time to earn career victory No. 100. Colin Hefernan led 1-0 in the second and took a shot that came up empty. Sparkman caught Hefernan on his knees and drove him straight to his back for a six-point move. Hefernan battled back with a pair of takedowns, but Sparkman hung on for an 8-6 triumph. "Things went really well at the beginning of the year," Andrassy said. "We had some bumps and bruises in the middle and hopefully this was the kind of match that can change us and we can finish strong." Kent State (12-9) returns to action Friday (Feb. 16), visiting Northern Illinois in its final Mid-American Conference dual of the season, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. Results: 184 lbs | Jordan Ellingwood (CMU) over Colin McCracken (KSU) Dec. 10-3 197 lbs | Kyle Conel (KSU) over Jordan Atienza (CMU) Dec. 6-5 285 lbs | Stephen Suglio (KSU) over Matt Stencel (CMU) Pin 4:58 125 lbs | Drew Hildebrandt (CMU) over Jake Ferri (KSU) Dec. 6-0 133 lbs | Anthony Tutolo (KSU) over Dresden Simon (CMU) Dec. 6-3 141 lbs | Tim Rooney (KSU) over Reiley Brown (CMU) Dec. 7-5 SV1 149 lbs | Nolan Saxton (CMU) over Nick Monico (KSU) Dec. 3-1 SV 157 lbs | Casey Sparkman (KSU) over Colin Hefernan (CMU) Dec. 8-6 165 lbs | Logan Parks (CMU) over Isaac Bast (KSU) Maj. Dec. 12-3 174 lbs | CJ Brucki (CMU) over Dylan Barreiro (KSU) Dec. 9-4
  13. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored a 37-5 win over Gardner-Webb on Senior Day in Maclellan Gym this afternoon. The Mocs took nine of the 10 matches to give head coach Heath Eslinger his 100th career dual victory. Chattanooga honored seven seniors prior to the match, including Chad Pyke, Dylan Forzani, Bryce Carr, Cody Hill, Justin Lampe, Michael Pongracz and Scottie Boykin. Senior manager Jay Hennebaul was also recognized before action began. UTC jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after a forfeit at 125, and nearly went up 12-0 when junior Chris Debien put Phillip Anderson on his back early in the 133 match. Debein didn't get the pin, but it was the second of four-straight wins to start the dual for UTC. The Bulldogs lone win was a tech fall at 157. In fact, the Mocs kept GWU from scoring a takedown in eight of the 10 matches today. Pyke, Lampe, Carr and Boykin all had wins in their last outings at Maclellan Gym, but it was at heavyweight that got the crowd on their feet. Junior Connor Tolley, who had just recently rejoined the lineup, posted a pin in the third period to close out the day. UTC evens its record at 7-7 and moves to 5-1 in SoCon action. Coach Eslinger's record improves to 100-61 in nine seasons with the Mocs, including an amazing 52-5 mark in SoCon duals. Up next for UTC is a trip to Campbell on Feb. 17 for the final dual of the season. The Southern Conference follows on March 3 in Charleston, S.C. Results: 125: Alonzo Allen (CHAT) over (GWU) (For.) 133: Chris Debien (CHAT) over Philip Anderson (GWU) (Dec 7-1) 141: Mike Pongracz (CHAT) over Landon LoAlbo (GWU) (MD 12-0) 149: Roman Boylen (CHAT) over Joby Armenta (GWU) (MD 14-4) 157: Tyler Marinelli (GWU) over Dylan Forzani (CHAT) (TF 16-0 4:37) 165: Chad Pyke (CHAT) over Brett Stein (GWU) (Dec 6-4) 174: Justin Lampe (CHAT) over Christian Maroni (GWU) (Dec 5-3) 184: Bryce Carr (CHAT) over Cole Graves (GWU) (MD 16-6) 197: Scottie Boykin (CHAT) over Anthony Perrine (GWU) (MD 16-3) 285: Connor Tolley (CHAT) over Lathan Bumgarner (GWU) (Fall 5:48)
  14. The University of Minnesota wrestling team picked up their second straight victory on Sunday afternoon on the Big Ten Network, 26-22 over Maryland. The Gophers obtained bonus point victories from all three senior captains in the victory, the first time this season the three have done so. “It was a tighter team score than we would have liked, but overall we had some really great performances today,” head coach Brandon Eggum said after the win. “Short, Wanzek and Pfarr all got bonus points was big for us. Rylee Streifel deserved to win his match, which would have been a big upset.” All five of Minnesota's wins on the day were bonus point wins. Both No. 6 Ethan Lizak and No. 12 Mitch McKee picked up tech falls to open up the afternoon. In Lizak's match, the junior was able to bounce back after an early takedown from Brandon Cray with a takedown of his own. Cray decided to start the next period on their feet, and Lizak wasted no time getting back on top. By the end of the second period, Lizak owned a 16-2 and ended the match in the opening moments of the third period. Lizak's tech fall over Cray is his eighth of the season, which leads the Gophers. McKee set the tone of his match early with a takedown in the opening minute, then turned Jhared Simmons for four near fall points, putting him up 6-0 after one period. McKee flipped over Simmons to earn his only escape, and got right back on top with his second takedown in the second. McKee pushed his lead to 13-0 at the end of the second. McKee secured his first tech fall of the season in the third period as they started in the neutral position, giving Minnesota a 10-0 lead after two periods. “I really expected that from Mitch today,” Eggum said. “He's been in and out all season long, it's great to see him out there and continuing to roll. He did some really good things on top this whole weekend.” After earning two takedowns, Tommy Thorn was caught on his back, and Maryland earned their first points with a pin, making it 10-6. Maryland continued their momentum with a victory at 149-pounds over Miles Patton, making it 10-10 after four matches. The Gophers then looked to their seniors, and Jake Short was up first. The Inver Grove Heights, Minn. native looked to be on a mission. He secured three takedowns in the first period, giving him a 6-2 lead after one period. In the second, Short escaped quickly and got right back on top. While on top, Short officially swung momentum back to the Gophers corner with his second pin of the season. The second of the senior trio, Nick Wanzek took the mat at 165 against Brendan Burnham after the intermission. Wanzek used an ankle pick to take an early lead on Burnham, and then got back on Burnham two more times before the first horn rang. In the second, the senior scored two points on a reversal, and continued to let Burnham loose, looking for the bonus point win. Wanek did just that, scoring six takedowns in the match and obtaining his ninth major of the season, 15-7 over Burnham. With the Gophers back in front 20-10, Chris Pfarr looked to get out of his slump, and did just that against Josh Ugalde. Pfarr quickly took down Ugalde, but Ugalde slipped out making it 2-1. Pfarr continued to pressure, and took down Ugalde a second time, and this time, Ugalde ended up on his back. Pfarr smothered the Terrapin, and earned his first pin of the season. “The one constant on this team is Chris Pfarr is going to give a lot of fight,” Eggum said. “In a big spot, with us giving up a forfeit at 184-pounds, we needed guys to step up and do some big things, and to have all our captains do that is really impressive.” Minnesota was forced to forfeit at 184-pounds, and Dylan Anderson fell behind early to David-Brian Whisler, but only lost by decision, securing the Gophers victory heading into the heavyweight match. In the final match, Rylee Streifel took on the Terrapins only ranked wrestler, No. 7 Youssif Hemida. Streifel had numerous opportunities on Hemida's leg, but the top-10 wrestler continued to break free. Hemida scored first on an escape in the second, and Streifel countered with an escape of his own in the third period. The two were tied with 1:45 to go, but neither wrestler could secure a takedown, forcing a sudden victory period. Hemida was able to get in on Streifel's leg, and elevate it enough to complete the takedown, and win the match in an entertaining finish to the dual. The Gophers now shift their focus to Rider next Friday. Minnesota will wrestle on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and complete their regular season before the Big Ten Tournament on March 3-4 in East Lansing. Be sure to follow the Maroon and Gold on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you do not miss any content the rest of the season. Results: 125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak tech fall Brandon Cray, 18-2 | Minn 5 - Maryland 0 133: No. 12 Mitch McKee tech fall Jhared Simmons, 15-0 | Minn 10 - Maryland 0 141: Ryan Diehl fall (2:06) No. 14 Tommy Thorn | Minn 10 - Maryland 6 149: Alfred Bannister maj dec Miles Patton, 16-6 | Minn 10 - Maryland 10 157: No. 17 Jake Short fall (4:00) Kyle Cochran | Minn 16 - Maryland 10 165: No. 8 Nick Wanzek maj dec Brendan Burnham, 15-7 | Minn 20 - Maryland 10 174: Chris Pfarr fall (1:41) Josh Ugalde | Minn 26 - Maryland 10 184: Niko Cappello Forfeit Minnesota | Minn 26 - Maryland 16 197: David-Brian Whisler dec Dylan Anderson, 14-7 | Minn 26 - Maryland 19 285: No. 7 Youssif Hemida dec (SV-1) Rylee Streifel, 3-1 | Minn 26 - Maryland 22
  15. LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Army West Point wrestling team erased a 13-point deficit to complete the come-from-behind victory in thrilling fashion over Bucknell on Sunday afternoon, 22-19. The Black Knights halted their six-match losing skid to improve to 2-6 on the season, while the Bison dropped to 3-13 on the year. After a back-and-forth battle through the first two rounds of the lightweight bout, Mike Macklin caught Trey Chalifoux out of position and collected six points on a pin for the home squad. Rookie Lane Peters cut that deficit in half with a 6-3 decision over David Campbell, but two bonus point wins at 141 and 149 pounds lifted Bucknell to a 16-3 edge through the first four matches. The tides turned from there, however, as Lucas Weiland put Army back in the fight in a big way with a 9-0 major decision over Christian Basolino for his first-career dual victory. The sophomore 157-pounder's win cut the deficit to 16-7, allowing a 16-0 technical fall by senior co-captain Andrew Mendel and a 10-3 decision by the 27th-ranked 174-pound wrestler in the nation, Ben Harvey, to bring the visitors within one at 16-15. After a 7-2 upset victory at 184 pounds by No. 32 Drew Phipps over No. 30 Noah Stewart, the Cadets trailed by four with two matches remaining. Needing wins in both matches, head wrestling coach Kevin Ward got creative with his lineup, sending 184-pounder and team co-captain Jack Wedholm out on the mat to wrestle at 197 pounds. This is not out of the ordinary for Wedholm, who won matches at 174, 184 and 197 pounds last season. Wedholm controlled the pace of the match from start to finish, picking up the 13-1 major decision over Chad Reese to tie the teams at 19 apiece heading into the final match. Winner takes all. Enter Rocco Caywood. Army's normal 197-pounder, who is ranked 30th nationally at that weight, bumped up to wrestle his first collegiate heavyweight bout with the dual on the line. The Toledo, Ohio native got out to a 4-0 lead after the first period and maintained that margin at 6-2 heading into the final stanza of the dual. Caywood worked one more escape to come away with the 7-3 decision and give the Black Knights the victory. ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES The win was Army's first at Bucknell since the 2012-13 season. The Black Knights have erased double-digit deficits in both of their dual wins this year. Ward posted his 15th dual win at Army. Peters picked up his team-leading 18th win of the season. Weiland earned his first-career dual victory with a major decision. Mendel documented his 25th-career bonus point victory with a technical fall. It was also the senior co-captain's 15th win of the 2017-18 season. Harvey collected the 10th dual victory of his career. The sophomore from New Palestine, Ind., tied his dual win total from last season with five. Wedholm gained his 65th-career victory in his first bout at 197 pounds this year. He improved to 2-0 at that weight class with both wins coming in duals. Caywood won his first-career heavyweight bout to secure the victory for the Black Knights. Results: 125: Mike Macklin pins Trey Chalifoux at 5:14 (Bucknell leads, 6-0) 133: Lane Peters dec. over David Campbell, 6-3 (Bucknell leads, 6-3) 141: #12 Tyler Campbell maj. dec. over Austin Harry, 17-5 (Bucknell leads, 10-3) 149: Seth Hogue pins Will Lucie at 2:25 (Bucknell leads, 16-3) 157: Lucas Weiland maj. dec. over Christian Bassolino, 9-0 (Bucknell leads, 16-7) 165: Andrew Mendel tech. fall over Joey Schiele, 16-0 (Bucknell leads, 16-12) 174: #27 Ben Harvey dec. over Nick Stephani, 10-3 (Bucknell leads, 16-15) 184: #32 Drew Phipps dec. over #30 Noah Stewart, 7-2 (Bucknell leads, 19-15) 197: Jack Wedholm maj. dec. over Chad Reese, 13-1 (Tied, 19-19) 285: Rocco Caywood dec. over Brandon Stokes, 10-3 (Army leads, 22-19) UP NEXT The Black Knights head down to Annapolis, Md., on Friday for their annual Star Match against service-academy rival Navy. The dual is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.
  16. MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Senior 174-pounder David Kocer won his 100th career match and the South Dakota State University wrestling team set a school record with its 13th consecutive dual victory, defeating West Virginia, 24-9, Sunday afternoon at WVU Coliseum. The 12th-ranked Jackrabbits improved to 13-2 overall and remained unbeaten in Big 12 Conference duals with a 7-0 mark. West Virginia fell to 5-6 overall and 4-4 against Big 12 opponents. A Wagner native, Kocer started a streak of four consecutive Jackrabbit victories to close out the match. Leading 11-9 on the team scoreboard, Kocer recorded the last of three major decisions on the afternoon by SDSU as he defeated the Mountaineers' Parker VonEgidy, 10-2. Martin Mueller followed with a 12-8 decision over Brenden McRill at 184 pounds, and 11th-ranked 197-pounder Nate Rotert earned a hard-fought, 7-6 decision over previously ranked Jake Smith, to seal the dual win. Rotert broke a 5-all tie with a takedown with about 30 seconds remaining. At heavyweight, Alex Macki also scored a late takedown against Brandon Ngati for a 5-3 win in the final bout of the day. Top-ranked 133-pounder Seth Gross put the Jackrabbits on the board with a 7-2 decision over Matthew Schmitt. Gross gave up an early takedown to Schmitt before scoring the final seven points of the match. Henry Pohlmeyer and Luke Zilverberg each won by major decision to give SDSU an 11-6 lead at intermission. Pohlmeyer downed Christian Monserrat, 11-3, at 141 pounds, while Zilverberg blanked Hunter Jones, 14-0, in the 157-pound matchup. West Virginia opened the dual with 15th-ranked Zeke Moisey posting an 8-3 decision over Connor Brown at 125 pounds. UP NEXT The Jackrabbits close out the dual portion of their schedule Friday (Feb. 16) by hosting North Dakota. The annual Battle for the Border Bell is slated to start at 7 p.m. at Frost Arena. The dual can be viewed at FloWrestling.org (subscription required). Results: 125: #15 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Connor Brown (WVU), 8-3 133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 7-2 141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) major dec. Christian Monserrat (WVU), 11-3 149: Kyler Rea (WVU) dec. Isaac Andrade (SDSU), 6-3 157: #14 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec. Hunter Jones (WVU), 14-0 165: Nick Kiussis (WVU) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 5-4 174: #12 David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Parker VonEgidy (WVU), 10-2 184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) dec. Brenden McRill (WVU), 12-8 197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Jake Smith (WVU), 7-6 285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 5-3 NOTES * SDSU has won all three meetings in the series against West Virginia, which began during the 2015-16 season * The Jackrabbits previously won 12 consecutive duals during the 1985-86 and 2015-16 seasons * SDSU improved to 21-3 in duals against Big 12 Conference opponents since joining the league at the start of the 2015-16 campaign * Kocer became the 14th wrestler in program history to reach 100 career victories and joined Cody Pack (114 wins from 2012-16) as the only wrestlers to accomplish the feat in the Division I era (since 2005) * Zilverberg moved into sole possession of 18th place on the SDSU career victories chart with 93 * Rotert notched career win No. 92 to tie Josh Sammons (1994-97) for 19th place in career wins at SDSU * Gross and Mueller each won their 20th matches of the season
  17. DURHAM, N.C. -- The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team dominated the Duke Blue Devils, 23-10, Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium as seven Panthers recorded wins. With the victory, the Panthers move to 3-10 on the year and claim their first ACC dual of the year (1-3). The Blue Devils move to 6-6 and 1-3 against conference foes. Seven Pitt wrestlers recorded wins on the day including senior Dom Forys (133), redshirt senior Nick Zanetta (141), junior Robert Lee (149), redshirt freshmen Jake Wentzel (165) and Gregg Harvey (184), redshirt sophomore Kellan Stout (197) and junior LJ Bentley (125). "It was a good win today," said head coach Keith Gavin. "Our focus and effort is much better now than it was in the beginning of the year." The dual started at 133 pounds, which featured a bounce-back win by Forys as he picked up a 16-6 major decision over Duke's Josh Finesilver. The 11th-ranked 133 pounder used seven takedowns, an escape and over four minutes of riding time to secure Pitt's first win of the dual. Zanetta extended the Panthers' team lead to 7-0 after winning in a 4-1 decision over Jeremiah Reitz at 141 pounds. After two scoreless periods, Zanetta opened the third in the bottom position and escaped to take a 1-0 lead. The Pittsburgh native quickly added a takedown, extending his lead to 3-0. Reitz escaped but it wouldn't be enough as Zanetta added a final riding point to secure the win. Lee followed Forys' lead as he also won in a major decision, with this win coming at 149 pounds. The Wisconsin native struck early in the first with a takedown and added another two points with a reversal off bottom to open the second period. Leynaud was hit with back-to-back stall warnings to give Lee a 5-0 advantage entering the final period. Lee started the third on the bottom position and escaped then quickly scored a takedown, extending his lead to 8-0. He added his ninth point with riding time to bring the team score to 11-0 in favor of the Panthers. The Blue Devils got on the board after redshirt sophomore Taleb Rahmani dropped a 3-1 decision to Duke's 11th-ranked Mitch Finesilver at 157 pounds. Wentzel extended Pitt's lead to 14-3 in the dual after winning in an 8-2 decision over Zach Finesilver at 165 pounds. The Pittsburgh native struck first in the opening frame, scoring a takedown just a few seconds in, and remained on top the rest of the period. Wentzel and Finesilver started the second period in the neutral position, which led to another takedown by Wentzel, building a 4-0 lead entering the third. Starting the final period on top, Finesilver added his first two points off a reversal, however Wentzel quickly escaped and added a takedown. Wentzel added his final point with riding time for the 8-2 decision. Duke captured its second bout of the day at 174 pounds as freshman Tommy O'Brien fell in a 12-3 major decision to Matt Finesilver, bringing the team score to 14-7. At 184 pounds, Harvey had a solid performance as he won in a 15-8 decision over Duke's Kaden Russell. Harvey fell behind early on, trailing 4-2 entering the second period but bounced back to lead 7-5 entering the third. In the final frame, Harvey used three takedowns and a two point nearfall to secure the win, giving Pitt a 17-7 lead. Stout pushed the Panthers' lead to 20-7 after winning in a 4-2 decision over Alec Schenk at 197 pounds. The Pittsburgh native held off his Blue Devil opponent by using a first period takedown, escape and riding time en route to the victory. Duke claimed its third bout of the day at heavyweight as redshirt senior Ryan Solomon dropped a 5-1 decision to No. 4 Jacob Kasper. In the final bout of the day, Bentley picked up a 4-2 win over Thayer Atkins at 125 pounds. All Bentley needed was a takedown, escape and riding time to hold off Atkins as the Panthers captured the dual, 23-10. The Panthers resume action Friday, Feb. 16 to host Virginia in their final home dual meet of the season. Action is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. in the Petersen Events Center. Results: 133: #11 Dom Forys (UP) maj. dec. Josh Finesilver (DU), 16-6 – Pitt leads 4-0 141: Nick Zanetta (UP) dec. Jeremiah Reitz (DU), 4-1 – Pitt leads 7-0 149: Robert Lee (UP) maj. dec. Brandon Leynaud (DU), 9-0 – Pitt leads 11-0 157: #11 Mitch Finesilver (DU) dec. Taleb Rahmani (UP), 3-1 – Pitt leads 11-3 165: Jake Wentzel (UP) dec. Zach Finesilver (DU), 8-2 – Pitt leads 14-3 174: Matt Finesilver (DU) maj. dec. Tommy O'Brien (UP), 12-3 – Pitt leads 14-7 184: Gregg Harvey (UP) dec. Kaden Russell (DU), 15-8 – Pitt leads 17-7 197: Kellan Stout (UP) dec. Alec Schenk (DU), 4-2 – Pitt leads 20-7 285: #4 Jacob Kasper (DU) dec. Ryan Solomon (UP), 5-1 – Pitt leads 20-10 125: LJ Bentley (UP) dec. Thayer Atkins (DU), 4-2 – Pitt wins 23-10
  18. CLARION, Pa. -- The No. 23 Lock Haven University wrestling team (12-4, 4-2 EWL) capped the dual season with a dominating 28-12 victory over Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) rival Clarion University (9-5, 4-2 EWL) today on the road. With the win LHU moved to 12-4 on the season and finished EWL action at 4-2. The 12 wins are the most in a single season in 15 years. Lock Haven last posted 12 wins during the 2002-03 season. Today, the Bald Eagles won the first six bouts of the meet today, racing out a commanding 25-0 lead. In all, LHU won seven of 10 bouts and got a pair of a tech falls and a pin. Luke Werner (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren), No. 27 Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs), No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Christiana, Pa./Solanco), Alex Klucker (Summerdale, Pa./East Pennsboro), No. 5 Chance Marsteller (New Park, Pa./Kennard-Dale) and No. 13 Thomas Haines (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) all posted wins for Lock Haven. Shoop and Marsteller recorded tech falls at 141 and 165, respectively, and Klucker posted a pin at 157 as the Bald Eagles poured it on the final dual meet of the season. Perry, the only Bald Eagle senior in the lineup today, recorded the 98th win of his career as he looks to become just the 20th LHU wrestler in school history to hit the 100-win mark. Marsteller moved to 36-1 with his tech fall today. The 36 wins are tied for seventh all-time in Lock Haven's single-season win list. The Bald Eagles will officially wrap up the regular season next weekend when they host the Mat-Town Open II Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 17 (9:30 a.m.). Results: 125: Luke Werner (Lock Haven) dec. Gavin Park (Clarion) 7-4 133: DJ Fehlman (Lock Haven) dec. Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) 5-0 141: #27 Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) tech fall Cameron Butler (Clarion) 15-0, 2:44 149: #15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. Taylor Ortz (Clarion) 6-3 157: Alex Klucker (Lock Haven) pinned Avery Shay (Clarion) 1:23 165: #5 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) tech fall. Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) 16-1, 3:38 174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) dec. Jared Siegrist (Lock Haven) 1-0 184: #30 Greg Bulsak (Clarion) win by forfeit 197: Dustin Conti (Clarion) dec. Trey Hartsock (Lock Haven) 5-1 285: #13 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven) dec. Toby Cahill (Clarion) 12-6
  19. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Back-to-back bonus point wins from Zack Zavatsky at 184 pounds and Jared Haught at 197 proved to be key in No. 9 Virginia Tech's 22-18 win over Virginia in Charlottesville on Sunday. With the win, the Hokies (14-2, 4-0 ACC) earned the wrestling point in Commonwealth Clash, presented by Virginia529. Tech now leads the Clash, 5.5-2. Without two starters out of the lineup due to sickness, the Hokies battled to extend their ACC dual meet win streak to 19. Tech forfeited the dual's first bout at 141 pounds, putting the Hokies in a 6-0 hole early. 16th-ranked Ryan Blees then trailed Sam Krivus 5-1 at 149 at the end of two periods before rallying back in the third period to tied the score at 6-6, forcing sudden victory overtime. Early in the extra period, Blees stood up with a single leg and secured the takedown. His 8-6 decision got the Hokies on the board. After the ‘Hoos got a win at 157, David McFadden turned in a workmanlike 7-2 decision at 165 with 2:43 of riding time and Hunter Bolen pulled out a 6-5 decision thanks to a third period takedown and riding time at 174. With the score tied at 9-9 entering 184 pounds, Zavatsky nearly registered a tech fall but was still able to get four team points with a 25-12 major decision. At 197, Haught was able to get Jay Aiello in a cradle on the edge of the mat to secure the fall in 2:12, extending the Hokies' lead to 19-9. A 4-0 decision from Andrew Dunn at heavyweight was Tech's last win of night as UVA was able to get a fall at 125 and a decision in sudden victory at 133. Tech's win over the ‘Hoos sets the stage for Friday night's dual against sixth-ranked NC State in Raleigh; a match that will decide the ACC Dual Meet Championship. Results: 141: Sam Martino (UVA) over Unknown (For.) 149: #16 Ryan Blees (VT) dec. Sam Krivus (UVA), 8-6 (SV OT) 157: Fred Green (UVA) dec. Solomon Chishko (VT), 6-4 165: #3 David McFadden (VT) dec. Andrew Atkinson (UVA), 7-2 174: #15 Hunter Bolen (VT) dec. Will Schany (UVA), 5-4 184: #8 Zachary Zavatsky (VT) MD Drew Peck (UVA), 25-12 197: #2 Jared Haught (VT) WBF Jay Aiello (UVA), 2:12 285: #18 Andrew Dunn (VT) dec. Tyler Love (UVA), 4-0 125: Louie Hayes (UVA) WBF Ryan More (VT), 3:48 133: Sam Book (UVA) dec. Ryan Haskett (VT), 13-11 (SV OT)
  20. EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. -- Campbell completed a Southern Conference sweep Sunday in Edwardsville, Ill., defeating VMI 55-0 and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 32-9 at the Vadalabene Center. Campbell moved to 8-7 overall in dual competition this season, including a 5-1 SoCon mark with Sunday's sweep. Campbell closed the match with six straight pins to defeat VMI 55-0 in its first bout of the day. The Camels totaled a season-high seven pins in the win, notching its largest margin of victory since the 1995-96 season. CU led 19-0 after tech falls from Korbin Meink (15-0) at 125 pounds and Zach Barnes (20-4) at 149, plus a fall for Nathan Boston (0:49) at 133 and a 17-11 decision for Jonathan Ryan at 141. The Camels finished the match with six consecutive falls from Austin Kraisser (157, 2:26), Quentin Perez (165, 3:22), Andrew Morgan (174, 4:15), Luke Funck (184, 2:24), Chris Kober (197, 3:55) and Jere Heino (285, 0:44). Campbell and SIUE split the first four bouts of the match, with Jonathan Ryan's 12-4 major decision over Dakota Leach at 141 pounds being the difference. Meink, meanwhile, led off with a 3-2 sudden victory in overtime over Zach Gentzler at 125. John Muldoon and Tyshawn Williams also collected decisions for the Cougars. Kraisser and Perez posted back to back CU wins at 157 and 165 pounds, with Kraisser taking an 8-5 decision over Karsten Van Velsor, and Perez adding his second fall of the day, pinning Nate Higgins (5:44). Morgan's 13-5 major decision over Bryce Shewan at 174, followed by Funck's forfeit victory at 184 pounds put CU up 26-6 to clinch the win. No. 32 Christian Dulaney picked up SIUE's third decision of the match with a 10-5 win over Chris Kober, but at heavyweight, Heino capped off the match with a pin over Tommy Helton (5:53) for the Camels, his second fall of the day. VMI fell to 2-9 overall and 2-4 in SoCon action. SIUE dropped to 5-12 on the season and 3-3 in conference action. The Camels will round out the regular season hosting Chattanooga on February 17. The 2018 Southern Conference Championships will be held March 3 in Charleston, S.C. Campbell 55, VMI 0 125: No. 23 Korbin Meink (Campbell) over James Milstead (VMI) TF 15-0 3:11 (5-0) 133: No. 25 Nathan Boston (Campbell) over Jacob Mills (VMI) Fall 0:49 (11-0) 141: Jonathan Ryan (Campbell) over Michael Hulcher (VMI) Dec 17-11 (14-0) 149: Zach Barnes (Campbell) over Dolan Walsh (VMI) TF 20-4 2:32 (19-0) 157: Austin Kraisser (Campbell) over Steven Midkiff (VMI) Fall 2:26 (25-0) 165: No. 27 Quentin Perez (Campbell) over Shamus Bartmess (VMI) Fall 3:22 (31-0) 174: No. 29 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) over Jack Scalio (VMI) Fall 4:15 (37-0) 184: Luke Funck (Campbell) over Christopher Beck (VMI) Fall 2:24 (43-0) 197: Chris Kober (Campbell) over Max Gallahan (VMI) Fall 3:55 (49-0) 285: No. 29 Jere Heino (Campbell) over Jake Koch (VMI) Fall 0:44 (55-0) Campbell 32, SIUE 9 125: No. 23 Korbin Meink (Campbell) over Zach Gentzler (SIUE) SV-1 3-2 (3-0) 133: John Muldoon (SIUE) over No. 25 Nathan Boston (Campbell) Dec 8-5 (3-3) 141: Jonathan Ryan (Campbell) over Dakota Leach (SIUE) MD 12-4 (7-3) 149: Tyshawn Williams (SIUE) over Zach Barnes (Campbell) Dec 11-10 (7-6) 157: Austin Kraisser (Campbell) over Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE) Dec 8-5 (10-6) 165: No. 27 Quentin Perez (Campbell) over Nate Higgins (SIUE) Fall 5:44 (16-6) 174: No. 29 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) over Bryce Shewan (SIUE) MD 13-5 (20-6) 184: Luke Funck (Campbell) won by forfeit (26-6) 197: No. 32 Christian Dulaney (SIUE) over Chris Kober (Campbell) Dec 10-5 (26-9) 285: No. 29 Jere Heino (Campbell) over Tommy Helton (SIUE) Fall 5:53 (32-9)
  21. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No. 19 Northwestern (10-4, 5-4 Big Ten) finished its Big Ten slate in resounding fashion, rocking Indiana (6-10, 0-9 Big Ten), 27-12, at University Gym on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats picked up their fifth Big Ten victory, their most in one season since logging six in the 2010-11 campaign. No. 10 Sebastian Rivera (125) kicked off the festivities with a win by fall in 4:11 over Elijah Oliver. Rivera improved his mark to 22-3 with the early victory. Colin Valdiviez (133) picked up his 15th victory of the season in a conservative bout against Indiana's Garrett Pepple. An early Valdiviez takedown gave him a 2-0 advantage, but he was unable to escape from bottom in the second period. Pepple chose to start the third period on top again and accumulated riding time, but was unable to score any points against Valdiviez, whose 3-1 decision win added three team points to the NU cause. No. 5 Ryan Deakin (149) delivered Northwestern's second pin of the dual, a 1:21 fall over A.J. Raya. For Deakin, it was his fastest pin of the season and his team-high seventh win by fall of the campaign. Fresh off of late-dual dramatics against No. 22 Purdue, Shayne Oster (157) dominated his matchup against Jake Danishek, a 2017 NCAA Championships qualifier, winning via 9-2 decision. Mitch Sliga (184) got NU back to its winning ways, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to top Norman Conley via 5-2 decision. Zack Chakonis (197) added another win to his ledger, posting a 6-1 decision over Jake Kleimola, to seal the victory for the Wildcats. In a scoreless bout entering the third period, Conan Jennings (285) turned on the jets late, posting a late-time takedown of Fletcher Miller to log a 4-2 decision victory -- his second win of the weekend. NU finishes up its dual slate with a non-conference competition against SIUE next Sunday, February 18. It will begin at 2 p.m. CT. Results: 125: Sebastian Rivera (NU) Fall Elijah Oliver (IU), 4:11 | NU 6, IU 0 133: Colin Valdiviez (NU) dec. Garrett Pepple (IU), 3-1 | NU 9, IU 0 141: No. 17 Cole Weaver (IU) dec. Alec McKenna (NU), 7-0 | NU 9, IU 3 149: No. 5 Ryan Deakin (NU) Fall A.J. Raya (IU), 1:21 | NU 15, IU 3 157: Shayne Oster (NU) dec. Jake Danishek (IU), 9-2 | NU 18, IU 3 165: Bryce Martin (IU) dec. Michael Sepke (NU), 11-7 | NU 18, IU 6 174: No. 20 Devin Skatzka (IU) Fall Braxton Cody (NU), 0:25 | NU 18, IU 12 184: Mitch Sliga (NU) dec. Norman Conley (IU), 5-2 | NU 21, IU 12 197: Zack Chakonis (NU) dec. Jake Kleimola (IU), 6-1 | NU 24, IU 12 285: Conan Jennings (NU) dec. Fletcher Miller (IU), 4-2 | NU 27, IU 12
  22. Hempstead, NY -- Sophomore Sage Heller, junior Nezar Haddad and senior Michael Hughes each recorded wins by fall and the Pride added four more bonus point wins to lead Hofstra to a 45-3 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association victory over the Pioneers of Sacred Heart at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center Sunday afternoon. Hofstra, which snapped a two-match losing skid, improved to 9-9 on the season and evened its EIWA record at 3-3. Sacred Heart, which dropped its fourth consecutive match, falls to 2-9 on the year and 0-4 in the EIWA. The Pride went up early, 12-0 before the first decision was made on the mat as Sacred Heart forfeited matches at 125 and 133 pounds. Hofstra sophomore Vinny Vespa then tallied a 17-2 tech fall over Shaun Williams at the 4:36 mark at 141, and junior Ryan Burkert added a 14-3 major decision over Alex Harnsberger at 149 to boost the Pride lead to 21-0. Sacred Heart's Paul Klee gave the Pioneers their only win with a 9-8 decision over Chris Mauriello at 157. But red-shirt freshman Ricky Stamm held on to a 9-8 decision at 165 before Sage Heller pinned Chris Zaccaria at the 3:34 mark of the 174-pound match. Red-shirt freshman Anthony Olivieri followed with a 7-4 win by decision at 184 for a 33-3 lead. Hofstra closed out the match with pins by Haddad at the 2:19 mark of the 197-pound match and Hughes at the 0:37 mark of the 285-pound match. Hofstra returns to action next Saturday, February 17 when the Pride host their final two EIWA matches of the regular season when they host Brown at 1 p.m. and Harvard at 6 p.m. at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. Notes - Hofstra honored its three graduating wrestling seniors, Bobby Fehr, Connor Muli and Michael Hughes in pre-match ceremonies - Heller recorded his ninth win by fall of the year to improve to 12-10 on the season and 4-2 in the EIWA. - Haddad nailed down his first pin of the season to boost his season record to 16-12 and 4-2 in the EIWA - Hughes improved to 29-2 on the year and 6-0 in the EIWA with his 15th pin of the season. He was tied for second in the nation with 14 pins last week. - Sacred Heart had a rough EIWA weekend, losing to Brown at home on Saturday, 44-0 before the Hofstra 45-3 decision on Sunday - Hughes was honored at halftime with a framed photo commemorating his 100th career victory on January 14 Results: 125: Jacob Martin (HOFS) over (SAHE) (For.) 133: Garrett Lambert (HOFS) over (SAHE) (For.) 141: Vinny Vespa (HOFS) over Shaun Williams (SAHE) (TF 17-2 4:36) 149: Ryan Burkert (HOFS) over Alex Harnsberger (SAHE) (MD 14-3) 157: Paul Klee (SAHE) over Chris Mauriello (HOFS) (Dec 9-8) 165: Ricky Stamm (HOFS) over William Schmidt (SAHE) (Dec 9-8) 174: Sage Heller (HOFS) over Chris Zaccaria (SAHE) (Fall 3:34) 184: Anthony Olivieri (HOFS) over Mark Boyle (SAHE) (Dec 7-4) 197: Nezar Haddad (HOFS) over Joe Toci (SAHE) (Fall 2:19) 285: Michael Hughes (HOFS) over John Hartnett (SAHE) (Fall 0:37)
  23. VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton wrestling (11-5) spotted Bloomsburg a 6-0 cushion before rattling off six straight match wins en route to a 21-12 victory over the Huskies (5-9) in the team's home finale Sunday afternoon at West Gym. The Bearcats rode bonus point victories by their two nationally-ranked wrestlers to post the team's third straight dual win. Senior 184-pound Steve Schneider, ranked No. 9 in the nation, picked up his 11th consecutive win and needed just one period to do it. Schneider loaded up on back points before registering a 19-3 technical fall as the first period horn sounded. Two matches earlier, redshirt junior No. 28 Vincent DePrez posted a 13-6 major decision to raise his season mark to 22-8. He led 5-0 entering the third period before putting the match away with back points. "The guys are scrapping really hard right now," head coach Kyle Borshoff said. "We are wrestling hard every time we step on the mat. That's what will count at the EIWA Championships and NCAA tournament. It's really all about who wants it more and our guys are doing that right now. The middle weights have been the heart of this team all season and they came through again today. We've been able to count on those guys from 141 to 184 almost without fail and they are anchoring the team." Binghamton concludes its dual season Thursday night at Buffalo. Results: 125: Will Girard (BL) dec. Joe Nelson (BU) 16-9 Bloomsburg leads 3-0 133: Andy Schultz (BL) dec. Jacob Nicholson (BU), 4-3 Bloomsburg leads 6-0 141: Joe Russ (BU) dec. Shawn Orem (BL), 8-2 Bloomsburg leads 6-3 149: Frankie Garcia (BU) dec. Braden Stahlnecker (BL), 9-3 Match tied 6-6 157: Tristan Rifanburg (BU) dec. Kevin Laubach, Jr. (BL), 5-2 Binghamton leads 9-6 165: No. 28 Vincent DePrez (BU) major dec. Nate Newberry (BL), 13-6 Binghamton leads 13-6 174: Anthony Lombardo (BU) dec. Kyle Murphy (BL), 3-2 Binghamton leads 16-6 184: No. 9 Steve Schneider (BU) TF Anthony Vetrano (BL), 19-3 3:00 Binghamton leads 21-6 197: Logan Womelsdorf (BL) dec. Alex Melikian (BU), 3-1 (SV1) Binghamton leads 21-9 285: Bruce Graeber (BL) dec. Sean Dee (BU) 6-2 Binghamton wins 21-12
  24. BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Northern Illinois University wrestling team earned its first Mid-American Conference victory of the season, defeating Buffalo, 19-16, at Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday afternoon. "We came out aggressive, confident, and determined," said NIU head wrestling coach Ryan Ludwig. Caden McWhirter (Prattville, Ala./ Prattville) set the tone in the first match of the day. The Huskie redshirt-sophomore pinned Eric Fasnacht of Buffalo at the 1:38 minute mark of the first period at 157 to give the Huskies an early 6-0 lead. The very next match at 165, Andrew Scott (Holly Mich./ Holly) defeated Noah Grover of Buffalo via a major decision, 9-1. The Huskie redshirt junior earned his first dual win of the season and his sixth overall on the year to give NIU a 10-0 advantage. At 174, redshirt-junior Quinton Rosser (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Archbishop Moeller) kept it going for NIU, defeating Christian Dietrich of Buffalo, 3-0. The Rosser win gave the Huskies a commanding 13-0 lead. "Caden, Andrew and Q[uinton] came out and set the tone and especially with two of the three matches with bonus points," said Ludwig. At 184, Bryce Gorman (Manhattan, Ill./ Lincoln-Way Central) defeated Brett Perry, 4-1, to make the score, 16-0. Buffalo started to rally and scored 16 consecutive points to tie the score at 16. It all came down to 149, where freshman Nolan Baker (Byron, Ill. / Byron) went head-to-head with Nicholas Palumbo. Baker led after round one, 8-1, but Palumbo came roaring back in the second round. In the end, Baker defeated Palumbo, 12-9, in a thrilling ending for the Huskies. It was Baker's first collegiate victory. "Obviously, Nolan was the one in position to seal the deal. He showed great poise and fight. Couldn't be more proud of him," said Ludwig. "The coaching staff is really proud of the guys right now. We spoke about resilience and the character it takes to respond from a recent hit. They did it the right way today." NIU concludes its regular season at home on Friday, Feb. 16, against the Kent State Golden Flashes. Action starts at 7 p.m. from Victor E. Court. Results: 157 – Caden McWhirter (NIU) won by fall over Eric Fasnacht (UB), 1:38 165 – Andrew Scott (NIU) won by major decision over Noah Grover (UB), 9-1 174 – Quinton Rosser (NIU) won by decision over Christian Dietrich (UB), 3-0 184 – Bryce Gorman (NIU) won by decision over Brett Perry (UB), 4-1 197 – Joe Ariola (UB) won by major decision over Max Ihry (NIU), 11-3 285 – Jake Gunning (UB) won by decision over Caleb Gossett (NIU), 4-2 125 – Kyle Akins (UB) won by decision over Brock Hudkins (NIU), 3-2 133 – Bryan Lantry (UB) won by decision over Alijah Jeffrey (NIU), 2-0 141 – Jason Estevez (UB) won by decision over Anthony Rubino (NIU), 11-4 149 – Nolan Baker (NIU) won by decision over Nick Palumbo (UB), 12-9
  25. Campbellsville claimed its first-ever WCWA national title OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Needing two wins in the final two matches of the WCWA National Championship to claim the first-ever team title in Lady Tiger wrestling history, who else would you rather have in your corner than Grace Bullen and Kayla Miracle? The freshman Bullen, wrestling at 130 lbs., defeated three-time WCWA finalist Nicole Depa of SFU with a pin to set up Miracle to a storybook ending. Bullen, who is a two-time age-group World medalist and six-time age-group European champion, did not allow a point all championship and out-scored her opponents 42-0. The Bullen win pulled Campbellsville within 1.5 points of SFU and that set up the most iconic finish in Lady Tiger history…. With arguably the greatest athlete in Campbellsville Athletics history. Only needing a win to the match to claim the team title, top-seeded Miracle impressed with a pin over No. 2 Desiree Zavala of Grays Harbor late in the second period. Zavala got the first takedown, but it was Miracle who emerged victorious. Miracle became only the fourth WCWA wrestler to win four titles and joins an elite list, which includes Olympic and two-time World champion Helen Maroulis, two-time World Team member Victoria Anthony and Emily Webster. "This whole round, I knew it was going to be a fight with Simon Fraser," Miracle said. "This whole season I've known that our team could win a national title. I really didn't know that it was going to be that close, going into my match. I'm just excited. I'm excited that our team did it." Mariah Harris (170) also wrestled in the finals but lost to Brittany Marshall of Wayland Baptist. Harris had a one-point advantage, 5-4, but Marshall pulled a two-point reversal with 1.7 seconds left in the second period to earn the spectacular win. Campbellsville out-lasted Simon Fraser by five team points, 196.5 - 191.5. The team win is the sixth in Campbellsville University athletics history. The Lady Tigers join the 2009 women's volleyball team (NCCAA), 2012 football team (NCCAA Victory Bowl), 2012 men's tennis team (NCCAA), 2015 men's tennis team (NCCAA) and 2017 football team (NCCAA Victory Bowl) for team national champions. The individual titles for Miracle and Bullen are the 25th and 26th national championships for student-athletes in CU history. In the five years CU has had a women's wrestling program, the Lady Tigers have totaled eight national champions - the most for any CU team. Rounding out the Top 5 team scores - McKendree finished in third place, while Emanuel College was fourth and Menlo was fifth. In addition to Bullen, Miracle and Harris, the Lady Tigers also had a slew of wrestlers finish in the consolation brackets and earn All-American honors. Charlotte Fowler finished third at 109 lbs., Alexia Foca and McKayla Campbell both placed fourth at 143 and 101 lbs., respectively, senior Shelby Hall finished in fifth at 130 lbs., Kaitlyn Hill placed seventh at 191 and Morgan Becker finished eighth and 155. Fowler pulled victories over Kateri Rowell of Grays Harbor and Jessica Dehart of Eastern Oregon. Foca and Campbell, both wrestling in their first national championship, had stellar tournaments. In the consolation bracket, Campbell stormed back from a 6-0 deficit to get a defensive fall over four-seed Genae Sampract of Mckendree. She later lost to Asia Ray in the third-place match, 10-5. Foca picked up her first consolation bracket victory over Sienna Ramirez of Southern Oregon, 5-1, but fell 6-0 to Kayla Marano of Emmanuel. Hall and Hill both finished their careers on high notes. Hall, a three-time All-American dominated Erin Redford 7-0 in the fifth place match. Hill defeated Victoria Espinozo to finish seventh. Lastly, Morgan Becker's tournament ended with a 8-2 loss to Kendra Kehril.
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