InterMat Staff

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro wrapped up its second straight perfect Eastern Wrestling League dual meet season with a 21-14 win over Lock Haven on Friday night at McComb Fieldhouse. The 15th-ranked Fighting Scots, winners of 11 consecutive EWL duals, end the EWL season at 6-0 and improved to 13-4 overall with their fifth straight win. Lock Haven fell to 5-11 overall and 2-2 in the EWL. Only two matches in the entire match featured bonus points, with Mitchell Port winning by fall at 141 lbs. and Lock Haven's Ronnie Perry claiming a technical fall at 133 lbs. The match got underway with Kory Mines, ranked 17th by InterMat at 125 lbs., posting a 6-1 decision over Jake Field. Following a scoreless first period Mines picked up a takedown in the second for a 2-0 lead. He added an escape and takedown in the third and had 1 minute 38 seconds in riding time. Mines improved to 27-6 on the season while Field is now 18-12. Perry gave the Bald Eagles a 5-3 lead with an 18-2 technical fall (5:16) over Anthony Rivera (3-13), who is filling in for injured starter and second-ranked A.J. Schopp. He is now 24-7. Port gave Edinboro the lead for good as the Fighting Scots won the next three bouts. The redshirt senior, ranked second at 141 lbs., a remained undefeated at 29-0 as he pinned Bobby Rehm (23-15) at 3:34. He grabbed a commanding 7-1 lead after one period, and added a reversal in the second before flattening Rehm for his 12th fall of the season and third in a row. Port boosted his career record to 125-15. Top-ranked Dave Habat followed with a 6-0 decision over Dan Neff (16-11) at 149 lbs. Habat picked up a takedown with a minute left in the first period for a 2-0 lead. He added an escape and takedown for a 5-0 advantage after two periods, then rode out Neff in the third to finish with 3:07 in riding time. Habat is 28-1 on the year and 126-25 for his career, moving into a tie with Tony Robie for ninth place in career wins. Kasey Burnett-Davis (12-10) returned to the lineup at 157 lbs. and edged Elias Biddle (19-11) 4-3. He scored all of his points in the first period with a pair of takedowns. Biddle would register an escape in the second and picked up a stalling point with 24 seconds remaining in the third. Lock Haven closed the gap to 15-8 thanks to a 2-0 decision for Aaron McKinney over Casey Fuller at 165 lbs. McKinney's points were courtesy of a second-period escape and riding time. Fuller is now 14-14 with McKinney improving to 24-8. Edinboro won the next two matches to clinch the dual. Patrick Jennings won his sixth straight match with an exciting 11-4 decision over Tyler Wood (16-20) at 174 lbs. The redshirt junior fell behind 2-0 after one period. He picked up two back points to start the second period, and the two wrestlers exchanged reversals to leave Jennings with a 5-4 advantage heading into the third. He would dominate the final period, registering a quick reversal and then gaining three back points while riding Wood out the rest of the period. Jennings is now 26-8. The feature match of the night took place at 184 lbs., as 13th-ranked Vic Avery squared off against Fred Garcia in a rematch of the PSAC championship match. Avery won that match 5-2, and he came away with a 3-1 decision this time around. Avery registered the lone takedown of the match with 17 seconds left in the first period. Garcia would gain an escape point in the second period, with Avery doing the same in the third. Avery is now 24-6 after winning his fifth straight match. Garcia fell to 25-5. The Avery victory clinched the match for Edinboro with a 21-8 lead. Lock Haven would win the final two matches. At 197 lbs., Phil Sprenkle (13-7) won a 3-0 decision over Vince Pickett (14-14). Brad Emerick (14-17) followed with a 6-2 decision over Warren Bosch (13-17) at heavyweight. Edinboro will host the Edinboro Open on Saturday. Mat mayhem then comes to McComb Fieldhouse as the Fighting Scots take part in the NWCA National Duals, hosting fourth-ranked Ohio State. Results: 125 lbs. –- #17 Kory Mines (EU) dec. Jake Field (LHU) 6-1 133 lbs. – Ronnie Perry (LHU)) tech. fall Anthony Rivera (EU) 18-2 (5:16) 141 lbs. -- #2 Mitchell Port (EU) fall over Bobby Rehm (LHU) 3:34 149 lbs. -- #1 Dave Habat (EU) dec. Dan Neff (LHU) 6-0 157 lbs. – Kasey Burnett-Davis (EU) dec. Elias Biddle (LHU) 4-3 165 lbs. – Aaron McKinney (EU) dec. Casey Fuller (EU) 2-0 174 lbs. – Patrick Jennings (EU) dec. Tyler Wood (LHU) 11-4 184 lbs. – #13 Vic Avery (EU) dec. Fred Garcia (LHU) 3-1 197 lbs. – Phil Sprenkle (LHU) dec. Vince Pickett (EU) 3-0 Hwt. – Brad Emerick (LHU) dec. Warren Bosch (EU) 6-2

With third criteria in overtime (most team points by decision, major decision and technical fall), the Badgers finished their home season in a stunning 19-18 victory in the first tiebreaker since the rule was implemented. After falling the Rider by one point on November 20, the Badgers were happy to be on the other side of the outcome tonight. “We didn’t wrestle our best, but we won. It’s a win in the win column, but there are still things to work on. We need to get better and make some adjustments and get ready for Sunday,” Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Davis said. “Sunday there will probably be a few changes to the lineup. That’s what you have to do though, you have to keep guys on their toes.” The action started with No. 9 senior Timmy McCall at 197 lbs. McCall notched two takedowns and riding time during the match, but Rutgers’ Hayden Hrymack made a takedown with two seconds left in the third period to make a 6-5 decision. No. 3 Connor Medbery faced No. 14 Billy Smith in a low scoring match. Medbery made a takedown for the only points of the first period before Smith made an escape for his sole point in the second period. A Medbery escape halfway through third as well as riding time left Wisconsin tied at 3-3. Back down at 125 lbs., freshman Johnny Jimenez and Sean McCabe both earned one point for escapes. McCabe took the decision with 1:27 riding time. Wisconsin’s 133 lbs. wrestler, No. 9 Ryan Taylor met No. 18 Scott DelVecchio in a high intensity match. Taylor rallied eight points by the end of the first period with three takedowns and a near fall. With two more takedowns and near falls in the remainder of the match, Taylor marked a 17-3 major decision and brought the Badgers to a 7-6 lead over Rutgers. Jesse Thielke was defeated in an 11-2 major decision by Rutgers’ No. 9 Anthony Ashnault. The result of Rylan Lubeck and No. 17 Ken Theobold’s match was an 8-0 major decision in Theobold’s favor. Jarod Donar also fell in a 12-4 match delivered by Anthony Perotti, leaving Wisconsin with an 18-7 deficit. With only three matches left in the dual, it was time for No. 3 All-American Isaac Jordan. Jordan made two takedowns and two near falls in the first two periods for a 9-1 lead over Nick Visicaro. With an escape and an impeccable four takedowns, the last being with three seconds left, in the third period and seven minutes riding time, Jordan got Wisconsin’s only technical fall of the night and brought the Badgers within six points of Rutgers. “I give Isaac Jordan a lot of credit. He took Visicaro down in three seconds and that’s pretty much the dual right there.” Davis said. Senior Frank Cousins was up next at 174 lbs. There was no scoring in the first period and only an escape by Phil Bakuckas in the second period. With a tied match six points away, Cousins had to make a move. He marked an escape as well as a takedown to win by decision and move the Badgers within three points of the Scarlet Knights. “Frank Cousins, a senior, had a big match and came through and got the job done. Then Ricky finished it off,” Davis continued. Last but not least was redshirt freshman Ricky Robertson who ended the first two periods up 2-0. Robertson worked quickly to make two escapes and two takedowns in the third period to lead 8-3. With one point for riding time added, Robertson finished with a 9-3 decision and left the dual tied at 18-18. “First of all, I knew that we had to get the win and then I was looking to try and get bonus points or at least a major where I knew we’d seal it no matter what. I didn’t really want it to come down to criteria. It was a good thing that Isaac (Jordan) ended up getting that tech at the end of his match, which obviously helped him. Then Frank (Cousins) at 174 getting that win, so I had a chance to win a dual for us. I was just grateful for the way those two wrestled and allowed me to have a chance to win this dual,” Robertson said. '“Some guys wrestled well, others lost close ones. The main goal is March, so just getting better from here on out and just going back and assessing some things we need to work on and we’ll move on from there. The good thing is that we got the W.” Wisconsin travels to Illinois on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The dual is being live streamed on BTN2Go. Results: 197: Hayden Hrymack (RU) dec. over No. 9/10/10/10 Timmy McCall (UW), 6-5; Rutgers leads, 3-0 285: No. 3/2/2/4 Connor Medbery (UW) dec. over No. 14/18/20/11 Billy Smith (RU), 4-1; Match tied, 3-3 125: Sean McCabe (RU) dec. over Johnny Jimenez (UW), 2-1; Rutgers leads, 6-3 133: No. 9/7/7/13 Ryan Taylor (UW) major dec. over No. 18/16/NR/17 Scott DelVecchio (RU), 17-3; Wisconsin leads, 7-6 141: No. 9/7/12/9 Anthony Ashnault (RU) major dec. over Jesse Thielke (UW), 11-2; Rutgers leads, 10-7 149: No. 17/16/17/20 Ken Theobold (RU) major dec. over Rylan Lubeck (UW), 8-0; Rutgers leads, 14-7 157: No. 16/16/14/18 Anthony Perrotti (RU) major dec. over Jarod Donor (UW), 12-4; Rutgers leads, 18-7 165: No. 3/3/3/4 Isaac Jordan (UW) tech fall over Nick Visicaro (RU), 19-4; Rutgers leads, 18-12 174: No. NR/NR/NR/20 Frank Cousins (UW) dec. over No. NR/16/NR/NR Phil Bakuckas (RU), 3-2; Rutgers leads, 18-15 184: No. NR/19/14/19 Ricky Robertson (UW) dec. over Anthony Pafumi (RU), 9-3; Match tied, 18-18

FAIRFAX, Va. -- After opening Friday’s dual with a forfeit a 125lbs., the George Mason wrestling team opened action with six consecutive victories on its way to a 22-16 win over Binghamton. The Patriots snap a four dual losing slide and improve to 8-9 this season while the Bearcats fall to 6-9. Vince Rodriguez set the tone in the first match of the evening, defeating Joe Nelson 21-6 for his first technical fall of the season. Rodriguez used three late near fall points to put Mason right back in contention. Sahid Kargbo followed with a 11-5 decision over Dylan Caruana to put Mason permanently ahead, 8-6. Blake Roulo and Greg Flournoy each tallied major decision victories of 10-1 and 9-1, respectively at 149 and 157lbs. while Patrick Davis and Ryan Forrest gave Mason the six match streak of victories with their decisions over Zack Zupan and Steve Schneider. Flournoy won his sixth consecutive dual match. Binghamton had the say in the final three matches of the evening, however it would be too late for the Bearcats who were unable to come back from the early deficit. The Patriots wrestle their final conference opponent of the season on Sunday at 2 p.m. when they travel to Bloomsburg, Pa. for a dual with Bloomsburg University. Results: 125: David White (BU) wins by forfeit (Binghamton 6-0) 133: Vince Rodriguez (GMU) technical fall over Joe Nelson (BU) 21-6 (BU 6-5) 141: Sahid Kargbo (GMU) def. Dylan Caruana (BU) 11-5 (GMU 8-6) 149: Blake Roulo (GMU) major decision over Nick Tighe (BU) 10-1 (GMU 12-6) 157:Greg Flournoy (GMU) major decision over Vincent DePrez (BU) 9-1 (GMU 16-6) 165: Patrick Davis (GMU) def. Zack Zupan (BU) 7-3 (GMU 19-6) 174: Ryan Forrest (GMU) def. Steve Schneider (BU) 3-1 OT (GMU 22-6) 184: Jack McKeever (BU) def. Ryan Hembury (GMU) 6-2 (GMU 22-9) 197: Caleb Wallace (BU) def. Matt Meadows (GMU) 7-2 (GMU 22-12) 285: Tyler Deuel (BU) major decision over Jake Kettler (GMU) 14-0 (GMU 22-16)

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State (10-7, 3-1 WWC) solidified its first winning season in the Division I with a 27-10 win over Utah Valley on Professor Appreciation Night. Luke Zilverberg and #7 Cody Pack both had pins for SDSU. "The guys took what we preached all week in the room and performed tonight," head coach Chris Bono said. "I'm proud of our effort." The dual started at 285 where J.J. Everard struck first with a takedown followed by three backpoints in the first period. Karst would score a takedown in the second to make it 5-3 heading into the final period. Everard closed out the scoring with an early escape in the third. #24 Chasen Tolbert and #26 Jade Rauser won back-to-back decisions at 125 and 133 to give UVU a 6-3 lead, but the Wolverines would be held scoreless until the final match. In the 141 showdown, Luke Zilverberg worked his way to a fall over Matt Ontiveros at 4:53. Ontiveros struck first, but Zilverberg reversed him and added another takedown to take a 4-3 lead into the second. In the second frame Zilverberg recorded backpoints twice and had more coming before getting the fall. Alex Kocer struck first at 149, as he took a 2-0 lead into the second period. Kocer built his riding advantage in the second and added an escape in the third for the 4-0 decision. #7 Cody Pack made quick work of Jared Harris at 157, as the two-time NCAA qualifier got the pin at 1:45. Pack led 4-0 at the time of the fall. A pair of second-period takedowns fueled John Nething II’s 5-4 decision over Dalton Harmon at 165. The two wrestlers were locked 4-4 with Harmon in control in the closing moments of the third, but Nething escaped at the buzzer for the win. David Kocer trailed 3-2 late in the third, but was awarded for his hustle and Ethan Smith got his second stalling to send the match to overtime. In the sudden victory, Kocer kept his pace and scored the clinching takedown 20 seconds in. At 184, Brady Ayers and UVU’s Ross Taylor went blow-for-blow in the first and were tied 6-6. The two were tied 8-8 in the closing moments of the third before Ayers recorded the clinching takedown with 10 seconds remaining. Derek Thomas closed out the dual with a major decision for UVU. "We have a big one again next weekend with Stanford coming to town," Bono added. "We are looking to break the attendance record and put on a show." SDSU will return to the mat on February 14 as part of a men’s basketball/wrestling doubleheader. The Jackrabbit basketball team will host North Dakota State at 4 p.m. followed by wrestling against Stanford at approximately 7 p.m. Results: 285: #30 J.J. Everard (SDSU) over Jordan Karst (UVU) – Dec., 6-3 125: #24 Chasen Tolbert (UVU) over Isaac Andrade (SDSU) – Dec., 10-3 133: #26 Jade Rauser (UVU) over Brance Simms (SDSU) – Dec., 9-5 141: Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) over Matt Ontiveros (UVU) – Fall, 4:53 149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) over Matt Ontiveros (UVU) – Dec., 4-0 157: #7 Cody Pack (SDSU) over Jared Harris (UVU) – Fall, 1:45 165: John Nething II (SDSU) over Dalton Harmon (UVU) – Dec., 5-4 174: David Kocer (SDSU) over Ethan Smith (UVU) – SV-1, 5-3 184: Brady Ayers (SDSU) over Ross Taylor (UVU) – Dec., 10-8 197: Derek Thomas (UVU) over Hunter Weddington (SDSU) – Maj., 17-3

STILLWATER -- The Cowboy wrestling team improved to 7-3 on the season after it defeated No. 20 Wyoming, 19-12, on Friday night in Gallagher-Iba Arena. "We were flat. We came out a little bit uncomfortable,” coach John Smith. “We didn't want to push through that comfort zone. We didn't hang on to matches or try to steal matches at the end. We had a couple of guys wrestle well, but for the most part we were just really flat. I guess you could figure that we haven't wrestled in 13 days. In the end you feel a little bit more comfortable and make sure you separate your scores. Make sure you recognize that something doesn’t feel right and when something doesn't feel right you wrestle harder and we didn't do that." At 125 pounds, Eddie Klimara, ranked ninth in the nation, won an 11-9 thriller over No. 15 Tyler Cox. The two were tied after the first period, but Klimara earned a significant lead when he escaped early in the second period and strung together a takedown and back points to lead 8-3. Cox fought back but it was not enough as the OSU Cowboy held on to a two-point lead. True freshman Gary Wayne Harding notched his third win at Gallagher-Iba with a decisive 8-3 decision against Wyoming’s Drew Templeman at 133 pounds. Harding struck first with an early takedown in the first period. He extended his lead with a second first-period takedown after a crazy scramble. He held on to his lead to improve to 24-7 on the season. "It was 8-3, you just have to work hard to win,” Harding said. “I kept good pressure, but I can't let people into my legs. I have to work on stuff with the head when someone does get on my legs. That way I don't have to funk like I did. Other than that I felt ok. I have to keep working hard. I have to work hard to win." At 141 pounds, No. 16 Dean Heil edged Cole Mendenhall. Heil gave up the first takedown, but that didn’t deter the Cowboy as he picked up two takedowns by the end of the first period. The two exchanged escapes in the second and third periods, but a riding time advantage for Heil gave him the win, 6-5. OSU suffered losses at 149 pounds and 157 pounds, cutting its lead to 9-6. Top-ranked Alex Dieringer earned the only bonus points of the night, defeating 20th-ranked Dakota Friesth with a 16-7 major decision at 165 pounds. Although Friesth took Dieringer down once, the defending national champion responded, tallying seven takedowns of his own in seven minutes of wrestling. Dieringer had gone 21 matches without surrendering a takedown, a streak dating back to last year’s NCAA tournament. At 174 pounds, No. 10 Kyle Crutchmer pulled out an exciting win against No. 14 Andy McCulley. The sophomore gave up a quick takedown in the first period and spent most of the match either tied with or trailing the Wyoming grappler. Within the last 10 seconds of the bout, Crutchmer was awarded a point for McCulley stalling and immediately scored a takedown to take his first lead and the win, 5-3. "We have been training to wrestle through each match, wrestle to the last whistle,” Crutchmer said. “As far as the match went I am not very pleased with myself. A win is a win, but to come out and score on the last takedown, it's a confidence builder. It's my first win in Gallagher. To get the win, it's cool. The last seconds were crucial for me to get the last takedown, to get the win and keep my rank." OSU losses at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, gave the Cowboys a three-point lead heading into the heavyweight match. Fifth-ranked Austin Marsden posted a 9-6 win over Tanner Harms to seal the match for Oklahoma State. Marsden picked up three takedowns but his comfortable lead was threatened when Harms scored a takedown late in the third. Marsden held off the Cowboy to earn his 19th win of the season. The Pokes have a quick turnaround as they travel to Norman, Okla., on Sunday to take on rival OU at 2 p.m. at the McCasland Fieldhouse. Results: 125: No. 9 Eddie Klimara (OSU) dec. No. 15 Tyler Cox (WYO), 11-9 133: Gary Wayne Harding (OSU) dec. Drew Templeman (WYO), 8-3 141: No. 16 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. Cole Mendenhall (WYO), 6-5 149: Austin Brekenridge (WYO) dec. Davey Dolan (OSU), 7-5 157: Archie Colgan (WYO) dec. Anthony Collica (OSU), 6-4 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) MD No. 20 Dakota Friesth (WYO), 16-7 174: No. 10 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) dec. No. 14 Andy McCulley, 5-3 184: No. 19 Ben Stroh (WYO) dec. No. 16 Nolan Boyd (OSU), 7-6 197: No. 18 Shane Woods (WYO) dec. Luke Bean, 3-2 285: No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. Tanner Harms (WYO), 8-6

NORFOLK, VA. -- Backed by pins by freshman Bryce Meredith (133) and redshirt junior Nick Gwiazdowski (285), the NC State wrestling team came away with a 21-15 win at No. 17 Old Dominion Friday night. After four bouts the Pack trailed 9-3, but NC State reeled off four straight wins, including those two pins, to clinch the dual with two bouts left. The dual started at 157 pounds, and ODU won three of the first four bouts to take a 9-3 lead. The Pack’s win was at 174 pounds, as Pete Renda won 2-1. NC State then won four straight bouts and clinched the road win with two matches still left. At 197 pounds, freshman Michael Boykin took his bout into extra time, and came away with a 4-2 win to start the Pack’s stretch. Defending NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski improved to a perfect 24-0 on the season as his second period pin put the Pack ahead for good at 12-9 after six bouts. The pin was Gwiazdowski’s 10th of the season, and his third straight. At 125 pounds, redshirt senior Joe DeAngelo pitched a shutout with a 4-0 win. DeAngelo has now won three straight and eight of his last nine overall. Freshman Bryce Meredith returned to the Pack’s lineup at 133 pounds, and scored a pin just 1:06 into his match to seal the Pack’s win. The Pack has now won three straight duals and seven of its last eight dating back to early January. NC State’s schedule doesn’t get any easier after its upset at #17 ODU, as NC State’s final four duals are all against top-20 foes. Popolizio’s Perspective: “Overall a great performance from our guys. Coming out with two pins in a close dual like this was a critical point of the dual that put us over the top. ODU’s past performances and national ranking shows they are a great team, so this is a very good team win for us on the road. Getting a win tonight gives us the momentum we need going into the final stretch of our season.” Up Next: The Pack has a quick turnaround, as NC State will be in ACC action at No. 9 Virginia Tech on Sunday at 2 p.m. Results: 157 TC Warner (ODU) dec. Chad Pyke; 8-5 - 0-3 165 Tristan Warner (ODU) dec. #20 Max Rohskopf; 2-0 - 0-6 174 Pete Renda (NC State) dec. Austin Coburn; 2-1 - 3-6 184 #4 Jack Dechow (ODU) dec. Michael Macchiavello; 10-3 - 3-9 197 Michael Boykin (NC State) dec. Kevin Beazley; 4-2 (TB-1) - 6-9 285 #2 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) fall Jacob Henderson; 4:21 - 12-9 125 Joe DeAngelo (NC State) dec. Brandon Jeske; 4-0 - 15-9 133 Bryce Meredith (NC State) fall Michael Hayes; 1:06 - 21-9 141 #14 Chris Mecate (ODU) dec. #19 Sam Speno; 4-3 - 21-12 149 #11 Lenny Richardson (ODU) dec. Beau Donahue; 2-0 - 21-15

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- No. 2 Mizzou wrestling improved to 19-0 this season with a dominating 43-6 victory over Buffalo Friday evening. The team's 19th win of the season secured their spot in program history, as they now hold the most wins in a single season. Mizzou's outstanding 2014-15 campaign surpasses three previous Tiger teams who each accumulated 18 wins in a season. The previous single seasons win mark was held by the 1967-68, 2001-02 and 2008-09 Tiger squads. Seven Tiger grapplers recorded bonus points victories against the Bulls, highlighted by pins from redshirt sophomore Cole Baumgartner, redshirt junior Le'Roy Barnes, redshirt junior Cody Johnston, and redshirt freshman Willie Miklus. Other bonus points wins Friday evening included a major decision from sophomore Joey Lavallee, technical fall from sophomore J'den Cox and major decision from senior Devin Mellon. Cox's 17-0 shutout against James Benjamin improved his season record to 25-0, and the Columbia, Mo. native pushed his NCAA leading winning streak to 45 consecutive matches. Redshirt seniors Alan Waters and Mikey England each tallied decision wins in their respective matchups to round out Mizzou's impressive night. Waters' victory kept his undefeated record intact, as he now stands at 23-0 this season. Mizzou travels to Eastern Michigan this Sunday, Feb. 8 for their final MAC contest of the 2014-15 season. The Tigers and Eagles are set for a 12 p.m. (CT) start time at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. Check-in to MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou wrestling. You can also find the Tigers on social media, by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter (@MizzouWrestling). Results: 125: Alan Waters (M) over Max Soria (B) by 8-2 decision 133: Sean Peacock (B) over (M) by forfeit 141: Cole Baumgartner (M) over Colt Cotton (B) by fall (2:06) 149: Le'Roy Barnes (M) over Rocco Russo (B) by fall (2:25) 157: Joey Lavallee (M) over Danny Graham (B) by 18-4 major decision 165: Mikey England (M) over Rrok Ndokaj (B) by 5-3 decision 174: Cody Johnston (M) over Wally Maziarz (B) by fall (5:29) 184: Willie Miklus (M) over Austin Weigel (B) by fall (2:29) 197: J'den Cox (M) over James Benjamin (B) by 17-0 technical fall (6:28) HWT: Devin Mellon (M) over Ian James (B) by 10-1 major decision

BLACKSBURG -- Bolstered by the return of national runner-up Devin Carter, the ninth-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team steamrolled No. 13 Pitt Friday night inside the Moss Arts Center, winning eight of 10 matches en route to a 26-10 win. It was the first win ever for the Hokies against the Panthers in 12 matches. Chad Strube got things started with a 6-4 win over Cody Wiercioch at 165 pounds to give Tech the early lead. After being taken down twice, Strube got a takedown at the end of the first period and then rode Wiercioch for the entire second period to pull away for the win. Zach Epperly, ranked 12th at 174 pounds then pulled off a big upset, beating sixth-ranked Tyler Wilps 3-2. The freshman used a takedown in the second period and held off a late charge on the edge of the mat to pick up the big win. Max Thomusseit, ranked second in the country at 184 pounds, picked up a bonus point for the Panthers with a 10-2 major decision over Austin Gabel. At 197 pounds, Jared Haught took down 20th-ranked Nick Bonaccorsi less than five seconds into the match and made it hold up, pulling a 3-2 upset to give Tech a five-point lead in the early going. Ty Walz used a takedown in the second period to pick up a 4-2 win over Ryan Solomon at heavyweight. After the break, fourth-ranked Joey Dance went about his business at 125 pounds, using four takedowns to roll to a 10-3 win over Dom Forys. Kevin Norstrem picked up a big 4-2 win at 133 pounds, picking up a reversal to start the third period to account for the offensive scoring. Carter returned to the mat after missing last weekend with an injury and didn’t miss a beat, cruising to a 21-6 technical fall that ended early in the third period. Mikey Racciato picked up a pin for the Panthers at 149 pounds, downing Brent Waterman. Nick Brascetta, ranked fifth in the country at 157 pounds, dominated Ronnie Garbinsky with a 12-5 win to set the final score The win was Tech head coach Kevin Dresser’s 123rd career dual meet win, tying him with Frank Teske for 2nd all-time at Tech. Tech (11-2, 2-0) will host NC State (14-4, 1-1 ACC) Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Moss Arts Center. Tickets can still be purchased at vthoki.es/moss Results: 165: Chad Strube (VT) dec. Cody Wiercioch, 6-4 174: #12 Zach Epperly (VT) dec. #6 Tyler Wilps, 3-2 184: #2 Max Thomusseit (P) maj. dec. Austin Gabel, 10-2 197: Jared Haught (VT) dec. #20 Nick Bonaccorsi, 3-2 285: #8 Ty Walz (VT) dec. Ryan Solomon, 4-2 125: #4 Joey Dance (VT) dec. Dom Forys, 10-3 133: #17 Kevin Norstrem (VT) dec. Nick Zanetta, 3-2 141: #3 Devin Carter (VT) tech fall Ben Ross, 21-6 (5:11) 149: #20 Mikey Racciato (P) fall Brent Waterman, 5:30 157: #5 Nick Brascetta (VT) dec. Ronnie Garbinsky, 12-5

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Tied 7-7 after four matches, No. 10 Nebraska (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) won five of the last six bouts against No. 16 Michigan at Cliff Keen Arena on Friday night en route to the Huskers’ sixth consecutive dual victory. Three-time All-American James Green (157), No. 18 TJ Dudley (184) and 15th-ranked Aaron Studebaker (197) each picked up wins against ranked opponents. No. 4 Green earned a 4-2 decision over 11th-ranked Brian Murphy to give the Huskers a 10-7 lead at the halfway point of the dual. Dudley notched a 10-7 decision over No. 10 Domenic Abounader, while Studebaker won in sudden victory against No. 8 Max Huntley. Since the Jan. 9, Dudley and Studebaker have each won six consecutive matches. Studebaker has three wins against top-12 opponents in that stretch. Eric Montoya (133) and top-ranked Robert Kokesh (174) each added bonus points for the Huskers with major decisions. Montoya’s 11-3 triumph over Zebulon Hilyard marked his fourth straight win, while Kokesh improved to 26-0 on the season with his triumph. No. 8 Anthony Abidin won an 8-1 decision over George Fisher at 141 pounds and Austin Wilson added an 8-3 win over Garrett Sutton at 165 pounds. The Huskers face Michigan State on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich., at 11 a.m. (CT). The dual will be streamed on BTN Plus, with a subscription required to view the matches. Results: 125: Conor Youtsey (MICH) by dec. over #10 Tim Lambert (NEB), 4-0 (MICH 3, NEB 0) 133: Eric Montoya (NEB) by major dec. over Zebulon Hilyard (MICH), 11-3 (NEB 4, MICH 3) 141: #8 Anthony Abidin (NEB) by dec. over George Fisher (MICH), 8-1 (NEB 7, MICH 3) 149: #13 Alec Pantaleo (MICH) by major dec. over Justin Arthur (NEB), 11-3 (NEB 7, MICH 7) 157: #4 James Green (NEB) by dec. over #11 Brian Murphy (MICH), 4-2 (NEB 10, MICH 7) 165: Austin Wilson (NEB) by dec. over Garrett Sutton (MICH), 8-3 (NEB 13, MICH 7) 174: #1 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by major dec. over Jake Salazar (MICH), 10-2 (NEB 17, MICH 7) 184: #18 TJ Dudley (NEB) by dec. over #10 Domenic Abounader (MICH), 10-7 (NEB 20, MICH 7) 197: #15 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) by sudden victory-1 over #8 Max Huntley (MICH), 6-4 (NEB 23, MICH 7) HWT: #7 Adam Coon (MICH) by dec. over #17 Collin Jensen (NEB), 5-3 (NEB 23, MICH 10)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won nine-of-10 bouts to defeat Maryland, 33-3, on Friday night at the Xfinity Center. The Hawkeyes owned a 32-3 advantage in takedowns and scored bonus points in five matches to improve to 7-0 in the Big Ten and 6-0 on the road. "I think there were some good things that happened," said UI head coach Tom Brands. "When you pick up your pace things start going your way, and when you work hard you have to work hard the whole time. I think we can be smarter and a lot more intense." Josh Dziewa opened the dual with a 3-1 win in sudden victory at 141. Dziewa worked around 20th-ranked Shyheim Brown to finish a takedown with two seconds on the clock and give Iowa a 3-0 lead. Brandon Sorensen extended Iowa's lead to 7-0 with an 18-6 victory at 149. Sorensen scored eight takedowns and piled up 4:22 of riding time to earn his seventh major decision of the season. Maryland dented the scoreboard with a win at 157 when Lou Mascala used 1:50 of riding time to edge Michael Kelly, 5-4. Leading 7-3, Nick Moore jumped to a 3-0 lead over Tyler Manion before the Terp withdrew from the match for medical reasons. Moore's win at 165 started a string of seven straight Iowa wins. Mike Evans used three takedowns, one reversal, five nearfall points, and 4:08 of riding time to defeat Josh Snook, 17-5, at 174. Evans led 2-0 after one period and 6-0 after two before dominating the third period and earning his fourth major decision of the season. Sammy Brooks then scored three nearfall points in the first period and three more in the third to defeat Tony Gardner, 19-8, at 184. Kris Klapprodt then clinched the dual with a 9-3 win over Rob Fitzgerald at 197. Klapprodt opened up a 5-0 lead in the first period and added two takedowns in the final period to earn his first career Big Ten dual win. Bobby Telford wrestled a scoreless first period before building two minutes of riding time in the second at 285. He escaped to open the third and recorded a takedown in the final seconds to finish a 4-0 win over 13th-ranked Spencer Myers. Thomas Gilman used nine takedowns to earn his team-best eighth major decision of the season, 20-9, at 125 pounds. Cory Clark finished the dual with a 7-5 win over 20th-ranked Geoffrey Alexander at 133. "Now we're getting ready for Sunday," added Brands. "We have to be optimistic (about tonight), but that doesn't mean you're not truthful. You take care of what is in front of you, you crumple it and you move on. We didn't crumple it enough." The Hawkeyes (12-0, 7-0) return to action Sunday at 12 p.m. (CT) at No. 5 Penn State (10-2, 6-2). BTN will televise the dual. NOTES: Attendance was 2,139... Iowa improves to 5-0 on the road... Iowa owned a 32-3 advantage in takedowns... Mike Evans improves to 20-0... Kris Klapprodt earned his first career Big Ten dual victory... Telford improved to 7-1 against ranked opponents... Gilman has won his last five matches by bonus points. Results: 141 - #6 Josh Dziewa (IA) dec. #20 Shyheim Brown (M), 3-1 SV1; 3-0 149 - #2 Brandon Sorensen (IA) major dec. Ben Dorsay (M), 18-6; 7-0 157 - Lou Mascala (M) dec. #14 Michael Kelly (IA), 5-4; 7-3 165 - #7 Nick Moore won by medical forfeit Tyler Manion (M); 13-3 174 - #2 Mike Evans (IA) major dec. Josh Snook (M), 17-5; 16-3* 184 - #8 Sammy Brooks (IA) major dec. Tony Gardner (M), 19-8; 20-3 197 - Kris Klapprodt (IA) dec. Rob Fitzgerald (M), 9-3; 23-3 285 - #2 Bobby Telford (IA) dec. #13 Spencer Myers (M), 4-0; 26-3 125 - #5 Thomas Gilman (IA) major dec. Josh Polacek (M), 20-9; 30-3 133 - #3 Cory Clark (IA) dec. #20 Geoffrey Alexander (M), 7-5; 33-3 *Iowa was deducted one team point following the 174-pound match

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On a night when the Buckeyes honored 10 seniors, including three-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber, wins by a pair of freshman -- and Stieber -- propelled fifth-ranked Ohio State to a 22-13 victory over second-ranked Minnesota in front of 5,642 fans at The Jerome Schottenstein Center. Ohio State, which has now won eight straight matches, improves to 12-3 overall, 8-1 in the Big Ten. Minnesota is 10-2, 6-2. Friday’s win is the highest ranked opponent Ohio State has defeated since it knocked off No. 2 Iowa, 21-9, on January 20, 2012. Overall, the Buckeyes have defeated four teams currently ranked in the top 16 – No. 3 Minnesota, No. 5 Penn State, No. 12 Virginia and No. 16 Michigan. Redshirt freshman Bo Jordan won his 14th straight match of the season in impressive fashion, getting a fall in 4:46 over 17th-ranked Nick Wanzek at 165 pounds to give the Buckeyes a 16-6 lead. For Jordan, the performance built off last week’s showing that saw him pick up technical falls in wins over Purdue and Rutgers. With the dual meet hanging in the balance, true freshman Kyle Snyder improved his record to 22-2 on the year with a 3-1 victory over fifth-ranked Scott Schiller at 197 pounds. The most anticipated match of the night, Snyder scored the winning takedown with under 10 seconds left in the third period. Not to be outdone, Kenny Courts also picked up a critical victory at 184 pounds when he scored a last-second takedown in the third period to secure a 3-1 win over No. 11 Brett Pfarr. The back-to-back victories gave Ohio State a 22-9 lead in the match with just the 285 pound match remaining. Logan Stieber (Photo/Ohio State Sports Information)Stieber, competing in his final home dual meet in the Scarlet and Gray, led throughout against fourth-ranked Nick Dardanes at 141 pounds, fending off a late rally from Dardanes to hold on for a 10-9 victory. Stieber, now 19-0 on the year and 109-3 in his career, gave Ohio State a 10-0 lead through three matches with the win. The match started at 125 pounds and Nathan Tomasello ensured a bonus-points victory by rolling to a 19-5 major decision. He scored three first-period takedowns for a 6-2 advantage and didn’t let up in the second, getting a reversal and three more takedowns for a 14-5 edge. In the next match, the much-anticipated showdown between 10th-ranked Johnni DiJulius and No. 1 Chris Dardanes did not take place as the Gopher senior did not make the trip to Columbus. Instead, Minnesota sent out Sam Brancale. DiJulius had a takedown in both the first and third periods to gain a hard-fought 4-1 decision. Minnesota won matches at 149 and 157 pounds to cut the Ohio State lead to 10-6 at intermission. The Buckeyes return to action next Sunday, Feb. 15, when it travels to No. 15 Edinboro for the first round of the National Duals. The match gets underway at 1 p.m. Results: 125: #7 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) major decision over Ethan Lizak (Minn) 19-5 | OSU 4, Minn. 0 133: #10 Johnni DiJulius (OSU) decision over Sam Brancale (Minn) 4-1 | OSU 7, Minn. 0 141: #1 Logan Stieber (OSU) decision over #4 Nick Dardanes (Minn) 10-9 | OSU 10, Minn. 0 149: Jake Short (Minn) decision over Randy Languis (OSU) 3-1 SV | OSU 10, Minn. 3 157: #1 Dylan Ness (Minn) decision over #12 Josh Demas 5-2 | OSU 10, Minn. 6 165: #5 Bo Jordan won by fall over #17 Nick Wanzek 4:46 | OSU 16, Minn. 6 174: #4 Logan Storley (Minn) decision over #13 Mark Martin 3-0 | OSU 16, Minn. 9 184: #12 Kenny Courts decision over #11 Brett Pfarr (Minn) 3-1 | OSU 19, Minn. 9 197: #3 Kyle Snyder decision over #5 Scott Schiller (Minn) 3-1 | OSU 22, Minn. 9 285: #13 Michael Kroells major decision over Ray Gordon 18-7 | OSU 22, Minn. 13

MINNEAPOLIS -- No. 5-ranked Augsburg College won the first and last bouts of the dual meet, but inbetween, No. 1-ranked Wartburg College won the remaining eight in a 25-7 triumph in the annual "Battle of the Burgs" wrestling dual meet on Thursday evening at Si Melby Hall. THE BASICS FINAL SCORE: Wartburg 25, Augsburg 7 LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis RECORDS: Wartburg 17-1 overall, Augsburg 10-4 overall HOW IT HAPPENED • Wartburg, the top-ranked team in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll, claimed eight straight victories, including one major decision, to clinch the dual win over Augsburg, ranked No. 5 nationally. • Top-ranked Augsburg 125-pounder Mike Fuenffinger (SR, Hibbing, Minn.) opened the match with a 6-4 decision over Wartburg's No. 6-ranked Jake Agnitsch, and Auggie heavyweight Donny Longendyke (SO, Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS), ranked No. 7, closed the match with a 12-4, major-decision win over Wartburg's No. 5-ranked Ben Nagle. • Fuenffinger built a 4-1 lead after the first period, then fought off a takedown with an escape with 45 seconds left to preserve the victory, improving to 24-1 on the season and 101-21 in his career. The defending Division III national champion at 125, Fuenffinger has now won 21 matches in a row. • Tied 2-2 with Nagle, Longendyke took the lead with a takedown with 28 seconds left in the second period, then used three takedowns in the third period, building 2:43 riding time, to score the major-decision victory in the final bout of the evening, improving to 30-2 on the season. Of Longendyke's 30 victories, 21 are bonus-point wins (seven major decisions, one technical fall, 13 pins). • At 133, No. 6-ranked Connor Campo of Wartburg scored a reversal of No. 9-ranked Chad Bartschenfeld (SR, Amery, Wis.) with 24 seconds left in the third period, claiming a 6-5 victory. Campo is now 21-4 overall, while Bartschenfeld saw his 11-match winning streak snapped in falling to 21-8. • Augsburg's Tyrell Martin (SR, Eagan, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) nearly pulled off an upset of Wartburg's No. 5-ranked Brandon Welter at 174, taking a 7-6 lead on an escape early in the third period. But Welter earned a takedown with 32 seconds left, and his 1:25 riding time gave him a 9-7 victory. • In a meeting of ranked wrestlers at 149, Wartburg's No. 2-ranked Kenny Martin used two takedowns in the third period to claim a 7-4 win over Augsburg's No. 10-ranked Will Keeter (SR, Twin Falls, Idaho). Martin is now 21-3 on the year, while Keeter drops to 23-9. • At 165, Wartburg's Nick Michael scored a 6-2 win over Augsburg's Eric Hensel (JR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS), ralling from a 1-0 second-period deficit with two takedowns in the third period, along with an escape and penalty point. • Wartburg's Drew Wagenhoffer, ranked No. 7 nationally at 157, scored an 11-0, major-decision win over Augsburg's Gable Frandsen (FY, Ellsworth, Wis.). • Devin Peterson, ranked No. 8 at 184, scored a 9-3 win over Augsburg's Tommy Teigen (SR, Ham Lake, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian HS) at 184; Kaz Onoo scored an 8-2 win over Marcus Hamer (SO, Kimball, Minn.) at 141, and in the other meeting of ranked wrestlers on the evening, Wartburg's No. 6-ranked Bryan Levsen scored a 7-0 win over Augsburg's No. 7-ranked Matt Hechsel (SR, Apple Valley, Minn.) at 197. BEYOND THE BOXSCORE • In the 30th meeting between the two small-college wrestling powers, the all-time series is now tied at 15 wins each. • Wartburg claimed the inaugural "Swens/Milboy Belt," a new traveling trophy in the series between the two schools. The trophy is named for the two coaches who built their programs to national prominence -- Augsburg's Jeff Swenson (1980-84, 1986-2007) and Wartburg's Jim Miller (1991-2013). Both coaches led their teams to 10 NCAA Division III national titles during their careers. • Thursday's dual also featured Augsburg's "Reunion of 5s" event, a reunion of four outstanding teams from Augsburg's history -- the 1974-75 NAIA national runner-up squad, the 1984-85 MIAC title squad, the 1994-95 NCAA Division III national championship squad and the 2004-05 NCAA Division III national championship squad. UP NEXT • Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (2/7) at 9 a.m., at the Saint John's North Country Open. • Wartburg competes at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Open on Saturday at 9 a.m.No. 1 Wartburg (Iowa, 17-1) 25, No. 5 Augsburg (Minn., 10-4) 7 Thursday, February 5, 2015 – Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn. Action begins at 125 pounds. Time of match: 1:58. Attendance: 629. Officials: Tim Shiels, Brian Graham. 125 – No. 1 Mike Fuenffinger (AUG, 24-1) dec. No. 6 Jake Agnitsch (WAR, 19-5) 6-4 (Augsburg 3-0) 133 – No. 6 Connor Campo (WAR, 21-4) dec. No. 9 Chad Bartschenfeld (AUG, 21-8) 6-5 (TIED 3-3) 141 – Kaz Onoo (WAR, 19-7) dec. Marcus Hamer (AUG, 22-14) 8-2 (Wartburg 6-3). 149 – No. 2 Kenny Martin (WAR, 21-3) dec. No. 10 Will Keeter (AUG, 23-9) 7-4 (Wartburg 9-3) 157 – No. 7 Drew Wagenhoffer (WAR, 20-2) maj. dec. Gable Frandsen (AUG, 10-8) 11-0 (Wartburg 13-3) 165 – Nick Michael (WAR, 14-4) dec. Eric Hensel (AUG, 14-7) 6-2 (Wartburg 16-3) 174 – No. 5 Brandon Welter (WAR, 17-6) dec. Tyrell Martin (AUG, 9-4) 9-7 (Wartburg 19-3) 184 – No. 8 Devin Peterson (WAR, 9-3) dec. Tommy Teigen (AUG, 18-8) 9-3 (Wartburg 22-3) 197 – No. 6 Bryan Levsen (WAR, 16-2) dec. No. 7 Matt Hechsel (AUG, 19-8) 7-0 (Wartburg 25-3) HWT – No. 7 Donny Longendyke (AUG, 30-2) maj. dec. No. 5 Ben Nagle (WAR, 22-2) 12-4 (Wartburg 25-7)

BOISE, Idaho -- The Cal Poly wrestling team won the final four bouts to rally from a 15-6 deficit and beat Boise State 22-15 in a Pac-12 dual meet Thursday night. Jason DelaCruz, Blake Kastl, Dominic Kastl and Nicolas Johnson all won by decision, Nick Fiegener earned a major decision and J.T. Goodwin (pictured at right) pinned his 197-pound Bronco foe in 2 minutes, 59 seconds, to lift Cal Poly to its second dual meet win of the season. "Our guys won the close matches this time," said Mustang assistant coach Scotti Sentes. The dual meet opened with Boise State posting three decisions and a fall in the first six bouts en route to its 15-6 advantage. DelaCruz won his match at 133 pounds by a 9-7 decision, scoring a takedown and two-point near-fall to overcome a 7-5 deficit. Blake Kastl gave Cal Poly its other three early points with a 7-4 decision at 149 pounds. Wrestling for the first time since early November, Kastl led 4-3 midway through the final period before securing a takedown and riding time. Cal Poly's comeback from the 15-6 deficit began with Dominic Kastl scoring a 5-3 decision over Austin Dewey at 174 pounds. He trailed 1-0 after two periods before recording an escape and two takedowns in the final period to seal the verdict. Fiegener earned a 16-4 major decision at 184 pounds with five takedowns, a three-point near-fall, an escape, one penalty point and riding time. Fiegener is 21-11 on the year. Goodwin notched his second fall of the season, pinning Cody Dixon with one second remaining in the first period. Dixon scored a takedown and Goodwin notched a reversal prior to the pin. Johnson capped the comeback with a 4-2 decision at heavyweight, scoring an escape in the second period and a takedown plus riding time in the final period. Cal Poly (2-13) wrestles another Pac-12 dual meet Saturday at Oregon State (9-0). Results: 125: Carson Kuhn (Boise State) dec. Yoshito Funakoshi (Cal Poly), 6-0 133: Jason DelaCruz (Cal Poly) dec. Michael Cook (Boise State), 9-7 141: Geordan Martinez (Boise State) dec. Colton Schilling (Cal Poly), 8-1 149: Blake Kastl (Cal Poly) dec. Jake Velarde (Boise State), 7-4 157: Steven Hernandez (Boise State) fall Colt Shorts (Cal Poly), 4:24 165: Chris Castillo (Boise State) dec. Travis Berridge (Cal Poly), 5-2 174: Dominic Kastl (Cal Poly) dec. Austin Dewey (Boise State), 5-3 184: Nick Fiegener (Cal Poly) major dec. Xavier Callejas (Boise State), 16-4 197: J.T. Goodwin (Cal Poly) fall Cody Dixon (Boise State), 2:59 285: Nicholas Johnson (Cal Poly) dec. Gaylen Edmo (Boise State), 4-2

The validity of the flash takedown is back on the minds of college wrestling fans after last week's controversial 174-pound bout in the Iowa vs. Minnesota dual which ended with Mike Evans being awarded a VERY fast two-point takedown in overtime. The failures of the flash takedown are obvious (and below), but what is hampering the excitement of college wrestling even more than quick two-point takedowns is the ongoing struggle for excitement on the age of riding time. Meant to increase pinning, the riding-time point (one point is given for a control advantage of 1-plus minutes) was a way to incentivize athletes to be aggressive on the mat and to reward them for attempting to create action. What was well-intentioned has since morphed into is a series of rides: claws, hooks, low-leg, parallel shifting -- all simple stalling tactics used on top for one man to stay "in control" long enough to grab the extra point. Pinning has become an afterthought. The riding-time point is not a well-worn tradition of NCAA or American wrestling. The proposition has been in and out of the collegiate rulebook, and high school wrestling doesn't use the clock. So why keep the point? Part of it has to do with creating fewer tied matches and overtimes. Part of it is tradition. And part of the argument is ... "Well learn how to get out ...!" The last argument is by far the least attractive and most meat-headed take available. Wrestling is meant to entertain and the remnants we see of mat wrestling are based in a tradition of submission grappling passed down from generations of barnstorming events and professional-like wrestling events. The considerations to remove submissions over the years have come through the desires of parents and bureaucracies to decrease injuries -- there are moves illegal today that were legel as recently as ten years ago. Wrestling doesn't allow submissions and it tries to avoid unwarranted joint manipulation, but it still incentivizes ground control. With only a handful of tools and possible outcomes the wrestling on the mat can take on the appeal of watching time-lapse videos of grass growing. Taken to a broader plane, the ability to lay on top of someone is no longer all that impressive when you have a world filled with grapplers who can defend and attack from the position better than collegiate athletes. Control from top is just not all that triumphant of an action. But the main reason for the elimination of riding time is that it kills action. There are too many wrestlers willing to dive to an ankle to hold on for an extra second of action, or go over the top in the side headlock and pray for a transition before five seconds is counted. Even that -- the creation of rules to deal with stalling techniques based in riding time -- is a negative consequence of what is obviously a useless and antiquated rule. It's time we stopped the madness and free up the wrestlers to, well, wrestle. Taking away the riding-time point adds action to the sport, simplifies the rules for fans and in no significant way alters the appeal of the sport for die-hard fans. To your questions ... Q: What was your take on the Mike Evans' takedown on Logan Storley in sudden victory last Friday? My understanding is the rule states that you need complete control for a takedown to be awarded, and it did not look like Evans had complete control. The action should have continued, right? -- Mike C. Foley: As written the correct call was made, but as we understand wrestling over the past few decades that was not a takedown. American wrestling as described above is centered on the idea of "control" while international freestyle and Greco-Roman rules are focused on successful "techniques." Mike Evans used a double leg in sudden victory to top Logan Storley (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)What this means for the American style is that rules incentivize a wrestler to lay on top of his opponent for four minutes, while in freestyle they are only given a short window to work. Most befuddling, and what is of interest to your question, is that American wrestling rules now award points for takedown maneuvers where almost no control is established. The NCAA wrestling rules committee has no mission statement for what they wish to achieve on the mat. There is no institutional psychology driving the totality of their decisions outside of corrective measures necessitated by previously ill-conceived rules. That leaves the rulebook overgrown and unfocused with rules meant to patch previous rules, but which only caused more disruption. The committee needs to have a philosophical discussion about what they do and do not want to achieve. If they want action then a pushout and killing riding time would make a helluva lot of sense. Whereas "flash" takedowns and riding time points do not create action and are in direct contradiction to each other and the ethos of the sport. If the rules committee is unwilling to make the change to a philosophy fans can understand then maybe it's time to move over to something flashier and faster-paced -- maybe it's time to adopt freestyle rules. Having 400k kids and 70-plus NCAA Division I wrestling programs wrestling freestyle would significantly increase the chances that Americans win multiple gold medals at the Olympics. The more prudent option would be to move forward with these basic and easy-to-introduce rules. Q: With such a rich wrestling history, how does the Michigan State athletic administration allow the continued deterioration of the wrestling program under the leadership of Tom Minkel. Michigan State is an afterthought in the Big Ten and it appears to me wrestling is not a priority at MSU. -- David Dr. Tom MinkelFoley: I've been in trouble for saying that coaches should be fired, and I don't know that it feels good for me or him to beat on that drum. That written, Minkel has done an admirable job keeping his position and I'm sure that the institution wouldn't mind creating a position that would allow him and his knowledge of the campus workings to benefit the school in another way. Every wrestling program needs fresh blood. Programs with successful head coaches like Iowa, Minnesota and Cornell see some turnover in their assistant staffs while other less successful programs need to make wholesale change to their leadership. Minkel has not won much over the past decade and the current environment would lend to the notion that coaches like him are replaced with regularity. I hope that Minkel gets out soon. There is a danger that he can be better known for what he was unable to achieve at the end of his career rather than what he did achieve as a wrestler and young coach. Legacies matter and I hope that he and Michigan State see that his legacy is no different. Q: Here's a relatively simple solution for integrating dual meet performance into the NCAA team title: have the team dual tournament count as one additional "weight bracket" for NCAA championship scoring (so now, you'd have the 10 individual weight classes, plus the team bracket). Forget about bonus points, but we could easily include placement points and advancement points. With slots for 32 teams, there are enough points up for grabs that the best teams should want to compete. -- Ronald M. Foley: As far as I know this is a wholly original idea! Integrating that will still cause a discussion over how much of the overall title should be impacted, but I like that you're thinking of new ideas. The dual meet season should matter. The old calendar and structure of the season is only being used today because it was handed down the generations and not enough momentum exists for significant changes. If the discussion over a national dual team championship continues then it's sure to bring up other ideas for change, including the length of the season and even how we score dual meets. Maybe it's better to count the actual match points and give big numbers for falls? That might change the excitement behind a match, right? Q: With all the controversy at the end of the Mike Evans-Logan Storley match, attention will be deflected from a more important issue. That match would have been great with a pushout, instead they spent seven minutes standing on the out-of-bounds line. I know you want the pushout added to college wrestling, but how could the powers-that-be watch that match and not want a pushout rule? -- Tim I. Foley: The powers that be almost certainly DID NOT watch the match. Realize that men and women in these positions are not often huge fans of the sport. They may support their school and show up to the conference and NCAA tournament, but almost none of them are sitting at home watching the Big Ten Network and taking notes. These are the administrators with a bevy of employees and responsibilities spread between their home campus and Indianapolis. Don't think for a minute that they break stride when there is a controversial call -- even one that includes the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation. Q: Jesse Delgado recently returned from an injury. Have you seen him yet? I watched his two matches since coming back and he has looked underwhelming. The eye test tells me he's not sniffing a third NCAA title. He's not getting past Alan Waters and Nahshon Garrett, and it's doubtful he finishes ahead of Joey Dance and Thomas Gilman. How do you see Delgado finishing his college wrestling career? -- Mike C. Two-time NCAA champion Jesse Delgado recently returned to Illinois' lineup after being sidelined due to injury for over two months (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: I doubted that Delgado could win last year's finals and he proved me wrong, which makes me NOT want to bet against him in 2015. However, with an injury and the trio of wrestlers you mentioned competing well later in the season, I find it difficult to believe that Delgado -- coming off an injury-shortened season -- has the tools to get it done. Were you to make the case that Delgado will win his third title it would almost certainly revolve around his mental toughness. I've talked with coaches in the Big Ten who say he's just nails in tough situation after tough situation -- a wrestler with no quit. Having no skin in the game (yet ... staring at Brian Muir) I'd pull for him to win, if for no other reason than I like the idea of lightweight three-time champions. Q: What's the story with Mike Evans talking about the rule change regarding no reaction time for takedowns in overtime? -- Michael, a Hawkeye admitting that it wasn't a takedown unless the rule change is true Foley: The NCAA Rules Committee chose to implement the "flash" takedown in the rules for 2013-2014. As described above, you weren't the only surprised wrestling fan. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME All about that cake Swedish-American wrestler looking to become a reality TV star? This might be your lucky day. To apply for our show you have to go to their website. Link: Double Leg Ninja Boys are putting up a cool sale for charity Link: Fiction is more powerful than truth ... Q: I come into work today and my co-worker, who is not a fan of wrestling and never wrestled, asked if I watched the Iowa-Minnesota dual meet. I said, "Yeah, I did." He replies, "I tried to watch, but it was so boring I changed the channel after the second match. Is wrestling always that way? It's terrible and unwatchable and those are the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams." I tried to explain it's an issue, but it's embarrassing to defend the sport and try to encourage people to watch. Needless to say but he won't be watching anymore matches. NCAA wrestling is doomed if the casual fan not only won't watch, but thinks of wrestling in a negative way. In ten years when a large core of the NCAA wrestling is dead from old age, who will be the next generation of fans? -- Tim J. Foley: I don't know. There is part of me that sees my generation getting back into the sport, which is cool, but I don't know if it's sustainable. There are wrestling fans of all ages, but there is no clear proof that we can retain fans after their days of high school competition. While you and I thought that the matches were somewhat entertaining, your friend (and mine ... had a similar incident) aren't going to support our sport if the action doesn't increase and the confusion gets cut to a minimum. Storylines and increased mainstream media coverage will help, but unless the sport is easier to consume to casual fans we are never going to make headway in gaining new fans with BTN dual meets. Q: UFC legend Anderson Silva recently tested positive for steroids, and becomes just another cheater in the dirty sport of MMA. One of my friends wrestled for a top Division I program in the early 2000s and told me that he was never tested for steroids. Do you know if college wrestlers are tested now? If not, don't you think it's reasonable to think there are college wrestlers on steroids? -- Mike C. Foley: You are tested if you make the NCAA finals, and most schools will do random screenings in-house to prevent a hot test during competition. Maybe this is my naïve nature, but in all my years surrounded by the sport I've never heard any rumor that wrestlers are on steroids at the Division I level. Diuretics, marijuana and maybe some pain killers, but that seems to be about all I've seen and heard. Cutting weight every week and using steroids are not overly compatible. EXTRA TIME By Paul L. Interesting that your boy Jim Harshaw was speaking about Abraham Lincoln in the video included in last week's mailbag. Does Jim know Lincoln was a wrestler? Also, regarding Henry Ford ... he went bankrupt two or three times. Link: Was Abraham Lincoln really a wrestler? Link: Abraham Lincoln was a skilled wrestler and world-class trash talker

Highlighted by three falls, the No. 1 Maryville wrestling team shut out Missouri Baptist 46-0 Thursday night in Moloney Arena. The Saints did not drop a match while posting one tech fall and five major decisions. The night started at 174 and Zeb Wahle set the tone for the night with a fall at the 1:52 mark. Nick Burghardt followed with a dominating 15-1 major at 184, and Ryan Beltz recorded a 21-2 tech fall in the 197 classification. Donnell Walker posted another major by a 12-4 count in the heavyweights as the Saints stretched their lead to 19-0. At 125, Jaret Singh controlled his match for a 15-4 major. In perhaps the most exciting match of the night, Dakota Bauer trailed late due to a riding time deficit, but he recorded a takedown with just three seconds remaining in the match at 133 to emerge with a 9-8 victory. Keygan Foster recorded Maryville's second fall of the night at the 1:51 mark, and Keenan Hagerty posted a methodical 15-4 major win. Greg Hegarty followed with a 12-4 major win, and Dimitri Willis closed out the night, appropriately, with a pin at the 2:28 mark. The Saints are next in action Saturday as they head to Indianapolis to take part in the UIndy Open.

Marshall, Mo. -- The No. 10 Missouri Valley College men's wrestling team traveled to Kirksville, Mo., Thursday evening for a dual against NCAA Division II Truman State (Mo.) University. The Vikings won seven of the matchups in a 28-14 victory. Truman entered the matchup ranked No. 14 in the NCAA Division II Super Region Three Coaches' Poll. 125 pounds: No. 11 Senior Logan Welch (Lexington, Mo.) defeated No. 10 JJ Dorrell in a 12-3 major decision. Missouri Valley leads 4-0 133 pounds: Junior Ryan Stearns (Williston, Vt.) defeated No. 10 Ethan Rentschler in a 6-3 decision. Missouri Valley leads 7-0. 141 pounds: Freshman Dalton Adams (DeSoto, Mo.) was defeated by Rafael Lopez in a second period pin. Missouri Valley leads 7-6. 149 pounds: No. 2 Jake Ekster (Houston, Texas) defeated No. 10 Andrew Still in a first period pin. Missouri Valley leads 13-6. 157 pounds: Freshman Alex Destra (Auburndale, Fla.) defeated Roark Whittington in a 6-4 decision. Missouri Valley leads 16-6. 165 pounds: Junior Jared Sterling (Tacoma, Wash.) was defeated by No. 8 Devon Fenstermaker in a 13-9 decision. Missouri Valley leads 16-9. 174 pounds: Sophomore David Fenton (Readington, N.J.) defeated Dustin McClintock in a 4-2 decision. Missouri Valley leads 19-9. 184 pounds: Sophomore Dakota Concepcion (Pembroke Hills, Fla.) defeated No. 9 Ryan Ward in a 10-7 decision. Missouri Valley leads 22-9 197 pounds: Junior Justin Whitten (Santa Barbara, Calif.) was defeated by No. 6 Helmut Rentschler in a 19-2 technical fall. Missouri Valley leads 22-14 285 pounds: No. 1 Junior Gabi Musallam (San Diego, Calif.) defeated Luke Bornhop in a second period pin. Missouri Valley moves to 6-7 in duals on the season. Truman State falls to 5-4 in duals. The Vikings will next be in Feb. 12 hosting LIndenwood (Ill.) University-Belleville in a dual on Senior Night. The dual will begin at 7 p.m., at the Burns Athletic Complex.

The No. 2-ranked St. Cloud State University wrestling team scored a 45-0 victory over Minnesota State University, Moorhead on Thursday, Feb. 5 at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. The victory improved SCSU's season tally to 14-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the always rugged NSIC. The Dragons fall to 4-5, 0-4 NSIC with the loss to the Huskies. The victory was SCSU's 23rd consecutive win at home and it was the Huskies 33rd consecutive victory in NSIC competition. SCSU will continue its season on Feb. 13 with a match at Southwest Minnesota State. The match tonight marked SCSU's final regular season home match and the Huskies' seniors (Dylon Braun, Josh Howk, Ben McPhail, Zach Stewart and Caleb White) were recognized for their contributions to the program in a special ceremony prior to the start of the match against MSUM. This group of senior has helped SCSU posted a 75-3 record over the past four seasons along with winning three NSIC titles, two regional titles and finishing as the NCAA runner-up twice. The complete results from the dual against MSUM are listed below. Of note, SCSU's Clint Poster improved to 29-0 on the season in the match while Austin Goergen charted his team-leading 14th pin in the match. Results: 125: Tim Prescott (SCS) over Shane Novak (MSM) (MD 14-4) 133: #6 Mike Rhone (SCS) over Blake Bosch (MSM) (Dec 5-4) 141: #7 Josh Howk (SCS) over Philippe Walker (MSM) (Fall 2:34) 149: Larry Bomstad (SCS) over Isaac Novacek (MSM) (MD 14-6) 157: #2 Clint Poster (SCS) over Garrett Hoffner (MSM) (TF 15-0 7:00) 165: #3 Gabe Fogarty (SCS) over Daniel Murakami (MSM) (TF 16-0 4:09) 174: Clayton Jennissen (SCS) over Michael Joseph (MSM) (Dec 4-2) 184: Dylon Braun (SCS) over Shawn Porter (MSM) (Dec 14-10) 197: VJ Giulio (SCS) over Christopher Bascon (MSM) (Fall 2:09) 285: #3 Austin Goergen (SCS) over Nader Abdullatif (MSM) (Fall 2:19)

Wabash dominated all ten weight classes Thursday night in its 54-0 dual meet victory at Mount St. Joseph University. The Little Giants won five matches in addition to claiming five forfeits for the team victory. The night opened with a 10-3 decision by Brett Thumm at 197 pounds. After Abe Hall received a forfeit at heavyweight, Tommy Poynter scored a major decision with a 17-8 victory at 125 pounds. Robbie Carter picked up a pin in the final second of his 133-pound bout. Jacob Cottey and Patrick Parham received forfeits at 141 and 149 pounds respectively to add to the team scoring. Chanc Ravish needed just 29 seconds to score a pin at 157 pounds. Two more forfeits -- one for Christian Rodriguez at 165 pounds and another for Mark Maldonado at 174 pounds -- set up the final match of the night. Riley Lefever, who earlier in the day was ranked third in Division III for the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Award, controlled his 184-pound bout from the outset. The sophomore scored a technical fall at 6:24 of the match by a score of 23-4. "It was a great wrestling environment tonight and the guys got after it from the first whistle to the last.," Wabash head coach Brian Anderson said. "They all were pushing for more points in every period, which is what we need to see out of them at this point of the season." The Little Giants will compete at the Greyhound Open Tournament at the University of Indianapolis. Competition begins at 10 a.m.

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The Citadel wrestling team took sole possession of third place in the Southern Conference standings on Thursday night following a 23-18 victory over VMI at The Thunderdome inside Cocke Hall. The Citadel (6-5, 4-2 SoCon) assumed an early 3-0 lead to open the match when Marshall Haas posted a 5-3 decision over VMI's Urayoan Garcia in the 197 bout. The Keydets (6-7, 3-3 SoCon) answered with a resounding win in the heavyweight match as Juan Adams collected six points with a fall at the 3:48 mark over Joseph Bexley. Head coach Rob Hjerling's squad triumphed in the next five straight matches, beginning with a 4-0 decision by Joaquin Marquez in his victory over Dalton Henderson in the 125-pound classification. That win was followed by Clarence Arrington's 3-1 victory over Hunter Starner in the 133 bout. The momentum gained steam when Tyler Buckiso posted a 4-2 decision over Emmitt Kelly in the 141-pound match that provided The Citadel with 12-6 advantage. Matt Frisch pushed the lead to double figures for The Citadel when he earned a win by technical fall, at the 5:57 mark, over the Keydets' Jack Krall in the 149 showdown. Sophomore Aaron Walker continued his dominance of SoCon opposition when he posted a win by fall against Jedediah Harris at 1:39. That victory provided the Bulldogs with a 23-6 edge with three matches remaining. VMI halted the five-match winning streak for the Dogs with Shabaka Johns' 18-1 technical fall win over Andrew Lock at the 6:43 mark of the 165-pound match. Teammate Mark Darr continued the momentum swing with a 7-6 decision over Kenneth Radford, closing the team score to 23-14 heading into the 184-pound match. The Keydets won the final match of the dual as Derek Thurman posted a 10-2 major decision against Kendall Hemmings. The Citadel will now head to the All-Academy Championships, hosted by the Merchant Marine Academy, in Great Neck, N.Y. The competition begins on Saturday, Feb. 7. Results: 197: Marshall Haas (CID) DEC Urayoan Garcia (VMI) 5-3 (0-3) 285: Juan Adams (VMI) WBF Joe Bexley (CID) 3:48 (6-3) 125: Joaquin Marquez (CID) DEC Dalton Henderson (VMI) 4-0 (6-6) 133: Clarence Arrington, Jr. (CID) DEC Hunter Starner (VMI) SV-1 3-1 (6-9) 141: Tyler Buckiso (CID) DEC Emmitt Kelly (VMI) 4-2 (6-12) 149: Matt Frisch (CID) TECH FALL Jack Krall (VMI) 17-0 (5:57) (6-17) 157: Aaron Walker (CID) WBF Jed Harris (VMI) 1:39 (6-23) 165: Shabaka Johns (VMI) TECH FALL Andrew Lock (CID) 18-1 (6:43) (11-23) 174: Mark Darr (VMI) DEC Kenneth Radford (CID) 7-6 (14-23) 184: Derek Thurman (VMI) MAJ DEC Kendall Hemmings (CID) 10-2 (18-23)

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Back-to-back pins late in the match secured a 29-12 for McDaniel, defeating Gettysburg in Centennial Conference (CC) wrestling action on Wednesday. Jake Pooton (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll) led the Green Terror (7-7, 3-3 CC) with a pin at 184. Narrowly avoiding a first-period fall, the freshman roared back to even the score at 9-all and turned that takedown into a fall with just 13 seconds remaining in the match to secure the win for his team. Quinn Merrigan led the Bullets (8-6, 1-5 CC) with a 2-1 victory at 149. Noah Malamut staked Gettysburg to a 3-0 lead with a 10-4 win at 125 before back-to-back technical falls gave McDaniel a 10-5 advantage. Ryan O'Boyle (North Reading, Mass./Central Catholic) notched a takedown with 41 seconds left to give him a 20-5 victory before Alvontae Drummond (Lincoln, Del./Milford) earned three near-fall points to end his match at 20-5 just three seconds before the second period ended. Merrigan fought off a late takedown attempt from Trey Mitchell (Lewes, Del./Caesar Rodney) to notch the 2-1 win at 149 and draw the Bullets within 10-6. An Erik Meyer (Fallston, Md./Archbishop Curley) 13-3 victory at 157 pushed the hosts' lead to 14-6. Pat Thomas earned an escape and takedown in the third period to earn a 5-3 win at 165 and closed the margin to 14-9 before Logan Yox (Westminster, Md./Liberty) just missed adding an advantage time point for a major decision, winning 9-2 at 174. After the Pooton win at 184, Nick Cross (Centreville, Md./Queen Annes County) made it back-to-back falls, winning in 1:44. Joey Bragg closed out the night, winning 7-2 for the Bullets at heavyweight. The Green Terror returns to action at Washington and Lee for a trimatch, wrestling NYU and Stevenson on Saturday. Action begins at 12 p.m. Results: 125: Noah Malamut (G) dec. Nathaniel Frantz 10-4; (0-3) 133: Ryan O’Boyle (M) tech. fell Matt Laux 20-5 (6:19); (5-3) 141: Alvontae Drummond (M) tech. fell Jake Bracken 20-3 (4:57); (10-3) 149: Quinn Merrigan (G) dec. Trey Mitchell 2-1; (10-6) 157: Erik Meyer (M) maj. dec. Brandon Carcuffe 13-3; (14-6) 165: Pat Thomas (G) dec. Luke Yox 5-3; (14-9) 174: Logan Yox (M) dec. Tyler Cunningham 9-2; (17-9) 184: Jake Pooton (M) pinned Brian Gianforte 6:47; (23-9) 197: Nick Cross (M) pinned Camden Stoops 1:44; (29-9) HWT: Joey Bragg (G) dec. Robb Donovan 7-2. (29-12)

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College wrestling team, ranked 10th in the latest NWCA poll, extended its dual-match winning streak to three with a 43-3 victory over Oneonta on Wednesday at Ben Light Gymnasium. Ithaca won nine straight bouts, all with bonus points, to improve to 9-2 on the season. Oneonta is 7-8. The dual started at heavyweight where Oneonta's James Bethel, ranked ninth in the NWCA, got a first period takedown and two-plus minutes of riding time. He added an escape and takedown in the second period and won a 6-0 decision with the riding time point. Jimmy Kaishian answered for Ithaca with a win at 125. He had a second-period escape and takedown to go up 3-0. In the third period, Kaishian had a series of three takedowns and yielded escapes, with a stalling penalty point against Oneonta and the riding time to get an 11-3 major decision. The 133-pound match was a rematch of the finals of the ECWC Championships. At the conference tournament Alex Gomez of Ithaca defeated Oneonta's Sean Hanson 12-7. In Wednesday's match, Gomez led 7-5 after the first period, got an escape and takedown in the second period and near-fall points to lead 13-5 headed to the final period. He added a takedown in the third period and riding-time point for a 16-5 major decision victory. Ithaca's nationally-ranked 141-pound wrestler Nick Wahba extended the Ithaca lead with a win by pin at 2:50 of the first period. He led the bout 6-2 at the time of the pin. Eamonn Gaffney built an 8-1 lead after two periods on three takedowns an escape and a penalty point against Oneonta He went on to win by 11-3 major decision, which extended Ithaca's streak to four straight victories with bonus points. Halfway through the match Ithaca led 18-3. Kevin Collins had a first-period takedown and turned his opponent three times to build a 10-0 lead. He yielded an escape then got another takedown and back points for a 14-1 lead after the first period. Collins started the second period down and was penalized one point, but then got an escape and takedown for a 17-2 technical fall victory at 3:29. Nick Velez led 10-1 after the first period at 165 and got an escape and two takedowns in the second period to take a 15-3. He started the third period with the advantage and added three near fall points for an 18-3 technical fall at 6:00. The 174-pound match was another bonus-point victory for Ithaca as Jaison White totaled six takedowns in the first two periods to lead 13-4. He added four more takedowns in the third period for a 21-8 major decision. Carlos Toribio won by tech fall at 184 by a 17-2 score in 5:00 at 184, and Greg DuVall closed the match with a pin in 2:26 in the 197-pound match. It was DuVall's fifth pin of the season. Results: 125- Jimmy Kaishian (ITH) maj. dec. Dominic DeGraba (ONE) 11-3 133- Alex Gomez (ITH) maj. dec. Sean Hanson (ONE) 16-5 141- Nick Wahba (ITH) pinned Adam Greene (ONE) 2:50 149- Eamonn Gaffney (ITH) maj. dec. Nick Heck (ONE) 11-3 157- Kevin Collins (ITH) tech fall Dakota Inman (ONE) 17-2, 3:29 165- Nick Velez (ITH) tech fall Mitch Fisher (ONE), 18-3, 6:00 174- Jaison White (ITH) maj. dec. Andrew Werther (ONE) 21-8 184- Carlos Toribio (ITH) tech fall Anthony Marino (ONE) 17-2 5:00 197- Greg DuVall (ITH) pinned Tim Flower (ONE) 2:26 **285- James Bethel (ONE) dec. Dan Glinko (IC) 6-0

The New York University wrestling team, ranked #24 in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll, hosted a Centennial Conference tri-match on Tuesday night, February 4, at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in Manhattan. The home grapplers defeated both the United States Merchant Marine Academy and Stevens Institute of Technology. "We're really proud of the way our guys wrestled over the last week," said NYU Assistant Coach Andrew Butville. "It's been a really tough stretch for them and we got two more tough matches coming up on Saturday." NYU (16-3, 6-0 Centennial) began the night with a 28-7 victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy (7-10, 6-2). The home team began the match with two straight wins by forfeit at 125 and 133 pounds, credited to Wayne Yuan and Nathan Pike, respectively. Brandon Jones, ranked #3 at 141 pounds by the NWCA, kicked off the match with a 9-4 decision over Isaac Hammonds of USMMA. NYU went on to win four more matches, one by major decision (11-0) courtesy of Raymond Jazikoff over James Malone at 174 pounds. The Mariners took the final two bouts at 184 and 197 pounds, followed by a forfeit at heavyweight by both squads to finish out the match. Against Stevens Tech (11-6, 4-2), William Gockel-Figge's win by fall at 197 pounds broke a 16-16 tie and was enough to lead the squad past the Ducks 22-19. "We felt pretty confident with Will going into that match. He's been very solid for us since he joined the squad this semester and we know the kind of potential that he has," continued Butville. "When he got that pin, it took a lot of pressure off of us and we were really happy." Pike, Jones and Matthew Coppola each picked up their second wins on the evening against Stevens to help NYU stay unbeaten in Centennial Conference competition. Coppola won his bout at 149 pounds in sudden victory, securing a takedown to prevail 3-1. "I think we've got a lot of momentum going into this weekend, and if the guys wrestle like they have been for the last week I think we have a good chance of coming away with two more wins," Butville added. NYU will be back in action on Saturday, February 7, when the team travels to Lexington, VA, to wrestle Centennial foes McDaniel College and Washington & Lee University. The squad will take on McDaniel at 10:00 am before wrestling Washington & Lee at 12:00 pm. Link: Results

DICKINSON, N.D. -- The Blue Hawks hosted Northern State in a dual on Wednesday (Feb. 4) and recorded a 32-12 victory. Deshun Hayes (125) and Michael Pajaro (133) were victors by forfeit in the opening two bouts. Travis Koenig recorded a 5-2 decision over Tyler Frost in the 141-pound weight class. Seth Ehlang wrestled his way to an 8-2 decision in the 149-pound bout. Taylor Hodel won against Blake Perryman, 8-1, in the 165-pound weight class. Tyler Brown recorded a 3-2 decision in the 174-pound weight class against Anthony Navarro. Jonathan Solano recorded the Blue Hawks' biggest margin in the 184-pound weight class. He defeated David Murphy with a technical fall (15-0) at the 6:11 mark. Meyer Bohn picked up a 4-2 victory in the heavyweight division over Dustin Caspers. Dickinson State will be back in action on Friday (Feb. 6) against Doane and Morningside, before they head to the Grand View Open.

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The 16th-ranked Newberry College Wolves rattled off five straight victories to come back from a deficit and earn a 30-18 dual win over the King University Tornado on Wednesday night. Newberry moves to 9-3 on the season with the win with three events remaining in the regular season. The Wolves host UNC Pembroke on Tuesday, February 10. After the teams exchanged forfeits at 125 and 133 lbs., the Tornado jumped out to a sizeable lead after a decision at 141 lbs. and a fall at 149 lbs. The hosts were up 15-6 after four bouts. Dennis Flores (Hanahan, S.C.) stopped the skid for Newberry at 157 lbs. with an 11-2 major decision, and a forfeit win at 165 lbs. put Newberry up by one point. However, a one-point unsportsmanlike deduction tied the dual up at 15-all with four bouts left. Joe Pittman (Forsyth, Ga.) put Newberry back on top with a 9-4 win by decision at 174 lbs. Newberry clinched the dual with consecutive first period pins. Jared Holliday (Burlington, N.J.) won by fall in just 1:19 at 184 lbs. and Huston Evans (Springfield, Ohio) earned his first pin of the season in 43 seconds at 197 lbs. Cody Brundage (Chapin, S.C.) battled a fellow regionally-ranked wrestler in Garrett Fosdyck at heveyweight and lost a 3-1 decision, with only two points due to injury timeouts proving to be the difference in the bout. Results: 125 – Jon Boatman (King) win by forfeit, KU 6-0 133 – Jordan Simpson (Newberry) win by forfeit, tied 6-6 141 – Frank Yattoni IV (King) defeats Nik Lankford (Newberry) 4-2, KU 9-6 149 – Landon Reed (King) defeats NickYoung (Newberry), fall 1:40, KU 15-6 157 – Dennis Flores (Newberry) defeats Travis Edwards (King), major decision 11-2, KU 15-10 165 – Lukas Gilmore (Newberry) win by forfeit, NC 16-15 Team unsportsmanlike conduct on Newberry, tied 15-15 174 – Joe Pittman (Newberry) defeats Trevor Wentt (King) 9-4, NC 18-15 184 – Jared Holliday (Newberry) defeats Jesse Masters (King), fall 1:19, NC 24-15 197 – #7 Huston Evans (Newberry), defeats Jackie Miller (King) fall, 0:43, NC 30-15 285 – Garrett Fosdyck (King) defeats Cody Brundage (Newberry), 3-1, NC 30-18

The Alfred State wrestling team won their third match in their last four contests, 31-12 over Oswego on Wednesday evening. The Pioneers wrap up the regular season with a 4-9 dual meet record. Ryan Thierman (Portville) earned a 3-0 decision over Kevin Ramkishun at 125 to start the night. Austin Keough (Warsaw) followed with a 13-9 win over Jonathan Ptacek to give the Pioneers an early 6-0 lead. Oswego tied it at 6-6 after a forfeit at 141. Kevin Thayer (Unatego) made it 9-6 Pioneers with a 6-1 sudden victory over Mark Milisci. Oswego retook the lead with a pin in the 157 lb. match but the Pioneers won the final five matches of the night. George VanValen (Ithaa) won 12-0 over Sam Cullen, Josh Lord won 3-1 over Sean Maloney, Brad Haggerty (Wellsville) and Matthew Sowers (Whitesboro) earned forfeit wins, and Anthony Osman (Vestal) won a 4-1 OT match to cap the night. The Pioneers have a week and a half until the travel to the USCAA Championships on Feb. 15. The USCAA's will be held at Penn State. Results: 125: Ryan Thierman (ASC) over Kevin Ramkishun (SUOS) (Dec 3-0) 133: Austin Keough (ASC) over Jonathan Ptacek (SUOS) (Dec 13-9) 141: Quamaine Thomas (SUOS) over (ASC) (For.) 149: Kevin Thayer (ASC) over Mark Milisci (SUOS) (SV-1 6-4) 157: Tyler Silverthorn (SUOS) over Codie Nichols (ASC) (Fall 6:33) 165: George Vanvalen (ASC) over Sam Cullen (SUOS) (MD 12-0) 174: Joshua Lord (ASC) over Sean Maloney (SUOS) (Dec 3-1) 184: Bradley Haggerty (ASC) over (SUOS) (For.) 197: Mathew Sowers (ASC) over (SUOS) (For.) 285: Anthony Osman (ASC) over Dillion Hudson (SUOS) (TB-1 4-1)