InterMat Staff

ALAMOSMA, Colo. -- The Cowboy grapplers would have another tough dual against an RMAC opponent in tonight's dual against Adams State. The Cowboys would defeat the Grizzlies for the second straight year by a score of 29-14. The Grizzles would come out of the den firing as Ian Wingstrom defeated Jacob Espana in a tight 5-4 decision that came down to the final seconds. Ramirez would then defeat Tre Humphrey in a 17-1 technical fall to give the Grizzles the 8-0 lead. Dan Gaylor got the Cowboys on the board with a 21-4 technical fall over Salas to just the Grizzles lead in half, 8-4. Ries Humphrey continued what D. Gaylor started with a 8-4 decision over Vasquez to force the tie at eight with the Grizzles. The Grizzlies then forfeited the 157 class to give the Cowboys the 14-8 lead. Juan Alvardo stepped on the mat to face Windham. This match up was tight the whole way through but Windham was too much for Alvarado as he took the match by a score of 3-2. The Grizzlies would then forfeit once again in the 174 class to build the Cowboys lead 20-11. Luis Terrazas would be the first Cowboys to look to seal the dual. It was another tight one as Bencomo would give the Grizzlies the team points to make it a 20-14 Cowboy lead. Cody Marquez then went to work to try and put the match away for the Cowboys. He would come away victorious with a 7-0 decision over Bencomo to seal the dual for the Cowboys as they lead 23-14. The Grizzles would then forfeit the 285 weight class to give the Cowboys the 29-14 win over the Grizzlies. The Cowboys will return to action tomorrow night as they take on Division I opponent in the Air Force Academy. The dual is set for 8 p.m. Results: 125- Ian Wingstrom (ASU) defeated Jacob Espana (NMHU) in a 5-4 decision ASU leads 3-0 133- Martin Ramirez (ASU) defeated Tre Humphrey (NMHU) in a 17-1 technical fall ASU leads 8-0 141- Dan Gaylor (NMHU) defeated Joshua Salas (ASU) in a 21-4 technical fall ASU leads 8-5 149- Reis Humphrey (NMHU) defeated Devin Vasquez (ASU) in a 8-4 decision Tied at 8-8 157- Orlando Guerra (NMHU) over ASU Forfeit NMHU leads 14-8 165- Koery Windham (ASU) defeated. Juan Alvarado (NMHU) in a 3-2 decision NMHU leads 14-11 174- Jonathan Bechtloff (NMHU) defeated ASU Forfeit NMHU leads 20-11 184- Joe Bencomo (ASU) defeated Luis Terrazas (NMHU) in a 7-3 decision NMHU leads 20-14 197- Cody Marquez (NMHU) defeated Richard Bencomo (ASU) by a 7-0 decision NMHU leads 23-14 285- Corbin Grenowich (NMHU) over ASU Forfeit NMHU wins 29-14

ERIE, Pa. -- Jamar Henry's pin at 197 lbs clinched No. 7 Mercyhurst's 23-19 victory over No. 14 Findlay on Wednesday night. The Lakers improved to 11-3 overall and remain undefeated at home in dual meets this year. Meanwhile, Findlay dropped to 8-7 overall. Mercyhurst took the first two bouts of the match, with Willie Bohince opening the scoring with a fall at 125 lbs before Kevin Kinyua rallied for the 9-7 comeback decision. Findlay answerd by winning the next three for a 13-9 advantage heading into the 165 lb contest. The Mizia brothers propelled the Lakers back into the lead, earning bonus points by technical fall from the nation's leader in that category, Francis Mizia. August Mizia outlasted his opponent in a low-scoring bout for a 17-13 lead. Findlay brought the team scoring to within one after a victory at 184 lbs, but Henry closed the door on the dual for the Lakers with his clutch pin in the second period. Mercyhurst is on a six-match winning streak heading into the regular season finale at No. 3 Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday. At stake in the dual is the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Dual Meet Championship. The Lakers are the current three-time defending PSAC dual meet champions. Results: 125: Willie Bohince (MU) fall Michael Stewart (UF) 2:36 133: Kevin Kinyua (MU) dec. Devin Rogers (UF) 9-7 141: Ryan Skonieczny (UF) tech fall Joey Miller (MU) 28-13, 6:14 149: Nick Goebel (UF) tech fall Joel Bowers (MU) 16-0, 1:36 157: Joey White (UF) def. Keller Watkins (MU) 14-7 165: Francis Mizia (MU) tech fall Nic Skonieczny (UF) 15-0, 6:39 174: August Mizia (MU) dec. Alonzo Turner (UF) 3-1 184: Randy Caris (UF) dec. Angelo Bortoluzzi (MU) 9-4 197: Jamar Henry (MU) fall Dalton Ishmal (UF) 4:34 285: Luke Fleming (UF) dec. Brian Beattie (MU) 2-0

KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University wrestling team won the final six bouts on Wednesday night to defeat Millersville University 28-9 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) dual meet at Keystone Arena. Wednesday was Kutztown's 10th straight win over the Marauders and marked the seventh time in the last 10 meetings KU has allowed exactly nine points to Millersville. Austin Petril (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby (Ursinus)) opened the dual meet win a hard-fought, 9-7 win at 125. His decision was his 14th of the year and ninth in his last 11 matches. Millersville earned its nine team points with wins in two of the next three matches. Travis Roper (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) stepped up at 141 and improved his season record to 12-1 with a dominant 20-7 major decision over Thomas Nulty. The winning streak for Kutztown began at 157. Nationally-ranked Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville, Pa./Council Rock South (Lock Haven)) was never taken down in a 14-2 major decision over D.J. Mele for his team-leading 20th win of the year. He has 81 career wins at KU, one shy of two-time national champion Ziad Haddad (Orefield, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (North Carolina)) and fourth in the KU record books. James Meyer (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) won 13-4 at 165 and Joe Balboni (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton (Old Dominion)) turned in a similar major decision of 20-7 at 174 to build Kutztown's team-lead to 19-9. 184-pounder Collin Schildt (Thurmont, Md./Catoctin) clinched the team victory with a 9-5 decision over Kyle Narber. Brandan Clark (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) improved to 18-2 with a 2-0 win at 197. He rode his opponent the entire second period to earn a riding time point, and earned his second point off a stalling call on Millersville's Colton Dull. The majority of the match was wrestled neutral. It was Clark's 64th career win, tying him with former All-American Evan Yenolevich for 11th in school history. Ryan Appleby (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere) closed out the night with a 4-2 decision at heavyweight. Senior Night is next on Kutztown's calendar when it hosts Shippensburg University on Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Results: 125 Au. Petril (Kutztown) over Austin Camacci (Millersville) (Dec 9-7) 3 0 133 Alex Baider (Millersville) over B. Gerardi (Kutztown) (Fall 2:55) 0 6 141 T. Roper (Kutztown) over Thomas Nulty (Millersville) (MD 20-7) 4 0 149 Nick Haegele (Millersville) over J. Palmer (Kutztown) (Dec 8-5) 0 3 157 #6 M. Martoccio (Kutztown) over D.J. Mele (Millersville) (MD 14-2) 4 0 165 J. Meyer (Kutztown) over Seth Decker (Millersville) (MD 13-4) 4 0 174 J. Balboni (Kutztown) over Nick Mancini (Millersville) (MD 20-7) 4 0 184 C. Schildt (Kutztown) over Kyle Narber (Millersville) (Dec 9-5) 3 0 197 B. Clark (Kutztown) over Colton Dull (Millersville) (Dec 2-0) 3 0 285 R. Appleby (Kutztown) over David Wuestner (Millersville) (Dec 4-2) 3 0

BOILING SPRINGS -- Gardner-Webb collected five wins via pin fall Wednesday night and scored bonus points in eight of 10 bouts to shut out Davidson, 50-0, and clinch at least a share of the 2016 Southern Conference championship. The Runnin' Bulldogs (8-5, 6-1 SoCon) will close out the home portion of its schedule on Saturday, hosting Cleveland State and No. 22 Ohio in Paul Porter Arena. The Bobcats and Vikings will wrestle each other at 11:00 am, followed by Gardner-Webb vs. Cleveland State (12:30 pm) and Gardner-Webb vs. Ohio (2:00 pm). On Wednesday, GWU left little doubt once the first bout started. Cortez Starkes recorded a quick takedown at 125 pounds and continued to build a sturdy lead before pinning Zamir Ode to the mat at the 4:18 mark. A decision by Tyler Ziegler at 133 pounds pushed the margin to 9-0 and Ryan Hull came through with a dominant performance at 141 pounds – recording a technical fall over Billy McClelland by a 16-1 margin. Chris Vassar built the lead to 20-0 by pinning Aidan Conroy in 3:48, posting a handful of near falls before the final result. Ryan Mosley followed with a 6-0 decision at 157 pounds, before Austin Trott picked up the pace with a 17-0 technical fall victory at 165 pounds. Brett Stein picked up a major decision at 174 pounds, pulling off a late takedown for the final 10-2 score in that bout. It was Stein's 16th victory of the season and moved him to 6-2 in SoCon action. The win also pushed Gardner-Webb's team margin to 32-0 with three weight classes remaining. The trio of Hunter Gamble, Gray Jones and Boyce Cornwell capped the match in style – picking up three consecutive pins to reach the 50-point mark for the second time this season. Gamble improved to 7-0 in SoCon competition with his pin fall, sending Nathaniel Powers down in 2:47. It was the McDonough, Ga., native's third pin of the season. Jones produced his team-best fifth win via pin fall at 197 pounds, making quick work of Michael Moore in 2:10. Cornwell finished the match with his second pin of the season, corralling Will Cooley in 3:19 in another dominant effort. The reigning Arby's SoCon Wrestler of the Week improved to 18-5 overall and 11-2 in dual competition with the victory. Gardner-Webb continued to build on its milestone season, with school-record totals in dual wins (8) and SoCon wins (6) now in place. The Runnin' Bulldogs have been hot in 2016 to date, winning five dual matches in a row and six out of seven since January 8. Gardner-Webb also improved to 6-0 in Paul Porter Arena with Wednesday's victory. Results: 125: Cortez Starkes (GWU) pinned Zamir Ode (DAV), 4:18 – 6-0 133: Tyler Ziegler (GWU) dec. Dustin Runzo (DAV), 3-2 – 9-0 141: Ryan Hull (GWU) tech. fall Billy McClelland (DAV), 16-1 (7:00) – 14-0 149: Chris Vassar (GWU) pinned Aidan Conroy (DAV), 3:48 – 20-0 157: Ryan Mosley (GWU) dec. Tony Palumbo (DAV). 6-0 – 23-0 165: Austin Trott (GWU) tech. fall Adam Flatt (DAV), 17-0 (3:07) – 28-0 174: Brett Stein (GWU) major dec. Nathaniel Powers (DAV), 10-2 – 32-0 184: Hunter Gamble (GWU) pinned Konner Pritchard (DAV), 2:47 – 38-0 197: Gray Jones (GWU) pinned Michael Moore (DAV), 2:10 – 44-0 285: Boyce Cornwell (GWU) pinned Will Cooley (DAV), 3:19 – 50-0

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Duke heavyweight Brendan Walsh registered the biggest win of his wrestling career tonight, beating North Carolina's Cory Daniel 4-3 to lift the Blue Devils to a thrilling 21-17 victory over the 13th-ranked Tar Heels. The match featured four lead changes as Duke overcame a forfeit at 133 pounds to win. "There were a lot of nerves, but I think the hard work in the [wrestling] room and that my teammates are behind me no matter what…I just wanted to win for them," said Walsh. "UNC is a great team and it is just great to be able to win this senior year." The win is the first for Duke over North Carolina since 2004 and the Blue Devils improve to 5-7 overall on the year and to 1-3 against ACC opponents. The win over the No. 13 Tar Heels is the 25th all-time against North Carolina and is the highest ranked opponent the Blue Devils have beaten since rankings started being tracked. With Duke sporting an 18-17 lead heading into the final bout thanks to a decision from No. 5 Conner Hartmann at 197 pounds, the match came down to the heavyweights with a winner take all bout. Facing a near identical situation to a week ago against Gardner-Webb, Walsh stepped up and wrestled an outstanding match to secure the Duke victory. The redshirt senior scored a takedown in the first period for a 2-0 lead and proceeded to build his riding time. Daniel escaped late in the opening stanza to make the match 2-1 and picked up another escape midway through the second period to even the match. However, Walsh had built his riding time to over two minutes with the Duke veteran starting the third in the bottom position. North Carolina elected to option to start the final session, giving Walsh the 3-2 lead. A second stalling warning on Walsh evened it at 3-3 on the scoreboard with time ticking down, but the two minutes of riding time in Walsh's favor proved to be the difference as he held off last-second shots from Daniel. "It was a team effort tonight," Walsh said. "Every single person has been working their butt off. We've put the time and the hard work in and to be able to grow with this team over the course of the season has been a joy." The opportunity for Walsh to win the match for the Blue Devils in dramatic fashion got started with a win from Thayer Atkins at 125 pounds. A pin by Connor Bass at 157 pounds and an upset victory from Jake Faust at 165 buoyed the Blue Devils through the second half of the lineup and to the victory. Sophomore Mitch Finesilver also added three crucial points for the Blue Devils at 149 pounds. For the second consecutive season Atkins got the better of North Carolina's Cody Karns, scoring an 11-6 decision to give the Blue Devils the 3-0 lead. Karns scored first with a takedown in the opening minute and led 3-1 early in the second, but Atkins tied it up and then dominated the action in the third period for his eighth win of the year. A forfeit by the Blue Devils at 133 pounds led into a highly anticipated 141-pound match between a red-hot Zach Finesilver and No. 11 Joey Ward. The North Carolina junior attacked right away, but Zach fought off the early shot to keep the match scoreless. Ward got the takedown midway through the period and added two more nearfall points for the 4-1 lead after three minutes of wrestling. Ward built his lead to 5-1, but was unable to score again as the Duke redshirt freshman battled through a tough final two minutes. Now 20-10 overall, four of Zach's losses have come against top-11 opponents this year. Mitch Finesilver followed his brother with a strong showing at 149 pounds. The sophomore picked up his 12th straight victory, besting Joey Moon by a 9-6 decision. After a scoreless first period, Mitch scored early in the second and secured the win in the third with a late two points. The win was his team-best 23rd of the year and pulled Duke to within three points at 9-6. With momentum trending in North Carolina's favor, Bass did his part in changing that with a crucial third-period pin of Jack Clark. In a tight match that featured just one takedown, Bass used a third-period escape to go ahead 3-2. Then, in a quick turn of events, Bass put Clark on his back for the fall that put Duke ahead again, 12-9. Faust added to the excitement at 165 pounds, upsetting No. 9 John Michael Staudenmayer, 5-3. Faust scored a takedown late in the first period and then broke a 2-2 draw in the closing seconds of the second for the 4-2 advantage with two minutes left to wrestle. Staudenmayer got a penalty point to pull within one, but he was unable to turn Faust in the third period to force overtime. North Carolina picked up eight points over the next two matches to regain the lead 17-15. The lead was short-lived as Hartmann won for the 89th time in his career to put the Blue Devils back ahead and set up the heart-stopping final bout. Duke closes out its home schedule Saturday, Feb. 13 against No. 8 Virginia Tech. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m., in Card Gymnasium. Results: 125: Thayer Atkins (Duke) dec. Cody Karns (UNC), 11-6 - Duke 3, UNC 0 133: James Szymanski (UNC) wins by forfeit - Duke 3, UNC 6 141: No. 11 Joey Ward (UNC) dec. Zach Finesilver (Duke), 6-1 - Duke 3, UNC 9 149: No. 10 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) dec. Joey Moon (UNC), 9-6 - Duke 6, UNC 9 157: Connor Bass (Duke) pinned Jack Clark (UNC), 6:00 - Duke 12, UNC 9 165: Jake Faust (Duke) dec. No. 9 John Michael Staudenmayer, 5-3 - Duke 15, UNC 9 174: No. 2 Ethan Ramos (UNC) tech fall Brian Dorsey (Duke), 27-8 - Duke 15, UNC 14 184: No. 19 Alex Utley (UNC) dec. Trey Adamson (Duke), 4-1 - Duke 15, UNC 17 197: No. 5 Conner Hartmann (Duke) dec. Chip Ness (UNC), 4-2 - Duke 18, UNC 17 285: Brendan Walsh (Duke) dec. Cory Daniel (UNC), 3-2 - Duke 21, UNC 17

State series action is intensifying across the country, as most teams have commenced their state tournament runs, whether it's in the individual bracket side or with the dual team playoffs. Below is the schedule of competitions for teams appearing in the Fab 50 during the week of February 10-16. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. -- host tri-meet on Saturday with St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) and St. Christopher's (Va.) No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. -- compete in Hoedown at Hildee Tournament at Malvern Prep (Pa.) No. 3 St. Paris Graham, Ohio -- compete in Division II state dual meet tournament at St. John Arena, Columbus (Ohio) on Sunday No. 4 Bergen Catholic, N.J. -- compete in Non-Public North Group A playoffs on Wednesday and Friday, then (if win) for state title on Sunday at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River (N.J.) No. 5 Buchanan, Calif. -- host Clovis (Calif.) North in a dual meet tonight, start state series with the TRAC Championships on Saturday at Clovis (Calif.) on Saturday No. 6 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament Thursday through Saturday at GIANT Center in Hershey (Pa.) No. 7 St. Edward, Ohio -- compete in Division I state dual meet tournament at St. John Arena, Columbus (Ohio) on Sunday No. 8 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. -- compete in sectional tournament, state qualifier, at Conant (Ill.) on Friday and Saturday No. 9 Clovis, Calif. -- host Clovis (Calif.) West in a dual meet tonight, start state series by hosting the TRAC Championships on Saturday No. 10 Belle Vernon Area, Pa. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament Thursday through Saturday at GIANT Center in Hershey (Pa.) No. 11 Tuttle, Okla. -- compete in Class 4A state dual meet tournament at Shawnee (Okla.) Firelake Arena on Friday and Saturday No. 13 Poway, Calif. -- compete in San Diego section CIF Dual Meet Championships on Saturday at Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) No. 14 Mt. Carmel, Ill. -- compete in sectional tournament, state qualifier, at Lemont (Ill.) on Friday and Saturday No. 15 Carl Sandburg, Ill. -- compete in sectional tournament, state qualifier, at Batavia (Ill.) on Friday and Saturday No. 16 Apple Valley, Minn. -- host Section 2 Class AAA dual meet tournament on Friday No. 17 Elyria, Ohio -- compete in Division I state dual meet tournament at St. John Arena, Columbus (Ohio) on Sunday No. 18 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. -- compete in Section 5 Class AAA dual meet tournament on Saturday at Rogers (Minn.) No. 19 Marmion Academy, Ill. -- compete in sectional tournament, state qualifier, at Batavia (Ill.) on Friday and Saturday No. 20 Boyertown, Pa. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament Thursday through Saturday at GIANT Center in Hershey (Pa.) No. 21 Nazareth, Pa. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament Thursday through Saturday at GIANT Center in Hershey (Pa.) No. 22 Washington, Ill. -- host sectional tournament, state qualifier, on Friday and Saturday No. 23 Malvern Prep, Pa. -- host William Penn Charter (Pa.) in a dual meet on Friday, compete in Cougar Duals at Philadelphia (Pa.) Martin Luther King on Saturday No. 24 Archer, Ga. -- compete in Class 6A state tournament on Thursday through Saturday at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth (Ga.) No. 25 Delta, Ohio -- compete in Division III state dual meet tournament at St. John Arena, Columbus (Ohio) on Sunday No. 26 Allen, Texas -- host regional tournament, state qualifier, on Friday and Saturday No. 27 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. -- host sectional dual meet tournament (Class A) tomorrow No. 28 Camden County, Ga. -- compete in Class 5A state tournament on Thursday through Saturday at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth (Ga.) No. 29 Brownsburg, Ind. -- compete in semi-state tournament, state qualifier, at Evansville (Ind.) on Saturday No. 30 Southeast Polk, Iowa -- host regional dual meet tournament tonight; travel to Dallas Center-Grimes (Iowa) for district tournament, state qualifier, on Saturday No. 31 West Des Moines Valley, Iowa -- host regional dual meet tournament tonight; travel to Dallas Center-Grimes (Iowa) for district tournament, state qualifier, on Saturday No. 32 Fort Dodge, Iowa -- host regional dual meet tournament tonight; host district tournament, state qualifier, on Saturday No. 33 Warren Central, Ind. -- compete in semi-state tournament, state qualifier, at New Castle (Ind.) on Saturday No. 34 Pomona, Colo. -- compete in regional tournament, state qualifier, at Arvada West (Colo.) on Friday and Saturday No. 35 Kiski Area, Pa. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament Thursday through Saturday at GIANT Center in Hershey (Pa.) No. 36 Anoka, Minn. -- compete in Section 7 Class AAA dual meet tournament on Friday at Andover (Minn.) No. 37 Park Hill, Mo. -- compete in district tournament, state qualifier, at Staley (Oak Park, Mo.) on Friday and Saturday No. 38 Olentangy Liberty, Ohio -- travel to Marysville (Ohio) for dual meet tomorrow No. 39 Platte County, Mo. -- compete in district tournament, state qualifier at Oak Park (Mo.) on Friday and Saturday No. 40 Pueblo County, Colo. -- host regional tournament, state qualifier, on Friday and Saturday No. 41 Montini Catholic, Ill. -- compete in sectional tournament, state qualifier, at Batavia (Ill.) on Friday and Saturday No. 42 Hilton, N.Y. -- compete in Section V state qualifier at SUNY-Brockport on Friday and Saturday No. 43 Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn. -- compete in tri-meet at Le Seur-Henderson (Minn.) on Friday No. 44 Long Beach, N.Y. -- compete in Nassau County (Section VIII) state qualifier at Hofstra on Saturday and Sunday No. 46 Council Rock South, Pa. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament Thursday through Saturday at GIANT Center in Hershey (Pa.) No. 47 Lowell, Mich. -- compete in district dual meet tournament tonight; host district tournament, start of state series, on Saturday No. 48 Post Falls, Idaho -- host Lake City (Idaho) in a dual meet tonight No. 49 Good Counsel, Md. -- compete in WCDC Invitational, "Melee on the Metro" at Trinity University on Saturday No. 50 Monroe-Woodbury, N.Y. -- host Section IX state qualifier on Friday and Saturday No competitions during the upcoming week: No. 12 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 45 Goddard (Kan.)

Rankings: Individual | Team KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Grand View (Iowa) locks down the No. 1 ranking in the fifth regular-season edition of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday. The final regular-season edition will be released on Feb. 24. Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000-01): Grand View (Iowa) pushes its top-ranked streak to 29 straight polls after receiving 190 points in this edition. The Vikings, who were last not ranked No. 1 on Oct. 17, 2012, have held the top-spot 34 times since the start of the 2000-01 season. Former member Lindenwood (Mo.) holds the record for most No. 1 appearances during that time with 39. Grand View boasts 12 ranked individuals, all of which are ranked no lower than No. 6 in their respective weight class. Godwin Cutler (133 pounds), Andrew Long (149 pounds), Grand Henderson (157 pounds) and Michael Pixley (184 pounds) are the top-ranked individuals for Grand View. • Missouri Valley jumped three spots this edition from No. 5 to No. 2. The Vikings are represented by 10 individuals in the poll, including top ranked Jake Ekster (tied at 141 pounds), Riley Boomer (174 pounds) and Gabi Musallam (285 pounds). Boomer and Ekster are both new No.1s this week. Boomer is 23-2 on the year, including an 8-0 major decision win over No. 4 Lawton Benna of Grand View (Iowa) on Jan. 30. The match was part of the inaugural Heart of America Athletic Conference Duals Championship. Ekster had previously held the No. 1 ranking at 149 pounds on Dec. 30. Grand View and Missouri Valley are the only teams with more than one No. 1 individual. No. 3 Montana State-Northern (89.5 points), No. 4 Oklahoma City (87 points) and No. 5 Indiana Tech (69.5 points) round out the top five. Adrian Gaines of Oklahoma City - the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 125 pounds - continues to be dominant this season. He owns a 17-0 record, including a 12-0 mark against NAIA opponents. Eight of Gaines' last nine matches have been won by fall or technical fall. No new teams joined the Top 20 this installment. Since 2001, only Grand View (2013-14, 2014-15), former members Notre Dame (Ohio) (2010-11) and Lindenwood (2006-07) have spent the entire season ranked No. 1. Poll Methodology: The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the six national qualifying groups. One day prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top six individuals from each weight class in his geographic area into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a qualifying group ballot are considered for the national ballot. The top 16 individuals in each weight class is based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 20 points for each first place vote, 18 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released the fourth week of standings for the 2016 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 towards a student-athletes total they must come against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. In Division I, a near tie exists for the top spot in the Most Dominant Wrestler standings between a pair of Penn State wrestlers. Zain Retherford holds the top spot with an average of 5.091 points per match, while 157-pounder Jason Nolf has an average of 5.087. Pittsburgh-Johnstown 184-pounder Travis McKillop leads Division II with an average of 5.31 points, which is well ahead of Garrett Grey of Tiffin with 4.75 points. The 2014-15 NCAA Division III Most Dominant Wrestler is well on his way to earning the award for the second year in a row as Wabash 184-pounder Riley Lefever has an average of 5.77 points. Heavyweight Donald Longendyke is second with an average of 5.55 points for Augsburg. 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 and based on a minimum of 15 matches in the division. 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) Navy 197-pounder Michael Woulfe leads Division I with 14 falls this season, while teammate Mathew Miller is second with 12 at 184 pounds. Ronald Wardleigh of Western State is the new leader in Division II with 12 falls at 125 pounds, followed by McKillop (11) and Grey (9). Two wrestlers have piled up 18 pins each in Division III and both compete at 184 pounds. AJ Kowal of Stevens Institute of Technology holds the national lead by aggregate time over Josh Thomson of Messiah (38:43-54:56). Isaiah Martinez of Illinois has surpassed his winning total from last season with 12 tech falls this season at 157 pounds to hold the Division I lead. The Division II tech fall standings are a family affair at the top where the Mizia brothers of Mercyhurst hold the top two spots. Francis leads the country with seven at 165 pounds, while older brother August is right behind with six tech falls at 174 pounds.

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -- Pins by Dan Squires (Muskego, WI/Wisconsin Lutheran) and Cody Nielsen (Oconto Falls, WI/Oconto Falls) helped the UW-Stevens Point wrestling team build a sizeable lead and the Pointers held on to defeat UW-Eau Claire 28-21 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) dual on Tuesday evening at McPhee Center. Squires pinned Mathew Laugen at 3:50 at 174 pounds and Nielsen followed by pinning Henry Helland after just 54 seconds at 184 pounds to put UW-Stevens Point (6-5, 4-1 WIAC) ahead 25-12. UW-Eau Claire (6-10, 2-3 WIAC) climbed back to within 25-21 after a pair of victories, sending the dual down to the final match. With the Pointers ahead by four, Ben Vosters (Hatley, WI/Wittenberg-Birnamwood) closed out the win with a 7-4 decision over Zackary Sirny at 125 pounds to make the final 28-21. Vosters' win was his team-best 25th of the season. Both teams started the dual with one forfeit before the Blugolds went up 12-6 on a pin by Roy Munroe at 149 pounds. UW-Stevens Point went ahead for good after a major decision victory by Boone Roycraft (Omro, WI/Winneconne) and a win by decision from Logan Hermsen (Amherst Junction, WI/Amherst) prior to the pins from Squires and Nielsen. The win came in UW-Stevens Point's final dual before it hosts the WIAC Championships on Sunday, Feb. 14, beginning at 9 a.m. in Quandt Fieldhouse. The Pointers finished the regular season tied with UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater with 4-1 conference records. Results: 133 Scott Worlund receives forfeit 0 6 141 Jared Kust (Shawano, WI/Shawano) receives forfeit 6 6 149 Roy Munroe over Joey Seitz (Cambellsport, WI/Kewaskum) (Fall 3:29) 6 12 157 Boone Roycraft (Omro, WI/Winneconne) over Carter Focht (Pine Springs, MN/Mahtomedi) (MD 10-2) 10 12 165 Logan Hermsen (Amherst Junction, WI/Amherst) over Ryan Behnke (Dec 7-4) 13 12 174 Dan Squires (Muskego, WI/Wisconsin Lutheran) over Mathew Laugen (Fall 3:50) 19 12 184 Cody Nielsen (Oconto Falls, WI/Oconto Falls) over Henry Helland (Fall 0:54) 25 12 197 Cecil Philson over Bo Seibel (Cambellsport, WI/Kewaskum) (Inj. 5:42) 25 18 HWT Justin Karkula over Donny Ralston (Ladysmith, WI/Bruce) (Dec 6-2) 25 21 125 Ben Vosters (Hatley, WI/Wittenberg-Birnamwood) over Zackary Sirny (Dec 7-4) 28 21

LEBANON, Ill. -- The No. 20 McKendree University wrestling team defeated No. 18 University of Indianapolis, 28-18, in a dual match on Tuesday night. The Bearcats improve to 7-7 overall and will travel to St. Louis, Mo., on Sunday, Feb. 15 to compete at the Maryville University Duals. McKendree opened up the dual with a forfeit win by junior Coltyn Pease (Pittsfield, Ill., Pittsfield) at heavyweight, but lost by fall at 125 pounds to tie the match 6-6. Sophomore NaQuan Hardy (Romeoville, Ill., Romeoville) pinned Joe Kieffer in 3:57 at 133 pounds to put the Bearcats back in front, 12-6, and sophomore Darren Wynn (Champaign, Ill., Centennial) followed with a 12-1 major decision win over Evan Smiley at 141 pounds to extend the lead out to 16-6. Sophomore Mech Spraggins Jr. (Belleville, Ill., Belleville West High School) edged Neal Molloy, 6-4, in sudden victory to push the lead out to 19-6, but the Greyhounds cut the deficit to 19-9 with a decision win at 157 pounds. Freshman Qian'te Wagner (Alton, Ill., Alton) earned a 21-6 tech fall win over Clayton Monebrake at 165 pounds, and sophomore J.J. Filipek (Warrenton, Mo., Warrenton) followed with a 14-5 major decision over Jordan Collins to take a 28-9 lead. Indianapolis won the final two matches to cut the score to 28-18. Results: 285: Coltyn Pease (McK) over (INDI) (For.) 125: Joshua Kieffer (IND) over Daniel Rogers (McK) (Fall 4:56) 133: NaQuan Hardy (McK) over Joe Kieffer (IND) (Fall 3:57) 141: Darren Wynn (McK) over Evan Smiley (IND) (MD 12-1) 149: Mech Spraggins Jr. (McK) over Neal Molloy (IND) (SV-1 6-4) 157: Brendon Kelley (IND) over Isaiah Kemper (McK) (Dec 10-4) 165: Qian'te Wagner (McK) over Clayton Monebrake (IND) (TF 21-6 7:00) 174: J.J. Filipek (McK) over Jordan Collins (IND) (MD 14-5) 184: Taylor DeLong (IND) over Cody Willis (McK) (Fall 0:50) 197: Tyler Scott (IND) over Luke Diener (McK) (Dec 6-3)

TIFFIN, Ohio -- Mount Union's wrestling team got by Heidelberg by a score of 18-15 in an Ohio Athletic Conference dual match Tuesday in Tiffin. The difference in the match came from a pin in the 157-pound match by Purple Raider sophomore Austin Rush (Troy/Miami East). Mount Union (12-8, 3-1 OAC) had jumped out to a 6-0 lead on decision victories from sophomore Nick Mancini (Boardman/Boardman) at 125 pounds and sophomore Alec Cotton (Hartville/Lake) at 133 pounds. Heidelberg (6-10, 2-2 OAC) came back with wins at 141 and 149 to tie match before Rush scored a second period pin at 157. The Raiders then got a pair of close wins - a 6-3 win from freshman Tony Rupert (Alliance/Marlington) at 165 pounds then a 2-0 win from senior Aaron Page (Salem/West Branch) at 197 - to hold off Heidelberg for the three-point win. Mount Union wraps up the regular season next Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. with an OAC dual at John Carroll in University Heights. Results: 125 - Nick Mancini (MTU) dec. Tyler Price (BERG), 4-3 133 - Alec Cotton (MTU) dec. Brandon Conrad (BERG), 8-2 141 - Justin Kihn (BERG) dec. #9 Jeremy Border, 5-3 149 - Damon Cheek (BERG) dec. Seth McCurdy (MTU) 10-3 157 - Austin Rush (MTU) pin Mark Carosella (BERG) 2:53 165 - Tony Rupert (MTU) dec. Aaron Banko (BERG), 6-3 174 - Darren Decker (BERG) dec. Nick Miller (MTU), 9-7 OT 184 - Dillen Decker (BERG) dec. Connor Rogers (MTU), 4-1 197 - Aaron Page (MTU) dec. Gage Finegan (BERG), 2-0 285 - John Eckroth (BERG) dec. Mike Sinclair (MTU), 10-5

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska Wesleyan University Head Wrestling Coach, Brandon Bradley, is excited to announce that Robert Sanders will be joining his staff as a volunteer assistant. It was announced in July 2015 that wrestling would be added as a varsity sport in the 2016-17 school year. Over the past several years, in his capacity as the Executive Director of Nebraska USA Wrestling (NEUSAW) and Assistant Director of the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center (NWTC), Sanders has dedicated his efforts to the development of successful youth wrestling programs throughout the state of Nebraska. As a result of his efforts, Sanders has elevated state-wide wrestling participation throughout NEUSAW. His experience and established relationships will immediately benefit NWU in our recruiting efforts, as we build on the establishment of our new wrestling program. Sanders was a four-year starter at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was a member of the 2009 Big 12 Championship Team, and was a University Freestyle All-American in 2007. Sanders stated, “It was a no-brainer,” when extended an invitation to join Coach Bradley at NWU. He is very aware and excited about the immense support that the NWU athletic department has committed to the new wrestling program. Sanders is a 2009 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He holds a Bachelor in Dietetics Nutrition & Exercise Science.

Wrestlers and fans consider their sport to be the toughest for a number of reasons. Here's another: wrestlers have the most skin infections by far among all high school athletes -- approximately ten times as many as football, the sport that ranks second for infections -- according to a national survey released by the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver this week. The results, published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, show 73.6 percent of total reported skin infections emerged among high school wrestlers, with 17.9 percent belonging to football players. Body parts most affected were the head and face, at 25.3 percent, followed by the forearm at 12.7 percent. "Given the nature of the sport, it's not surprising that wrestlers suffer the most skin infections," lead author Dr. Robert Dellavalle from the University of Colorado said. "Most infections were bacterial and fungal." Most athletes were able to return to competition within three to six days but some of the infections were more serious. Some 60.6 percent of skin infections were bacterial followed by tinea (ringworm) at 28.4 percent. The study showed herpetic lesions like cold sores and fever blisters represented 5.2 percent of infections while 3.2 percent were miscellaneous infections. How can wrestlers and coaches reduce the possibility for skin infections? "A number of best practices are available to prevent sports-related skin infections," said study co-first author Kyle Burton, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Central Florida, who also did the research during a dermatology research rotation at CU Anschutz. "For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that athletes take showers directly after each competition." Burton added if showering immediately isn't possible, studies have shown that soap-and-water skin wipes reduce rates of skin infection among athletes. Dellavalle, who said most high schools wipe down wrestling mats after practice, suggested "the problem may be not keeping headgear properly cleaned before each match." To help reduce the opportunity for skin infections to spread in actual competition, a recommendation from the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations calls for referees to perform skin checks before each wrestling match. The survey was based on researchers examining data from a national sample of athletes involved in 22 sports in U.S. high schools over a five-year period. During that time, 474 skin infections were reported among 20,858,781 "athlete exposures" -- an athlete exposure being one practice session or one competition. The overall rate was 2.27 infections per 100,000 athlete exposures. The rate of skin infections in wrestling was 28.56 per 100,000 AE while football rates were 2.32 per 100,000. Other sports had rates of skin infections less than 1.00 per 100,000 AE with eight reporting none at all.

Organizers for the Dream Team Classic, sponsored by Cliff Keen Athletic and organized by Wrestling USA Magazine, have announced those wrestlers accepting invitations for the United States team over the last week. This year, the event is being held at New Prague High School in Minnesota on Saturday, March 12 at 7 p.m. CT. The following wrestlers have been selected for the United States team, with rankings as of February 3. 113: No. 3 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) 120: No. 2 Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Texas) 126: No. 3 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) 132: No. 6 (at 138) Taylor Lamont (Maple Mountain, Utah) 138: No. 8 Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 145: No. 4 Carter Happel (Lisbon, Iowa) 152: No. 1 Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 160: No. 9 (at 182) Daniel Bullard (Archer, Ga.) 170: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 182: No. 1 Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 195: No. 3 Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio) 220: No. 3 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) 285: No. 1 Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore.) Wrestlers for the Minnesota team will be announced at some time in the future.

Leaders from two major amateur wrestling institutions -- the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the National Wrestling Coaches Association -- are weighing in on recent sexual assault charges against wrestlers from two high schools in the Oklahoma City area. Last week, four wrestlers from Norman North High School in Norman, Okla., were arrested and charged with rape by instrumentation after police said they engaged in ''multiple acts of sexual assault'' Jan. 9 that involved force on a 16-year-old teammate and another who is 12. The students were on the team bus, which was returning from an out-of-town tournament. A few days later, a 17-year-old wrestler from Southmoore High School in nearby Moore, Okla. was similarly charged in a reportedly similar incident involving two junior high school wrestlers which he described as "butt-dragging", according to The Oklahoman newspaper . Rape by instrumentation is a felony charge which could result in a prison sentence. All of the accused athletes have been suspended from school. Some news reports have suggested these acts might be hazing rituals. Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, said the incidents sounded more like bullying or hazing than a wrestling issue. ''Clearly, with these allegations, we have more work to do today in regard to education and making sure nothing like this happens again,'' Moyer told the Associated Press . Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame located in Stillwater, Okla., said, ''You have never heard much about wrestlers being bullies or hazing that much because of how much the sport has taught them to be disciplined with their physicality,'' he said. ''It builds a self-reliance, rock-solid character values. These kinds of acts are really out of character -- they will not be tolerated at any level.'' Smith, an NCAA wrestling champ at Oklahoma State who was also a two-time Oklahoma state champ from Del City High School in suburban Oklahoma City, told the AP that wrestling teaches physical discipline and builds character for athletes from nearly any background. ''Wrestling is a sport for any boy of any size and any weight,'' said Smith. ''You learn self-confidence and self-defense skills." The parents of the 12-year-old victim of the Norman North incident have no doubt as to how to classify what happened on that school bus in January. "This is rape. It's not hazing. It's not horseplay. It's completely disgusting," the boy's father told KWTV-TV, the CBS affiliate in Oklahoma City, after he and his wife watched surveillance video from the bus. "The boy's mother said what happened to her son that day went beyond hazing," according to KWTV's report. "After watching the video on Friday, she has no doubt her son was raped." Are incidents such as those which allegedly happened in Oklahoma rare in wrestling? A news story from KFOR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City, included interviews with wrestler parents, a coach, and an area psychologist who all said they either were unaware of such incidents, or thought they were rare. "I've been involved with this sport since I was five, and I'm in my mid-40s now, and I've never heard of anything like this in the sport," Karl Belford, an assistant coach for the Oklahoma Wrestling Academy, told KFOR. However, the same news report claimed that "a quick Google search found dozens of articles relating to sexual assault and hazing in the sport of wrestling, and ESPN citing incidents dating back 24 years ago." In recent years, there have been incidents involving high school and college wrestlers which have garnered national media coverage. In 2011, a handful of wrestlers from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School surrounded a deaf teammate in the shower room and touched him with their genitals. The leader of the incident -- a Wisconsin high school state champ who had been offered a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Madison -- spent ten days in jail on disorderly conduct charges, and his scholarship to wrestle for the Badgers was withdrawn. The Wisconsin Rapids school district's insurance company later paid out what was described as "a six-figure settlement" to the victim and his family. In the fall of 2013, some wrestlers at York College -- an NCAA Division III program in Pennsylvania -- engaged in physically abusive rituals involving teammates at off-campus locations. The school suspended the program for one week to conduct an internal investigation. York administrators uncovered evidence of hazing, and disciplined a number of student-athletes, some with suspensions, others with expulsion from the school. In addition, the York wrestling program was put on probation for one year, with wrestlers performing community service.

Former Oklahoma State wrestlers Johny Hendricks and Jared Rosholt came out on the losing end of their bouts at UFC Fight Night 82 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night. Stephen Thompson defeated Johny Hendricks by TKO Hendricks, a former welterweight champion for Ultimate Fighting Championships, suffered a TKO loss via punches at 3:31 of the first round at the hands of Stephen Thompson ... while fellow former Cowboy matman Rosholt lost a unanimous decision in his three-round heavyweight match with Roy Nelson. Here's how Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com described the welterweight match: "A former NCAA champion wrestler, Hendricks tried to close distance on the rangy kickboxer but repeatedly walked into counter punches. He failed to secure a single takedown and landed 11 total strikes compared to Thompson's 25, according to Fightmetric. "The finish came after Hendricks came up well short on a straight left hand," Okamoto continued. "Thompson stepped slightly out of range and came back with a big counterpunch. After Hendricks retreated to the fence, Thompson threw a spinning kick that left him wobbled and referee John McCarthy stepped in shortly after." "Stephen Thompson was just a better man tonight," Hendricks said at the post-fight press conference. "What can I say? He performed. I hesitated. I don't hesitate usually. A lot of it goes into preparation. I switched camps and all these other things. But no excuses. He was just a better man." The 32-year-old Hendricks, a two-time NCAA champ and three-time Big 12 titlewinner, is now 17-4 in his mixed martial arts career, and 12-4 in UFC competition ... though he is now 2-3 in his last five bouts. Thompson is now 12-1 overall, and 7-1 in UFC. In its recap of the Roy Nelson-Jared Rosholt battle of the big men, Sherdog.com wrote, "Neither man offered much in the way of meaningful offense, their three-round encounter bringing out the boo birds." "(Roy) Nelson outworked Jared Rosholt to capture a unanimous decision and snap a three-fight losing streak on Saturday night," according to MMAFighting.com. "However the bout was a sluggish affair with sparse action between the two heavyweights. And afterward, Nelson couldn't help but vent his frustration toward his opponent. "I worked so hard on this camp. I wanted to, just, reignite the fans," Nelson said Saturday in a post-fight interview with the UFC. "I know I try to give the fans exactly what they (want). An explosion, a fun fight to watch. It's just, I didn't think he was going to run the whole time. I mean, Jared is a great athlete, but he's not a fighter. And tonight I think I showed that to the UFC world, that he's a great athlete, but man, when you've got a fight, you have to fight." Nelson is now 21-12 in his MMA career, and 8-8 in UFC. Jared Rosholt, a three-time NCAA All-American heavyweight at Oklahoma State, falls to 14-3 overall, and 6-2 in UFC competition.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Bucknell wrestling team opened a six-match road stretch Sunday with a 39-0 shutout of Sacred Heart (1-11, 0-6 EIWA). The Bison won all 10 bouts and posted six bonus-point victories to move to 5-0 all-time against the Pioneers and record its first shutout since the first match of the 2013-14 campaign. Bucknell (8-5, 3-2 EIWA) dominated from the start as the closest bout was a two-point decision at 157 pounds. The Bison had three other wins by four points to go along with four major decisions, a tech fall and a pin by Joe Stolfi to conclude the match. The final five bouts were all bonus-point wins for Bucknell. Stolfi's pin of Sherwood took just 1:32 as he moved to 13-1 on the season. It was his team-high eighth pin of the year and the 60th of his career. Robert Schlitt (165), Rustin Barrick (174), Tom Sleigh (184) and Tyler Greene (197) all had wins by major decision. Barrick has now won 11 bouts in a row, while Sleigh has captured eight in a row. Tyler Smith at 141 pounds took just 4:11 to post an 18-3 tech fall over Alex Harnsberger to improve to 16-9 on the season. Paul Petrov, with a 10-6 decision at 125 pounds, won his team-high 25th bout of the season. He is now 103-34 in his career. Bucknell's last four wins over Sacred Heart have been by a combined 162-12 margin. The Bison will next be in action Saturday when they wrestle at American (11 a.m.) and George Mason (3 p.m.). Results: 125: Paul Petrov (B) dec. Gerard Daly (SH), 10-6. 133: Grim Gonzalez (B) dec. Tim Johnson (SH), 9-5. 141: Tyler Smith (B) tech fall Alex Harnsberger (SH), 18-3 (4:11). 149: Victor Lopez (B) dec. Brandon Levesque (SH), 6-2. 157: Zach Kelly (B) dec. Casey Mitchell (SH), 5-3. 165: Robert Schlitt (B) maj. dec. Matt Fisher (SH), 12-4. 174: Rustin Barrick (B) maj. dec. Johnny Vrasidas (SH), 14-3. 184: Tom Sleigh (B) maj. dec. Elliott Antler (SH), 16-8. 197: Tyler Greene (B) maj. dec. Sasha Oliinyk (SH), 10-1. 285: Joe Stolfi (B) pinned Ray Sherwood (SH), 1:32.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Tom Borrelli has preached aggressiveness and scoring to his Central Michigan wrestlers throughout the season. On Sunday, the 23rd-ranked Chippewas carried out the game plan nearly to perfection in topping Buffalo, 30-9, in a Mid-American Conference dual at McGuirk Arena. "Buffalo is the type of team that tends to hold on to you a little bit and slow you down," said Borrelli, whose team improved to 8-4 overall, 5-1 MAC. "We figured that out today and scored a lot of points." The Chippewas overcame a forfeit loss at 125 pounds as Brent Fleetwood sat out his third consecutive dual with an injury. CMU won eight of the nine matches held, recording 19 takedowns to Buffalo's three. Three CMU wins came by major decision, and the Chippewas earned a riding time point in six of their victories. Sunday's victory was CMU's second dual win in a row after a 22-12 MAC win over Eastern Michigan on Friday. "I'm happy with our weekend, especially giving up the six points and being able to win both dual meets," Borrelli said. "It's always a little bit nerve-wracking when you give up six points and our guys responded well. We won a lot matches this weekend, especially this match." The majors came from Corey Keener (133), Justin Oliver (149) and Luke Smith (157), while Mike Ottinger (174) won by disqualification. Ottinger was well in control of his match, leading 10-3 in the third period when his opponent, Muhamed McBryde, was called for stalling for the fourth time in the match, resulting in the disqualification and six team points for CMU. Keener posted a 13-5 win, Oliver a 14-3 victory, and Smith an 8-0 win. CMU's Jordan Ellingwood (184) also pitched a shutout, winning 4-0. The two closest-contested wins for CMU came in the dual's final two matches, and both were decided on riding time. Jackson Lewis (197) defeated James Benjamin, 9-8, getting the decisive point on riding time. The Chippewas' Adam Robinson (HWT) scored an escape in the second tie-breaker to even his bout with Jake Gunning at 3-3. Robinson was awarded the victory because he held a 15.6-second edge in riding time. The Chippewas celebrated senior day with all five seniors - Zach Horan, Smith, Ottinger, Lewis and Robinson - in the lineup winning their respective matches. "Those guys have meant a lot to our program, all five of them," Borrelli said. "Four of them have been four-year starters, so obviously they mean a lot. I think they wanted to go out on a good note." The Chippewas go to Kent State next Sunday where they will wrestle the Golden Flashes in a MAC dual and Edinboro in a non-league dual. The Chippewas' final home event of the season is a non-league dual with Wisconsin on Thursday, Feb. 18. Kent State is 13-3, 6-1 MAC after posting victories this weekend over Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa. Edinboro is 8-7. Borrelli said there is no timetable on Fleetwood's potential return from a foot injury. Fleetwood was injured a week ago in a dual meet at Northern Iowa, and the Chippewas have forfeited at the weight class in all three ensuing duals. The only other 125-pounder on the roster, Carter Ballinger, can't wrestle at the weight class because of NCAA rules pertaining to weight-descent. "You have to be down to your lowest-certifiable weight by Feb. 15," Borrelli said. "He wrestled at the Alma College Open (Jan. 23) at 133. The lowest he can descend down to, by Feb. 15, is 126.6 (pounds), so he can't go down to 125 even though he's wrestled every other competition this year, except for that one, at 125. "I don't know why Feb. 15 is the magical cutoff date, but that's what it is. There's not much we can do about it this year." Results: 125: Kyle Akins (UB) won by forfeit, 6-0 133: Corey Keener (CMU) won by major decision over Bryan Lantry (UB), 13-5 141: #14 Zach Horan (CMU) won by decision over Brandon Lapi (UB), 9-3 149: #19 Justin Oliver (CMU) won by major decision over Colt Cotten (UB), 14-3 157: #14 Luke Smith (CMU) won by major decision over Tim Schaefer (UB), 8-0 165: Rrok Ndokaj (UB) won by decision over Jordan Antienza (CMU), 8-3 174: Mike Ottinger (CMU) won by default over Muhamed McBryde, 10-3 184: Jordan Ellingwood (CMU) won by decision over Joe Ariola (UB), 4-0 197: Jackson Lewis (CMU) won by decision over James Benjamin (UB), 9-8 285: Adam Robinson (CMU) won by overtime decision over Jake Gunning (UB), 4-3

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- North Dakota State University won nine of 10 matches including 184-pounder Hayden Zillmer's 100th career win and four pins to defeat Grand Canyon University 45-3 in a non-conference dual Sunday, Feb. 7 in Antelope Gymnasium. NDSU (3-5, 2-1 Big 12) is scheduled to host the University of Northern Iowa (3-9, 2-5 MAC) in a non-conference dual at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. Zillmer, a senior from Crosby, Minn. (Crosby-Ironton H.S.), built an 11-1 lead heading into the third period before recording his ninth pin of the season to become the 10th wrestler in program history to reach the career milestone and the third during the Division I era joining All-Americans Steve Monk and Trent Sprenkle. The fifth-ranked Zillmer improved to 26-3 this season including a 8-0 in duals to push that streak to 24. His career record stands at 100-27. "Hayden's a guy who leads by example in our room and in his personal life. He's a natural leader. Our guys look up to him and his work ethic. His success really showcases that," said NDSU head coach Roger Kish. Logan Paxton, a 197-pound junior from Elk Grove, Calif. (Pleasant Grove H.S./Sacramento City College), broke a 13-match losing streak with a 3-1 sudden victory-1 overtime win over Austin Trujillo. It was his first win since the Bison Open. Paxton stands at 6-16 overall and 1-7 in duals. Zillmer's pin was one of four for North Dakota State. Clay Ream (17-13, 3-5) grinded out his third fall this year at 149-pounds, 165 Grant Nehring (5-7, 4-3) claimed his fourth pin out of five wins and 285 Ben Tynan (17-9, 6-2) recorded his fourth fall of season. NDSU's 16th-ranked 125 pounder Josh Rodriguez (28-7, 7-1) started the dual against Grand Canyon with a 21-6 tech fall, his sixth of the season. Kyle Gliva, a 157-pound sophomore, earned a 10-2 major decision. Mitch Bengtson (14-9, 3-1) banged out a 7-1 decision at 141 pounds, while 133 Nico Colunga (14-14, 2-4) picked up a forfeit win. Kenny Moore at 174 pounds gained the only win for Grand Canyon (5-18), a 4-1 decision over Blake Thompson. Results: 125 – #16 Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) def. Trayton Libolt (GCU) Tech. Fall 21-6/5:20, NDSU 5-0 133 – Nico Colunga (NDSU) won by forfeit (GCU) 6-0, NDSU 11-0 141 – Mitch Bengtson (NDSU) def. Uzo Owuama (GCU) dec. 7-1, NDSU 14-0 149 – Clay Ream (NDSU) def. Joe Huber (GCU) Fall, NDSU 20-0 157 – Kyle Gliva (NDSU) def. Steven Abayon (GCU) Major Dec. 10-2, NDSU 24-0 165 – Grant Nehring (NDSU) def. Bobby Reece (GCU) Fall 4:29, NDSU 30-0 174 – Kenny Moore (GCU) def. Blake Thompson (NDSU) dec. 4-1, NDSU 30-3 184 – #5 Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) def. Austin Gaun (GCU) Fall 4:49, NDSU 36-3 197 – Logan Paxton (NDSU) def. Austin Trujillo (GCU) dec. 3-1 SV-1, NDSU 39-3 285 – Ben Tynan (NDSU) def. Sean Medley (GCU) Fall 5:55, NDSU 45-3 Notes: No. 5-ranked 184 Hayden Zillmer of North Dakota State recorded career win No. 100 … Zillmer becomes the 10th Bison wrestler to reach the milestone and the third during the Division I era. NDSU 197 Logan Paxton snapped a 13-match losing streak

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- SIUE wrestling scored pins by Derek Nagel and Chris Johnson Sunday finishing with a commanding 33-8 victory over VMI at the Vadalabene Center. It was SIUE's biggest win against an NCAA Division I program since joining the Southern Conference and the largest dual meet margin of victory against a conference opponent. The Cougars won eight of the 10 matches contested, including three major decisions and the two pins. "That was something were very excited about," said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. "Any time we are seeing pins, that's huge. When you are getting bonus points with pins and majors, that's what wins tournament and dual meets." SIUE improved to 4-10 overall and is now 4-1 at the Vadalabene Center. VMI dropped to 3-8 overall. The Cougars moved into a tie for fourth place in the SoCon standings and will face the Camels next Saturday on Senior Day at noon. Nagel's victory put the VMI match out of reach when he picked up the fall in 4 minutes, 47 seconds against Derek Thurman at 184 pounds. It was the seventh straight win for the senior. "I'm starting to peak here at the end of the season," said Nagel. "I'm starting to win a lot of matches. Last season, I was drained at the end of the season." Nagel said two wins in front of him by Nate Higgins at 165 pounds and Connor McMahon at 174 pounds got him motivated. Dakota Leach put the Cougars on the scoreboard first with an 11-6 victory over Dominic Gallo at 133 pounds. He was followed by major decisions from John Muldoon at 141 pounds and John Fahy at 149 pounds. Jake Tindle evened his season record at 12-12 with a 12-2 major decision at 197 pounds. Johnson closed out the dual with a 2:53 pin over Urayoan Garcia at heavyweight. Spates credited having enough training time to the Cougars' surge Sunday. "Our early schedule was tough, but we tried to be strategic at the end of the year," he said. It was Alumni Day for SIUE wrestling with numerous former wrestlers being introduced to the crowd at the Vadalabene Center, including Hall of Fame Coach Larry Kristoff. Spates said he was pleased with turnout and was happy his team provided an exciting match. "They (the alumni) do a great job of keeping up with us," Spates said. "We really appreciate them coming out. I think it was a fun dual meet to watch for everybody." Results: 125 Dalton Henderson (VMI) over Joe Antonelli (SIUE) (MD 10-2) 133 Dakota Leach (SIUE) over Dominick Gallo (VMI) (Dec 11-6) 141 John Muldoon (SIUE) over Hunter Starner (VMI) (MD 12-2) 149 John Fahy (SIUE) over Emmitt Kelly (VMI) (MD 14-6) 157 Neal Richards (VMI) over Erik Travers (SIUE) (MD 17-5) 165 Nate Higgins (SIUE) over Shabaka Johns (VMI) (Dec 9-5) 174 Connor McMahon (SIUE) over Mark Darr (VMI) (Dec 5-4) 184 Derek Nagel (SIUE) over Derek Thurman (VMI) (Fall 4:47) 197 Jake Tindle (SIUE) over Taylor Thomas (VMI) (MD 12-2) 285 Chris Johnson (SIUE) over Urayoan Garcia (VMI) (Fall 2:53)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- With their backs against the wall two different times today at Huff Hall, the Fighting Illini grapplers showed grit and determination to win a wild finish. After trailing 18-0 through four weight classes, Illinois won the next four bouts with 19 unanswered points. A northwestern pin at 197 had the Illini once again in a tight spot, trailing by 5 with only one bout remaining. However, Brooks Black answered the bell with a pin of his own to give Illinois an exhilarating 25-24 victory over the in-state rival. "I knew if I could take him down, I could get him to that move I put him in that I did all through high school," said Black on his match-winning pin. Although Head Coach Jim Heffernan may not have anticipated the fashion in which his heavyweight wrestler would do it in, he said that coming through in the clutch was something that Black had mentioned to dating back to his freshman year. "Brooks was up against," said Heffernan. "He told me one time when he was a freshman that if the match ever came down to him, he's going to win. That's the first time it has {come down to Black} and he found a way to win." Northwestern exploded early in the match to jump out on top of Illinois early. After Francis Edelen grabbed a takedown to open the scoring, Garrison White got to work, first with a reversal and then a combo of two-point and four-point near falls to take an 8-2 lead. In the second period, White continued ride Edelen, adding two more near falls. The opening bout concluded with a another two-point near fall in the third period by White to win by tech fall, 17-2. With Zane Richards once again unable to wrestle today (sickness), #20 Dominic Malone won by forfeit, stretching the Wildcat lead out to 11-0. At 141 pounds, Jameson Oster of Northwestern quickly put the pressure on Mousa Jodeh with a takedown and four-point near fall in period one, followed by two near falls to double his lead. In the third period, Oster completed the major decision with an escape and takedown, accompanied by a riding time point, to win by major decision, 16-4. The Northwestern margin swelled to 18-0 when No. 4 Jason Tsirtsis grinded out a decision over Kyle Langenderfer at 149-pounds. Langenderfer came in with two close decision defeats to the Northwestern red-shirt junior last season. Today's bout took a similar course for most of the match, with each the two grapplers exchanging blows through the first period. After an exchange of escapes, Tsirtsis added a late takedown in the fifth minute of the match to enter the final period leading 5-3. Unfortunately for Langenderfer, Tsirtsis remained in control for the final two minutes, first earning an escape and then adding a take down to win, 9-3. Much like in previous matches this season, the Orange and Blue turned the tide of the match at 157 pounds, this time with a pin from No. 2 Isaiah Martinez over Anthony Petrone in a mere 55 seconds. The pin was Martinez's fourth of the season and first during Big Ten play. With a third of a deficit evaporating in less than a minute, the Orange and Blue looked to No. 6 Steven Rodrigues to use that momentum. The Illini senior got to work early with three takedowns in the first period. After Luke Norland of Northwestern slowed Rodrigues in the second period, allowing just one takedown, Steven got back to his offense with another takedown in period three to seal a major decision. With the Huff Hall crowd coming to life after 10 Illini points in just two bouts, No. 4 Zac Brunson put his own hand print on the charge. Brunson began his scoring with a takedown of Mitch Sliga, and then propelled Sliga onto his shoulders for a four-point near fall. After a quiet one-point escape in the second frame, Brunson got back to work with his second four-point near fall of the match. A riding time point finalized the 12-0 major decision for the Eugene, Oregon native, and brought Illinois to within just four points of the Wildcats. For Brunson, it was his fourth shutout of the season and his second in Big Ten duals. Needing a major decision to tie and a technical fall to take the lead, Coach Heffernan looked to red-shirt senior Jeff Koepke to complete the comeback. Wildcat Regis Deurbin hung tough early on with a takedown to take a 2-0 lead, and then remained within a 5-3 count after three minutes. However, Jeff Koepke found his grove in period two, netting four takedowns coupled with a four-point near fall. With Koepke looking for the tech fall to put the Illini in front for the first time all day, there was a controversy with 1:25 remaining in period three regarding the score. After initially calling Koepke the victor by technical fall, the officials reviewed the action and deemed Koepke to still be two points shy of the 15 points needed for a tech fall. When action resumed, the Illini senior showed determination with two takedowns in the final minute to seal the five-point victory for the Orange and Blue. "With Zane {Richards} battling an illness and others feeling sluggish at Nebraska, and even yesterday in practice we weren't really on, but guys found a way," said Heffernan. "Their strength is down low; our strength is up high against these guys. Anything they did down low, we had to find a way to match it. It went pretty much as planned until about 16 seconds left at 197 {pounds}." With the Illini leading by only a point, Andre Lee and Jocob Berkowitz went toe-to-toe for the first six minutes. Lee led the Northwestern red-shirt junior 5-4 entering the final two minutes, but surrendered two takedowns, while only giving up the two escape points. Bad went turned to worse as Berkowitz got Lee's shoulders on the mat and held him down for the count, earning a 6:35 pin to turn the tables on the Illini. "Well first, Andre {Lee} shouldn't have been in that position, over-under that late in the match, but the bottom line is he looked like he stumbled and fell on his back," explained Heffernan. "He's has to be a little smarter than that, and shouldn't be in that position or situation with 16 seconds left in the match." The match concluded at heavyweight with Illinois' back once against up against the wall. Brooks Black was tasked with the duty of getting a technical fall to tie or a pin to win, and the red-shirt sophomore responded just as he had promised Coach Heffernan when he first came to Illinois. "The thing that was in the back of my mind, was my freshman red-shirt year when I told Coach Heffernan that if a match came down to me, I'd win it for him," explained Black. "So, when I went out there, I said to myself 'remember what you told [Coach Heffernan'}." Black started the first period off with a takedown to lead 2-0, and continued to ride Northwestern's Conan Jennings. With a little over a minute remaining in the opening period, Black advanced his position over Jennings to move his opponent's shoulders towards the mat. The two heavyweights struggled as the Huff Hall crowd rose to it's feet. With the Illini bench roaring with the motivation, Black got Jennings shoulders fully on the mat and the official counted Jennings out to give Black his third pin of the season, and Illinois a thrilling 25-24 victory over Northwestern. "I think [the win} is a confidence booster," said Black. "Just knowing that if I get to my offense, I can take guys down like I did against Jennings. I have to carry this momentum into my training this week and into Friday against Minnesota." Up Next: The Fighting Illini host #17 Minnesota on Friday night as part of Senior Night. The match begins at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall, with seniors being honored prior to the match. "Minnesota is always good, they're always in great shape, and they're always technically sound," explained Coach Heffernan. "They don't make poor decisions, so we in turn can't make poor decisions. We can't allow them to win matches at the end like we did today." For complete coverage on the team, visit fightingillini.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter. Results: 125: Garrison White (NU) tech fall Francis Edelen (ILL), 17-2 | 0-5 133: #20 Dominick Malone (NU) wins by forfeit | 0-11 141: Jameson Oster (NU) major dec. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 16-4 | 0-15 149: #4 Jason Tsirtsis (NU) dec. Kyle Langenderfer (ILL), 9-3 | 0-18 157: #2 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) fall Anthony Petrone (NU), 0:55 | 6-18 165: #6 Steven Rodrigues (ILL) major dec. Luke Norland (NU),12-3 | 10-18 174: #4 Zac Brunson (ILL) major dec. Mitch Sliga (NU), 12-0 | 14-18 184: Jeff Koepke (ILL) tech fall Regis Durbin (NU), 24-9 | 19-18 197: Jacob Berkowitz (NU) fall Andre Lee (ILL), 6:35 | 19-24 HWT: Brooks Black (ILL) fall Conan Jennings (NU), 1:53 | 25-24

DEKLAB, Ill. -- Mizzou Wrestling (12-1, 8-0 MAC) became the Mid-American Conference Regular Season Champions for the second consecutive season following a 26-14 victory over Northern Illinois (6-7, 1-4) on Sunday afternoon in DeKalb, Ill. The Tigers finished off its MAC dual schedule with an unblemished 8-0 mark, the second straight season #TigerStyle has finished the year with a perfect MAC record. #TigerStyle earned bonus points in four of its six match wins on the day, including wins by fall from redshirt senior 174-pounder Blaise Butler (Belvidere, Ill.) and redshirt senior 184-pounder Cody Johnston (Warrensburg, Mo.). Butler picked up the first win of the day for Mizzou, pinning Trace Engelkes in the first period. Trailing 4-0 in the second bout of the day, Butler single-handedly put the Tigers ahead of the Huskies with the fall. The Belvidere, Ill. native scored the pin at 1:53 for six points. Johnston followed Butler with a fall of his own over Quinton Rosser. Johnston jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead after scoring a four-point near-fall in the opening period. Johnston put Rosser on his back a second-time in the second period when he scored the fall at 3:51 for six points for the Tigers. Next up, junior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) extended Mizzou's lead to 16-4 with a 15-1 major decision over No. 16-ranked Shawn Scott. The junior improves to 22-1 (12-1 duals) on the season with his fourth major decision of the season. Redshirt sophomore 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.) scored quickly in his match against Alijah Jeffery, taking a 6-2 lead at the end of the first after scoring multiple takedowns in the period. McGhee held onto his lead, defeating Jeffery, 8-5, for his 15th win on the season. The Huskies pulled within five points of the Tigers at 19-14 when redshirt junior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) stepped onto the mat against Gabe Morse. With the score tied 4-4 in the third period, the undefeated Tiger scored an escape with less than 10 seconds remaining to clinch the win. Mayes is now 22-0 on the season, the best start to a season in his career. Redshirt senior 157-pounder Le'Roy Barnes finished off the match for the Tigers, earning an 11-2 major decision over Andrew Morse to wrap up the score at 26-14. The Tigers will finish off the regular season schedule next weekend with two road duals. First, the Tigers will wrestle Appalachian State on Friday, Feb. 12, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT. Then, Mizzou will finish the regular season schedule against No. 3-ranked and undefeated N.C. State on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. CT. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling). Results: 165: Shaun'Qae McMurty (Northern Illinois) def. Matt Lemanowicz (Mizzou) by 15-5 major decision 174: Blaise Butler (Mizzou) def. Trace Engelkes (Northern Illinois) by fall (1:53) 184: Cody Johnston (Mizzou) def. Quinton Rosser (Northern Illinois) by fall (3:51) 197: J'den Cox (Mizzou) def. Shawn Scott (Northern Illinois) by 15-1 major decision HWT: Arthur Bunce (Northern Illinois) def. James Romero (Mizzou) by 6-0 decision 125: Barlow McGhee (Mizzou) def. Alijah Jeffery (Northern Illinois) by 8-5 decision 133: Austin Eicher (Northern Illinois) def. Zach Synon (Mizzou) by 5-3 SV-2 141: Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) def. Nick Nasenbeny (Mizzou) by 15-4 major decision 149: Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) def. Gabe Morse (Northern Illinois) by 5-4 decision 157: Le'Roy Barnes (Mizzou) def. Andrew Morse (Northern Illinois) by 11-2 major decision

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Purdue wrestling made it six straight over its in-state rival with an 18-14 upset of No. 20 Indiana on Sunday inside University Gymnasium. The Boilermakers took six weights, all by decision, to move their record to 8-5 and 3-4 with one week to go in the Big Ten Conference schedule. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Hoosiers, who slipped to 6-5, 3-5 Big Ten. “It's nice to get a win in their gym,” Purdue head wrestling coach Tony Ersland said. “We won some close matches and that's a good thing to see as we come down the home stretch. The string of five wins in the heart of our lineup was big for us. “Each week it's about getting better, it's about taking a step forward towards peaking,” Ersland said. “Bringing intensity is important as we close out the Big Ten season next week and move into March.” Luke Welch was the first of five straight Boilermaker decisions with takedowns in the first and third periods en route to a 5-0 showing against Alonzo Shepherd. The 133-pounder moved to 13-10 with the shutout. In the ensuing match at 141, Tommy Cash scored the first takedown of the bout, but a four-point third period by Danny Sabatello lifted him to an 8-7 victory. The two wrestlers were tied at 4-4 heading into the final two minutes. Sabatello recorded a pair of takedowns in the third the 13th win of his redshirt senior season. “It was a good win for Danny, for him to come back after getting down early,” Ersland said. “It's going to be a confidence booster for him moving forward.” Purdue's Alex Griffin, the nation's 19th-ranked wrestler at 149, tilted for a four-point nearfall, scored a takedown, an escape and added 1:49 of riding time for an 8-4 win over Luke Blanton. The decision lifted Griffin's record to 13-5 while giving the Boilermakers their first lead in the dual at 9-4. That lead built to 15-4 with back-to-back decisions from Doug and Chad Welch at 157 and 165, respectively. Riding time was the difference for D. Welch in a 5-4 outing against Jake Danishek. A takedown 1:42 into the match and a second-period rideout earned seventh-ranked C. Welch a 3-0 shutout of Eric Roach. D. Welch's record improved to 12-8, while C. Welch moved to 24-4. Purdue's sixth win came by way of Tanner Lynde at 184. Lynde was the aggressor throughout his bout with Matt Irick en route to a 5-3 decision. The ninth win of the redshirt junior's campaign, as he improved to 5-2 in Big Ten duals, gave the Boilermakers an 18-11 advantage with two weights remaining. Indiana's Jake Masengale stole a 6-4 sudden victory decision at 197 and closed out the dual with a 3-2 decision by Garret Goldman at 285. The Hoosiers received major decisions at 125 and 174 from their two ranked grapplers. The Boilermakers will have a short week as they will be back in action Friday at No. 8 Michigan. Competition from Cliff Keen Arena is set to get underway at 7 p.m. ET. #BoilerNotes Purdue won its sixth straight in the series with Indiana, which is the longest winning streak for the Boilermakers all-time in the series ... it was the 102nd all-time meeting … they have now won three straight in Bloomington … it was their fourth win in the series when it's contested on Feb. 7. The upset of Indiana is the Boilermakers' first win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 16, 2015, when they beat No. 19 Northwestern 22-17. Twelve of Purdue's 13 duals have started at 125 this season. The Welch Trio won all three of their bouts Sunday ... it's the sixth time they have won together this season. Chad Welch wrestled the 125th match of his career … Doug Welch wrestled in the 40th and Tanner Lynde the 30th dual matches of their respective careers. Danny Sabatello's three takedowns gave him 241 for his career … he ranks 16th on Purdue's career takedowns list and is three shy of moving into No. 15 … Alex Griffin bypassed Jason Cook (2004-07) for the No. 14 spot on the career back points list with a four-point nearfall … he now has 138 in his career. Results: 125: No. 19 Elijah Oliver (Indiana) maj. dec. Luke Schroeder (Purdue) 19-8 133: Luke Welch (Purdue) dec. Alonzo Shepherd (Indiana) 5-0 141: Danny Sabatello (Purdue) dec. Tommy Cash (Indiana) 8-7 149: No. 19 Alex Griffin (Purdue) dec. Luke Blanton (Indiana) 8-4 157: Doug Welch (Purdue) dec. Jake Danishek (Indiana) 5-4 165: No. 7 Chad Welch (Purdue) dec. Eric Roach (Indiana) 3-0 174: No. 11 Nate Jackson (Indiana) maj. dec. Jacob Morrissey (Purdue) 15-4 184: Tanner Lynde (Purdue) dec. Matt Irick (Indiana) 5-3 197: Jake Masengale (Indiana) dec. Drake Stein (Purdue) 6-4 (SV1) 285: Garret Goldman (Indiana) dec. Tyler Kral (Purdue) 3-2

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- For the second straight season, the West Virginia University wrestling team picked up a victory in the Backyard Brawl, pulling off an 18-12 upset of the No. 17 Pitt Panthers on Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers won six of ten bouts and halted a six-match skid. The Panthers were the sixth top-20 opponent WVU has faced this season. No. 13/14 Zeke Moisey used a third-period escape to win a 3-2 decision over No. 26 Lorenzo Bentley at 125, putting the Mountaineers up 3-0 early on. The Panthers took a decision at 133 to tie the team score at 3-3. Tony DeAngelo rallied for a 10-7 decision over Nick Zanetta at 141 pounds. Zanetta led 2-0 after a first period takedown, but DeAngelo scored the reversal in the second to tie the score 2-2. After Zanetta took injury time midway through the second period, DeAngelo opted to re-start in the defensive position. Zanetta picked up four back points for a 6-2 advantage after five minutes of action. The two started the third on their feet, with DeAngelo registering a takedown to make it a two-point bout, down 6-4. Zanetta escaped, but DeAngelo scored another takedown and added four near fall points late in the third to claim the win and put the Mountaineers in front, 6-3. "I think (Tony's win) epitomizes our team," said WVU coach Sammie Henson. "His whole month has kind of been like our team. We've faced some of the top guys in the country. I think that set the stage for today. (It was) perseverance and just staying focused, and not giving up. He was down by four or five and just kept battling. That's the sign of a team. That's the sign of an individual who wants to do it for himself and the team, and I think that's a sign of our family." Zachary Moore posted WVU's second straight victory, taking a 6-1 decision over Robert Lee at 149 pounds. After a scoreless first, Moore used a second-period escape, a takedown and a pair of back points for a 5-0 advantage entering the third. Lee escaped from his start on bottom in the third, but Moore added the riding time point for the 6-1 win as WVU took a 9-3 lead. At 157 pounds, a pair of first-period takedowns put No. 15/16 Dylan Cottrell on top of Ronnie Garbinsky, 4-1, after three minutes of action. Cottrell scored a reversal in the second before adding two more takedowns for a 10-3 advantage after two periods. Garbinsky scored the reversal in the third, but Cottrell took riding time in earning the 11-5 decision that put WVU on top 12-3 heading in to the break. Pitt earned wins by decision at both 165 and 174 pounds, cutting the West Virginia lead to three at 12-9. Bubba Scheffel got the Mountaineers back on track, claiming a 6-2 triumph over Zach Bruce at 184 pounds. Bruce struck first with a takedown, but Scheffel countered immediately with a reversal. He rode Bruce throughout the first as the two headed into the second with the score knotted 2-2. Scheffel registered another reversal and again rode Bruce through the period, leading 4-2 with two minutes to go in regulation. With Bruce on bottom, Scheffel added two more minutes of riding time, tacking on the point as WVU went ahead 15-9. Jacob A. Smith sealed the deal for the Mountaineers with a win over Nick Bonaccorsi at 197. After a scoreless first period, Smith chose to start the second period in the defensive position. He quickly scored an escape to lead 1-0, taking his lead into the third. Bonaccorsi chose bottom the start the third, and Smith rode him out to add a point for the 2-0 decision. The Panthers took the heavyweight bout, but it was the Mountaineers who came away with the 18-12 win. WVU hits the road for a pair of Big 12 matches next weekend. The Mountaineers head to Brookings, South Dakota, to face new league affiliate South Dakota State on Friday at 8 p.m. ET before traveling to Ames, Iowa, on Sunday to take on No. 16 Iowa State in a 3 p.m. ET dual. Results: 125: No. 13/14 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. LJ Bentley (Pitt), 3-2 133: No. 20 Dom Forys (Pitt) dec. Cory Stainbrook (WVU), 11-5 141: Tony DeAngelo (WVU) dec. Nick Zanetta (Pitt), 10-7 149: Zachary Moore (WVU) dec. Robert Lee (Pitt), 6-1 157: No. 16/15 Dylan Cottrell (WVU) dec. Ronnie Garbinsky (Pitt), 11-5 165: No. 26 Cody Wiercioch (Pitt) dec. Connor Flynn (WVU), 13-6 174: Te'Shan Campbell (Pitt) dec. Ross Renzi (WVU), 3-1 184: Bubba Scheffel (WVU) dec. Zach Bruce (Pitt), 6-2 197: No. 9/10 Jacob A. Smith (WVU) dec. Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt), 2-0 HWT: No. 17 Ryan Solomon (Pitt) dec. A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU), 3-0