InterMat Staff

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Wrestling for the first time at home since December 19, the 25th-ranked Edinboro wrestling team treated the McComb Fieldhouse fans to their 22nd straight Eastern Wrestling League victory, a 28-9 triumph over Lock Haven. The victory gives the Fighting Scots a tie for the EWL regular season crown, as they improve to 5-0 in the conference and 7-4 overall. They have won seven of their last eight duals. Lock Haven fell to 6-8 overall and 3-2 in EWL action. Edinboro won seven of the ten bouts, with five by bonus points, while defeating the Bald Eagles for the 15th straight time. The match got underway with back-to-back major decisions, as ninth-ranked Sean Russell won 10-2 over Jake Field (13-12) at 125 lbs., and Korbin Myers, ranked 18th at 133 lbs., won 12-3 over DJ Fehlman (21-8). Russell used a pair of first period takedowns for a 4-1 lead, and boosted the lead to 8-1 after two periods, adding another takedown. A stalling point and riding time accounted for the final points as the redshirt sophomore improved to 26-5. Myers led 2-1 after one period, and built a 6-2 lead after two periods on the strength of a reversal and takedown. He would add two more takedowns in the third period to improve to 25-8. Edinboro's Nate Hagan appeared to have the 141 lb. match won, holding a 3-2 lead over Lewis Williams (6-18) with just seconds remaining. But he was called for a second stalling warning in the final five seconds to tie the match, and Williams scored the winning takedown with six seconds left for a 5-3 decision in sudden victory. Hagan is now 12-8. The Fighting Scots would run off wins in the next five matches to build a commanding 28-3 lead. Patricio Lugo dominated his 149 lb. match with Kyle Shoop in a rematch of the PSAC finals. The sophomore won 19-5 in December, and this time he won by technical fall 20-4 at 6:49. Ranked tenth, Lugo improved to 24-6 while registering seven takedowns, along with four nearfall points in the second period. Shoop is now 26-13. Chase Delande followed with an 18-4 major decision over Jonathan Ross (6-8) at 157 lbs., boosting his record to 17-13 in the process. The redshirt senior had just one takedown in the match, but added a pair of reversals and tilted Ross on three occasions for a total of ten points. Austin Matthews, ranked 17th at 165 lbs., held off Jared Siegrist (18-17) for a 12-10 decision. Matthews led 6-2 after the first period following a takedown and four nearfall points. The second period ended at 7-4 in favor of Matthews, and an early escape and takedown in the third gave him a 10-4 lead before a reversal and two takedowns by Siegrist tightened the match. Matthews is now 13-5. Another wild match followed at 174 lbs., as Ty Schoffstall (15-7) and Adam Mackie (18-12) went back and forth before Schoffstall prevailed, 15-11. He held a narrow 5-4 lead after one period thanks to a pair of takedowns, and was up 9-7 after two thanks to a reversal, one of four in the match by the two wrestlers. An escape and takedown made it 12-7 midway through the third period, and Schoffstall would add his fourth takedown with just under 20 seconds remaining to clinch the win. Dakota Geer continued his outstanding freshman campaign with a 19-0 technical fall at 3:54 over Gavin Caprio (7-15) at 184 lbs. Ranked 18th, Geer improved to 24-6 with a dominant performance. He would tilt Caprio on four occasions for four nearfall points each time. Lock Haven would close out the match with a pair of tight decisions. At 197 lbs., Dylan Reynolds (11-14) dropped a 2-1 decision to Tristan Sponseller (25-6). The match ended without a takedown, as Sponseller scored on a second period escape and a stalling point following a double stalling warning. Reynolds picked up a riding time point. The highlight match of the night came at heavyweight, pitting 11th-ranked Billy Miller against 14th-ranked Thomas Haines. For the second time this year, Haines claimed a 4-3 decision, the first coming in the PSAC championship match. A Miller takedown and Haines escape made it 2-1 after one period. Haines grabbed a 3-2 lead with a reversal 30 seconds into the second period, with Miller making it 3-3 with an escape with just under a minute left. The winning point for Haines came courtesy of a 1:43 advantage in riding time, as he rode out Miller in the third period. Miller is now 24-9, while Haines improved to 28-4. Edinboro will return to the McComb Fieldhouse mat next Friday, February 3, hosting number one ranked Oklahoma State. The match gets underway at 7 p.m. Results: 125 -- #9 Sean Russell (EU) maj. dec. Jake Field (LHU), 10-2 EU, 4-0 133 – #18 Korbin Myers (EU) maj. dec. DJ Fehlman (LHU), 12-3 EU, 8-0 141 – Lewis Williams (LHU) dec. Nate Hagan (EU), 5-3 sv EU, 8-3 149 -- #10 Patricio Lugo (EU) tech. fall Kyle Shoop (LHU), 20-4 (6:49) EU, 13-3 157 – Chase Delande (EU) maj. dec. Jonathan Ross (LHU), 18-4 EU, 17-3 165 – #17 Austin Matthews (EU) dec. Jared Siegrist (LHU), 12-10 EU, 20-3 174 – Ty Schoffstall (EU) dec. Adam Mackie (LHU), 15-11 EU, 23-3 184 -- #18 Dakota Geer (EU) tech. fall Gavin Caprio (LHU), 19-0 (3:54) EU, 28-3 197 – Tristan Sponseller (LHU) dec. Dylan Reynolds (EU), 2-1 EU, 28-6 Hwt. -- #14 Thomas Haines (LHU) dec. #11 Billy Miller (EU), 4-3 EU, 28-9

ATHENS, Ohio -- No. 18 UNI earned bonus points in five matches to dominate Ohio, 27-16 Friday. The Panthers (8-2 / 5-0 MAC) led off the first four matches with bonus point wins before Ohio got on the board. JJ Everard started at heavyweight, but he had to medically forfeit the match. UNI got falls from Bryce Steiert at 165 pounds and Max Thomsen at 149 pounds. Steiert now has seven consecutive wins and has earned bonus points in the last five with tonight's fall, a tech fall and three major decisions. UNI got major decisions at three weights with wins from Taylor Lujan (174), Drew Foster (184) and Jacob Holschalg (197). Holschlag won his third consecutive dual at 197 pounds to earn his first win over a ranked opponent with the 11-0 win over No. 33 Bailey Faust. After winning one match and losing one match last year to Cameron Kelly of Ohio, Josh Alber now leads the series 2-1 with his 7-2 decision tonight. Alber has avenged losses in three of the last four duals. He lost three times to Iowa State's Earl Hall last year before beating him last week. He also lost twice to Corey Keener of Central Michigan in the 2016 season before beating him earlier this month. Ohio got wins at heavyweight, 125 pounds, 141 pounds and 157 pounds. UP NEXT UNI will take a portion of the team to the Duhawk Open at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Wrestling will get underway at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The Panthers stay on the road to face Kent State 1 p.m. CT Sunday. Kent State will stream the dual for free on its site. Results: 165: Bryce Steiert (UNI) pinned Austin Reese (Ohio), 4:03 174: Taylor Lujan (UNI) maj. dec. Arsen Ashughyan (Ohio), 16-5 184: Drew Foster (UNI) maj. dec. Dontae McGee (Ohio), 12-2 197: Jacob Holschlag (UNI) maj. dec. Bailey Faust (Ohio), 11-0 285: Zack Parker (Ohio) MFF JJ Everard (UNI) 125: Shakur Laney (Ohio) dec. Jay Schwarm (UNI), 17-12 133: Josh Alber (UNI) dec. Cameron Kelly (Ohio), 7-2 141: Noah Forrider (Ohio) maj. dec. Tyler Willers (UNI), 13-5 149: Max Thomsen (UNI) pinned Kyle Kaminski (Ohio), 3:00 157: Cullen Cummings (Ohio) dec. Paden Moore (UNI), 7-4

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- J.R. Wert (Christianburg, VA/Christianburg), Evan Fidelibus (Easton, PA/Easton Area), B.J. Clagon (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South), Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic), Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township), Michale Fagg-Daves (Somerset, NJ/Franklin) and Mauro Correnti (Delran, NJ/Holy Cross [Lock Haven]) each picked up victories as the Rider University wrestling team cruised to a 32-6 Eastern Wrestling League win at Bloomsburg on Friday evening. After the teams split the first four matches, Rider (8-1, 4-1 EWL) took the final six bouts from the Huskies (4-13, 0-4 EWL). Wert started the match with a 5-3 decision over Willy Girard at 125 to stake Rider to a 3-0 advantage. Matt Noble defeated Broncs 133 Brenden Calas (Clark, NJ/Seton Hall Prep [N.C. State]) by a 4-1 margin to even the match at 3-3. Fidelibus earned a 19-9 major decision at 141 over Grant Bond to give the Broncs a 7-3 lead. At 149, Bloomsburg's Nate Newbury pulled out a 3-2 decision over Gino Fluri (Blairstown, NJ/North Warren Regional) to cut the Broncs' lead to 7-6. But Rider would win the final six matches to cruise to a 32-6 victory. Clagon scored a major decision over Kevin Laubach at 157, 12-4, before Walsh pinned Reid Stanley in 5:54 at 165. The pin was Walsh's 11th of the year, the second-most in the nation. Sherry then defeated Trevor Allard, 9-6, at 174 and Fagg-Daves took a 7-5 decision over Kyle Murphy at 184. A forfeit at 197 gave the Broncs six more points and a 29-6 advantage. Correnti's 2-0 decision over Bruce Graebar at 285 closed out the 32-6 Rider victory. The Broncs return to EWL action Sunday, when they travel to George Mason. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Results: 125: J.R. Wert (RU) Dec. Willy Girard (BU) 5-3. RU Leads 3-0 133: Matt Noble (BU) Dec. Brenden Calas (RU) 4-1. Match Tied 3-3 141: Evan Fidelibus (RU) M. Dec. Grant Bond (BU) 19-9. RU Leads 7-3 149: Nate Newbury (BU) Dec. Gino Fluri (RU) 3-2. RU Leads 7-6 157: B.J. Clagon (RU) M. Dec. Kevin Laubach (BU) 12-4. RU Leads 11-6 165: Chad Walsh (RU) WBF Reid Stanley (BU) 5:54. RU Leads 17-6 174: Dean Sherry (RU) Dec. Trevor Allard (BU) 9-6. RU Leads 20-6 184: Michale Fagg-Daves (RU) Dec. Kyle Murphy (BU) 7-5. RU Leads 23-6 197: Ryan Wolfe (RU) by forfeit. RU Leads 29-6 285: Mauro Correnti (RU) Dec. Bruce Graeber (BU) 2-0. RU Wins 32-6

CLEVELAND -- The Lock Haven University wrestling team (6-7, 3-1 EWL) won eight of 10 bouts including six wins by way of bonus points on the way to a 35-9 victory over Cleveland State (1-7, 0-3 EWL) this afternoon. The Bald Eagles were originally scheduled to take on Cleveland State last night, but transportation issues delayed Lock Haven's arrival into Cleveland and postponed the dual until noon today, and set up the Friday EWL doubleheader. Tonight's Lock Haven – Edinboro (at Edinboro) match will start at 7 p.m. A full recap of both matches will be posted at GoLHU.com later tonight following the dual at Edinboro. Results: 125: Jake Field (LHU) dec. John Martin (CSU) 4-1 133: DJ Fehlman (LHU) tech fall Spencer Dusi (CSU) 16-0 (4:55) 141: Evan Cheek (CSU) major dec. Lewis Williams (LHU) 11-3 149: Kyle Shoop (LHU) tech fall Nick Montgomery (CSU) 20-4 (4:22) 157: Jonathan Ross (LHU) major dec. Grant Turnmire (CSU) 9-0 165: Jared Siegrist (LHU) dec. John Vaughn (CSU) 4-3 174: Adam Mackie (LHU) pinned Devon Pingel (CSU) 2:02 184: Nick Corba (CSU) tech fall Gavin Caprio (LHU) 15-0 (4:55) 197: #30 Tristan Sponseller (LHU) major dec. Collin Kelly (CSU) 12-0 285: #15 Thomas Haines (LHU) tech fall Michael Furbee (CSU) 19-1 (4:27)

Three NCAA Division I wrestling coaches and a former NCAA mat champ are among the guests on this Saturday's Takedown Radio, the broadcast announced Friday. Join hosts Scott Casber, Tony Hager, Steve Foster, Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson this Saturday from 9-11 a.m. live on KXNO.com, IHeartRadio.com and TakedownWrestle.com. Call the Fareway Foods Fresh Hotline 866-333-5966 or 515-284-5966 for contests and conversation. This week's guests include (all times Central): 9:00 a.m.: Orlando Ricci -- author of "Victory's Fate" -- a new wrestling novel 9:20 a.m.: Joe Dubuque -- Assistant head coach at Princeton University 9:35 a.m.: Steve Garland -- Head wrestling coach, University of Virginia 10:00 a.m.: Kevin Dresser --Virginia Tech head wrestling coach 10:20 a.m.: Joe Heskett -- 2002 NCAA Division I champ for Iowa State, now athletics administrator at West Virginia University 10:40 a.m.: Jeff Murphy with the Kemin Report

Brandon Eggum was named the head wrestling coach of the Minnesota Gophers this week, removing his interim designation after the departure of J Robinson in late 2016. The saga surrounding the Gophers is winding down, and with the team outperforming expectations, all seems well in the Big Ten. Let's hope that their program, and others around the NCAA, can avoid this type of negative publicity in the future. Good luck to the Gophers and Coach Eggum. To your questions … Jim Zalesky coaching at the Pac-12 Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What are your thoughts on the Oregon State wrestling program? More specifically do you think Jim Zalesky's job is at risk? He has no doubt done some wonderful things to the program, but over the years a lot of his highly touted recruits seem to consistently underperform their expectations, especially in their upperclassmen years (Mike Mangrum and R.J. Pena immediately come to mind). I feel like very few of his wrestlers peak and their development seems more stagnant in their time with the program than anything else. Couple that with their run of form as of late and I can't help but things may be a bit bleak for the Beavers. -- Dan L. Foley: Oregon State has a very proud wrestling tradition and hired Jim Zalesky to help them create a powerhouse West Coast presence. While he enjoyed some success the first 8-10 years at the helm, that success has waned and the Pacific dominance is being challenged by a resurgent Stanford program, an upstart Cal Poly program and an Arizona State team that has future NCAA champions floating in the lineup. Win or be replaced is what college athletics is about and if Coach Zalesky can't find more wins in the conference, a higher NCAA finish or an NCAA champion or two, then it's not difficult to imagine the school moving in a new direction. Q: I know it's all speculation and projection at this point, but I would be interested in hearing five candidates to take over as head wrestling coach at Pitt. Seems like a program with a lot of potential if they get the right coach in place. -- Mike C. Foley: The situation at Pitt is still developing and the impact of the wrestlers' actions might not be known for several months. We've seen with Minnesota that there is almost no way to determine how the administration will respond. If the Panthers are looking to become a powerhouse wrestling program it'll require that they make an investment in securing a top-level coach. Right now the top prospects will need to be woo'ed with a big budget, promises of administrative support and a hefty salary. Luckily for Pitt the school is in the single most powerful wrestling area in the country. Capitalizing on the school's location to land recruits should not be difficult. Here is my list for Pitt: 1. Jody Strittmatter, Young Guns Wrestling Club 2. Damion Hahn, Cornell 3. Casey Cunningham, Penn State 4. Scott and Josh Moore, Lock Haven and Cleveland State 5. Matt Kocher, Pitt Q: Thoughts on Mark Hall? Do you think he can be in the top four come March? -- Ryan P. Foley: Mark Hall is very talented and well coached. Mark Hall can win big matches. Mark Hall's loss was not the end of his career or Penn State's title dreams. However, I do think the match exposed some flaws in Mark Hall's collegiate wrestling style. He's very upright, lacks a variety of attacks and displayed little top control. While he was stronger and more able on his feet than other high schoolers in scholastic wrestling, he's lost those advantages in college. I've said he was an All-American candidate this season and will stick to that prediction. He can place top 5-8, but I have trouble seeing him in the national finals and wouldn't be shocked if he didn't place in St. Louis. Q: What did you make of Brandon Sorensen nearly upsetting Zain Retherford last Friday? Has Sorensen closed the gap? Or was it just an off night for Retherford? -- Mike C. Foley: I was very impressed with Brandon Sorensen's effort last week, but also impressed with his technical finish to that first single leg -- locked the hip, set the table and drove forward. To me, Penn State looked off all night. They lacked some of the punch we'd seen out of their program in other big duals and certainly at the NCAAs. They typically wrestle with the enthusiasm of someone like Bo Nickal, more than the bleak post-apocalyptic facial expressions of Retherford! As for betting odds, I'd place the Retherford-Sorensen rematch as a pick 'em. Q: I noticed the rankings this week, and decided to take a closer look at the Penn State-Oklahoma State head-to-head matchup. I'm not going to dispute the individual rankings, but they do create a conflict when assessing the team battle. The question: If InterMat has PSU out-ranking Oklahoma State in 7 out of 10 weight classes, how can InterMat then rank Oklahoma State as the No. 1 dual meet team? Not trying to influence where this lands, but this is not possible based on the current team scoring system. Any thoughts? -- Chris W. Foley: From the InterMat rankings committee … Oklahoma State started the season ranked No. 1 and has gone undefeated, beating several ranked teams, including Iowa, Cornell, Minnesota, Oklahoma and South Dakota State. The Cowboys have not done anything to surrender their No. 1 ranking. Penn State started the season ranked No. 4. The Nittany Lions have continued to climb the rankings based on their dual meet results … and now sit at No. 2. While Penn State may be favored in more matches against Oklahoma State -- and may win on paper -- Oklahoma State remains No. 1 based on where they started the season and their season results. After the season begins, InterMat's dual meet rankings are based on dual meet results, not which team wins on paper. If the rankings hold, Oklahoma and Penn State will meet in the NWCA Division I National Duals finals. Obviously, if Penn State wins they become the No. 1 dual meet team. However, until Oklahoma State does something to surrender their No. 1 ranking, they will remain No. 1. Penn State moved to No. 1 in the tournament rankings, which is based on the rankings of their individual wrestlers. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Luke Pletcher wins Twitter Q: After reading Mark's piece on Jean Hazewinkel, I was struck by the fact that her twin sons, Jim and Dave, were able to jump into wrestling during high school and find immediate success in the sport, and this makes me wonder whether it's possible for athletes today to replicate this type of wrestling success in light of early sport specialization and the many other factors that surround youth athletics today. There's a lot at play here, and I don't know whether it's even possible to make this sort of analysis as I'm sure it depends on a lot of factors (i.e. locale), but I wanted to run it by you since I primarily have a soccer background and am only a casual wrestling fan. -- Evan B. Foley: There is a lot to unpack when determining the ability of a young wrestler to excel at the high school and collegiate level. First, the athleticism of the wrestler is most important. If he's coming in from gymnastics (Mark Schultz) then there is certainly no limit to what you teach them on the mat. Given the right incubator and balance between competition and technique there is some success one could expect. However, with the younger specialization what happens more often is that their relative success tends to draw more coaching resources from the lesser-talented individuals, regardless of their long term trajectory. Even high school coaches need to win to keep their job. I think the best approach might be to introduce young kids to wrestling skills while also giving them ample experience in body-knowledge sports like gymnastics. Recent work by those in education seems to show that movement is the best indicator of athletic development, not necessarily competition. Might be worth a think for some parents. Q: With all of the talk of making NCAA wrestling more offensive/exciting, why not make a takedown worth 2.5 points? It seems a lot of guys get a first-period takedown then try to ride that out to the end of the match stalling and exchanging escapes for a narrow victory. This would also award the more aggressive wrestler who is able to get multiple takedowns a larger lead, in turn forcing their opponent to become more offensive minded. -- Chris C. Foley: Why wouldn't it just be 3 points per takedown? Alternatively they could stop giving a point for the escape … I think most coaches -- including Tom Brands -- are requesting an overhaul of the rules via a meeting of top coaches and the rules committee. The tinkering of the rules over the past few years has left us with an odd product. The out of bounds rules are a sore subject for many analysts and while watching with my wife she noted that it made absolutely no sense that out of bounds was not indeed out of bounds. That led to an existential discussion of what is and is not in-bounds. Painful stuff. Q: I was trying to go through each weight class and see who will be the likely No. 1 seed at NCAAs and I realized there is a good chance every No. 1 seed will be undefeated come NCAAs: 125: Thomas Gilman 133: Nathan Tomasello 141: Dean Heil 149: Zain Retherford 157: Jason Nolf 165: Isaiah Martinez 174: Bo Jordan 184: Gabe Dean 197: J'den Cox 285: Kyle Snyder What I also realized is that unless Zahid Valencia gets the No. 1 seed over Bo Jordan (or obviously an upset like Nick Suriano over Thomas Gilman, Cory Clark over Nathan Tomasello, etc.), every No. 1 seed would not only be undefeated but they would've been the preseason consensus No. 1. Do you see these 10 wrestlers going in undefeated going into NCAAs? Do you know if something like this happened before? -- Eric B. Foley: I think that having the top guys undefeated at this point in the season is very possible as there are more tournaments in the early season as well as out of conference dual meets. That should change in the next few weeks as more Big Ten schools and close rivals begin to butt heads. If all 10 go undefeated? Then yes, that would be highly uncommon and has never (to my knowledge) happened in any other year. The normal number of undefeated national champions is 3-5 with some years coming in heavier. All 10 would almost certainly be unprecedented. Q: Kyle Snyder is going to miss the Ohio State-Iowa dual this weekend because he'll be at the Yarygin. However, I noticed that the World Cup in Tehran which Kyle is scheduled go to also looks like it overlaps with the NWCA Division I National Duals. While it's unlikely Ohio State will beat both Iowa and Penn State (even assuming Snyder is back for that dual), if the Buckeyes did go in the National Duals as the No. 1 or No. 2 team wrestling for the championship, do you think Kyle should consider wrestling in that instead of the World Cup, giving Ohio State its best shot at winning it? -- Eric B. Foley: I don't think Kyle is going to the World Cup in Kermanshah, leaving him available to compete at the NWCA Division I National Duals. Q: The NCAA was supposed to announce the sites for the 2019-2022 NCAA championships last month. Have you heard anything? -- Mike C. Foley: Nothing.

Brandon Sorensen is currently ranked No. 3 at 149 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) No. 3 Iowa hosts No. 4 Ohio State tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The dual meet is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes are 7-2 this season and coming off a 26-11 home loss to No. 2 Penn State last Friday night. The Buckeyes are undefeated at 8-0, which is their best start since the 2009-10 season when they won their first 10 dual meets. Iowa has won 38 of 41 meetings between the two programs. Ohio State's last and only victory over Iowa in Iowa City came in 1929. Below are five matchups to watch in the dual meet. 133: No. 4 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) This is one of the premier matchups of the dual meet, pitting two multiple-time All-Americans against each other. Tomasello, a 2015 NCAA champion, is the lone undefeated wrestler at 133 pounds. He started his season by winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, and has carried that momentum into late January. A little less than two weeks ago he hammered Zane Richards of Illinois 12-4 in a home dual meet. Clark, who started the season ranked No. 1, missed the Midlands Championships due to injury. After winning his first nine matches this season, Clark suffered a close loss to Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock, 6-4, in Stillwater on Jan. 15, which dropped him from his No. 1 ranking. He came back last weekend to earn a technical fall against Penn State. 141: Topher Carton (Iowa) vs. No. 14 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) Pletcher, a three-time Pennsylvania state champion, started his season in redshirt, but was called on after Ke-Shawn Hayes suffered a season-ending injury. Pletcher started his Ohio State wrestling career by winning his first 17 matches. He took his first loss at the Midlands, where he went 3-2. Pletcher has since reeled off three consecutive Big Ten victories, including one over Cole Martin of Wisconsin, to improve his record to 20-2. Carton won his first 13 matches this season before losing to NC State's Kevin Jack at the Midlands Championships. He would go on to earn a seventh-place finish in Evanston. Carton cracked the rankings earlier this month but fell out of the rankings after losing his last two matches. In his most recent match, Carton led Penn State's Jimmy Gulibon 3-0 heading into the final period, but gave up four takedowns in the final period to lose 8-6. 149: No. 3 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) Like the match at 125 pounds, this match features two wrestlers ranked in the top five. Sorensen is a two-time All-American and returning national finalist, while Jordan enters the match undefeated. Sorensen is coming off arguably his best effort of the season despite losing. He scored two takedowns on returning NCAA champion Zain Retherford of Penn State and pushed him to the brink, but ultimately fell 9-8 in the second tiebreaker period in a rematch of last year's NCAA finals. Sorensen's only other loss this season came to Oklahoma State's Anthony Collica. Jordan, a round of 12 finisher last season at 141 pounds, won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title in early December. His run to the Vegas title included wins over two wrestlers ranked in the top 10. He is currently 21-0 with 14 bonus point victories. 174: No. 11 Alex Meyer (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) Two-time All-American Bo Jordan has been hampered by an injury this season, which has caused him to miss some competitions. He has won all eight of his matches this season, but lacks notable wins. Half of his wins this season have come over non-Division I competitors, and he has not beaten a wrestler currently ranked in Division I. Meyer will be his first major test this season. The Hawkeye fifth-year senior All-American is coming off a big win over Penn State true freshman Mark Hall, a Southern Scuffle champion. Meyer started this season 12-0, but has gone 3-4 over his last seven matches. However, all four of his losses this season have come against wrestlers ranked in the top 12. 184: No. 5 Sam Brooks (Iowa) vs. No. 10 Myles Martin (Ohio State) This is another battle of returning All-Americans. Brooks, an eighth-place finisher at the NCAAs last season, takes a 16-2 season record into tonight's dual meet. One of those two losses, however, came in his last outing a week ago against Penn State. Brooks was pinned in 38 seconds by No. 2 Bo Nickal. He will look to bounce back tonight as he faces the wrestler who defeated Nickal in the NCAA finals at 174 pounds last season, Myles Martin. The Buckeye sophomore has had a strong season, compiling a 20-3 record and No. 10 ranking. Two of his three losses came at the Midlands Championships, where he placed eighth.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Thursday evening's home dual for the Cleveland State University wrestling team against Lock Haven has been postponed. The dual was postponed due to transportation issues on Lock Haven's trip to Cleveland. The dual has been rescheduled for Friday, Jan. 27. The match will begin at Noon. As a result of the schedule change, this dual will be free to the public.

Brandon Eggum and Dustin Schlatter with Brett Pfarr (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) The University of Minnesota today announced that Brandon Eggum has been named the eighth head coach of the Gopher Wrestling program. Eggum had previously served as the team's interim head coach, a title he assumed last September. Today's announcement removes the interim tag from his title, effective immediately. "Brandon Eggum has been an incredible leader for our wrestling program since he became the interim head coach prior to this season," said Athletics Director Mark Coyle. "Anyone who knows Brandon understands his competitive spirit and his unquestionable passion not only for the sport, but for our program here at Minnesota. I have great confidence that Brandon and his staff will lead our wrestling program to success at the highest level." Eggum joined Minnesota's coaching staff in 2001 immediately after finishing his wrestling career with the Gophers. He was on the coaching staff for each of the program's three national titles, as well as five Big Ten team championships. Gopher wrestlers have won 27 individual conference crowns and 62 All-America medals with Eggum serving in a variety of coaching capacities. Prior to his brief tenue as interim head coach, Eggum served as the program's head assistant coach for the previous five seasons. "Anyone who knows me knows this is my dream job and I'm thankful for the opportunity to live out that dream," said Eggum. "It's an exciting day, no question, but today's announcement doesn't change what we're focused on doing every day with our wrestling program. My staff and I work with our wrestlers to help them achieve their goals on and off the mat, and I'm happy that we will be able to continue that work for years to come." In addition to his coaching credentials, Eggum also built an impressive resume as a wrestler. The Sidney, Mont., native was a four-time letterwinner for the Gophers. He finished his final three seasons as an All-American and won two individual Big Ten titles. He ranks among the program's 20 best all-time in wins and winning percentage. He was also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree while earning his degree in Applied Economics. On the international stage, Eggum won silver medals at the 2001 World and 2002 Pan American Freestyle Championships. For more on Brandon Eggum, check out this piece on GopherSports.com, originally published on Sept. 14, 2016 - z.umn.edu/eggum

WILKES-BARRE -- Last month it was revealed by the National Wrestling Media Association that King's College head wrestling coach Ned McGinley was the longest-tenured active head wrestling coach at all levels of NCAA wrestling. Now, after 48 years at the helm of the Monarchs, McGinley has decided the 2016-17 season will be his last. McGinley formally made the announcement at a press conference Thursday in King's Scandlon Gymnasium. McGinley and King's Wrestling go hand-in-hand. To say McGinley 'is King's College Wrestling' would not be an exaggeration. After all, McGinley started wrestling at King's in 1968 and has been the only head coach in program history. The Monarchs began as a Division II program but joined the NCAA Division III ranks in 1980 when King's became a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference. During his career McGinley has coached 45 College Division/Division III national tournament qualifiers; 18 NCAA Division III All-Americans; 20 Middle Atlantic Conference individual champions; six Metropolitan Conference winners; five National Catholic Invitational Tournament champions; while 13 of his wrestlers concluded undefeated dual-meet seasons. He also produced six wrestlers who reached the NCAA Division III national finals. McGinley's teams have also excelled in the classroom, as evidenced by the 32 NCAA Division III Scholar All-Americans he coached. His 2015 and 2016 squads were also crowned the top-ranked Division III academic teams nationally in both 2015 and 2016 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Wednesday night at Oneonta, McGinley coached his 900th dual meet at King's. With five dual meet left in the regular-season, McGinley has posted a 452-447-1 record. His last scheduled competition will come at the NCAA East Regional Championships February 24-25. If the Monarchs are able to qualify a wrestler to the Division III National Tournament, his tenure will extend to March 10-11 when the event is held in La Crosse Wisconsin. McGinely was recently credited as the longest-tenured active wrestling coach at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels by the Jason Bryant, President of the National Wrestling Media Association. Don Murray of Division III Brockport State is currently in his 47th year while Pat Pecora of Division II Pitt-Johnstown is in his 41st season. It is unknown if McGinley is the longest-tenured coach in college wrestling history as accurate records from the past are available. It is known that McGinley became the longest active coach in 2014-15 when Steve Eldridge of Division III Coast Guard Academy retired after 47 years following the 2013-14 season. Bucky Maughan at North Dakota State (DI and DII) also coached 47 years before stepping down after the 2010-11 campaign. McGinley may unofficially be the second-longest tenured active coach in all college sports. A survey of NCAA sports information directors produced one coach enjoying a longer active coaching tenure than McGinley. NCAA Division III North Central College men's cross country coach Al Carius recently completed his 51st season as head coach, but it is unknown if SID's with longer tenured coaches failed to respond to the survey. 12762"Coaching at King's College for 48 years has allowed me to live inside a sport that has been a constant thread throughout my life," McGinley reflected. "There is no more joy in life than living your hobby. My family and King's College have bonded over these 48 years of being together and it has been an incredible, wonderful run. It takes tremendous energy and enthusiasm to coach and run practice and time has finally it caught up to me." McGinley has produced a number of top teams during his storied coaching career. His 1996-97 squad was 19-3 while the 2000-01 team finished with a 19-2-1 record. His best season came in 2001-02, when McGinley led the Monarchs to a school-record 24-2 mark and King's concluded the dual meet season ranked fourth nationally, its highest national ranking ever. The Monarchs also placed fourth in the first NWCA Division III National Duals. McGinley also spearheaded the effort which brought the 2002 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Tournament to Wachovia Arena (now Mohegan Sun Arena) in Wilkes-Barre where King's served as co-host of the NCAA tourney with the University of Scranton. In 2002-03, King's finished 11th in the Division III National Tournament. Individually, Larry Danko became McGinley's first all-American, earning the honor three straight years from 1988-90. Danko also became McGinley's first national finalist, placing second in the 1990 NCAA Division III National Tournament at 177-pounds. In 2003, McGinley produced a pair of national runner-ups as both Mitch Marcks (125) and Jim Morgan (141) both finished second. In 2007, McGinley produced two more all-Americans as Jason Reilly placed fourth at 197 pounds. In addition, David Morgan became McGinley's first NCAA Division III national champion when he won the 133-pound title. A year later, Morgan would repeat at 133 to become a two-time Division III national championship winner. McGinley would produce one more national finalist in 2012 when Mike Reilly placed second at 184-pounds after finishing fourth at 174 in 2011. His last two national qualifiers were Shane Stark (184) in 2013 and Tommy Desir (165) in 2014. From the 2000-01 season through the 2013-14 campaigns, McGinley sent at least one wrestler to nationals. He produced 25 NCAA tournament qualifiers during that span. McGinley is a two-time MAC "Coach of the Year" and was the recipient of both the NCAA "25-Year Coaching Award." Ned is a member of the Luzerne County sports Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association and NCAA Division III Wrestling Coaches Halls of Fame. On April 26, 2016, McGinley received the biggest honor of his career when he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK. "I would just like to thank all the wrestlers I coached over the years," McGinley added. "They have provided me with a lifetime of memories, but perhaps most important is the personal relationships and friendships that have developed and lasted over time. It is also important to thank the King's administration for all their support over the years. There have been a lot of programs that have dropped off over the years but our administration has stood firmly behind wrestling. I am also grateful for the help and support I have had from members of our athletic department, most notably our athletic directors, the late John Dorish, as well as Cheryl Ish. It's impossible to list all the great people I have come in contact with over the years but they have all contributed to this experience, one way or the other." As a wrestler, McGinley was a two-time district champion and regional runner-up at Kingston High School, where he graduated from in 1961. He was the team captain his senior year and had a dual meet career record of 31-1-1. He graduated from Wilkes College in 1965 after earning four letters and posting a career record of 50-14. He was a two-time medalist in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and a Bronze medal in the NAIA's (1963). "What makes Ned so special is that throughout the history of the program, his focus has always been the experience and well-being of his athletes," King's Associate V.P. and Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation He has enjoyed great success, but along the way it was never about him, it always about his team. Ned is humble and always ready to give credit to the athletes for their success. I am not surprised that the wrestling alums are still so invested in the program. Ned definitely created a culture of a family with this team. He has been a wonderful mentor to the men he has coached that far extends beyond the wrestling mat. He has coached with dignity and grace and will be missed. I have worked with Ned for 22 years and he is always the first person to lend and ear or support when needed. Ned would often joke that they built the gym around him. In my mind, Ned will always be King's Wrestling. We are grateful for his time, energy and love he given to this program." McGinely will wind down his dual meet career Sunday at Lycoming before returning home for the final four home dual meets of his career. King's will host Elizabethtown February 3; Centenary February 7; and Keystone February 10. His final dual meet will be on February 16 when McGinley faces his alma-mater Wilkes at 7:00 PM in Scandlon Gymnasium. McGinley retired from teaching in the Wyoming Valley West School District in 1999, when he became the Athletic Recruiting Coordinator at King's, working in the Office of Admissions. He has been a part-time coach at King's throughout his career, enjoying remarkable success despite not being able to fully dedicate his time to the sport. Ned and his wife Mary Ellen reside in Wilkes-Barre. They have three children Seana, Edward Jr., and Bridget, along with five grandchildren. Career Highlights According to Ned McGinley Starting the program in 1968 and having more than 20 wrestlers at our first practice. Ray Lagoski won the 1st of three National Catholic Tournaments 1970. Wilkes Open Champion Don Mazzante as well as National Catholic Champion 1971. Defeating, at the time, Top 10 Nationally ranked Oswego and sweeping that Quad in NY. Taking qualifying athletes to the NCAA College Division National Tournament 1972 and 1973. Taking qualifying athlete to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Taking qualifying athletes to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Larry Danko 1st All-American 1989. Having 4 Champions at the MAC Tournament and taking them to the NCAA Division III Tournament 1990. Having Larry Danko (177) in the NCAA Tournament Finals for his 3rd All-American Medal in 1991. Taking four Athletes to the 2001 NCAA D3 Tournament again, including 3 freshmen. Placing 4th at the NCAA Division III Dual Championship at Ohio State University 2002. Winning 2002 Bud Whitehill National Duals. Having four qualifiers and two All-Americans at the D3 Championship we hosted in 2002. Having two wrestlers - Mitch Marcks (125) and Jim Morgan (141) - in the NCAA D3 Finals at Ohio Northern 2003. Both placed 2nd and finished their careers as four-time national qualifiers. In 2006 the crowning of our first National Champion David Morgan (133) and Jason Reilly (197) placing 4th at 197. The team also placed 6th in the NCAA DIII Tournament. David Morgan wins 2nd Division III national title in 2007 Mike Reilly finishes 2nd in Division III National Tournament in 2011 at 184-pounds, earning 2nd Division III All-American medal. Reilly was also Wilkes Open Champion in 2011. King's wrestling earns 2015 and 2016 NWCA Academic team title for highest GPA in NCAA DIII Wrestling. Being inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.

This week's Takedown TV focuses on collegiate wrestling at the heart of the season. Among this week's features: Penn State over Iowa highlights Seth Gross defeats Kaid Brock Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale gets 150th win Nick Mitchell wins USSA (United States Sports Academy) Award at Grand View University Minnesota's Pfarr Brothers feature One-one-one with Old Dominion's Jack Dechow Watch this week's episode here ... or at the Takedown Wrestling's YouTube Channel. In addition, Takedown Wrestling TV is aired on these television networks. All air times are Central. Cablevision: Sundays at 4 p.m. Charter Cable: Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday 11:30 p.m. and Monday 2:30 p.m. Comcast Cable: Friday at 5:00 p.m. Cox Cable: Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. KWEM, Stillwater, Oklahoma: Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Long Lines Cable: Daily at 5:30 p.m. Mediacom Cable: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. MidCo Sports Network: Saturday 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. SECV8: Friday at 5:00 p.m. Suddenlink Cable- Check your local listings. Multiple air times. Time Warner Cable Sports- Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Western Reserve Cable- Tuesday at 11:00 p.m., Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 10:00 p.m.

NORFOLK, Va. -- Senior 133-pounder Cole Baumgartner completed a huge comeback for the Duke wrestling team as the Blue Devils rallied from 10 points down to upend Old Dominion 18-16 in a non-conference dual Wednesday night. Duke won the final three bouts to stop its three-match losing streak. Duke improves to 3-5 overall while Old Dominion falls to 4-8. The Blue Devils are now 2-2 on the road. Trailing 16-6 with three bouts remaining, Duke heavyweight Jacob Kasper sparked the comeback in a big way with a first-period pin at heavyweight. The nation's fifth-ranked heavyweight wasted no time and put Will Hilliard on his back and got the pin in just 57 seconds. The fall was his seventh of the year and fourth in duals, while the victory extends his win streak to 16 matches. The Blue Devils, sensing momentum shifting in their favor, got three more points from a strong showing at 125 by Thayer Atkins. The junior turned in a solid seven-minute performance, building a 4-1 lead in the first period and stretching it to 8-2 in the third. Monarch Steven Simpson did well to avoid the major decision as Atkins came away with the 10-5 decision to bring Duke within one, 16-15. The nine-point swing in Duke's direction meant it was all up to the Baumgartner. Facing a familiar face in Alex Madrigal, Baumgartner avenged an early season major decision to the Monarch redshirt freshman. Baumgartner was outstanding on defense in the first period and the pair headed into the second scoreless. Madrigal elected to start in the down position in the second and Baumgartner took advantage and built his riding time to two minutes. Starting the third period on bottom, Baumgartner battled Madrigal tough and escaped 53 seconds into the third period to keep his riding time bonus point alive. Madrigal took a shot in the final 30 seconds, but Baumgartner refused to lose and came away with the 2-0 decision and Duke victory. The win was his 15th of the year. The match started at 141 pounds overall with Duke redshirt sophomore Zach Finesilver picking up three points with a 4-1 decision over Kevin Budock. Finesilver scored a takedown after about two minutes of wrestling in the first period and rode well to finish out the stanza with a 2-0 lead. The Colorado native extended his lead to 4-0 with a reversal late in the second period and did well to ride in the third and hold off a few final shots from Budock late in the final session for his 12th victory of the year. The Monarchs responded with a decision from Michael Hayes over Duke's Xaviel Ramos at 149. The Duke junior trailed 8-0 in the third period, but had a strong finish to avoid the major decision to keep the Blue Devils from falling behind. As expected heading into the dual, the back and forth scoring continued at 157 with Blue Devil senior Jake Faust putting Duke back in front with a 5-1 decision over Austin Eads. Faust went to his offense early in the match, scoring a takedown and a 2-1 lead after the first period. He was outstanding on top in the second, riding out the entire two minutes, to maintain his 2-1 advantage. Faust scored a reversal right off the bat in the third period to secure the 5-1 decision. Old Dominion secured wins in the next three bouts to stretch its lead to 16-6 and set up Duke for the exciting come-from-behind victory. The Monarchs managed bonus points in just one match tonight, a fact that had haunted the Blue Devils at points this season. Alec Schenk had his comeback against No. 9 Jack Dechow come up just short in a 6-4 decision, while Luke Farinaro battled 11th-ranked Kevin Beazley tough in a 6-1 setback at 197. The Blue Devils return to ACC wrestling Sunday, Jan. 29 at No. 5 Virginia Tech. The match is slated to start at 2 p.m., at the Moss Arts Center. Results: 141: Zach Finesilver (Duke) dec. Kevin Budock (ODU), 4-1 | Duke 3, Old Dominion 0 149: Michael Hayes (ODU) dec. Xaviel Ramos (Duke), 9-2 | Duke 3, Old Dominion 3 157: Jake Faust (Duke) dec. Austin Eads (ODU), 5-1 | Duke 6, Old Dominion 3 165: No. 15 Seldon Wright (ODU) major dec. Garrett Neff (Duke), 10-2 | Duke 6, Old Dominion 7 174: Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. Michael Wright (Duke), 4-1 | Duke 6, Old Dominion 10 184: No. 9 Jack Dechow (ODU) dec. Alec Schenk (Duke), 6-4 | Duke 6, Old Dominion 13 197: No. 11 Kevin Beazley (ODU) dec. Luke Farinaro (Duke), 6-1 | Duke 6, Old Dominion 16 285: No. 6 Jacob Kasper (Duke) fall Will Hilliard (ODU), 0:57 | Duke 12, Old Dominion 16 125: Thayer Atkins (Duke) dec. Steven Simpson (ODU), 10-5 | Duke 15, Old Dominion 16 133: Cole Baumgartner (Duke) dec. Alex Madrigal (ODU), 2-0 | Duke 18, Old Dominion16

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released the updated standings for the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. NCAA champion Gabe Dean of Cornell holds sole position of the top spot in falls in Division I with 12 at 184 pounds. Penn State national champion Zain Retherford, teammate Bo Nickal and Chad Walsh of Rider have all accumulated 10 falls so far, this season. Ronald Wardleigh In Division II, Western State 125-pounder Ronald Wardleigh holds the national lead with 10 falls this season over Carmine Ciotti of Gannon with nine. Heavyweight Jake Evans of Waynesburg holds the Division III lead over Messiah 133-pounder Hunter Harris by virtue of aggregate time. Evans' 17 falls have come in 51:34, while Harris has reached his 17 in just a little bit longer time of 52:55. True freshman Jack Mueller of Virginia leads Division I in tech falls with nine this season at 125 pounds, while Te'Shan Campbell of Pittsburgh and 2016 national runner-up TJ Dudley of Nebraska are right behind Mueller with eight. Adams State 133-pounder Martin Ramirez leads a quartet of wrestlers that each have six tech falls in Division II. Ramirez' time of 21:45 is faster than Francis Mizia of Mercyhurst, Cody Law of Pittsburgh-Johnstown and Tyler Mies of Newman. Stephen Jarrell of Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island) has 13 tech falls at 174 pounds to hold a lead of four over his next closest competition. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows. A 12-match minimum is required to be eligible for the Most Dominant Award. * Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) * Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) * Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss) * Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss) The initial Most Dominant Wrestler standings will be released later this season to allow wrestlers to achieve the 12-match minimum that is required to be eligible for the standings. Falls Awards Standings Technical Falls Awards Standings

The last weekend in January also happens to be one of the biggest weekends of the scholastic wrestling season when it comes to head-on dual meets. There are three nationally ranked showdowns slated for Thursday night. Overviews of the dual meets are below. No. 9 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) at No. 8 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) 106: Drew Munch (WS) vs. Dillon Murphy (BECA) Battle of freshmen, Munch was fifth at Powerade in this weight class, while Murphy was two matches from placing at the Beast of the East. 113: Mosha Schwartz (WS) vs. Kenny Herrmann (BECA) Schwartz was fourth at the Powerade in this weight class after placing eighth at 106 in the Ironman; while the freshman Herrmann was two matches from placing at Ironman and one away at the Beast of the East. 120: No. 6 Beau Bartlett (WS) vs. No. 9 Ryan Anderson (BECA) This would be a rematch of the Ironman final, a match that Bartlett won 6-4 in overtime. 126: No. 16 Jack Davis (WS) vs. Zach Glenn (BECA) Davis was runner-up at the Powerade; while Glenn placed at the state tournament last year in the 106 pound weight class, but was a reserve this season until the freshman Cole Handlovic was injured earlier this month. 132: Jake Riegel (WS) vs. Colin Redington (BECA) Riegel was champion at the Powerade; while Redington is a replacement for two-time state qualifier Luke Carty, whom is no longer on the team. 138: Benny Baker/Will Moss (WS) vs. Jared Papcsy (BECA) Baker was a National Prep runner-up last year at 113, Moss was National Prep champ at 106 two years ago; while Papcsy placed fifth at the Beast of the East. 145: Alfonso Martinez (WS) vs. Michael Lewis (BECA) The freshman Martinez placed eighth at the Ironman down at 138 pounds, while Lewis was two matches from placing at the Ironman. 152: Jake Stefanowicz (WS) vs. Luca Frinzi (BECA) Two of the relatively unheralded wrestlers on each team will battle in a potentially important match. 160: Darrien Roberts (WS) vs. Tavion Banks (BECA) Another match where both wrestlers are relatively unheralded; Banks is a freshman, who is in the dual meet lineup but did not compete at Ironman or Beast of the East. 170: Jake Hendricks (WS) vs. Ryan Zeiner (BECA) Cadet double All-American Hendricks placed third at the Powerade, while Zeiner was one match from placing at the Beast of the East down a weight class. 182: Austin Cooley (WS) vs. No. 2 (at 170) Michael Labriola (BECA) New England regional placer Cooley was one match from placing at both the Ironman and Powerade, while Labriola won titles at the Ironman and Beast of the East at 170 pounds. 195: Dillon Ryan (WS) vs. Jody Crouse (BECA) Ryan was an unexpected seventh place at the Ironman in this weight class, while Crouse missed placement at the Ironman by two matches and at the Beast by a match. 220: Michael Doggett (WS) vs. Andrew Balukas (BECA) Two of the relatively unheralded wrestlers on each team will battle in a potentially important match. 285: Forfeit (WS) vs. No. 13 Niko Camacho (BECA) The Blue Knights do not have a 285-pound wrestler on their NFHS eligible roster, while Camacho was champion at the Ironman and fourth at the Beast of the East. No. 21 Pomona (Colo.) at No. 22 Pueblo County (Colo.) 106: Wyatt Yapoujian (Pom) vs. Brendon Garcia (PC) Junior National double finalist won the Top of the Rockies championship last week in a weight class that the freshman Yapoujian placed third. 113: Justin Pacheco (Pom) vs. Josiah Nava (PC) Two-time state finalist Nava beat state placer Pacheco in the consolation final at last week's Top of the Rockies Tournament. 120: Coltan Yapoujian (Pom) vs. Nathan Bonham (PC) Cadet National freestyle champion Yapoujian beat state placer Bonham in the semifinals at the Top of the Rockies Tournament on the way to his championship. 126: Brendan Taylor (Pom) vs. Jaxon Garoutte (PC) The freshman Garoutte placed fourth at the Top of the Rockies Tournament, while Taylor failed to placed. Theorius Robison and Grant Willits met in the finals of the Doc Buchanan Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 132: No. 14 Theorius Robison (Pom) vs. No. 13 Grant Willits (PC) Willits beat Robison 3-2 in the championship match at the Doc Buchanan invitational; Willits was champion at the Top of the Rockies last week, while Robison did not wrestle. 138: Jace Wytulka (Pom) vs. Justin Davis (PC) The senior Davis was a state champion last season. 145: Angelo Hernandez (Pom) vs. Trevor Singleton (PC) The sophomore Singleton missed a top six podium finish at the Top of the Rockies Tournament by one match, while Hernandez went two-and-out. 152: Xavier Herrera (Pom) vs. No. 10 Hunter Willits (PC) Willits has been locked in this cycle, placing in Junior freestyle, the Super 32 Challenge, and the Ironman; he has titles at the Doc Buchanan and last weekend's Top of the Rockies. The junior Herrera is a returning state qualifier, and placed fourth in last weekend's Top of the Rockies. 160: Jason Romero (Pom) vs. Mason Mooring (PC) Two-time state runner-up Romero was champion at the Top of the Rockies last weekend, while Mooring missed placement by a match. 170: Nolan Krone (Pom) vs. Jayson Davis (PC) Krone placed fourth at state last year and won the Top of the Rockies last weekend. Davis placed sixth at state last year, and missed placement by one match last weekend, including a quarterfinal loss to Krone. 182: Uriah Vigil (Pom) vs. Dante Garcia (PC) Neither wrestler in this match competed at the Top of the Rockies last week, and both have been in-and-out of the lineup this year; Vigil placed third at state last year, while Garcia was a state champion. 195: Doug Mills (Pom) vs. Donovan Rincon (PC) Mills placed sixth at the Top of the Rockies last weekend, while Rincon did not compete in the tournament, but placed third at last year's state tournament. 220: Angelo Arrelano (Pom) vs. Miguel Lara (PC) The senior Arrelano placed fourth at the Top of the Rockies, while this is a rather weak spot for Pueblo County. 285: Brandon Micale (Pom) vs. Eulalio De La Canal (PC) Fellow senior Micale was champion at the Top of the Rockies last weekend, while this is a rather weak spot for Pueblo County. No. 7 Clovis (Calif.) at No. 2 Buchanan (Calif.) In last year's dual meet at Clovis, it was Buchanan that emerged with the 32-27 victory to end a 91-match in-state dual meet win streak for Clovis; the Bears won eight of fourteen bouts on that evening. In-state rankings come courtesy of The California Wrestler, as published on January 18th. 106: Giano Petrucelli (Clovis) vs. Josh Poore/Hunter Leake (Buch) Petrucelli is ranked seventh statewide, while the Buchanan starter is ranked 33rd. Leake has a 7-1 loss to Petrucelli this season; while Petrucelli placed third at the Doc Buchanan, a tournament in which Poore failed to place. 113: Brandon Paulson (Clovis) vs. No. 2 Matthew Olguin (Buch) Paulson is ranked eighth statewide, and placed sixth at the Doc Buchanan, which included an 8-1 loss to returning state champion Olguin. Olguin is undefeated on the season with titles at the Zinkin Classic and the Doc Buchanan. 120: Wyatt Cornelison (Clovis) vs. No. 16 Ethan Leake (Buch) Cornelison is ranked 16th statewide despite placing eighth in last year's state tournament at 113 pounds. Leake is the defending state champion at 113, and has yet to lose this season, including a pair of wins over nationally ranked wrestlers at 126 pounds. 126: No. 3 Justin Mejia (Clovis) vs. Tyler Deen (Buch) Mejia is a three-time state champion, and was dominant when making his season debut at the Doc Buchanan three weks ago. Deen was state champion last year in New Mexico at 113, and is ranked seventh statewide; he lost 6-3 to Mejia on the way to a fifth place finish at the Doc Buchanan. 132: Brandon Rhoads (Clovis) vs. Wyatt Peverill (Buch) Neither wrestler is projected to place at state this weight class; returning state qualifier Rhoads is ranked 17th, while Peverill is tenth. 138: Max Anderson (Clovis) vs. Brett Villarreal (Buch) Anderson is ranked 23rd statewide and failed to place at the Doc Buchanan; while Villarreal is second statewide after winning the Doc Buchanan, having placed fourth at state last year. 145: Mikelli Chiaramonte (Clovis) vs. Chris Gaxiola (Buch) The freshman Chiaramonte is ranked 24th statewide and failed to place at the Doc Buchanan; two-time state qualifier Gaxiola is 12th statewide and placed fourth at the Doc Buchanan. 152: Tyler Gianakopulos (Clovis) vs. Tristan Zamilpa (Buch) The freshman Gianakopulos is ranked 18th statewide, and went 3-2 at the Doc Buchanan in this weight class; 2015 state qualifier Zamilpa is ranked eighth, and placed seventh at the Doc Buchanan down a weight class at 145. 160: Brandon Martino (Clovis) vs. Joel Romero (Buch) This would be the evening's best matchup, pitting a pair of returning state placers against one another. Each wrestler finished runner-up at the Doc Buchanan, Martino at this weight class, Romero down a weight. Martino was fifth at 152 last year, while Romero was third at 138. 170: Victor Vargas (Clovis) vs. Jake Levatino (Buch) Both wrestlers in this match are seniors that qualified for the state tournament last year. Vargas was one match away from a podium finish, and is ranked third statewide in this weight class, finishing runner-up at both the Zinkin and Doc Buchanan; Levatino is ranked 11th after a seventh place finish at the Doc Buchanan. 182: Jacob Good (Clovis) vs. Anthony Montalvo (Buch) Good qualified for state last year, and is ranked 13th in this weight class, but failed to place at the Doc Buchanan; he lost in the Zinkin Classic final at 196 pounds to a different Buchanan wrestler (3-0 to Ervin). Returning state runner-up Montalvo is ranked first statewide, and has titles in this weight class at the Zinkin Clasic and Doc Buchanan this season. 195: Ruger Wyneken (Clovis) vs. Trevor Ervin (Buch) Both wrestlers in this match are returning state qualifiers. Wyneken is ranked ninth statewide, including a seventh place finish at the Doc Buchanan; while Ervin has missed state placement by a single bout each of the last two years, but is ranked 16th statewide after going two-and-out at the Doc Buchanan. 220: Joey Jaramillo/Tyler Collier (Clovis) vs. No. 19 Cade Belshay (Buch) Collier placed third at state in this weight class last year, but has yet to compete on the season due to injury, his return is expected imminently though. His replacement, Jaramillo, is ranked 29th statewide and went 1-2 at the Doc Buchanan. Belshay placed fifth at 170 in last year's state tournament, but is the top ranked wrestler statewide in this weight class, placing third at the Doc Buchanan and winning the Zinkin Classic. 285: No. 2 Seth Nevills (Clovis) vs. Isaiah Ortiz (Buch) Two-time state champion Nevills is prohibitively favored to win a third in as many years. Ortiz is ranked 24th statewide, going two-and-out at the Doc Buchanan, and finishing third at the Zinkin Classic, which included a first period loss by fall to Nevills. Three additional dual meets placing nationally ranked teams against one another are slated for Saturday or Sunday. No. 8 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) vs. No. 14 Nazareth (Pa.) -- Saturday at Bethlehem Liberty The teams are also expected to meet the following two weekends in dual meet competition as well. Next Saturday in the District XI dual meet championship, and the following Saturday in the state dual meet championship. No. 17 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) vs. No. 49 Mason (Ohio) -- Saturday at Lowell (Mich.) This match will take place using the Michigan weight classes, i.e. the "old" ones. Both teams happen to benefit from that structure. Mason is able to inject either a returning state qualifier or a state qualification caliber kid whom are displaced from their normal starting lineup; while Detroit Catholic Central is able to use their "normal" starting lineup, and can displace one of their upper-weights who struggled at the Medina Invitational. No. 9 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) at No. 10 Bergen Catholic

Springfield's first wrestling team Tucked away in western Massachusetts is a college that boasts about being the birthplace of basketball. But on January 14, 2017, Springfield College could say their wrestling program is a member of the elite 1000-win club. After defeating Theil College, at the Bud Whitehill Duals, Springfield joined Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Oregon State as the only programs in NCAA history to achieve 1000 dual meet victories. Over the course of Springfield's wrestling history, the school has competed in the College/University Division, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III. Springfield College first fielded a wrestling team during the 1914-15 season when the squad competed twice finishing 1-1. Seven men have served as head coaches at the college since the beginning with Doug Parker leading the program the longest, 35 years. Parker, who amassed 518 wins during his career, coached 1984 Olympic Greco Roman gold medalist, Jeff Blatnick. Parker is a member of the Div. II Wrestling Hall of Fame and in 1999 was recognized by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his dedication to wrestling. Springfield's current coach, former Boston University wrestler Jason Holder, is in his sixth year heading the program. Doug Parker with Jeff BlatnickWhile producing many great athletes during its 102-year history, the Springfield College wrestling program is also known for being the training ground of excellent coaches. Alumni that distinguished themselves as wrestling coaches include Rick Moyer, Wayland High School, Massachusetts, Matt Sansone, Locust Valley High School, New York, and Brian Crudden, Windham High School, Connecticut. Collectively these coaches garnered close to 1000 career victories. Sansone was the high school coach of Penn State's 1984 NCAA Champion, Carl DeStefanis. Current Winchester High School (Mass.) coach, Larry Tremblay, is a 1977 graduate of Springfield. The winningest coach in Massachusetts high school history, Tremblay is also a member of the Masachusetts Division of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Speaking about Springfield's 1000th victory Tremblay said, "We all want to win but at Springfield, most of us went there to learn how to coach. I am a member of a special fraternity of former Springfield wrestlers that have made their careers teaching and coaching." Following the path of other alumni, Springfield's 2014 Division III National Champion, Devin Biscaha, is coaching at Christiansburg High School in Virginia. College wrestling is on the rise with over 25 programs being added nationwide during the last several years. Mike Moyer, the executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association hopes that the new programs can also stand the test of time. "Springfield is a great example of how wrestling can support a college's mission. Hundreds of men not only wrestled for Springfield but after graduation made a positive mark in our society. All of us involved in developing college wrestling will be rooting for Springfield on their journey to win number 2000."

The pre-seeds have been released for the All-Academy Wrestling Championships, which take place on Sunday at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md. 125: 1. Dalton Henderson (VMI) 2. Drew Romero (Air Force) 3. Trey Chalifoux (Army West Point) 4. Brant Leadbeter (Navy) Other entries: Patrick Kearney (The Citadel) Earl Roberts (Coast Guard) Cole Nickerson (Norwich) 133: 1. Dylan Hyder (Air Force) 2. Austin Harry (Army West Point) 3. Andy Szalwinski (The Citadel) 4. Owen McClave (Coast Guard) 5. Tyler Craig (MMA) Other entries: Cody Lambert (Navy) Jacob Forsman (Norwich) Michael Hulcher (VMI) 141: 1. Logan Everett (Army West Point) 2. Jared Prince (Navy) 3. John Twomey (Air Force) 4. Doug Gudenburr (The Citadel) 5. Matt McAllister (Coast Guard) Other entries: Chad Puglio (MMA) Jon Graziane (Norwich) John Reed (VMI) 149: 1. Gerald McGinty (Air Force) 2. Ty Buckiso (The Citadel) 3. Corey Wilding (Navy) 4. Matt Kelly (Army West Point) Other entries: Matt Vieira (Coast Guard) Trenton Dolby (MMA) Sean Randles (Norwich) Steven Smith (VMI) 157: 1. Russ Parsons (Army West Point) 2. Aaron Walker (The Citadel) 3. Neal Richards (VMI) 4. Alex Mossing (Air Force) Other entries: Chris Sullivan (Coast Guard) Erik Beshada (MMA) Casey Cowan (Navy) Ben Swanson (Norwich) 165: 1. Andrew Mendel (Army West Point) 2. Drew Daniels (Navy) 3. Tyler Wiederholt (Air Force) Other entries: Russ Hill (The Citadel) Nick Remke (Coast Guard) Joshua Glantzman (MMA) Pat McCurdy (Norwich) Cade Kiely (VMI) 174: 1. Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) 2. Ben Harvey (Army West Point) 3. Michael Billingsley (Air Force) 4. Shabaka Johns (VMI) Other entries: Martin Duane (The Citadel) AJ Aeberli (Coast Guard) Collin Kiel (MMA) Zach Gibson (Norwich) 184: 1. Samson Imonode (Army West Point) 2. Michael Coleman (Navy) 3. Joseph Hennessey (Norwich) 4. Kurtis Hahn (MMA) 5. Zen Ikehara (Air Force) 6. Chris Beck (VMI) Other entries: Chandler Sambets (The Citadel) Dan Fiorvanti (Coast Guard) 197: 1. Steban Cervantes (Navy) 2. Anthony McLaughlin (Air Force) 3. Rocco Caywood (Army West Point) 4. Sawyer Root (The Citadel) Other entries: Phil Azzari (Coast Guard) Blake Bunce (MMA) David Rogers (Norwich) Tayor Thomas (VMI) 285: 1. Trevor Smith (Army West Point) 2. Kerry Powers (Air Force) 3. Joe Bexley (The Citadel) 4. Thomas Ott (Navy) 5. Victor Raigoza (MMA) Other entries: Cory Tomasetti (Coast Guard) Stephen Briganti (Norwich) Thomas Shea-Roop (VMI)

NBCSN and Trackwrestling will present exclusive live coverage of the NWCA Division I Dual Championship Series Presented by the United States Marine Corps and Theraworx on Sunday, Feb. 19. The championship dual will be televised live at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with all eight duals in the series live streamed on Trackwrestling.com. "One of the guiding principles of why we have this championship is to create another premier event for wrestling," NWCA president and chair of the duals committee Tom Ryan said. "We have the individual Division I Championships, but this provides us with another opportunity to promote another premier championship, and what better way to grow the fan base than through a live telecast of the national championship on NBCSN. Through our partnership with Trackwrestling and NBC Sports Group, we have an opportunity to feed the appetite of our passionate fans." For the second year, the format for the NWCA Division I Dual Championship Series will consist of eight teams from the Big Ten taking on conference dual meet champions, and possibly a few at-large selections, from six other leagues. Big Ten squads will travel this year on the third weekend in February to take on teams from the ACC, Big 12, Big 12 affiliate, EIWA, EWL, Ivy League, Patriot League, MAC and SoCon. The championship dual will pit the Big Ten's dual champion against the highest-nationally ranked school from another conference. If the current rankings hold, second-ranked Penn State would take on No. 1 Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. The nationally televised championship dual will be presented by BATS-TOI, an innovative sports technology company. "We couldn't be more excited to deliver the livestream and archived video for all the Dual Championship Series matches through Trackwrestling," Trackwrestling founder and general manager Justin Tritz said. "February is an exciting month for us with nearly 40 high school state championships and now the opportunity to deliver Division I college wrestling at the highest level to fans across the country during that same time frame." ABOUT NBCSN NBCSN is NBC Sports Group's dedicated 24/7 linear sports network. Now in nearly 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two Stanley Cup Final games -- NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, Premier League, Tour de France, and America's Cup. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Ironman, the AVP Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States. ABOUT TRACKWRESTLING Wrapping up it's 13th season, over 7,500 events last year used Trackwrestling to manage their event, including 38 state high school tournaments and all college national championships, including NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA. Over 8,000 high school and college teams use Trackwrestling, and over 700,000 wrestler profiles have been created. Originally created to seed wrestling events, Trackwrestling.com has evolved into a customizable, comprehensive solution for the wrestling world, offering tools for weight management, team management, event management, rankings, athlete profiles, and more. Wrestling fans across the country can also log in to follow their favorite athletes online with real-time results and streaming video services. These easy-to-use tools are backed by unmatched customer support available 7 days a week. To learn more about Trackwrestling visit trackwrestling.com, on Twitter @trackwrestling, and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TrackwrestlingSE . ABOUT BATS-TOI BATS-TOI™ (Bah'tua), is a sports technology company dedicated to improving athlete health and safety through the production of innovative consumer equipment such as the award-winning, state-of-the-art, protective wrestling helmet, The Mercado™. For more information or to purchase The Mercado™ please visit batstoi.com ABOUT THE NWCA The NWCA brings the wrestling coaching community together to advance the sport and ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to engage in a safe and educationally based wrestling experience. This is primarily done by strengthening existing programs, creating new programs, and providing coaches with progressive educational opportunities. ABOUT THERAWORX Theraworx, a patented product of Avadim Technologies, Inc., is the official infection prevention partner of the NWCA. Theraworx is the clinical grade topical safeguard that cleans, restores and supports the wrestler's natural skin health. When clean is not enough, Theraworx optimizes the skin, reduces water loss and helps support the skin's natural eco-system to keep it performing at its peak physical levels. Theraworx is one of the most effective hygiene tools available for maintaining the health and welfare of your wrestling team. Options such as soaps, alcohol-based antiseptics, CHG-based products, etc. are harsh and dry out the skin, and are not safe for the face or damaged skin. Alternatively, Theraworx is total-body safe, clinically proven and used by top hospitals. Theraworx No-Rinse innovative technology quickly dries and remains on the skin and should be used before, during and after competition or practice. Theraworx is the essential hygiene tool now available for maintaining the health and welfare of your wrestling team. For more information on Theraworx®, visit www.theraworx.com.

BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State University wrestling split the weight classes 5-5, but was able to overcome a pesky Gardner-Webb team by taking the final two matches, winning 19-17 on Tuesday night in Varsity Gym. The 16th-ranked Mountaineers (11-2, 5-0 Southern Conference) went ahead 13-0 early by getting three wins, two of which were bonus points, but the Runnin' Bulldogs were bale to claw back in by rattling off five-straight weight-class victories to take the lead. Down 17-13 and with the momentum against him, sophomore Randall Diabe stepped up to face off against Payton Mills in a must-win situation at the 197-pound class for the Black and Gold. Mills played defense while Diabe knew he had to go for points and battled in for a takedown and two escapes to get the 4-0 decision win to bring App State within one, 17-16. In another must-win match, No. 12 senior heavyweight Denzel Dejournette also knew he had to go on the offense against Gardner-Webb's Boyce Cornwell if they were going to get the win. After two periods that saw few points or action due to defensive strategy from Cornwell, Dejournette finally found the takedown he needed to go up 3-1. The senior stayed in control the rest of the way and wound up with the riding time advantage to get the 4-1 decision and the Mountaineers the 19-17 victory. Appalachian started the match off on an absolute tear, with No. 19 senior Vito Pasone launching everything with a breakneck pin at 125 pounds. Pasone pinned Landon LoAlbo in 1:26 – his first pin of the year. No. 24 freshman Colby Smith carried the bonus points wagon forward at 133 pounds, defeating Phillip Anderson with a 9-1 major decision. Sophomore Irvin Enriquez got the hard-fought win at 141 pounds, having to battle Ryan Hull deep into the third period to get the victory. Hull came out quick first and caught Enriquez in some bad spots early to take the lead. But Enriquez didn't let up and battled back each time Hull would make a move. The Aberdeen-native won the match 11-10. The Runnin' Bulldogs were able to take the middle five weight classes. Chris Vassar defeated sophomore Matt Zovistoski in a 14-2 major decision. Ryan Mosley downed sophomore Gavin Londoff in a 7-2 decision. Tyler Marinelli won a tightly contested 4-3 decision over junior Forrest Przybysz. Austin Trott defeated junior Nick Kee in a 10-3 decision and Hunter Gamble got the 9-1 major decision over junior David Peters-Logue. The Mountaineers will go on to host the Appalachian Open on Saturday, Jan. 28, beginning at 9 a.m. Appalachian's next duals match will be against SoCon rival Chattanooga on Sunday, Feb. 5. The action begins at 2 p.m. Results: 125: #19 Vito Pasone (APP) pinned Landon LoAlbo (GWU), 1:26 133: #24 Colby Smith (APP) def. Phillip Anderson (GWU), 9-1 maj. dec. 141: Irvin Enriquez (APP) def. Ryan Hull (GWU), 11-10 dec. 149: Chris Vassar (GWU) def. #15 Matt Zovistoski (APP), 14-2 maj. dec. 157: Ryan Mosley (GWU) def. Gavin Londoff (APP), 7-2 dec. 165: Tyler Marinelli (GWU) def. Forrest Przybysz (APP) 4-3 dec. 174: Austin Trott (GWU) def. #17 Nick Kee (APP), 10-3 dec. 184: Hunter Gamble (GWU) def. David Peters-Logue (APP), 9-1 maj. dec. 197: Randall Diabe (APP) def. Payton Mills (GWU), 4-0 dec. HWT: #12 Denzel Dejournette (APP) def. Boyce Cornwell (GWU), 4-1 dec.

Jason Borrelli (center) with assistants Ray Blake and Jamill Kelly (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Mike Finn and Jason Borrelli will be the guests on this week's edition of the On the Mat wrestling broadcast on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Finn, editor of WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine) since 2003, was named winner of Amateur Wrestling News magazine's Bob Dellinger Award as the top wrestling writer of 2016. Borrelli, now in his ninth season as head wrestling coach at Stanford University, which has sent 17 different wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 31 times, bringing home nine NCAA All-American honors and 14 individual Pac-12 championships. On the Mat is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com.

Mats at the Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY -- United World Wrestling has announced a new worldwide licensing program for the manufacturing and distribution of its branded wrestling mats. The program, a first for the organization, aims to improve and certify the surface conditions on which wrestlers around the world train and compete. By working with only the best manufacturers and testing their efficacy United World Wrestling aims to ensure both standards for Competition Organizers and safety of its athletes. Four mat providers, including United World Wrestling's Official Mat Supplier Shandong Taishan Sports Equipment, have received certifications for their competition surfaces. Foeldeak, O'Jump and MG Sport complete the exclusive list of companies who are approved for licensing and distribution.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Winning three of the final four matches, the ninth ranked NC State wrestling team scored a 19-11 win at North Carolina Monday night. With the Wolfpack (9-1, 2-0 ACC) holding a slight 9-8 lead (UNC was deducted a team point) after the first six matches, NC State scored back-to-back wins at 285 and 125 pounds, and concluded the night with a dominating 10-4 decision at 141 pounds in a top-five showdown. The dual started at 149 pounds. Sam Speno got the Pack its first victory of the night, defeating Troy Heilmann 6-3. Speno scored a pair of first period takedowns, and got a clinching takedown with 45 seconds left. Speno improves to 6-0 in duals this year. After UNC won at 157, Brian Hamann gave the Pack the lead once again with an 8-2 decision over Devin Kane. Hermann scored an early takedown in the first, and got a four-point near fall at the end of the period to take a 6-0 lead. UNC retied the score with a decision at 174, but the Pack answered once again. Junior Nicky Hall earned the shutout win, 5-0 over Anderson Pope at 184 pounds and NC State was up 9-6. The Tar Heels once again closed the gap, as Daniel Chaid scored an OT win over Michael Macchiavello, 3-1. Macchiavello was wrestling up a weight class from his normal 184 pounds, but after the win UNC was deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct, and it was 9-8 NC State with four bouts left. For the first time in the dual, NC State got back-to-back wins and an insurmountable lead. A second straight OT match went the way of NC State this time around. At heavyweight, Mike Kosoy got a takedown in extra time to earn the 5-3 victory. Seeing action at 125 pounds for the first time this season, redshirt-sophomore Sean Fausz scored a 12-3 major decision. NC State was unable to clinch the dual, as UNC won at 133 pounds and pulled within 16-11 heading into the top-3 showdown between Kevin Jack and Joey Ward to close the ACC dual. Jack took care of business and closed out the dual with his 21st straight win on the season, including third over a top-five foe. Jack started with the lone takedown in the first period. After a Jack escape and second takedown it was 5-1 Jack in the second. Starting the third on top, Jack turned Ward and for a two-point near fall and closed with another late takedown in a dominating 10-4, where he did not give up a takedown. Results: 149: Sam Speno (NCSU) dec. Troy Heilmann; 6-3 - 3-0 157: Joey Moon (UNC) dec. Thomas Bullard; 6-5 - 3-3 165: Brian Hamann (NCSU) dec. Devin Kane; 8-2 - 6-3 174: Ethan Ramos (UNC) dec. Nick Reenan; 11-4 - 6-6 184: Nicky Hall (NCSU) dec. Anderson Pope; 5-0 - 9-6 197: Daniel Chaid (UNC) dec. Michael Macchiavello; 3-1 (SV1) - 9-8 (UNC deducted a team point) 285: Mike Kosoy (NCSU) dec. Cory Daniel; 5-3 (TB2) - 12-8 125: Sean Fausz (NCSU) major dec. James Szymanski; 12-3 - 16-8 133: Nicholas Lirette (UNC) dec. Jamal Morris; 8-7 - 16-11 141: Kevin Jack (NCSU) dec. Joey Ward; 10-4 - 19-11 Up Next: The Pack will return to ACC action this weekend, as NC State will be in action at Virginia on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Women's wrestling has come so far, so fast. In 1989, the first U.S. women's World wrestling team consisted of two wrestlers and one coach. In the early days, champions were presented with appliances, not trophies. Contrast those early days with the tremendous growth in women's wrestling -- at least 30 women's college wrestling programs, and now seven states with officially sanctioned competition for high school girls -- along with recent successes such as Helen Maroulis becoming the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Now, a new book -- "Wrestle Like a Girl" by esteemed wrestling writers Craig Sesker and Jamie Moffatt -- shares the stories of women who overcame stereotypes, discrimination and other obstacles to make their mark in the sport ... from pioneers such as Afsoon Roshanzamir, Tricia Saunders and Kristie Marano to current stars Maroulis and Adeline Gray. Well-respected wrestling writers, reunited Craig Sesker and Jamie Moffatt are writers well-known and well-respected within the wrestling world. Sesker, former Senior Communications Manager at USA Wrestling who is now a sports copy editor at the Colorado Springs Gazette has authored two wrestling books on his own -- "Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend" and "Driven to Excellence." Moffatt has penned a handful of books on wrestling, including "Wrestlers at the Trials" and "Adam Frey: A Collection of Blogs and Stories." In 2013, the two writers collaborated on "Saving Wrestling: The Inside Story of the Sport's Epic Fight to Stay in the Olympics" which provided an inside perspective behind the decision of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee to eliminate wrestling from the Olympics in February 2013 ... only to reinstate the sport seven months later. How the book came together "After working on 'Saving Wrestling' with Craig (Sesker), I was looking for a topic for a new book," Jamie Moffatt told InterMat. "I thought of women's wrestling. I looked to see what had already been written, and could find nothing. I talked to USA Wrestling and they were very encouraging." "I thought about doing an oral history," Moffatt continued. "I identified about a half-dozen women in wrestling, gathered background information on them, the challenges they faced, and who supported them." "I wanted to tell their stories, not just write their wrestling histories." "My original plan was to write about a couple athletes from each decade -- the 1990s, the 2000s, and the current decade -- along with coach Terry Steiner." "I started doing interviews about a year ago." Then the two writing partners on "Saving Wrestling" reconnected with each other on this project. "I've wanted to write a book about women's wrestling," said Craig Sesker in a separate interview with InterMat. "Jamie (Moffatt) called me in early spring with a question, as he was working on a book about that subject." "He asked me to write the Afsoon Roshanzamir chapter." "We met in Iowa City for the (2016 U.S. Olympic) Trials," Sesker continued. "Working with USA Wrestling, I knew a lot of the wrestlers." "We kept the same format, but added more wrestlers to be covered," according to Moffatt. "By (Sesker) knowing these people, he did a lot of the writing," Moffatt continued. "I did the editing and worked with Exit Zero (the company that designed and published the book). I'd say I was more the producer of the book ..." The inside story "Wrestle Like a Girl" devotes an entire chapter to significant individuals in women's wrestling in the U.S., including Afsoon Roshanzamir, Marie Ziegler, Tricia Saunders, Iris Smith, Kristie Marano, Elena Pirozhkova, Leigh James, Adeline Gray, Helen Maroulis and coach Terry Steiner. In addition, there are individual chapters on the 2016 World championships, as well as the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympics. As for the title ... the authors were aware of the group Wrestle Like a Girl, founded by Sally Roberts, a two-time World bronze medalist and three-time U.S. National champion "to help empower and educate girls and women across the United States through the sport of wrestling," to quote the organization's mission statement. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, WLAG is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Sesker and Moffatt met with Roberts, who gave her blessing to using her organization's name as the attention-getting, very appropriate title of their new book on women's wrestling. The authors emphasized that 100% of the proceeds from sales of their book "Wrestle Like a Girl" will go directly to the organization of the same name. As Roberts wrote in the foreword to the book, "Throughout this book you will find more than stories of women dominating on the mat. You will find more than lessons learned to win a match. You will find the grit that makes women strong in personality, an overcomer of any obstacle, a force to be reckoned with. These stories dive deep into the lives of women who are making history by not being intimidated. Wrestling is a sport for anyone -- regardless of background, life challenges, socio-economic status, color, size, shape, culture -- or gender." Or, as Craig Sesker put it to InterMat, "We wanted to make the book real. We did not want to gloss over anything." "These women really had to persevere over tough challenges on and off the mat." "We need heroes and heroines to build the sport of wrestling, to help build interest," Sesker continued. "With Afsoon and Tricia Saunders as coaches, women's wrestling will continue to grow. Young women idolize them." "I think the book will appeal to a broad audience, but especially to women wrestlers of all ages, their parents, and their coaches," said Jamie Moffatt. "Wrestle Like a Girl" is must reading for those in the wrestling community. Even the most knowledgeable wrestling fans will find the individual athlete profiles and presentations of major wrestling events to be fascinating, chock-full of tales of perseverance and overcoming obstacles that will inspire readers of all ages and backgrounds. The quality of the presentation -- the text, as well as the photos of the athletes -- is top-notch, as one would expect from Craig Sesker and Jamie Moffatt ... making "Wrestle Like a Girl" a valuable addition to any fan's library, especially knowing that all proceeds from the sale of the book go to support women's wrestling. To order copies of "Wrestle Like a Girl" visit the Wrestle Like a Girl organization's website.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Air Force picked up seven decision wins in the 21-10 victory over Cal Poly, Sunday, in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Falcons, now with a 5-4 overall dual record, have three meets left on the regular season dual slate. The Air Force wrestlers took the mats at a high pace and with with intensity, winning the first four matches of the dual and putting the Mustang's on their heels early. Junior 125-pounder registered four takedowns in his 11-5 decision in the opening bout against Cal Poly's Isaac Blackburn. Dylan Hyder, who is now 4-3 in dual action, held Yoshito Funakoshi to no points in his 6-0 decision victory at 133, extending the Falcons to a 6-0 lead. Sophomore John Twomey continued the Falcons' roll with a 4-0 shutout over Colton Schilling, who was 12-6 prior to the dual. Senior team captain Jerry McGinty extended the Falcons lead, 12-0, after rallying for a third period takedown to edge by Joshy Cortez with a 3-1 decision for his 14th win on the season. Cal Poly battled back, rattling off two consecutive victories in the 157 and 165 classes. Senior 157-pounder Colt Shorts of Cal Poly, who is ranked 19th in the country, posted a 10-0 major decision over Dane Robbins in the 157 class. Tyler Wiederholt, a freshman 165-pounder filling in for Alex Lopouchanski, dropped a 5-3 decision to Luke Wilson. With the team score at 12-7 in favor of the Falcons, junior Michael Billingsley took the mat against Travis Berridge determined to put a stop to Mustang`s advance. With the score knotted at one in the third period, Billingsley made a reversal in the waning seconds of the bout, propelling him to a 3-1 lead where he rode Berridge out until the final whistle. The Mustangs would see their final victory of the afternoon with Mitch Woods' 5-4 decision over Zen Ikehara in the 184 class. Woods' win lifted Cal Poly to within five points of the Falcons' lead. Senior team captain Parker Hines took the mat against J.T. Goodwin in the 197 class with the chance to put the dual away. A late boost of energy by Hines led to a tiebreaking takedown to propel the Falcon to an 8-6 lead at the final whistle. Hines was awarded a riding time point, extending the final score to 9-6 and securing the dual for Air Force. Freshman heavyweight Kerry Powers led the Falcons to a high-note finish with a 2-1 decision over Spencer Empey by way of an escape and riding time point at the final whistle. The win propelled Air Force to a 21-10 final score of the Mustangs. Air Force returns to the mats at the All Academy Championships, Sunday, Jan. 22, hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md. Action is slated to start at 10:00 a.m. ET. Eight service academy teams will be competing for individual titles and a team title at the event. Live scoring will be provided by FloArena and a live streaming for the tournament will be broadcast by PatriotLeague.TV. Results: 125: Drew Romero (AFA) def. Isaac Blackburn (CP) -11-5, AFA 3-0 133: Dylan Hyder (AFA) def. Yoshito Funakoshi (CP) -6-0, AFA 6-0 141: John Twomey (AFA) def. Colton Schilling (CP) -4-0, AFA 9-0 149: Jerry McGinty (AFA) def. Joshy Cortez (CP) -3-1, AFA 12-0 157: Colt Shorts (CP) def. Dane Robbins (AFA) -MD (10-0), AFA 12-4 165: Luke Wilson (CP) def. Tyler Wiederholt (AFA) -5-3, AFA 12-7 174: Michael Billingsley (AFA) def. Travis Berridge (CP) -3-1, AFA 15-7 184: Mitch Woods (CP) def. Zen Ikehara (AFA) -5-4, AFA 15-10 197: Parker Hines (AFA) def. J.T. Goodwin (CP) -9-6, AFA 18-10 285: Kerry Powers (AFA) def. Spencer Empey (CP) -2-1, AFA 21-10

STANFORD, Calif. -- Nathan Butler upset a top 5 opponent and Joey McKenna earned a pin as No. 16 Stanford defeated No. 14 Arizona State, 21-14, Sunday at the Erickson Courts in the Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation. Butler, ranked 13th nationally at heavyweight, earned a 4-2 decision over fourth-ranked Tanner Hall which energized the crowd and the Stanford team. Tied 1-1 after regulation, Hall chose to start the first tiebreaker in the down position. He scored the escape to take a 2-1 edge. Butler then had his chance, earning an escape late in the 30 second period which turned into a scramble and he appeared to score a takedown with three seconds left, but was called for being out of bounds. Tied 2-2, Butler was able to register a takedown with five seconds left in the second sudden victory period to knock off Hall. Butler's win pulled Stanford (7-2, 3-0 Pac-12) to within two of Arizona State (7-3, 1-1 Pac-12) in the team score at 11-9. He moves to 18-7 overall and 6-3 in duals this season. The win was the 74th of his career and he is 3-1 all-time against Hall. McKenna, ranked No. 3 in the nation, sealed the dual win for Stanford with a fall in 1:25 over Nikko Villarreal at 141 pounds. McKenna moves to a team-best 22-1 on the season and 7-0 in duals. He also paces the squad with eight falls this season and now how 49 career wins. Redshirt senior Peter Galli scored the first points of the dual for Stanford with a 6-5 decision over Jacen Peterson at 174 pounds. Leading 2-0 after the first, Galli tallied an escape to start the second before giving up a takedown to Peterson. Galli was able to counter and score the reversal to lead 5-2. Peterson started down in the third and quickly added an escape to cut Galli's lead to 5-3. Peterson evened the scored with a takedown, but Galli managed to escape to seal the win. Galli is now 19-5 on the season and 6-1 in duals. Redshirt senior Josh Marchok cut into the Arizona State lead with a 3-1 decision over Austyn Harris at 197 pounds. There was no score in the opening period between Marchok and Harris. Marchok chose down to start the second and took the lead with an escape. The Schaumburg, Illinois native then secured a takedown for a 3-0 advantage after two. Harris earned an escape to start the third, but was unable to score a takedown late as Marchok improved to 7-5 overall and 6-3 in duals. True freshman Gabriel Townsell gave Stanford the 12-11 dual lead with a 12-8 decision over Josh Kramer at 125 pounds. Tied 3-3 after the first, Kramer took a 4-3 lead with an escape to start the second. Townsell, who is ranked No. 17, went to work in the period, scoring two more takedowns for a 7-6 lead after two. With an escape to start the third, Townsell tacked on two more takedowns in the win. He moves to 13-7 overall and 5-1 in duals. Redshirt junior Connor Schram also picked up a win for the Cardinal with an 8-2 decision against Ted Rico at 133 pounds. Ranked 14th, Schram secured a takedown in the first and turned Rico for two near fall points and a 4-0 lead. He was able to tally two more near fall points in the opening period for a 6-0 lead after the first. Rico earned a reversal with less than 10 seconds remaining in the second to get on the scoreboard. Schram finished him off with an escape in the third and held 1:16 of riding time. Schram is now 11-2 overall and 5-1 in duals. Arizona State jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the dual winning the first two bouts. No. 12 Josh Shields earned a hard-fought win over Stanford redshirt sophomore Paul Fox, 13-9, at 157 pounds. Ninth-ranked Anthony Valencia posted a 6-2 decision over No. 19 Keaton Subjeck at 165 pounds. The Sun Devils increased their lead to 11-3 as third-ranked Zahid Valencia, wrestling up a weight class, recorded a 21-4 technical fall in 6:20 over redshirt senior Zach Nevills at 184 pounds. Arizona State scored its final points at 149 pounds as Josh Maruca turned in a 9-3 decision over Stanford redshirt junior Tommy Pawelski. Stanford hits the road next week for Pac-12 duals at Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 28 and at Oregon State on Monday, Jan. 30. Monday's dual against the Beavers will be televised on Pac-12 Network. Results: 125 #17 Gabriel Townsell (STAN) dec. Josh Kramer (ASU) 12-8 133 #14 Connor Schram (STAN) dec. Ted Rico (ASU) 8-2 141 #3 Joey McKenna (STAN) fall Nikko Villarreal (ASU) F1:25 149 Josh Maruca (ASU) dec. Tommy Pawelski (STAN) 9-3 157 #12 Josh Shields (ASU) dec. Paul Fox (STAN) 13-9 165 #9 Anthony Valencia (ASU) dec. #19 Keaton Subjeck (STAN) 6-2 174 Peter Galli (STAN) dec. Jacen Peterson (ASU) 6-5 184 #3 Zahid Valencia (ASU) tech. fall Zach Nevills (STAN) 21-4 (6:20) 197 Josh Marchok (STAN) dec. Austyn Harris (ASU) 3-1 285 #13 Nathan Butler (STAN) dec. #4 Tanner Hall (ASU) 4-2 (SV2)

BLACKSBURG -- The fifth-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team used eight bonus points, including six from its last four grapplers in the upperweights, to topple in-state rival Virginia in front of 2,151 at Cassell Coliseum on Sunday evening. Trailing 15-14 entering the bout at 174 pounds, the Hokies (13-1, 3-0 ACC) saw three major decisions and a fall at 197 pounds from redshirt junior Jared Haught that helped lift them over the Cavaliers (8-4, 0-1 ACC) "We had some great performances today,” head coach Kevin Dresser said. “I felt like we separated ourselves in many weight classes but now we need to focus on next Friday night at Lehigh. It will be a fun one with two top 10 teams going against each other in hostile environment." Senior Joey Dance used four back points in the third period to clinch an 11-3 major decision at 125 pounds before redshirt junior Dennis Gustafson racked up 3:18 of riding time that locked up his major decision at 133. The Hokies held an early 8-0 lead but Tech forfeited 141 and the Hoos registered a major decision at 149 that gave them a 10-8 lead. That set the stage for an intense bout between two ranked wrestlers at 157. With the score tied at 3-3 in the first, No. 16 Sal Mastriani used a late takedown that was confirmed after a review to jump ahead 5-3. Mastriani chose bottom to start the second and picked up a two-point reversal to extend his lead to 7-3. No. 14 Andrew Atkinson then scored the next four points that tied the score up at 7-7 in the third but a takedown from Mastriani was followed by an escape and made it 9-7. Despite locking in riding time, Mastriani came away with a 9-8 decision that put the Hokies back in front, 11-10. UVA regained the lead with a major decision from Ray Bethea at 165, 14-11, but the vaunted upper half of the Tech lineup showed why they're among the nation's best. Three takedowns in the final period and 2:45 of RT gave redshirt junior Zach Epperly a 13-5 major decision at 174 and redshirt sophomore Zack Zavatsky followed with a convincing 10-2 major decision at 184 pounds. With the Hokies' lead up to 19-14, redshirt junior Jared Haught registered eight takedowns and secured a fall at 6:43 that extended the Tech lead to 25-14. Redshirt senior Ty Walz scored at will at heavyweight, racking up 10 takedowns en route to a 29-14 major decision. The Hokies hit the road to take on No. 7 Lehigh on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. before coming back to Blacksburg for a 4 p.m. dual against Duke on Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Moss Arts Center. Tickets for the dual on Jan. 29 are still available and can be purchased through the Moss Arts Center ticket office. Results: 125: No. 2 Joey Dance (VT) over No. 7 Jack Mueller (MD 11-3) 133: Dennis Gustafson (VT) over Will Mason (UVA) (MD 8-0) 141: No. 7 George DiCamillo (UVA) over VT (For.) 149: Sam Krivus (UVA) over Mattheos Lozier (MD 11-3) 157: No. 16 Sal Mastriani (VT) over No. 14 Andrew Atkinson (UVA) (Dec 9-8) 165: Ray Bethea (UVA) over David Bergida (VT) (MD 14-4) 174: No. 2 Zach Epperly (VT) over Garrett Peppelman (UVA) (MD 10-3) 184: No. 4 Zack Zavatsky (VT) over Will Schany (UVA) (MD 10-2) 197: No. 3 Jared Haught (VT) over Chance McClure (UVA) (Fall 6:43) 285: No. 3 Ty Walz (VT) over Tyler Love (UVA) (MD 22-8)