InterMat Staff

USA Wrestling plans to send an official delegation to participate in the Freestyle World Cup, set for Feb. 16-17 in Kermanshah, Iran. This is the annual World dual meet championship for men's freestyle wrestling and one of the most prestigious competitions each year in international wrestling. “This tour continues a long history of goodwill and cooperation between the United States and Iran through wrestling, which is an impressive example of diplomacy between the people of these nations through sport. This is an important international competition, and we look forward to competing against the World's best wrestling teams,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. USA Wrestling sponsored the first American sports team to compete in Iran after an absence of nearly 20 years, when a U.S. freestyle wrestling team competed in the 1998 Takhti Cup in Tehran. A U.S. team has competed in the Takhti Cup in various Iranian cities nine times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015). The U.S. also competed at the 1998 World Championships held in Tehran. The U.S. sent a team to the Emam Ali Habibi and Abdollah Movahed Cup in Qaemshar in 2010. The U.S. competed in the 2013 Freestyle World Cup in Tehran and the 2014 Greco-Roman World Cup in Tehran. In addition, the U.S.-based Titan Mercury Wrestling Club competed in the Freestyle World Club Championships in Joybari in 2014 and Mazandaran in 2015 That makes it 15 times USA Wrestling has been in Iran for wrestling since the Iranian Revolution. Iran has competed in wrestling in the United States numerous times. This included the 1995 World Championships in Atlanta, the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the 1998 Junior World Championships in Primm, Nev., the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City, the 2003 World Championships in New York City and the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. In addition, the Iranian team competed in the World Cup held in the United States seven times (1995 in Chattanooga, 1998 in Stillwater, 1999 in Spokane, 2000 in Fairfax, Va. and 2001 in Baltimore, and three times in Los Angeles, 2014, 2015 and 2016). We also had an Iranian team in the USA for training at the Olympic Training Center in 2012. Iran competed in the 2013 Beat the Streets event in Grand Central Station and the 2016 Beat the Streets event in Times Square, both in New York City. That makes it 16 times the Iranians have come to the USA as guest of USA Wrestling since the 1990s. The U.S. Freestyle World Cup delegation will feature 13 athletes, two coaches, a referee, a medical staff member and a videographer, plus other official delegates. USA Wrestling has a long tradition of competing with nations which may not have a strong relationship between their governments. During the Cold War, U.S. wrestling teams regularly competed in the Soviet Union and in other nations in Eastern Europe, and teams from those nations competed in the United States often. Since the Cuban Revolution, U.S. wrestling teams have competed in Cuba on almost an annual basis, and Cuban teams were regular participants in U.S.-based competitions.

Despite growing up legally blind, a high school wrestler overcomes great odds and attempts to win a New Jersey state championship A filmmaker has kicked off a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to generate funding to complete his feature documentary about a blind high school wrestler. "I need your help to raise $40,000 to finish post production on my film 'A Shot in the Dark,'" filmmaker Chris Suchorsky wrote in his introduction to his Kickstarter page established this past week. "I actually need $51,350, but I'm trying to be realistic. This is my first attempt at Kickstarter and I'm hoping my film and rewards will motivate you to help me finish the film." "A Shot in the Dark" is about Anthony Ferraro, a blind high school wrestler in New Jersey who had been coached by a former wrestling teammate Seton Hall University in the late 1990's. Suchorsky had reconnected with his ex-teammate, who introduced the filmmaker to the story by sharing a two-minute "sizzle reel" about Anthony Ferraro by his brother Ollie, who wanted to make an 8-10 minute film about the wrestler. (That original sizzle reel, along with a trailer put together by Suchorsky, are both available for viewing at the Kickstarter page for "A Shot in the Dark.") After meeting with Ollie Ferraro, Suchorsky agreed to take on the project, with one change: the film would be a feature-length documentary. Suchorsky traveled to New Jersey to start filming, while Ollie stayed in Los Angeles for his job. "Over the next year, I spent every free moment I had pointing the camera at Anthony and the St. John Vianney wrestling team," Suchorsky wrote on the Kickstarter page. "Ollie and I would talk every few days about the project. He'd tell me who to interview, what questions to ask, etc. He would also periodically fly back to New Jersey to help film." "After a year of shooting, the film ended up in the proverbial can. Work, marriage, and a mortgage became priorities for me. Ollie left Hulu, moved back to New Jersey, and took a job as a producer. Life essentially got in the way of finishing the film." "In the summer of 2015, I decided to pull the film off the shelf," Suchorsky continued. "The film had been hanging over my head for two years. By late August, I had found enough free time to rough out the first 15 minutes of the film. Ollie and I had been working on a number of projects since he had moved back to New Jersey. I was trying to set up a time for us to sit down and watch what I had cut together. Sadly, on August 28th, 2015, Oliver Ferraro passed away. He never saw what I had cut together." At Oliver's funeral, his mother said she would do what she could to get the documentary about Anthony Ferraro finished. That propelled Suchorsky to continue working on his film. Now he needs financial help to complete post-production, and has established his Kickstarter page to reach out to the wrestling community (and others) to generate the funds he needs to finish "A Shot in the Dark." Of interest to wrestling fans -- and fans of wrestling films: Suchorsky said he had contacted singer/songwriter Tom Cochrane of Red Rider, seeking permission to use the band's classic song "Lunatic Fringe" as featured in the 1985 movie "Vision Quest" in his documentary. Cochrane said yes ... apparently making the song available to Suchorsky "for pennies on the dollar." To learn more about "A Shot in the Dark" (and see the trailer and Ollie Ferraro's original sizzle film) -- and make a donation -- click here.

Marquise Overton, sophomore defensive lineman for the University of Oklahoma, intends to join the Sooner wrestling program, according to multiple media reports ... and the 2015 high school state wrestling champ's own Twitter account. Marquise Overton"I have been thinking long and hard on this decision of mine but I would like to let friends and family know that I will be now playing football and wrestling at OU!!!" Overton tweeted. While the news is being widely reported by media throughout the state of Oklahoma and nationwide at college football websites, the OU wrestling program has not made any official announcement of its own. When contacted late Friday afternoon, sports information director for Sooner wrestling, Micah Thompson, responded, "I have to receive confirmation from our department before he is officially on the team. I have yet to receive anything ..." This is not a case of a star in one sport suddenly deciding to dabble in a new, unfamiliar sport. The 6'1", 295-pound Overton was a two-sport star at Jenks High School in Oklahoma. In fact, not long after he signed his National Letter of Intent to play football at Oklahoma in 2015, Overton won the 285-pound Oklahoma Class 6A state wrestling title, scoring a 3-1 decision over Midwest City's Korey Walker in the championship finals to finish his senior season with a 37-1 record. "Last year, I lost in the semifinals and it was very heartbreaking," Overton told The Oklahoman, the daily newspaper of Oklahoma City, back in March 2015. "I wanted to make sure that I got the state title this year. This was really important to me." At that time, Overton was already entertaining the idea of continuing his wrestling career as well as play football in Norman. "I asked (OU football coaches) if I could wrestle and they told me it's my choice," Overton said after winning the 2015 state mat title. "But they also said that I should know football would come first. I've heard from people that (Mark Cody, OU wrestling coach at the time) may want me to come wrestle for him. Right now it's just a maybe." Overton's grappling and gridiron credentials were impressive, even in high school. He was a four-star football recruit by Rivals.com and was ranked No. 20 in the nation at 285 pounds by InterMat. After playing in eight games in 2015 as a freshman, Overton participated in just two games as a defensive tackle this past season before suffering what turned out to be a season-ending ankle injury, the NBCSports.com College Football Talk website reported. Overton certainly isn't the first college athlete to step onto the wrestling mat after stepping off the gridiron at the end of football season. In fact, this was a common phenomenon through decades of college sport, with one of the most outstanding examples being two-sport superstar Curley Culp of Arizona State who won the heavyweight title at the 1967 NCAAs, then embarked on a long and successful NFL career which earned him a Super Bowl ring and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. More than one media source named the same two Sooners who played football and wrestled: the late Steve "Dr. Death" Williams, a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and four-year letterman as an offensive lineman who graduated from OU in 1981 ... and Jake Hager, who, while in Norman, left the football field to focus on wrestling, becoming an NCAA All-American heavyweight. Both went on to successful pro wrestling careers (Hager as WWE star Jack Swagger).

Former college heavyweight wrestlers Tyrell Fortune and Jarod Trice both scored second-round wins in their second pro MMA bouts at Bellator 171 at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan. Friday night. Fortune, 2013 NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling champ, scored a TKO with punches over Will Johnson at 4:27 of the second round of their bout, while Trice, a three-time NCAA Division I All-American at 285 pounds, KO'd Kevin Woltkamp at 3:17 of Round Two. Fortune's good fortune Tyrell Fortune (Photo/Bellator)For Fortune, who won two NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) wrestling titles at Clackamas Community College in Oregon before winning his NCAA D2 crown at Arizona's Grand Canyon University, had a challenging opening round, with both Sherdog.com and MMAmania.com each scoring it even, 9-9. Here's how Sherdog.com described the end in Round Two: "Johnson, who is bleeding from the nose, briefly stands only to be tripped back down to the canvas. Fortune keeps the pressure on, riding Johnson while landing punches and hammerfists to the head. Fortune continues to methodically pound away, and the fight is suddenly halted. Johnson isn't happy with the stoppage, but referee Nick Berens contends that Johnson yelled 'Stop' during the salvo." "It was a good fight and a good win, but I took a few shots the groin that really made it difficult for me tonight," Fortune told MyMMAnews.com. "I'll take the win, but I paid for it." Fortune, who signed with Bellator in August 2015, is now 2-0 in his pro MMA career after making his debut at Bellator 163 in early November 2016… while Johnson had a rough debut, and is now 0-1. Trice is now twice a winner Jarod Trice, thrice an NCAA All-American for Central Michigan University, won his second Bellator bout, this time knocking out Kevin Woltkamp with a left hook just past the three-minute mark of the second round. According to the play-by-play accounts from Sherdog and MMAmania, the former wrestler nicknamed "Doughboy" threw a large number of punches in the opening round, with Sherdog scoring Round One for Trice, 10-9. Sherdog said that Trice continued to punch at Woltkamp at will in the second round, reporting, "Trice lands a combination that he punctuates with a body kick. Woltkamp is backing up consistently now, offering little in the way of offense. Trice lands a left hook on the chin and Woltkamp stumbles backward slowly, eventually falling to the canvas. Trice pounces for the finish, but it isn't necessary, as referee Rob Hinds waves off the fight before any further damage can be done." "Everything went according to plan tonight," Trice told MyMMAnews.com. "I told my coaches that I have the best left hook in the world and my opponent better watch out for it." Trice, who signed with Bellator in August 2016, made his successful pro debut with a majority decision at Bellator 167 in early December. The former CMU Chippewa big man is now 2-0 in his young MMA career, while Woltkamp is now 0-3.

TEMPE, AZ -- Fighting Illini wrestling won their fourth consecutive dual on Sunday (1/29) evening, defeating No. 19 Arizona State by a score of 26-9. The Illini won seven of the ten bouts against the Sun Devils, highlighted by No. 1 Isaiah Martinez's pin of No. 9 Anthony Valencia (6:49) and No. 18 Kyle Langenderfer's 6-5 victory against No. 6 Josh Shields. The Orange and Blue improve to 6-2 overall, while Arizona State falls to 7-4. "Pretty solid win under the circumstances," said Head Coach Jim Heffernan. "The guys responded well and got off to a good start with Travis gutting out a win. Same with Eric [Barone], he roughed out at win and hustled for a full seven minutes. Kyle [Langenderfer] is getting better each time out, and is putting things together as the season progresses." After the Illini won three of the first four matches to grab an early 11-3 advantage, No. 1 Isaiah Martinez and No. 18 Kyle Langenderfer dished out the decisive blows against two top-10 wrestlers. Ranked for the first time this season, No. 18 Kyle Langenderfer backed up his ranking by defeating No. 6 Josh Shields, 6-5, for his sixth consecutive dual victory. Langenderfer was the first on the scoreboard, as the Illini redshirt junior got an early takedown in the opening period to lead 2-1 after three minutes. After Shields and Langenderfer traded escapes, Shields got his lone takedown of the match to start period three for a 4-3 advantage. Trailing for the first time in the match, Langenderfer quickly cut loose of Shields and then wrapped him up for the winning takedown seconds later. Shields managed one final escape, but was unable to finish any of his shots, as Langenderfer held on for the one-point victory. The win over No. 6 Shields is the highest ranked opponent Langenderfer has defeated in his Illini career, topping his 2-1 victory over No. 9 Brian Murphy (Michigan) nine days ago at Huff Hall. With all the momentum in Illinois' favor, No. 1 Isaiah Martinez once again got the best of his long-time rival, No. 9 Anthony Valencia. Martinez earned a takedown early in period one to gain control, and then added another takedown in each of the remaining two periods to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Following the third takedown, the top-ranked Illini got Valencia on his back and pinned him with 11 seconds left on the clock to give the Illini three bonus points and a 20-3 lead. Martinez is now 2-0 against Valencia this season, also beating the redshirt freshman at Midlands by a 10-1 major decision, while the pin is the fourth of the season and first over a ranked opponent since February 15, 2015 (Ian Miller). Coach Heffernan's got out to the early 11-3 lead on the backs of a two nail-biting victories and a five-point technical fall from No. 6 Zane Richards. The opening 125-pound bout required not one, but two sudden-victory periods to determine a winner. After Travis Piotrowski scored a takedown and reversal in the opening period, Arizona State's Josh Kramer battled back to tie the match, 4-4, and force overtime. After the two grapplers remained scoreless after the one-minute sudden victory period and the two 30-second tiebreaker periods, Piotrowski (13-8) picked up Kramer early in the second sudden victory period and took him down for the winning two points. No. 6 Zane Richards picked up Illinois' most dominant victory of the dual to extend the lead, as the Illini senior needed just four minutes, 31 seconds to earn the 18-1 technical fall against Ted Rico. Richards (17-2) led 12-1 after the opening period and earned three four-point near falls in the match. The three four-point near falls is the most by an Illini in a dual match this season. Richards' 18-1 victory is the 99th of his career, one shy of becoming the 23rd wrestler in Illinois history to reach the century mark. After Mousa Jodeh dropped a close 5-4 decision at 141 pounds, Eric Barone (6-5) got the Illini back on track with an upset of Josh Maruca, 4-2. Trailing 1-0 entering the third period, but holding more than a minute of riding time, Barone was able to get an escape and then got a takedown to seal the decision. With the match in hand, the Illini picked up two more victories following the Martinez pin with decisions from No. 12 Emery Parker (22-4) against Jacen Petersen, 13-9, and Andre Lee (9-10) over Austyn Harris, 4-2. Arizona State recorded three decisions against the Illini, as Nikko Villarreal (141), No. 3 Zahid Valencia (174) and No. 7 Tanner Hall (HWT) combined for the nine-team points. Up next, the Fighting Illini will travel to Evanston, Illinois for a dual against Northwestern on Friday, February 3. The Orange and Blue return to Huff Hall two days later, February 5, to host Purdue at 1 p.m. Illini Notes: Illinois improves to 3-0 all-time against Arizona State. The Illini beat the Sun Devils, 27-9, in Champaign last season (11/15/15) The 26-9 victory against No. 19 Arizona State is the second against a ranked team this season. The Illini defeated No. 13 Michigan, 34-6, at Huff Hall on January 20. Kyle Langenderfer's 6-5 upset of No. 6 Josh Shields is the highest-ranked wrestler the Illini redshirt junior has beaten in his Illinois career. Zane Richards picked up win No. 99 with a 18-1 victory over Ted Rico. Richards will look to become the 23rd Illini to record 100 victories in his career on Friday at Northwestern. Isaiah Martinez's pin of #9 Anthony Valencia is his fourth fall of the season, and his second victory over the Sun Devil 165-pounder this season. Martinez beat Valencia 10-1 in the Midlands semifinals on December 30, 2016. The pin was Isaiah Martinez's first over a ranked opponent since pinning No. 6 Ian Miller (Kent State) on February 15, 2015 Wins over ranked opponents by Kyle Langenderfer and Isaiah Martinez give Illinois 15 wins over ranked opponents on the season, including eight against higher ranked wrestlers. Results: 125: Travis Piotrowski (ILL) dec Josh Kramer (ASU), 6-4 SV-2 133: #6 Zane Richards (ILL)­ tech fall Ted Rico (ASU), 18-1 141: Nikko Villarreal (ASU) decision Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 5-4 149: Eric Barone (ILL) dec. Josh Maruca (ASU), 4-2 157: #18 Kyle Langenderfer (ILL) dec. #6 Josh Shields, 6-5 165: #1 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) fall #9 Anthony Valencia (ASU), 6:49 174: #3 Zahid Valencia (ASU) dec. #12 Zac Brunson (ILL), 7-2 184: #12 Emery Parker (ILL) dec. Jacen Petersen (ASU), 13-9 197: Andre Lee (ILL) dec. Austyn Harris (ASU), 4-2 HWT: #7 Tanner Hall (ASU) dec. #15 Brooks Black (ILL), 4-3 TB-2

PHILADELPHIA -- The Drexel wrestling team earned a 23-15 victory over EIWA opponent American on Sunday evening. Alex DeCiantis secured a pin and No. 19 Joey Goodhart and David Pearce each picked up last-second wins to lead the Dragons onto their ninth victory of the season. The dual started off with the 165 match where Austin Rose picked up a 12-4 major decision over American's Michael Eckhart. Ebed Jarrell followed with another major decision at 174, this time by a 14-4 margin over Joe Salvi. Then in the 184 match DeCiantis earned his win-by-fall less than two minutes in to give Drexel an early 14-0 advantage. American was able to get on the board in the 197 match, as Jeric Kasunic retaliated with a pin over Joshua Murphy. Goodhart then followed by taking Brett Dempsey to overtime in the heavyweight match, escaping with two second remaining in the second ride-out period to walk away with a 3-2 victory and give Drexel a 17-6 lead after the first five matches. The Eagles picked up wins at 125 and 133, with No. 15 Josh Terao earning a 9-2 decision over Tanner Shoap and then Esteban Gomez-Rivera edging No. 11 Kevin Devoy Jr., 3-1. This brought American within five points as they trailed the Dragons, 17-12. David Pearce finished in exciting fashion as he defeated American's Jack Mutchnik in the final seconds of the 141 match. Pearce picked up an escape with just over 20 seconds to go in the second ride-out period and then added a takedown and a four-point near-fall with two seconds remaining to walk away with an 8-1 decision. No. 17 Matthew Cimato came up next for the Dragons and secured a 9-4 win over Michael Sprague at 149 to put Drexel ahead, 23-12. The Eagles' Tom Page was able to earn a 9-4 decision over Willie Davis at 157 to finish out the dual, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit the Dragons had created and Drexel walked away with a 23-15 victory. The win helps the Dragons improve to 9-5 overall and 5-3 in conference action, while the Eagles move to 3-6, 0-5 EIWA. Drexel returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 4 when the Dragons will first visit Franklin & Marshall for dual at noon, before returning home later that evening to host Hofstra at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at 7 p.m. Results: 165: Austin Rose (DU) MAJ Michael Eckhart (American), 12-4 174: Ebed Jarrell (DU) MAJ Joe Salvi (American), 14-4 184: Alex DeCiantis (DU) WBF Jason Grimes (American) @ 1:46 197: Jeric Kasunic (American) WBF Joshua Murphy (DU) @ 1:48 285: No. 19 Joey Goodhart (DU) DEC Brett Dempsey (American), 3-2 (TB-1) 125: No. 15 Josh Terao (American) DEC Tanner Shoap (DU), 9-2 133: Esteban Gomez-Rivera (American) DEC No. 11 Kevin Devoy Jr. (DU), 3-1 141: David Pearce (DU) DEC Jack Mutchnik (American) 8-1 (TB-1) 149: No. 17 Matthew Cimato (DU) DEC Michael Sprague (American), 9-4 157: Tom Page (American) DEC Willie Davis (DU), 9-4

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Army West Point wrestling team defended its title at the All-Academy Championships, posting a first-place finish with 103.5 points and three individual champions on Sunday from Navy's Alumni Hall. ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES This was Army's fourth All-Academies title. Army won back-to-back All-Academy Championships for the first time in program history. Eight Black Knights advanced to championship matches, the most of any team. Freshman Trey Chalifoux (125 lbs.) and seniors Russ Parsons (157 lbs.) and Trevor Smith (285 lbs.) won individual titles. Chalifoux and Smith won their first-career tournament titles. Senior co-captain Logan Everett earned his 10th-career pin 25 seconds into his quarterfinal bout. Junior Matt Kelly documented the first technical fall of his career with a 15-0 victory in the quarterfinals. The win was the 30th of Kelly's career. Parsons notched an 18-0 tech. fall in his opening match, setting a new single-season best in the category. The tech. fall in the quarterfinals gave Parsons 10 bonus point victories on the season. Parsons documented his 75th-career victory in the semifinals, advancing to his third-straight All-Academies finals. Junior Andrew Mendel earned his first-career pin at the 4:05 mark of his quarterfinal bout. Mendel earned his fifth bonus point win of the season in the semifinals with a 12-4 major decision. Freshman Ben Harvey achieved the first pin of his career 1:35 into his first match for his fifth bonus point win of the season. Smith advanced to the finals with his 40th-career victory. HOW IT HAPPENED 125: Trey Chalifoux (1st): 2-0 Quaterfinals: Bye Semifinals: W, 6-3 vs. Drew Romero (Air Force) Finals: W, 10-6 vs. Dalton Henderson (VMI) 133: Austin Harry (2nd): 2-1, Major Decision Quarterfinals: W, 6-3 vs. Tyler Craig (Merchant Marine) Semifinals: W, Major Decision, 12-4 vs. Michael Hulcher (VMI) Finals: L, 5-2 vs. Dylan Hyder (Air Force) 141: #16 Logan Everett (2nd): 2-1, Fall, Tech. Fall Quarterfinals: W, Fall at 0:25 vs. Dan May (Merchant Marine) Semifinals: W, Tech. Fall, 16-1 vs. Douglas Gudenburr (The Citadel) Finals: L, Major Decision, 15-2 vs. #18 Jared Prince (Navy) 149: Matt Kelly (4th): 2-2, Tech. Fall, Major Decision Quarterfinals: W, Tech. Fall, 15-0 vs. Alex Rinehurst (VMI) Semifinals: L, 9-5 vs. Gerald McGinty (Air Force) Cons. Semifinals: W, Major Decision, 8-0 vs. Matt Vieira (Coast Guard) 3rd Place: L, 7-3 vs. Corey Wilding (Navy) 157: #16 Russ Parsons (1st): 3-0, Tech. Fall, Major Decision Quarterfinals: W, Tech. Fall, 18-0 vs. Chris Sullivan (Coast Guard) Semifinals: W, 9-4 vs. Alex Mossing (Air Force) Finals: W, Major Decision, 12-0 vs. Neal Richards (VMI) 165: Andrew Mendel (2nd): 2-1, Fall, Major Decision Quarterfinals: W, Fall at 4:05 vs. Christian Willoughby (Merchant Marine) Semifinals: W, Major Decision, 12-4 vs. Cade Kiely (VMI) Finals: L, 3-2 vs. Drew Daniels (Navy) 174: Ben Harvey (2nd): 2-1, Fall, Major Decision Quarterfinals: W, Fall at 1:35 vs. Martin Duane (The Citadel) Semifinals: W, MD, 8-0 vs. Michael Billingsley (Air Force) Finals: L, 7-5 vs. #16 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) 184: Samson Imonode (2nd): 2-1, Tech. Fall, Major Decision Quarterfinals: W, Tech. Fall, 21-4 vs. Dan Fiorvanti (Coast Guard) Semifinals: W, Major Decision, 17-4 vs. Joseph Hennessey (Norwich) Finals: L, Major Decision, 16-4 vs. Michael Coleman (Navy) 197: C.J. Morgan: 1-2 Quarterfinals: W, 8-6 vs. Taylor Thomas (VMI) Semifinals: L, 6-1 vs. Steban Cervantes (Navy) Cons. Semis: L, 3-1 vs. Blake Bunce (Merchant Marine) 285: Trevor Smith (1st): 2-0 Quarterfinals: Bye Semifinals: W, 1-0 vs. Thomas Ott (Navy) Finals: W, 4-0 vs. Kerry Powers (Air Force) COACHES CORNER Head Coach Kevin Ward: "My message to the team is that you've done something that this program has never done before. That's something to take pride in and feel good about. But putting eight in the finals and leaving with three champions shows that there is work to be done. It will only get tougher from here, so we better get tougher. We got exposed in some areas and we need to address them. They are things that are fixable. I'm not worried, but I'm not satisfied either. We have to continue to make progress if we want to achieve our goals." UP NEXT The Black Knights will have a week off before traveling to Lehigh on Feb. 10 for an EIWA matchup at 7 p.m.

BLACKSBURG -- Bolstered by their upperweights all season, it was the middleweights of the fifth-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team that propelled the Hokies in a 26-13 win over Duke in front of a sold out crowd at the Moss Arts Center on Sunday evening. The Hokies (15-1, 4-0 ACC) move to 7-0 all at the Moss Arts Center and have now won 15-consecutive ACC dual meets. The Blue Devils fall to 3-6 overall and 0-2 in the ACC. With the score tied at 13-13 entering the final four bouts, redshirt sophomore Solomon Chishko gave Tech a bonus point at 149 pounds with a convincing 22-9 major decision over Xaviel Ramos. Going up against a tough foe in Duke's Jake Faust and holding onto a slim 4-3 lead entering the third period, redshirt senior Sal Mastriani started bottom and picked up a key two-point reversal to go up 6-3. A point for stalling and riding time gave Mastriani an 8-3 decision and the Hokies a 20-13 lead. Redshirt senior David Bergida made it 23-13 with an 8-4 decision at 165 pounds before redshirt junior Zach Epperly sealed the match win with a gritty 3-1 win at 174. Duke chose to draw weight classes and the match started at 184 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Zack Zavatsky and redshirt junior Jared Haught both registered bonus points at 184 and 197, respectively, with Haught picking up a 22-7 tech fall at 5:57. The match of the night between No. 3 Ty Walz and No. 5 Jacob Kasper lived up to the hype and was closer than the final score indicated. Kasper led 7-5 after two periods but Walz started bottom and picked up a reversal at the beginning of the third period that made it 8-7 Kasper after an escape. It was all Kasper from there though as four back points lifted him to a 15-7 major decision. Redshirt senior Joey Dance nearly picked up a tech fall in the waning seconds of the bout at 125 but settled for a major decision to get the Hokies back on track. After the Blue Devils won the next two bouts, Tech went on to win the next four. Tech will go on a one week break before facing NC State at Cassell Coliseum for the 2017 ACC Dual Meet Championship on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The Hokies will then face South Dakota State in its final regular season home dual of the season at 12:30 on Sunday, Feb. 12. Results: 184: No. 4 Zack Zavatsky (VT) MD Alec Schenk (Duke), 13-3 197: No. 3 Jared Haught (VT) TF Luke Farinaro (Duke), 22-7 (5:57) 285: No. 5 Jacob Kasper (Duke) MD No. 3 Ty Walz (VT), 15-7 125: No. 2 Joey Dance (VT) MD Thayer Atkins (Duke), 18-4 133: Cole Baumgartner (Duke) dec. Dennis Gustafson (VT), 9-4 141: Zach Finesilver (Duke) FALL Brendan Ryan (VT), 4:02 149: No. 7 Solomon Chishko (VT) MD Xaviel Ramos (Duke), 22-9 157: No. 14 Sal Mastriani (VT) dec. Jake Faust (Duke), 8-3 165: David Bergida (VT) dec. Garrett Neff (Duke), 8-4 174: No. 2 Zach Epperly (VT) dec. No. 18 Connor Bass, 3-1

GREELEY, Colo. -- The No. 14 Oklahoma wrestling team earned its second win of the weekend, downing Northern Colorado, 35-6, on Sunday afternoon inside Bank of Colorado Arena. The Sooners (8-4 overall, 4-1 Big 12) used six bonus-point wins for their third straight contest scoring 30-or-more points. The win also capped off a 7-1 record in the month of January for Oklahoma. Jacob Rubio got the first win of the afternoon for the Sooners, downing UNC's Rico Montoya by 7-1 decision. Rubio struck first, connecting for a takedown early in the first period and held on to a 2-1 lead entering the final frame. He tacked on an escape, a takedown and a penalty point in the third and added the riding-time point to tie the dual at 3-3. At 141 pounds, Mike Longo secured a 7-1 decision over Timmy Box. Box scored first and led 2-1 after the opening period, but Longo escaped and countered with a takedown of his own for a 4-2 advantage entering the final period. Longo registered a 2-point nearfall and the riding-time point in the third to give the Sooners a 6-3 advantage. Sophomore Davion Jeffries took control of the 149-pound matchup, dominating Ben Polkowske by 18-1 technical fall in five minutes. Jeffries tallied three takedowns, two 4-point nearfalls and a 2-point nearfall en route to the bonus-point victory. Clark Glass kept the momentum rolling for Oklahoma, downing Tyler Kinn by 10-2 major decision in the 157-pound bout. Glass held a 2-0 lead after the opening frame and tacked on two more and an escape in the second for a 7-1 advantage. Glass secured another takedown and the riding-time point to give the Sooners a 15-3 lead heading into intermission. In the 174-pound bout, Matt Reed got the win by fall in 2:59 over Tommy Chisholm to put Oklahoma up 21-6. The redshirt senior led 14-0 at the time of the fall by way of a takedown and three straight 4-point nearfalls. Andrew Dixon tallied a 10-2 major decision over Tanner Davis in the 184-pound matchup. Dixon led 3-1 after the opening two periods and added a takedown and a 4-point nearfall in the third. His 2:10 in riding time secured the bonus-point victory for the Sooners. At 197 pounds, redshirt senior Brad Johnson secured the Sooners' fifth bonus-point win of the night in an 11-2 major decision over Jamarcus Grant. Johnson held a 6-0 advantage through two frames and added two takedowns and the riding-time point in the final period. Redshirt senior Ross Larson earned his third consecutive win by fall in the heavyweight match with a pin in 2:59 over Jack Kuck. Larson connected on a late takedown and turned Kuck with a second remaining to set the final score at 35-6. In the 125-pound bout, Christian Moody dropped a 6-1 decision to Trey Andrews, and Keilan Torres downed Yoanse Mejias by 10-5 decision at 165 pounds. Oklahoma returns to the mat on Friday, Feb. 3 in Brookings, S.D., at 8 p.m. for a Big-12 matchup with No. 19 South Dakota State. The Sooners travel straight to No. 18 Northern Iowa for a 2 p.m. contest in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Results: 125 Trey Andrews (UNC) dec. Christian Moody (OU), 6-1 133 Jacob Rubio (OU) dec. Rico Montoya (UNC), 7-1 141 Mike Longo (OU) dec. Timmy Box (UNC), 7-1 149 No. 13 Davion Jeffries (OU) tech. fall Ben Polkowske (UNC), 18-1 (5:00) 157 No. 13 Clark Glass (OU maj. dec. Tyler Kinn (UNC), 10-2 165 Keilan Torres (UNC) dec. No. 11 Yoanse Mejias (OU), 10-5 174 Matt Reed (OU) fall Tommy Chisholm (UNC), 2:59 184 Andrew Dixon (OU) maj. dec. Tanner Davis (UNC), 10-2 197 No. 19 Brad Johnson (OU) maj. dec. Jamarcus Grant (UNC), 11-2 HWT Ross Larson (OU) fall Jack Kuck (UNC), 2:59

AMES, Iowa -- The top-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team took care of business Sunday afternoon, defeating Iowa State, 34-3, at Hilton Coliseum to remain undefeated. It marked the Cowboys' (10-0, 4-0 Big 12) sixth victory of 30 points or more this season. The Cowboys came out on top of a number of close bouts in the opening five matches to lead, 15-0, heading into intermission. OSU would close the door on the Cyclones in the second half, using a pair of falls from 165-pounder Chandler Rogers and heavyweight Austin Schafer, along with a top-10 victory from senior Kyle Crutchmer at 174 pounds. Nick Piccininni defeated Iowa State's Kyle Larson, 8-2, at 125 to open the dual for the Cowboys. Piccininni was in control throughout, steadily scoring a takedown in each period to lead wire to wire for his third-straight victory. Redshirt freshman Kaid Brock followed with a 7-4 decision over 12th-ranked Earl Hall to move to 18-1 on the season. Tied at four with under two minutes to go in the match and over a minute of riding time under his belt, Brock sealed up any hope of a Hall comeback, dropping the Cyclone for a takedown with 15 seconds left to lock up the win. At 141 pounds, Dean Heil continued his undefeated season, controlling John Meeks in an 8-5 match to push the junior NCAA Champion's record to 13-1. With the win, Heil also expanded his team-leading win streak to 28 matches. Anthony Collica got back on track Sunday with a 3-0 shutout decision over Gabe Moreno to bounce back from a narrow loss to No. 4 Lavion Mayes of Missouri last Friday. After Collica rode Moreno out for the duration of the second period, the pair found themselves both scoreless heading to the third. Collica elected to open the period on bottom and was able to convert on a reversal with 1:27 left, riding out the clock for the 3-0 decision with riding time. In his first dual start for the Pokes since the season-opener, Davey Dolan sent the Cowboys into the locker room on a high note with a 5-2 win over Iowa State's Colston DiBlasi. Leading 4-0 heading into the final minute of the match, Dolan finished off the win despite being dinged for his second and third stall warnings in the final 20 seconds of the match. Coming out of intermission, redshirt sophomore Chandler Rogers tallied the first bonus points of the day for OSU with a first-period pin of Logan Breitenbach at 165 pounds to stretch the Cowboys' lead to 21-0. Rogers scored the first takedown of the match with just over a minute and a half to go in the first and never let go, decking Breitenbach in 1:51 for his sixth fall of the season. “Since the Missouri match, even though I lost, I found that my shots were starting to work,” Rogers said. “I felt some of my moves. Even though I didn't take a single shot in my match, I felt my offense open up. I really used that momentum from the last dual. I always want to try to feed off myself and the things that motivate me.” Kyle Crutchmer continued that momentum, holding off 10th-ranked Lelund Weatherspoon for a 3-2 win. Crutchmer led throughout, opening with a takedown in the first minute and 15 seconds to take an early lead that he wouldn't surrender. The win was a nice bounce-back from a tough loss to Dylan Wisman Friday night at Missouri. “When you lose a match that you're really not supposed to lose, you find yourself questioning a lot of things,” Crutchmer said. “How you bounce back isn't trying to fix things because most of the time, they aren't broken. There might be a couple of things that I struggled with mentally on Friday. I put a little too much pressure on myself being a senior, but it's good to come out here and beat a guy that made the NCAA semifinals last year. I'm just ready to keep going.” “I'm just trying to have fun with it,” Crutchmer said of trying to finish his season strong. “This is my last year to compete in wrestling. I'm just trying to have fun with my guys, my teammates. We're a good team. I'm just looking forward to competing and being able to showcase my skills. I just want to have fun with it while I'm still able to do it.” Senior Nolan Boyd expanded his bonus-point win streak to four with a 14-2 major decision over Carson Powell. Much like in his previous three victories, Boyd was in control for the whole match, scoring four takedowns and a nearfall in the triumph. Iowa State got on the board at 197 pounds as Marcus Harrington knocked off redshirt freshman Derek White in a 3-2 match. The pair were tied heading into the final period, but Harrington would record the decisive escape with 1:38 on the clock to take the win. Senior heavyweight Austin Schafer put the exclamation point on the win with a second-period pin of Quean Smith to finish off the match. Schafer moved to 18-1 overall in his senior season, and the win marked the Cowboy's 10th bonus-point win of the year. The Cowboys will look to continue their winning ways next weekend as they wrap up the regular-season road schedule. OSU will open the weekend Friday night at Edinboro before a battle against Kent State in Kent, Ohio, on Saturday afternoon. Results: 125: No. 12 Nick Piccininni (OSU) dec. Kyle Larson (ISU) 8-2 133: No. 3 Kaid Brock (OSU) dec. No. 12 Earl Hall (ISU) 7-4 141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. John Meeks (ISU) 8-5 149: No. 2 Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. Gabe Moreno (ISU) 3-0 157: Davey Dolan (OSU) dec. Colston DiBlasi (ISU) 5-2 165: No. 6 Chandler Rogers (OSU) fall Logan Breitenbach (ISU) 1:51 174: No. 8 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) dec. No. 10 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) 3-2 184: No. 6 Nolan Boyd (OSU) MD Carson Powell (ISU) 14-2 197: Marcus Harrington (ISU) dec. Derek White (OSU) 3-2 HWT: No. 6 Austin Schafer (OSU) fall Quean Smith (ISU) 3:50

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 1 Penn State (10-0, 6-0 B1G) easily handled visiting Northwestern (6-6, 1-5) in sold out Rec Hall on Sunday. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad won nine of ten bouts, including three pins, to roll to a 45-3 victory and remain unbeaten on the year. The Nittany Lions increased their dual match win streak to 27 straight dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. Penn State sent seven underclassmen into the bout against the Wildcats. The capacity crowd of 6,630, the largest Rec Hall crowd of the year for the Lions, was the 33rd straight Rec Hall sell-out for Penn State. The Nittany Lions have sold out 36 of their last 38 duals, including three of five in the Bryce Jordan Center. The dual began at 125 where freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 1 nationally, turned a quick second period reversal into a pin at the 3:10 mark of Northwestern's Anthony Rubinetti. Suriano lead 10-2 at the time. . At 133, sophomore George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) suffered a hard-fought 4-3 loss to Northwestern's Jason Ipsarides. Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, continued his outstanding run with a 20-5 technical fall at the 5:25 mark over NU's Alec McKenna. Gulibon tallied seven takedowns in the win. Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) won at 149, receiving a forfeit victory. The win was Retherford's 50th straight victory dating back to the 2013-14 season. His win pushed Penn State out to a 17-3 lead. Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, notched Penn State's second fall of the dual, pinning Ben Sullivan at the 4:39 mark. Nolf's win gave Penn State a 23-3 lead heading into the halftime break. Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked no. 4 at 165, got the afternoon off, and senior Caleb Livingston (Drexel Hill, Pa.) got the nod in front of the sell-out Rec Hall crowd. Livingston took advantage of the chance and thrilled the Rec Hall crowd by picking up a first period pin of Anthony Petrone at the 2:19 mark. The win was Livingston's first dual victory as a Nittany Lion. True freshman Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 7 at 174, won by forfeit, pushing Penn State out to a 35-3 lead. Hall will look to make his actual Rec Hall debut in two weeks against Illinois. The true freshman leads Penn State with 20 wins and improves to 20-2 overall with the victory. Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 2 at 184, faced No. 20 Mitch Sliga in the lone match-up between ranked opponents. Nickal dominated the action from start to finish and posted the 10-1 major with over 3:00 in riding time. Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 197, rolled through Northwestern senior Jacob Berkowitz, posting a 10-3 win with 1:37 in riding time to move Penn State out to a 42-3 lead. Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 285, closed out the dual with a hard-fought 5-4 win over talented Northwestern big man Conan Jennings and the Nittany Lions rolled to the 45-3 win. Penn State dominated the takedown war, posting a 22-3 edge. In Penn State's two weekend dual meets, the team amassed a stunning 47-5 takedown advantage. The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts and picked up 18 bonus points off three pins (Suriano, Nolf, Livingston), two forfeits (Retherford, Hall), a tech fall (Gulibon) and a major (Nickal). Retherford has now won 50 straight matches dating back to the end of the 13-14 season. He is 15-0 with 11 pins, a forfeit, a tech and a major. Nolf is 15-0 with nine pins, a major and four techs. Nickal is 14-0 with 11 pins and two majors this season. The Nittany Lions are now 10-0, 6-0 in the Big Ten, and winners of 27 straight duals. Northwestern falls to 6-6, 1-5 B1G. Penn State visits No. 3 Ohio State next Friday, Feb. 3, for a 6 p.m. dual meet that will air live nationally on the Big Ten Network. Penn State's next home date is a meeting with Illinois on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. All Rec Hall dual meets are sold out, but a very limited number of Standing Room Only tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY. 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. Results: 125: #3 Nick Suriano PSU pinned Anthony Rubinetti NU, WBF (3:10) / 6-0 133: Jason Ipsarides NU dec. George Carpenter PSU, 4-3 / 6-3 141: #12 Jimmy Gulibon PSU tech fall Alec McKenna NU, 20-5 (TF; 5:25) / 11-3 149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU win by forfeit / 17-3 157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Ben Sullivan NU, WBF (4:39) / 23-3 165: Caleb Livingston PSU pinned Anthony Petrone NU, WBF (2:19) / 29-3 174: #7 Mark Hall PSU win by forfeit / 35-3 184: #2 Bo Nickal PSU maj. dec. #20 Mitch Sliga NU, 10-1 / 39-3 197: #10 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Jacob Berkowitz NU, 10-3 / 42-3 285: #4 Nick Nevills PSU dec. Conan Jennings NU, 5-4 / 45-3 Attendance: 6,630 Records: Penn State 10-0, 6-0 B1G; Northwestern 6-6, 1-5 B1G Up Next for Penn State: at #3 Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 3, 6 p.m. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 3 at 125, faced off against Northwestern's Anthony Rubinetti. The Lion freshman came out hot, taking Rubinetti down for an early 2-1 lead. He added a second takedown midway through the period and cut Rubinetti loose for a 4-2 lead. Suriano quickly caught the Wildcat and took him to his back for a takedown and four near fall points to lead 10-2. A short ride out gave the Lion freshman a 10-2 lead with 1:10 in riding time after one period. Suriano chose down to start the second period, and in just seconds reversed Rubinetti to his back and picked up the pin at the 3:10 mark. 133: Sophomore George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) took on freshman Jason Ipsarides. Ipsarides drew first blood with a takedown at the 1:26 mark, opening up a 2-1 lead after a quick Carpenter escape. The duo battled evenly for the remainder of the first period but Carpenter got hit for a first stall warning. Trailing 2-1, Carpenter chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Carpenter's defense moved the match into the third period tied 2-2. Ipsarides chose down to start the third period and steadily worked his way to a reversal and a 4-2 lead with 1:20 left in the match. Carpenter escaped to a 4-3 deficit with 1:20 on the clock and immediately worked his way in on a low single. The Lion sophomore's offense forced a scramble in the middle of the mat that eventually ended in a stalemate at the :36 mark. Carpenter scrambled for a final takedown and forced Ipsarides into a stall warning, but the Lion sophomore ran out of time and dropped a tough 4-3 decision. 141: Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, tangled with Northwestern's Alec McKenna. Gulibon exploded out of the gates, taking McKenna down and two his back for a quick 6-0 lead off a takedown and two back points. McKenna escaped to a 6-1 score, only to have Gulibon quickly turn a solid double into a takedown and an 8-1 lead with 1:20 on the clock. Gulibon cut McKenna loose and then hustled his way around the Wildcat for a third takedown and a 10-2 lead. Gulibon chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to an 11-2 lead. He then blew through another shot for a fourth takedown to up his lead to 13-2 with 1:25 on the clock. The Lion senior cut McKenna loose once more and turned a high single into a 15-3 lead. A second McKenna stall and a ride out sent Gulibon into the third period with a 16-3 lead and 3:34 in riding time. McKenna chose down to start the third period and Gulibon cut him loose. A quick Gulibon takedown and cut gave the Lion an 18-5 lead and the Lion senior ended the match with a takedown to post the 20-5 technical fall at the 5:25 mark. 149: Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, received a forfeit victory at 149. Retherford improves to 15-0 on the year with 11 pins, one forfeit, a tech and a major. He has won 50 straight matches dating back to the end of the 2013-14 season. 157: Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, battled senior Ben Sullivan. Nolf took a quick 2-1 lead with a takedown and cut in the first 20 seconds. The Lion sophomore continued to press on offense and added a second takedown and cut midway through the period. With the score 4-2, Sullivan worked his way behind Nolf and looked for a takedown. Nolf rolled under the Wildcat and countered his way to a takedown of his own. The takedown was reviewed by the officials, the call was reversed and Sullivan was awarded the takedown. Tied 4-4, Nolf quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead and then countered a Sullivan shot for another takedown and a 7-5 lead. The Lion sophomore added one more takedown and led 9-6 after one. Nolf chose down to start the second period and reversed the Wildcat to an 11-7 lead. He then took Sullivan down again, locked up a cradle and picked up the fall at the 4:39 mark. 165: Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 165, stepped aside for the day allowing senior Caleb Livingston (Drexel Hill, Pa.) to face off against Anthony Petrone. Petrone worked his way in on and early single, but Livingston countered the shot, worked his way around the Wildcat and took an early 2-0 lead. Petrone was able to notch a reversal, however, and the bout was tied 2-2 at the 2:10 mark. Continuing the scramble, Livingston answered with his own reversal to retake the lead 4-2. Livingston then broke Petrone down and worked his way to four near fall points and an 8-2 lead. He reset himself and turned Petrone once more. This time the senior worked Petrone's shoulders flat and got the pin at the 2:19 mark. The win was Livingston's first dual meet victory as a Nittany Lion. 174: True freshman Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 7 at 174, won by forfeit. The true freshman will look to see his first action in Rec Hall in two weeks against Illinois. He leads Penn State with 20 wins this season and is 20-2 overall. 184: Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 2 at 184, took on No. 20 Mitch Sliga in the dual's marquee match-up. Nickal worked his way into control of Sliga's leg and spent :30 trying to take the Wildcat down. Sliga managed to fight the move off by backing out of bounds, forcing a reset at the 2:00 mark. Sliga worked his way into control of Nickal's ankle, but the Lion sophomore deftly scrambled his way into a takedown of his own to lead 2-0 with 1:25 on the clock. Sliga escaped to a 2-1 score with :50 left and Nickal went back to work on the Nittany Lion logo. Nickal's offense kept Sliga on his heels and the match moved to the second period with Nickal up 2-1. Sliga chose down to start the second period and Nickal went to work on top, trying to turn the Wildcat to his back. Nickal maintained control of the Wildcat for over a minute, building his riding time edge up over 2:00. Nickal completed the ride out and led 2-1 with 2:46 in riding time after two. The Lion sophomore chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Nickal countered a Sliga shot and scrambled for a takedown. He then locked up a cradle and nearly picked up another late pin. Sliga fought off his shoulders and Nickal settled for a dominating 10-1 major with 3:12 in riding time. 197: Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 197, battled senior Jacob Berkowitz. McCutcheon nearly scored at the 1:45 mark, using a fast low single to gain control of Berkowitz's leg. But the Wildcat was able to step back and out of trouble and action resumed in the center of the mat with 1:20 left in the opening period. McCutcheon took a 2-0 lead with a fast takedown at the 1:06 mark and then put together a strong ride. The Lion junior controlled the action for the rest of the period and led 2-0 with 1:06 riding time after one. McCutcheon chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. McCutcheon turned a low single into a scramble on the edge of the mat. After a brief struggle, the Lion moved up Berkowitz's leg and picked up the takedown to lead 5-0 with :55 left in the period. Berkowitz escaped to a 5-1 score and action resumed neutral. McCutcheon continued to press on offense and nearly picked up a takedown at the buzzer to no avail. Trailing 5-1, Berkowitz chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 score. McCutcheon slipped by a slight Berkowitz shot and moved behind him for another takedown and a 7-2 lead. He cut the Wildcat senior to a 7-3 score, working for a major. McCutcheon added one final takedown and, with 1:37 in riding time, posted the dominating 10-3 win. 285: Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 285, took to the mat against sophomore Conan Jennings. Nevills gained control of Jennings' left leg with a solid shot and steadily worked his way into control of the Wildcat. The Lion nearly secured the takedown but a stalemate forced a reset with 1:00 on the clock. Nevills shot once more and Jennings broke the hold to keep the bout scoreless after the opening stanza. Jennings chose down to start the second period and Nevills controlled the action from the top position. The Lion sophomore broke Jennings down, building his riding time up over 1:00 with a strong ride. Nevills closed out the period on top, controlling Jennings' arm, and the bout moved to the third period 0-0 but with Nevills owning 2:00 in time. Nevills chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to a reversal at the 1:22 mark. Leading 2-0, Nevills clinched the riding time point then cut Jennings loose to a 2-1 score. Looking to pick up a takedown, the Lion sophomore used a low shot to lift Jennings' leg off the ground. He took him down, cut him to a 4-2 lead, but gave up a late takedown to tie the score. Nevills fought off a late turn attempt and, with 2:07 in riding time, posted the 5-4 win.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 11 Rutgers wrestling thumped Michigan State, 24-12, Sunday afternoon at Jenison Field House, rallying in the final four weight classes of the dual for its 10th win of the season. Jordan Pagano and Matthew Correnti provided major decision victories at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively, for the Scarlet Knights (10-3, 4-2) in the second half, securing RU's 11th-straight season of double-digit wins. “After those first two I was worried, but we battled,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “It was a long road trip, but we battled hard and guys did what they had to do. It's good to finish up with a win on the road otherwise it makes for a long trip back. Good for us, now let's get ready for Indiana.” RU found itself in a tight match through six bouts, with the Spartans (4-9, 1-6) picking off wins at 125 and 133 pounds for a 9-0 lead. 125-pounder Brandon Paetzell led Logan Griffin, 2-1, late in the third period, but got caught on his back with 30 seconds left in a loss by fall. At 133 pounds, Austin Eicher used a takedown with two seconds left to defeat Scott DelVecchio. DelVecchio entered the third period with a 1-0 edge, but Eicher escaped and established control of the RU grappler as the horn sounded. Following the close losses, the Scarlet Knights roared back to take a lead into intermission. No. 6 Anthony Ashnault beat NCAA qualifier Javier Gasca for his 20th win of the season, No. 14 Ken Theobold dominated in a 6-0 decision for his fourth-straight victory, and No. 17 John Van Brill recorded the first of three majors in the dual for RU. MSU grabbed the lead right back, as Drew Hughes rode out Anthony Pafumi in the third period for a 1-0 win at 165 pounds. The result made it 12-10 Spartans with four matches to go. But Pagano went to work to swing momentum back to the Scarlet Knights, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first period on his way to a commanding 8-0 win. RU outscored MSU by a combined 27-3 over the final four matches. No. 14 Nicholas Gravina continued the onslaught with a 5-0 decision and 3:20 of riding time. Correnti followed up by scoring three takedowns in the last period for his third major decision. Heavyweight Razohnn Gross won his third in a row in a 3-0 decision against Jacob Cooper and has won four of his last five overall. “I feel great about those guys right now. They're wrestling really well,” Goodale said of Correnti and Gross. “A true freshman and a guy who hasn't wrestled in four years and they're starting to come on. They're really getting their legs under them and starting to understand this whole Big Ten schedule, the grind, the travel, all that. I feel good about what we're doing at our upper weights.” RU hosts Indiana at the Rutgers Athletic Center next Sunday at noon and face a quick turnaround with a 7 p.m. Monday night match at No. 4 Ohio State on Big Ten Network. Results: 125: Logan Griffin (MSU) wins by fall against Brandon Paetzell (RU), 6:31; MSU leads, 6-0 133: No. NR/20/NR Austin Eicher (MSU) dec. over Scott DelVecchio (RU), 3-1; MSU leads, 9-0 141: No. 6/6/6 Anthony Ashnault (RU) dec. over Javier Gasca (MSU), 7-2; MSU leads, 9-3 149: No. 14/16/14 Ken Theobold (RU) dec. over Nick Trimble (MSU), 6-0; MSU leads, 9-6 157: No. 17/13/14 John Van Brill (RU) major dec. over Austin Thompson (MSU), 10-2; MSU leads, 10-9 165: No. NR/NR/16 Drew Hughes (MSU) dec. over Anthony Pafumi (RU), 1-0; MSU leads, 12-10 174: Jordan Pagano (RU) major dec. over Drew Barnes (MSU), 8-0; RU leads, 14-12 184: No. 13/12/14 Nicholas Gravina (RU) dec. over Shwan Shadaia (MSU), 5-0; RU leads, 17-12 197: Matthew Correnti (RU) major dec. over Jimmy Russell (MSU), 11-3; RU leads, 21-12 HWT: Razohnn Gross (RU) dec. over Jacob Cooper (MSU), 3-0; RU wins, 24-12

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used back-to-back upset wins at the lowerweights and big bonus points to knock off No. 10 Lehigh, 24-13, in front of 1,652 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines earned six individual wins en route to their second win this weekend against a higher-ranked opponent. Sophomore/freshman Sal Profaci and junior/sophomore Malik Amine electrified the Keen Arena crowd with their upset wins at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Profaci struck first, finishing on a low single-leg takedown in the opening 20 seconds of the bout, and made it hold up in a 3-2 decision against 11th-ranked Randy Cruz in the former bout. Profaci rode Cruz long enough to earn exactly 1:00 time advantage in the second and, after a neutral start in the third, avoided giving up points in a pair of late scrambles. It was his biggest collegiate win to date. The same is true for Malik Amine, who converted on a late leg attack to edge 11th-ranked Laike Gardner, 5-4, also on riding time. After a scoreless first period, Amine locked up a cradle to score a reversal in the second but sacrificed the lead just moments later when Gardner hit a late a single-leg takedown and rode out the frame. Amine rode for riding-time advantage before giving up the third-period escape and, with just eight second remaining in the bout, finished on a single leg on the edge to make his riding point the difference. The Wolverines bookended the upsets with a pair of big bonus wins. Sophomore/freshman Stevan Micic, ranked seventh in the latest InterMat poll at 133 pounds, cruised to a 21-4 technical fall against Joe Lobeck to put Michigan out front for good in the dual. Micic scored six takedowns -- three apiece in the first and third periods -- and looking for more late in the bout, used a leg turk in the final seconds to tack on four back points and secure the tech fall. It was Micic's 10th bonus win this season. Senior captain Brian Murphy, ranked 12th nationally at 157 pounds, kept the momentum going after the upset wins with a first-period fall -- in 1:50 -- against Kent Lane. After quickly striking on a single-leg takedown, Murphy turned Lane with a bow and arrow to get first pin of the season on Senior Day. Sophomore/freshman Logan Massa, ranked second nationally, earned a 6-1 decision against 13th-ranked Mitch Minotti after the intermission break at 165 pounds. After a scoreless first period and just missing on several leg attacks, Massa hit an ankle in the waning seconds of the second period and then rode out the third period, picking up a pair of stall points and 1:56 in riding-time advantage. The Wolverines narrowly dropped the other two bouts featuring two nationally-ranked opponents. A first-period takedown made the difference in 10th-ranked fifth-year senior Conor Youtsey's 4-2 loss to eighth-ranked Darian Cruz at 125 pounds, while ninth-ranked sophomore/freshman Myles Amine fell to fifth-ranked Ryan Preisch, 6-2, at 174 pounds on takedowns in the first and third periods. Michigan needed just one more win in the final three bouts to clinch the dual, and sophomore/freshman Jackson Striggow came through the for second time this weekend, earning a 9-0 major decision against Tom Murray at 197 pounds. Striggow converted on three takedowns -- one in each period -- and rode for 3:27. It was his fifth win in six matches. The Wolverines will take on a pair of in-state rivals next weekend, traveling to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to face Central Michigan at 7 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 2) before squaring off against Michigan State at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 4) in East Lansing, Michigan. Results: 125 -- #8 Darian Cruz (LU) dec. #10 Conor Youtsey, 4-2 LU, 3-0 133 -- #7 Stevan Micic (U-M) tech. fall Joe Lobeck, 21-4 (7:00) U-M, 5-3 141 -- Sal Profaci (U-M) dec. #11 Randy Cruz, 3-2 U-M, 8-3 149 -- Malik Amine (U-M) dec. #11 Laike Gardner, 5-4 U-M, 11-3 157 -- #12 Brian Murphy (U-M) pinned Kent Lane, 1:50 U-M, 17-3 165 -- #2 Logan Massa (U-M) dec. #13 Mitch Minotti, 6-1 U-M, 20-3 174 -- #5 Ryan Preisch (LU) dec. #9 Myles Amine, 6-2 U-M, 20-6 184 -- Andrew Price (LU) dec. Aaron Calderon, 6-4 U-M, 20-9 197 -- Jackson Striggow (U-M) major dec. Tom Murray, 9-0 U-M, 24-9 Hwt -- #16 Doug Vollaro (RU) major dec. Dan Perry, 10-1 U-M, 24-13

KENT, Ohio -- No. 18 UNI wrestling stayed perfect in the MAC with a 31-16 win over Kent State on the road today. UNI improved to 9-2 overall and 6-0 in the conference. Kent State continues to look for a MAC win, falling 2-11 overall and 0-5 in the MAC. The Panthers got falls from Jay Schwarm at 125 pounds, No. 8 Max Thomsen at 149 pounds and No. 10 Bryce Steiert at 165 pounds. Steiert has won his last eight matches and has earned bonus points in the last six. Steiert and Thomsen also pinned their opponents Friday in a dual against Ohio. Schwarm is now second on the team with the most falls. He has seven so far this season. UNI also got bonus points from No. 14 Drew Foster, who notched his second major decision of the weekend. Schwarm's pin and a Kent State forfeit gave the Panthers a 12-0 lead before Kent State would get a decision at 141 pounds. KSU's bonus points at 197 pounds, a decision at 157 pounds and a forfeit win at heavyweight wasn't enough to grab the dual from UNI. UP NEXT UNI will host No. 14 Oklahoma at noon Feb. 5. It will be the Panthers' first dual in McLeod since 2009. Teams that email their rosters to MilkeR@uni.edu by Feb. 1 can receive free tickets for the dual. Results: 125 - Jay Schwarm (UNI) pinned Cory Simpson (KSU), 1:38 133 - #10 Josh Alber (UNI) won by forfeit 141 - Chance Driscoll (KSU) dec. Tyler Willers (UNI), 5-2 149 - #8 Max Thomsen (UNI) pinned Tim Rooney (KSU), 4:48 157 - #30 Casey Sparkman (KSU) dec. Paden Moore (UNI), 7-3 165 - #10 Bryce Steiert (UNI) pinned Isaac Bast (KSU), 4:23 174 - #10 Taylor Lujan (UNI) dec. Jared Walker (KSU), 6-4 184 - #14 Drew Foster (UNI) maj. dec. Jerald Spohn (KSU), 14-1 197 - Stephen Suglio (KSU) maj. dec. Jacob Holschlag (UNI), 12-1 285 - Devin Nye (KSU) won by forfeit

Bloomington, Ind. -- No. 5 Nebraska (12-1, 6-1 Big Ten) completed a weekend sweep with its 31-15 win over Indiana at University Gym on Sunday afternoon. Senior Tim Lambert, the No. 5-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds, became the 27th wrestler to win 100 career matches at Nebraska with his pin against Elijah Oliver in 2:07. The fall was Lambert's seventh of the season, a total which leads all Husker starters. He became the fourth Husker to achieve the 100-win milestone this season, along with TJ Dudley (Dec. 30), Eric Montoya (Jan. 8) and Aaron Studebaker (Jan. 15). Nebraska jumped out to an 11-0 lead after three bouts, starting with No. 10 Colton McCrystal's 16-1 technical fall over Cole Weaver at 141 pounds. McCrystal extends his winning streak to six matches and improves to 7-0 in Big Ten duals this season. Collin Purinton (149) notched a 3-2 decision over Chris Perez before third-ranked Tyler Berger (157) won a 13-7 decision over Jake Danishek. Indiana claimed victories in the following three matches, with Bryce Martin taking a 4-3 decision from Dustin Williams at 165 pounds. Nebraska forfeited at 174 and 184 pounds, but won each of the last four matches to finish the dual on a 20-0 run. No. 6 Studebaker (197) and No. 13 Collin Jensen (HWT) recorded back-to-back major decisions before Lambert's pin. Senior All-American Montoya, the No. 5-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, won by forfeit in the final match of the dual. The Huskers host Ohio State for Senior Night at the Devaney Center on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. (CT). On Sunday, Feb. 12, Nebraska visits Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Results: 141: #10 Colton McCrystal (NEB) tech fall Cole Weaver (IND), 16-1 (NEB 5, IND 0) 149: Collin Purinton (NEB) dec. Chris Perez (IND), 3-2 (NEB 8, IND 0) 157: #3 Tyler Berger (NEB) dec. Jake Danishek (IND), 13-7 (NEB 11, IND 0) 165: Bryce Martin (IND) dec. Dustin Williams (NEB), 4-3 (NEB 11, IND 3) 174: Devin Skatzka (IND) by forfeit (NEB 11, IND 9) 184: #7 Nate Jackson (IND) by forfeit (IND 15, NEB 11) 197: #6 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) major dec. Norman Conley (IND), 11-2 (NEB 15, IND 15) HWT: #13 Collin Jensen (NEB) major dec. Fletcher Miller (IND), 12-1 (NEB 19, IND 15) 125: #5 Tim Lambert (NEB) pin Elijah Oliver (IND), 2:07 (NEB 25, IND 15) 133: #5 Eric Montoya (NEB) by forfeit (NEB 31, IND 15)

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Trailing 15-0 after the matches first four bouts, the Rider University wrestling team got five-straight wins, all with bonus points, to defeat George Mason, 24-18, Sunday afternoon. Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) remains second in the nation following his 12th pin, while Wayne Stinson (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington Regional) and Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, DE/Caravel Academy) each won by tech fall. B.J. Clagon (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) and Michale Fagg-Daves (Somerset, NJ/Franklin) took major decisions to help the Broncs improve to 9-1 (5-1 EWL). “We had some people out today in four weight classes, so we were fortunate that our 57, 65, 74, 84 and 97 won and got bonus points in what ended up a 5-5 split,” said Rider Head Coach Gary Taylor. “It was certainly a great team effort to pull this off when we weren't at 100 percent.” Battling without its usual starters at 125, 133, 141 and 149, the Broncs dropped the first four bouts, including a forfeit at 141 to give George Mason a 15-0 lead. But Clagon's 12-4 major decision over Matt Ramos at 157 got the Broncs scoring started. Walsh then pinned Ryan Frost at 165 at 6:20 to cut the deficit to 15-10. Stinson's tech fall against Daniel Mika at 174 tied the match at 15-15. “That certainly took some pressure off of us when Chad got the pin,” said Taylor. “He continues to look pretty devastating with his pinning ability.” Fagg-Daves pushed the Broncs ahead with a 14-5 major decision against Austin Harrison at 184, before Wolfe scored a 19-3 tech fall over Matt Meadows in 4:30 at 197 to clinch the match. The Broncs return to action Feb. 9, when they travel to Hofstra. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. Results: 125 | Ibrahim Bunduka (Mason) decision over Brenden Calas (RU), 4-2 | 3-0 Mason 133 | Lio Quezada (Mason) decision over Zach Valcarce (RU), 10-8 | 6-0 Mason 141 | Tejon Anthony (Mason) forfeit over Evan Fidelibus (RU) | 12-0 Mason 149 | Sahid Kargbo (Mason) decision over Gino Fluri (RU), 6-2 | 15-0 Mason 157 | B.J. Clagon (RU) major decision over Matthew Raines (Mason), 12-4 |15-4 Mason 165 | Chad Walsh (RU) fall over Ryan Forrest (Mason), 6:20 | 15-10 Mason 174 | Wayne Stinson (RU) technical fall over Daniel Mika (Mason), 5:37 | 15-15 184 | Michale Fagg-Daves (RU) major decision over Austin Harrison (Mason), 14-5 | 19-15 Rider 197 | Ryan Wolfe (RU) technical fall over Matt Meadows (Mason), 3:24 |24-15 Rider HWT | Matthew Voss (Mason) decision over Mauro Correnti (RU), 15-9 | 24-18 Rider

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – All in all, a good weekend for the Central Michigan wrestling team. And a very good weekend for Austin Severn. Severn, CMU's 197-pounder, took a 4-3 decision from Shawn Scott on Sunday at McGuirk Arena to highlight the Chippewas' 33-6 victory over Northern Illinois in a Mid-American Conference dual. The win lifted CMU to 5-2, 3-2 MAC, and it came two days after the 17th-ranked Chippewas dominated Old Dominion, 28-9, in another MAC dual. The Chippewas won 15 of 20 matches in the two duals, and collected 30 takedowns while allowing just eight. “I was happy with the way we wrestled the whole weekend,” CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. “There's little things you can fix as far as hustle and effort. We're getting better technically, we're trying to be aggressive and that's what we want.” Severn, a senior who is ranked 18th by InterMat, scored his second-straight victory over a higher-ranked opponent on Sunday. On Friday, he pinned 14th-ranked Kevin Beazley of Old Dominion, and on Sunday he defeated ninth-ranked Shawn Scott of NIU. “Couldn't be a bigger weekend for Severn,” Borrelli said. “He's going to move up in the rankings, but that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is what's going on in his head and that had to help him a lot confidence wise.” The two wins lifted Severn's record to 19-4. “We have been working really hard in the room, just trying to score more points, staying relaxed out there and wrestling like we do in our practice room and I think it's paying off, especially in these past couple of duals,” Severn said. The Chippewas got a technical fall from CJ Brucki (174), a pin from freshman Mason Smith (141), and a major decision win from Colin Heffernan (157) against the Huskies (6-6, 2-4). Brucki's match ended 15-0 at 3:20 as he recorded three near-falls on NIU's Trace Engelkes, who entered Sunday's meet 13-2 on the season. Brucki led, 14-0, after the first period and ended the match with an escape 20 seconds into the second period. Brucki had lost to Engelkes at the university nationals. “It was good to get a nice win over him, kind of avenge that loss,” said Brucki, a junior who leads the Chippewas, along with Heffernan, with 22 wins on the season. “It was a good show of improvement.” The Chippewas also got decision victories from Corey Keener (133), Jordan Ellingwood (184) and Newton Smerchek (HWT). CMU's Brent Fleetwood (125) won by void. CMU's Justin Oliver, who is ranked sixth, dropped a 7-6 decision to 12th-ranked Steve Bleise at 149. Bleise took down Oliver in the first period and went up 6-0 with a near-fall. Oliver surrendered just one point the rest of the way, a third-period escape, as he battled to get back in the match. Trailing 7-4 in the third period, Oliver got a takedown with 3 seconds remaining to draw to 7-6. “Justin took a shot (in the first period), being aggressive, maybe over-aggressive but that's alright,” Borrelli said. “It' hard to peck your way back. I know Justin is really, really upset, but he fought the whole time. That's all you can ask.” The Chippewas host 15th-ranked Michigan on Thursday (7 p.m.) in a nonconference dual. “I'm happy with the way we're trying to execute the technique we're working on,” Borrelli said. “We'll learn a lot when we wrestle Michigan. I felt like we learned a lot when we wrestled Missouri. They were ranked eighth in the country. I wish we could compete with more teams like that, but it's hard to get teams like that to come to us and we don't want to travel all the time. I think you learn a lot from those matches.” Results: 125: Brent Fleetwood (CMU) won by void. 133: Corey Keener (CMU) dec. Alijah Jeffery, 7-2 141: Mason Smith (CMU) pinned Anthony Rubino, 2:21 149: Steve Bleise (NIU) dec. Justin Oliver, 7-6 157: Colin Heffernan (CMU) major dec. Caden McWhirter, 9-1 165: Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU) dec. Logan Parks, 4-0 174: CJ Brucki (CMU) tech. fall Trace Engelkes, 15-0, 3:20 184: Jordan Ellingwood (CMU) dec. Bryce Gorman, 4-1 197: Austin Severn (CMU) dec. Shawn Scott, 4-3 HWT: Newton Smerchek (CMU) dec. Caleb Gossett, 2-0

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Nationally ranked Bison Tyler Smith and Victor Lopez won by fall, Tom Sleigh earned a win by forfeit at 197 and five other Bucknell wrestlers posted wins by decision as the Bison defeated Bloomsburg by a 33-6 margin Sunday afternoon at Nelson Field House. It was the fifth consecutive victory for Bucknell, which improved to 7-4 on the season. The Huskies fell to 4-14 on the season. The 27-point margin of victory matched the largest of the season for Bucknell. First-period pins by Smith at 141 pounds and Lopez at 157 pounds led the way. Smith took over the team lead with his fourth win by fall this season, while Lopez posted his third pin. Lopez is now just two victories shy of 100 in his career. Bucknell's five wins by decision were close as two went to overtime and three were decided by one point. Jordan Gessner got the match started at 125 with his season-best fourth consecutive win, defeating Willy Girard 8-6 in sudden victory. It was the first overtime match of the year for Gessner, who got a takedown in the extra time. Joey Gould followed with a 3-2 decision at 133. It was his third straight victory and his fourth dual win of the year. Smith's victory made the team score 12-0, and Lopez made it 18-3 with his pin. Wrestling in his first dual match of the year, Collin Boylan posted a 4-0 shutout at 165 pounds. It was the largest margin of victory in a decision by a Bison wrestler all day. The next Bucknell win came at 184 pounds with Drew Phipps posting a 2-1 decision in the first tiebreaker. After Sleigh's forfeit victory, Tyler Greene closed out the match with a 3-2 decision. Greene has been hot of late, winning four consecutive bouts, and six of his last seven overall. Bucknell, which is in the midst of its longest winning streak since 2014-15, will wrestle its next three duals at home starting with Friday's 7 p.m. match against American in Sojka Pavilion. Results: 125: Jordan Gessner (Buck) dec. Willy Girard (Bloom), 8-6 (sv1). 133: Joey Gould (Buck) dec. Matt Noble (Bloom), 3-2. 141: No. 19/15/14 Tyler Smith (Buck) pinned Grant Bond (Bloom), 2:52. 149: John Barber (Bloom) dec. David Kelly (Buck), 6-3. 157: No. 11/10/17 Victor Lopez (Buck) pinned Kevin Laubach (Bloom), 1:34. 165: Collin Boylan (Buck) dec. Reid Stanley (Bloom), 4-0. 174: Trevor Allard (Bloom) dec. D.J. Hollingshead (Buck), 11-6. 184: Drew Phipps (Buck) dec. Kyle Murphy (Bloom), 2-1 (tb1). 197: No. 16/11/17 Tom Sleigh (Buck) wins by forfeit 285: Tyler Greene (Buck) dec. Bruce Graeber (Bloom), 3-2.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- With the score tied 7-7 after the first four matches, No. 8 NC State won four straight matches, and five of the final six, to came away with a 23-10 ACC dual win at Virginia Sunday afternoon. With the win, NC State improves to 10-1, and 3-0 in ACC duals. The dual started at 197 pounds, and the Pack picked up back-to-back wins, including a major decision to jump out to the 7-0 lead. #24 Redshirt-sophomore Malik McDonald start the Pack off with an 8-5 win. Going into the third period tied 2-2, McDonald forced three stall calls and added a second takedown to secure the win to start today's dual. #21 Redshirt-senior Mike Kosoy made it back-to-back wins to open the dual, as he won with a 12-4 major decision at heavyweight. Kosoy jumped out to a 5-1 lead with 1:33 of ride time after a pair of first period takedowns. A late takedown and the ride time point got the bonus point win. The Cavs answered with back-to-back wins of their own, including a major decision at 125 points to even the score 7-7 after four matches. #2 Junior Kevin Jack got the lead back for the Pack, with a 10-1 major decision over #7 George DiCamillo at 141 pounds. In the first, Jack got takedowns in both the first and then final 10 seconds. A two-point near fall started the second, and with ride time and another takedown in the third Jack won his 22nd in a row. Jack now has six top-10 victories this year, and four of his last six wins have all come against top-10 foes. Halfway through, NC State held an 11-7 lead. #11 Senior Sam Speno made it back-to-back wins for the Pack once again with a 7-3 decision over #28 Sam Krivus at 149 pounds. Speno scored a pair of first period takedowns to go up 4-1 after the first, and then added a third period takedown and ride time point for the win. Jack (9-0) and Speno (7-0) both remain undefeated in dual action this season. #28 Freshman Thomas Bullard scored his ranked win of the year, knocking off #14 Andrew Atkinson in OT 7-6. After a flurry of action got the score to 6-6 at the end of seven minutes, Bullard used an escape and then rode out Atkinson for 30 seconds for the win to increase the Pack's lead to 17-7 with three matches left. Redshirt-junior Chad Pyke clinched the dual with two bouts left, as he picked up a 4-1 win at 165 pounds. Pyke scored an early takedown, and with an escape and ride time point, made it four straight wins for the Pack to seal its fifth straight ACC road win (dating back to 2015). After the Cavs earned a 7-6 decision at 174 pounds, #10 redshirt-junior Michael Macchiavello closed out the dual with a 3-1 win. With the score tied 1-1 in the third, Macchiavello scored a takedown with just five seconds left to secure the win. Results: 197: #24 Malik McDonald (NCSU) dec. Chance McClure; 8-5 - 3-0 285: #21 Mike Kosoy (NCSU) major dec. Chuck Boddy; 12-4 - 7-0 125: #7 Jack Mueller (UVA) major dec. Tommy Cox; 13-2 - 7-4 133: Will Mason (UVA) dec. #14 Jamal Morris; 5-2 - 7-7 141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) major dec. #7 George DiCamillo; 10-1 - 11-7 149: #11 Sam Speno (NCSU) dec. #28 Sam Krivus; 7-3 - 14-7 157: #28 Thomas Bullard (NCSU) dec. #14 Andrew Atkinson; 7-6 (TB1) - 17-7 165: Chad Pyke (NCSU) dec. Ray Bethea; 4-1 20-7 174: #32 Garrett Peppelman (UVA) dec. #30 Nick Reenan; 7-6 - 20-10 184: #10 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. Will Schany; 3-1 - 23-10

PHILADELPHIA -- Back in The Palestra and back in the win column. The University of Pennsylvania wrestling team posted its first EIWA win of the season, knocking off American, 21-14, to improve to 3-5 overall this season and 3-2 on home mats. The Quakers never trailed in the dual, building a 15-0 lead after four matches and closing the dual with two wins after the Eagles had rallied to within one point after a four-match run of their own. Once again, it was May Bethea closing out a win for the Red and Blue with a victory in the final bout. The Quakers led by four with one match to go, and Bethea worked a 9-4 decision to seal the final result. He trailed early against Tom Page, but scored a takedown before the end of the first period to send the bout to the second period tied, 3-3. In the second period, Bethea added a takedown for a 5-4 lead. He would close the dual with one final takedown with 0:25 remaining in the third period to provide the final margin of victory. His win followed an 11-7 win for Joe Oliva over Michael Sprague at 149 pounds. The Eagles had energy after wins in the previous four matches from 285 to 141 to close Penn's lead to 15-14, but Oliva stopped American's momentum, connecting on two takedowns in the first period. Sprague would rally in the second period, sending the bout to the final frame tied at 5-5. Oliva would score two takedowns in the third period to pull away for the win. Those two victories sealed a team win bolstered by a strong performance to open the dual. At 165 pounds, Joe Velliquette scored four takedowns and added riding time for a 10-2 major decision over Michael Eckhart. Returning All-American Casey Kent would follow with a dominant 18-0 technical fall over Joe Salvi at 174. Kent scored a takedown immediately, and added two sets of nearfall for a 10-0 lead after one period. Kent chose top for the second, and executed a fourth set of four-point nearfall to close out the match at 18-0 with 0:04 remaining in the second period. Joe Heyob added to Penn's lead with a 7-4 decision over Jason Grimes. Heyob had conceded the first points, trailing 2-1 after one period. He would connect on a takedown in the second period to tie the match, 3-3. In the third, period, another Heyob takedown and riding time were the difference. No. 15 Frank Mattiace capped Penn's four-win run to open the dual with a 5-1 decision over Jeric Kasunic at 197 pounds. Mattiace scored a takedown with 0:03 left in the first period and then added a second with 0:13 left in the third frame to pick up the win. American would climb back into the dual with a 12-2 major decision from Brett Dempsey at heavyweight, followed by a 6-0 decision from No. 15 Josh Terao at 125 pounds. An 18-6 major decision from Esteban Gomez Rivera and a 2-1 decision from Jack Mutchnik at 141 had the Eagles thinking comeback before Oliva and Bethea slammed the door. Results: 165: Joe Velliquette (Penn) MD Michael Eckhart (American), 10-2 Penn leads, 4-0 174: No. 13 Casey Kent (Penn) TF Joe Salvi (American), 18-0 (4:56) Penn leads, 9-0 184: Joe Heyob (Penn) DEC Jason Grimes (American), 7-4 Penn leads, 12-0 197: No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Penn) DEC Jeric Kasunic (American), 5-1 Penn leads, 15-0 285: Brett Dempsey (American) MD Tyler Hall (Penn), 12-2 Penn leads, 15-4 125: No. 15 Josh Terao (American) DEC Jeremy Schwartz (Penn), 6-0 Penn leads 15-7 133: Esteban Gomez-Rivera (American) MD Tristin DeVincenzo (Penn), 18-6 Penn leads, 15-11 141: Jack Mutchnik (American) DEC A.J. Vindici, 2-1 Penn leads, 15-14 149: Joe Oliva (Penn) DEC Michael Sprague (American), 11-7 Penn leads, 18-14 157: May Bethea (Penn) DEC Tom Page (American), 9-4 Penn leads, 21-14

Minnesota returned to the Hoosier State for its second dual in Indiana in the past eight days. Just as they did last Sunday in Bloomington, the Gophers put together a convincing performance in West Lafayette to knock off Purdue, 29-12, at Holloway Gym. Five bonus point wins, including tech falls to begin and end the dual, powered Minnesota to a season-high 29 point outburst. Minnesota built a halftime lead thanks to a dual-opening tech fall from No. 6 Ethan Lizak, the Gophers sealed the dual with three straight victories, including tech falls from No. 2 Brett Pfarr and No. 8 Michael Kroells. For Lizak, Pfarr and Kroells, Sunday's was the second straight dual in which all three delivered tech falls for the Gophers. Lizak's performances have been particularly impressive, as neither of his opponents during this two-match flurry have managed to score a single point. On Sunday, Lizak began the dual and staked the Gophers to a five-point lead with a 15-0 win over Ben Thornton. Minnesota protected that lead throughout the day, never falling behind the Boilermakers. In addition to the tech falls, the Gophers got a pair of major decisions on both sides of the halftime intermission. No. 9 Jake Short took down Cole Wysocki eight times in their 157-pound match to pick up a 17-7 win heading into the break. That win pushed the Gophers lead from two - the smallest margin they had at any point in the afternoon - to six. Once the teams returned from the locker room, No. 15 Nick Wanzek earned a major over Dylan Lydy, 13-4. Winning by six late in the match, Wanzek scored the bonus-point-clinching takedown as the final seconds melted away, pushing the Gophers advantage to 10. Between the three tech falls and two major decisions, Minnesota had its best dual for bonus point wins since a Feb. 8, 2015 dual at Maryland, a dual in which the Gophers pounded the Terrapins, 34-12, thanks to three pins, a tech fall and a major. The Gophers won seven total matches on Sunday. In addition to the five bonus point wins, No. 13 Tommy Thorn controlled his match against Kyle Ayersman, allowing only escapes in the 10-5 win. At 184 pounds, Bobby Steveson triggered the three-match sweep to end the dual with a 5-3 decision over Tanner Lynde. Like Thorn, Steveson did not allow a takedown in his match. Originally from Indiana, Steveson had a large family contingent in the crowd on Sunday cheering him on to victory. Purdue's victories came at 133, 149 and 174 pounds, with a fall for Jacob Morrissey in the last of those three contests providing the day's highlight for the home team. Minnesota's 29 points quite literally one-ups the team's performance from last Sunday, when it set a new season-high by scoring 28 against Indiana. The 29 points against Purdue is the most Minnesota has scored in a dual since finishing the 2015-16 regular season by hanging 30 on Iowa State. The Gophers have one week off now to prepare for one of the greatest rivalries in college wrestling. The Iowa Hawkeyes come to Minneapolis next Sunday, Feb. 5, for an 11 a.m. dual. Tickets for that match are currently available on MyGopherSports.com. Results: 125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Minn) tech fall Ben Thornton (PU), 16-0 | Minn 5 - PU 0 133: Luke Welch (PU) dec No. 15 Mitch McKee (Minn), 4-0 | Minn 5 - PU 3 141: No. 13 Tommy Thorn (Minn) dec Kyle Ayersman (PU), 10-5 | Minn 8 - PU 3 149: Nate Limmex (PU) dec Carson Brolsma (Minn), 8-4| Minn 8 - PU 6 157: No. 9 Jake Short (Minn) maj dec (PU), 17-7 | Minn 12 - PU 6 165: No. 15 Nick Wanzek (Minn) maj dec Dylan Lydy (PU), 13-4 | Minn 16 - PU 6 174: Jacob Morrissey (PU) fall (2:23) Chris Pfarr (Minn) | Minn 16 - PU 12 184: Bobby Steveson (Minn) dec Tanner Lynde (PU), 5-3 | Minn 19 - PU 12 197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minn) tech fall Christian Brunner (PU), 18-3 | Minn 24 - PU 12 285: No. 8 Michael Kroells (Minn) tech fall Tyler Kral (PU), 15-0 | Minn 29 - PU 12

KRASNOYARSK, Russia -- The legend of Kyle Snyder continues to grow. Already an Olympic and World champion by the age of 20, Snyder has started the new Olympic four-year cycle with a new major accomplishment, winning the gold medal at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix on Sunday at 97 kg/213 lbs. In the final match of the tournament, with a large crowd supporting his opponent, Snyder powered back from a second-period deficit to pin Rasul Magomedov of Russia at the 5:02 mark. Snyder led the match 1-0 after the first period when Magomedov was put on the shot clock and was unable to score. Early in the second period, Magomedov powered back, scoring a takedown and a quick two-point turn to take a 4-1 lead over Snyder. That is when Snyder kicked it into another gear. He scored two straight single leg takedowns for a 5-4 lead, then forced a stepout for a 6-4 lead. During the ensuing scramble as Magomedov tried to force things, Snyder drove the Russian to his back and scored the pin. Read complete story ...

PITTSBURGH --- The North Carolina wrestling team got bonus-point wins from Nicholas Lirette, Ethan Ramos and Joey Ward to score a 20-17 win over No. 24 Pitt Saturday night at Fitzgerald Field House. Ramos tallied his fifth pin of the year to help seal the victory that pushed Carolina to 6-5 and 1-2 in the ACC. Pitt fell to 8-4 and 0-2 in league competition. Lirette's first career major decision at 133 pounds gave Carolina its first lead of the night. The Boutte, Louisiana, freshman beat Brendan Price in a high-scoring bout, 21-9, to put the Tar Heels up 4-3. Ward then made it back-to-back majors at 141 as he dominated Robert Lee 10-1. Troy Heilmann won a battle of veterans at 149 pounds with a 10-7 decision over Mikey Racciato before Pitt won back-to-back bouts to get back into the dual. With Carolina clinging to an 11-10 overall lead, Ramos restored a comfortable lead with a second-period pin of Cam Jacobson at 174. The Hawthorne, New Jersey, All-American was already up 11-0 when he stuck Jacobson to give the Tar Heels a 17-10 advantage. At 197, Danny Chaid sealed the dual with a 10-4 victory over John Rizzo. Chaid took a 3-0 lead into the final period and pulled away in the last two minutes to give UNC its first ACC win of the season. Carolina returns home on Saturday, Feb. 4, to host Virginia at 7 p.m. Results: 125: LJ Bentley (UP) dec. James Szymanski (UNC), 9-3 - Pitt leads 3-0 133: Nicholas Lirette (UNC) maj. dec. Brendan Price (UP), 21-9 - UNC leads 4-3 141: No. 5 Joey Ward (UNC) maj. dec. Robert Lee (UP), 10-1 - UNC leads 8-3 149: Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. Mikey Racciato (UP), 10-7 - UNC leads 11-3 157: Taleb Rahmani (UP) dec. Joey Moon (UNC), 8-4 - UNC leads 11-6 165: No. 14 TeShan Campbell (UP) maj. dec. Jack Clark (UNC), 9-1 - UNC leads 11-10 174: No. 6 Ethan Ramos (UNC) pinned Cam Jacobson (UP), 3:59 - UNC leads 17-10 184: Zach Bruce (UP) dec. Anderson Pope (UNC), 10-3 - UNC leads 17-13 197: Daniel Chaid (UNC) dec. John Rizzo (UP), 10-4 - UNC leads 20-13 285: Ryan Solomon (UP) over Cory Daniel (UNC), SV-1, 4-3 - UNC wins 20-16

Former Michigan State wrestler Bobby Nash suffered his first pro MMA loss in two years at his Ultimate Fighting Championships debut at UFC on Fox 23 at Pepsi Center in Denver Saturday night. Bobby NashThe 26-year-old two-time Spartan wrestling team captain, who had signed a four-fight contract with UFC, was knocked out by China's Jingliang Li at 4:45 of Round 2 in their scheduled three-round welterweight (170-pound) bout. In describing the end-of-the-fight action, MMAJunkie.com wrote, "Jingliang landed a perfect right hand that wobbled Nash. And as he was stumbling backward, Jingliang moved in and landed one more on the temple that put Nash on the ground. Jingliang got off two more hammer fists on the ground before the referee could stop the fight with 15 seconds left in the second round." "In the dying seconds of the fight, Jingliang lands a two-punch combo," FanSided.com reported. "Jingliang lands a right hand and immediately follows it with a left hand. Nash instantly falls backwards. For good measure, Jingliang lands a right hand to Nash. The referee steps in and stops the fight." The match had started well for Nash, who floored Jingliang with a left towards the end of the first round but was unable to score the submission. In fact, in their play-by-play coverage, Sherdog.com reporters unanimously scored the first round for Nash. The loss snapped a six-match win streak Nash had built in a pro career he launched in August 2014. The East Lansing, Mich. native drops to an 8-2 overall record, and 0-1 in UFC. Jingliang improves to a career mark of 12-4 MMA, and 4-2 in UFC competition.

VESTAL, N.Y. -- The Binghamton wrestling team hammered Sacred Heart, 34-7, Saturday afternoon. Eight Bearcats won, as Dylan Caruana tallied a pin and Anthony DePrez and Mark Tracy each earned a win by tech fall in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) match. The Bearcats started off the day with a 6-0 lead from a forfeit in Steven Bulzomi's 125 match. Sacred Heart came back with a major decision win at 133, cutting BU's lead 6-4. Caruana recorded a pinfall victory over Paul Klee at :22 into the match, doubling Binghamton's lead. The Bearcats established themselves in the next three weight classes, earning solid decision wins. Parker Kropman won at 149 with a 12-8 decision. He is know 7-2 in EIWA action. Tristan Rifanburg picked up an 8-2 decision with riding time, and Jake Einbinder racked up back points and 1:57 in ride time to win 9-4. The three together widened the Bearcats lead 21-4. At 174, Anthony DePrez came out aggressive and dominated with an 18-0 tech fall over Dom Celli. Steve Schneider followed suit at 184, earning a 4-2 decision with ride time. Schneider is currently ranked No. 15 by InterMat and is 8-1 in EIWA action. Up 29-4, Mark Tracy came out ready to go at 197. The redshirt sophomore took control with four takedowns and over 3:20 in ride time for a 17-2 tech fall victory over Boyle. Tracy has now won six straight matches, five of which came from bonus point wins. The Bearcats dropped the match at heavyweight, but went on to take the match 34-7 overall. Binghamton improved to 7-4 overall and 7-2 in the EIWA. Sacred Heart fell to 2-8 overall and 0-4 in the conference. The Bearcats travel to Washington, D.C. next Sunday, February 5 for an EIWA matchup against American. The dual is set to start at 12:00 p.m. Results: 125- Steven Bulzomi Forfeit 133- Gerard Daly Maj. Dec Ian Lupole 11-0 141- Dylan Caruana FALL Paul Klee :22 149- Parker Kropman dec. Alex Harnsberger 12-8 157- Tristan Rifanburg Dec. Casey Mitchell 8-2 165- Jake Einbinder dec. Matt Fisher 9-4 174- Anthony DePrez Tech Fall. Dom Celli 18-0 184- Steven Schneider dec. Elliott Antler 4-2 197- Mark Tracy Tech Fall Mark Boyle 17-2 285- John Hartnett dec. Sean Dee 3-2